The Role of Chiropractic in the Fight Against Cancer
By Chris Brown
While chiropractic is not an alternative to mainstream cancer treatments, it has been shown to help dramatically with the cancer recovery process. Chiropractic helps mitigate the devastating side effects of harsh cancer treatments by providing medicine-free pain management, heightened mobility and quality of life, and improved recovery.
Pain Management
An estimated 30-40 percent of cancer patients experience physical pain, with that rate as high as 85 percent for advanced cancer patients. Joint and back pain, due to periods of being bed-ridden and harsh cancer medicines, are particularly common. The resulting chronic pain leads many to add pain medication to their daily regiment. In the case report of one 57-year-old man, chiropractic manipulation proved more successful than morphine for reducing immobility-induced back and leg pain. This should be no surprise, as chiropractic's expertise lies in fixing spinal and joint dysfunctions which cause tightened muscles and chronic pain points. With the ability to manage pain without further medication, a patient's enjoyability of daily life is improved dramatically.
Heightened Quality of Life
The fight against cancer is draining, both physically and emotionally. Oftentimes, this leaves a sufferer with a reduced quality of life that is counterproductive to their treatment response. Chiropractic can help with a leading problem for poor life quality in cancer patients: loss of mobility. One study found that up to 80 percent of patients with colon, lung, and prostate cancers had movement or ambulation issues. Loss of mobility can disallow basic life functions and the psychological impacts of limited mobility make it a direct "predictor of quality-of-life" according to a Geriatric Nursing article. Chiropractic is highly effective at improving mobility as it relieves joint and nervous system subluxations that could be causing limited movement. Additionally, chiropractic has also shown promise in treating tissue fibrosis, a condition caused by radiation treatment that can painfully reduce mobility.
Improved Recovery
With reduced pain and increased life quality, chiropractic provides an opportunity to support cancer treatment in a way beneficial to a patient's recovery. As with any long-term illness, one's psychological state can have a direct impact upon their success fighting the disease. Chiropractic improves mood by not only reducing pain and increasing life quality, but also by relieving restrictions in the central nervous system which may be contributing to neuropathic problems. The combination of these benefits has led researchers to recommend chiropractic as an integrated part of cancer treatments.
To experience chiropractic's benefits with improving cancer recovery, visit your local clinic, The Joint Chiropractic. With over 600 locations nationwide, The Joint offers affordable sessions during convenient, walk-in hours. The chiropractors at The Joint can provide cancer patients with crucial improvements in well-being and functionality.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Cleveland, Tenn.