Springtime Allergies? Consider Seeing Your Chiropractor For Treatment

Springtime should be a bright and refreshing season, but for those with allergies, it quickly turns into a nightmare. Between the sneezing, the itchy eyes, and the drowsiness from your allergy medications, it can be hard to get out of bed, let alone actually enjoy yourself. If you're tired of dealing with springtime allergies year after year, perhaps it is time to look into a new treatment method. Instead of turning to pills and medications that are only ever partially effective, try seeing your chiropractor.

How can a chiropractor help treat allergies?

It does sound a bit preposterous at first, but that's only because most people have come to think of chiropractors as practitioners who only deal with back pain. While they do focus on treating patients by adjusting the spine, these adjustments do a lot more than ease back pain. When your spine is out of alignment, it presses on various nerves, which control every system in your body – including your immune system.

When a misaligned vertebrae is pressing on a nerve related to your immune system, it can cause allergies or make them a whole lot worse. (Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to something it shouldn't, like pollen or pet dander.) Thus, by adjusting your spine to eliminate these pressure points, your chiropractor can enhance the function of your immune system, which will help reduce your body's reaction to allergens.

What will the treatment entail?

Your chiropractor will begin by examining your spine to determine where and to what extent it is misaligned. You may be asked to bend or stretch in certain directions during this assessment. Then, you'll be asked to lay face-down on a special treatment table. Your chiropractor will then use his or her hands to press on very specific points in the back, easing the spine back into alignment. You may hear some popping noises, similar to when you crack your knuckles, but you won't experience any pain.

Chances are, your chiropractor will need to see you several times in order to effectively re-align your back and get your allergy symptoms under control. Some patients notice an improvement after only one treatment, but it is more likely that you will gradually improve over a period of several months.

Your chiropractor will discuss your individualized treatment protocol with you. This will likely include a plan to slowly reduce your use of allergy medication over time. By next spring, with any luck, you could be allergy-free.