The Wide-Ranging Effects of Anxiety
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| Holistic Chiropractic Care |
| Chiropractic care is about much more than bones, joints,
muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The focus of chiropractic is on the
musculoskeletal system, and yet the benefits of chiropractic care extend
far beyond these connective tissue structures. Chronic musculoskeletal tension results in various biochemical changes such as excessive and prolonged build-up of lactic acid in the muscles - a metabolic end-product of muscular contraction. These metabolites, which are accumulating wastefully and unnecessarily, irritate local nerve endings. This nerve irritation leads to increases in local muscle tension, setting-up a vicious circle of muscle tension, nerve irritation, more muscle tension, and more nerve irritation. It is important to realize that these irritated nerves send signals to all the other parts of the body, causing increased levels of activity and unnecessary use of precious resources. When this happens, the person may become irritable, gets tired more easily, has sleep disturbances, and may even develop various diseases. Chiropractic care is a powerful healing method that positively affects many body systems as a result of addressing stresses in the musculoskeletal system. |
We humans seem to be wired for modest levels of anxiety to act as
a
fear-arousal warning system. Anxiety can be characterized as fear,
worry, apprehension or uneasiness. Anxiety is a common
psychological state in which the basic message is an internal urging to
"get away from this
situation". The state of anxiety is commonly accompanied by various
physiologic symptoms triggered by a surge in adrenaline - including
increased heart
rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased blood flow to the major
muscle groups as the body prepares to "fight or flee".
These are all typical responses to environmental threats. The
overall process is controlled by the amygdala and hippocampus, two
regions of the brain's limbic system which process memory, emotional
response, and spatial navigation. With frequent and prolonged anxiety
states, a person may begin to respond to
perceived threats as strongly as they respond to real threats. This
anxiety state may persist and
even become the default condition for the individual.
Those with chronic anxiety may experience chronic back pain,1,2
chronic muscular tension, fibromyalgia,3 headaches, chest
pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. Chronic anxiety may
cause a person to anticipate the worst, to have ongoing feelings of
dread, to be constantly irritable and tense, and some may experience
frightening and debilitating panic
attacks. Eventually the person may become worn out from the constant
drain on their inner resources and a likely outcome is depression. The
person simply cannot take any more stress.
Chronic anxiety has a specific impact on the musculoskeletal
system. Persistently elevated levels of adrenaline create ongoing
tension in the postural muscles of the lower back and the
weight-bearing gluteal muscles, pelvic musculature, and
hamstrings. The long-term effects of chronic anxiety can include chronic
lower back pain,
sciatica caused by inflammation of the sciatic nerve, and lumbar disc
disease. Of course,
any of these health problems create even more anxiety for the person,
creating a vicious circle of anxiety, pain, more anxiety, and more
pain.
Solutions for chronic anxiety usually require a multidisciplinary
holsitic approaches. Nutrition, for example, is an important factor in
restoring a person's homeostatic mechanisms. Significantly reducing
one's intake of simple carbohydrates - soda, muffins, cookies, cake,
fast food, and even juice - will often have a substantial impact. Making
sure to have five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day
will also provide great benefit.Magnesium deficiency is extremely common in the US and can cause or worsen anxiety. Magnesium supplementation can be especially useful taken at bedtime, because it helps relax the muscles and can help a person feel more calm and fall asleep easier. Magnesium can also help regulate blood pressure and cardiac function. Good food sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and swiss chard.
Chiropractic care can frequently provide considerable assistance to those with chronic anxiety. By normalizing activity within the musculoskeletal system and reducing muscular stress and tension, chiropractic care helps eliminate an unnecessary source of biochemical and physiologic stress.
1Newcomer KL, et al: Anxiety levels, fear-avoidance
beliefs, and disability levels at baseline and at 1 year among subjects
with acute and chronic low back pain. Phys Med Rehabil 2(6):514-520,
2010
2Hurley DA, et al: Physiotherapy for sleep disturbance
in chronic low back pain: a feasibility randomised controlled trial.
BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 11:70, 2010 [11 pages]
3Silverman S, et al: Toward characterization and
definition of fibromyalgia severity. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 11:66,
2010 [9 pages]