Lifestyle and stress

Our current lifestyle is the source of a lot of stress, whether physical (due to poor posture, repetitive movements, physical work), chemical (caused by breathing, nutrition, pills, drugs, smoking, and alcohol), and emotional (from emotional crises, life habits, etc.). How can chiropractic help in managing stress?

– Sitting: In France, in 2018, we spent an average of 7 and a half hours a day sitting, which is one of the most stressful positions for the human body. As a matter of fact, even if it’s comfortable, breathing is restricted.  The back is also extremely stressed in this position, and sitting doesn’t aid digestion, even if you are sitting straight.
– Poor posture: Poor posture is the new norm, and we spend (all generations considered) an average of 1h42 minutes a day on our smartphones, in positions that are harmful for the cervical spine. This amount is a lot higher if you only account for the working population and millennials.
– Sports: Lack of physical activity is a physical stress factor but so is poorly executed physical activity. When physical activity is too intense or not properly executed we stress the body.  
– Working: Our jobs require repetitive movements or for us to hold steady postures/positions throughout the day. This places stress on the body, even when we are careful to give specific attention to workplace ergonomics.
– Traumatic events: Accidents, sprains, falls and shocks are physical stresses that have short, and sometimes long term impacts.

To sum up, our current lifestyle completely conflicts with our basic physical movement, walking and posture needs.

Chiropractic harmonizes the body to increase range of movement in the joints, decrease physical tensions, and restore proper posture. Given that the body compensates less, chiropractic helps regain energy, promoting better sleep, decreasing stress, etc. Getting checked during prevention and wellness follow-ups will help in many ways.

Pressure, negative feelings and thoughts, deadlines, toxic or unbalanced personal and professional relationships, unloved jobs, too much work or not enough of it, unsatisfied desires, conflicts, lack of acknowledgement, of love, of money, of employment, passing an exam, giving birth to a child, moving, getting divorced, personal loss, sadness, anger, disgust, etc. are all too many emotional stresses that impact our quality of life and our body.

Each emotion releases a chemical cocktail in our blood. An occasional negative thought or emotion is quickly resolved in our bodies. However, if the emotion is chronic, repetitive or too intense, the chemical impact can pile up.

In any event, we all have emotional wounds that mark us and shape us, but that can also be limiting for us.
Certain chiropractic techniques can help you free up emotional traumas and wounds that can have a negative emotional impact on you and your quality of life.

Optimization of the nervous system through regular check-ups and adjustments enables a better psycho-emotional management of life events. Stress starts having less and less impact, and slowly decreases which allows you to transition from ‘survival’ to ‘living’ (this is literally what happens in your nervous system).

Physical exercise:
When performed excessively, physical exercise can use a lot of nutrients and lead to nutritional deficiencies. This is especially true when your nutrition isn’t adapted to you personally.
Lack of physical activity increases almost all known pathologies. This is especially the case in cardiovascular pathologies, due to a lack of cardiac or vascular stimulations, drainage, breathing, and so on.

Nutrition:
An imbalanced diet, whether in quality or quantity, can lead to nutritional deficiencies or excesses, cancer and cardiovascular risk increase, fatigue, loss of energy, depression, etc.

Hydration:
The majority of people are chronically in a mild dehydration state. And yet, hydration is one of the 3 most basic human needs. Lack of hydration decreases all of the body and neurological functions, increase infection risks, causes joint and back stiffness, decreases immune response, hearing and sight, muscular qualities, etc.
Kidneys and lungs are the only organs able, through their function, to decrease body acidic state to balance the acid-base ratio. Water is essential to optimal kidney function.

Breathing:
It expels CO2 carbon dioxide, brings O2 dioxygen, and, in collaboration with the kidneys, regulates the acid-base balance. Basically, it brings energy to all the body’s cells and enables body detoxification. However, almost every single patient that comes through my office doesn’t initially have optimal breathing.

Toxic chemicals:
Medication, nutrition, drugs, alcohol, smoking, intoxications, bacteria and viruses are the most common toxins. It’s obvious that we sometimes need medication, and it is equally obvious that they all have a toxicity power over your body. It’s thus important to evaluate the risk/benefit ratio of each medication intake with your medical doctor. All the other toxic chemicals are avoidable (easily or not) and they all stress the body and their effects can accumulate over time.