How much do you know about the nervous system? You probably know that it includes our nerves, brain and spinal cord, and you also probably know that pinched nerves are not fun. Other than that, most people aren’t aware of the function of the nervous system and the huge role that it plays in our body and health!
The Nervous System in a Nutshell:
The nervous system consists of the brain in our skull, the spinal cord that is housed in our vertebral column, and the complex branching of nerves that go to all the tissues and organs in our body: from the skin in our scalp to the tips of our toes! And truth be told the nervous system is way more complex because it can be further divided into the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, the somatic nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, cranial nerves, and much more, but this is all beyond the scope of today’s goal!
The nervous system’s job is to work as a messenger in your body through electrical impulses. Through these messages, the nervous system allows you to have voluntary control of your body. For example, it allows you to move your body however you want, to sing, to dance, to do sports. It also allows you to control your breathing, for example it allows you to take a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and to hold your breath if you so desire it. The thing is that the nervous system also does so much more than this!
Also, the nervous system controls all of the things that we do involuntarily. It keeps us breathing when we’re asleep, it coordinates metabolic processes such as our digestion and blood pressure. Did you know the nervous system is also what picks up that your bladder is stretched and full and it sends signals to your brain so that you experience urgency or the need “to go”?
Your nervous system also converts the light that goes into your eyes into electrical signals which allow your to see. Similarly, the nervous system allows you to taste, smell and hear too! And there is so much more because your nervous system is also what sets the foundation for your personality, your memories, your ability to think and to make decision, this and so much more is only possible because of your nervous system!
Back to the question at hand…
Why Should We All Asses the Health of Our Nervous System?
Because the nervous system has a hand in everything that we do, who we are, and our health, it’s crucial that we support it. The nervous system is the master control of our body and if this system is affected, chances are that the rest of the systems in our body will be affected down the road too.
And because our nervous system is made of parts, this means that it is eventually made to break down. However, there’s still so much that we can do to keep the vital parts of our body as healthy as possible to push back the effects of degeneration as much as we can.
How we take care of our body has a huge impact in the health of our nervous system. Bad dietary habits, insufficient exercise, physical trauma, chemical trauma, mental trauma, the things we’re exposed to, even our thoughts and perceptions can have a huge impact in our nervous system’s health. The thing is, most of us have no idea what the health of our nervous system is.
How do you assess the health of the nervous system in a chiropractic setting?
In our chiropractic office, we assess the health of each of our practice member’s nervous systems during their first day with us and we re-evaluate how this health has changed at special appointments down the road. During the first day we:
- Sit down with the practice member and take their history to get a better idea of their medical history and any physical, mental, or chemical factors that could be playing a role in their health.
- Perform a chiropractic evaluation to get a better understanding of the problem areas: where bones are misaligned, where muscle tone is affected, and where you may have postural issues.
- Take x-rays of the vertebral column to evaluate the quality of these bones, the alignment of the structure that protects the spinal cord and branching nerves, and if there are any red flags present such as fractures or instabilities that would change how adjust you or how we approach your body.
Once this whole day 1 process is complete, all four of the doctors sit down together and discuss each case and then we schedule a second appointment to go over the findings regarding the health of your nervous system.
What can it mean if my nervous system isn’t healthy?
Because we’ve seen that the nervous system has a hand in all of our body processes, when it is unable to function optimally or has damage to it, many different symptoms can arise. These symptoms can range from pain and numbness or tingling to nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis. With chiropractic, although we don’t treat specific conditions, our aim is to remove nerve interference from misaligned vertebrae in your spine so that your nervous system can function better, heal, and be better able to adapt to the physiological stress of physical, chemical and mental stressors. In our office, we use a chiropractic technique that is neurologically based and allows us to have a better focus on the health of the nervous system.