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Mastering Your Emotional Brain

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Emotions can be disorienting, detrimental, and downright challenging. One moment our life can be peaceful and easy, the next chaos! As we all have experienced, in the blink of an eye, everything can change. 

Whether it be pandemics, political unrest, challenging transitions, the passing of loved ones, or a stuck emotional pattern, our Nervous System is taxed with the responsibility of helping us process what is happening in our life. If we are clear and connected, emotions can become a guiding compass for us understanding ourselves on a deeper level and thriving regardless of the circumstances around us.

Processing

We love seeing many of the people in our chiropractic practice, as their nervous system becomes healthier, find clarity through all sorts of life’s crazy challenges. Processing and learning from our emotions is a journey. As you continue to make decisions with your Ideal 100 Year Lifestyle in mind, it may be beneficial to consider the possibility that your emotions hold more value than you think, and the individual parts of your emotional brain are interconnected!

The Limbic System

Our emotional brain is essential for our body’s ability to process. It is called the “Limbic System.” It is a complex compilation of different nerve groupings. Each with a specialized function. Here is a quick guide to understanding the key aspects of your brain’s Limbic System:

Amygdala: This tiny almond-shaped structure is known for helping the Nervous System evaluate potential threats. It can trigger the “fight or flight” response. And is also responsible for conditional learning (based on reward or punishment).

Hippocampus: Memory formation and storage. 

Thalamus: This is the “Amazon Prime” of the brain. The Thalamus delivers messages coming up from the body to the appropriate processing centers. It plays an essential role in connecting the rest of the Limbic System to other aspects of the Nervous System. 

Hypothalamus: This is the key regulatory center. The Hypothalamus is constantly taking in physiologic messages. Such as breathing rate and metabolism. This is the part of your brain that triggers you into “hanger” when your blood sugar levels have dropped.

Cingulate Gyrus: Associates sights and smells with pleasant memories of previous emotions. It also plays a role in processing our conscious emotional experience. 

Basal Ganglia: Think of this as the “dimmer switch” for the brain’s motor output. It’s capable of inhibiting certain behaviors such as talking out of turn. 

Crucial Role

All of these parts of the Limbic System play a crucial role in directing our Nervous System. We want to respond with the appropriate “fight or flight” response should a big grizzly bear appear during a hike. Sometimes, it is necessary to use this adrenaline-boosting response. But not always. How often is our body stuck in this type of stress pattern when there is no emergency?

When there is interference to the Nervous System, its ability to respond appropriately is distorted. With this distorted signaling, our emotional response may become unregulated and downright dramatic. We may become overly aggressive or act out in a way we later regret. Maybe, we find ourselves in a recurrent emotional loop. And we replay the same pattern again and again. 

A Clear Nervous System

When our Nervous System is clear and connected, it is much easier to step outside of the recurrent loop. With healthy decisions such as receiving Chiropractic Lifestyle Care, our brain and body have a leg up in processing emotions. When the Nervous System is balanced out, the brain and body can work together. They provide clarity and depth to the wisdom our emotions hold. Once we make healthy decisions and take responsibility for our emotions, we truly learn from them. 

Perhaps most importantly, we need community. Reach out to family, friends, and other supportive roles in your life. By reaching out you are taking the first step towards forming a more healthy relationship with your emotions. Also known as vulnerability. This act of bravery goes a long way and can lead us to brilliant discoveries and experiences. When we make vulnerability a regular occurrence in our life, emotions become healthy opportunities to learn about ourselves and move through life challenges.

Create communities that support your 100 Year Lifestyle.

Become a Least Vulnerable Person and Family

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You and your family can take steps right now and become ‘Least Vulnerable People’. Here are 15 things you can stop doing and start doing that will make a difference.

Becoming A ‘Least Vulnerable Person’

There is growing concern about COVID-19, the flu, and other infectious diseases affecting the most vulnerable people. Who are these most vulnerable people and what choices can you make for yourself and your family to become a Least Vulnerable Person. Fortunately, most of these options are under your control!

