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The stress connection

We Can Treat Your Stress

Stress is the body's reaction to excessive pressure or demands. It's not an illness itself, but if it becomes too much or lasts for a long time, it can lead to both mental and physical health problems. At its core, stress generally falls into three categories:

• Physical Stress: This includes things like poor posture, sitting or standing for long periods, and heavy lifting.
• Chemical Stress: This can come from a poor diet, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, pollution in our air, water, and food, and even chemicals in common skin and hygiene products.
• Emotional Stress: This covers a wide range of issues such as work-related pressure, challenges in family and relationships, and the illness or death of a loved one.

Effects of Stress on Health

Stress, whether physical or perceived, triggers a fight or flight response. This is a systemic physical reaction, affecting almost every part of the body. The hypothalamus, a part of the brain, stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The heart rate increases, blood volume and blood pressure increase, blood is directed away from digestion and the extremities. Vision becomes more focused, hearing more acute. In response to the messages from the SNS, the adrenal glands secrete corticoids, including adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine. All of this is very useful if we're running from a prehistoric raptor, or confronting a more modern threat to physical safety. When prolonged, however, the long-term effects of this state can be disastrous to good health. Many studies of people who have been subjected to chronic stress have found evidence of the negative health effects of stress. These effects include high blood pressure, damage to muscle tissue, diabetes, infertility, damage to the immune response, and slowed healing from disease and injury.

How Chiropractic help stress

Chiropractors work primarily with the spine, the root of the nervous system through which nerve impulses travel from the brain to the rest of the body. One effect of chronic stress is prolonged muscle tension and contraction. This muscle tension creates uneven pressures on the bony structures of the body, often leading to the misalignment of the spinal column, known as subluxations in the Palmer tradition of chiropractic. Chronic stress also leads to nerve irritation. The adjustments of a chiropractor release muscle tension, and that helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state. Adjustments also reduce spinal nerve irritation, and improve blood circulation. These changes may be enough, in many cases, to convince the brain to turn off the fight or flight response, beginning the process of healing. A healthy and balanced spine is one key to effectively managing stress. Chiropractors are trained in nutritional and other therapies for stress. Several nutritional supplements, including B vitamins, help the body cope with stress. Chiropractic may also recommend relaxation techniques, and discuss posture and environmental changes to help recovery from chronic stress. A chiropractor cannot make a job less stressful, or create a quieter, calmer world. What chiropractic treatment can do is help you develop healthy responses to stress, reducing potential physical damage.