Emotions

EMOTIONS

Emotions can trigger physiological responses to evade certain situations. But can emotions

such as anxiety, jealousy, joy, sadness, anger, depression cause physiological changes as

well? Yes, and to some extent, every human being every day experiences some form of

emotional upset, even if that upset is laughter from a joke. That is an emotional upset of

normal physiology that triggers a happy feeling and the body responds hormonally to bring

about a feeling of euphoria. This is a good upset.

However, those emotional changes that trigger a bad upset are not good to the body as a

whole. When someone feels tension from a despised coworker, they will begin to feel

tightness around the shoulders and upper back, traveling up the neck and into the head

producing a headache.

This will diminish the body s ability to perform at its optimum, eventually stretching so far as to

restrict normal digestion (heartburn, constipation), restrict breathing and even generate

abnormal heart conditions.

But let s not leave out what it will do to the anatomy as far as joints and muscles are

concerned. When someone gets angry or fearful or reacts to any stressful situation, the body

will react by tightening muscles in various areas, most noted between the shoulders and along

the upper back and neck. This will restrict the motion of the spine and eventually cause the

nerve flow to be compromised. That nerve flow may be to vital organs, or it may be to muscles

that are required to move your neck or arms. This will trigger more tension and manifest

aberrant joint motion and eventually lead to bursitis, tendonitis and ultimately arthritis [for more

detailed information, see Bursitis, Tendonitis and Arthritis].

So what can chiropractic do about emotions?

I am glad you asked. It can help tremendously or it may not help at all. It all depends on what

the problem is - some may be beyond the scope of chiropractic.

A chiropractor can recognize signs of emotional upset by the physical symptoms the patient

presents with such as muscle tension, restriction of motion, nervousness, easily aggressive

with responses to questions, cries without reason or exaggerated pain levels.

What will happen next is the chiropractor will examine and treat the patient. The treatment can

be a continual process as long as the patient is living under the umbrella of emotions that

caused the problems in the first place. The chiropractor is not a qualified psychologist or

psychiatrist, but they can suggest alternatives that may benefit the patient in regards to

lifestyle changes.

Some people want to pooh-pooh the notion that people feel sick and tired because of their

emotions, but the body s reaction to emotions is real and can be very detrimental to your

health. Do not disregard this part of your life.

I use a technique developed by my brother, called Neuro-Physio-Balancing (NPB for short) that

helps to focus in on the conditions that may be contributing directly or indirectly to emotions.

It is a reflexology technique. Other know reflexive techniques are AK (Applied Kinesiology) and

TBM (Total Body Modification).

[back to top] [Stress] [HOME]