Who Are The Most Vulnerable People

Seniors

Elderly people are the most at-risk population for infection and serious complications due to COVID-19 or any other virus. The reason is not just because of their age. In fact, there was a recent report of a 102-year-old woman who recovered from the COVID-19 virus. What makes them most vulnerable is that many of them are living lifestyles that include all of the additional factors listed below.

Underlying Health Conditions

People with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions, are more vulnerable as well. Their immune systems are already stressed and challenged, which makes them less able to ward off other types of infections.

https://youtu.be/1EXplnxo0Wo

PolyPharmacy

Polypharmacy is a term used for people who take multiple medications. This can alter blood and brain chemistry causing immunosuppression, hindering the body’s innate ability to fight infections.

Marlo Sollitto, author of Polypharmacy in the Elderly, states that “Being on too many medications can lead to potentially dangerous drug interactions and exposure to many side effects at once. Keep in mind that this applies not to just prescriptions, but also over-the-counter medications… The average adult takes four or more prescription drugs each day.”

Obesity

According to the National Institute of Health, obesity, and overweight together are the second leading cause of preventable death in the US, close behind tobacco usage. An estimated 300,000 deaths per year are due to the obesity epidemic.

Poor Posture

Chiropractors have been labeled Essential Service Providers by the US Department of Homeland Security, which is why we are open, taking the proper precautions, and serving our community.

Poor posture can make you more vulnerable by increasing stress, reducing lung capacity, straining muscles, causing fatigue and contributing to many other factors that affect your immune system.  A recent Harvard study showed that people who sat with good posture showed a 25% decrease in Cortisol, the stress hormone.

Sedentary

On average, Americans sit for about 11 hours per day. Sedentary lifestyles are a contributing factor to every lifestyle disease and a risk factor including cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Erin Michos, the associate director of preventive cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease explains “A large review of studies published in 2015 in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that even after adjusting for physical activity, sitting for long periods was associated with worse health outcomes including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Sedentary behavior can also increase your risk of dying, either from heart disease or other medical problems.”

Smokers

Smoking is known to compromise the immune system. This increases the risk for many immune and autoimmune disorders, conditions that occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy cells and tissues.

Becoming a ‘Least Vulnerable Person’

Here are some important lifestyle changes you can make to help you and your loved ones become ‘Less Vulnerable People’.

Positive Psychology

Positive psychology can improve your health and immune system function. According to Johns Hopkins expert, Lisa Yanek, people with a family history of heart disease who had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or cardiovascular event within 5-25 years compared to those with a negative outlook.

Another study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology compared optimistic vs. pessimistic first-year law students regarding their performance in the upcoming school year. The study showed better functioning immune cells in the optimistic students versus the pessimistic students.

Physical Activity

Physical activity and movement is a keystone in maintaining optimal health. A study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science illustrated the following:

  • Acute exercise is an immune system adjuvant
  • A clear inverse relationship was found between moderate exercise training and illness risk
  • Habitual exercise improves immune regulation, delaying the onset of age-related dysfunction

Reduce Stress and Get Plenty of Sleep

Stress is not an outside thing, it’s an inside thing. You have the opportunity to choose how you react to any situation. It is true that chronic stress reduces the capabilities of your immune system and makes you more vulnerable to disease. According to Bruce Lipton, Ph.D and author of the Biology of Belief, your body cannot be in positive production mode and defense mode at the same time. He explains this concept in detail in this video.

Quality sleep is important. Minimize your stress so that you sleep well. This will certainly make you reduce your vulnerability.

Improve the Function of Your Nervous System

Your nervous system is your body’s main communication highway, relaying nerve signals to every single, cell, tissue and organ in the entire body, allowing the body to perform all vital functions in order to sustain life. It is ESSENTIAL to maintain the integrity of this communication highway in order to live a healthy lifestyle. More importantly, the nervous system supplies communication to the thymus, spleen, adrenal glands, and lymph glands, all of which play pivotal roles in the function of your immune system.

