4 Kinds Of Chiropractic Patients That May Surprise You

Chiropractic treatment has become a common form of care worldwide -- but its ability to relieve acute or chronic back and neck pain is only one aspect of its potential. Your elderly grandmother with the "crick in her back" isn't the only one you know who might benefit. Here are four other, and far more surprising, candidates for a chiropractor.

1. Pets

You probably take your beloved pet to the veterinarian for vaccinations, checkups, deworming, and other traditional treatments -- but what about chiropractic adjustments? Odd as it may sound, the benefits of chiropractic care are by no means limited to the human race. In fact, chiropractic techniques were practiced on animals as well as humans right from the beginning of the 20th Century. Modern-day practitioners typically prescribe veterinary chiropractic treatment when an animal displays symptoms such as:

  • Seizures
  • Chronic pain conditions such as spinal arthritis
  • Staggering, stumbling, or dragging one foot

These issues can all be caused or worsened by subluxations -- spinal misalignments that cause nerve pain and other neurological dysfunctions. If your pet has been displaying such symptoms, maybe it's time to ask about veterinary chiropractic adjustments as a treatment option.

2. Infants

When chiropractors state that they can treat patients of all ages, they really mean it. Even newborn infants often need chiropractic adjustments, since the trip through the birth canal can cause twisting or compression of an infant's back, head, shoulders or other joints. By correcting these problems right away, a chiropractor can prevent many years of future health or developmental issues.

Infants can continue to benefit from chiropractic care throughout the first few months of life. One study indicated that babies who suffer from colic were much less likely to cry if they were receiving pediatric chiropractic treatments. If your baby has this condition, a skilled pediatric chiropractor might help him -- and you -- sleep more soundly at night.

3. Allergy Sufferers

If you imagine a typical chiropractic waiting room, your mental image is probably populated by patients with stiff necks, bad backs, and painful joints. But there's another group of chiropractic patients that you would probably never think to add to that room -- those who display no signs of pain but are constantly sneezing and coughing. These patients are allergy sufferers, and chiropractic adjustments can help them too.

The immune system sends out substances called histamines when it sense the presence of an invading allergen, causing the symptoms commonly associated with allergic attacks. But the immune system follows the brain's instructions as relayed by the nervous system. When a subluxation disturbs nerve function, it can cause the immune response to misfire, producing allergic reactions for no good reason. In these cases, chiropractic corrections can actually relieve allergy symptoms.

4. Kids with ADHD

If you have a child with ADHD, or know another parent who does, then you understand how challenging this developmental disorder is to modern medical science. The traditional medical approach focuses on muting the symptoms or halting their progression via medications. Many parents cringe at the thought of keeping their kids heavily medicated. Fortunately, it appears that chiropractic can help even this segment of the population.

Motor development influences neural development -- in other words, a coordinated body builds a coordinated brain. When spinal misalignments throw a child's body out of balance, the brain develops in a correspondingly unbalanced fashion, resulting in ADHD. Chiropractic adjustments to correct posture and gait can play a critical role in correcting and reversing the disorder. Your child's chiropractor may also recommend:

  • Nutritional and dietary changes, especially if a food allergy is detected
  • Special sensory and coordination exercises
  • Extra environmental considerations (such as not using bug spray or other chemicals in the house)

As you can see, chiropractic medicine offers benefits for a huge swath of the human and non-human population. You may even discover that it can help you and your loved ones with stubborn health issues that haven't yet responded to other treatment methods. Contact a chiropractor near you to learn more about this fascinating field of healthcare!


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