There are multiple natural health choices, as the seasons change, pollen spreads, temperatures shift and allergies flare up! Chiropractic care can be helpful in a couple of ways supporting your body to be strong and healthy through the fall season. We’ve also listed some supplements that we use personally.

Chiropractic & Autumn Health

Our bodies are under different stress heading towards winter. Allergies are a function of the immune system, so boosting one helps the other.

Chiropractic care works with the nervous system to allow the body to organize and regulate better. No matter how the environment is changing with pollen counts or 40-degree temperature shifts, our body can internally adapt.

When there is pressure on the nerves, they aren’t able to communicate this adaptability as clearly in the signals that go from the brain to the body and vice versa.

This pressure can happen when the vertebrae become injured or simply fall under stress, creating inflammation and interference on the nerve roots that exit the spinal column. We call this a subluxation.

How do they become misaligned? If you’re picturing a trauma, like a car wreck or fall, you’re correct. However, we overlook some trauma, like birth or the microtraumas of repeated poor posture.

Mental stress also can cause subluxations. We say that something is “a pain in the neck,” “that we carry the weight of the world,” or that we put our stress into our shoulders - and all of that is true! Bodywork practitioners will tell you they can find the inflamed areas where someone holds their emotions in their body!

Subluxations can also be caused by chemical stress. The amount of nutrition or toxins that we eat, breathe, and put on our skin will either build up our soft tissues and bones or be part of their degeneration.

As chiropractors, we find where these subluxations are, no matter their source. No matter the source, when a subluxation exists, the joint will then fail to move as intended. We specifically adjust to restore motion back into the joint where motion has been lost, and then keep it moving for as long as it takes for the surrounding tissue, nerves, and ultimately your body, to heal. .

This restoration of motion also means your body is able to restore the flow of communication between brain and body. That flow is the innate intelligence that knows exactly how to heal and function optimally in every season!

Optimize Your Nutrition: Natural Allergy & Immune Supplements

Ideally, we would be able to eliminate chemical stress from toxins and eat high-quality, nutrient-dense seasonally appropriate foods. However, sometimes we have a deficiency that needs supplementation.

However, let’s be clear: supplements are designed to add to that balanced diet, not be the focus!

That said, any nutrient is only as useful as your body’s ability to use it. We don’t want to put a bunch of good things in that our body can’t fully use! So the bigger question is how well does your body organize and regulate?

As we said above, the best way to improve how well your body is assimilating your supplements is to get adjusted. We make sure that all the key nerves to your digestive system are free from interference so they can digest and eliminate optimally.

This is why many people under chiropractic care have reported less heartburn, less constipation, less gas, less cramps, and better overall digestion!

Nutritional Supplements for a Healthy Vibrant Autumn:

These are the supplements Dr. Josh and Dr. Emily take on a regular basis but are not intended as a one size fits all supplement regimen. If you have questions, ask us or another of your healthcare providers, and do your research.

• Probiotics: I like a variety of probiotics. So once I run out of a type, I’ll try a different variety. Probiotics provide nourishment to our gut flora. Think of it as the type of soil that the garden of your gut grows on. A well-balanced and adaptable garden will provide different types of crops. I typically go to a local store like Fresh Thyme for these. But we also try to eat/drink as many fermented foods as possible, like kombucha and kimchi!
• Vitamin C: You probably know this one as an immune booster - don’t underestimate it!
• Elderberry: another immune booster as taken on a maintenance dose. Also can be used to fight infection on a higher dose.
• Vitamin D: We recently started taking one with vitamin K included, which helps avoid excessive arterial calcification. D is helpful for many things, we produce it with sunlight exposure - but many of us are not in the sun all day. Especially in the autumn and winter, get that vitamin D in to keep your immune system in tip-top shape through the cold seasons.
• Natural Calm magnesium supplement - Magnesium essentially helps use vitamin D more efficiently.
• Zinc: another one I like for immune support primarily. It has many uses for our bodies.
• Mushrooms and herbs; Everyday Immune: This is something I’ve started using the last few years during seasonal transitions. These are times when our immune systems and bodies are regulating a wide range of temperatures and environments.
• Ashwaghanda: another newer supplement for me. It’s an adaptogen, meaning our body uses it to manage stress. It has other widespread uses as well. For example, it can boost brain function, lower blood sugar and cortisol levels, and help fight symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Turmeric: primarily I use this to manage stress on my body and inflammation. There is also some evidence that shows turmeric helps promote healing by promoting stem cell production.
• Nordic Naturals fish oil. A great daily supplement.