Problems arise because of how we use and abuse our bodies: the accidents we have, the postures we adopt, the chemicals we ingest all place stress on the body. As we are exposed to more and more stress layers of tension build within the body, the body distorts to accommodate this tension, and the tension and these distortions interfere with how the body works. Before we know it life isn’t as easy as it once was: a rigidity sets in and the body can’t adapt and change like it once did. Physically you may struggle to recover from accidents, illness and injuries, or you have to put a lot of effort into the things that you once did effortlessly. Chemically you might develop sensitivities or allergies, you might not digest food like you used to, or your hormone balance might be disrupted. If you’re on medication you might find you need to increase your dose, or start rotating through different combinations just to get the same effect. Emotionally you might become stuck in how you feel – depressed, or angry, or sad – without the opportunity to enjoy life’s ups and downs. Most patients start chiropractic care at this point in their life. They talk about how their body isn’t working properly, how it doesn’t do what it used to do, how it’s not healing itself and how this affects how they work, play and experience life. Essentially they’re describing what we chiropractors refer to as a subluxation: interference to the expression of the intelligence that runs the body; interference to their potential to be as healthy as they could be; interference to their potential to be all that they can be.
