Chiropractors’ confession

The bottom line is, that the nervous system (Brain, Spinal cord, and nerve fibres) is in control of your health and well being at all times. There is a force within you that directs every single process that takes place in the body. This force is responsible for orchestrating the development and building of new cells, it looks after them and ensures that they do what they are supposed to do, and it takes care of their withdrawal as well when the time comes. This force, this “life force”, if you like, operates independently from your conscious mind. Modern science, despite the great developments in recent years is still only able to scratch the surface in truly understanding the role of the nervous system and the extent of the brains capabilities. I don’t pretend to have any more facts than scientists do. What I do know; however, is that when the functioning of the nervous system is hindered dis-ease, dysfunction and illness ensues. That is what I deal with in clinic every single day. Let me propose an idea. A thought process or a theory, maybe.

There is two way traffic of information to and from the brain. Every single cell reports to the brain on a regular basis, telling it what is going on and how it is doing. Due to this constant live feed of information the brain has an up to date picture of the situation. As the situation changes in the body or the demands placed upon the body change the brain is able to make rapid alterations to key functions to facilitate the changes and to ensure smooth running of the operation. It conveys the instructions down to the cells via nerve fibres contained in the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves.

When something goes wrong, be it due to physical injury, emotional upset or chemical imbalance the information reaching the brain ceases to be correct and up to date, or it may cease entirely. This renders the outgoing impulses imprecise and occasionally even detrimental to health.

The most common form of inhibition of neural impulses is in the form of physical injury. It can arise from the peripheral joints, muscles and other soft tissues, or it can be central, in the form of spinal interference on the nerve fibres.

Yes! You read that right. And what does that mean? It means that reducing dysfunction in the spine and other joints in the body leads to improvements in overall health, not only abolishment of back pain. By allowing better conduction of nerve impulses back and forth will help the brain run the show much more efficiently and with less strain. This is why a lot of people report improvements in digestion, breathing, heart function, sleep patterns, appetite, and sports performance. This is why the pain in the big toe goes away when we adjust the lower back. This is why sometimes it is necessary to treat an ankle to clear a head ache. It is all connected.

Pain is a useful thing. If you look at it from a different angle you realise that it is only another sensory stimulus, much like heat or cold or vibration. The reason we have pain is that it is designed to catch your attention, and to tell you that something is not right. There is no such thing as a ‘meaningless’ pain. Lots of people ignore pain. They continue their injury producing behaviour until the pain becomes unbearable, by which time the damage has accumulated far beyond the original minor injury. You would not ignore hunger or thirst for months on end, would you? Sometimes pain is simply a message to take it easy for a day; sometimes it is a sign of real distress. You need to learn to differentiate between the two. All sensations are important as they convey vital information to the brain regarding the state of affairs in the body. Most of it you are unaware of, yet the ones demanding conscious attention must never be ignored.

Coming back to the beginning of this essay. I said that the bottom line is that the brain (nervous system) runs the show. The brain will take care of healing your body – if you let it. As a chiropractor my job, nay, my mission is to reduce interference from your brain, so that it is better able to heal you. My job is not to treat heart disease, cancer, obesity, gangrene or even back pain for that matter. My job is to restore normal functioning to your body in order to help your brain function better in doing its job, which is to heal you. I do this in various ways. Sometimes all I need to do is adjust the spine. Sometimes I need to adjust the legs or arms and to recommend exercises and stretches. Sometimes I need to give advice on work ergonomics or nutrition. Gosh, the most popular habits I need to advice patients on are Breathing, Sleeping, Sitting, Standing, and Walking. It is all aimed at allowing your brain to work with less interference and to heal your body in as speedy and thorough a manner as possible.

When you have recovered from the initial pain, the popular thought is that everything is now fine and the problem has gone away. This unfortunately is fallacy in most cases. Pain is usually the last symptom to come on, and it is usually the first symptom to disappear. The underlying problem needs time to heal. This means that the brain will be busy for the next few months trying to reorganise function, to repair and to regenerate tissues, and most importantly to re-educate the body how to not get injured again. During this time of healing continued care is vital. It allows those all important neural channels to remain open and transmitting the signals without hindrance. 95% of success in the medium to long term comes from the aftercare, not the initial intervention. It is the same with all healthcare, including chiropractic, medicine and surgery as well. The key is to learn what combination of factors brought on the injury in the first place and then strive to eradicate all of the causes. This process will take place much more effectively with a well functioning nervous system.

The last stage of the healing process is development. This time is truly magical for most people as the realisation of your inherent potential virtually smacks you in the face. As you feel better in yourself getting motivated to do things becomes much easier. Lots of my patients are taking on exciting journeys and exploring what they are truly capable of. They are able to dream again, and more importantly, as their aches and pains are no longer holding them back they are able to start making their dreams come true.

Chiropractic care is not only for the back pain. It is for life.

Yours in Health,

Mika Janhunen D.C., M(Chiro), ICCSP, MFICS, MUCA, MRCC

Director

Shepperton Chiropractic Clinic Ltd.

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