The modern world continues to place more demands on our time and attention. As a result, much of the population suffers from higher levels of stress. Stress has been shown to come from three major sources. These sources of stress are environmental, our own body, and mental factors. Environmental stress comes from noise, air pollution, crowding, traffic congestion, time pressures, work performance issues, terrorism, natural disasters and extremes of temperature. Body stress comes from diseases, physical injuries, lack of proper sleep, and poor nutrition. Mental stress deals with our inability to cope with our emotions and also how we deal with different environmental and physical stressors we are subjected to.

Stress can be defined as an imbalance of bodily systems due to excessive stimuli. This triggers the body’s fight or flight mechanism and eventually leads to an increase in the rate of wear and tear in the body. Some medical research suggests that up to eighty percent of all illnesses are stress related. Some of the most common symptoms resulting from stress include high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, digestive problems, ulcers, colitis, damage to muscle tissue, diabetes, infertility, damage to the immune response, and slowed healing from disease and injury.

Chiropractors are able to reduce the effects that stress has on the body through chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments to the spine releases muscle tension, and that helps the body return to a more balanced, relaxed state. Adjustments also reduce spinal nerve irritation, and improve blood circulation. These changes are able to convince the brain to turn off the fight or flight response and begin the process of healing. A healthy and balanced spine is one key to effectively managing stress.

Dr. Christopher Boni