What do we mean by Stress?

Dr. Hans Selye, a Canadian-born physician, is one of the first to study the effects of stress in the human body. In his book, The Stress of Life, Selye defines stress as the ‘non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it’.1 Given that any ‘demand’ can be either productive or destructive, he goes on to define ‘good’ stress as eustress, and ‘bad’ stress as distress.

What does Stress do to my body??

When you perceive a threatening situation (distress), your nervous system becomes hyper-excitable, triggering the release of a multitude of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

The combined effect of nervous system hyperactivity and the hormonal cascade leads to the body’s preparation to run away from danger, or to turn around and fight. Blood and energy supplies are redirected to your muscular system. Your heart beats faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. Any bodily systems that are not required for immediate protection from the threat are also suppressed – such as the digestive system and the immune system.

What if the stress in the environment is not actually life-threatening, but you only perceive it as a serious threat?

Unfortunately, when you’re stressed by a busy schedule, heavy traffic, an upcoming job interview, or conflict with a colleague, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. Although none of these situations are actually life-threatening, most people would describe them as ‘stress-full’, and the body reacts by flooding itself with the same hormones that are released in a life-or-death situation.

If the stress response is necessary for a person’s survival, it is considered very appropriate, and the physical effects are limited once the stressful situation has subsided. If a person is exposed to ‘stress-full’ situations more long-term, the stress response can change from helpful to harmful.

Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system of your body. It leads to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. It suppresses the immune system, leaving you prone to chronic illnesses. It also produces a very tense musculoskeletal system, leading to increased incidence of tension headaches, backaches, and joints that will experience premature wear and tear (osteoarthritis).

How can chiropractic help?

DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, once stated that, “Life is the expression of tone. Tone is the normal degree of nerve tension… the cause of disease is any variation of tone — nerves too tense or too slack.”2

Chiropractors are neuromusculoskeletal specialists. When a person is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system’s response causes muscles to tighten, and as a result joints become compressed, restricted and painful. When it affects the joints of the spine, chiropractors call this a vertebral subluxation.

When a chiropractic adjustment results in a ‘popping’ noise (the ‘crack’), this represents an immediate decompression of the joint involved. With less pressure in the joint, relative motion is improved, and any pain that was caused by compression of the joint can be alleviated. With less restriction in the joint, less effort is required by muscles to move the joint, thereby facilitating a greater sense of ease or relaxation in these tissues.

An increased sympathetic tone can lead to the constriction of blood vessels and nerves as they pass through muscles. This can contribute to the suffocation and dysfunction of the organs and tissues that these vessels supply. Therefore, reducing stress in the neuromuscular system with the chiropractic adjustment not only helps reduce body aches and pains, but it also improves the health of every other organ and tissue in the body.

One of the most dangerous side-effects of chronic stress is the resulting increase in blood pressure. Heart attacks and strokes are two of the leading causes of preventable death in North America, and both of these conditions can result from high blood pressure. In a recent article, researchers showed that chiropractic adjustments applied to the first cervical vertebra (the atlas) were more effective in significantly reducing blood pressure when compared to medications and placebo.3 Other studies have shown similar changes when applying chiropractic adjustments to the neck,4 and other healthy parameters of the heart have been shown to respond favorably to adjustments applied to the thoracic spine.5

By correcting the subluxation, Chiropractors help to restore a more natural tone in the nervous system, resulting in decreased tension and improved function in many organ systems of the body.6 Thus, the chiropractic adjustment is an ideal tool to help reduce the pain and tension caused by stress.

References:

1. Selye, H. (1956). The Stress of Life. MacGraw.
2. Palmer, D.D. (1910). The Chiropractor’s Adjuster (also called The Text-Book of the Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic). Portland Printing House.
3.  Bakris G, Dickholtz M, Meyer PM, Kravitz G, Avery E, Miller M, Brown J, Woodfield C, Bell B. Atlas Vertebra Realignment and Achievement of Arterial Pressure Goal in Hypertensive Patients: A Pilot Study. Journal of Human Hypertension 2007 (May);   21(5): 347–352.
4. Fujimoto T, Budgell B, Uchida S, Suzuki A, et al. Arterial tonometry in the measurement of the effects of innocuous mechanical stimulation of the neck on heart rate and blood pressure. J Autonom Nerv Sys 1999; 75:109-115.
5. Budgell B & Polus B. The effects of thoracic manipulation on heart rate variability: A controlled crossover trial. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2006; 29 (8):603-610.
6. Lynch S & Boone WR. Somatovisceral responses to chiropractic adjustments. JVSR 2009;