Fertility Care
One of the basic premises of chiropractic care is that vertebral subluxations affect nerve function and transmission. Think of your brain as a computer which coordinates, via your nervous system, the functions of your organs and cells. Nerve messages can be interrupted by spinal (and pelvic) subluxations, which occur when there are misalignments of one or more vertebrae.
The nervous system will effectively integrate the chemical, physical and emotional information between the brain and all systems of the body, including the reproductive systems. Among other effects, vertebral subluxations can compromise optimal reproductive system function and our capacity to conceive.
When our nervous system works well, we are better able to adapt to our environment and its stressors, which in turn influence our capacity to reproduce. Physical traumas such as car accidents, sporting injuries, falls and even long-term, “invisible” trauma caused by poor posture or stress can all impact the function of the nervous system.
In one review published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (2008), the case studies of eleven “infertile” women, aged 22 to 42, were examined. Ten of the women were actively trying to become pregnant and had been unsuccessful. Their pregnancy histories included one natural childbirth, two miscarriages, two failed IVF treatments and three failed artificial inseminations. Within 1 to 20 months of receiving chiropractic care, all eleven women had become pregnant. They all had adjustments made to vertebral subluxations in their spines using a variety of chiropractic techniques. Nine of the eleven received no other medical care during this time. This is one example in the growing body of research that suggests chiropractic care improves reproductive system function.
There is no exclusive fertility cure-all for couples. These proactive recommendations are designed to allow the body to balance itself and recreate its own “order.” Health practitioners cannot take credit for the magnificent design of the human body, which has an innate intelligence working to heal itself.
If couples take the time to listen to their own bodies, they will receive invaluable advice, for the body is always sending messages. This does not mean we need be alone, passive or inactive in the healing process. Given the right support and enough time, the body has repeatedly shown that it is capable of transforming “dis-ease” and dysfunction into wellness…and for many couples, “infertility” into fertility.
Regardless of the type of chiropractic technique used, when subluxations are addressed, nerve function is improved and reproductive and endocrine function is enhanced.
**Adapted from Pathways Magazine and Jennifer Barham-Floreani, DC