What is disease? The medical definition as described by Marriam Webster is defined as "any abnormal condition of the body or part of it, arising from any cause." When we hear the word, "disease," we usually think of conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, Congestive Heart Failure, Cancer, etc. But disease starts before the big named conditions present themselves.

In chiropractic, we look at disease just slightly differently. We look at the signs and symptoms that your body is producing as precursors to the named disease like those listed above. These subtle symptoms that we are looking for may include certain allergies, indigestion, high blood pressure; and they indicate to us that there is an issue going on somewhere in the body and we need to address it, or else we will get sick.

This, then, begs the question, "Why do we get sick?" The simple answer is that our body and its' immune system is not able to fight off all the stressors that is put on them. This can be anything from viruses and bacteria, to poor nutrition and sleep deprivation, to surrounding yourself with toxic people. All the stress that is put on our bodies and immune systems can be put into three main categories: Thoughts, Traumas, and Toxins. The more complicated follow up question that we ask as chiropractors is then, "What other stress can we identify in somebody's life that putting their body in such a vulnerable state?" And how can we fix it?

In this blog we will explore each category of stress, how each one affects the health and life of an individual, and how chiropractic care can help.

The first T is Thoughts. You may have noticed that thinking about certain things affects the way you feel. Just the thought of a project you are working on puts your tummy in knots, or you dread going to work because you can't stand that one coworker. What goes through our mind affects everything from our posture, to our heart rate, to our hormone production. It has continuously been shown that people who are more anxious or have high amounts of stress are sicker. We all can probably think back to a time in our lives where we had a period of extremely high stress, and then as soon as that period in time was over we came down with a cold, flu, or some other bug. When we are operating in a state of fight or flight, our body is essentially red lining. Stress hormones are produced at such high levels, that when that period of stress is over our body is especially vulnerable to getting sick. For me, this was usually during finals week in chiropractic school. We would have 13 exams worth 30% of our grade all packed into a 5 day span. It was almost like clockwork that about 3 days after finals were over I would feel myself coming down with something. Now if that one incidence only lasted a week, could you imagine what is happening in someone’s body that is living in that state for years or decades?

Our hormones and physiology happening inside the body is a delicate balance that has many checks and balances in case something goes haywire. The kingpin of it all is the pituitary gland. The pituitary is directly connected to the brain and is what is called a "neuroendocrine" gland. This means that the neurology of the brain tells the pituitary what to do. The pituitary then releases a set of hormones to stimulate other glands, like the thyroid, adrenals, etc. This reaction then causes the changes that we notice in our body. A great example of this is seeing a mountain lion on a hike. The sight of a mountain lion triggers a response in our brain that signifies that we are in danger. The brain sends this danger signal to the pituitary gland and says, "Tell everybody we are in trouble RIGHT NOW!" The pituitary gland releases the necessary hormones to tell our adrenal glands to release the "fight or flight" response, which is how our heartrate goes up, our pupils dilate, etc.

Now, the triggering event doesn't need to be as dramatic as seeing a mountain lion on a hike. It could be the stress of coming deadlines on a major project at work. It could be the dread of not knowing what mood a loved one is coming home in. There are a lot of different ways our thoughts can be affecting what's happening in our body, and there are a lot of ways our actions can be affecting our loved one's bodies as well.

The second T is traumas. This is probably what chiropractors are most known for are taking care of aches and pains and falls and sprains. This is the “I feel like my back is out so I better go see my chiropractor,” or “I slept wrong and got a crick in my neck.” Interestingly enough, sometimes our physical traumas can affect the thoughts we have. Has anybody had a day where they were in a bad mood because something hurt? Or couldn’t focus because it hurt to move? So often times Traumas and Thoughts go hand in hand, where our pain negatively affects the things we think about.

Everything in your body is controlled by the nervous system. Every cell, tissue, and organ gets all the information it needs to operate from the brain, which sends its information down the spinal cord and out through the 110 miles of nerves in your body. Think of your nervous system like a highway; just like how there are cars going in 2 directions on a highway, information is coming and going from your brain to every cell in your body, and then back again. But what happens to traffic on the highway if there is an accident? Traffic slows down or stops. The same thing happens when a bone in your spine, or anywhere else in your body, is malaligned. Information isn't able to travel freely up and down the nervous system highway. This is what chiropractors call a subluxation.

How can we tell if a subluxation is present in the body? Subluxations affect the nerves in the affected area and can cause a temperature difference from one side compared to another. Using an instrument called a Nervoscope, we are able to detect these minute changes in temperature and be as specific as possible with our adjustments.

The third T is Toxins. These are artificial sweeteners, food or plastic additives, preservatives, and heavy metals that disrupt the function of our bodies. Artificial sweeteners, for example, are a synthetic molecule that is more powerful than natural sugar. A good alternative to artificial sweeteners would be natural sugar or Stevia.

If you have bought a new water bottle recently, you may have noticed a sticker that says "BPA Free." What exactly is BPA, and why are people so worried about it? BPA is a polymer that is often found in cans, plastics, and other food packaging that has been classified as an endocrine disruptor. What BPA does is binds to estrogen receptors, blocking the body’s ability to use the estrogen produced and affects a bunch of body process. This leads early puberty and menstruation in little girls, decreased testosterone production in boys and men, and increased circulating estrogen which leads to a variety of different cancers. Using re-useable stainless steel water bottles is a great way to eliminate a major way of ingesting those toxins. Another good option is to use glass tupperware instead of plastic to store leftovers, and avoiding heating anything up in the microwave in a plastic container is a must.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of the ways our habits, lives, and world affect our body and the way we live, but it should give you a good overview of the things chiropractors look for as to why our patients get sick.

If you are interested to hear how chiropractic care can help you specifically, call our clinic and ask to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Madson.



The time for wondering why you are getting sick all the time is over, let us help you take your health back naturally!