Stress is like an iceberg. Sometimes we can see the tip, but we don't always see or know how deep it goes. We all have it, we all need it to grow, but too much or the wrong kind of stress can make us sick. Stress is all around us. It's in our head, it’s in our heart, it’s in our breath, it’s in our diet…it even keeps us attached to earth by way of gravity. So, as stress is unavoidable and always there, it is what you do to be ready for it, or how you handle it when you're experiencing it, that makes you stronger.
The spine is an important place to look because vertebrae (spinal bones) can be dislodged from their normal positions due to stress, trauma and other chemical or emotional imbalances. The displacement, even by a small fraction, can really affect your entire nervous system and, consequently, your body’s ability to handle any more stress without intervention of some sort. Over time, this nerve stress caused by vertebral subluxation (a partial dislocation, so to speak) can affect any and every organ, tissue, and cell in the body.
Imagine the amount of life being choked by a nerve that is just being squeezed to death, or even just pressed on somewhat. That nerve has a "relationship" to a joint that was damaged by an old accident, or some debilitating experience or illness, whether you can recall it or not. As that joint ages and becomes more diseased and weaker, so will the nerve.
With treatment, as the joint becomes more healthy, so will the nerve. More information will be dispersed and an area that had less life, will now have more. The more life and information the nerve carries, the easier those cells, tissues, organs and systems can work together to help you deal with stress. This will impact overall vitality in the body.
In addition to the correction of the spine and nervous system, chiropractors would suggest that healthy eating, adequate and proper exercise and self-care (massages can be helpful here) and an overall good attitude are all important to having a balanced life. Stress, in a balanced life, is much easier to face than stress through a crumbling body.