Anatomy, Science, Chiropractic: Whoa That Makes Sense!
Posted on February 6, 2017 in Dr. Rachel Family Chiropractic
Did you know that your wiring, your energetic superhighways, your roots, your networks are all super important? More important, in fact, than most things in your body, because well, they control most things!
All of these words refer to the vital role your nerves have to the control of your entire body. Your brain alone is magnificent, but your connections for communication within your body are equally magnificent. Let’s take a look at these physical conduits which enable the rest of your body to work.
The connection of your nerves to your body happens through your spinal cord. Think of your spinal cord as a frayed rope bundled very tightly. Within this bundle are many individual strings, and these strings are known as nerve fibers. With this collection of nerve fibers, your spinal cord serves as a super highway for every single message traveling over 250 mph between your brain and your body. For your body to have the best physical connection to your brain, these nerve fibers have many layers of protective tissue insulation. This insulation includes cerebrospinal fluid, fat and connective tissue. And don’t forget, the outer layer of insulation is the thickest- what we know as the bones or vertebrae of our spine. The nerve fibers branch out from the spinal cord in pairs, and exit the spine in between each vertebrae through openings on both sides. They then then travel through your body to supply nerve communication or nerve energy to every organ, every tissue, and every cell. It is worth noting that there are 12 pairs of nerve segments which branch directly off the brain and supply areas of the body responsible for your senses, such as your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. These are so important to what makes up our reality, or what we take in of the world around us through our senses.
Every aspect of your body is supplied by nerve fibers in a predictable, coordinated way. A good analogy I find is the electrical wiring in your home. Starting from the top, your electrical company connects to your fuse box, transmits through the wiring in your walls, connects to your electrical outlets, and finally connects to the appliances in your home. Starting from the top in your body, your brain connects to your spinal cord, transmits through nerves, connects to the nerve endings, and finally connects to every organ, tissue, and cell in your body. And then there is also wireless communication in your body too, much like the Wi-Fi in your home. Your wireless body communication happens through neurohormones which communicate on a fast-acting chemical level compared to the electro-chemical communication character of nerve fibers. Everything is connected according to the necessary and vital function of your body.
When we look from the viewpoint of the nerve system, as we just have, the significance of our nerve connection totally changes. The meaning of chiropractic totally changes. The value of chiropractic totally changes.
The understanding that chiropractic is only necessary when we are in pain, only influences our joint motion, is only for adults, is elective or needs a referral, only works when we notice a difference in how we feel, shines as a viable option only when we have thrown our back out, doesn’t influence organ function, and cannot influence every function in the body becomes…the misunderstandings they in fact are! Does this make sense? Let’s see WHY all of these are in fact common misperceptions.
Chiropractic influences so much more than your pain because a balanced spine and nerve system means attention to the entire nerve system, not just the 10% of nerve function that communicates pain. 90% of your nerves function based on criteria other than pain. The real danger and tragedy is clear here—pain is most often the number one indicator that function of the other 90% of nerves has been affected for a long time. But when chiropractors make an assessment this indicator is often the least significant, because this effect does not accurately point to the cause.
Chiropractic can influence your range of motion, but not purely on a mechanical basis. Do you know how many coordinated muscle movements are required to kick a soccer ball? The timing for every muscle to contract in perfect unison is due to nerve function controlling muscle function. So chiropractic influences joint motion, but muscles control joint motion, and nerves control muscle contraction and coordination. In other words, nerves must have coordinated input to muscles. Chronically un-coordinated muscle function because of dysfunction in the nerve connection due to subluxation takes years to do damage to joints.
Pain is our body’s natural way of communicating to us. And most communication is good. Have you ever broken a bone or gotten sunburned? Did it hurt? Did it hurt when your first adult tooth came in, or the baby one came out? Did it hurt then when your broken bone was healing? Hint-these pains are good! Pain, just like all necessary communication in the body, has a purpose. In fact, when pain is covered up we run the risk of doing ourselves damage. We get more sun damage or we don’t rest to allow our broken bone to heal. Very often pain is a wake-up call, but very often pain is a necessary part of healing. But is it smart for us to wait for a wake-up call? Would you wait until your teeth started hurting to brush them? Me neither! In much the same way, the more clear the nerve connection within our nerve system, the more we become aware of the significance of our body’s nerve communication. We begin to recognize pain in a new light. We begin to realize too, that every aspect of the body works in a beautifully coordinated healing process and too, even pain has a purpose in this process.
