According to the American Psychological Association, close to 80% of Americans feel stressed at some point in their day. Twenty-seven percent of adults feel so stressed most days, they can’t function. It’s not surprising when you learn how stress – along with injury, trauma, microtrauma and toxins – can cause inflammation in your body. This inflammation, in turn, can cause spinal dysfunction problems, called subluxations. Relieving stress is a big step to physical and mental health. 360 Chiropractic in Lacey wants you to know how to relieve stress through chiropractic adjustments.
How Stress Causes Health Issues
“In chiropractic work, subluxations have traditionally been used to refer to a misalignment of the vertebrae resulting in interference with nerve transmission, thereby impacting body function,” shares Dr. George Olar who owns 360 Chiropractic with Dr. Stefanie Olar, his wife. These subluxations can be a distortion or imbalance anywhere in the body, not just the spinal column. They interfere with the conduction or nerve impulses and other body structures, negatively affecting your health. The American Psychological Association says 76% of adults experience health issues due to stress, with 38% of them suffering from headaches…guess what can cause those?
If you put your hand on your forehead, your prefrontal cortex is right there, behind your eyes. When muscle control and strength weaken around the spinal cord, the nerve and spine are affected, and so is your prefrontal cortex. And this is significant because your prefrontal cortex is responsible for:
- Movement control– including hand-eye coordination; motor control and learning; and proprioception, which is the body’s ability to know where it is in space.
- The autonomic nervous system– which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems: The sympathetic system puts our body in fight or flight mode to run away from danger or confront the stress and fight. The parasympathetic system is known as the rest, digest, and healing mode. You need to be in this mode for healing to take place.
- The autonomic nervous system– which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems: The sympathetic system puts our body in fight or flight mode to run away from danger or confront the stress and fight. The parasympathetic system is known as the rest, digest, and healing mode. You need to be in this mode for healing to take place.
- Emotional control and mental health– impulse control; empathy; pain processing; immune functions; inflammation levels; executive functions like working memory, flexible thinking, planning and prioritizing; and more!
As you can see from above, having a prefrontal cortex that is not functioning at 100% is going to affect many daily activities.
Chiropractic Adjustments for Stress Relief
“Current scientific understanding is showing us that how your spine ‘talks’ to your brain is vitally important to enable your brain to control and accurately move your head, neck and back correctly,” says Dr. Heidi Haavik, an award-winning scientist and practicing chiropractor. “If your spine is not working properly, it does not ‘talk’ to the brain properly, and this is known to both cause and maintain neck and back pain.”
So how does stress really play into this? “In the stress cycle, the crucial connection between the brain and segments of the spine plays a pivotal role,” shares Dr. George. “When this connection falters, as in cases of incorrect communication within the nervous system, inflammation persists.”
Chiropractic adjustments given in controlled and gentle thrust with an applicator like the Activator, which is used at 360 Chiropractic, have a positive effect on spinal function and change the way our brain intercepts information like sound, vision and perception of pain. Our brain needs us to calm it back down from being in a sympathetic mode and decrease the risk of continued inflammation. “Chiropractic adjustments not only help remove pressure from compressed nerve roots, but they also change the way our prefrontal cortex interprets what is going on to have a major impact on one’s symptoms, mood, personality, sleep and intelligence,” shares Dr. Stefanie.
“As a chiropractor, my role is to realign your spine, enabling effective communication between it and your brain,” she continues. “I’m particularly excited about Dr. Haavik’s research indicating that a spinal adjustment parallels a gym session, akin to strength training for your nervous system. Moreover, adjustments positively influence our prefrontal cortex, enhancing cognitive function.” You can learn more about Haavik’s incredible research in her book, “The Reality Check.”
Dr. Geroge likens it to removing a cast after your arm has healed from a break. The muscles are weak and need gradual exercise to regain strength. In the same way, a one-time spinal adjustment will not magically fix all your problems, but it jump-starts healing.
“By enhancing the range of motion in the treated spinal region, the adjustment facilitates normal spinal function, thereby improving communication with the brain,” shares Dr. Stefanie.
By understanding the connection between inflammation, subluxations and brain function, individuals can take proactive steps to address these issues and improve their overall health. Chiropractic offers a holistic approach to treating spinal dysfunctions, focusing not only on physical alignment but also on reducing inflammation and optimizing nervous system function. By incorporating these strategies into your health routine, individuals can support spinal health and enhance their quality of life.
If you wish to join the new patient waitlist at 360 Chiropractic, call their office at 360.923.0360.
360 Chiropractic
5101 Lacey Blvd SE, Lacey
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