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Health & Well-Being

Reducing Stress Thru Chiropractic Therapy

Adjusting to a calmer you.

More than 20 million Americans head to a Chiropractor each year, and most do so to get relief from various kinds of pain. If you have only a rudimentary knowledge of this form of therapy, you’ve probably heard of it’s pain relieving benefits, but you may not be aware that it’s effective for other health issues, such as improving range of motion and flexibility, alleviating migraine headaches, and strengthening the immune system. What may also come as a surprise is that it can help with chronic stress.

First, some basics.

Chiropractic starts from the premise that the mind and body can heal itself, given the opportunity. The principle behind the healing process has to do with the alignment of the spine. The spinal column can be viewed as sort of a message switching station, through which information from the brain is transmitted to various parts of the body.

Chiropractic practitioners argue that your spine has to be aligned properly for nerve impulses to be properly transmitted and for the central nervous system to function normally. They think of your spine like a garden hose. When a hose is straight, water flows easily, but when there are kinks, the flow is blocked. The same holds for the spine — when the spine is aligned, the rest of the body’s structure falls into place; when it’s not, neural transmissions won’t get through. Our spines can become out of whack through improper movements, muscle tension, or just plain old bad posture.

Much like acupuncturists, Chiropractors have mapped out how each segment of our spinal column is linked to a particular body part or function, derived from corresponding nerve channels. This chart should give you an idea of how Chiropractors see the body, and where they will put their focus when treating what ails you:

How does Chiropractic relieve chronic stress?

When we’re under chronic stress, our muscles tend to tense and contract, and we might adopt certain maladaptive postures, such as tilting our necks to one side. That puts pressure on the muscles and bones, and when the pressure is prolonged, as can happen with chronic stress, it can lead to nerve irritation and pain.

Adjusting the spine puts our bones back in proper order and releases tension in the muscles. That in turn relaxes the body and increases circulation of the blood. Just the relief from pain can immediately reduce emotional stress, but the treatment process itself also tends to be calming, which adds to feeling less stressed. That’s because your sympathetic nervous system becomes less active, so your heart rate and blood pressure decrease, and stress hormones, primarily adrenaline and cortisol, aren’t released.

So what’s the process?

Before your first session, the doctor will take your medical history and conduct certain tests, such as diagnostic imaging, to determine the source of your problems.

Your first treatment session then takes place. If you’ve never been adjusted before, well, it’s interesting. The doctor will manipulate your joints using controlled but forceful bending of your body, in ways that can seem scary. But the truth is these manipulations are not only painless, they feel pretty good, and you definitely feel more relaxed after than you did before.

Along with adjustments, some practitioners will include massage in their treatments, which also helps to relax muscles. Your doctor may also recommend proper nutrition and vitamin usage, along with relaxation techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing exercises, as things you can do on your own to lower stress levels.

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