There are only two weeks left before Election Day on November 8th, and for most people that day cannot come soon enough. According to the American Psychological Association, half of Americans report that the 2016 election has been a source of SIGNIFICANT stress. This is the current reality that most of us are dealing with regardless of which side of the aisle you are supporting.

What can we do about Election stress, or any stress that we encounter?

Luckily for us, the human body is designed to deal with stressors, big or small. Within our bodies, there is an Automatic Operating System (aOS).  The sole purpose of the aOS is to organize our systems (i.e. digestive, cardiovascular, and immune) to combat and adapt to stresses that we encounter on a day to day basis.

As an (extreme) example, if you find yourself suddenly locked in a room with a hungry lion, how would your body react in that moment?

Your heart rate would increase, the blood in your body would be directed to your limbs, and your brain would be focused on an escape (flight) or a way to fend off (fight) this hungry threat! Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, would flood your system. This is the flight or fight response of your aOS. When we encounter stress, this system kicks into gear to varying degrees depending on the level of stress that we are under.

Taking care of your aOS, will improve your body’s ability to handle stress. Beyond that, studies show that a higher functioning aOS is linked to increased positive emotions. In other words, your capacity to adapt to stress dictates your capacity to be happy.

What is something you can do today to help you with Election Stress Disorder or any other stresses in your life?

One of the easiest ways to stimulate your aOS is mindful meditation. Meditation balances out the fight or flight responses in the body and promotes rest and healing. You can learn more at our Introduction to meditation class on November 1st. Click here to find out more.

In our office, we offer NeuroStructural Corrections that remove structural obstructions to the aOS. This is often the missing piece of the puzzle in our body’s ability to adapt to stress. With the latest methods of analysis and detection, we can help your body adapt to any season, even Election season.

Inflammation – your body’s greatest defense – can also be its greatest enemy.

Fire is one of man’s greatest tools. It can power large factories and keep our homes warm. At the same time, if unchecked and out of control, it can burn down thousands of acres of trees in a day. A small spark can cause an electrical fire that can destroy a home in an instant. Inflammation, like fire, can be very useful in certain situations but detrimental in others.

“In a healthy situation, inflammation serves as a good friend to our body,” says Mansour Mohamadzadeh, PhD, director of the Center for Inflammation and Mucosal Immunology at the University of Florida. “But if immune cells start to overreact, that inflammation can be totally directed against us.”

Let’s start by looking at the benefits of a healthy inflammatory response:

1. It’s the body’s healthy response to outside threats like stress, inflections or toxic chemicals.
2. It helps in protecting a wound or fighting off an illness. The swelling, redness, and warmth are signs that your immune system is sending white blood cells, immune cell-stimulating growth factors, and nutrients to heal the affected areas.
3. It prepares you for battle. Your body releases C-reactive proteins in response to inflammation. This is a natural part of your body’s biological “fight or flight” response to stress.
4. Inflammation is a healthy and necessary function for healing.

However, chronic and unchecked Inflammation can cause or is linked to:

1. Damage to your gut lining, causing good nutrients to escape the blood and allowing pathogens to invade.
2. Damage to your joints.
3. Higher risk of heart disease.
4. Higher risk of cancer.
5. Higher risk of depression.
6. Difficulty losing weight.

What can we do to prevent your body’s greatest defense from becoming your body’s greatest enemy?

1. Make sure your aOS (the control system for your inflammatory response) is working properly.
2. Remove any foods that cause an inflammatory response i.e. gluten and dairy.
3. Get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
4. Our bodies are designed for movement.  Make sure to get 20-30 minutes of exercise daily.

If you are suffering from Chronic Inflammation please call 904.310.0064 or visit our website (www.precisionchirofl.com) to schedule a complimentary consultation. Our job at Precision Chiropractic is to make sure you have a high functioning aOS so your body works for you, not against you.

The last installment in our series about Brain health will be focused on a specific part of your central nervous system called the Brainstem. The Brainstem is the junction point between the brain and the spinal cord. It consists of three components: The medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain.

Why are we so concerned with this area of the brain?
The answer is: this is where your aOS resides.
Your aOS (automatic operating system) controls all of the basic life support for your body including:

• immune system
• heart rate
• blood pressure
• digestion
• hormones (The chemistry in your body)

Your aOS allows your body to properly adapt to any environment, stress, and situation that you may encounter on a day to day basis.

As an example, if you were to fly from Jacksonville to Iceland, your aOS would adapt by shivering to generate heat in order to make up for the temperature difference. Your aOS would also protect your vital organs and brain by drawing blood away from your extremities and into your core.

