Should You Avoid the Chiropractor if You're Sick?
By Sara Butler
With cold and flu season officially here, some people wonder if they should show up at The Joint Chiropractic if they're actively sick. It's a good question! You've been conditioned to stay home from work and school when sick so you don't spread the illness to others. That's really nice of you, but for your own health and wellness, it's important to keep up with your regular chiropractic care even when you're sick -- and here's why!
Your Nervous System Controls Your Immune System
One of the focuses of chiropractic health is ensuring proper spinal health. When you care for your spine, you also care for your central nervous system -- and it just so happens that your central nervous system controls every single process in your body. So, when you care for the central nervous system, you're also caring for your immune system, an immune system that now has a pretty big job to do in helping you to get healthy again.
When your central nervous system can function without impediment in the form of joint dysfunction and restriction, then it can help your immune system to do its job properly, helping you to get well and stay that way. That's why, when you're under the weather, it's perfectly acceptable to see the chiropractor
Your Symptoms Serve a Purpose
One thing that chiropractors want you to understand is that when you're under the weather, the symptoms you're experiencing serve a purpose aside from making you feel miserable! The stuffy nose, the headaches, the watery eyes, and the loss of appetite aren't fun, but they are an indication that your immune system is doing its job. For example:
- A runny nose - Helps to flush the virus out of your system.
- Fever - Stimulates the immune system to make your body an unfriendly environment for foreign bodies.
- Watery eyes - Help to keep your cornea, which is very sensitive to heat, cool.
- Loss of appetite - Indicates your body is redirecting energy from your digestive system to your immune system.
Remember, your body is designed to fight illness and chiropractic care helps your body to work at its very best.
If you think you're contagious, then you may want to call the chiropractor to let them know. It might be worth it to go early in the morning or right before close if you're worried about spreading the illness to others.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Surprise, Ariz.