 There is a lot of stress floating around in our world these days. That’s the thing with stress, no one is immune to it. However, you can be more resilient to it. Ever notice how one event can be no big deal to one person and devastating to another? Resiliency. The ability to recover quickly from difficulties.
Want to know a way to improve your resiliency? Chiropractic care. No, really. Care isn’t just about pain or symptoms. If you’ve been in our office, you have likely been scanned on our Insight station and had your heart rate variability checked. Your HRV score is a measure of your body’s ability to adapt to stress. In a healthy individual, the heart beats will fluctuate slightly. Your heart should not have a rhythm that you can set a metronome by. A heart that responds to the environment around you can increase or decrease your heart rhythm as needed, and hopefully quickly. Should a lion charge into the room, you want your cardiovascular system to respond instantaneously so that you can get blood pumped to your muscles and lungs so that you can get up and run away as fast as you can (or fight the lion, if that’s your thing). However, if your heart isn’t responding as quickly to the environment, your chances of surviving that stressor go down. So, heart rate variability is a measure of your body’s ability to respond to stress. How capable you are at responding to stress is a measure of your body’s ability to heal. Your ability to heal is a measure of your resilience. Studies show that chiropractic care has a positive effect on heart rate variability. So, connecting the bread crumbs here: chiropractic care increases your HRV score, better HRV means a better, more efficient response to stress, ability to respond to stress determines healing capabilities, healing capabilities measure your resiliency. See? Our tagline at our office is “healthier, happier humans”. We are striving to create a community of empowered and resilient people so that our society can continue to grow to a better place. We are happy to be here to assist you on your health journey! In health and wellness, Dr. Morgan
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 Let’s talk about fear. There is plenty of fear floating around in our society, as coronavirus continues to linger. Here is the interesting thing - when you are in a state of fear, you are using your primitive brain, composed of the amygdala and hypothalamus, which are located in the central part of your brain. This is one of the first areas to develop in utero, and is responsible for basic emotional responses, fear being one of them. Fear is a signal of danger, threat, or motivational conflict. Decisions made when scared are based almost purely off of emotion and not much logic. Logical, rational decision making is the job of your prefrontal cortex, located in the front of your brain. This area develops over the years as we grow and mature, and is fully developed by the age of 26.
Even the most calm, non-anxious person can’t help but feel the collective fear that has swept our world in the last few months. It can be easy to get caught up in the hysteria that our news media reports every day. A person who is afraid has a different physiological response than a person who is not afraid. When we are using our primitive instincts, we tend to be in a state of fight or flight. Heart rate is elevated, blood pressure is up, digestion slows down, sleep isn’t as restful, cognitive function may feel difficult. Basically your body is ready to fight or run from the bear in the room. This is fine, when you are in the presence of a bear (or other threat), but to be in this state constantly actually will wreak havoc on your body. Prolonged states of stress have detrimental health effects, on your cardiovascular system, your digestive system, your cognition, your mental health, your immune system - basically every system in your body. So, if during a time when a virus has been spreading, and you are in a state of fear, your body’s ability to fight off an infection is compromised. In our office we talk about health as being physical, mental, and chemical. As a society, we tend to downplay the effects of our thoughts on our health. But it absolutely affects our health. I encourage you to be mindful of what news you are consuming on a daily basis and the topics of conversations you are having. Being aware of what is going on in the world is one thing, but being afraid will negatively affect your health. If you are struggling with fear and anxiety, please reach out. We have compiled together resources for our clients. We are here to help and empower you on your health journey! In Health and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  When we decide that we are going to make changes in our lives, right away it can be easy to do. we feel the fire of motivation, we stick with our plan, we make aligned decisions. However, there will be times that you won’t always feel that fire. You may be tired. You may have excuses. You may “not have time”. I heard a health coach once say “don’t expect to be motivated. In fact, plan on NOT being motivated and remove all the barriers.” For example, if your plan is to workout in the morning, set out your workout clothes, have your gym bag ready, have the button ready on the coffee maker, whatever it is going to take to get you out the door.
The primitive “feel good” part of your brain is going to fight with the logical, planning part of your brain. When you remove obstacles in your day, it makes it easier to stick with your plan. What are some ways you can free up the barriers you experience that are getting in the way of your goals? We are here to support and empower you! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  If you don’t know what options for health you have, then do you have any options? Not really. It is our goal at Primal Practice to empower you with knowledge to make the best informed choice, whether it's regarding to your chiropractic care, the food you eat, what a mother chooses during her pregnancy and birth, what your medication options are, how you move your body, and so on.
Empowering you in your health choices is our goal. When you know what your options are, you are able to make the best possible decision that is in your best interest. If you are only given one option, did your healthcare provider actually have your best interests in mind? If we can help you, we will tell you so. If we believe that another healthcare provider would be a better option for you, we will tell you so. We are here to be on your team, in whatever capacity that is. Reach out if you have questions! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan  We had a wonderful event in the office this past fall, with some amazing body workers and delicious food from a local restaurant and local farm. Women came and enjoyed themselves, and we the practitioners had a great time as well! However, it got me thinking – how often do we treat ourselves? And by treat, I mean allow ourselves to take the time to relax, be intentional with our time, and do the things we enjoy? Life only seems to get busier and society seems to thrive on being “the busiest”. There is no one at the end of life handing out badges saying “oh you were so incredibly busy in your life, here, you get a badge for that”.
I’ve almost come to despise the word busy. I heard it a lot when I was in school and raising two little babies. My plate was full, but I wasn’t busy. Busy sounds like a word that is getting pulled in a million directions without a second to breathe. I don’t know about you, but even if they were giving out badges, I wouldn’t want one. Because what does busy mean? Did it mean I got a lot of things done? Were those actually the important things? Or did I allow a to-do list in a frenzy to be the busiest get in the way of the things that matter? Was I able to be intentional with my time? Did my family get my full presence? I want to be able to say yes, I took the time to treat myself and be focused and intentional on what mattered. And I hope you are able to, too! Make a list of the areas in your life where you want to be intentional and follow through. Be honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable. You may find that your stress levels go down and joy for life goes up! Peace, Love, and Wellness, Dr. Morgan |
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