Since March 8th is International Women’s Day, it is important to take a minute to acknowledge one of the most common things that women suffer from, chronic stress. The National Institute for Health Research from the University of Cambridge did a study to identify what groups experience the most stress. They looked at gender, age, medical conditions, addiction and mental disorders. Their research showed that for every one male, 1.9 females are affected by anxiety disorders related to stress, and women younger than 35 are increasingly affected. Another study by the American Psychological Association showed that women are much more likely than men to report physical and emotional symptoms of stress including indigestion, fatigue, and headaches. In fact, studies consistently show that women score higher on the stress-o-meter than men. In a survey conducted in 2006 by the American Psychological Association (APA), 51 percent of women reported that stress had an impact on their lives. For this rising level of stress what are some ways stress affects our bodies and how can chiropractic help?
Many of us can see that physical stress can be associated with spinal misalignments but something one might not consider is how emotional stress can affect the spine. How is this possible? When a person is experiencing emotional stress several hormones are released. Initially, adrenaline is released which is also known as the fight or flight hormone. Adrenaline is produced by the adrenal glands after receiving a message from the brain that a stressful situation has presented itself. Adrenaline, along with norepinephrine, are largely responsible for the immediate reactions we feel when stressed. Adrenaline causes your muscles to tense up, you’re breathing to hasten, and can even cause your body to sweat. Norepinephrine is also released to assist in your fight or flight reactions that stem from stress. A steroid hormone, cortisol, is also produced by the adrenal glands and is commonly referred to as the stress hormone. Cortisol is continuously released with chronic stress which can lead to suppression of the immune system (which makes it easier to get sick), increased blood pressure and sugar, decreased libido, acne production, obesity, and more. As you can see the muscles and glands of the body are highly impacted by chemical factors. Today, more than ever, we are hearing about the effect that emotional stress can have on the body which can result in spinal misalignment (subluxation) along with the severe nerve impact those misalignments have on the functioning of the nervous system.
How can Chiropractic help?
Chiropractors are trained to assess the bio-mechanics of the body in its current state and treat the disorders of the musculoskeletal system by realigning misaligned joints to increase the overall function of the nervous system and ultimately the entire body. As we learned earlier, chronic stress often causes misalignments throughout the spinal column especially in the nerves that control cognitive functions as well as immune function and digestive functions (these are the most common systems that chronic stress affects). Chiropractors focus their attention on realigning those areas of interests which can help to relieve the symptoms one might feel when chronically stressed. Chiropractors also use stress relieving therapies including essential oil therapy and referring out for massage therapy, yoga or meditation to help the patient’s overall wellness. Getting adjusted can help decrease chronic stress thereby relieving frequent headaches, digestive dysfunction and the overall improvement in an individual’s quality of life.
International Women’s Day is a day to say “thank you” to all the hardworking women in our lives. Each job is important and each causes a different level of stress in a woman’s life. A simple thank you or a gift of health to help relieve some of the symptoms of stress could help make her life even more rewarding. If you are a patient at Impact Chiropractic stop by the front desk on your way out to get the gift of health card to give to the special women in your life, they will be able to get their new patient exam and x-rays for huge discount! Call the team at 970-223-5501 for more information.
Here at Impact Chiropractic, we support our hardworking women!
