As we now navigate the uncertainty of our ever changing world we live in, we must change our approach to our Health and Well Being. The Nervous System which consists of our brain, spinal cord and nerves interacts and negotiates all the demands of our environment. Our ability to perceive and react to these stresses determines our Adaptability. When our level of Adaptability is compromised, our bodies balance to be in a healing state is diminished and is forced into Survival mode. Survival Mode is a necessary strategy when our life is in danger, as if we were being chased by a predator, such as the proverbial Sabre Tooth Tiger. It is not however a beneficial long term strategy to our health: It is Detrimental. Unfortunately our current modern society has us negotiating stress at ever angle and around every corner of our lives. Stress can be broken down into two categories. Internal and External. Pollution and traffic are some examples of external stress that we experience daily, but most of them can be summed up simply as Finance and Romance. Our social relationships, roles and responsibilities contribute tremendously to our ability to adapt. The dreaded email from our boss to the constant bombardment of social media and negative news; no wonder it is hard for our body to take inventory. Your Nerve system gets Inundated and Overwhelmed. Internal Stresses are related to the Lifestyle choices we make such as diet, exercise and the quality of rest that we get. Negative or racing thoughts during our day also contribute to anxiety, which contributes to the ability of our nerve system to calm down. The body still responses to these stresses as if the Sabre Tooth Tiger is on our heels! This heightened reactive state is commonly referred to as “Fight or Flight”.
As in the case of a scared cat, the primal instinct is to arch the back and spine when it is stressed or threatened. As humans we react the same exact way. In the “Fight or Flight” response our spine is stretched and flexed. This is called Defense Posturing. We sometimes experience these spinal patterns as tension or pain, but are oftentimes unnoticed. In this Survival Mode our Brain is hijacked by our primal instincts to fight or escape. This results in a diminished connection or interference between our higher brain centers and our bodies. This interference in the spine is called Subluxation. Our spine, and specifically the spinal cord is involved in our defenses. The spinal cord gives us a sense of self, in the sense that along with the brain, it interprets and reacts when we feel threatened. As the cord and nerves are stretched, blood supply to the tissues are reduced, while hormones such as Adrenaline increase. These survival postures can easily be seen in our use of modern devices such as cell phones, tablets and computers. Having our heads buried in our devices, only perpetuates the stress response and reinforces the defense posturing that is affecting our health and well being. When the body is constantly in Survival mode and can’t flip our internal “off” switch our health and well-being are negatively impacted. Chronic stress response may result in less energy, high blood pressure, depressed immunity, inflammation, weight gain, leaky gut and allergies. Along with decreased mood, anxiety, depression and poor sleep quality, PAIN often in the form of muscle tension is also manifested. Now is the time to invest in our health and well-being more than ever so stress doesn’t dominate our lives. Find out more about our approach to bust stress by learning strategies to self-regulate tension and optimize adaptability.