Sympathetic Dominance: Part 1

What comes to mind when you think of stress? If you’re like most people, your mind goes to feelings of overwhelm, frustration, anger, etc. You wouldn’t be wrong if you attributed those emotions to stress. Those are all major components when it comes to emotional/mental stress. However, there are two other types of stress you might not be thinking about. The other two stresses are chemical stress, like the food and drink we have, air we breathe, etc. And the final type is called physical stress, or, bad posture, sitting for hours everyday, car accidents, sports, etc. Stress is cumulative. Meaning, each stressful situation builds on the previous one if nothing is done to alleviate the wind-up. And that’s exactly what happens to your body when you stress. It begins to get wound-up. Until, finally, it reaches a point called sympathetic dominance. At this point, there’s very little you can do to stop the pain and suffering being caused by the stress. Many people don’t attribute the symptoms to stress, but that would be a mistake. Some typical symptoms that people suffer when they’re dealing with sympathetic dominance are: sensitivity to light or sound, headaches, fatigue, irritability, difficulty sleeping, loss of hair, brittle nails, weight gain, painful periods, indigestion, etc. These symptoms don’t seem to have anything in common at first glance. However, knowing what we know now about the body, there is a perfectly good explanation for why each symptom happens. This is a topic that demands a lot of attention and more information to really get to the core problem going on. Therefore, we will be continuing...

Steve Kerr

Even if you’re a casual fan of basketball or sports, you probably have heard the news about Golden State Head Coach Steve Kerr being sidelined for the playoffs. He’s out indefinitely due to complications after he had back surgery a few years ago. This isn’t the first time he’s had problems. In fact, early last year he was out for almost 30 games with debilitating migraines due to the back surgery. This time it’s new complications from the same back surgery. The other day Steve Kerr came out and said, “If you’re listening out there, if you have a back problem, stay away from surgery. Rehab, rehab, rehab.” Thankfully, someone in a position such as Kerr is in is starting to speak out about the problems with such an invasive treatment as back surgery. The stats are not in favor of the patient when it comes to success rates of low back surgeries. In fact, there are some sources that state low back surgery has an 18% success rate. Meaning the rest of the time people are stuck getting more and more surgeries, or are simply in as much or more pain than they were before. The percentage of people who visit a surgeon first for their low back pain and wind- up getting back surgery is near 40%. Compare that with only 1% of people who visited a chiropractor first end up getting the surgery. Those stats are eye opening and should be considered by everyone thinking about getting help for their back pain. Steve Kerr’s story is a tragic one. He’s a bright, young, and talented coach,...

Chiropractic and Wind Farms

Interesting title, huh? Who would ever think that a wind farm and chiropractic would be used in the same sentence or same blog post. Truthfully, chiropractic has a lot in common with wind farms. The wind turbines found on these farms are used to generate electricity for the grid. They’re not capable of being used for all our electrical needs, however, they do contribute to a portion of our electricity. When it comes to our bodies, most people understand that the brain controls and runs the show. However, have you ever stopped and wondered how or where the brain gets all its energy from? Don’t worry…I’ll wait… The brain does get some of its energy from food, however, the majority of it’s fuel comes from a different source. That source is actually our spine. Yup, that’s right. About eighty percent of the energy needed to power our brains comes directly from motion in the spinal bones. Without that motion, our brains can’t function at their optimal levels and the rest of the body suffers. What does that look like? Well, when the brain doesn’t have enough energy to run properly it affects all areas of the body. Some people may experience anxiety, or depression. Others could experience digestive trouble, headaches, or pain somewhere in the body. The symptoms vary depending on the person. So, how does chiropractic fit into this story? Getting adjusted by a chiropractor helps put motion into spinal segments that were otherwise not moving as well as they should. This lack of motion, called a subluxation, causes the brain and the rest of the body to...

Do you suffer with shoulder pain? Make sure you check for this…

Do you suffer with shoulder pain? What do you think is causing it? Could it be muscle, soft tissue, arthritis, or dislocation? Does it affect the way you go about your daily routine? Does it make it difficult for you to lift your arm up to grab things from the cupboard? Are you able to play basketball or lift weights like you used to? The shoulder complex is exactly that…very complex! There’s a lot going on in the shoulder, and a lot of variables that could be contributing to the pain and discomfort. However, we find there’s one variable that is often overlooked when it comes to causing shoulder pain. The most commonly overlooked issue is a subluxation in the cervical spine, or neck. The reason a subluxation in the neck could cause pain or discomfort in the shoulder is because of how connected both areas of the body are. In order to move your shoulder, you must contract muscle that is attached not only to your shoulder but also to your neck. Therefore, if there’s a problem in your neck, then that problem will typically affect your shoulder and vice versa. When someone first sees a chiropractor, it’s important to check the alignment of the neck in order to assess whether that could be causing problems in the neck or in another area, such as the shoulder complex. Chiropractic is full of case studies that have shown and documented improvement in shoulder issues after having the cervical spine adjusted and cared for properly. This purpose of this post is not to say that all shoulder problems are due...

The Subluxation

Most people are aware of cavities. They’ve been hammered over the head with the importance of making sure to brush their teeth and floss everyday. However, most people have never heard of a subluxation. They don’t understand why they need to be checked for them, or the devastation one can cause if left untouched. A subluxation is interference in the nervous system. The nervous system controls every function in our bodies. Without it working properly, problems will inevitably arise. A subluxation can be caused by three main factors: negative thinking, bad food/drink, and physical stress/trauma. Since, most people encounter one or more of these stresses on a daily basis, it’s critical to continually have their nervous system checked and cleared of any subluxations. Eighty percent of the energy for the brain to work is created by motion of the spine. Subluxations can often cause limited motion of the spinal bones. When there isn’t enough movement, the brain can’t possibly function as well as it should. This leads to countless problems, including, difficulty sleeping, low energy, pain/discomfort, allergies, decreased immune function, etc. People who are checked regularly for subluxations and adjusted if necessary, generally report a better quality of life because their nervous system is functioning at a much higher level. It’s amazing that a health issue, so important to the body’s overall health has not gained more ground in the public’s eye. Checking and adjusting the spine and nervous system is just as important as cleaning our teeth and gums. Unfortunately, most people only do the latter. With regular chiropractic care, we have the ability to express our highest...