Chiropractic is not about your back, it’s about your health. The human body is a self-healing and self-regulating system. The best doctor in the world is YOU.
Chiropractic is not about your back, it’s about your health.
The human body is a self-healing and self-regulating system. The best doctor in the world is YOU. Your body makes every drug, hormone, enzyme that you need if there is no interference. Very few people know that the very first system to be developed when we are inside our mother’s womb is the nervous system. Only then can the other systems in our body be developed, such as the muscular system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, etc. The central nervous system is the CPU of the entire body. It controls and regulates all of our function. Without it, the body loses control of all function. No one says it best than Christopher Reeves:
People do not realize, if you injure your neck, you injure every organ in your entire body. An adult is as fragile as a blade of grass, millimeters from death.
Because the nervous system is the master system of the body, the body protects it at all costs. The body has 5 defense mechanisms that protect the nervous system. The first defense mechanism is the curves on your spine.
When looking at the spine from the side, there should be a 60-62 degrees forward curve at the neck and the low back 60-62 degrees is the strongest geometric curve in nature. The suspension bridges of the Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, or the Hoover Dam bypass is approximately 60-62 degrees. The arch underneath your foot should be approximately 60-62 degrees. However, over time we begin to lose these curves, more commonly the neck curve/cervical spine. The reason why it is more common to lose the neck curve and not the others is that the neck has more range of motion and is more vulnerable to injury due to its lack of structural support as compared to all the other areas of the spine.
How do we lose our curves?
The easiest way to remember how we lose our curves is to think of the 3 T’s: Trauma, Toxins, Thoughts.
Trauma
Trauma can be divided into 2 categories: macro trauma and micro trauma.
Macro trauma is a big injury such as an automobile accident or a slip and fall that can cause injury to the spine and if left uncorrected could cause a loss of curvature over time leading to early degeneration.
Microtrauma is everyday repetitive motions such as sports, poor seating posture, work, or twisting and bending. Although there may not be any pain associated with microtrauma, there may still be degeneration. Pain is never a good indicator for health. By the time we feel pain, the problem would have already progressed, making it difficult to correct. It is always easier to prevent than to correct.
Toxins
Very few diseases are associated with genetics. Most of the time it is because you lived the same lifestyle as your parents or grandparents. The majority of all diseases are caused by either a long-standing deficiency in the body or a toxic substance that we are not properly eliminating from our bodies. This is why it is crucial to have your blood work properly analyzed to assess these deficiencies and toxicities.
Thoughts
Everyone knows the saying that, “stress kills,” but no one takes it seriously. Stress can affect the body at the physiologic level destroying and pre-aging many of the organs of the body. We may not “feel” its effects immediately, but if it is sustained over a long period (years), its effects will start to reveal itself. They may include but are not limited to early aging, ulcers, heart disease, cancer, uncontrolled weight gain, increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, and chronic fatigue.
Our body was not meant to be in “fight or flight” mode all the time. It is important that we find ways to help cope with daily stress, such as getting adjusted, meditating, good nutrition, and exercising.
Positive mental attitude (PMA) is also very important to maintaining good health. Our thoughts directly correlate with our health. Negativity can lead to a weak immune system putting our body at risk for many illnesses. This is why it has been shown that positive and happy people have less sick days than people who are negative and depressed.