Objective: To provide supporting evidence on the effectiveness of chiropractic care in relieving asthma and allergies and overall improvement in a pediatric patient’s immune system and health.
Clinical Features: A 7-year-old male was presented by his parents for chiropractic evaluation and possible care. He suffered from chronic colds, allergies, and asthma since the age of 5 months. At the time of initial evaluation, the patient was on a 1x/day dose of prescription Alavert for allergies and Albuterol for asthma. The patient’s illness caused him to miss approximately 1–2 days a month of school due to colds and symptoms of asthma. His parents also indicated that his health problems resulted in monthly visits to his medical doctor.
Interventions and Outcomes: The patient was cared for using specific, low-force adjustments with the Activator Instrument to address areas of vertebral subluxation in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral spine. Within two weeks of initiating chiropractic care, the patient was able to discontinue his allergy and asthma medications (as decided upon by his parents) and the use of his nebulizer. In the first 5 months after beginning chiropractic care, he has had only wellness check-ups at the medical doctor. In the past school year, the patient has not missed any days of school due to illness.
Conclusion: This case report provides supporting evidence that chiropractic care can help balance immune system functioning and relieve asthma symptoms as well as colds and allergies. It is recommended that further research be done on this subject to support the findings of this case study.
Joel Alcantara, DC 1, Laura Van Roo, DC 2 and Rosemary E. Oman, DC 3
1.Research Director, International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, Media, PA and Private Practice of Chiropractic, San Jose, CA, USA
2.Private Practice of Chiropractic, Janesville, WI, USA
3.Private Practice of Chiropractic, Chur, CH, Switzerland
Accepted for publication, Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health – Chiropractic, 2009.