As a Chiropractor, I meet many people who discuss or begin care because of an unpleasant incident or a situation that has left them in discomfort or suffering. I would like to share with you a quick break-down of the complicated processes that you and your body take when you move from suffering into health; prepare to be excited because these are processes that we are all capable of to some degree!
There are broadly 3 main environmental factors which cause change (positive or negative) in our body – these are physical, chemical and emotional/mental stresses.
Physical: knocks, bumps, accidents, repetitive actions, sitting down a lot etc.
Chemical: food, drink, drugs (pharmaceutical and recreational) etc.
Emotional/mental: work, relationships, money, anxiety etc.
Our body navigates this complex cocktail of environmental stresses on a second-to-second basis and depending on whether the tide is crushing or uplifting will depend a lot on what the stresses are!
Our wonderful body, through thick or thin, is never out to get us and is always attempting to elevate us towards a state of health. It does this through many complex chemical and nervous system reactions, but it is always operating within the framework that we give it, which is to a large degree the environment that we expose ourselves to. Of course, we must consider genetic factors within this supposition, but increasingly research is suggesting our lifestyle is far more influential than our genes.
The symptoms we experience, that usually encourage people to talk with me in the first place, are nearly always our body’s way of protecting us and adapting to the stresses (mentioned above) in our environment. For example, pain is not something our body creates just to be annoying. Pain is our body being intelligent and alerting us that something is not quite right; like a warning light in a car.
In conclusion, our body is a self-healing work of genius, but if we don’t pay attention to our internal and external environment, we can limit the healing potential. Take a look at the list of types of stresses above and work out if perhaps one/two could be changed in your lifestyle to benefit your health.
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