To start things off, I must introduce myself. I am Dr. Richie, and I am a Doctor of Chiropractic. I practice along side my wonderful, soon-to-be, wife Dr. Molly. We love to watch our patients restore their vitality and invigorate their belief that they can heal themselves! Today, we need to talk about something specific to chiropractic called the Subluxation. A Vertebral subluxation is when two adjacent spinal bones are misaligned and put terrible stress/pressure on your nerves. This is the sole thing Doctor of Chiropractic detect & correct. We look to the spine for the cause of dis-ease. Yes, we hyphenate disease because when we are overcome by illness or an ailment it is due to their being lack of ease or dis-ease within the body. So, what causes a Subluxation? That is where the 3 T’s come in. The first “T” is the most common and is what most people associate going to a Chiropractor for.
T #1: Traumas
Traumas happen to every person almost daily; however, we must understand that most humans only think of trauma when there is something significantly wrong or a horrific accident that results in hospitalization. What most people do not realize is, the microtraumas that occur almost daily are adding up and leaving negative effects on your body and spine. Some examples of traumas are the birth process, falls, sports injuries, carrying children, car accidents, improper lifting, and texting/social media just to name a few more common ones. Did you know, a car accident at as little as 5 mph can cause scar tissue to form in your spine. Sitting for hours at a time working a desk job Can cause weakness in the spine and lead to subluxations in the lumbar spine. Bringing your head to your phone constantly to text and look at social media can reverse the proper curve in your neck causing subluxations and create rapid degeneration of the cervical spine and add 50lbs to the weight of your head on your neck. Even the most natural of births can be traumatic as most times the entire weight of the child is turned by its neck to position the shoulders for birth with extreme torquing on the delicate neck of a newborn causing subluxations from the get-go. This is not to scare you; it is to inform you about the likelihood of you having traumas and you not even knowing. Getting checked to see the condition of your spinal column is imperative so you KNOW, not guess about the structure of the housing to the most important system in the body.
T #2: Toxins
Toxins are items that you and I come in contact almost every day. AND in this pandemic, the toxin levels have increased significantly, IF you are not using the proper materials. Toxins can cause subluxations. Especially to the segments that house primarily parasympathetic nerves (the nerves that control the things you do not have to think about, like breathing). Some common toxins are as follows: Alcohol, Narcotics, Drugs, Food Additives, Bleach, Cleaning products, Makeup, Lotion, Perfume, Antiperspirant, sunscreen, Fast Food, MSG, GMO &
processed foods. Breathing in harsh chemicals is harmful to your body, specifically your pulmonary system and can lead to subluxations. Ingesting processed foods, fast foods, chemically altered foods and high levels of processed sugars create a breeding ground for illness in the digestive system, cause subluxations, and not to mention they are directly linked to causing Type II Diabetes. Finally, lotions, makeup, antiperspirants, shampoos, and perfumes have harmful chemicals in them, and we put them on our bodies almost daily. A lot of these products have heavy metals in them, and your largest & most porous organ is YOUR SKIN. The toxins are almost immediately absorbed into your body and enter your blood stream. We know that increased heavy metals lead to neurodegenerative diseases.
Toxins are so prevalent in our world right now and that needs to be removed as a new social norm in society as it will 100% do more harm than good. One way we are cutting down on the toxins in our lives & our patients’ lives is partnering with a wonderful local company called The Conscious Merchant. They create different products that can be used for cleaning, personal hygiene, and reusable products that will not contribute to the contamination of our wonderful planet. Their products will help you not only become less toxic, but they will keep you clean, beautiful and vibrant!
T #3: Thoughts
Thoughts are poison. Thoughts lead to everything we do or do not do. Keeping our mind clear is important. Some things that help a clear & confident mind stay clear are being in community with others, fresh air & sunshine, as well as exercise. Thoughts will affect the nervous system and depending on your thoughts, they can either positively or negatively affect our nervous system depending on the thoughts. Some examples of thought causation of subluxations are emotional stress, negative thoughts, financial stress, comparing yourself to others, & home life. In the United States we are in a constant state of judgement of ourselves and others. We seek to compare ourselves on social media based on snapshots of their lives and go down a rabbit hole of thoughts as to why we are not (blank). The sooner we turn from judgement and ridicule to compassion and understanding, the healthier we will be as a nation. Mental Health is a huge problem in our country and the isolation from the pandemic has exacerbated the issue. We need to come together with positivity, community and strive to uplift others constantly.
The 3 T’s of Subluxation are extremely prevalent constantly and we need to do more to care for the hygiene of our spine. We have been lectured on dental hygiene before we could spell hygiene and that is totally necessary. However, we were never taught from birth how to care for our spine throughout our lives, our spinal hygiene is a mess, and we need to take it more seriously. You can replace your teeth; you cannot replace your spinal vertebrae. Please take care of the one you have because it is your only one. Subluxation is the serious condition that leads to degenerate disc disease and degenerative joint disease as well as fusion of the spine. My hope is that by you now knowing more about what can cause the debilitating effects of subluxation, you will be more careful about your decisions in your mental health, chemical health & Mental health as well as get your spine checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic so you can accurately know the condition of your spinal column.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Richie