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Nervous System

Your Brain-Body Connection

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You were born to be healthy. From the moment of conception, your body was given the blueprints and the innate intelligence to live an active, healthy life for 80, 90, 100 years and beyond.

Keeping your spine and nervous system healthy and functioning properly, without interference, is essential to optimizing your genetic capabilities.

Simply speaking, here’s how it works:

Your brain communicates with every cell, tissue, and organ of your body either directly or indirectly via your nervous system.

Unfortunately, many of us don’t appreciate the importance of this system on our overall health until we hear of the tragedies of paralyzed people who sustained serious injuries to their spine. Not only did they lose function of their limbs, but their organs and systems began to malfunction, causing many other issues and dis-ease within their body.

Spinal injuries, such as vertebral subluxations, can cause immediate pain and health problems and can cause severe, long-term health consequences by reducing the function of your nervous system.

Chiropractic care will restore and revitalize the integrity of your nervous system, your Brain-Body connection, so you and your family can live healthy and enjoy life to the fullest.

While there is no guarantee that you and your family will never be sick or injured while under chiropractic care, you can be sure that with proper alignment and function of your spine and nervous system you will give yourselves the best opportunity to heal quickly and maximize your health. Chiropractic is safe, gentle and effective. Regardless of your age, you will look forward to, enjoy and value chiropractic care as an important part of living your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.

Your health and your healing are your responsibility. What do you want your life to be like as you age? How about your kids? Sadly, hospitals and nursing homes are filled with too many people who waited for a health crisis before they transitioned to lifestyle care.

If you or your family are being challenged with a sickness, or ‘dis-ease’, there is no better time than now to begin your chiropractic journey. If you have been blessed with a symptom and disease-free life and want to maximize your health and athletic performance, our office can get you there. Make living a healthy lifestyle your top priority and see why so many people have made chiropractors their family’s health care provider.

Our team is committed to helping you and your loved ones live your best life every day from birth to 80, 90 and 100 year (or more!). We look forward to working with you.

Know Your Neck

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How well do you know your neck? This magnificent and delicate structure that holds up your head, moves in many directions and protects your body’s lifeline is often taken for granted…until it is injured.

It may seem simple when looking from the outside, but inside it is a complex structure that is vital for health.

Let’s start with your nervous system:
Your brain extends down through your skull and becomes your spinal cord in upper part of your neck. The nerves control and coordinate the function of every cell, tissue and organ of your body. They control all your vital organs including your heart, lungs, liver, stomach and kidneys. When you swallow, clear your throat, or take a deep breath these actions are controlled by the nerves.

All of the muscles that turn your head are also controlled by nerves. When you look to the right or the left while driving your car or when you answer yes or no to a question, be thankful for these nerves.

There are 7 bones that make up your neck – also known as your cervical spine. When you are a baby and you begin to raise your head to look around, your neck begins to develop its cervical curve which becomes the normal spinal alignment as you age. This alignment ensures proper movement of your neck, good nerve supply, and normal function.

Unfortunately, your neck can become injured from the birth process, falls, accidents, or other types of stress which can affect the alignment, nerve supply and function of your spine as well as all of the organs, systems and tissues supplied by those nerves. This injury is known as a vertebral subluxation.

Because there is so much affected and controlled by the neck, these subluxations can cause health problems such as neck, shoulder and arm pain, headaches, allergies, attention deficit and so much more. The list of conditions that can be caused by subluxations is long.

Rather than masking your symptoms with over the counter or prescription medication such as muscle relaxers or pain relievers, which can have severe side effects, it is better to get to the cause of the problem and get the alignment of your neck corrected.

Have you ever noticed an older person whose head was hunched forward? Think about how they had difficulty turning and moving? This is what you see when you look at them but what you do not see is the impact this neck dysfunction is having on their health and quality life because of the interference to the nervous system.

Isn’t it time you stop taking your neck for granted? Make an appointment for yourself and your loved ones today.

Immune System Science Simplified

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A recent report by the American Physiological Society has confirmed and clarified the importance of the nervous system in regulating the immune system. While we see the evidence of this everyday with our patients, it is nice to know that science is catching up with the ability to explain why and how this connection works.

