Have you ever heard the saying “Stress kills” and thought it was a bit overblown? Well, it really isn’t. Chronic stress is linked to six leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.

The next question you might have is how could chiropractic possibly be a great treatment for stress. Let’s explore stress and how chiropractic can help the body better navigate stress.

Here’s a post I did on Stress.

Let’s Define Stress

There is a common assumption that stress is psychological in nature. When we think of stress we think of challenges at work, family, in relationships, etc. But, stress is much more and understanding how stress impacts you will help you navigate a life filled with stress. 

Your nervous system is your interface with the world, with every aspect of your environment. It is responsible for keeping thousands of processes and chemical reactions in balance. But, the overriding purpose of your nervous system is…

…Survival! Yes, survival.

It wasn’t that long ago in human history when people routinely faced a challenge to their very survival. It might have been from another human or from a predator. When faced with a threat the nervous system directs all resources of the body to ensuring survival.

This part of the nervous system is the Sympathetic “fight-or-flight” System. It’s called that because it prepares us to fight or flee for our life. Some of the responses of the Sympathetic System are things like:

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Increased stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline
• Increased respiratory rate
• Impaired sleep
• Impaired digestion
• Increased muscle tension

Those are all wonderful responses if you have to fight off a dangerous animal or flee to safety. 

But, there is a problem. 

Our modern world is filled with stimuli and triggers that our nervous system interprets as a potential threat. The world has changed so much and so fast that our nervous system cannot keep up. These triggers are not something you can easily reduce, eliminate, or manage. They are part of modern life leading to chronic stress. 

How Does Chronic Stress Work?

Those stress triggers activate the Sympathetic Nervous System which prioritizes the body’s energy and resources to take action right now. That’s not a problem when it happens periodically but in our modern world this is happening many times a day. 

When the Sympathetic System is activated it turns down its counterpart, the Parasympathetic Nervous System or Vagus Nerve. A healthy active Vagus Nerve supports things like:

• Restorative Sleep
• Rest and Recovery
• Healthy Immune Response
• Healthy Digestion
• Lowered Heart Rate 
• Lowered Inflammation

Over time with repeated activation we begin to live in what I call a state of Sympathetic Dominance. This is when we start to experience the long term health impact of stress. It can vary from person to person but often includes things like:

• Poor quality sleep or insomnia
• Digestion Issues like acid reflux, constipation, gas, bloating, diarrhea
• High Blood Pressure
• Headaches
• Anxiety and Depression
• Fatigue
• Generalized inflammation
• Diabetes

Not only does this involve overactivity of the Sympathetic System but it also suppresses the Vagus Nerve. Even if the Sympathetic System gets exhausted like it does in conditions labeled Adrenal Fatigue, the Vagus Nerve is unable to take back over.

Your Vagus Nerve is your key to resolving stress and experiencing energy, health, and vitality. 

How is Chiropractic an Antidote to Stress?

Both the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Vagus Nerve are intimately connected to the spine. Any increase in tension or irritation can either activate or suppress these systems. 

It almost always works in one direction…

The Sympathetic “fight-or-flight” Nervous System gets overactivated and…

The Vagus Nerve gets suppressed. This is when you start to experience the impact of stress in your life and your health. It typically starts fairly mild and over years gets worse and worse. Eventually you are taking medications to combat the impact of stress. 

Chiropractic and Stress

We’ve been talking about the nervous system. Your nervous system is working 24/7 to keep you balanced and stress is the force that pushes you out of balance. 

So, what can chiropractic do?

The Vagus Nerve runs right in front of the top vertebrae of the spine, C1. If C1, the occiput above, or C2 below are out of alignment or have lost their normal motion the result is often irritation to the Vagus Nerve.

Irritation to the Vagus Nerve reduces its ability to function normally and this increases the impact of stress on the body. 

Corrective and balancing chiropractic care restores proper balance to the upper cervical spine, reducing irritation to the Vagus Nerve. 

The Sympathetic Nervous System is closely related to the thoracic spine of the upper and mid back. The Sympathetic System runs down each side of the spine right next to the vertebra and near where the ribs attach to the spine. 

Imbalances in alignment and motion in this area typically result in overactivity of the Sympathetic System. 

Structural Balance refers to whether your pelvis, shoulders, and head are level. When they are out of balance your nervous system exerts energy in a never ending attempt to keep you in as much balance as possible. This creates muscle tension and spasm, pinches joints and nerves and causes pain and fatigue. 

Corrective Chiropractic is aimed at restoring as much balance as possible to reduce irritation and tension of the nervous system. 

Vagus Nerve Activation Even after we remove irritation to the Vagus Nerve and Sympathetic System, the Vagus Nerve typically needs to be activated or exercised. The longer you have been under chronic stress the more your Vagus Nerve needs to be stimulated on a regular basis. 

There are a number of ways to activate the Vagus Nerve. Activating the Vagus Nerve gives you an experience that has been described as ease or safety. It feels good, relaxing, and restorative. In my practice I discuss multiple ways but always instruct clients on what I call conscious breathwork to activate the Vagus Nerve multiple times each day. 

Not only is conscious breathwork easy but almost everyone finds it incredibly relaxing. Some of the breathwork practices can be done anytime and anywhere. 

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