I looked in horror into my rear view mirror as a semi tractor-trailer truck was speeding toward me. It was 10:00 pm and I was driving home exhausted from a full day of work and school. I quickly turned on my signal and moved into the slow lane of the freeway. The speeding truck was nearly clear of my car when it veered into my lane, hitting my car and causing it to spin and weave uncontrollably. When I finally came to a stop, I was staring into headlights. I was now facing the wrong way. I somehow managed to back up my car and park it on the shoulder of the road. Needless to say, there were many details that followed next surrounding the mess of bent metal and exchanging of information.
For the next several months, my whip lashed neck would need therapy to heal. My first experience with chiropractors began in my twenties, in hopes of healing from the effects of this car accident. With the care of my chiropractor, I did heal. But my first visit into this world away from the traditional medical setting was new to me. I was impressed, but cautious. Over the years I realized that this area of medicine was the best alternative for me.
When I entered a new season in my life raising a brain-injured child, I once again turned to the chiropractors for care. Sean had many challenges, from sensory integration issues to a crooked spine. For years, we traveled far out of our way to receive this care, but the improvements were worth the investment of time.
We know that the brain is the master operator for our bodies. So it is common sense that when the spinal cord is not straight, the nerves traveling inside will not transmit as efficiently. The messages sent to the brain from the skin, muscles, joints and organs will not be working properly if the spinal cord is not in correct position. This puts stress on the body, including the brain. When the body is stressed, as I have mentioned in past blogs, the stress hormones get overworked and eventually your immune system breaks down. This opens the door for disease and all kinds of health issues from digestive problems to high blood pressure.
God built the stress system for our bodies to handle an emergency. But we were not designed to stay in this stress mode. He created us to be in a state of rest and relaxation so that we can grow and develop. So if our spines are not aligned properly, our nervous system can't do its job, and then the snowball effect of disease is inevitable. In a recent article where Dr. Jockers summarized various studies, he noted that "Chiropractic adjustments stop the stress response and restore normal hormonal and cardiovascular function in the body. This allows the body to reset itself and begin healing the damage that was done in the body due to chronic stress cycles." (drjockers.com/chiropractic-improve-brain-function/)
Last summer I started visiting Dr. Cloud, a chiropractor in La Habra, CA (see my Resource page). Since I hadn't had the care of a chiropractor for a couple of years, my body hurt all over. Now that I'm out of that state of constant pain, I continue this therapy to keep my body fit. I love the fact that Dr. Cloud offers other therapy techniques in the office, as well as massage therapists (www.goseedrcloud.com). I have never had such excellent care!
From that night forty years ago where I nearly lost my life to today, I always seek out the most natural ways to keep healthy. What are methods you use to stay healthy?