Chiropractic and Mental Health

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Chiropractic and Mental Health

Research supports that vertebral subluxations may result in altered autonomic nervous system activity. How does this affect mental health and behavior? We will look specifically the vagus nerve “fight or flight” response and “rest and digest” response. The vagus nerve is a major component of the HPA-axis which coordinates neural, behavioral, endocrine, and immune/inflammatory responses. This is why we check heart rate variability in the office to gauge how well your vagus nerve is functioning, therefore how well your HPA-axis is functioning.

There is a theory called the Polyvagal Theory (PVT) that was proposed by Porges in which nervous system regulation affects our emotional expression, communication, and social behavior. Or in other words the neural pathways supporting behavior are involved in maintaining health.

In a study by Williams et al, “There was some evidence that spinal manipulation improved psychological outcomes compared with verbal interventions.” A different study by Holder et al, looked at patients who received instrument assisted adjustments, the test group who received adjustments showed a significant decrease in anxiety compared to the control group.

Chiropractic care a whole is concerned with totality of the human experience. By correcting subluxations, patients are more optimally able to adapt to the world around them and build resilience. When an adjustment is delivered, a patient’s nervous system immediately responds by altering the body’s ability to function at it’s fullest potential again.

Holder JM, Duncan Robert C, Gissen M, Miller M, Blum K (2001) Increasing retention rates among the

chemically dependent in residential treatment: auriculotherapy and (in a separate study)

subluxation-based chiropractic care. Journal of Molecular Psychiatry 6.

Williams NH, Hendry M, Lewis R, Russell I, Westmoreland A, et al. (2007) Psychological response in spinal

manipulation (PRISM): A systematic review or psychological outcomes in randomized controlled

trials. Complementary Therapis in Medicine 15:271-283.

How Long Should I Go?

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Have you ever realized that in order for you to obtain what you want, time may be available yet the choices become the biggest obstacle? Think hard, we all may have the same amount of time. We just make different choices. If you capitalize on your choices then time is on your side.

We all have that friend who is waiting for something new, thinking that the grass is always greener on the on the other side. They are always on the latest diet, the newest wonder food that shrinks fat away instantly, or the newest book on how to manage stress. While this might sound appealing, it often leads to life on a roller coaster.

How long should I go for Chiropractic care? We get asked this quite often. And the answer really comes down to what you want out of it. If you are looking for a holistic approach to health care that does not require you to take lotions, potions, and pills, then sticking it out for the long haul might be your call. If you want the “one and done,” sure we can help, yet think about what is actually happening. A good chunk of people only eat good food only when they are sick.

If you can conceptualize that daily your body is under constant repair to maintain a functioning system, and this processing of information is coordinated via your central nerve system; you might think about sticking it out. Understand that your body is intelligent and thrives on function over feeling. When the spinal column is aligned you are designed to “form”. Form determines your function, and with a spine in proper alignment you move better, last longer, and transmit better nerve flow than with a spine that is subluxated.

We ask that you make the choices to give us the time. Without the time, much can be lost. Your body is the biggest investment that you will ever make in your life, don’t abuse it.

Young As Your Spinal Column

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Do you realize the importance of the spinal column? These bones that run up and down your spine protect the most important system in the human body, the central nerve system. The spinal column allows protection while enabling proper flow of information from brain to body and visa versa. Sound important enough yet?

When a subluxation occurs, (misalignment within the spinal column placing undo stress upon the central nerve system) the brain perceives “road construction” as well as what the body needs to do to function correctly. The saying “in alignment” holds some merit when it comes to your health and well-being. Your body craves alignment, when you are properly aligned, your bones, not your muscles,  support your weight, reducing effort and strain on the spinal column.

The spinal column is specifically  designed to allow nerves to flow through and regulate your heart, lungs, thyroid, biceps, lymph. Remember every system falls under control of the central nerve system. Its communication pathway is via spinal nerves that exit out of spinal bones. Stop and think. Clap your hands together, hold your breath for 30 seconds, these maneuvers you perform originate in the brain and then are coordinated via your spinal nerves to the tissue cell of importance.

The good news: with regular spinal check-ups you can ensure optimal function out of your central nerve system. Your body’s ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe. Your health and vitality are related to your spinal health and alignment. By receiving correct spinal adjustments the body is able to restore itself to a higher level of health. Have you ever heard of a spinal transplant? Neither have we, so take care of the one you have. 

The Importance Of Muscle Memory

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Why do Chiropractors specialize in the Central Nerve System (CNS)? EASY! The CNS is the master controller within your entire body. Every tissue cell that you had, have, and will make is processed and controlled via your CNS. It’s no wonder that there is a specific field (Chiropractic) dedicated to managing the overall function of how your CNS operates on a day to day basis.

Did you know that your brain weighs only 3 lbs and has to coordinate all internal and external functions every second that you are alive!? Specifically, it coordinates external responses via your sensory organs, eyes, ears, nose, etc.

