Fixing Up and Tearing Down
Because you and I have a physical body, we’re subjected to various laws of the physical universe. Among them, the second Law of Thermodynamics states that things go from order to disorder.
You may have noticed this with objects. Over time your closet gets cluttered, your lawn becomes infested with weeds and car parts wear out. With neglect, this happens to our bodies as well.
Various forces such as gravity, poor diet, lack of rest and exercise, negative attitudes and countless other stresses, cause our bodies to break down. Fortunately, we have an internal force that constantly works to counteract these external forces. (Our ability to heal is related to this internal force.)
Turns out, this inborn intelligence of our body is the nervous system—the focus of chiropractic care.
Avoiding Short Circuits
Your quality of life is directly related to the quality of your nervous system. Your spinal cord is like the information superhighway with the “circuitry” necessary to run your body:
Sensory Nervous SystemTaste, touch, sight, sound and smell are examples of your nervous system sending information from sensory organs and tissues to your brain.
Motor Nervous SystemMotor nerves control how your muscles work. Compromise here might prevent you from standing or walking, or it could mean a lack of coordination, poor balance or wasting away.
Autonomic Nervous SystemThe autonomic nervous system controls cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory functions as well as salivation, perspiration, diameter of the pupils and many essential involuntary functions.
Sympathetic Nervous SystemThe sympathetic nervous system is probably best known for mediating the fight or flight response to stress. It has a deep connection with your hormonal system to secrete adrenaline, alert your cardiovascular system and the rest of the body of impending danger, real or imagined.
Like an electrician, we’re interested in the circuitry of your body. The moving bones of the spine are often the source of “brown outs,” short circuits and blown fuses. If you think chiropractic is only about your back, think again!
Does Your Body Make Mistakes?
Ever forget the name of someone when making an introduction? Ever say one thing, but mean another?
These are functions of our conscious mind. Self-help books reveal how to improve our memory, increase our vocabulary or sharpen our mental acuity.
But there’s no book filled with tips about how to improve your heart’s response to adrenalin or how to enhance your lung’s ability to oxygenate blood! Why? Because these are just two examples of millions of functions your body controls and regulates with no conscious thought from you.
How does this relate to a headache, back pain or the crick in your neck?
Your body is programmed to survive. Virtually every sign or symptom that we traditionally think of as an illness is merely your body’s best attempt at survival. No errors. Zero mistakes. When your body feels threatened, it responds in a variety of ways to get your attention. To encourage you to change. To teach a lesson. To tell you its capacity to accommodate or adapt has been exhausted.
That’s amazing. Even radical. And to think, all of this is controlled and regulated by your nervous system—the focus of your chiropractic care!
In This Issue
- Fixing Up and Tearing Down
- Avoiding Short Circuits
- Does Your Body Make Mistakes?
- Health Care or Sick Care?
Health Care or Sick Care?
Traditionally, we see doctors when we have some type of obvious ache or pain. Yet, waiting for these obvious symptoms to appear before finally seeking help is becoming an increasing burden on our health care system, our economy and our well-being.
And while it may be called “health” care, it’s actually sick care.
Chiropractors are leading the way with real health care that’s designed to keep you well. Not surprising, it’s called wellness care. And the preliminary research is astonishing!
Consider the following reports:
A study published in a 1996 edition of Topics in Clinical Chiropractic looked at a group of seniors aged 75 years or older. Subjects who were receiving chiropractic care reported experiencing better overall health and had fewer hospitalizations, used fewer medications and were more active than their peers who did not receive chiropractic care.
A more recent analysis published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics looked at 311 chiropractic patients aged 65 years or older who had been receiving “maintenance” chiropractic care for five years or longer. When compared with subjects who were not receiving chiropractic care, they had half as many medical doctor visits and overall had healthier habits.
Other studies further confirm what a growing number of our own patients have been telling us: it’s actually less expensive to stay well, than it is to get well.
Let us know how we can best support you and your individual health goals.