Bronchitis

Breathing, like the heartbeat, has a specific rhythm that is a vital part of our living.   Our body takes in raw air and utilizes it as food for our organs, cells, tissue and body function.  This essential act is performed by a vast maze of intricate equipment.

Because raw air is much too dirty, arid and cold for our body to utilize in it’s natural state, it is filtered, heated to the precise temperature needed, humidified and cleansed by taking it in through our nose and sending it down our windpipe or trachea.

The trachea is held open at all times by 15 to 20 stiff rings of cartilage.  If it were to close or become blocked by any foreign body we would suffocate. 

In the chest there are two bronchi, left and right, that enter the lungs, branching over to form the bronchial tree.  The smallest branches are called bronchioles, and these branches actually touch the lungs.  The oxygen enters the blood at this location and carbon dioxide and water vapor leave, travel upwards through the bronchi, trachea, throat then mouth, leaving the body as we exhale.  The bronchi and bronchioles must remain blockage free to perform respiration properly, and exchange the respective gasses involved in breathing normally.

What is Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is an increase in mucous secretion in the trachea and bronchial tubes.   Cigarette smoking is the conditions most important single cause, and the cough associated with bronchitis is called “smokers cough”.  Bronchitis is extremely rare in non-smoking adults, and when it is present it is usually caused by allergies.  Bronchitis is more common in children of smokers than non-smokers.  Other contributing factors are air pollution, dust, low immune system, and old age.

The Medical Approach

The medical approach to bronchitis treatment is primarily quitting smoking or changing the environmental factors that are causing the bronchitis.  These treatments are not always adhered to.  In certain cases, long term antibiotic treatment may be prescribed.

The Chiropractic Approach to Bronchitis

Doctors of chiropractic perform spinal adjustments to correct vertebral subluxations or spinal nerve stress, which disturbs the body balance and nerve health.  The purpose of Chiropractic treatment is not to treat respiratory disease, however Chiropractic care treats the patient, chiropractors care for the patient who has the disease rather than cares for the disease that has the patient.