What do you know about your spine? I follow a crap-ton (that’s the official measurement) of healthy blogs and so few of them talk about the importance of your nervous system to the functioning of your body. Why is that? I think people are either uninformed or scared to admit that you spine does it all and chances are, yours is misaligned.

Full disclosure: I work for a health center/chiropractor. First, we take care of our patients’ nervous systems, then we help them with nutrition, exercise, and mental health. But FIRST WE TAKE CARE OF THEIR NERVOUS SYSTEMS.

When I was growing up, my parents went to the chiropractor regularly and brought us in for adjustments whenever we were feeling out of whack. I loved getting adjusted. Walking out of a visit with a good (not all are good) chiropractor made me feel like I was stronger and functioning the way I was supposed to. Like my head was on straight or something. And while I have been struggling with loving my current company (see this post), there is not one moment that I have doubted the power of a healthy spine.

Did you know that EVERY NERVE in your body leads through your spine? Imagine what happens if there is a misalignment in your vertebra. Can’t imagine? Well it pinches all the nerves in that area and sends out garbled messages to those organs. The organs affected by your spine include but are not limited to: brain (yep it’s true), thyroid, heart, lungs, digestive tract, stomach…I could go on and on. But those seem like some pretty important organs right? RIGHT.

In the three months that I’ve been working at our clinic I have seen people come off their depression medication, ADHD medication, and start digesting again after being backed up for way too long. I’ve seen people start sleeping through the night, get rid of their restless leg syndrome, and throw away their asthma inhaler (they don’t need it anymore!). Of course they end their miserable back pain but they also come off their sleep apnea machines, drop tens of pounds of fat, and regain the function of numb limbs. This is a pretty cool one: we have a toddler with severe downs syndrome. When she came into our office, she didn’t have muscle function in her legs and couldn’t move her left arm. 30 minutes after her first adjustment, her mom took a photo of her holding her arms (yep both of them) out for a hug. Now, three months later, she’s very close to walking on her own.

^ This is our victory trash can: all medications that our patients don’t need anymore.

I don’t make this stuff up. I’m not trying to stand on my soap box and look down on all you sadly uninformed. I’m just really excited about it! There are absolutely things that chiropractic can’t help, but people don’t realize all that it really can do.

Now there are A LOT of chiropractors around. It’s difficult to figure out who to trust. Just like normal doctors, some chiropractors really shouldn’t be practicing. However! For every bad doctor there is a great one that can help the bejeesus out of you. Here’s how to tell the difference. Fixing and maintaining your spine should never be a “oh hey, let’s pop your back now and then you come back every time you’re in pain!” That is called pain management and it ensures that you are always on the brink of fall back out of alignment. You want to look for what is called STRUCTURAL CORRECTION. Structural correction combines periodic Xrays with adjustments and exercises to take care of your spine FOR LIFE. No more pain, no more symptoms. And yes, I did say FOR LIFE. After this job, I will be seeing a chiropractor for the rest of my life. But it will not be because I’m in pain, it will be my own personal health insurance. Preventative care, if you may.

I am not the only person shouting this message and this will not be the only time I talk about chiropractic. But I figured an introduction was necessary. I’m not going to dance around this subject anymore because I’m starting to realize that everyone needs to open their eyes to this stuff. It’s pretty freaking awesome.

If you’re interested in more information, I stumbled across this fantastic article:

http://www.joanngentle.com/different-types-of-chiropractic-care-and-treatment-techniques.html

Also, if you’ve already decided you want to get checked out, google “Structural Correction in [your town]” Make sure you check out the doctor’s credentials and talk to current patients about their results. Also try to search online for any reviews of the clinic or specific doctor.

If you’re having trouble finding a doctor, comment this page and I’ll direct you to one of ours. My company has 400 doctors all over the US and Canada.

Like I said, chiropractic can’t fix everything, but it can sure give you a head start on any of the issues you’re tackling. On that note, smile and be happy to be alive 🙂