The brainstem is so important that it is protected by the skull AND the first two bones in your neck.
However, if you have a traumatic event such as an accident or fall, it can create an Abnormal Shift in the neck that directly obstructs your brainstem, which would prevent your aOS from doing its job properly. This can lead to many diseases and Secondary Conditions such as:

• Headaches
• Migraines
• Constipation/diarrhea
• High/low blood pressure
• Autoimmune disorders
• Lethargy and fatigue
• Anxiousness
• Brain fog

Here is the bottom line: Chronic obstruction of your body’s aOS severely limits your ability to be healthy and ultimately can lead to many bodily dysfunctions and diseases. Taking care of your aOS is the BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way to be proactive for your brain and overall health.

For a complimentary consultation please visit our website or call us at 904.310.0064

Part two of our Healthy Brain series is about blood flow.  (If you missed part 1, check it out here).  If our body is an orchestra made up of our many cells, tissues, and organs, the brain is the conductor that runs the show.  The brain makes up only about 2% of our total body weight, but it uses approximately 20% of our body’s overall blood supply and 25% of the body’s oxygen supply.  This is because of the sensitivity of our brain tissue to lack of oxygen.  The brain is our body’s top priority when it comes to blood supply – even if other organs and tissues are in need of blood, our bodies will make every attempt to provide the brain with a constant flow of blood to keep neurons alive and functioning.

Normal blood flow brings necessary, life-sustaining nutrients to the brain:

• Oxygen
• Carbohydrates
• Amino Acids
• Fats
• Hormones
• Vitamins

Normal blood flow also allows waste products to be flushed out of the brain tissue:

• Carbon Dioxide
• Ammonia
• Lactate
• Hormones

Anatomy of Our Brain’s Blood Supply

Blood is brought into the brain by two pairs of arteries – the vertebral arteries and the internal carotid arteries.  These arteries all end up joining together at the base of the brain near the brainstem to form a ring called the Circle of Willis.

Why a ring?  This shape provides what is called redundancy of blood supply – a safety mechanism to ensure that the brain’s blood supply is not easily compromised.  If, for some reason, there is a blockage in one artery, the circle allows for alternative routes, so to speak.

Blood supply to and from the brain can be compromised in several ways.  The one most people think about most commonly is atherosclerosis, or plaques that narrow and obstruct the arteries.  Another way blood supply can be compromised is from the Atlas Displacement Complex, a very specific Structural Shift in the spine.  The atlas is located at the base of the skull, in the same area as the brainstem and Circle of Willis.  When it misaligns, it can cause Secondary Conditions like hearing problems, impaired sense of smell, headaches, migraines, dizziness, and high or low blood pressure.  Some research being done regarding potential causes of Multiple Sclerosis is also taking an in-depth look at impaired blood flow to the brain.

If an abnormal shift of the atlas vertebra is left uncorrected over a long period of time, it can create a chronic state of subclinical oxygen deprivation of the brain.  When the necessary Structural Correction is made, blood flow is allowed to return to normal, giving the neurons in the brain the oxygen and nutrients they need to thrive.

Structural Chiropractic and a Healthy Brain

Over the next three weeks, we will be discussing the three main components to getting and keeping a healthy brain. Those three components are Cerebrospinal fluid, Blood Flow, and Nerve conduction. Neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s are growing in prevalence all around the world. Nearly 1 in 6 of the world’s population suffer from a neurological disorders.

Our goal for the next three weeks is to discuss how Structural Chiropractic can be a PROACTIVE step towards limiting and even preventing future neurological disease by protecting the brain.

The first component that we will be discussing is Cerebrospinal fluid.

Here is the definition of CSF from the Encyclopedia Britannica :

“Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), clear, colourless liquid that fills and surrounds the brain and the spinal cord and provides a mechanical barrier against shock. Formed primarily in the ventricles of the brain, the cerebrospinal fluid supports the brain and provides lubrication between surrounding bones and the brain and spinal cord. When an individual suffers a head injury, the fluid acts as a cushion, dulling the force by distributing its impact. The fluid helps to maintain pressure within the cranium at a constant level. An increase in the volume of blood or brain tissue results in a corresponding decrease in the fluid. Conversely, if there is a decrease in the volume of matter within the cranium, as occurs in atrophy of the brain, the CSF compensates with an increase in volume. The fluid also transports metabolic waste products, antibodies, chemicals, and pathological products of disease away from the brain and spinal-cord tissue into the bloodstream.”

So the question now would be, how does an abnormal shift in the neck affect CSF?

An abnormal shift in the neck causes an abnormal flow of the CSF fluid from the skull into the spine. CSF is created in the deepest part of your brain called the ventricles. It is pumped out of the brain into the skull and then it flows down through the spinal column. However, an abnormal shift at the base of the skull and the top of the neck causes an obstruction to the natural flow of CSF. Imagine a clogged toiled, water flowing from the toilet into the pipe is slowed and can lead to back up.

