Stressed out?

There was a time when I heard of stress or when someone was in pain, that I only thought it meant physical stress. If someone was hurting I would think, ‘what happened’… Did they fall? Was there an accident? I have been a practicing chiropractor for over 13 years and I am here to say STRESS is so much more than just physical issues.

There are 3 main stressors: physical, chemical and emotional. Stress affects everyone differently. But the truth is our body doesn’t know the difference between each of the stressors. You know this to be true if you have ever lost someone you love. Grief is an emotional stress that can make us feel like we were hit by a truck. I remember when I lost my grandma, it was so sudden and unexpected that I literally felt like someone had punched me in the chest. But emotional stress doesn’t have to be so severe. I see people every day just overwhelmed with everyday life stressors. If you don’t keep “small” stressors under control they add up and can create a lot of problems. Typically in the office I hear things like “I have no idea what I did… the pain came out of nowhere!” Emotional stress can manifest and cause physical distress or pain. As a chiropractor, it is one of my jobs: trying to find out where the pain is coming from.

Common everyday stressors
Losing a job (or starting a new one)
Moving (buying or selling a home)
Your child leaving or returning home
The death of a loved one
Marriage or divorce
Illness or injury for you or a loved one
Money problems
Having or adopting a baby
Sitting at a desk all day
Repetitive movements; bending, lifting, twisting
Eating junk or processed foods

Things you can do to help reduce your stress
Chiropractic adjustment
Exercise
Eat right
Get enough sleep
Stretching
Let it go… (I like to sign the song when I say those words)
Deep relaxed breathing
Laugh
Get outside and just BE
Take a bath
Spend time with someone you love
Read or do a hobby that brings you joy

Physical stress can be defined as injury or strain to the body. But one of the worst things we as Americans do to our body physically is SIT. We sit A LOT. Prolonged sitting can change your structure, your body mechanics leading to misalignment of your spine which ultimately affects your nervous system. If you or someone you love sits most of the day, they should give us a call at Healthmax Chiropractic so we can assess their spine and nervous system to see how we can help.

Emotional stress I already touched on, and it seems straight forward. However so many of us just consider emotional stress to be “their normal” state of being. That is not good! Work, our relationships with family and friends, our political climate all can have a significant effect on your mind and body which can affect your ability to function. I will say it again, seeing a chiropractor for help with alignment reduces irritation to the nervous system. In our world our nervous system needs all the help it can get. So get adjusted!

Chemical stress is a big deal, especially when we look at the traditional American diet… it leaves a lot to be desired. What we put in our body– food and drinks but also what we put ON our skin gets into the bloodstream and can have a major effect on your body’s chemistry. Toxins and stress internally again affects the body’s ability to function, to adapt and to heal.

At Healthmax Chiropractic we focus on whole body health and wellness. We start with an in-depth look at how to relieve the nervous system and loop in proper gut health. If we cannot eliminate toxins in our life and on our body then we would not be doing our job as a whole body wellness clinic. We have several customized programs to help our patients simply detox the body all the way to programs that help an individual lose 100 pounds and with over a year of support!

Schedule with Healthmax today and let’s customize a wellness plan that works for your lifestyle!