Feeling Stressed? How Chiropractic Can Help

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Feeling Stressed? How Chiropractic Can Help

January 31, 2020

Feeling Stressed? How Chiropractic Can Help

We deal with different types and levels of stress every single day. We know that stress is not good for us. What can we do to mitigate the effects of unavoidable stress?

Your autonomic nervous system is a control system that unconsciously regulates bodily functions. This autonomic nervous system is split into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The parasympathetic nervous system is known as the rest and digest response which is what our bodies are in most of the time.

The sympathetic nervous system is known to control our flight or flight response when we are under stress. This stress causes your blood pressure to increase, heart rate to increase,blood flow to the muscles to increase, your eyes to dilate, and increase your body temperature. A flood of hormones floods through your system. This is a great response when you are running from a bear, but it is definitely not the state you want your body to stay in. Your body can and does stay in the sympathetic response even after you have run away safe from the bear and going about your everyday life. Over time, being in sympathetic dominance can wear down your immune system, organs, muscles, hormone levels, and whole body.

Can Stress Affect Your Spine?

There are many stresses in life that can get you stuck in fight or flight mode. The most common ones we deal with are physical, chemical, and emotional stresses.

Physical stress is anything physical that takes a toll on our bodies. It can range from chronic poor posture to traumas like falls and car accidents. Physical stress can be easily remedied with chiropractic adjustments. This is because adjustments to the pelvis and spine restore proper movement and function to the joints. When you leave joints in a compromised alignment for too long, osteoarthritis starts to break down the structural integrity of the joint. This leads to chronic pain, decreased mobility, joint weakness, and even neurological symptoms.

Chemical stress is any outside source that is toxic to our bodies. This is the air we breathe, what we eat, and what we put on our bodies. Many people don't know how toxic our world can be. What we don't filter outside our bodies, is forced to be filtered inside our body. Our body can only detox so much before we overload our system and start to exhibit symptoms. These symptoms are insomnia, anxiety/depression, irritability, hot flashes/night sweats, trouble losing weight, thyroid problems, memory loss, chronic fatigue, restless legs, trouble concentrating, and more. These are signs your chemical toxic load may be too high. The great thing with chiropractic is it helps the brain to detox. With every chiropractic adjustment to the upper cervical spine, you are increasing blood flow by 30% which allows the brain to push out the toxins sitting deep within the brain. Not only that, but these specific adjustments flood the brain with fresh CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) flow which then flushes out the toxins released! There's no other therapy that can do that!

Emotional stress is the personal things we encounter every day. This can be any number of things beyond our control, such as kids, work, or relationships. We can't get rid of those things in our lives, but we can change the way your body adapts to those stresses! When we adjust the spine, it sends a rush of stimulation to your prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain controls our higher thinking. In short, all your decisions are made using this part of the brain. If we can get your prefrontal cortex to light up and be more effective, you'll find more clarity, more calmness, and more certainty in your everyday life decisions you make.

What Can You Do To Help With Your Stress?

Treat yourself to a chiropractic adjustment. Here at Thrive Family Chiropractic we work with our patients not only to keep them well adjusted to adapt better to stress, but we work with them on strategies to reduce stress as much as possible outside of the office.

Make an appointment with us today to reduce your stress levels and achieve optimal health!

References

Won, Eunsoo, and Yong-Ku Kim. “Stress, the Autonomic Nervous System, and the Immune-kynurenine Pathway in the Etiology of Depression.” Current neuropharmacology vol. 14,7 (2016): 665-73. doi:10.2174/1570159x14666151208113006

Yaribeygi, Habib et al. “The impact of stress on body function: A review.” EXCLI journal vol. 16 1057-1072. 21 Jul. 2017, doi:10.17179/excli2017-480 stress chiropractic stress management

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