Chiropractic care improves posture which can improve the health of your nervous system In addition, correcting spinal imbalances can influence basic physiological processes affecting oxidative stress and DNA repair. Reducing oxidative stress is an important factor in immune function.

In a study by Ronald Pero Ph.D, subjects under chiropractic care demonstrated higher mean serum thiol levels than patients with active disease and produced some values that were higher than normal wellness values.

Social Interaction

Community equals immunity. The NCBI states that Social relationships-both quantity and quality- affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk…..Social isolation of otherwise healthy, well-functioning individuals eventually results in psychological and physical disintegration, and even death.

Good nutrition

Make good nutrition your new lifestyle by choosing QCs over ECs, quality calories over empty calories, every time you’re faced with a food choice. A proper nutritional regimen consisting of lean proteins, organic green leafy vegetables, whole grains, healthy sources of monounsaturated fats such as avocados, nuts and seeds are important to help provide your body what it needs to be healthy, and strong.

  • Choose Quality Calories over Empty Calories
  • Supplement Your Diet
  • Avoid Processed Foods
  • Avoid Canned Foods
  • Avoid White Rice, Sugar, Flour and Pasta
  • Avoid Regular and Diet Soda
  • Minimize Caffeine and Alcohol

Technology

Limiting technology use can improve your health dramatically. Diagnoses of ADHD, autism, coordination disorder, developmental delays, unintelligible speech, learning difficulties, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders are associated with technology overuse, and are increasing at an alarming rate.”1

Raise a Least Vulnerable Family

Apply these principles to raising your family and everyone you love will be healthier for it, becoming less vulnerable to infections and experiencing better health now and for a lifetime.

Why Stress Affects Everyone Differently

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It is well documented that high levels of stress can contribute to heart disease, cancer, headaches, ulcers, digestive disturbances, backaches and nearly every other condition known to mankind. How can one word cause so many unique and different problems in different people especially since the stress reaction is the same for everyone? The answer may be simpler than you think.

Stress is a nervous system reaction that causes your heart to beat faster, your muscles to be tense, your stomach to tighten, and your hair follicles to stand up, all as a way to prepare your body for an emergency. When you interpret a situation as stressful, whether it truly is or not, your brain triggers this reaction by sending a signal over your spinal cord and nervous system to every cell of your body. In prehistoric times, this would have been the perfect reaction to escape from a hungry dinosaur, but in today’s stress filled world and no Tyrannosaurus Rex, this chronic reaction can cause pain, sickness and disease.

Where your body breaks down from stress may depend on whether or not you have a condition known as vertebral subluxation. A vertebral subluxation is a spinal injury that interferes with the normal function of your nervous system which can affect your health on every level whether you have symptoms or not. If you have this in your spine, your body is already pre-stressed.

Many people deal with stress through deep breathing, meditation, exercise and healthy food choices. These are all very good things to do as part of your lifestyle to counter balance stress, but if your nervous system is pre-stressed, the slightest deviation from the perfect stress management plan can send you into a frustrating, uncomfortable, or painful tailspin. Removing this pre-stress causing subluxation can improve your resistance to daily stressors dramatically.

Research shows that it only takes the weight of a dime to reduce nerve transmission. Additional research has found that nerve compression can exist without pain and can cause deterioration within two weeks.

In this pre-stressed condition, your body becomes more vulnerable to outside stresses while other people may be much more resistant. The location of the subluxation can determine what types of symptoms, if any, you experience. For example, someone with nerve interference in the upper part of the neck might feel headaches, have allergies, or a stiff neck. Because the nerves fibers that come out of the upper neck also go to the entire body, pressure here can literally cause or mimic nearly every symptom or disease you can name.

