Thanks to allergies, I see lots of red noses, itchy eyes, coughing and just plain people in misery this time of year. We all love spring and shout for joy as we put away our shovels, but with this joy come the allergies and the misery they bring with them.

Millions of people suffering from a wide variety of conditions, allergies included, have benefited from chiropractic care even though chiropractic is not an allergy treatment.

Why? Because chiropractic is a method of health care that permits your body to function at its best. That is especially important if you suffer from allergies. But first, let's find out more about allergies in general.

The most common immune disorder is the allergic reaction which occurs when the immune system overreacts to an allergen (dust, pollen, milk, dog or cat dander, strawberries, etc.) and produces too many neutralizing chemicals (especially histamines) to counteract it. The importance of a strong immune system is evident whenever seeking optimal health and especially so when trying to avoid adverse reactions to allergens that surround us daily.

Your immune system is influenced by your nerves and hormones, by your

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diet and by emotional stress. If unhealthy, your immune system may fail to recognize and remove abnormal cells (such as cancers); may not overcome infection; may overreact to foreign substances (bee stings, penicillin, foods or drugs); become depressed (as in AIDS) or even attack itself.

Your immune system keeps you 100 percent natural, organic, unadulterated you! It recognizes and destroys anything not supposed to be in you: Bacteria, pollutants, dust, pollen, drugs, tumors, dead pieces of your own cells and even artificial hearts and donor organs.

We are all familiar with bacteria and how it can cause health problems for us all. Bacteria normally live in some parts of your body (i.e. your gut and skin). When bacteria travel to places they shouldn't be, then your immune system will attack them. For this reason, your immune system needs to be working at its best. This is where chiropractic care comes in and helps.

A better immune system means high resistance to disease and infection, better ability to deal with stress, and greater health and well-being. Since chiropractic concerns itself with the removal of interference in your nervous system, it helps keep the immune system functioning at it was created to do. Chiropractic care focuses on those interferences within the spine called subluxations. If a subluxation is present in your spine, one of the 24 bones is out of place thus interfering with the nervous system. If the nervous system is unable to function properly, then the messages are not able to move from the brain to the rest of the body allowing the cells, tissues and organs to do their job.

In terms of allergies, the benefits of a spine in proper alignment can be astounding. When you let the immune system function at its peak by removing interference, allergies can be reduced or even eliminated. I see many patients that have been happily amazed at how their seasonal allergy suffering no longer interferes with a happy, healthy spring.

Their strong immune system is serving them well... thanks to a healthy lifestyle that includes chiropractic care.

If you have questions concerning chiropractic, please call us at Spoelstra Family Chiropractic at (208) 667-7434 or look us up on the Web at www.CDAHealth.com.