Do you know where you currently hold or carry your stress?

It's no secret that many Americans are chronically stressed. Polls have shown that one in every four Americans deal with chronic stress in one way or another. It is estimated that 90 percent of disease is caused or complicated by stress. Stressors can cause a breakdown in the body's communication and overuse of the system.

There are many different types of stress we deal with on a daily basis, which can be broken down into physical, chemical, or emotional stress. Physical stressors are often thought of as an injury or sickness of some kind. Chemical stress can be caused by poor diet or lifestyle choices such as drinking or drugs. Emotional stress can often be the worst, it may include things such as relationship difficulties, family, or major life changes.

So what does that mean for health? The body has built in mechanisms to properly deal with every day stressors and keep the body balanced. However, with today's fast paced society, our bodies rarely have the opportunity to combat the stress before more is added on. This creates a confusing environment for the brain and nervous system, which are designed to communicate and respond to stress. The system may become unstable, and gets stuck in the "fight or flight" survival mode.

When we are trapped in constant survival mode, our ability to heal, grow, and flourish are greatly reduced. Since our bodies aren't designed to deal with all the negative input, the system starts to run inefficiently. Fatigue, illness, chronic pain, digestive problems, and insomnia are all potential signs of an over stressed system.

We can re-establish the balance and neutralize stress with lifestyle changes. Proper diet and nutrition, as well as some form of regular exercise program can have a significant effect on bringing the body back to normal. Chiropractic care helps to stabilize brain and nervous system function, which helps restore balance to the system to help reduce stress. If chiropractic could help you, would you want to know?

For more information, call Optimal Chiropractic at (208) 777-4305.