Did you know that your muscles are also organs? Not just your muscles that you workout at the gym, but also the tiny intrical muscles that surround your spine. When a subluxation (misalignment within the spinal column) occurs, the information that the muscles are supposed to send to the brain become dysfunctional. Your brain can still function when a subluxation is present due to muscle memory based on past experiences that you have encountered before.

When a subluxation exists for an extended period of time, your brain is not fully aware of its surroundings. Overtime, this leads to a slow breakdown in the communication between brain and body.

In order to correct the communication breakdown, this is where your Chiropractor comes into play. Positive muscle memory is established when your Chiropractor properly locates the subluxation, and adjusts the dysfunctional segment so that your brain can “wake up” and correct the spinal segment. Doing so will restore the spinal column to its proper positioning, and allow the body to properly adapt overtime.

Time is key. Just like correcting a bad habit, you need to stay on top of it, and require patience while you are breaking the cycle that your body has created. If you accelerate the process and do not give the body ample time to heal, you rush the experience and never fully heal. It takes time to make a problem, and it requires time to make the change. Choose wisely!

Where Did My Back Go?

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We’ve all been around an invididual who claimed that their “back went out” after performing some physical activity. This phrase is often used in Chiropractic offices to describe a particualr problem known as a subluxation (misalignment within the spinal column creating undo stress upon a nerve fiber). Let’s be real though. Most people have never heard of the word subluxation until seeking help after such an event occurs.

Unless you’ve had a major accident, injury, or trauma that violently impacts tendons, ligaments and surrounding soft tissue, your spinal bones do not ‘simply’ move from being aligned to being misaligned. A subluxation is created over time often due to repetitive behaviors that require the body to adapt and heal. Once again, lets be honest. Most people will perform the same physical and mental task Monday – Friday never really giving their body a chance to adapt until Saturday and Sunday or a planned vacation occurs.

Relating to our current events, the fires and smoke we are breathing , let’s use this analogy: Fire Vs. Subluxation

Most of the fires are manmade, often due to neglect and improper care of not knowing the fire regulations.

All subluxations are manmade, often from neglect of your spinal column due to not knowing the important role it plays in protecting your central nerve system.

Most fires will typically start off very slow at first and then gather momentum, sometimes we think they will just ‘go out’ by themselves.

Most subluxations will take years to develop into an actual known health problem. Sometimes pain will be the first symptom to appear and the first to disappear, yet in reality the ‘burn’ is still slowly cooking away.

Then the smoke sets in. Not only creating more health concerns for us, but creating a different reality of our surroundings as well. I look out the window knowing I am supposed to see the Swan Range, yet all I see is smoke.

Paraphrasing Dr. Heidi Haavik, when a subluxation is created and manifests, it alters the reality of the brain to body conneciton. One would almost say that it creates a ‘brain fog’ of the information your brain needs to perceive to keep you healthy.

What’s the moral of the story? “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure” – Benjamin Franklin

Preventing The Age “Disease”

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How many times does one associate something negative happening to their body with the saying, “Guess it’s just old AGE”? In the most honest way ever of conveying this message to you, regardless of what you have been told, age is NOT a disease.

Everyone ages, we’re  supposed to. The “effects” that either slow or accelerate the process is ultimately determined by you and your actions. When it comes to “anti- aging” consumer products, we often get too involved in the outside paint job and how we look. The paint job may look well and dandy, but remember you only get one engine to run with. That ‘engine’ being the central nerve system-the inside of the body that runs all other systems and coordinates all actions that you perform.

How do you take care of your central nerve system? By fine tuning the ‘engine’ with regular spinal check-ups to detect and correct vertebral subluxations (misalignments within the spinal column creating nerve interference). By maintaining the health of your central nerve system, you will be able to age at your appropriate ‘rate’.

Paraphrasing Ruth Jackson, MD, on the etiology of aging in the spine, “If any single aging process exists, it is not known at the present time, intrinsic and extrinsic factors are involved undoubtedly. Biomedical science has sought to define the fundamental basis of aging, but the origin of biological aging remains an enigma.”

How much “Chiropractic Care” does my body need to put up a preventative act? It should be such that the level of care is equal to that of your lifestyle. There are lots of different engines out there designed for different lifestyles, all still requiring certain levels of regular maintenance to prevent the inevitable aging process. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure ”- Benjamin Franklin.

Have Some Humble Pie

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It’s time to recognize the dedication that comes with being “healthy.” Health is an entity that is often misunderstood and taken for granted until one begins to lose health. If you think you’re on track, eat some ‘Humble Pie’ and keep on reading.

Everything we know about the human body stems from its origin through the central nerve system (CNS.) Any organ, cell, tissue, or muscle has a specific design, with its roots originating from the CNS. Still to this very day, every experience that your body encounters is coordinated and processed via your CNS. In other words, you cannot express your life without your CNS.

What needs to occur consistently to reach your health’s potential? Spinal check-ups! Think of your spinal column as a coat of armor that protects your CNS. Through normal wear and tear stress is placed upon this armor and subluxations (spinal misalignments creating nerve inteference) can appear. Without regular spinal check-ups to ensure your armor is in alignment, the body will begin to operate in a dysfunctional state.

