"If an Ailment is 'All in Your Head', Can Chiropractic do Anything For it?"
To say any condition is “all in your head” is ignoring the mind-body/body-mind connection.
No ailment is entirely sequestered within the mind. And no condition is isolated to the body as well. Yes, some ailments are concentrated more in the mind than the body. But, whether an ailment is classified as Psychosomatic (mind-body) or Somatopsychic (body-mind), one will always effect the other. How is this possible?
When it comes to the functionality of the human organism, there is no separation between the mind and the body. Human beings are a unit of interlocking systems, organs, tissues and cells. The mind functions as a holistic entity with the body. The body is the canvas on which the mind paints.
The link between the mind-body connection is the Nerve System. Nerves are involved in both physical and mental ailments. The Nerve System is the common denominator because nerves are the primary integrator. The Nerve System harmonizes the functions of all the other systems. Both mental thoughts and bodily actions are founded on Nerve System function. The Nerve System controls every movement we make, senses everything we feel, regulates all body organs and relates us to the outside world. The Nerve System connects to every organ, gland and tissue to guide their function.
If there is an impairment or interference with function, we have dysfunction. Since the Nerve System is tasked with controlling all functions, it is at the center of all dysfunctions as well. Quoting Dr. Darald E. Bolin, DC: “...if we accept the premise that the nervous system causes organization, we can draw a conclusion: any interference in the nervous system causes disorganization.”
Nerve dysfunction is a precursor to disease. Disease then is an effect of nerve dysfunction, not the other way around. And no matter the function or dysfunction: the Nerve system is involved. Quoting medical scientist Dr. Alexei D. Speransky from his groundbreaking work, A Basis for the Theory of Medicine:
“Many pathological processes, the cause of which have been regarded as absolutely foreign to nervous influence, have been found to be in reality entirely dependent on the latter for their origin. To whatever chapter of pathology pathological processes belong, however complicated their composition and however variable their course, the nervous component remains from beginning to end the factor that determines their general state.”
The general state of health and disease, both mental and physical, involves the Nerve System. Not only that, the general state of health and disease (no matter what kind) is predicated on how well nerves function. These established principles are why Chiropractic focuses on the spinal column, specifically the upper cervical spine.
The upper cervical spine houses and protects the lower section of the brainstem and the upper part of the spinal cord. The spinal cord and brainstem along with the brain, make up the Central Nerve System.
The Central Nerve System is the headquarters or ‘seat’ of nerve operation. The brain is the ‘seat of the mind’ and the spinal cord is the ‘seat of the body.’ The link between the two is the brainstem.
A circuit of nerve tracts between the brain and body makes life possible. This circuit gives the Nerve System its “global” quality. Afferent and efferent nerves are the transmitters of information between the brain and the body.
Afferent nerves transmit sensory impressions to the brain for interpretation. These sensory impressions come from every organ, gland and tissue. The brain mentally adapts these sensory impressions into a response that aims to benefit the function and maintenance of the body. Efferent nerves send mental adaptations to the body for expression. These mental adaptations are sent to every organ, gland and tissue.
A high percentage of these nerve tracts “bottle-neck” at the brainstem region. The Brainstem collects all the stored information and energy from the brain above and passes it off to the body below. It also receives all the stimulation from the body below and transfers it up to the brain above for interpretation. The Brainstem coordinates and synchronizes information, and assists in consciousness, cognition and communication.
The upper cervical spine surrounds and protects this vital area. If the upper cervical spine misaligns and locks out of place, it can put added tension on the nerves of the brainstem. This is called a vertebral subluxation.
A vertebral subluxation interferes with how the brain communicates with the body and how the body communicates with the brain. Brain/body communication becomes impaired. Quoting Chang Ha Suh, PhD, Spinal Biomechanics Expert from the University of Colorado:
"Vertebral subluxations change the entire health of the body by causing structural dysfunction of the spine and nerve interference."
What is occurring in the body and what should be happening in the body do not match up. Miscommunication impairs nerve expression and function. A ‘mismatch’ between sensory impressions from the body and mental adaptations from the brain occurs. Both mental thoughts and bodily actions can’t express their full potential. How well both the body and brain adapt to stress falters.
Chiropractors correct the vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine through a specific adjustment. An adjustment helps reduce nerve tension at the brainstem level. Quoting Candance Pert, PhD, neuroscientist and pharmacologist:
"The unconscious mind of the body seems all-knowing and all-powerful and in some therapies can be harnessed for healing or change without the conscious mind ever figuring out what happened...chiropractic can be used to effect change at a level beneath consciousness."
A Chiropractic adjustment allows the brainstem to better communicate with the brain and body. How bodily actions and mental thoughts sense, perceive and behave can be better without a subluxation present.
- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP
Related Blogs:
Unbalanced Spine/Head Imbalance
Neurophysiological Importance of the Upper Cervical Spine
Brain/Body Mismatch