The Subluxation, a little more on the topic...

Chiropractic operates on a very simple premise, that the body is a self-healing and self-regulating organism. Every single function of the body, every body system, is under the direct control of the Central Nervous System, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. We all have a brain (some of us may choose not to use it) yet we all have one. So as we work our way down, the brain descends becoming the brainstem and then the spinal cord. The cord peels away into branches as it descends and those branches become the peripheral nervous system (have I put you to sleep with the anatomy lesson yet?). Think of the nerves as lines of communication that send signals to and from the brain and body at all times. If there is optimal communication, there is greatest potential for optimal health and performance. If, however, there is a disruption in the signal, (think… static on a cell phone) then the body and brain are not communicating effectively and you lose the potential for health and performance. This is what chiropractors refer to as, Subluxation.

Subluxation is easiest described as a disruption of information between your software (your brain) and your hardware (your body)...

Slightly more complicated, Subluxation is a pattern brought on by your body’s inability to adapt to an accumulation of stress. Stress is a common word that most people have heard and think they understand, but most people fail to realize that stress is accumulative. Stressors fall into 3 main categories: Physical (Traumatic), Biochemical (Toxins), and Mental/Emotional (Thoughts). The stressors from childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, and adulthood can, and do, stay with us and build over time. This accumulated stress forces our body to create compensations or adaptations in order to cope. For a time, the body wins, which is why we appear with no symptoms, but over time as we live and engage with life, more stress accumulates and the compensations or adaptations begin to fail. This is usually when we feel symptoms (decreased range of motion, lack of flexibility, pain, dis-ease, etc). The body tries to continue to adapt, but the compensations and adaptations become excessive devolving into patterns of Subluxation (a disruption of information between the software and the hardware). Ultimately, the body and the brain, the hardware and the software, begin to miscommunicate, usually in very subtle ways at first. If left uncorrected, the pattern spirals downward and can lead to a deterioration of health and vitality.

The objective of Chiropractic is to remove these patterns of Subluxation by adjusting the spine. It has been observed, over the last century, the spine is interface between the hardware and the software. By adjusting the patterns of Subluxation at the spinal level, Chiropractors can promote a change and the body can begin to return to optimal communication, optimal health. Because we are dealing with patterns of Subluxation and not the usually thought of “bone-out-of-place”, corrective care takes time and energy. Proper diet, adequate recovery, effective exercise, competent positive mental attitude strategies, and consistent Chiropractic care can correct Subluxated patterns and return your body to the highest potential for health and vitality.

What is Chiropractic

I haven't blogged about my life's chosen profession in a while, and posting the blog about "limits" the other day got me thinking, I really should!

I mean no disrespect, but 99% of the population has no idea what a Chiropractor does, that inevitably includes people who think they do... That even includes many Chiropractors. 

So if I may, lets begin with with The Chiropractic Premise:

The Chiropractic premise begins with innate intelligence, that force, that something, that brings to being all that you are; it is the part science does not/cannot explain. Innate is the body's ability to be a self-healing, self-regulating organism. Next is the brain and spinal cord; they control and coordinate ALL of the bodies functions. The messages, either to or from the brain, run along the nervous system and the nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and all of the bodies nerves. As long as the brain can remains in constant contact with the cells, organs, and structures of the body, we are healthy. Not just healthy, but potentially in optimal health. As soon as the communication is disrupted in any way, and the cells can no longer "hear" the commands of the brain, nor can the brain "hear" the input from the cells, our bodies experience a decrease in health; in the parlance of our times, "garbage in, garbage out." In the old days this was referred to as "dis-ease". The disruption, or distortion, of the nerve signal is likened to static on a cell phone or television. The Chiropractic profession has named this the Vertebral Subluxation. Vertebral Subluxations are a disruption of nerve impulses and may or may not be accompanied by pain, usually no pain. If your experiencing Vertebral Subluxations, Chiropractors can help. If you are not experiencing Subluxations, we cannot help but we may be able to refer you to someone who can.

The event of a Vertebral Subluxation is complex and far reaching, but this is the premise not a dissertation. The main piece of information that I want to convey is that Vertebral Subluxations are disruptive, unhealthy, and will lead to dis-ease, and even disease, if they are allowed to persist. They are a degenerative process, are accumulative by their very nature, and they are a maladaptive pattern. Subluxations prematurely age a person.

In the word of the esteemed Dr. Fred Barge, "There is but one cause in disease, the body's inability to comprehend itself and/or its environment." 
If you understand the human body and its functions, then you see the truth in this quote. If you do not understand the human body and its functions, if you rail against this quote, then I urge you to delve deeper into the vast workings of the human body. I assure you, even though it may take you some time, it well worth the study.

I have always advocated Chiropractic care and I urge everyone to find a Chiropractor. Make Chiropractic apart of your healthy lifestyle, trust me it fits. Most Chiropractors can help you figure out how to maximize lifestyle choices and create the healthiest you possible.
 "Your body's ability to heal is far greater than anyone has permitted you to believe." 

As always, thank you for reading.
docBdc

The Limit

I was coaching this morning, but first let me set the stage: I opened the facility at 530a after a very late night of taking care of a friend. It was taking everything I had to keep up with coaching the class, and because it was a Monday, the clients seemed to be feeling very much the same.

I took notice of one client in particular. She has become one of the "poster children" of LINKED, one of our greatest success stories. Her commitment and dedication have paid off in spades.

She was in the middle of a grueling carpet-slider roll-outs set when I saw her falter. She then drop-set to the stability ball and finished that set of the exercise. I was quite pleased with her willingness to drop-set and regress downward to do the exercise right and finish strong. All too often, I watch people try to "power through" an exercise and completely botch it; usually doing more harm than good.

That's when it hit me, and I was inspired to share what I was actually watching. She had just demonstrated the very reason why she was such a outstanding success, while others success remains, as they would say, "average".

She pushed her own limits. She always had. Whether by prompting from the coaches or of her own choosing, this client would almost always push her limit. Failure IS an option for her. She would choose a progression or a weight that would be challenging. She would start the set knowing that she could not finish in the way in which she had started and would ultimately have to drop down in difficulty. Again, too many people get it in their heads that they must finish with what they start or they have failed; they "power through it" (you know who you are) instead of finishing right.

I am a firm believer that exercise promotes a mental toughness and fortitude. Training in this way absolutely strengthens your "mental muscle" as well as the bodies muscles. To train yourself to stretch or push your limits back, but not to break them (because, lets face it, limits are there for a reason), helps you to become stronger, faster, and more adaptable.

I can spend an entire lecture about true fitness being "adaptability", but this blog is only about stretching your limits. If you can find safe, fun, and effective ways to push yourself, like drop-setting, you will see results.

As always, thanks for reading.
docBdc