What is the most important system in the body? Some would argue it is your circulatory system that uses the heart to pump blood through your arteries and veins. Others would argue it is your respiratory system that uses the lungs to bring oxygen into the body. A chiropractor would argue that the nervous system is the most important system in your body.

The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. The brain is constantly sending signals, think messages, down the spinal cord. The spinal cord goes from the brain to your low back. The nerves branch off of the spinal cord to bring those messages to the rest of the body every organ muscle and cell throughout the body . The body then returns those signals so there is constant communication between the brain and the body. It is your nervous system that tells the body how to function. The nervous system is what keeps your heart beating and air in your lungs when you are sleeping. It is in charge of moving your arms and legs. It signals pain when there is something wrong in the body. It also helps your body heal from wounds and Illness.

Think of the spinal cord as the major highway in the body, the nerves are the exit ramps branching off the major highway, and the signals are cars. Have you ever gotten lost when driving to a destination? This can happen to the signals in the nerves going to and from the brain. The signals sometimes are unable to get off at the correct exit (nerve) and end up at a different location where they’re not supposed to be in the body. This can cause dysfunction in the body. But how do the signals get lost? To answer that question, I must first talk about the spine.

The spine acts as a suit of armor around your spinal cord, protecting it from any harm. If you don’t take care of a suit of armor, it becomes rusty and doesn’t move very easily. Your spine is the same way. If you don’t take care of it, it stops moving properly. The nerves coming out of the spine (your suit of armor) work at 100% when your spine is moving properly. However, the nerves coming out of your spine stops working at 100% when that area of the spine loses proper motion. The signals are unable to take the exit out of the spine and end up getting lost. This can affect the body in many ways such as pain in the joints, loss of muscle strength, increased blood pressure, or decreased immune function since nerves go to joints, muscles, and organs. This is where a chiropractor can help. Chiropractor’s get the spine moving properly again allowing nerve function to return to 100%. They don’t just treat pain, but can also help with other problems related to the nervous system.

Now you may be wondering what causes the spine to stop moving properly. It is caused by three main stressors in the body; physical stress, emotional stress, and nutritional stress. Next month we will go into more detail about how these stressors affect your spine and your overall health.

The nervous system controls all functions of the body, but can only work at 100% if the spine is moving properly. If you think it’s time to get your spine checked please don’t hesitate to call us at our Beaver Dam office 920-885-3020 or our Watertown office 920-261-0855. Learn more at www.tyjeskifamilychiropractic.com. Take care of your nervous system and you will reap the rewards of a healthy life.