In my Ann Arbor office, many of my clients meditate on a regular basis. Some individuals are an expert on the topic. I frequently gain insight and instruction from their experience. Most of us realize meditation offers great benefits to overall health. However, many people are surprised to learn that it can help your spine! To understand how this is possible, lets first discuss meditation in a bit more detail.
Recently, I began studying transcendental meditation. Transcendental Meditation was first introduced in India hundreds of years ago. It shifted from an obscure practice to worldwide popularity by Maharishi Yogi in the 1950s. Transcendental Meditation (TM) uses a very structured and specific approach to meditation that allows the mind to transcend to an altered state of consciousness. This allows the individual to reach a deep state of relaxation and peace. Individuals who consistently practice TM report relief of many physical and mental ailments such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, hypertension and ADHD.
You may be thinking “What does this have to do with your spine?!?” What we have learned recently is that there is a specific connection between individual’s behavior and their physiology. For instance, individuals under periods of stress display changes in the chemical makeup of their brain. Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides change after we are put in a stressful situation. Stress and anxiety promotes the release of specific hormones that affect our entire being. Stress is pro-inflammatory.
All human disease shares one common element: inflammation. Inflammation prevents us healing appropriately and feeling well. When I work with new clients, I often see people that are overworked, under slept and stressed out. They often carry a lot of tension throughout their muscles due to these chronic levels of stress. This tension contributes to muscle pain, reduced range of motion, stiffness and changes in spinal alignment.
To recap: Stress leads to changes of the chemistry of your body & hormones. This results in inflammation which contributes to muscle tension. Muscle tension causes pain and changes in spinal alignment. My job is to correct the alignment of your spine. When our spine is aligned appropriately, we experience relief of many secondary symptoms such as pain, stiffness, decreased range of motion, etc.
Now you understand how stress makes my job more difficult! We still help individuals achieve all their health goals regardless of their stress level. However, individuals that can manage their stress appropriately experience even faster results from our care! Isn’t that amazing? Managing stress appropriately results in you experiencing faster results in my office!
My goal is to help every individual that walks into my office. Helping people comes in many forms. Some people need a kind ear to listen, others need intensive care and exercise recommendations. For others, methods to handle stress are necessary to achieve their health goals. I often recommend practicing meditation to manage stress appropriately. At Precision Chiropractic & Massage, we always utilize a “whole person” approach to assess the individual from every perspective and offer recommendations that help. If you would like to discuss this in more detail feel free to mention it on your next visit or schedule a complimentary consultation.
