Many times a patient will come in who has had long term pain for a number of months or years. This could be an old shoulder injury that has never healed, hip pain that is constantly gnawing, or widespread symptoms of fibromyalgia. Being a chiropractor I have seen how capable the body is at healing itself. When given the right environment, time and stimulation the body can heal just about anything. When someone comes in who isn’t healing and hasn’t for a long time I have to ask what is happening internally to block these natural processes. Below are the five most common issues that I have found.
1) Anemia
If your blood can’t bring oxygen to your tissues, your tissues can’t heal. Anemia disrupts the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood. I have found anemia to be most common among menstruating women, vegetarians and vegans. People with chronic stomach ulcers or who are taking a lot of anti-inflammatory medication can also be anemic. People who are anemic are usually very fatigued and apathetic because their body is starved for oxygen.
2) Blood Sugar Imbalances
Your brain and body relies on the sugar that floats around in your blood for fuel. If that fuel supply is interrupted or can’t be relied upon your body can’t heal. It’s no wonder diabetic patients have such a hard time with wound-healing. If you get tired after eating a big meal, go long periods of time without eating, or get dizzy/lightheaded when you don’t eat, you probably have a blood sugar issue. These can be corrected by changing what you eat and what times you eat.
3) Stress
Your mind is an excellent servant but a terrible master. Use it correctly and amazing things happen, allow it to run rampant and it will wreak havoc on your health. Science has shown that cortisol is released when you’re stressed and cortisol is a potent hormone that lowers your immunity and slows healing. It also affects your blood sugar balance. If someone is over stressed, healing will slow or stop.
4) Sleep
Deep sleep is the main time when your body recovers from the last day and gets ready for the coming one. Nutrients are deposited throughout tissues during this time. Toxins and wastes are primed for excretion in the morning and the majority of major healing happens. In fact, seventy percent of human growth hormone, the major healing hormone, is released during deep stages of sleep. Medicated or alcohol-induced sleep fails to let you reach these deeper stages. If you’re not getting 8-9 hours of quality deep sleep your healing systems are not functioning at 100%
5) A Dysfunctional Nervous System
The nervous system orchestrates the incredibly complex task of healing. If the nervous system is not functioning optimally the body has trouble healing at full potential. There are many ways that the nervous system can be stimulated. Chiropractic, exercise, yoga, breathing exercises, acupuncture, tai chi and chi gong, music, dancing and singing are all practices that stimulate your nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments stimulate and reset a dysfunctioning nervous system in much the same way that you would hit the reset button on a malfunctioning computer. When the nervous system is working you not only heal but also feel better. This can be similar to how you feel after a good workout. Your body feels awake and alive.