According to the US News & World Report, nearly half of the nation’s healthcare expenses can be accounted for by stress. This should be no surprise since chronic stress can take on so many different manifestations and cause a myriad of health issues. Whether stress is emotional, physical, or chemical it can affect our health in detrimental ways if we can’t find ways to reduce it. But how can stress be so harmful?
Stress is our body’s natural response that functions as our vital warning system that enables us to be motivated and have the energy to do extraordinary things in short amounts of time. It rouses our sympathetic nervous system which increases our heart rate and blood pressure, diverts blood to the core of our body and away from the digestive system and extremities, and releases natural chemicals into the blood stream such as epinephrine and adrenaline. While this is great in those brief moments where we need to overexert ourselves to accomplish something, it hurts us if it we allow it to persist for an extended period of time. If the stress response isn’t diminished, it can damage organs and cause major muscles to contract, causing excruciating pain. The digestive system is especially sensitive to stress since so much blood is diverted away, but the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are often greatly affected as well. Additionally, your musculoskeletal system may suffer as tension builds up around the base of the skull, down the neck, and through the shoulders, causing pain and mobility issues. Another problem is the bad habits people tend to adopt when they are stressed for a longer time. People may eat foods with low nutritional value for convenience, try smoking or turn to binge drinking as coping methods, sleep less, and stop exercising. Using these as ways to cope creates a chemical stress in the body which contributes to greater imbalances and toxicity. These bad habits, combined with the mental and physical toll caused by the stress response, quickly turn disastrous to your wellbeing. To maintain your health, it is crucial to find ways to alleviate stressors and uphold a balanced lifestyle.
There are many things you can do to help you relax and ensure proper bodily function, but one thing that is especially effective is getting regular chiropractic treatments. It is important to discover the underlying cause of your stress to find the best way to manage it, so talking to a doctor can be a huge help in identifying these sources. During your examination, your chiropractor will use a variety of techniques to find the areas of weakness in your body and may adjust you for proper alignment. Since the spine is the hub for the major connection points of the central nervous system, adjustments can provide immediate as well as long-term relief. A misaligned spine means that the nervous system can’t send its signals through the body properly, so aligning it means better bodily communication and increased system efficiency. In addition to adjustments, chiropractors can also use trigger points to relieve tension but also stimulate the deeper organ systems to promote increased function.
Stress is a condition that affects everyone at different levels and in different ways. If you think you may be dealing with pain or a condition that is caused by stress, I would encourage you to call and see if it is something I can help you with. I would love to help you restore your health, reduce stress, and answer any questions you may have.
