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New Research shows Chiropractic helps brain function:

Dr. Heidi Haavik is a chiropractor and neuroscientist.  She is on a quest to understand what Chiropractic does to the body and brain function.  In her book, “The Reality Check”, she goes over her research that shows the effects of chiropractic care on the brain’s sensory processing, muscle control, functional performance and sensorimotor integration.

Chiropractic care can help you restore optimal health and wellbeing!

The central nervous system comprises your brain and spinal cord.  The vertebral subluxation (dysfunctional spinal segments) lead to changes in the information that the spinal cord (central nervous system) sends to the brain.  So instead of the brain receiving information that the spinal segment is moving normally, it may not be moving at all (hypo-mobile), or it may be moving too much (hyper-mobile). Any change to the information to the brain, can change the brain itself. When a spinal segment does not move properly, research shows that it appears to influence how the brain perceives and responds to all other sensory information.  So, this is one way the brain is influenced in its processing and integration – through information coming from spinal function.

The brain is constantly changing, but not all change is necessarily good.  For example, if you have an injury and now the presence of pain, it can alter your brain’s perception.  The brain alters its muscle control and function, so in this case, your brain can learn to function poorly; just as much as it can learn good things such as riding a bike (new skills).  The concern is that if the issue goes on for a long time it may change the way your brain perceives the reality of what is happening in and around your body. These kinds of plastic brain changes – maladaptive (bad) – are thought to be involved in initiating chronic pain conditions.  Scientists have hypothesized that these changes in muscle recruitment patterns, as an adaptation to the pain, is due to underlying spinal instability.

 

The philosophy of chiropractic is to restore the proper communication of the brain and spinal cord.  This is accomplished with an adjustment that corrects the vertebral subluxation.  There is now research to show that this is having an affect on brain function.

You can learn more about Dr. Heidi Haavik’s through her book which I have listed over at my recommended reading blog post.