Interference to the nerve supply in the lower back can cause a backache, leg problems and also affect ovary, prostate, bladder or bowel function. Interference to the nerves in the middle of your back can affect your heart and lungs or cause tension, stomach problems, digestive disturbances and discomfort.

The scary part is that like most serious conditions, vertebral subluxations can cause stress for decades without any symptoms. This is when serious problems occur, many of which could have been avoided by eliminating this pre-stressed condition right away. The birth process, childhood falls, sports injuries and poor lifestyle habits are just a few causes of subluxations. Rather than getting to the cause and removing this underlying problem, many people attempt to chase their symptoms away with drugs, or another type of quick fix, and then wonder why their condition returns. Removing the cause and optimizing the function of your nervous system is a better immediate and long-term plan.

Regardless or your symptoms, a chiropractic examination can locate pre-stressed areas in your spine that may be affecting your health on every level.

Crisis care is one way to deal with stress, only receiving care when you are hurt. A much better option is to remove the subluxation, stress, from your body and keep it out as a part of your lifestyle. This will help you to stress less, live more, and enjoy the quality of life you deserve.

How is Stress Affecting You?

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April is National Stress Awareness Month. Have you ever wondered why stress affects everyone differently? How is stress affecting you?

It is well documented that high levels of stress can contribute to heart disease, cancer, headaches, ulcers, backaches and nearly every condition known to mankind. How can stress cause so many unique problems in different people especially since the stress reaction is the same for everyone?

Stress Is A Nerve System Reaction
Stress is a nerve system reaction that causes your heart to beat faster, your muscles to be tense, your stomach to tighten, and your hair follicles to stand up, all as a way to prepare your body for an emergency. When you interpret a situation as stressful, whether it truly is or not, your brain triggers this reaction by sending a signal over your spinal cord and nerve system to every cell of your body. In prehistoric times, this would have been the perfect reaction to escape from a hungry dinosaur, but in today’s stress filled world and no Tyrannosaurus Rex, this chronic reaction can cause pain, sickness and disease.

The Pre-stressed Nerve System
Where your body breaks down from stress may depend on whether or not you have a condition in your spine known as “vertebral subluxation.” A vertebral subluxation is a spinal injury that interferes with the normal function of your nerve system which can affect your health on every level. If you have this condition in your spine, your body is already pre-stressed.

Many people deal with stress through meditation, exercise and healthy food choices. These are all very good things to do as part of your lifestyle, but if your nerve system is pre-stressed, the slightest deviation from the perfect stress management plan can send you into a frustrating, uncomfortable, or painful tailspin. Removing this pre-stress causing subluxation can improve your resistance to daily stressors dramatically.

Research shows that it only takes the weight of a dime to reduce nerve transmission. Additional research has found that nerve compression can exist without pain and can cause deterioration within two weeks.

In this pre-stressed condition, your body becomes more vulnerable to outside stresses. The location of the subluxation can determine what types of symptoms, if any, you experience. For example, someone with nerve interference in the upper part of the neck might feel headaches, have allergies, or a stiff neck. Because the nerve fibers that come out of the upper neck also go to the entire body, pressure here can literally cause or mimic nearly every symptom or disease you can name.

Interference to the nerves in the lower back may cause a backache, leg problems and also affect ovary, prostate, bladder or bowel function. Interference in the middle of your back may affect your heart and lungs or cause tension, stomach problems, and digestive disturbances.

Remove The Underlying Problem
Like most serious conditions, vertebral subluxations can cause stress for decades without any symptoms. The birth process, childhood falls, sports injuries and poor lifestyle habits are just a few causes of subluxations. Rather than getting to the cause and removing this underlying problem, many people attempt to chase their symptoms away with drugs, or another type of quick fix, and then wonder why their condition returns. Removing the cause and optimizing the function of your nerve system is a better immediate and long-term plan.

