Mental Health Benefits of Chiropractic Care
How can chiropractic care help with my mental health? Imagine you have headaches and back pain all day long, do you think your body will be in a state of feeling healthy and energized. Positive thoughts and the way you hold yourself (physically and mentally) are very important in your mental health. Now we can’t just give you an adjustment and that will fix your mental health, but we can help you in our way. The holistic approach primarily focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal issues. Mainly those related to the spine and nervous system.
Again chiropractic care Is not a direct treatment for mental health conditions. Some ways that it may indirectly benefit mental health are:
- Pain reduction: Chiropractic adjustments aim to alleviate pain and discomfort by correcting misalignments in the spine and improving the function of the nervous system. Reducing physical pain can lead to improved mood and decreased stress, which can indirectly contribute to better mental health.
- Stress Reduction: Chiropractic adjustments may help reduce stress and tension by promoting relaxation of the muscles and improving overall body function. Stress management can have a positive impact on mental well-being.
- Improved Sleep: Some individuals report better sleep quality after chiropractic care. Restorative sleep is crucial for mental health, as it plays a role in regulating mood and cognitive function.
- Enhanced Nervous System Function: Chiropractors aim to optimize the nervous system function by ensuring proper spinal alignment. A well-functioning nervous system is essential for overall health, including mental well-being.
- Mind-Body Connection: Chiropractors often emphasize the importance of the mind-body-soul connection and how the holistic approach can help. We encourage our patients to adopt a healthier lifestyle, including nutrition, stress management and exercise can indirectly benefit mental health.
Now its important to understand what happens during an adjustment and the treatment route that helps with mental health. Our main focus as chiropractors is to look at the areas of the nervous system that may be out of balance. Being off balanced typically means that you have a misaligned vertebrae in the spine. What’s a misaligned vertebrae you ask? The most formal term is subluxations. Look at the picture below for a better understanding.
While trying to re-align the spine by using strategic manipulations. The results will be that the nerve pressure may have been causing undetected stress and discomfort. Relieving that pain in your spine can decrease muscle tension, that before was creating a stressful mental state. This kind of relief from a chiropractic adjustment can help to create an infusion of mental clarity which can then help you in your daily activities.
Two of the most common mental health issues are Anxiety and Depression. There are many more but these two are highly talked about. In what ways can chiropractic care help my Anxiety and Depression?
Finding balance between the mind, body, and soul.
- Releases Positive Hormones: Chiropractic adjustments trigger a hormone release within the body of good hormones like oxytocin and cortisol. These specific hormones can have a positive effect on your overall health and wellbeing. They can reduce stress, boost feelings of social bonding, and alleviate pain from inflammation to improve your overall mental state.
- Promotes Sleep: Anxiety and stress can be overwhelming without sleep, and being able to lay down and go straight to sleep instead of experiencing insomnia or pain is a great bonus from chiropractic care. Healthy sleep patterns are important for how your day and the way you think plays out.
- All Natural Solution: One of the biggest benefits of chiropractic care is that you won’t need to take medication from us. Its a holistic approach that doesn’t have a whole lot of side effects such as weight gain, fatigue, or insomnia.
- Lowers Blood Pressure: High blood pressure can effect Anxiety and depression a lot and having a more balanced nervous system can keep your mind at ease and help decrease your blood pressure.
At Koru we focus on Forward head posture which is seen in all ages. It starts in early ages and adolescents and continues through life. From reading books at school, and slumping in your chair. To scrolling on your phone for social media and much more.
What is forward head posture?
Forward Head Posture is when your head moves beyond the center of gravity, translating your cervical vertebrae forward, moving your upper cervical spine into extension, possibly with a cervical kyphosis as well. The upper back rounds (Thoracic hyper kyphosis) and the shoulders roll forward. From there the body can compensate in several ways short term with postural adaptations, that long term leads to degeneration of the spine and discs due to abnormal biomechanical forces. See the photo below to get an idea of how heavy your head FEELS if it’s forward. If you want to learn more on Forward head posture, Click Here.
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