Published in this week's Citizen. Enjoy!
There is a saying that pressure makes diamonds. Since that
only applies to coal, pressure is not always a good thing. In the chiropractic
world, however, pressure can be good or bad. It just depends on the situation.
A quick teaching point regarding spine health is that the
weight of a dime pressing on the nerve root as it exits the spine can reduce
its function by 60%. This is like a 100 watt light bulb working only at 40
watts. Studies performed by neurophysiologists in the early 1970’s showed how
nerve function can be restored in a short amount of time but the damage becomes
irreversible after a number of hours.
Other studies have demonstrated that nerves are the most
fragile right at the point where the nerve is leaving the openings between two
vertebral bones. It is very common for small veins in the same area to become
compressed leading to inflammation and nerve injury. This can lead to radicular
pain but the damaged area remains pain free for quite a long time before you
notice it.
Researchers have noted a strong correlation linking Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome with a misalignment of the first vertebral bone in
infants. Traction and rotational stress of the spinal cord at the skull during
the birth process are seen as common causes.
Mechanical distortions of the spine change how sensory
pathways alert the immune system. This can interfere with the body’s ability to
respond to infectious pathogens. Since
much of this spinal pressure does not illicit pain, autoimmune symptoms such as
rashes, fevers, and fatigue may be the first warning signals.
These are examples of what bad pressure can do to your
health. So to fight fire with fire, chiropractic uses good pressure to release
the tension placed on these spinal areas. The ironic question is how can it be
so beneficial if too much pressure can damage the body?
This is where the art and science of chiropractic merge. Every
person has lived with a lifetime of stress. The chiropractor chooses an
adjusting technique based on each person’s state of health and tension level at
that moment.
Tension levels can be assessed by moving the joints
passively, observing the patient’s active motion, and palpating spinal areas to
note muscular differences. An adjustment
is a mild force applied to spinal joints in order to reset the mechanical
receptors that influence how the brain controls nerve patterns and muscle
reflexes.
Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to modulate pain
perception, improve relaxation and reduce brain wave activity to more
functional levels that induce healing and appropriate cognition.
The brain, spinal cord, nerves, and skeletal system perform
many sophisticated tasks that keep us going throughout our day. While the body
can take a licking and keep on ticking, we don’t want to let injuries, postural
habits, or other stresses weigh us down.
Leave the diamonds to Mother Nature, but remember how heavy
a dime feels in your hand. Let
chiropractic help you stay healthy.
--See you at the table...the adjusting table.
--Dr. Lisa
