Research conducted over the past 30 years has clearly demonstrated that the nervous system is plastic and changes in response to the experiences and sensory input that the brain is exposed to throughout life. In essence, the brain does its best to adapt to our current situation based on our past experiences.
The inputs into the brain are constant and varied, and stresses can include things like:
- Chemical stressors: inflammation, infections, chronic illnesses, digestion issues, medications, alcohol, toxic substances, dehydration, etc.
- Physical stressors: physical trauma, poor movement, poor posture, overtraining, extreme temperatures, high altitude, etc.
- Mental stressors: lack of sleep, jet lag, noise, anxiety, depression, traumatic events, work stress, fear, tension, relationship problems, excitement, lack of social support, isolation, loneliness, etc.
No wonder that the brain sometimes gets overloaded by too many challenging inputs and does not know how to successfully adapt. This overload can cause the brain to “blow a fuse”, misfire, and give us maladaptive responses. One example of such a maladaptive response is when the small muscle closest to the spine switches off or misfires, causing spinal segments to misalign and become symptomatic. In these instances, chiropractic care has been proven to be an excellent way of re-booting the brain so that it can start to fire the way it is meant to again.