01 Feb Overcoming the Stress Rollercoaster with Chiropractic Care
The historic pandemic that’s suspended lives around the world has caused a huge spike in stress levels, leading to a higher likelihood of illness and injury for many. That’s why it’s essential to learn how to reduce the harmful effects of stress and protect your health.
A chiropractor’s treatments are a proven, effective way to mitigate damage caused by stress by improving your spinal structure and keeping your nervous system strong. Now more than ever, our mission at Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic is to provide care that boosts your overall health as you cope with today’s increased load of stress.
COVID-19 and Stress
Every day, we face unpredictability. The mental and physical health of millions of people has become a major concern. The rollercoaster climbs with good news and then descends with worrisome information. Updates on new vaccines and treatments bolster our mood. Other news about the virus and economic issues ramps up our anxiety. This tension may send health downhill, but the good news is that you can be proactive in heading off harmful stress.
How Stress Leads to Illness and Injury
Stress is a natural part of life, one that our bodies are able to handle in reasonably small doses. But chronic stress from ongoing crisis situations places a big burden on our health.
When you experience anxiety, your body generates a physical reaction known as the “fight or flight” response. Blood pressure and heart rate go up, breathing becomes faster, and muscles tighten up. With long-term stress, you’re more susceptible to heart disease, autoimmune disorders, depression, and many other conditions. Stress often goes to your upper back, producing hunched shoulders and muscle tightness in the neck, jaw, back, and shoulders, creating imbalances that worsen problems throughout your entire body.
An unhealthy cycle begins: stress causes pain, and the pain, in turn, brings on more stress. Spinal misalignments may occur, impairing the nervous system’s vital communication channels between the brain and body. These misalignments can increase pain, make minor injuries more serious, lower your immunity, and aggravate arthritis conditions.
Chiropractic Adjustments and Other Natural Remedies to Manage Stress
So, how do you protect your body from chronic stress damage?
Fortunately, there are therapies and techniques to help.
Relaxation practices such as deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation reduce negative symptoms of anxiety.
Exercise and movement techniques like tai chi or yoga release endorphins that calm anxiety.
Chiropractic treatments align the spine and nervous system to regulate your body’s responses to anxiety and improve immune function. Your autonomic nervous system manages the fight or flight response to anxiety triggers. Science has found that controlling pain positively affects how the nervous system functions. Additionally, a patient study showed that spinal manipulation improved hormone levels, reducing pain and increasing well-being.
Your chiropractor’s adjustments eliminate interference in the nervous system and empower the body’s natural healing ability.
Set Up a Free Consultation at our Broken Arrow Office
To begin your plan to prevent and heal the harmful effects of stress, call Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic at 918-940-4630.