To think a chiropractor might be able to help an immune system?

[Kangaroosjump]

I thought they did spinal adjustments that were meant to strengthen an immune system?

Due to an ongoing issue with my tot that doesn't seem too serious - drs not worried, but I'm seeing a few things and thinking they could be connected in a bigger holistic picture I thought we might try one for him...

Have I got the wrong thing? My mum is telling me they just sort bad backs...

What alternative health treatments (except homeopathy thanks) would be likely to help a toddlers over stressed immune system? There's a few behavioural issues im convinced are linked but it's just not enough to concern my doc... (Thankfully)

Thanks!

My issue isn't a lower back problem as I have been diagnosed by a urologist.

I know not all medications work for all people trust me I do as I have tried 15 different combinations for my condition with minimal success until the past few months.

Nobody is going to change their views on this matter which is fine but maybe consider that people may believe in things or actually find benefit in them. Im sure there are many things that instead of being a placebo effect are actually treating the symptoms in a different way. People who feel they are 'at the end of their tether' may just be grateful in finding some relief and you telling them it is in their head is probably not the greatest thing to do.

Sorry OP for slightly hijacking your post, if you think it might benefit your child then yes give it a go. Just make sure you go to someone who has the relevant qualifications and do research first. Sometime traditional medicine isn't the only way.

Im sure there are many things that instead of being a placebo effect are actually treating the symptoms in a different way.

What kind of different way? Magic?

There is lots of research into the placebo effect. We really don't understand it, placebo injections are more effective than a placebo sugar pill, for example. Different colours of sugar pills are more effective for different conditions.

Saying that it's the placebo effect that made you feel better isn't insulting, it's fascinating.

That said, some quackery making you feel better isn't always the placebo effect. Regression to the mean, spontaneous cure, incorrectly attributing your recovery to one treatment when it was due to another are also possibilities. Having a good massage and a sympathetic person to talk to can certainly help whether that person gives you a healing crystal or not.

To get back to the OP - my son had similar issues as a small baby/child. Terrible sickness, excema, asthma etc etc. We went down all the usual routes, barium swallow, endoscopy etc - nothing found.
Eventually paid for ENT and huge tonsils finally noticed, removed along with adenoids and grommets fitted.
He was the snottiest child on God's earth and constantly hospitalised with asthma for years. Dreadful allergies.
Cranial osteopathy helped with symptoms - nothing more.
Eventually diagnosed at 11 with eosinaphillic oesophagitis which is damage to his oesophagus caused by years of undiagnosed allergy to gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts.
His diet is now severely restricted but he is getting better and eating well and his asthma is finally controlled.
My tip would be to get a referral to an allergy consultant if possible - the damage my son has now could have been avoided if we had restricted his diet earlier. We also have a nutritionist and a Consultant gastro-entorologist looking after him. They are all excellent.
My GP wasn't really worried either - just saying!
Pm me if you want anymore info.

Nobody is going to change their views on this matter

I would, if evidence presents itself.

BTW, the lower back coordinates neural signals to and from the bladder. There are lots of studies showing that lower back injury can cause overactive bladder, inappropriate timings of contractions and so on. Not saying that's your issue, but lower back problems can certainly cause and/or contribute to several bladder issues.

I would also change my views if new evidence was presented. As things stand, chiropractors and osteopaths can provide NO evidence that they work.

There is a chiropractic clinic in a town near where I live, I haven't had need to see him but have used the acupuncturist who works in the same building. They have waiting lists weeks long and have helped countless people I know. I won't bore you with all of the examples but I went as a total cynic to the acupuncturist myself and was amazed at the results. Dd went to the chiropractor and acupuncturist after suffering for severe migraines for a year. Our Dr kept escalating her medication and nothing was working. She was having them once a week. After 2 sessions with the chiropractor and the accupuncturist this went down to once a month and now she very rarely has them. I don't care what anyone says it helped dd when nothing else worked.

I should also add that after those sessions both practitioners signed Dd off saying "you know where we are if you need us". Surely if they were all charlatans on the make they'd have sought any means possible to keep her on.

I had great results from an oseteopath when I had a misaligned pelvis after the birth of DS. She actually didn't manipulate me as such, she just had her hands on my back and it sort of clunked itself into place. 8 weeks of agony and being unable to walk upstairs or lie flat - gone (I had physio, didn't do diddly). Some are good for skeletal problems. Oh and the "they're just out to fleece you by recommending eleventy billion treatments" is hysteria. I'm not saying there aren't those type of people, of course there is, but you find arseholes in all walks of life. The lady I saw said I would probably need two treatments during my initial consult but then afterwards said the adjustment seemed complete and told me not to bother with another treatment unless the pain returned. Hardly the bloodsucker some would have you believe.

