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Nervous System, Chiropractic and Innate Intelligence

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nervous system

Nervous System, Chiropractic and Innate Intelligence

This is a picture of a person’s entire nervous system (with the exception of the nerve endings in the skin). As far as I am concerned, this is what ‘someone’ looks like in their distilled essence. This mass of neurons was once sentient. It produced the mind and housed the intellect of the person it belonged to. It processed the information coming in through the senses and painted of a picture of the world the person found themselves in. It controlled various bodily processes. I steered the body through the obstacles of life. It once had dreams and ambitious. It learned how to interact with other nervous systems. It encoded the information it found relevant into long term memory. It enjoyed the pleasures of life and it had original ideas. It mourned the loss of others and experienced the sensation of physical pain. At times it became depressed/stressed/anxious/content/relaxed/afraid/empathetic/concerned. It fell in love and procreated with others. It had invested interest in the pursuit for knowledge. It knew that it would not last forever so it at one point in its life it decided to donate itself, once expired, for scientific research. This photo wouldn’t exist if the mind this nervous system once generated didn’t have a sense of intellectual altruism for everyone else it left behind. Whomever this nervous system once belonged to, you are appreciated.

Functions of the Nervous System
The nervous system has 3 main functions: sensory, integration, and motor.

  • Sensory. The sensory function of the nervous system involves collecting information from sensory receptors that monitor the body’s internal and external conditions. These signals are then passed on to the central nervous system (CNS) for further processing by afferent neurons (and nerves).
  • Integration. The process of integration is the processing of the many sensory signals that are passed into the CNS at any given time. These signals are evaluated, compared, used for decision making, discarded or committed to memory as deemed appropriate. Integration takes place in the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord and is performed by interneurons. Many interneurons work together to form complex networks that provide this processing power.
  • Motor. Once the networks of interneurons in the CNS evaluate sensory information and decide on an action, they stimulate efferent neurons. Efferent neurons (also called motor neurons) carry signals from the gray matter of the CNS through the nerves of the peripheral nervous system to effector cells. The effector may be smooth, cardiac, or skeletal muscle tissue or glandular tissue. The effector then releases a hormone or moves a part of the body to respond to the stimulus.

 

via GIPHY

 

Sciatica Pain or Subluxated Sacroilliac Joint Pain

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sciatica painLast month I had two patients who came to my clinic because they thought they had sciatica pain. One of the patients has self diagnosed himself and the other patient was diagnosed by a medical doctor. Both of these patients had excruciating pain in their lower back, which radiated down to a lower extremity. It is very common that many patients will wait for their pain to go away with rest, anti-inflammatory and pain medication. As a result, pain symptoms will get worse and get to the point where pain medications will stop working.

The first patient was a male in his early 60’s. He came to my clinic on his crutches. The pain level was so intense that he was not able to support his upper body. The pain would shoot all the way down his right lower extremity past the knee level but did not effect his toes.  After thorough examination it was evident that his right SI (sacroiliac joint) was about 2 inches lower than the left SI joint. All of the nerves that were exiting from sacral foraminas (openings) were very irritated and inflamed. Every time this gentleman would place a load on his legs he would cry and I could see tears of pain on his face. After three sessions of full spine chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy (moist heat and electrical stimulation) and deep tissue massage from my CMT (Certified Massage Therapist) he was completely free of pain. I have recommended him to stop by once or twice a month for maintenance care in order to avoid future flare up and pain.

The second patient was a female in her early 50’s. She has had very similar symptoms as the patient I have mentioned above. Her medical Doctor diagnosed her with sciatica and prescribed her pain medications, which eventually stopped working. The examination finding were very similar to a patient I have mentioned above, except the part that the pain symptoms were on a left side. The pain intensity was so great that it would wake her up at night. The treatment parameters were the same  with addition of stretching to her lower back and some dietary changes. She was also advised on taking more frequent brakes from prolonged sitting that her job required. After 4 sessions she was pain free and was advised on a once a month maintenance care.

Sciatica Pain and Misaligned Sacroiliac Joint are two conditions that can be misdiagnosed or misunderstood by patients and other medical care providers. It takes much longer for a patient with Sciatica nerve entrapment to respond to a care. Often times Sciatic Pain is presented in athletes with intense training. In conclusion I would like to say that it is important to treat the cause of the problem instead of masking it with pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications. The sooner the cause is fixed the faster the road to recovery is.

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Ways To Deal With Anxiety

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ANXIETYModern American life is very stressful and many people start a new day with anxiety.  So, what is anxiety? According to wikipedia: anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is “to vex or trouble”, in ether the absence or presence of psychological stress, it can create feelings of fear, worry uneasiness and dread. This condition is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation by prompting one to cope with it. When this condition is to excessive, it may fall under the classification of anxiety disorder.

