For many people, stress controls their entire life. Thousands of years ago, stress was a good thing. We had to worry about being a midnight snack for a saber tooth tiger. Now we get stressed out if we don't have our favorite midnight snack ready and waiting for us in our fridge. Each ding on our smartphone can send a wave of stress through our body because we don't know what to expect on the other side of that notification. Other things can happen, like someone dropping a book on a hard tile floor that sounds like a gunshot, that can quickly put your body into fight-or-flight mode, gearing up for a possible attack. Your body responds the same whether you experience or simply perceive that potential attack. So whether you're actually involved in a shootout, or you just think you are, your body's stress reaction is the same either way. That fight-or-flight response has served us well for thousands of years. It helps you stay focused and alert, and can even keep you alive. Any system that your body doesn't need at that moment, like digestion, takes a backseat so your body can prepare itself to avoid a potential disaster. Stress works wonderfully in the short term as long as it slows down once it's done its job. When it doesn't slow down, and your stress response stays high when it's no longer needed, chronic stress frequently results. If our bodies never have a chance to recover from stress, the adverse effects build up. If the cause of your stress is physical, such as pain or dysfunction, it can cause a self-feeding cycle. A body in pain tries to protect itself with tension, which makes the pain worse and creates more stress. Chiropractic care relieves stress by interrupting that cycle, helping your body to heal and regain balance. In the article below, we will discuss the common sources of stress and how chiropractic care can help you feel better.
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