Gibsons Chiropractic Blog

Beach scene

In the first three parts of the Trauma, Thoughts, and Toxins series, I covered the basic qualification of a vertebral subluxation as described by B.J. Palmer circa 1934. They are:

1.) Malposition – This simply means misalignment of a vertebra
2.) Occlusion – This refers to the closing off of an opening that a nerve passes through. In our case, we are referring to the neural canal where the spinal cord travels down.
3.) Pressure – When C1 or C2 is misaligned, this can occlude the neural canal near the brain stem. This can cause pressure or tension on the cord at this level.
4.) Interference to flow of nervous system transmission – With a misalignment, an occlusion, and pressure, there is zero chance for the nervous system to properly communicate to the rest of the body.
5.) Three-directional torqued vertebra – To achieve these four components of vertebral subluxation, the C1 and C2 vertebrae has to shift up or down, left or right, and rotated front or back.

We covered the causes of physical stress, emotional stress, and chemical stress in the first three parts.

Managing the Stress in Life

Today, we will explain how to successfully manage stress that comes into your life. Let’s begin with the most obvious.

Chiropractic – Keeping the nervous system free of interference is one of the most important things you can do for your health. when the nerve channels are blockaded by the vertebral subluxation, your Innate Intelligence cannot operate at its full capacity. When that happens, your immune system is weakened and your overall functionality is compromised. So remember to get your nervous system checked!

Clean Diet – Keeping your diet free of preservatives, additives, pesticides, and genetically modified food is one of the other important things you can do for your health. Our bodies crave and need nutrient-dense, unaltered food. Organic is the best way to go when it comes to produce. Avoiding the grocery store aisles, especially the three whites (sugar, flour and salt) is another.

Clean water – Our bodies are anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 water depending on what reference you read, so it only makes sense that you drink a lot of water during the day. I won’t tell you to drink 8 cups of water a way because that may be too much or too little. Only your body knows. But it requires that you listen to it. When you get thirsty, instead of reaching for a soft drink or sports drink, go for some clean, filtered water. Your body will thank you.

Exercise – I won’t tell you what exercise to do or how long to do it, but I will tell you to just do it. It could be going for a walk with the kids, running, body weight exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups, kettle bell workouts, sprinting, mowing the lawn, yoga, martial arts, swimming, bicycling, etc. Getting your body moving is a key to health and the more you do it, the better you feel and the more you want to do it.

Quality Sleep – Our bodies need the opportunity to rest, heal, and regenerate from the previous day’s events. Without this healing period, our bodies begin to break down, not just physically, but mentally. Our bodies begin to ache and our immune systems weaken. Our moods begin to sour and we begin to take on a feeling of hopelessness. For young parents (including myself) sleep can often be a precious commodity that is hard to obtain. So getting sleep whenever an opportunity arises sometimes takes priority over straight sleep throughout the night.

Meditating – This is often overlooked by many people in our fast-paced society. I know… I overlook it often, but I recognize this as a place for improvement. Taking some time each day to sit in silence and focus on a peaceful state of mind will refresh and calm you. You will be better equipped to deal with the stresses of the day after having done this.

In short, healthy people have frequent sex. As B.J. Palmer often stated, “Enuf said.”

Have Fun and Enjoy Life – Enjoying life is imperative. The United States is notorious for its people taking the least amount of vacation days per year of any country in the world. We are an overworked and overstressed society. It is vitally important to remember to have fun and enjoy the things and activities that bring joy and happiness. This could be a trip to the zoo with the kids, a game of basketball with some friends, or reading a good book. Whatever you think is fun, make sure you do it as often as time allows.

Here’s a story to put this suggestion into perspective:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village.

A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long.” they answered in unison.

“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?”

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

“But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life.”

The tourist interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?”

“With the extra money the larger boat will bring, You can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, You can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?”

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years.” replied the tourist.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting, ” answered the tourist, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the fishermen.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

“With all due respect sir, but that’s exactly what we are doing now. So what’s the point wasting twenty-five years?” asked the Mexicans.

And the moral of this story is:

Know where you’re going in life… You may already be there!

Conclusion

We live in a health-challenged society, but that doesn’t mean we have to be health challenged ourselves. Learn more about the stress-reducing techniques I suggested here and apply them to your lives as best you can. You can also check out The Top 5 Things You Can Do To Be The Healthiest You’ve Ever Been! Part 1  and The Top 5 Things You Can Do To Be The Healthiest You’ve Ever Been! Part 2 for more tips. No matter your circumstances, you deserve to be healthy and happy!

[Original article by Dr. Brandon Harshe on April 8, 2010; www.theatlasoflife.com; modified by Dr. Stacey Rosenberg]