Stress can be a big issue with causing many health problems in the world.  Chiropractic is using many resources such as advancing our technology, updating our methods, and using good caring philosophy to increase the wellbeing and health of our patients.  Below is a list of signs you should look for and correct to live your life to the fullest.

Before you blame everything on stress, we have to realize our reaction to stress is inherintly life-saving.  Let's imagine you are hiking and you stop to get some food and water.  You are sitting next to a beautiful stream when you you hear a loud 'huff' and out behind the bush pops out an angry momma bear, looking at you like you are endangering her cubs.  Immediately, your body will go into the 'fight or flight response.'

The first thing to happen is your nervous system will engage and detect a stimulus.  In this case, the stimulus is a bear.  In real life, that stimulus might be your children, a nagging spouse, a deadline at work, getting cut-off in traffic, or a negative emotions.

Your nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) then triggers activities in your body that are catabolic (breakdown of tissue) and shut down activities that are anabolic (tissue building).  What does this mean in regular talk?  This means your adrenals are triggered to release catacholamines (think adrenaline) and cortisol.  Catacholamines will trigger the heart to beat faster, pump more blood, constrict blood vessels, and increase emotional/anxiety centers.  Cortisol will increase blood sugar and blood lipids, while creating insulin to down regulate.  LDL cholesterol will be increased as HDL will decrease.  Digestion, reproduction, fertility, memory, and immune function will be sacrificed to run away from that bear.  Honestly, are you going to be worried about fighting a cold or making babies if a bear is chasing you?  

Looking at the big picture, those immediate life-saving changes in the short term become life-threatening under chronic situations of stress.  Let's analyze this.

• Increased blood pressure, blood vessel constriction, high LDL cholesterol.  In the short term, great.  In the long term, this sounds like the #1 killer in America.
• Decrease in Cell-mediated immune function.  In the short term, great.  In the long term, this sounds like cancer, the #2 disease killer in the USA.
• Increase blood sugar, blood lipids, with insulin resistance.  This sounds like diabetes, the #3 disease killer in the country as well as the building of obesity.
• Increased in sensitivity at the expense of memory.  This sounds like chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and all other auto-immune disorders. 
• The list continues with digestive problems, infertility, kidney impairment, liver impairment, nervos system disorders, etc.    

Your genetics tell your body to react that way but ONLY because you are in a bad environment (i.e. bear chasing you).  If you are to put your genetics in an environment with clean food, great relationships, clean air, plenty of movement, and living for your purpose, your genetics will thrive.  

Your job along with my help is to create that amazing environment.  There are 3 causes of a pathological environment.  1. Physical (movement). 2. Chemical (what you put in your mouth) 3. Emotional/mental/spiritual.

The goal of Dr. Kurt is to help you implement strategies in each of these relms so you are living to your God-given potential.  Schedule your consult to see if Dr. Kurt can help you.