Regardless or your symptoms, a chiropractic examination can locate pre-stressed areas in your spine that may be affecting your health on every level. Don’t wait for a crisis.

Stress Less During Your Commute

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Your commute can be a large component of your daily stress load. It doesn’t need to be.

Here are six tips to help you Stress Less and Live More during your commute:

1. Shorten your Drive – Use a traffic and navigation application such as WAZE to improve your daily commute. These apps share real-time information and will help you save time, gas and energy while commuting.

2. Plan Ahead– For a smoother morning, prepare the night before and give yourself some flex time for the unexpected. Create a positive morning routine to keep you focused before you walk out the door.

3. Breathe! – While you are driving, or any time for that matter, if you feel yourself becoming stressed, take a deep breath. Take a few of them. This will calm your nerves and reduce the stress on your mind and body.

4. Learn – Use your commute to learn a new language, listen to personal development resources or audio books. Not only will you be learning and growing as a person, you will also find you begin to look forward to the commute time instead of dreading it. Your commute will be a twice a day opportunity to make yourself better.

5. Build Relationships – As long as your car is set up for Bluetooth and you are not violating any laws, commute time is a great time to stay in touch with family, friends or business relationships.

Take the time to learn all of the features of your system so that you can utilize the technology in a safe and efficient way. Never compromise safety and pay attention to your driving while you connect to the important people in your life.

6. Support your Spine – Sitting can put a lot of stress on your spine. Long commutes can cause spinal problems and aggravate existing ones. Use the lumbar support that is built into your car seat or get a portable one that you can use in your car or take with you to work.

Make an appointment for a chiropractic examination and check the alignment of your spine to ensure that your nerves are functioning properly.

You will be amazed at the difference chiropractic care can make in your life. Starting today, Stress Less and Live More. on your commute and always.

See you at your next appointment!

Stress Less Fitness Tips

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These five Stress Less Fitness tips will lessen your Stress and allow you to Live More.

There is an acronym for Fitness in The 100 Year Lifestyle that will ensure you Stress Less, Live More, stay healthy and on top of your game. The acronym takes the word Fitness and uses the N2ESS as follows:

N: Neurology – Stress is a nervous system reaction that can affect your entire body. Your brain and nervous system control and coordinate everything: your heart, digestion, breathing, hormones and muscles. A healthy nervous system is essential in adapting to stress.

N: Nutrition – Good nutrition is important for your body to be healthy. Quality calories come from live foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. They are nutritionally satisfying because they contain vitamins, minerals, fiber and amino acids that are the building blocks of a healthy body. Choose organic or chemical free options. Both empty and excess calories will lead to sickness, low energy, obesity and chronic health problems. Empty calories come from foods such as white sugar, white flour and white rice.

E: Endurance – Exercise can help your body cope with stress in a healthy way. If you have good endurance, you will enjoy a greater sense of stamina now and while you age. Your energy will be higher and you will feel like staying active. You will be able to endure stressful times. You can increase your stamina through cardiovascular and aerobic exercise that strengthens your heart, burns calories and increases your energy.

S: Strength – Your level of strength will determine your ability to remain active and independent as you age. Through regular strength training with a personal trainer or on your own, you can build muscle and stand strong, no matter how many birthdays you celebrate. The saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” is definitely true when it comes to strength. Free weights, functional training machines, Pilates and Yoga are all examples of exercises that build your strength.

S: Structure – If your body breaks down at the onset of a new fitness routine, there may be an underlying cause in your structure and spine, such as subluxations. You may experience pain and injuries that become nagging to severe. It can also keep you from getting results.

Chiropractic examinations can reveal underlying problems in your spine that can keep you from getting in shape and also lead to all types of health problems. The opposite of Stress Free living! Don’t wait until you “feel it” to get checked. You may be waiting too long. Why spoil your momentum if you are working out to get in shape, Stress Less and Live More?

Schedule an appointment for your chiropractic check-up today!