Chiropractic in its essence is care for the nerve system and protective layers of the spine, fluid and tissue insulation to better equip the body with balanced brain-body connection to thrive. It is the process of reigniting the body’s ability to overcome the restriction, roadblocks, and detours of subluxation in the already present healing process. It is strengthening the body’s ability to process stress. Experiences which overwhelm the nerve system, such as the birth process, manifest as subluxation in the nerve system. This may be a spinal bone misalignment, but it also very often is deeper than the outer bone layer, and may be described as undue tension within the protective layers surrounding the spinal cord. This tension transmits to the nerves like tension along a telephone wire. Only the weight of a dime changes the firing of a nerve by 60%! That’s huge! Serious changes do begin to take place in the function of whichever organ those fibers are connected. So subluxation limits the connection, and ultimately the function of the individual nerve fibers. Every system in the body becomes compromised. Our expression of life is compromised.
Anyone with a nerve system deserves to have optimal balance and connection! In fact, all chiropractors assess this connection in their own children as soon as immediately after birth. They value consistent chiropractic care for themselves or their spouse during pregnancy because of the importance of this connection to the outcome of development of baby, and progress and safety of labor and birth. So can a child or a baby experience harmful stress on the spine and nerve system? Yes. So is chiropractic care vital for optimum child development? Yes! Babies adapting to life after the birth process? Yes! Everyone at any stage in life? Yes!
Chiropractic needs a referral as much as going to the dentist needs a referral. I often joke with people who tell me they don’t have back issues so they don’t need a chiropractor. It’s quite similar to saying one doesn’t have cavities so one doesn’t need a dentist. I don’t know about you, but I’m not waiting for cavities to visit a dentist. Our knowledge and expertise allows us to determine the individual care your body needs. We care for newborns, children, women during the exciting time of pregnancy, and individuals and families up to seniors. Every single person has a nerve system which needs care just as every single person as a mouth of teeth which needs care.
Feeling is not equal to function. Have you ever watered a plant that was really thirsty? And if it were wilted did you expect it to tell you it felt better when you watered it? Did it straighten right up when you watered it? Maybe, but most likely it took a full day or more for the plant to spruce up, longer if it was rally parched. And if it was really really parched and some leaves were yellow and beginning to fall it may even have taken a month or more with healthy watering and consistent care for the plant to rejuvenate. And in reality it may never fully look as vibrant as it once was. It is much the same way with your nerve system. When you have better nerve supply your body is immediately healing better! You may not feel better initially, but you are functioning better. This process takes time, and whether or not we can perceive change, the change in the healing of our body is happening. Healing is a marathon, not a sprint.
When we throw our back out, it is likely this is the last straw—the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak. A process of dysfunction has already been long present, affecting your nerve function to your organs and organ systems in addition to the stability and control of the muscles in your core and your back. We can demonstrate on thermographic and EMG scans of your nerve system that the integrity of your nerve connection to your vital organs is directly related to your core strength. If one goes ten or even fifteen years with compromise in their nerve system, here is what happens: Your body will always strive to maintain integrity of the nerve connection, because this is of obvious priority. But with time a state of reduced nerve supply will result in a level of dysfunction. The organ systems suffer, and our core strength withers like a plant with reduced water supply. Our muscular core strength holds our spine and our postural form. Increased stress is placed on our spinal joints, and then inflammation results. With time we may then experience pain, or we experience the straw that broke the camel’s back. But the process has been present for a long time before, and time then is needed for the body to reverse the process and regain the connection that was lost. This is also why it is so important to recognize that the restructuring which is taking place once chiropractic care is begun takes time, years even, and may at times even feel uncomfortable.
The bottom line is, there is very much a method, a science, an art, and a philosophy in the role of chiropractic care in your life, your life expression, and your vitality. Your wiring, your energetic superhighways, your roots, your networks are all super important to your body’s function beyond what we can aptly explain on paper. Chiropractic care has tremendous value. Chiropractic care is for everyone, at every stage in life. It is always a good idea to prioritize vital nerve connection from the brain on out for optimal body healing. The power that made the body left an incredible design to heal the body. Chiropractic understands this design, with the goal always to see that nothing limits this natural healing process, nothing limits your God-given potential. It’s a beautiful thing!
Our family chiropractic care is functionally, tonally based. Every chiropractor has a different art form. Tonal chiropractic doesn’t involve any twisting or cracking. It is perfect for babies, children, teens, adults, and seniors. Join us on our mission as we #celebratehealthyfamiliesthroughchiropractic!
Dr. Rachel
