The nervous system and immune system are hardwired and work together to create optimal responses for the body to adapt and heal appropriately. Neural dysfunctions due to spinal misalignments are stressful to the body and cause abnormal changes that lead to a poorly coordinated immune response. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to boost the coordinated responses of the nervous system and immune system.

Subluxation is the term for misalignments of the spine that cause compression and irritation of nerve pathways affecting organ systems of the body. Subluxations are an example of physical nerve stress that affects neuronal control. According to researchers, such stressful conditions lead to altered measures of immune function and increased susceptibility to a variety of diseases.

In 1975, Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor in Environmental Health at New York University, began researching the most scientifically valid ways to estimate individual susceptibility to various chronic diseases. He has conducted a tremendous amount of research in this area that includes over 160 published reports in peer-reviewed journals.

Pero and his colleagues discovered that various DNA-repairing enzymes could be significantly altered following exposure to carcinogenic chemicals. He found strong evidence that an individual's susceptibility to cancer could be determined by these enzymes. Lack of those enzymes, Pero said, "definitely limits not only your lifespan, but also your ability to resist serious disease consequences."

Pero was fascinated by the relationship cancer-inducing agents had on the endocrine system. Since the nervous system regulates hormone balance, he hypothesized that the nervous system had to also have a strong influence on one's susceptibility to cancer.

To support this argument, he found a substantial amount of literature linking various kinds of spinal cord injuries and cancer. Pero found that these injuries led to a very high rate of lymphomas and lymphatic leukemias. This understanding led Pero to consider chiropractic care as a means of reducing the risk of immune breakdown and disease.

Pero's team measured 107 individuals who had received long-term chiropractic care. The chiropractic patients were shown to have a 200 percent greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care, and a 400 percent greater immune competence than people with cancer or serious diseases. Interestingly, Pero found no decline with the various age groups in the study, demonstrating that the DNA-repairing enzymes were just as present in long-term chiropractic senior groups as they were in the younger groups.

Pero concluded, "Chiropractic may optimize whatever genetic abilities you have so that you can fully resist serious disease... I have never seen a group other than this show a 200 percent increase over normal patients."

Dr. Wayne Fichter is the lead doctor at Disk and Spine Northwest, a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation center specializing in the treatment of serious, chronic back pain, acute injuries and postural/scoliosis problems. Contact him at diskandspinenorthwest.com or (208) 215-3261.