Expert Commentary: Ali Bijan Rafie, B.S, D.C. - 6/24/2009

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Dealing with stress, or more to the point, not dealing with stress has hit epidemic proportions in the U.S. today. I see all manifestations of stress walk into my clinic on a daily basis. The mother of 2 whose 50 hour work week has resulted in chronic lower back pain. The laid off father who has been suffering from unmanageable headaches. The recently matriculated college graduate whose anxiety is causing physical pain. These patient’s different aches and pains are the result of the same problem: STRESS. The most common complaints that people bring to their doctors are headache, backache, and fatigue. These and other illnesses may have a physical, chemical or mental/ emotional origin. Physical illness can be caused by accidents, strains from improper body movement and postural stress. Chemical causes of illness include nutritional and/or dietary disorders and reactions to environmental toxins. Mental and emotional illnesses are most commonly stress related, i.e. worry and anxiety about family and job responsibilities and concerns about finances and personal achievements.

It is important to remember that regardless of the origin of a disorder, its effects on the human body will manifest in the nervous system. The nervous system is the organizer and coordinator of all bodily processes. All other systems depend upon the integrity of the nervous system to function properly. This includes the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, endocrine (hormonal), and muscle-skeletal systems. Therefore, the most direct method of presenting and correcting illness is directed toward balancing the nervous system. This is precisely the pathway that chiropractic care utilizes.

Chiropractors work primarily with the spinal column because it houses and protects the spinal cord. The nerves branch off the spinal bones (vertebrae). When these vertebrae are out of alignment there can be nerve interference and irritation with the normal activity of the nerves. This interference can disturb normal function throughout the body and cause many ailments. These ailments can also operate in the reverse affecting the nervous system and causing vertebrae to become misaligned. Chiropractors are specialists of the nervous system and are trained to diagnose and treat disorders of the nervous system and their accompanying symptoms.

Chiropractors have long observed that organ or muscle disorders can cause mental/emotional stress. How does this happen? The spinal cord is the switch board of the nervous system. The message from the diseased body part communicates to the brain via the spinal cord. This irritated nerve signal, ending in the brain, causes mental agitation. Prolonged muscular tension, regardless of where it manifests in the body, often leads to personality and behavioral changes. How does chiropractic alleviate the symptoms and, more importantly, extinguish the source of nervous system imbalance?

Chiropractic involves touch; this factor alone sets the stage for release of muscular tension. The chiropractic administers one or a series of adjustments to the spine and the surrounding muscle. The adjustments ease fatigue or stress by removing nerve irritation, releasing muscular tension and improving blood circulation.

The combination of stress reduction techniques and chiropractic care allows the body/mind to do what it innately knows best: to heal and rejuvenate itself for vital living!

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