Most of us understand that diet, exercise, and rest are important factors for health and well-being. However, many often neglect the system that is able to process your food, break down the proper nutrients, allow your body  to benefit from exercise, and heal tissue cells when it’s time to rest. The CNS of course! If you are under regular Chiropractic care, eat some “Humble Pie!” You are taking your actual health in your own hands.

It’s hard work to sustain your health. Do not be persuaded by trends, fads, quick fixes, or “gizmos”. From The Journal Of The American Medical Association: “The word gizmo refers to a mechanical device or procedure for which the clinical benefit in a specific clinical context is not clearly established.”

We should point out that the principles of Chiropractic are not new. In fact the ancient Greeks and other civilizations used spinal adjustments as a form of early health care. There is no secret or magic formula when it comes to your health. Keep on keeping on! “The physical structure is the basis of medicine”-Hippocrates 

March Of Spines

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Marching towards your health goals begins with owning the certainty of what you would like to achieve. Defining these health goals helps retain focus on performing positive actions over and over again. Take, for instance, the path deemed to be “best” to sustain a healthy life.

 To be “healthy,” we are often persuaded by external stimuli that have given someone else some relief. While changing and maintaining health may begin with a transitional day, for instance, New Year’s Day, being present in health is a constant march that requires your time and energy on a routine basis.

Exercise…check. Food…check. Mindset…check. Spinal care….often left un-checked. Your spine protects the most crucial system in the human body, the central nerve system (CNS). Think of your spine as the body of your vehicle and the CNS as the engine, which is necessary for your vehicle to run properly. Without constant check-ups to your engine and regular care the engine begins to suffer, thus leading to early problems that could have been prevented.

The march towards health is a ever changing game. Being healthy and not healthy is not a black and white picture. In between these two states there are several different shades of gray that you must transition past in obtaining whichever state you would like to be in. You are either marching towards the health state or away from it, either way you must march to your own beat, towards your own goals.

The Chiropractic adjustment is the one thing that fine tunes your engine to do exactly what it needs to do when you need it most…naturally and specifically. The great news is that not all engines are the same and with our system of Gonstead Chiropractic this enables us to perfect your mechanizing to generate results that allow you to perform the march of health on a consistent basis without limitations.  

Informing The Consumer Of Real Health Care

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Traditional “health care” as we call it is really a sickness business. Its sole purpose is only to function re-actively, after people have become sick. No emphasis is set forth on the approach of prevention and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. According to Paul Zane Pilzer, a leading economist and author, approximately one-seventh of the United States economy, or about $1.8 trillion, is devoted to this sickness business. 

The current model we utilize is broken down into three different categories. Primary care being the most basic, which involves your family doctor, pediatrician or internist. Secondary care involves the specialist typically at the local hospital such as the cardiologist. Tertiary care is the kidney transplant surgeon or sub-specialist usually at an academic medical center. While these categories serve a purpose, what about preventing even entering into this model?

What about informing the consumer that health comes from the inside. How about participating in a process of health that seeks to heal dis-ease within the body instead of seeking a diagnosis in order to receive treatment. People are recognizing the benefit of seeing a chiropractor who will help them achieve and maintain optimal health proactively. Chiropractic care does not fit into the current model that we utilize. Chiropractic care focuses specifically on the central nervous system, the master control system that regulates and controls every experience that your body encounters. 

Understand that the spinal column being the only segmented structure of bone through which nerves pass through and send messages back and forth from the brain to body. When a subluxation (misalignment of the spine) places undo stress on a specific spinal nerve creating chronic interference with the transmission of nerves it will begin the dis-ease process. To enable the body to begin the healing process starts with looking within the body. Medication does not solve this process. A healthy inside is not found in a pill, a hospital, or under the surgeon’s knife. In fact these things are only indications of an unhealthy lifestyle. You have the power to make healthy choices. 

Spinal Braces… Why They Should Stick To Teeth

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Spinal bracing- these two words should not be used together in the same sentence unless you have sustained a major accident, injury, or trauma to the spinal region that was life threatening.  In that case then yes.  For the other 99% of the population bracing should only be acceptable when dealing with the teeth.  The spine is supposed to be freely movable due to the fact that it interprets all of your external and internal data via spinal nerves through movement.   

 When a subluxation (misalignment within the spinal column) exists within the spinal column it applies pressure on a spinal nerve thus creating a chronic state of fight or flight. Not only does the subluxation create dysfunction within your body it also creates inappropriate movement patterns.  Your body enters into a state of survival and fortunately/unfortunately people can learn to live this way.  The body can learn to live in a chronic state of dis-ease (which means your body is not at ease). This is, in part, due to your adrenal glands firing off more than they should be due to the inability to adapt to the stressor placed upon yourself in the spinal column.

Anyone who has had braces on their teeth knows how long it can take to move teeth. That perfect smile doesn’t just happen overnight, an orthodontist slowly applies pressure to move the teeth over many months. Chiropractic care uses the same approach with correcting spinal subluxations. It takes time for a spine to become subluxated, and it also takes time to retrain the body to get back to proper alignment.  The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. The most important project you’ll ever work on is yourself.