June is Men’s Health Month, and it’s a great time to take a look at your health and what you’re doing to improve it. Regular chiropractic care can promote optimal wellness and treat conditions like high blood pressure, and low T. Men of all ages can benefit from seeing a chiropractor. Here are six ways chiropractic care can improve men’s health.
1. Lowers Blood Pressure
Among adults under 45, men are more likely than women to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a contributing factor to heart attack and stroke, also significant causes of death for men. Studies have shown that chiropractic care is a safe and effective tool in treating and possibly preventing high blood pressure.
Our blood pressure, like all systems of the body, is controlled by our nervous system. The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that branch out from the spinal cord and carry signals throughout our bodies. Since the spinal cord is housed within the vertebrae of our spine, subluxations in these vertebrae can cause misalignments of nerves.
Regular chiropractic adjustment can free your nervous system to function optimally. Specific nerves are thought to play a role in high blood pressure. Studies have shown that receiving specific chiropractic adjustments aimed at freeing these nerves led to lower blood pressure. Eight weeks of these treatments produced the same results as taking two blood pressure medications. On average, the study participants’ diastolic pressures dropped by eight points, and their systolic pressures dropped by fourteen points.
Untreated high blood pressure dramatically increases your chances for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease. Along with a healthy lifestyle, chiropractic care can lower your blood pressure.
2. Improves Your Immune System
Did you know that as a man, you may be more susceptible to many infectious diseases than women are? This is not true for every disease, but studies have revealed that tuberculosis, Covid-19, and influenza, among others, infect men more often than women. In the case of influenza, women are more prone to severe infection, but men are more prone to severe disease and death from covid-19.
There are several reasons for these gender disparities. One theory is that hormones play a role. Testosterone tends to suppress the immune system, while estrogen tends to heighten immune function. There’s not much you can do about your sex hormones, but men may also be more at risk for infectious diseases due to lifestyle factors and underlying conditions. High blood pressure and heart problems are more common in men than in women under the age of 45. Men are also more likely than women to use tobacco products and over imbibe alcohol.
In addition to avoiding tobacco and using alcohol responsibly, regular chiropractic care can also aid with immune function. As mentioned above, chiropractic adjustment can be used to lower blood pressure, thus removing an underlying condition that contributes to severe infection. Chiropractic adjustment can also more directly affect the immune system by correcting neurological subluxations that may be holding it back.
3. Balances Your Testosterone Levels
More men than ever are suffering from low testosterone. Low T has many causes, including certain infections, injuries, and congenital conditions, but the most common reasons are lifestyle-related. A sedentary lifestyle, diets high in sugar and processed carbs, and sleep deficiency can lower testosterone in otherwise healthy young men.
Your nervous system plays a key role in modulating hormone production. Sitting at a desk all day can do a number on your spine, especially if you hunch forward. Correcting spinal problems can help the nervous system do its job better and result in more normal hormone levels. Your chiropractor can also evaluate your nutritional status and provide you with lifestyle and supplement advice to keep your testosterone levels up.
4. Helps to Keep You Strong and Fit
Many men enjoy participating in sports, doing heavy work in the yard, and generally being active. An active lifestyle has many health benefits, but it can also put you at risk for muscle and joint injury. Chronic pain resulting from an injury can put you on the sidelines and lead to a sedentary, less healthy lifestyle. Chiropractic care can benefit active men in two ways. Regular adjustments can keep your body in good working condition, making it less prone to injury, and adjustment after an injury can help your body heal faster.
At Stanlick Chiropractic, we offer several treatments to our injured patients, including adjustment, spinal decompression therapy, and cold laser treatments. Our treatment plans are designed to help you get back on your feet faster and avoid chronic pain. We also recommend exercises and stretches that can strengthen your body and improve flexibility, making it less prone to future injury.
Your active lifestyle plays a crucial role in keeping you healthy, so we want to keep you active.
5. Improves Your Posture
No guy wants to slouch around, but you may end up slouching all the time if you have bad posture while sitting. Hunching over a desk or in front of your video games can throw off your normal spinal curves and cause pain, stiffness, and a chronic slouchy look to your shoulders.
Chiropractic adjustment and therapeutic exercises can correct the problems caused by bad posture. Your chiropractor can also help you learn how to maintain a healthier posture during your daily activities to prevent recurring problems. If you don’t address your posture problems, they will only get worse. Regular adjustments can keep you pain-free and standing tall.
6. Improves Athletic Performance
Over 90% of top-tier athletes are under regular chiropractic care. Just about every major sports team has a team chiropractor– and with good reason. Studies have shown that chiropractic care helps athletes recover faster from intense activity and reduces their chance of injury.
In 1991 a study compared the results of tests measuring balance, agility, and response time in a group of 50 athletes, half of whom were under chiropractic care. The study showed that those receiving regular adjustments showed significant improvements in every test, while those not receiving adjustments only made minor improvements on some tests.
These results are most likely because regular adjustments keep the nervous system functioning optimally and keep bones and muscles properly aligned so they can be strong and agile. The other benefits discussed in this article are also great for athletes. Less illness means less time off the court, and faster injury healing means getting back in the game sooner.
Our chiropractors in Tennessee have experience helping men of all ages meet their wellness goals. Come in today and see how we can help you feel your best.