Hidden Dangers of Stress

It’s extremely common, easy to dismiss, and affects everyone differently, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that stress is a serious and dangerous health hazard.  When the body and mind is subjected to high levels of stress a wave of issues can take us over. Extended and intense periods of tension are detrimental to your wellbeing. It has influence on all systems of the body, creates a vicious and self-feeding cycle, and is easily contagious.

Stress can be attributed to many hidden health hazards, both directly and indirectly, but its presence almost always has a way of interfering will your wellness. Stress takes on many forms, but some of the most common are:

• Weight Gain


• Infertility


• High Blood Pressure


• Compulsivity and Unhealthy Habits/Coping Mechanisms  (overeating, smoking, substance abuse)


• Insomnia


• Cardiovascular Disease


• Accelerated Aging


• Poor Immune System Function


• Insulin Resistance


• Numerous Inflammatory Conditions and Subsequent Complications

How do you deal with stress and what do you do when you feel it taking over? How often does your stress level take control of you instead of the other way around?

Source:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/09/18/hidden-risks-of-chronic-stress

Sciatica – What You Need To Know

The condition known as sciatica can be confusing for the fact that it’s really a series of symptoms resulting from one underlying cause.  When many patients come to know the effects of sciatic, they have some difficulty finding relief for the fact that they are treating the symptoms instead of addressing the source of their discomfort.

Aptly named, sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve. Symptoms take the shape of pain, tingling, burning and numbness that affects the toes, feet, and legs. The effects can be aggravated through sudden or abrupt movement, or when sitting or standing for excessive periods.

If you’re seeking genuine relief of these symptoms, there’s no better time to come in for an appointment.  Chiropractic care can relieve sciatica by getting to the source of the discomfort: nerve pressure. Through spinal adjustment, subluxations and misalignments that are causing nerve pressure can be corrected.  Therapeutic exercises and temperature based therapy can also provide effective and natural relief of sciatic discomfort.

Sources:

 http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=3212

http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=3127

http://www.livestrong.com/article/265787-chiropractic-sciatica/

The Immune System and Chiropractic

This year’s cold and flu season making headlines as one of the worst in decades, it’s a good time to talk about what the immune system means for our health, and what chiropractic care means for the immune system. As most of you know, chiropractic specifically focuses on the nervous system. What fewer people know is how the nervous system affects our body’s ability to maintain proper immune function.
Here’s an overview of how it works:

Chiropractic corrects spinal abnormalities called vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations cause interference of the nervous system by placing pressure on nerves. Since the nervous system controls all functions of the body, including the immune system, chiropractic care can have a positive effect on immune function.

During an immune response, the brain and the immune system “talk to each other” and this process is essential for maintaining homeostasis, i.e. balance in the body. If the nervous system is not functioning properly, then the immune system cannot function at 100%, thus the body becomes fertile ground for bacteria, viruses and illness, like influenza.

-          Dr. David Thomson