CHIROPRACTIC CARE AND THE 1918 FLU

By Dr. Michael Cerami

You’ll soon be hearing the annual “The sky is falling” news about the upcoming Flu for this year.

Most of you know my opinion on the matter but I wanted to revisit news from almost 100 years ago about the most severe Flu know to the modern world that killed over 600,000 Americans and 20 to 50 million people worldwide.

Here’s a more in depth summary so you can appreciate the magnitude of the event:

http://www.history.com/topics/1918-flu-pandemic

•  The life expectancy dropped 12 years in 1918
• ·         The US death toll was 5 time the number of US soldiers killed in World War I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbEefT_M6xY&feature=related

Medicine was failing to have any effect on helping people and Chiropractic at the time was only about 25 years old as a profession. Chiropractors and Osteopaths were enrolled to treat victims of the Flu and achieved unbelievable results where the chiropractors only lost 25 people per 10,000 cases compared to 950 lost who undertook medical treatment.

http://danmurphydc.com/Rhodes_Flu.pdf

I find this information astounding because of my personal and professional experience with keeping myself regularly adjusted. Even though the profession is known today as a neuro-muscular skeletal discipline, our core principle and philosophy has always been based around improving nervous system function. Chiropractic adjustments remove stress along the spinal column which improves nervous system function. This has a downstream effect of improving the body’s inborn immune system ability to fight disease. I’ve seen examples of this for over 30 years in myself and with patients.

This winter (and all year) keep health and fight the Flu and disease naturally. Get in for your wellness visit once per month even if you feel OK!

As always I look forward to your comments.

Dr. Michael Cerami is a local Utah sports chiropractor who has been treating patients for over 25 years. He writes a weekly patient blog and monthly athlete article for community education on a wide variety of topics including treating sports injuries, nutrition, exercise, motivation and wellness.