By Shawn Bladel, DC, Eastland Chiropractic & Wellness Center
Most people determine their health based on how they feel — if you feel good, then you’re healthy. But plenty of people feel terrific, yet have a heart attack the next day; or are shocked by a cancer diagnosis because they experienced no symptoms; or even something less serious, like having high cholesterol, doesn’t cause us to feel bad. Clearly, the way we feel isn’t an accurate indicator of how healthy we are. We need to change our thinking from a symptom and sick care mindset to one of preventing health problems before they begin. As discussed in last month’s article, health is, based on the World Health Organization’s definition of health, when the body is functioning at 100 percent. But what does that mean? How can we know if our bodies are functioning at 100 percent?
My wife Heather and I were introduced to a doctor that completely changed our mindset about health. He explained that everything in our body was controlled by one organ, the brain. Most people know this, but don’t connect the fact that for our brain to control our body, it must be able to tell our heart, liver, stomach, and the rest of the organs how to function. And how does the brain communicate all this information? Down through the spinal cord and out through the nerves into every organ, cell, and tissue in the body. Therefore, if you cut the nerves controlling your heart, what would happen to the heart? That’s right, it would stop. If you misaligned your spine from poor posture sitting at a desk or looking at a cell phone or computer all day, and put pressure on the top of your brainstem, what happens to that communication system? It doesn’t function properly, and may affect hormone control, cause depression and mood swings, or even depress your immune function. And we wonder why we have allergies or digestive problems, or why our children get ear infections.
What if a doctor could check your spine and nerve system to make sure they are functioning properly? What if your brain had an optimal communication path to the rest of your body? Would you still have symptoms that cause you to take medication? As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I know that when people think of a bad spine or bad nerve system, they generally associate that with pain or some type of symptom. But the truth is that most of the nerve system does not feel pain. This is explains why the first time you feel gall bladder pain, the gall bladder must be removed — because it has been diseased for years. Your body builds disease and malfunction without you being aware of it, so it is critical to have your spine and nerve system evaluated by a corrective care chiropractor.
So what is the difference between medical doctors and corrective care chiropractors? Medical doctors are primarily trained to treat symptoms of disease, and corrective care chiropractors are trained to correct the cause of disease or malfunction in a person’s body. I have family members and friends who are wonderful medical doctors and nurses. They have helped save hundreds of lives, especially in emergency situations. That said, we also live in the most medicated, sick, depressed, and diseased country in the world. Our culture supports the notion of taking a pill for every ill and a potion for every emotion. The average American from infant to elder takes an average of 15 medications daily.
If you want to live an amazing quality of healthy life, free of medications and surgeries, you have to educate yourself on how your body functions, and change your thinking about what it means to be healthy. Society has pigeonholed the chiropractic profession as the solution for back and neck pain — and that is certainly something that is within our expertise. But when people come to a corrective care chiropractic doctor to have their health evaluated, the emphasis is on prevention — not waiting for pain or a symptom to manifest itself. Your entire spine and nerve system is evaluated to determine causes of disease or malfunction, and upon correcting those areas of damage within the spine and nerve system, the body will heal itself. The human body has an incredible healing ability already. The best doctor lives inside you. Do you believe your body has the ability to heal, or do you think that our bodies are lacking Tylenol and ibuprofen? The choice is yours.
If you missed last month’s article, “If You Feel Good, Are You Healthy?” you may read it online www.HealthyCellsBN.com, or call Cheryl at 309-664-2524 to request a copy.
For more information on all the services offered at Eastland Chiropractic & Wellness Center, call 309-662-8418 or visit them online at EastlandChiro.com. Their office is located at 2406 E. Washington Street in Bloomington. Their goal is to educate people and create an awareness that allows everyone to make smart, informed decisions regarding their health and well-being.
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