Dealing with anxiety is best done before it reaches the breakdown pint. Those who have advanced stage will have to find a professional help. However, most of the people can cope with this condition on their own.

SLEEP:

My teacher used to say: “Sleep is your weapon.” If one lacks it on a regular bases it is impossible to concentrate on important daily tasks. A good night sleep is very important for the body to regenerate the nervous system after a long and stressful day and it also helps to rest other important physiological processes that are taking place in our body. Our body has its own physiological clock and it likes to keep sleeping and eating habits at the same time. This will allow the body to run smoothly. It is imperative that you do these two essential things at the same time as much as possible.

FOOD:

Stay away from foods that contain too much sugar and too much sodium. These foods will cause inflammation process in your body. Have you ever seen people with swollen faces? Guess what – it is the diet that is responsible for it. Consume anti-inflammatory diet full of low sugar  and sodium foods, vegetables, omega-3s, plant based protein – almond, walnuts and many other nuts will do the job. These foods will help to keep the mood stable and blood sugar level in check.

EXERCISE:

It is not a secret that one must have vigorous cardiovascular exercise at least three times a week for 30 minutes. It will help excrete excess toxins from your body. Exercise will stimulate production of endorphins in your body and is an awesome way to de-stress. If time is the limiting factor try to walk around your office. One must find time to exercise. Keeping this schedule on regular bases will add years to a healthy and productive lifestyle.

STRETCHING:

As you age, the muscles in your body tighten and range of motion in the joints can be minimized. This can put a damper on active lifestyle and even hinder day-to-day, normal motions. Tasks that used to be simple, such as zipping up a dress or reaching for a can off the top shelf, now becomes extremely difficult. A regular stretching program can help lengthen your muscles and make daily living activities easier. Performing stretching on daily bases is very important and will help to cope with anxiety. It does not take much time and will provide a great benefit for your body and mind.

Below are some benefits

  • Reduced muscle tension
  • Increased range of motion
  • Enhanced muscle coordination
  • Increased blood circulation
  • Increased energy level

MUSIC:

A study from University of Michigan proves that music therapy relieves health anxiety. One must use this tool if music brings the joy to a life. Find music that matches your mood. Music can support you through a multitude of emotions.

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New Scientific Evidence of Innate Intelligence Existence

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NEURONScientific Evidence of Innate Intelligence Existence

Neuroscientists of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have been working on a Blue Brain Project. The most recent discovery about the neurons independent connections based on a subject’s experience. The complete published work can be found in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (PNAS)

It has been known for sometime now that neuron connections are being established and reinforced in the human brain based on one experience – also known as “synaptic plasticity.” Do you remember your first bicycle ride? Once you learned it you will never forget. The team working on the Blue Brain Project at EPFL, led by Professor Henry Markman, however, is offering new evidence that this may not be the whole story.  The scientists were able to prove that small clusters of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex interconnect according to a set of immutable and relatively rules.  A complete discovery of this process was published in the last issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Each cluster contains about fifty neurons plus or minus. The scientists look at them as essential building blocks, which contain kind of in themselves a kind of fundamental, innate knowledge. For instance, certain physical experiences of this world. Mr. Markman says: “This could explain why we all share similar perceptions of physical reality, while our memories reflect our individual experiences.”

The principle determining the formation of these microcircuits is astonishingly simple. Basically, when two neurons are each connected to the same neighboring neuron, the probability that they are also interconnected is greater than average. The researchers were able to build a statistical model based on this observation.

During the experiment different rats have presented similar characteristics with neuronal circuits. If the circuits had only been formed from the experiences lived by the different animals, the values should have diverged considerably from one individual to another. That means that neuronal connectivity must in some way have been programmed in advance.

“Since John Lock, about 400 years ago, research into how the brain learns and remembers has been guided by the belief that we start from a clean slate and then print memories with each new experience. The idea that memory is like building lego with fundamental building blocks of knowledge opens up an entirely new door for research”, explains Markram.

Current technology is now allowing us to qualify the “tabula rasa” hypothesis, which argues that our brains are a “blank slate” at birth, and we only gain knowledge through experience. It’s an idea that has permeated science for centuries. There is no question that knowledge, in the sense that we typically understand it (reading and writing, recognizing our friends, learning a language), is the result of our experiences. But the EPFL team’s work demonstrates that some of our fundamental representations or basic knowledge is inscribed in our genes. This discovery redistributes the balance between innate and acquired, and represents a considerable advance in our understanding of how the brain works.

Source: Mediacom