Chiropractic vs. Swine Flu

Written By: Dr. Wegmann

With today’s headlines dominated by the swine flu we need to learn more in order to protect ourselves and our families. The 1918 Flu killed an estimated 40 million people world wide. I pray this outbreak does not reach that proportion. I cannot comprehend the psychological impact of death on this scale in society today.

Here’s a little history on the swine flu.

On February 5, 1976, an army recruit died and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death and that this strain of flu appeared to be closely related to the strain involved in the 1918 flu pandemic.

On August 20, 2007 Department of Agriculture officers investigated the outbreak of swine flu in Nueva Ecija and Central Luzon, Philippines.

In March and April 2009, more than 1,000 cases of swine flu in humans were detected in Mexico, and more than 100 deaths are suspected to have a connection with the virus. The Mexican fatalities are said to be mainly young adults, a hallmark of pandemic flu. [1]

The nature of a flu tends to be in waves. Flu pandemics typically come in waves. The 1889–1890 and 1918–1919 flu pandemics each came in three or four waves of increasing lethality. [2] I can’t find much information about what wave this flu is on, but researchers are more concerned about this flu than many in the past.

Here are 3 Sure-fire Strategies to help you and your family respond to the threat of the flu.

1. Hygiene- maybe one of the greatest advances of the industrialized nations was the change in the way sanitation and hygiene were practiced. Limiting our exposure to toxins both organic and inorganic makes sense. The body has a built in immune system, but sometimes that system can be overwhelmed. Frequent hand washing, especially when there has been contact with other people or with potentially contaminated surfaces can be very helpful.

2. Chiropractic- One of the most important studies was performed by Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University. It showed the positive effect that chiropractic care can have on the immune system and general health.

Dr. Pero measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases. His initial three-year study was of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more. The chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than those people who had not received chiropractic care, and they had 400% greater immune competence than those people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system superiority of those under chiropractic care did not appear to diminish with age. Dr. Pero stated:

When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group. [3]

Another study from Patricia Brennan, Ph.D., leading a team of researchers, conducted a study that found improved immune response in her test subjects following chiropractic treatment. The study specifically demonstrated the “phagocytic respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and monocytes were enhanced in adults that had been adjusted by chiropractors.” [4]

Life Chiropractic University, produce an incredible study from the Sid Williams Research Center in 1994. The researchers took a group of HIV positive patients and adjusted them over a six-month period. What they found was that the “patients that were adjusted had a forty-eight percent (48%) increase in the number CD4 cells (an important immune system component).” These measurements were taken at the patients’ independent medical center, where they were under medical supervision for the condition. The control group (the patients that were not adjusted) did not demonstrate this dramatic increase in immune function, but actually experienced a 7.96% decrease in CD4 cell counts over the same period. [5]

The immune system is affected by the nerve system through the connections with the endocrine and the autonomic nervous system. And chiropractic care improves the function of the nerve system through improving the movement of the spinal bones that encase and protect the spinal cord.

Stressful conditions lead to altered measures of immune function, and altered susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Many stimuli, which primarily act on the central nervous system, can profoundly alter immune responses. The two routes available to the central nervous system are neuro-endocrine channels and autonomic nerve channels. [6]

3. Masks- no mask can provide a perfect barrier but products that meet or exceed the NIOSH N95 standard are thought to provide good protection. The rationale behind masks is to limit airborne secretions to stop the virus from spreading from person to person. The use of masks is not uncommon in the hospitals where the potential of infection can be greater in compromised patients. It would be unethical and potential deadly for a surgeon to operate without first washing their hands and using a mask.

As I stated previously I pray this flu does not turn pandemic. Millions of people’s lives will be at stake. I do hope you adopt some of the ideas I shared with you; starting first with the hygiene. I encourage you to explore the wonders of chiropractic if you currently know little about chiropractic. Finding a great chiropractor can be a challenge. Many chiropractors simply operate as “pain” doctors, never fully utilizing or understanding the miraculous results when applied properly.

[1]. Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic”. New Scientist. 24 April 2009. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17025-deadly-new-flu-virus-in-us-and-mexico-may-go-pandemic.html.

[2]. U.S. Institute of Medicine; Stacey L. Knobler, Alison Mack, Adel Mahmoud, Stanley M. Lemon (editors) (2005). The Threat of Pandemic Influenza:

[3]. Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32.

[4]. Brennan P, Graham M, Triano J, Hondras M. “Enhanced phagocytic cell respiratory bursts induced by spinal manipulation: Potential Role of Substance P.” J Manip Physiolog Ther 1991; (14)7:399-400.

[5]. Selano JL, Hightower BC, Pfleger B, Feeley-Collins K, Grostic JD. “The Effects of Specific Upper Cervical Adjustments on the CD4 Counts of HIV Positive Patients.” The Chiro Research Journal; 3(1); 1994.

[6] Felton DL, Felton SY, Belonged DL, et al. “Noradrenergic sympathetic neural interactions with the immune system: structure and function.” Immunol Rev. 1987 Dec;100:225-60.