Salutogenesis: a healthcare approach focusing on factors that support human health and wellbeing, rather than on factors that cause disease.
The salutogenic model is concerned with the relationship between health, stress, and coping. Your body is incredibly intelligent in knowing what it needs to do to keep you alive and thriving, it just needs no interference. Chiropractic falls under the salutogenic model as the philosophy behind the adjustment is focusing on clearing the nervous system of any interference, allowing for a better expression of life. 
We all experience stress on a daily basis, but our resiliency to the stress is what matters. If we want to live a vital, healthy lifestyle, we need to have higher resilience. Decreased resiliency often leads to a breakdown in function in our bodies and can ultimately lead to symptoms. We want to stay on the other side of the spectrum of health, and continually support our bodies physically, mentally, and emotionally. When we focus on the ability of the body to heal as opposed to thinking outside intervention is needed (ex. drugs or surgery), we allow for the innate expression of health to happen.
The chiropractic adjustment is facilitating that innate expression to happen, facilitating healing happening within your body. The magic happens between the adjustments, as your body integrates the change in information between your brain and body. YOU are the healer of your own self.
When we are caught in the vicious cycle of symptoms that only resolve short term, we miss out on the potential to have a thriving expression of health. You are capable of so much more, if only you would allow your own body to do the work without interference.
The salutogenic model is not focused on removing symptoms, it is focused on expanding life expression. The salutogenic model is about the bigger picture of health. Chiropractic care is about the bigger picture of health.
Get adjusted, be resilient, and THRIVE, my friends!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,
Dr. Morgan

Miri Disney-Faller is the owner of Back on Track Physical Therapy here in Missoula. She specializes in vertigo, neck and back pain, and headaches. We have a conversation about her work, the importance of being proactive with our health, feeling empowered in health, and her new project, Humans4Humanity!

Happy Spring! We are beginning the transition from winter to spring, happily welcoming the warm weather! During this transition of seasons, consider the different transitions we have in life. Birth, childhood, adult, parent, middle-aged, grandparent, elderly. How do we support our bodies during these times of change? 
Whether you are a little bitty baby or a wise one in your later years, chiropractic care is the way to ensure that the messages being sent between your brain and body are happening efficiently. The chiropractic adjustment is designed to increase brain function. No matter where you are in life, we all benefit from improved brain function. Your brain is the master control of every other organ system in your body. When the systems of your body - cardiac, respiratory, digestive, immune, reproductive, the list goes on - function better, your well being as whole improves. 
The adjustment is about so much more than symptoms, it is about quality of life. Do you want to function on a daily basis at a level that is sub-optimal? Just managing symptoms? Or would you rather be thriving? 
The transition from the symptom cycle to thriving health can be tough. It takes changes, mentally and physically. Living a life of wellness isn’t just about moving your body or eating quality foods. It’s about taking care of your mental health. It’s getting adjusted. It’s getting enough sleep. It is working on your mindset. 
Many of us have daily habits that we have acquired over the years and are deeply set into our physiology. Breaking habits is incredibly difficult. Breaking the neurological patterns set in by your brain is equally difficult. 
As the weather gets warmer, it gets easier to get outside, move our bodies, eat healthier, and take better care of our bodies in general. Take this time of transition as the time to focus in on your health. Get adjusted, enjoy the sunshine, nourish your body, and move every day!
Be well and stay healthy my friends!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,
​Dr. Morgan

Most of you know what an amazing gardener Aimee is and she just lends her talents to the front desk of Primal, but in this interview she breaks down how you to can have an amazing garden this spring and involve your kiddos (if you want to!)

They sure do! Your emotions and thoughts cause chemical reactions in your brain, affecting brain function. If you are having a great day, it shows! You likely have a smile on your face, your tone of voice is brighter, your walk is lighter, and you are generally positive during interactions. When you are having a rough day, that also shows. Your face may be downcast, your tone of voice is lower, your walk is slower or more shuffled, and you may shy away from interactions. And this is all because of your thought that you were either having a good day or a bad day.
I want to pose the question to you: what are the three main emotions you experience on a daily basis? Have you ever considered how this affects your health? 
Case in point: when I was asked this question, I had been going through a rough patch with my toddler. She is exploring her boundaries and we are working on listening and following instructions. So, frustration was something I was feeling on a daily basis. But the way my thoughts would go, was something like this- “I am so frustrated right now! She is making me so angry!” Here’s the catch though: She wasn’t making me feel anything. It was my expectation of how she should be acting (and wasn’t) that was making me angry. It was ME that was responding to the situation with frustration and anger. 
Now how does frustration and anger look like for a person’s health? I was drained a lot of the time, and some days only had enough energy to do the bare minimum. I wanted to sleep a lot.  It also shaped how I interacted with my husband, friends, and family. So while my emotions were based on my interactions with only one person, they trickled over into my day to day life and were negatively affecting my outlook on life and my health. 
So, ask yourself that question - what are three main emotions you experience on a daily basis? Then consider how that may be affecting your mental, physical, and emotional health. How can chiropractic care play a role in this? Getting adjusted affects brain function and ease in your nervous system. Decreasing the tension you feel in your body helps you become more at ease with the world around you and can affect the emotional responses you may have to situations. 
How did it help me? I started to notice that on weeks that I got adjusted twice (I am usually on a once a week basis), I had more control over my emotions and my interactions with my toddler were more peaceful. Chiropractic care for the win!

Peace, Love, and Wellness
Dr. Morgan

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One of the four pillars of health in our office is movement. We all know we should move our bodies regularly, if not daily, but why? Beyond aesthetics, there is a multitude of reasons to move, especially during a time when we’re trying to keep our immune systems working as best as they can.

For example…

• exercise increases the number of white blood cells in your body, which are necessary for fighting off infections
  
• endorphins get released in your brain during exercise, improving your mood and decreasing stress levels (anyone feeling stressed right now?!)
  
• exercise strengthens your heart and its capabilities to pump blood through your body, decreasing your risk of heart disease or heart problems
  
• movement puts healthy stress on your bones, maintaining the density of your bones 
  
• your respiratory rate and lung health are improved with regular movement
  
• brain function improves with regular movement (so if you’re feeling brain foggy from sitting for an extended period of time, get up and move around to clear your mind)
  
• exercise can lower your blood sugar levels and improve the ability of your body to efficiently use insulin
  
• regular exercise also improves your sleep, helping you to fall asleep more quickly and have more restful sleep

When I talk about movement, I am specifically referring to moderate intensity exercise. How to know if you are at a moderate level? Here are some ways to tell: your breath rate has increased but you’re not out of breath, you can carry a conversation but not sing, or you have developed a light sweat after 10 minutes. A moderate level is going to have the most health benefits, as a lower level isn't intense enough, while a high intensity workout can be more stressful on the body (which sometimes is good, but not all workouts should be high intensity all of the time).

Move your bodies! Don’t make it complicated. You don’t need a gym to move. Thankfully, we live in beautiful Montana with ample areas to get outside and get movement in (and some fresh air too- bonus!). Go for a brisk walk, hike, run, whatever way is most appealing to you, and have fun while you’re at it!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,
Dr. Morgan