Your body is absolutely amazing and can do so many things without you even being aware of it. Think about it. Do you ever have to tell your lungs to take a breath, or to instruct your heart to beat? Do you tell your mouth to create saliva when you put food in it or ask your intestines and stomach to start digesting the food you just ate? When a virus enters your body, do you have to tell your immune system to defend against it? It's simply astounding how many things we take for granted that our AMAZING BODY does for us!
DID YOU KNOW?
That your nervous system (comprised of your Brain, Brain Stem, Spinal Cord and nerves) is in charge of EVERY SINGLE LITTLE THING that happens in your body, including all of the things that we just mentioned!?
That's why we take our job as neuro-functional chiropractors very seriously, because every time you receive a chiropractic adjustment, you improve how your nervous system works to keep you alive and thriving.
The AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) is in charge of the things that happen without you ever thinking about them. The ANS controls all of your vital functions outside of your conscious control. For this reason, we think the ANS is kind of a big deal!
The ANS has 2 very special and important divisions.
SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
This is your body's GAS PEDAL. This division is often referred to as the FIGHT or FLIGHT system and is responsible for protecting you from harm and keeping you safe. It gives you those funny feelings in your tummy when your super excited or anxious and scared. The sympathetic nervous system gets us going, gives us energy to get through our day and keeps us alert and focused.
Our modern day world has people living in "sympathetic dominance". We wear busy-ness like a badge of honour and strive to work more, "hustle" harder and "sleep when we are dead". The problem with this is that it's physiologically terrible for our body and is actually making us sick. Even our babies and kids are showing signs of sympathetic dominance with an increase in anxiety disorders, sleep problems and food allergies to name a few.
PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
This is your body's BREAK PEDAL. This division is often referred to as the REST and DIGEST system and is responsible for counteracting and balancing the Sympathetic Nervous system. It helps your body fall asleep, easily digest food, and heal when we are injured or ill.
The largest nerve of the Parasympathetic system is the VAGUS nerve (yes it sounds like Las Vegas but is NOTHING like it!) The name actually comes from the word vagabond which means 'wanderer' because this nerve literally 'wanders' all over your body, giving instructions to many different organs and tissues. It's why so many doctors and researchers have devoted so much attention to the Vagus nerve - its one of the keys to amazing health!
So of course, as neuro-functional chiropractors we want you to know how we help to hack into the life giving, healing properties of the VAGUS nerve with our chiropractic adjustments.
How Does Chiropractic improve the VAGUS nerve?
Neck Pain and Headaches are a leading reason for people seeking chiropractic care. Cervicogenic neck pain and headaches are often caused by misalignment in the cervical vertebrae (the bones in the neck). Because the Vagus nerve exits the skull just below your ear on both sides, in very close proximity to the cervical vertebrae, any misalignment in bones of your upper neck can affect how your Vagus nerve talks to the rest of your body. Your chiropractic adjustments realign these bones and remove interference to your Vagus nerves.
BUT WHAT ABOUT IN BETWEEN MY ADJUSTMENTS?
There are certainly things that you can do to once your Vagus nerve is free from interference to help stimulate it and bring better balance into your entire body and your nervous system on the whole. A simple google search will provide a ton of suggestions, but here are some of our favourites:
* Cold Showers
* Humming or Singing
* Gargling
* Self massage (just under the ear)
* alternating nostril breathing
Check out this video of Dr. Tara discussing the Vagus nerve: