Have you ever bent over to tie your shoes, but were not able to straighten up afterward?
Have you ever experienced a ‘kink’ in your neck, simply by looking over your shoulder?
Have you ever wondered what causes these kinds back pain?
When intense back or neck pain happens seemingly out of the blue, one of the things you may be experiencing is psychosomatic pain. According to the Heritage Medical Dictionary, this kind of pain is defined as:
• Of, or relating to, a disorder having physical symptoms, but originating from mental or emotional causes
• Relating to, or concerned with, the influence of the mind on the body, especially with respect to disease
In fact, there is a whole field of study in the effects of psychosomatic symptoms known as psychoneuroimmunology.
Books have been written on this subject, based on the premise that the mind and body are intimately connected via the “molecules of emotion”; what happens in the mind is reflected in what appears in the body. If pain is felt in the body – seemingly unrelated to physical stress or trauma - it is likely a reflection of the painful state in one’s mind or emotions. It may sound far-fetched, but it is true.
One of the simplest examples of this phenomenon is to reflect on what happens to your body when you are experiencing a negative emotion, like anger. Imagine yourself getting very upset with someone who has stolen one of your prized possessions. How do you feel? Relaxed, or tense?
More tense than relaxed, every time
With your body more tense, do you think you are more likely, or less likely, to injure yourself? With more tightness in the musculoskeletal system, you are MORE likely to experience sprains and strains, as your normal range of motion is decreased. Everyday activities, like bending over to tie your shoes or turning your head to look over your shoulder, things you do thousands of times without any difficulty, all of a sudden become strenuous physical exercises. Any pre-existing imbalance in your alignment can also become a bigger imbalance with this tension, leaving you even more Chiropractic treatments can help decrease the potential for injury in these cases by maximizing your muscle and joint alignment, thereby reducing the chance that these mood swings will lead to physical bouts of pain.
Another example of mind-body interaction impacts your health is the effects your mood has on the central nervous system. Your central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord, is hard-wired to respond to the environment to ensure your survival. When danger (stress) is detected, the sensitivity (tone) of the central nervous system increases, allowing you to respond more quickly to this potential threat. Nervous system tension leads to musculoskeletal system tension (so you can run away from, or fight off the danger), and just like in the previous scenario, increased muscle tension leaves you more prone to experiencing sprains or strains.
Chiropractic is ideally suited to help deal with these psychosomatic effects, because vertebral subluxations also increase nervous system ‘tone’. Chiropractic adjustments, by removing subluxations from the spine, help to normalize the tone of the central nervous system, thereby reducing the effects of stress on the body.
The third way that the mind can affect the body is via energy disturbances in the body. Caroline Myss, one of the most highly recognized and respected medical intuitives posits that every disease is related to an energetic disturbance in the body, caused by emotionally or mentally traumatic events. In this way, our “biography becomes our biology.” In addition, she sees the spine as the conduit for life-energy, making it one of the most important structures in the body related to the mind-body model of health and wellness.
Chiropractic is the only healing profession dedicated to the healthy alignment of the spine. A spine free of subluxations allows for your life energy to flow unimpeded. If you would like to experience more vitality, a greater sense of ease and relaxation and be less likely to experience the strains and sprains caused by mindbody stress, be sure to maintain a regular schedule of chiropractic adjustments!
Disclaimer: Information contained in the The Wellness ExpressTM newsletter is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. Copyright © - The Wellness ExpressTM
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