Chiropractic is the Springboard : Recreate Your Life

 Parts of my city lost power after a night of high winds.  In our house, we were in the dark around 8:30 PM.  I had to carry my flash light throughout the house.  The laundry was washed, but had to be hung up to dry.  I admit I have a habit of watching Hulu before bed.  Without that vice for the night, I thought I would read a book.

After a few minutes, I turned off the battery powered light.  It was so quiet in the house.  It was a true darkness, as well.  No street lights.  No flood lights from the neighbor's yard.  I decided to go to sleep.

This is how we used to live.  All this artificial clutter really messes with our brains. 

It reminded me of  Mark Sisson's comment about "living by the ebb and flow of light and darkness, season to season."  In his book, Primal Connections (2013) he talks about "living in smaller groups," playing more, delving into our individual creativity, following a more instinctual natural rhythm in our lives.  In a sense, we have the opportunity to reclaim our biological roots of natural fitness by moving and playing the way our ancestors did.  We can reclaim a more natural diet, eating foods fresh before they are mutated with chemicals in  factories.

It would be worth it to read his book again.  He mentions being forced into "early retirement," and having to recreate himself. And for him it became a new niche that evolved into a successful business with ardent followers. 

What also intrigues me is how people transform themselves when faced with a challenge that forces them to rethink what they thought was expected of them.  A new path emerges.  

Have you had to go through any growing pains that turned out to be a worthwhile experience even if it was unexpected or traumatic? It's sometimes that way when folks come in to the chiropractic office for the first time. 

Many tell me they are at the end of their ropes.  They are stuck.  There expectations were not met and now they are worn down, distrusting, or betrayed by a system that let them down. 

I often struggle myself offering a new definition of health and healing but others don't seem to want to leave the system that let them down.  Apples and oranges I guess. If your brain is expecting one thing, then the new idea can't even pierce through the old, thick bullet proof vest. Chiropractic helps you make that profound shift. 

Be open to recreate yourself.  Take the best of your talents and enhance them. 

Chiropractic enhances the brain.  

Chiropractic is your springboard.  

Chiropractic offers something different.  It must be applied differently with its own different language and outlook. 

----Dr. Lisa

--- Your Fight or Flight Coach

The brain being a brain is not a disease

The whole point of chiropractic is to adjust the spine so it can unwind the stress of your life, giving you a refreshed energy to live the whole human experience  --- regardless of pain, whether you are in pain or not in pain.   

The brain is constantly reorganizing itself.  Chiropractic enhances the process.  

  

Stop Looking Over Your Shoulder - Live Your Life with Confidence

Chiropractic offers something different.  It must be applied differently with its own different language and outlook. 

The whole point of chiropractic is to adjust the spine so it can unwind the stress of your life, giving you a refreshed energy to live the whole human experience  --- regardless of pain, whether you are in pain or not in pain.   

The brain is constantly reorganizing itself.  Chiropractic enhances the process.  

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I just happened to catch an interview on the Today Show with a health care professional who described different issues that can put women at risk for heart disease.  There was such a long list, it appeared as if all women are at risk.  Apparently, just being alive puts us at risk.  (Here's the clip.)

Some of the problems included a woman having her first period before age 11, then there's menopause of course.  Also other risks include lupus, migraines, fibromyalgia type disorders, rhematoid arthritis, psoriasis, preeclampsia, polycystic ovarian syndrome, miscarriage, and cancer treatments.  --All risks of future heart disease!!

In my opinion, the underlying message is you don't have a chance! There will always be a potential disease to worry about. 

This is certainly not the world I live in.  Being told to get screening after screening builds up a lot of negativity and fear.  Your life is not yours when your doctors have you over scheduled month after month. Being stuck in fear is your choice, that's for sure. I won't be living my life constantly looking over my shoulder for a disease on the sneak attack.

Interestingly, about a decade ago a report came out saying screenings don't really improve health outcomes, but I'm having trouble finding it on the internet. Where did it go?  (I knew I should have printed it out and kept it in a folder.) 

From the chiropractic point of view, your nervous system responds to stress and promotes your survival.  (Constantly reorganizing itself) These survival responses are often perceived as a disease or dysfunction.  If you are manipulating this response (with drugs, or surgery) in order to numb or diminish the  effects of a working nervous system, you may never address the underlying stress. 

What are the underlying stresses?  Well, that is completely unique to you and how your nervous system learned from your past exposures. 

Chiropractic adjustments reset your brain so you can clear out your stress better.  When you get adjusted, your brain is ready for a new learning experience, so whatever you expose it to next matters. Especially in the first 20 minutes after your adjustment. It's a special refreshed time for your brain. 

If you're used to going to the chiropractor to feel better, (which is fine, nothing wrong with that) be sure you understand that you need to get yourself into a true restful healing state, not kicked back into fight or flight.  

When you are getting on the table to receive a chiropractic adjustment you set the intention in your mind.  How do you want to celebrate and support your nervous system. With fear and tension or with a liberating outlook.  It's part of the process.  To learn more, read here about the Brain First Protocol.   What Will You Become When You Put the Brain First

---See you at the table, the adjusting table

-- Dr. Lisa

--- Your Fight or Flight Coach

Fight or Flight is Essential.

