lily’s asthma

Years ago I had a patient who was eight years old and suffered from severe asthma attacks. The family was desperate. Lily was the only child of a couple who had married later and faced challenges with conception. Theirs was a classic rags-to-riches story. Both came from families without a college degree and had worked hard to carve out a new identity and a comfortable life in Atlanta. Lily was his one and only “everything.”

My wife puts Lily’s mom on the swim team. Hearing the story of her ongoing struggle with Lily’s asthma, she began an intense campaign of persuasion that eventually convinced her to come and bring Lily to my office.

Life before this meeting had not been entirely carefree for Lily. ER visits, dental problems caused by antibiotics, inhalers, strong medications, and constant fear were part of Lily’s daily reality. This was affecting not only her family, but also her education and her ability to participate in the sports she loved so much… swimming and soccer.

Lily’s experience in my office is one that many of my patients have in common with her.

At first, she and her family weren’t entirely sure if they should pursue this option of seeking asthma help from a chiropractor. This point was reiterated when after the fourth treatment, Lily’s mother attributed Lily’s general improvement to the fact that it was summer and not to my treatments. The fact that more than three weeks had gone by without an ER visit had to be brought out to her mother to convince her to continue with four more treatments for Lily.

In total, Lily received eight treatments over an eight-week period. During this time she had no incidents that sent her back to the emergency room. Lily’s asthma completely disappeared by the end of treatment and the following year her doctor was able to completely wean her from all the inhalers and medications she had become dependent on. All of this was accomplished without manipulation, but with gentle energy healing techniques.

Since then, Lily and her family have followed a routine of annual checkups and have used me as their main “go-to” when health issues arise. This doesn’t happen often. Today, I suspect the family has forgotten what it can be like to live with a life-threatening condition.

In truth, even I had forgotten about Lily’s recovery from asthma back then. I was reminded of her initial condition when I received a notice from Lily’s parents that she had graduated from high school and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to college in swimming. This would never have been possible if her asthma issues had not been resolved.