What happens to your brain when this CSF flow is disrupted?

• Metabolic waste and proteins linger causing damage to Brain tissue
• CSF build up in the skull creates a high pressure environment that causes compression of Brain matter (usually resulting in migraines and headaches)
• Turbulent CSF flow can also wear out brain tissue similar to a river smoothing over a rock

When a Structural correction is made, CSF flow returns to normal, metabolic waste and proteins are flushed from the system and the pressure is normalized in the Skull.

Next week, we will discuss the importance of oxygen for tissues in the Brain and How Structural corrections can insure proper blood flow from the neck into the skull and brain.  See you then!

If you’ve been following the news over the past few days, you may have come across reports about the sugar industry’s strategy to downplay the connection between sugar and heart disease and shift the blame towards saturated fat.  The shocking part about this is that it’s been going on for over 50 years, to the detriment of the health of countless people.

Before the time when it became necessary for researchers to disclose their funding sources (like when the sugar industry funds a study that liberates sugar and indicts fat), the Sugar Research Foundation paid Harvard scientists to publish a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, a very prestigious research journal.  Because of that, many of today’s standard diet recommendations, for better or worse, have been largely shaped by the sugar industry.  People shifted their eating habits from foods that are higher in fats in favor of lower fat foods that were higher in sugar content.  Though the thinking is faulty, you could technically eat Twizzlers and Skittles all day and not consume any dietary fat.

Here’s where the problem lies.  There is no doubt now according to current research that excessive sugar intake is connected with heart disease.  High sugar consumption is a lead contributor to the obesity crisis across America, and obesity is a huge risk factor when looking at cardiovascular diseases.  A 2015 research paper suggested that a diet that is high in sugars can cause a threefold increase in the risk of death due to heart disease when compared with saturated fat.  Beyond heart disease, there are additional health risks that come along with eating too much sugar, including diabetes, liver disease, and tooth decay.

So, what’s the solution then?

Are we relegated to a life without the occasional donut for breakfast or slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving?  Certainly not, but there are simple changes we can make to reduce our overall risk of developing chronic diseases as a result of our lifestyle choices:

• Children ages 2 to 18 should consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar in their daily diet.  (For reference, a 12oz can of Coke is about 9 teaspoons)
• For adults, no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake should be made up of added sugars.
• Watch your carbohydrate intake.  Glucose (sugar) is the breakdown product of carbohydrates, mainly found in foods such as wheat, potatoes, rice, corn, fruit, and added sugars.  Replacing these carbs with healthy protein and fats can help keep blood sugar levels closer to normal.
• Keep your nervous system, your body’s master system, healthy with NeuroStructural Chiropractic care.  Every function of the body, from how nutrients in your food are absorbed, regulation of blood sugar, and the repair of damaged tissues, happens optimally when the nervous system is working properly.  We help people identify the structural reasons why they are not feeling their best, and we come up with a plan to correct these issues and get them back to living life on their terms.

Have you seen Graham?

Graham is a decidedly unique creation made of fiberglass, silicone, resin, and human hair.  As odd as he looks, he is what some trauma and collision experts believe what we humans would look like if we evolved to withstand car accidents.  Graham might not be pretty, but he was and designed and built to withstand a high-speed car crash.

Graham’s evolutionary adaptations include:

·      Flattened face to absorb the energy of an impact

·      Thicker skull, more cerebrospinal fluid, and extra ligaments to protect brain

·      Knees that can bend in all directions

·      Fortified ribcage to protect internal organs

Graham’s design highlights areas of our bodies that are particularly vulnerable during a crash.  It should come as no surprise that the brain and neck are at the top of that list.  Graham was designed to have an exaggerated, reinforced skull and no neck at all.  His enlarged head contains more fluid and ligaments that suspend his normal-sized brain; in fact, Graham’s head was designed much like a helmet to protect the brain from harm.

Graham’s creators decided to eliminate his neck altogether, showing us just how susceptible to injury the structures of the neck are.

From a NeuroStructural Chiropractic perspective, Graham makes perfect sense.  We recognize the vulnerabilities that are inherent in the structure and design of the spine.  We look very specifically and very thoroughly at the head and neck alignment for many of the same reasons why trauma and collision experts chose to reinforce these areas when they designed Graham.

Normal brain, brainstem, and central nervous system function isn’t optional when it comes to performing optimally day to day.  Since we’re not built like Graham – and aesthetically maybe that’s a good thing – we must address our built-in spinal vulnerabilities or risk compromising our body’s ability to function at its best.