Get Rid of Stress, Get Rid of Pain

Imagine this conversation in my adjusting room: “Doc, what is causing me to feel this pain?” “According to your health history and my exam, I’d say stress is causing your body to react this way.” “Stress…is that all?”

This is a conversation I have on a weekly basis. What many people fail to realize is that stress is a major factor in how your mind and body react to disease, pain, personal relationships, even your ability to reason through a situation. There are times when stress is a fantastic motivator. Marathon runners, stock traders (the Wall Street kind, not the kind that hears “moo” all day,) even college students all perform wonders when the stress of competition and survival is bearing down on them like a semi-truck. There is a breaking point, though, and if you follow those who thrive on stress, you’ll find that Wall-Street traders have a high rate of heart attacks, marathon runners have bodies that break down in middle age, and even college students—those kids stuck between childhood and the real world—have a high rate of sickness in the week after exams. The fact is that an excess of stress breaks us down.

Stress comes in all kinds of categories, but for our purposes please realize that your mind and body cannot be separated. Here is the main point that I try to drive home for every stressed-out patient that I adjust: physical pain is a manifestation of mental stress, and mental stress is absolutely tangled up in physical pain. I have seen people who, by all counts, should be laid up in bed with crippling pain. I know men who have broken their vertebrae multiple times, and women who naturally give birth with no medical intervention. I have observed these people enduring and living their lives with full function, because (and here is the crux) they deal with their stress! They do not ignore their stress or their symptoms. They take the time to understand their situation, instead of using avoidance techniques to run away from the situation. People who have a loving, nurturing home life and a strong sense of will come through physically painful situations with success. Notice I didn’t say “with ease.” Dealing with stressful situations is not easy.

For the record, I am a holistic, natural doctor, and I consider popping pain pills on a daily basis to be an avoidance tactic. Slapping duct tape over the “check engine” light will help you forget it’s there, but it won’t help you fix the problem. Pain pills are just duct tape for your nervous system. Getting chiropractic adjustments can help you break the stress-pain cycle. Realigning your spine to get your nervous system fully functioning is a healthy step toward recovering. If you are having a hard time getting through a sickness, ask yourself this question: what, in your life, is causing you to hang on to your stress?

Healthy Through the Holidays

‘Tis the season…for fighting off viruses and bacteria that thrive when the weather gets cooler and wetter! When avoiding getting sick, don’t try to disinfect everything; it’s almost impossible, and it results in the strongest, hard to kill strains surviving and multiplying. Instead of trying to attack everything in your environment, do what the medieval lords knew all about: make your castle stronger against the attack. Build up your walls and moats, and it won’t matter what is out there trying to get in. Here are some very simple tips that will help you get through this season’s icky symptoms.

Number one: Start taking some nutritional supplements. Take a vitamin C pill daily. If you feel under the weather, take several throughout the day, and add a zinc pill. Vitamin C is a vital component of your immune function. Also, vitamin C helps your body to flush, which is just what you need when you are in the process of a microscopic war on invaders. Ramp up your garlic intake. Crush fresh garlic cloves in everything but the morning cereal. Garlic is a natural antimicrobial agent. Drink lots-and lots-and lots of water. Flushing out toxins is very important.

Number two: Get exercise. Walk, go to an aerobics class, do whatever helps you work up a healthy sweat. Your immune system will get bulked up along with your muscles. If you do get a cold or the flu, don’t overdo the exercise. Gentle walking for a few minutes is the ticket to clear out your lungs, but don’t sap your energy.

Number three: Get sleep. This is the biggest problem for parents (take it from a new mom!), but getting to bed earlier will help your body recharge and keep your immune system at its best.

Number four: Get adjusted! Multiple lab studies show that immune cells flood the bloodstream after a chiropractic adjustment. Think of it as a body jump-start. Keeping your nervous system communicating clearly is the best way to keep your defenses strong.

Number five: Avoid sugar. This is hard around the holidays, but at least cut out sodas and candy as much as possible. Bacteria thrives on sugar in your body, and sugar also seriously inhibits your immune function.

Remember that the nasty symptoms are healthy. Your body flushes invading critters with snot, vomit, and other less than savory functions. When you take medicines to stop these symptoms, you are only prolonging the agony. Help your body do what it needs to, and you’ll get over your sickness much faster.