Hyper-Triggers Are Not.

Your Body is Only Following Orders (From the Brain)

 Don't be mad.  Don't play the blame game. 

Your body is just following orders.  

Learn why it's better to honor your brain's interpretation rather than curse it. It will help you avoid the self-hate and demoralization that interferes with your best most vibrant health.

If you step on a tack, do you take an aspirin or get off the tack?

This seems to make sense.  If something is deforming your soft tissues or causing bleeding, you are likely to know the immediate cause. 

If there is actual tissue derangement, the brain elicits a pain response so you will take the time to look at your foot and something about it. 

It reminds me of the time I was attacked by fire ants.  I was in Florida trying to plant a garden.  If you know me, I was barefoot. Yes, in New York you can prance around outdoors in bare feet.  There are no fire ants in New York.  Well, my brain quickly figured out I was being bitten by a hundred unfriendly insects.  Thank you, brain.  Once I looked down to assess the situation, I knew it was time to run away and wash my feet before they did more damage. 

My foot was hurting, thanks to my brain.  There was good reason to honor my brain's interpretation. I needed to get out of the dirt. 

This photo is from a 1995 British Medical Journal editorial.    Apparently a man stepped on a nail at a construction site. How does that look to you?  Not very comfortable.  Are you squirming a little bit?  Are you looking away because it conjures up bad memories of something you did that wasn't so smart?

(source: https://medium.com/proximity/it-was-1995-when-an-incredible-story-was-described-in-the-british-medical-journal-e9f1bd90a217)

The guy was screaming in pain during his ride to the emergency room.  It took a while to calm him down with pain killers before the boot could be removed.  A puncture wound like that could get pretty bloody.  The poor guy. 

It turned out, after the boot was removed, the nail did not break the skin.  Believe it or not, the nail went between his toes.  

Was the brain wrong?  When he looked at his boot, his brain had to make a quick decision based on the newness of the information so it could alert the rest of the nervous system.  

I call this the bear/squirrel dilemma.  If you hear  rustling in the bushes, your brain immediately thinks it is a bear for the best survival outcome.  The brain tells the body to go on high alert.  Then, in a few seconds you see that it is actually a squirrel, the brain tells the body to stay put.  The heart can stop racing.  Blood can circulate from the legs and return to the digestive system (If you just ate some dinner.)

Now, you can look back at instances in your life when you experienced something similar.  

In my early 20s I earned myself 2 speeding tickets within months of each other.  After that I developed an unwanted panic disorder that would erupt whenever I saw flashing lights on the highway.  I felt as if I was jumping out of my skin if a police car was following behind me.  

I would shake horribly and my breathing would be shallow which would cause tingling in my hands.  Even when I knew I was not speeding, my brain overrode the proof.  While my eyes saw the truth on the speedometer, it was to no avail. 

My body was just following orders from my brain. 

I used to have a dramatic perception that every cop had ultra-laser focus waiting to catch me doing something wrong.  I would be staring at my speedometer, making sure I was using my turn signal and not hitting the brake too hard.  

These reactions completely stopped in time but it took years.  I really can't remember how long it took, but that's ok. Why should I keep that memory stored in my brain.  Overtime I felt more relaxed whenever I saw a police cruiser.  

Now, I'm cool as a cucumber when I see any police.  Even 2 years ago when I was pulled over for an expired registration, I didn't sweat it at all.  

The body just follows orders. Having a fever is just the body following orders.  Inflammation is the body following orders.  A rapid heart beat is the body following orders. If it is something you believe is lasting too long, you can modify it.  Chiropractic is one way to break unwanted learned patterns chosen by the brain. 

Chiropractic is an amazing tool for your brain because adjustments can help you modify your brain's perception of the world around you and  your own internal chatter.

No, it won't erase your brain.  Chiropractors are not secret operatives trying to overtake your mind. 

Chiropractic works by helping the spine communicate calm to the brain. This in turn opens up an opportunity for the brain to activate the vagus nerve which plays a role in the body's restorative functions such as digestion and repair. 

You cannot be in a state of growth and defense. One will dominate. 

Some stress we can reduce.  Some stress we cannot avoid. 

Chiropractic helps us manage.  Chiropractic helps us reduce stress. 

A chiropractic appointment is a time-out.  It is your choses time to get away from busyness and taking a mental break.  While you are at the chiropractic appointment, the adjustment allows your pre-frontal cortex to reengage, rebalance, while the limbic system calms down the energy draining survival responses. 

Yes, you can calm down the draining survival response on your own.  There are many ways to do so.  But, chiropractic is a profound brain stimulation that can undo a learned body response.  When you feel as if your body is stuck in a vicious cycle, chiropractic breaks the cycle to reestablish every day functions that are placed on hold during a stressful event. 

Am I doing a good job of explaining this in a short blog article? Probably not.  Watch my orientation video.  When you come in for an appointment, we can fill in the blanks with your personal story.  It's a very meaningful journey.  Join me. 

Orientation Video