The 21st Century lifestyle certainly encompasses an increase of stressful situations. Modern technology has not lessened stress as we thought it would; rather, it has actually increased it. We tend to think that children are not affected by stress and that the word implies some sort of adult mental overload.
The truth of the matter is that life is all about stress. All ages are affected—even being born is a severe stress. Learning to survive in a world that has every level of challenge is stressful. Adapting to the cold or the heat or sunburn is a form of stress. We know that food can create a stress response in the body. In fact, stress is just a response to a stressor, and pretty much everything in life is a stressor. Our environment, from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the relationships we have, to our activities in work and play, creates challenges to which our body must adapt and then continue to maintain normal function.
The vast majority of our stress responses which help us to survive and maintain normal function1 happen without our even being aware that something is going on within us. We have a built-in system which knows how to keep all of our systems working and healing without the slightest sign; that is, unless we push the body’s limits. Then we have another function to tell us we are now in trouble and that function is called PAIN.2 However, the problem is that, if we wait until the PAIN message appears, there has already been a lot of damage done.
Current medical research is now revealing that 95% of all diseases are actually stress based—from diabetes to cancer. How can this be? What happened to the germ theory—you know, the one we have been taught, in which germs are the cause of disease? It appears that someone finally asked the question, “Hey, if germs are the cause of disease and I have them on/or in my body, why am I not sick?” The answer is, because your immune system is working correctly.
Since it is important that our immune system work correctly, then best we find out what makes it work.
The nervous system controls the function of the immune system. Guess which system also has to deal with stress; that’s right, the nervous system. Ever notice that people under stress tend to get sick? How sick? Medical research now shows that impaired nervous system function plays a major role in the development of cancer.3,4
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| “Hey, if germs are the cause of disease and I have them on/or in my body, why am I not sick?” The answer is, because your immune system is working correctly. |
Some of the most fantastic research of the 20th Century, as well as the 21st Century, can be found in the studies of brain activity and chiropractic care.5,6 The research shows that the chiropractic adjustment actually changes brain function and improves overall neurological balance. While the majority of chiropractic patients, and many chiropractors, are focused on back care or pain relief, science now shows that the adjustment does much, much more. Armed with this new knowledge, a new breed of chiropractors are seeing incredible results with health challenges such as learning disabilities, chronic illness, attention deficit disorders, and a host of other problems which patients thought were either life threatening or lifestyle limiting.
The point—stress is with us everyday, but there is now proof that regular chiropractic care can help you cope. How does it get any better than that?
Dr. Richard Barwell is the founder and president of the Chiropractic Equity Offices, Inc. program, and has more than 30 years of experience in chiropractic practice. After graduating with honors from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1964, he started a family Wellness Practice in British Columbia . He has since established numerous successful practices, won several awards and guest lectured at various chiropractic institutions. Dr. Richard Barwell is the developer of Neurologically Based Chiropractic and the NeuroInfiniti. For more information please contact us at 877-233-0022, or e-mail us at [email protected]