The report entitled Neural Control of the Immune System states “Neural reflexes support homeostasis by modulating the function of organ systems. Recent advances in neuroscience and immunology have revealed that neural reflexes also regulate the immune system.”1 This important research validates what chiropractors and our patients have been experiencing anecdotally for more than 100 years about the role of chiropractic care in immunity.

– It explains how many children who have been plagued with chronic colds or ear infections can receive chiropractic adjustments and heal.
– It offers explanation to the person who used to be susceptible to illness from every “germ and virus in the air” as to why they may have become healthier since beginning their chiropractic care.
– It also provides explanation as to why aging populations who receive regular chiropractic care remain more functional as they age, a result also confirmed by the Eisenberg Study in 2000.2

While this information may be new to you, it is not new to our practice or to the scientific community.

In an October 2007 report named Medical News Today: Direct Route from Brain to Immune System Discovered by Scientists, they stated, “It used to be dogma that the brain was shut away from the actions of the immune system. But that’s not how it is at all. It turns out that the brain talks directly to the immune system, sending commands that control the body’s inflammatory response to infection and autoimmune diseases.”3

In 1995, The Lancet reported “the focus of science has shifted from separate entities of the immune system to an interactive immunology model. In the neural-immune concept, the brain has specific, two-pathways to the immune system.”4 Clinically, we have known this to be true for more than a century.

As the cold and flu season hovers, make the health of your spine and nervous system a priority with regular chiropractic checkups. If you have only used chiropractic care when you are affected by a crisis, severe pain or a health problem, now is the time to consider making the Critical Transition to Lifestyle Care. Combined with other healthy 100 Year Lifestyle choices, you will give your body the best chance to adapt to your environment and stay healthy. Raise your family this way and you are more likely to enjoy the elements rather than fear them.

While there is sure to be more scientific confirmation in the future, make this the year that you confirm the results for yourself through the care you and your family receive. See you at your next appointment!

References:
1 Eva Sundman , Peder S. Olofsson Advances in Physiology EducationPublished 1 June 2014Vol. 38no. 2,135-139DOI: 10.1152/advan.00094.2013
2 Foster, D.F., Phillips, R.S., Hamel, M.B. & Eisenberg, D.M. (2000) Alternative medicine use in older Americans. Europe PubMed Central
3 Medical News Today, Direct Route From Brain To Immune System Discovered By Scientists, Oct, 2007
4 Edwards, S. (1995, January 14.) Lancet.

Feeling or Function

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“How Are You?” is a common question we use to engage with another person when we meet on the street, at work, in school or at family gatherings.

Most of us reply with the answer, “Fine!” or some version of that to keep the conversation short and social because most people are asking out of politeness and don’t really want to get in a deep discussion. You, however, need to know how you are really doing so ask yourself the question but expand on it by adding a few key words at the end:

1. How are you feeling? Seriously, how is your body? How is your mind? Are you experiencing any symptoms on a recurring basis such as neck or back pain, headaches, stomach or other digestive disturbances, tension or stress? These symptoms are indicators that there may be imbalances in your body that need to be addressed. How are you addressing them? Are you masking these symptoms with medications or are you eliminating the underlying cause? Getting to the cause is a much better plan. This leads to the next question.

2. How are you functioning? If your body is functioning properly then you have the opportunity to feel healthier most of the time and also perform at your highest level. Your body can heal itself from symptoms and conditions and you will be adaptable to the stresses in the world.

Your nervous system is the master control system of your body and must be healthy for you to function properly. Recent research has revealed that neuro reflexes support homeostasis, which is body balance, by modulating the function of organ systems and regulating the immune system.1 Many of our patients report that the chiropractic care we provide helps their body eliminate recurring symptoms while it functions at much higher levels. When you make Function a priority over Feeling, you will appreciate a greater level of health and vitality every day.

3. How are you living? Is your lifestyle supporting you in function and feeling at your highest level for a lifetime? If not, you may be headed for a roller coaster ride of deterioration that could last for decades. Through The 100 Year Lifestyle education and chiropractic care we provide, you and your loved ones will be able to answer the “How are you?” question with gusto! and enjoy the long, healthy, quality of life you deserve.

