How do you know if you’re functioning as best as you can? Do you ever think about what your kidneys or liver are doing on a daily basis? Or maybe how strong your immune system currently is? More often than not you won’t know there’s an issue until after a symptom develops, often once the problem has been there for some time.

Chiropractors look for areas in your spine that aren’t functioning correctly and are putting pressure on your nerve system; this is called a vertebral subluxation. As this interferes with the communication between your brain and all the different parts of your body, it is vitally important to remove vertebral subluxation before it affects your health.

MEASURING YOUR OVERALL HEALTH LEVEL

Like many others, you probably measure your level of health by whether or not you are sick.

If you are sick, you have obvious symptoms and consider yourself unhealthy. Once those symptoms disappear, you consider yourself rid of the illness and ‘healthy’.

However, are symptoms really a good indication of true health?

When a tooth is decaying, you don’t feel pain until the decay has invaded the tooth and it needs removing. If a valve taking blood to your heart becomes blocked, you may not have any symptoms until you suffer a massive heart attack… and often that’s much too late!

The illness occurs, creating damage before the symptoms even show up! What’s more concerning is there are billions of dollars spent every year on drugs designed to take away our symptoms, thus ‘restoring us to full health’. In reality, this is just diverting your brains attention from the problem. You might feel better, but the problem remains and your health continues to diminish.

As you will have probably experienced, symptoms can fluctuate on a daily basis. Your underlying level of health is much more stable so it is not accurate to perceive your health simply based on the symptoms your body may or may not be expressing. Health cannot be based on ‘sick’ or ‘not sick’ – it is simply not that black or white. Surely no one wants to live life believing they are expressing full health when in reality they are barely just treading slightly above ‘being sick’.

WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO BE HEALTHY?

Is it merely the absence of disease or symptoms?

No – it is not… it is so much more! Health is a state of optimum physical functioning, spiritual enlightenment, social well-being, and mental aptitude. True health is more than just settling for average or living life ‘just above’ the bad stuff.

Your body was designed to be in balance, healthy and full of vitality. That is your natural state. If you are struggling with your health then most likely your life events and lifestyle have allowed your body to get out of balance.

Treating symptoms will never create balance within the body… it will simply stop you from realising that things are not functioning correctly.

Chiropractic works with the body’s own ability to return it to its natural state of balance so that it can heal from the inside out. Stop dampening down the signals your body is sending you and start listening and taking action. With the help of chiropractic, you can get right to the problem, allowing your body to function at its best and live a life “above average”.

Many people aren’t aware of how spinal pain shows in their bodies. Spinal pain doesn’t just show itself for no reason, unless it’s from a trauma. It’s a process that happens over time and could be triggered by the simplest thing. Like coughing or sneezing. It is important that we keep an eye on how we do everyday tasks and to get regularly checked by your chiropractor.

It starts when your spinal vertebra has been knocked, pulled or twisted out of alignment, which in some cases can show a initial soreness, but that subsides and is not thought of again. This is when a gradual evolution of damage begins as that segment has become “subluxated” and non- functional.

JOINT DETERIORATION

How long does it take for our joints to start deteriorating?

In order for our bodies to function and produce the synovial fluid that makes them glide, all joints need movement. Once “fixed” that joint starts to deteriorate.

This is the process:

After 3 days, synovial fluid stops being produced.

After 3 weeks, the joint becomes dry and stiff due to lack of fresh fluid. Nerve root pressure starts but no pain yet. Nerve transmission becomes affected. (Research proves that the pressure of a 10 cent piece can drop nerve flow by 60%!)

After 6 weeks, pits can be seen microscopically as the cartilage surface cracks. Organs and glands in the vicinity are further affected by the nerve function.

After 3 months, cartilage surface damage can be seen with the naked eye. Discomfort is now felt from nerve root inflammation.

After 6 months, pain now makes itself known as the joint cartilage surface roughens caused by further damage.

You can now understand more clearly how it is so important to get your spine checked regularly and to not miss your appointments. Ignoring the pain is dangerous and it risk permanent damage to the spinal joints. So don’t ignore the signs and see your chiropractor as soon as you can.

CURIOUS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE?

Visit your local chiropractor!

Considering consulting a chiropractor about your overall health and wellbeing? We’re here to help! As your local chiropractor for Camira and surrounding areas, give us a call on 07 3381 0440 or book online here: www.centenarychiro.com.au