That all said, I don't believe it can help with immune disorders, i do however think there is a psychological phenomenon that happens when pain is relieved that makes people feel better but it doesn't actually do anything in terms of 'blockages'. My dad saw one for his bad back which really helped with his chronic back pain. A month or so later he reported an improvement in his indigestion and reflux which his initial reaction was to say 'oh the osteopath fixed it" when in fact when you broke it down, he was doing considerably more exercise and not self medicating the pain with comforting fatty food. So, yes the reduction in pain facilitated digestive recovery but the skeletal adjustment didn't cause it.

This is quite a useful summary of the evidence for chiropractic www.nhs.uk/conditions/chiropractic/Pages/Introduction.aspx Basically, good for lower back pain, the rest is placebo.

I've used a sports physio for lbp. Whilst being treated I was (separately) diagnosed with depression and did some mind-body work with the physio which helped me immensely. Mainly this was because seeing the physio was good self care and because I was spending an hour talking to someone who was sympathetic and interested in me. She genuinely cared about her patients, and it showed. No, she wasn't treating me for free, but heck, we all have bills to pay, physios included. (I realise physios are not included in the woo category, but mind-body work might be).

Having moved away from that physio and needing an appointment in a hurry due to a nasty fall from a horse, I ended up seeing an osteopath. I would have needed to wait another week for a physio, so I did some research and decided an osteopath would be fine as he didn't mention woo cranial stuff. He was well versed in anatomy and my back felt a lot better afterwards.

However, I'm an adult and reasonably well versed in assessing evidence. I don't think I'd take a child to an osteopath for anything other than a musculo-skeletal problem and I wouldn't take them to a chiropractor at all.

maidofstars are you a doctor?

but lower back problems can certainly cause and/or contribute to several bladder issues

Never heard this in my life and I used to work in the NHS (profession supplementary to medicine) .

maidofstars are you a doctor?

I am a research fellow. I work in the medical genetics/developmental biology field. One of my current projects is the study of congenital bladder disorders and their neural bases.

Never heard this in my life and I used to work in the NHS

Hmm, I'm going to ignore the 'I'm calling you out' vibes in favour of a 'genuine inquiry' interpretation

That's fine, it's quite a specialist esoteric field. Google/NCBI 'neurogenic bladder' for human disorders. Also, there are lots of animal studies of spinal cord injury/brain injury and the effect on bladder function (and, importantly, how it can be restored).

Here is a decent explanation:
Neurogenic bladder

Your link between the back and neural signals is why I went in the 1st place as someone suggested it may help reduce certain symptoms. My condition IC may be linked to nerve issues... nobody actually knows yet hence the link. That doesn't mean I have a back injury but I understand the link.

It may be surprising but doctors can fall for woo too. When I was younger my mum took me to a homeopathist who used to be a GP. I do think that she was completely genuine and had spent a lot of time and money retraining and clearly didn't make as much doing homeopathy as she did as a GP. So she was certainly a believer. I tend to take the attitude that at least she isn't a GP any more if she could fall for that sort of crap.

I also know a consultant cardiologist who is a juice plus fanatic. Being talented and clever doesn't mean you are immune from being stupid about something.

Very true. I don't see my GP any more because he practices acupuncture (for a charge, of course). I see one of the others in the surgery who doesn't practice woo on the side.

Neurogenic bladder : The bones of the sacrum are fused so unlikely to move and press on nerves was why I wondered, it must be very rare.

but lower back problems can certainly cause and/or contribute to several bladder issues
Never heard this in my life and I used to work in the NHS (profession supplementary to medicine)

Google Cauda Equina syndrome and the effect that can have on bowels and bladders. I'm pretty staggered that you wouldn't have heard of it, tbh. Unless by working in the NHS, you mean you were doing admin.

it must be very rare

As a congenital defect, yes (spina bifida would be the highest contributor in this category - I study disorders far rarer than that). As a sequela to various neuro diseases/injuries (MS, Parkinson's, stroke, diabetes [where there is autonomic neuropathy], etc), it's quite common.

So neural damage in the central and peripheral nervous system can cause bladder dysfunction. More obvious causes aside, it's completely plausible that more minor injuries/disturbances around the lower back area can compress important nerves (not necessarily in the immediate spinal column) and affect bladder function. However, as patients without acute injuries/disease often don't present to clinics, we'll never know how many are dealing with small neural disturbances that are affecting bladder control/function.

Parasympathetic control of the bladder originates with nerves in the sacral region. However, sympathetic nerves that innervate the bladder neck emerge from lower thoracic and upper lumbar segments.

Could you find a holistic/ integrative medicine doctor?

One who is medically qualified, but also has additional qualifications in alternative medicine, and looks at the bigger picture. For me this seems a happy medium.

I used to live in Australia, and holistic doctors were more common there. It doesn't seem to be as common over here, but if you live in a big city like London, you may find someone suitable.