Chicken or the Egg

What comes first, compromised function or the obvious symptom?

It’s tempting to think that a particular ache or pain shows up at the same time as the compromised function of an organ or tissue. But there’s often a lag.

Because our bodies are so adaptable, we’re often able to manage in spite of a growing problem that keeps nagging us. Although we may not yet have obvious or debilitating symptoms, our capacity to adapt is diminished. Then, all it takes is a sneeze, tying our shoes or the stress of a deadline to put us over the edge and symptoms appear.

“I didn’t do anything!”

Actually, there were probably subtle signs that suggested something was amiss. Each of us has a different threshold of “body awareness.” For example. Some of us are aware of an impending head cold with the earliest signs of a sore throat. For others, it takes full-blown sinus congestion before they admit, “Hey, I have a cold!”

Become more aware of your body. Take note of even the smallest changes. Notice alterations in your energy level, sleep habits, digestion and elimination. The key is to take corrective action while your body is still whispering, rather than waiting until it’s shouting for help!

By the time the threshold of obvious symptoms is reached, the problem has been quietly getting worse. Finally, the answer to the age-old question of what comes first, the chicken and egg—solved!

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Intelligent or Merely Smart

If you were to measure the momentary pause between each beat of your heart, you’d discover it was constantly changing. The amount of “heart rate variability” is one indicator of your overall health.

Or, consider your blood pressure. Conventional thinking considers 120/80 to be normal. But “normal” for you changes throughout the day. If it didn’t, we might pass out by simply standing up!

These and many other aspects of our bodies are dynamic. They’re constantly changing based on what we’re experiencing. Fortunately, we each have an intelligence within us that makes these adaptations for us. In fact, the ability to adapt to the environment is one of the definitions of intelligence.

Your automobile, which has limited intelligence, requires that you do most of the adapting to the environment. Driving up a hill will require that you press down further on the accelerator. Stop sign? You’ll have to press the brake pedal—with just the right amount of pressure at just the right time. To safely and successfully drive your car, you have to supply most of the intelligence.

Not true with your body. Your nervous system, which controls and regulates the whole show, does the work for you—if your nervous system isn’t impaired. Thus, regular chiropractic checkups are not only intelligent, but also smart!

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Comfortable Cruising Altitude

“United 475 heavy, you’re cleared for take off on 32 left.”

Soon after your pilot receives a message like this, you’ll start down the runway. In just moments, you’ll be going fast enough to cause the low pressure above the wing, created by its unique shape, to lift you into the air.

To create the speed necessary to produce lift, requires enormous amounts of energy. Large quantities of fuel are used during the first 20-minutes of your flight. Once the proper altitude is reached, it takes hardly any fuel at all to maintain the right cruising speed.

Just like chiropractic care.

At the beginning, lots of energy is used. The visits are frequent. The goal is to create sufficient momentum to reverse the unhealthy spinal pattern that has prompted a visit to our office. Then, as symptoms subside, it usually takes fewer visits to maintain the progress and start retraining the spine for more lasting change.

Feeling better, this is when many chiropractic patients bail. And since they’re on the ground, not in the stratosphere, it’s easy to do. Which predisposes them to a relapse. Which again, requires massive amounts of fuel. Which again, gets them to a comfortable cruising altitude. Which prompts them to discontinue their care. Which, well, you get the idea.

Conserve your energy. Stay well with regular chiropractic checkups so you don’t have to keep getting well.