Stress is a normal part of life.  At one time or another we have all dealt with it.  However, it is important to be able to differentiate between normal life stress, and excessive and unhealthy levels of stress.  High stress levels can lower the immune system, leaving the body open to infection; kill brain cells, leaving you feeling absent minded; and inhibit sleep, leaving you feeling fatigued and lifeless.  Additionally, stress causes our bodies to tense up, leaving the muscles tight and painful.  If left untreated, this can lead to further, and more serious problems, such as spinal and joint misalignment.  Unfortunately, too many Americans allow themselves to go through life with excessive amounts of stress and fail to take charge and treat the problem.  Luckily, there are a number of treatments available, chiropractic care being one of them.

Chiropractic care is a great option for dealing with stress and it’s side effects because it offers an all natural way to address the problem.  This means less wear on your body from pharmaceuticals, and less money out of your pocket from pharmacy bills.

While a chiropractor cannot cure stress, they can treat the symptoms and assist in providing methods of reducing stress in a person’s life.  This care is given on the basic idea that the body functions in such a manner that it is capable of healing itself when it is functioning optimally. Unfortunately, most adult bodies aren’t functioning at their highest level. This is where a chiropractor comes in.  Chiropractic adjustments focus on relieving the stress on joints and muscles, and realigning the spine, pelvis, and even the skull when necessary.

These adjustments are made in such a way as to impact the nervous system, the body’s natural system of organization and control.  By adjusting the spine into optimal position, blockages in the nervous system (including energy blockages) are removed, allowing for the nervous system to do it’s job without hindrance. When allowed to function properly and efficiently, the nervous system can enhance the immune system, improve the quality of sleep; and most importantly to the purpose of this article, it can function to better deal with life stressors.

In addition to working on the nervous system, chiropractic adjustments can relieve tension on the muscles and joints.  This often immediately relieves bodily pain that is associated with tight muscles and muscle contractions.  It also allows the patient to focus on better stress coping mechanisms since they are no longer concerned with pain.  The patient can also get off pain medications that may be further convoluting their natural body function.

While chiropractors are best know for their hands-on work, they can also offer assistance in the form of coping techniques and nutritional supplementation to provide the body with what it needs to function optimally.  They can also send patients home with exercises and stretches to do to assist in dealing with stress and stress pains that may arise.  This can assist a person in preventing muscle tension, contractions, and spinal misalignment.