Your nervous system controls every function of your body. It acts as a link between consciousness and matter, between mind and body. There is no part of your body and mind that is not under its influence. Your intelligence uses this vast communication system to organise and coordinate the billions of parts that make you. To be healthy, this system needs to function properly and only a healthy, well-aligned spine can allow that to happen.
The energy that flows in your body is like electricity, it is in constant motion, it is never stagnant. That energy flows through your nervous system, which is your brain, your spinal cord and all your nerves. Whenever you have disruption of that flow, disease happens. That would be the case when your spine is misaligned or is not moving properly.
The spine, to be healthy, needs to be flexible, adaptable and very importantly present with normal curves. There are three major curves in the spine when we look at it from the side. The curve in the thoracic spine is called kyphosis and the two other curves, one in the cervical spine and the other in the lumbar spine, are called lordosis. These curves are important for a well-balanced spine.
As the curve in the neck is lost, the pressure on the discs increases, along with the tension on the spinal cord. The muscles in the back of the neck and shoulders become stretched and tight, having to work harder to support the weight of the head.
The longer you live with a straight or reversed curve in the neck, the more the ligaments and discs start to change shape. The discs end up bearing more and more of the weight of the head. The increased weight and decreased motion accelerate degeneration of the discs. When the disc has degenerated too much, in addition to becoming more vulnerable to injury, it starts to dehydrate, lose height and become thinner.
The first thing you might notice is tense and aching muscles in the neck and shoulders. A massage or hot pack might provide some temporary relief. Eventually, the aching returns, because the muscles are constantly under stress due to the changes in your posture and spinal alignment.
Not only the discs in your spine rely upon motion to stay healthy but also the health of your brain depends on a proper moving spine.
Spinal health is as important to brain health as signal strength is important to cellphone function.
Did you know that 90% of stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine?
That is the conclusion of Dr Roger Sperry, a neurobiologist and Nobel Laureate in Medicine who won the Nobel prize for brain research. Some of his interesting conclusions/statements regarding posture and the human frame are as follows: “Better than 90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating the physical body in its gravitational field. The more mechanically distorted a person is, the less energy available for thinking, metabolism and healing.”
This is why balance and symmetry are so important for your brain and your health.
Chiropractic is a health profession that specialises in the health and function of the spine and nervous system.
Because of this focus on the spine, many people think that chiropractic can only help for back or neck pain or headache but, as you can see, there is much more to chiropractic than this.
Chiropractic care is really about total health and wellbeing. Chiropractic is a patient-centred, hands-on approach to health that is focused on influencing bodily functions through structural correction. It is about helping people to feel great and get the most out of life by functioning at their optimum potential.
We now know more and more about the benefits of chiropractic care and how the spinal adjustments work. With the use of MRI, we can actually see which parts of the brain are activated by different stimuli and which parts are under-activated.
Recent studies show that posture and cervical spine lordosis are directly linked to a proper functioning of your brain.
It is important to understand that by addressing the underlying cause of your particular health problem, your nervous system integrity is restored, and your body will have less need to express the symptoms that have prompted you to seek care. That is how we see many patients getting rid of their headaches or back pain, but really what was restored is the integrity of the controlling system by removing the interference in the spine.
Chiropractic care is a partnership. The results patients want are a combination of what the chiropractor does and what the patient does.
There are many good things that can be changed and improved for a better lifestyle: exercise, good nutrition, good mental attitude and spinal adjustments.
Your whole body will work better by having your nervous system free of interference. That is the essence of chiropractic care and is designed for you and your family.
By Sandra Genest-Boudreau | Christophe O. Alves
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Sandra Genest-Boudreau is French-Canadian, who graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1990 before coming to the Algarve in 2002. She is passionate about adjusting all her patients, particularly children. Christophe Alves graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) UK, and has a special interest in Sport Chiropractic. Algarve Quiroprática clinic: EN125 in Pêra | 282 312 853 | 969 397 375
