-When asked what surprised him about humanity the most, the Dalai Lama replied: “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.”
As a young adult in my twenties I barley had any inclination to think about the future. Now, I often say or hear,”If I could only go back knowing what I know now!” In my practice knowing what happens to the bod, if neglected, is one of the keys to protecting your health and future.
Often when taking an initial history on a patient I hear “I have had these issues off and on for years but it usually went away but it isn’t going away now!” The truth of the matter is the pain went away but the causes of your pain and conditions were always still there. You see, the symptom of pain is usually the last part of your condition to show up but the CAUSE has been there for many years.
Today, I want to look at what happens when the Cause, subluxated joints in the spine, are left untreated.
The spine is the bony protection for the spinal cord. The spinal cord is vital to health because it is the communication path from the brain to the body. The brain controls all functions through the spinal cord and if it and the surrounding tissue is unhealthy your body with suffer. The spine is made up of bone, ligaments, cartilage and cartilage discs. The design is really amazing when you think about all the movements and positions that are performed by the body. When the vertebrae twist out of alignment the joints between the vertebrae lock and become immobile. This immobility causes trauma to the joints and an accelerated path of degeneration.
First, degeneration of the spine starts as a loss or normal curves that restricts normal ranges of motion. Ligament and muscle strength is reduced and you feel tightness and stiffness that gets worse. Even with the nerve irritation and soft tissue inflammation, pain or other obvious symptoms may not be present.
Second, years of accumulated calcium deposition are now visible as bone spurs. The spurs attempt to fuse malfunctioning joints because the body perceives these areas as weak and tries to strengthen them. The vertebrae become rough and uneven. Joint instability increases and is accompanied by worsening nerve irritation and disc degeneration.
Finally after years of neglect, complete fusion of the vertebrae has immobilized the joint. Compressed nerves cause permanent nerve irritation as soft tissue degeneration continues. This irreversible condition is associated with chronic health problems.
Stopping and or preventing spinal degeneration is essential for the health of your spine and body. There is now spine replacement surgery! We know that when untreated, subluxations cause havoc on spine and body, and makes it impossible to maintain health on every level. You cannot function at your best without proper spinal alignment. This can be restored and maintained by a chiropractic adjustment. It is crucial for a healthy and pain-free living. Chiropractic is an extremely safe and cost effective alternative to the medical and pharmalogical establishment. It will make you healthier and keep you that way!
