Fear, much like a virus, sabotages the inner workings of the body by using it to multiply. Think of fear as a planted seed. The more we water it, the more it grows. As a society we have witnessed a fear pandemic that has swept the globe. Billions of seeds have been planted and are being watered everyday.
Once the pandemic ends, we will be left with the results of all those planted seeds; full grown plants with long reaching vines that are wrapped up and intertwined in many of our thoughts and beliefs moving forward.
Long after the threat has subsided, the fear that has been allowed to flourish during this time of solitude will continue to affect the way many people make decisions and live their lives in general. Living in a state of fear is harmful to the body, mind, immune system and overall level of wellness we are able to experience.
What can we do?
We have a choice and it is simple. Continue to live with fear of the external environment, or develop trust in our body’s own innate ability to respond to a threat or foreign particle, also known as: natural immunity.
In order to get a deeper understanding of what the human body is able to do, we can look at some recorded data from a situation that occurred over 100 years ago, but looked very similar to the present day.
In 1918 the Spanish flu pandemic was responsible for approximately 100 million deaths worldwide. As documented by the health care community at that time, the death rate for patients with the virus under chiropractic care was only 1/40th of the death rate for patients with the virus being cared for by medical doctors. In Davenport, Iowa, researchers found that out of 93,590 patients treated by medical doctors, there were 6,116 deaths or 1 patient in every 15. In contrast, chiropractors cared for 4,735 cases with only 6 deaths or 1 patient in every 866. During the same pandemic in Oklahoma, out of 3,490 flu patients under chiropractic care, only 7 deaths were reported. Due to the high success rate chiropractors had in treating this virus, the profession became licensed for the first time for the treatment of infectious diseases.
Today the correlation between proper spinal alignment and immune function is well documented. A 2004 study showed that nerve compression due to spinal misalignment in the thoracic region had a significant effect on immune system function. Another study found that regular chiropractic patients were found to have 200% greater immune competence than those who had not received chiropractic care. A 1991 study also documented drastic increase in immune function after a single chiropractic adjustment when measured by blood work 20 minutes after the adjustment and 2 hours after the adjustment. Immunoglobulin function was significantly elevated in both samples. In 1994, Life University researchers adjusted a group of HIV positive patients for six months and found a 48% increase in the number of CD4 cells after chiropractic care.
It’s interesting that the focus of chiropractors in the early 1900’s was very different than that of most chiropractors practicing today.
Pain based, non-specific chiropractic is what many chiropractors practice now. This is effective for treating pain and symptoms, but does not get to the root cause of dysfunction. Unfortunately this is what the general public has come to know as chiropractic. Most people think chiropractic is just for neck and back pain, when in reality it can do so much more.
Subluxation based chiropractic focuses on greater expression of health and life. Subluxation is the scientific word for a misaligned vertebra or misaligned region of the spine creating interference in nervous system function. This style of chiropractic, which is the original way chiropractic was practiced, is focused, specific, and requires a high level of skill by the chiropractor.
Our focus today needs to be on cultivating the body’s natural ability to heal and fight infection. There are three main ways we can increase natural health and wellness.
1. The breath
Deep breathing into the belly slows down the nervous system, de-stresses the body, and helps calm the mind. It is the doorway to deeper levels of relaxation and an integral part of all systems of meditation and mindfulness. Our thoughts and emotions have a substantial impact on not just the strength of our immune system, but the entire body.
2. Movement
Our bodies need daily movement to help dissipate tension, keep our joints healthy, and also helps maintain healthy hormone levels. Every system of our body requires movement in order to function well and keep us from experiencing pain or discomfort.
3. Adaptation
The chiropractic adjustment acts as a natural adaptogen. It enables the body to better adjust to a constantly changing, stressful environment without producing a stress response.
The undeniable understanding that our body has the innate ability to heal itself, repair itself, and regulate itself will serve as the catalyst to lead us from fear to knowing that we can trust our body and its ability to be heathy and stay healthy. The new seeds we plant will be seeds of certainty, seeds of change, seeds of potential.