If you've been struggling to manage your asthma recently, with or without medication, you could be a good candidate for chiropractic care. Here are 3 ways seeing a chiropractor can improve your breathing and reduce your asthma attacks.

It Improves Posture

One common reason why people visit a chiropractor is to improve their posture. At face value, this sounds like it has nothing to do with asthma, but it may surprise you to learn that bad posture can make it harder for you to breathe. Sitting in a hunched position presses your ribcage and sternum against your diaphragm, which makes your abdominal muscles and tendons shorten. When this happens, your muscles have to work overtime to help you breathe, which can weaken and fatigue a respiratory system that's already addled by asthma. A chiropractor can help improve your posture with spinal adjustments that address the cause of your hunching. They can also advise you on how to sit correctly to and show you some stretches and exercises you can do to improve your posture at home.

It Boosts Your Immune System

Have you noticed that you suffer more asthma attacks when you're already feeling ill? This isn't just nature's way of kicking you when you're down; a low immune system can prevent your lungs from defending against bacteria and viruses that cause attacks. That's where seeing a chiropractor comes in. Chiropractic treatment is based on the idea that everything in the body is connected through the spine, which houses the nervous system. Your chiropractor will correct the misalignments in your spine with the aim of improving nerve stimulation to your immune system, reducing inflammation and improving your immune response to colds, flus, infections, and other illnesses. This should help reduce your asthma attacks year-round, especially during peak virus season.

It Reduces Hyperventilation

Aside from a low immune system and environmental triggers like smoke and allergens, asthma attacks can also be brought on by hyperventilation (shallow, fast breathing). Two of the main causes of hyperventilation are physical exercise and stress, and chiropractic can address both of them. First, spinal adjustments can improve your mobility, strengthen your muscles, and reduce pain. This allows you to exercise more readily, building up stamina so you don't hyperventilate when you have to (or choose to) engage in more intense physical activity. On the stress side, correcting your subluxations can help your nervous system communicate better with the rest of your body so you feel less overwhelmed and more balanced. 

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