Childhood Asthma and Chiropractic
It is estimated that up to 15 million people
suffer from asthma. Of those, 14.8 million are children under the
age of 18. In 1993 alone, there were 198,000 hospitalizations for
asthma. In that same sample year, 342 people under the age of 25
died due to this problem. In money terms, the direct cost of
managing a patient with severe asthma has been estimated at more
than $18,000 per year.
The following statistics about asthma come from
the Better Health & Medical Network.
- Asthma has increased 46% from 1982-1993 with an 80% growth
in children under 18.
- In the 5-17 age group, asthma causes an annual loss of more
than 10 million school days per year.
- Asthma accounts for more childhood hospitalizations than any
other childhood disease.
- Children with asthma spend approximately 7.3 million days
per year restricted to bed rest.
- In 1990, there were 7.1 million physician visits for asthma.
- Health care costs for asthma were estimated to be $6.2
billion, which is almost 1% of the total US health care costs.
- More than 5,200 Americans died from asthma in 1991.
Recent articles in publications such as "The
American Chiropractor", and "Today’s
Chiropractic" describe strong links between people who suffer
from these conditions and nerve interference from subluxation.
Subluxations are when bones in the spine pressure or irritate
nerves causing abnormal nerve function. An article appearing in
the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research Vol. 1 No. 4, also
demonstrated the positive effects of chiropractic care on 81
children with asthma.
According to Richard Pistolese, research assistant
for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, "Based
upon information currently available, chiropractic care represents
a safe non-pharmacological health care approach, that may be
associated with a decrease in asthma-related impairment, reduced
respiratory effort, and a decrease incidence of asthma
attacks." Pistolese goes further to say, "The
correction of vertebral subluxation is a non-invasive procedure,
which could reduce or eliminate the need for medication, and
potentially ease the severity of the asthmatic condition."
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