Research has shown that patients who are under consistent chiropractic care get sick much less often that people who are not. With this post, I am going to attempt to show why this is the case.
The brain and the nervous system controls and coordinates all the functions of the body. From your heart beating, to your breathing, to your immune system fighting off disease, to your gall bladder digesting fats to your kidney and liver filtering out toxins from the body. Each activity is controlled by the brain sending it’s signals through out vast nervous system. So, the first reason chiropractic patients are healthier is because chiropractic directly affects the nervous system. Pressure on a spinal nerve will not only cause pain and muscles spasms, but it also affects whatever organs that nerve goes to and controls. If the brain can’t get 100% of its signals to a particular organ, it only makes sense that the organ cannot function at 100%. By removing pressure on the nerve through an adjustment, we are also allowing the body to function at a higher level.
The second reason chiropractic patients are healthier is because of the intimate relationship between the nervous system and the immune system. There is an entire field of study now called psychoneuroimmunlogy which looks at this connection between the mind, the nervous system, and the immune system. Researchers are finding that it is almost impossible to separate the immune system from the nervous system. This fits perfectly with chiropractic because, again, we are the only discipline that can remove pressure on spinal nerves through an adjustment. It makes sense that when the nervous system is function better, the immune system will also function better. Germs don’t make us sick. There are germs EVERYWHERE. If germs made us sick, we would be sick all the time. It’s our body’s ability to fight off the germs that keep us healthy. When our immune systems aren’t functioning at the highest level is when the germs are able to invade our bodies causing dis-ease.
The final reason chiropractic patients are healthier is because chiropractic patients tend to lead healthier lifestyles. People who are concerned about their health tend to eat a little bit better. They tend to exercise a little more. They tend to take less prescription and over the counter medications. All of these things, along with getting adjusted regularly, lead to better health.
Obviously, I am not saying that all you have to do is get adjusted consistently, and you’ll never have any health problem. There are many factors that affect health…your attitude, your diet, your rest, your stress levels, your exercise, and your environment. However, I don’t believe that any one of those things is more important than taking care of your nervous system and getting adjusted. I get checked once a week just to make sure I keep myself tuned up.
Sometimes it’s easy to feel like your life is out of control. Between the stresses of family, work, financial problems, and health issues, a person may find it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. What is the best way to deal with all of these challenges? First off, you need to realize that you’re not the only one dealing with “stuff”. Every one of us has our own challenges that we’re dealing with. Why is one person able to deal with things more effectively than someone else? There is a simple answer, and it is attitude. Studies show that people with great attitudes just handle things better than people who don’t have a good attitude. It seems pretty simple doesn’t it?
No matter what is going on in our lives, the one thing I know we have control over is our attitude. You can choose to live your life feeling sorry for yourself, angry, frustrated, irritated at every little thing, down in the dumps, etc… Or, you can choose to live your life happy, excited, optimistic, cheerful, and thankful for all the blessings you have in your life. It truly is your choice. Now, which attitude do you think will make you feel better? There is an added bonus to having a great attitude. Research tells us that positive, happy people are tremendously healthier than their unhappy counterparts. It’s true, the quickest way to get sick is to let yourself get stressed out over something. Over the long haul, it leads to heart disease and even cancer. It just doesn’t seem worth it to me since it really is our choice.
So put a smile on your face and tackle all of the challenges ahead of you today. A simple change in attitude can have an amazing effect on yourself and those around you. A positive attitude is contagious. You tend to get back what you give out. If you’re positive and happy, you’ll be amazed how the people you come into contact with will also be positive and happy. Even if they’re not, you won’t care because you’re not going to let them drag you down. Try it and you’ll see. Life is too short to have bad days!
El Nino seems to be bringing us some much-needed rain this year. Unfortunately, along with the rain and Modesto’s crazy drivers comes an increase in the number of car accidents. Many times people walk away from accident’s thinking, “wow, I’m lucky I didn’t get hurt!” However, in a couple of days the neck pain, back pain, and headaches start to show up. It’s very difficult when several thousand pound vehicles run into each other for us not to sustain some sort of injury. The forces that are created by collisions are enormous, and we’re strapped in absorbing all of that force.
The only problem is, ligaments and cartilage don’t have a whole lot of nervous supply. Therefore you can tear ligaments in half and feel very little. It’s a false sense of security that can cost us down the road. One of the things I tell people all the time is that you don’t pay for accidents now, you pay for them ten years from now. Many people, even if they feel a little pain after an accident, will just wait it out a couple of weeks, and remarkably, they start feeling better. Unfortunately, many times whiplash and spinal injuries can lie dormant for years and then come back with a vengeance causing chronic pain that is very difficult to fix.
It is always best to get checked after an accident to make sure you don’t have any injuries. These common problems are much easier to take care of right after an accident than they are ten years down the road. Scar tissue and degenerative changes that occur make a full recovery very difficult at that point.
Another issue that keeps people away right after an accident is a fear of dealing with your automobile insurance. There is a law in the state of California which protects you after an accident. If you’re in an accident that isn’t your fault, the law states that if you use your own insurance, the insurance company cannot raise your rates. If you don’t have med-pay on your policy, we have two very good attorneys that we have worked with for over 20 years who can assist you in getting the care you need paid for.
So, if you’re in an accident, even a little fender-bender, come into the office and get checked out. It can save you from many problems down the road. Whiplash is a silent villian that doesn’t show up for years. Don’t take the chance.