Chiropractic and the Immune System

As COVID-19 spreads, a common question is

‘What can I do to help boost my immune system’?

Having a healthy immune system

Research has shown that your immune system relies on your brain and central

nervous system to guide the way it responds to potential threats to your health.1

The central nervous system and immune system are closely linked, and they work

together to detect and appropriately respond to anything that may harm you.

Having a well-adjusted spine could have an impact on your immune function.

It is really important to have a healthy immune system, because that is your

built-in defense against things like bacteria and viruses that can harm your body.

Your immune system acts as a sensory system, providing information to your brain about what is occurring in your body, and your brain responds with an appropriate immune response.

What does the research show?

Two recent scientific studies have summarised the research that has investigated chiropractic care or spinal manipulation and how it affects the immune system. One of these reviews found thirteen different studies that looked at spinal manipulation and the immune system. Most of these studies focused on a very important immune chemical called cortisol. In the second review, they found eight studies that looked at spinal manipulation and a number of immune chemicals, including cortisol. What the scientists found in these reviews was that spinal manipulation seems to trigger the activation of the neuro-immuno-endocrine system - so when you get adjusted by your chiropractor, it alters the way your nervous system works, which then has an impact on the way your immune system works. We don’t know yet whether these chemical changes in the immune system have an important impact on your overall immunity or not. To fully understand this, we need to do more research. From these two reviews there are two ‘bottom-line conclusions’ about the link between chiropractic and the immune system:

1. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown in the research literature to affect the levels of chemicals in your body that are important for a healthy immune response.

2. We don’t know yet whether these chemical changes have an important impact on your overall immunity or not, to fully understand this we need to do more research. So, there is a link, but scientists don’t yet know if that means chiropractic care will improve your immune system in a way that will help prevent you from getting sick, or whether chiropractic will reduce your symptoms if you get sick, or shorten the duration of your illness. This means that when you get adjusted by your chiropractor, it might help you to be able to respond and adapt to your environment better and allow your nervous system and your immune system to talk to each other more clearly, to keep you balanced and healthy. We need more research studies to really find out if chiropractic care really does help boost the function of your immune system in a way that’s important for your health.

Disclaimer and References This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be professional advice of any kind. Haavik Research Ltd encourages you to make your own health care decisions based on your own research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. 1. Kawli T, He F & Tan M-W. 2010;3(11-12):721-31. 2. Buckingham JC, et al. 1996;54(1):285-98. 3. Elenkov IJ, et al. 2000;52(4):595-638. 4. Herkenham M & Kigar SL. 2017;79(Pt A):49-57. 5. Kipnis J. Scientific American 2018;319(2):28-35. 6. Kox M, et al. 2014;111(20):7379-84. 7. Pearce BD, Biron CA & Miller AH. Academic Press 2001:469-513. 8. Sanders VM & Kohm AP. 2002;52:17-41. 9. Uthaikhup S et al. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2012;55(3):667- 72. 10. Haavik H & Murphy B. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2012;22(5):768-76. 11. Treleaven J. Man Ther 2008;13(1):2-11. 12. Daligadu J, et al.JMPT 2013;36(8):527-37. 13. Haavik H & Murphy B. 2012;22(5):768-76. 14. Haavik H, et al. 2017 doi: 10.1016/j. jmpt.2016.10.002 15. Taylor HH & Murphy B. JMPT 2008;31(2):115-26. 16. Colombi A & Testa M. Medicina 2019;55(8):448. 17. Kovanur-Sampath K, et al. 2017;29:120-31.

Dr. Heidi Haavik BSc(Physiol) BSc(Chiro) PhD • Dr. Kelly Holt BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD • Dr. Jenna Duehr BChiro, BHSc(Nursing), MHSc

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