Reference: Eva Sundman , Peder S. Olofsson Advances in Physiology EducationPublished 1 June 2014Vol. 38no. 2,135-139DOI: 10.1152/advan.00094.2013

Your Beautiful Brain

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Your brain and nervous system are absolutely amazing! Here are some spectacular facts to ponder:

Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons.

There are anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for each neuron.

There are no pain receptors in the brain, so the brain can feel no pain.

There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain.

The human brain is the fattiest organ in the body and may consist of at least 60percentsign fat.

Neurons develop at the rate of 250,000 neurons per minute during early pregnancy.

A newborn baby’s brain grows about three times its size in the first year.

A stimulating environment for a child can make the difference between a 25percentsign greater ability to learn and 25percentsign less in an environment with little stimulation.

Humans continue to make new neurons throughout life in response to mental activity.

While awake, your brain generates between 10 and 23 watts of power, or enough energy to power a light bulb.

Excessive stress has shown to “alter brain cells, brain structure and brain function”.

Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you are creating a new connection in your brain.
Learning new things helps the brain’s response time.

Laughing requires activity in five areas of the brain.

The average number of thoughts that humans are believed to experience each day is 700,000.

Albert Einstein’s brain was similar in size to other humans except in the region that is responsible for math and spatial perception. In that region, his brain was 35% wider than average.

A brain thought to be 2000 years old was unearthed just recently at the University of York in northern England.

Your brain communicates with every cell, tissue and organ in your body by way of the spinal cord and nervous system components.

Interference to this communication caused by spinal subluxations can affect your health on every level.

Chiropractic adjustments correct the subluxations that impact your health on every level. Lifestyle Care can help optimize the function of your nervous system.

Spinal subluxations can subtly or dramatically affect your brain function. Correcting spinal subluxations can improve your brain function.

A chiropractic checkup and regular adjustments support the optimum function of your brain and nervous system and most important, support your goals for living your best life every day of your life.

See you at your next appointment!

An Epidemic of Neurological Disorders

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Nervous system disorders ranging from autism, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease represent just a fraction of the growing number of neurological conditions that are affecting people of all ages in our society today. So much so that Robert Zieve, MD recently wrote in an article called, “Neurological Disorders: The Growing Epidemic of the 21st-Century,” that chronic neurological diseases are fast becoming the debilitating epidemic of our time.

Different than the headline grabbing diseases such as cancer and heart disease that frighten us because they are potentially deadly, chronic neurological diseases can destroy our quality of life including our ability to think, be active and relate to other people. They also have the potential to cause chronic pain and suffering that can last for decades and making us a burden to our loved ones which is something that nobody would want.

Dr. Zieve also states, “Having a healthy brain and nervous system is vital to being able to think clearly without which our active will lacks intelligent guidance and is weakened”.

Your nervous system controls and coordinates the function of every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. Keeping your nervous system healthy as a priority and a part of your lifestyle is essential if you want to be healthy today as well as over the course of your entire lifetime. As the master controller, problems in the nervous system can cause or mimic any condition or disease you can name. This includes problems with the heart, lungs, hormones, stomach, intestines, reproductive glands as well as your arms, legs, fingers and toes.

For this reason, Chiropractic examinations are more important than ever because they evaluate the health of the spinal column and the nervous system. Spinal subluxations, one such condition that is extremely common in adults and children, can alter the function of your nervous system and affect your health on every level even though it may lie asymptomatic for decades. Waiting until symptoms show up means that your condition has already become chronic by the time you feel it.

Don’t let this happen to you. These spinal conditions that affect your nerves can be caused by the birth process, learning to walk as a child, contact sports, stress, sitting too much and environmental toxicity, just to name a few.

A healthy nervous system is essential for you to be able to adapt to your environment in a healthy way. Dr. Zieve states, “We live in a toxic world. The great majority of chemicals we now take in daily were not on the planet 30 years ago. These toxins become neurotoxins, damaging the nervous system.”

You can control your exposure to many of these toxins by making healthier nutritional choices and avoiding environmental toxicity whenever possible.

Keeping your nervous system healthy with regular chiropractic check-ups can make a difference in your body’s ability to resist and adapt to these toxins.

It’s no wonder millions are making chiropractic Lifestyle Care a priority in their family budget. Don’t wait for a crisis to force you to act. Schedule your appointment today.