I was talking with a client yesterday about the two different parts of the autonomic nervous system. One portion is our fight/flight/freeze division known as our sympathetic nervous system. This one is designed to help us flee from danger and should be dominant our physiology about 20% of the time. The other portion is our rest/digest/heal division known as our parasympathetic nervous system. Ideally this is our dominating system working 80% of our day. Unfortunately for most of us, those percentages have switched around and we spend most of our day in a state ready to run from a tiger, even though there is no obvious tiger present. My client is well versed in anatomy and physiology and understands how they work. But she was missing one vital piece. When we were discussing how to manage stressors and improving parasympathetic function, I was told that it'll happen on Monday (her day off). 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about three day weekends. Having an extra day to recoup from a stressful week and possibly weekend is important. But, waiting to deal with a stress-filled life, until there is a whole day available is missing the boat. To be truly healthful, your body needs to be able to adapt to your stressors as they come up and then return to the parasympathetic state. Bottling them up for many days until you have a day free to deal with them is never going to give you a vital, thriving life on a day to day basis. It'll just have you constantly playing catch up. And a body playing catch up is going to eventually break down in the form of illness and/or injury.

What can you do to help your body daily to have a dominating rest/digest/heal state? I'm so glad you asked.

1. Get enough sleep. Preferably 8-9 hours. It is so imperative for our body to allow it to process all that has gone on during the daytime hours and recharge our batteries (so to speak). Avoid electronics at night to help your body drop into sleep faster. The blue light in our tv's and phones messes with our circadian rhythm and sleepy time hormones, which is no bueno.
2. Nourish your body with good hydration and nutrients from food. Well fed cells are healthy cells and they will function more efficiently if they are given the best.
3. Meditate and focus on your breath. Deep breathing into the diaphragm activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Stopping to do this during the day will literally slow your whole body down from the brain to the body.
4. Get adjusted by your Chiropractor on a regular basis. Chiropractic adjustment activate the parasympathetic system and it's why you might have noticed yourself become sleepy after your visit. Obviously this isn't a daily occurrence but should be a regular one and not just when you are in pain.
5. Move slowly. High intensity exercise is great and we need to do that too. But, when we are already bombarded with stressors in our lives and find ourselves not coping as well as we could, then adding another stressor such as exercise is actually going to do more harm than good. Go for a walk around your neighborhood. Do some yoga or stretching. Move slowly and deliberating.

Stress is unavoidable. We need it to grow and develop as humans. But, when it becomes overbearing it leads to a whole host of health issues. Start implementing some of the tips above and reap the benefits!

Peace, Love and Wellness

​Dr. Liz

I was watching a video the other day about communication. The video presented the idea that we all see things differently. For example if you close your eyes and picture a red apple it would look different to probably everyone that did the test. Some would see a red shiny apply. Some would see would see an apple with a stem and no leaves, an apple with multiple leaves, an apple with a bite out of it etc etc. The video also highlighted that the terms and language that we use are interpreted differently based on our background, upbringing, culture etc. I see this everyday being an Aussie living in America. The words that I use either don't translate at all, or mean something completely different. That's all interesting you may be thinking, what does this have to do with the rise of the machines?

Well, you may have heard that the human body is the most sophisticated machine out there. What does this mean to you? If we think of machines as we know them, any machine such as a computer, a car, or an electric nail gun, each of these examples have similar properties in how they work. The human body is also quite similar in many respects to actual machines. We must maintain them on a regular basis to get the most out of them and to ensure a long life and there are certain best practices for said maintenance. But, the human body has a distinct difference, that I believe disqualifies us from being a machine in the first place.

Let's take a car for an example. Regular services, oil changes, tire rotations, cleaning, regular driving so it doesn't sit idle and keeping it out of the elements will all make for a healthy and well running car. For a human body this is translated to regular services via self care such as Chiropractic, healthy food, good sleep habits, a healthy movement practice, and a life filled with purpose will lead to a healthy and well running human body. So, what is the difference?

If a car breaks down, no matter how hard you work at keeping it healthy, the approach that you take is what can you add to the car from the outside to help it get back to where it was. This is an outside in approach. The human body works the opposite. Healing is always an inside out approach. Your body is self healing and self regulating through your innate intelligence. Everything that you do on the outside, all of those healthy behaviors, support your innate. Our body has requirements for the perfect expression of your innate intelligence. These are daily movement, nutrition, positive mindset through your life's purpose and a nervous system working free from interference so the messages that are being sent are the right ones (this is what we do through Chiropractic adjustments).

Machines can't do this. They can't self regulate on a second by second basis like your body. They can't heal themselves when things go amiss. They are unable to take imperfect inputs such as poor nutrition and make them work for you. How cool is your body? Your body will continue to strive for health no matter how badly you treat it. Eventually, it'll break down because it can no longer compensate, but overall it's continually working for you. This should feel empowering. You're not a victim in your health, but the leader of the pack. Each choice you make - working out in the morning, drinking a healthful smoothie, going to bed instead of watching another episode on Netflix etc all supports this amazing thing that you get to call your own. 

So while the machines in our life are on the rise, and we continue to automate everything and anything that we can. They have nothing on us. Our body isn't a machine. It's a finely tuned organism that is ready and willing to do whatever it can to keep you healthy. Each day you can move towards greater health or away from it, you get to choose.

Peace, Love and Wellness

Dr. Liz

Poppy Wild Sargent is just one of the sweetest kids you'll ever meet. She has been a practice member of Primal Practice since she was just 10 months old. When she comes in for her adjustments, she picks out her favorite face cloth (duh, poppies of course), climbs right up on the table and lays so peacefully. Poppy's parents, Hillary and Matt, choose to have Poppy checked on a monthly basis. They choose this not because anything is wrong with her (in fact she is probably the healthiest 3 year old you'll ever meet) but because they see the value of a clear and connected nervous system for her health, development and well-being. Check out what Poppy has to say in her own words!

1. What brought you into Primal Practice initially? MY MOM. BUT I KEEP COMIGNFOE THE TOYS.

2. How have you benefited from getting adjusted? SHE MAKES ME FEEL NICE, SHES PRETRY NICE. I LAY THERE LIKE THIS AND PIT MY ARMS UP LIKE THIS (puts her palms together and raises them over her head). 

3. Why do you continue to choose chiropractic care for yourself and your family at Primal Practice? FOR THE TOYS, THE GATE THAT OPENS....and mom says....POPPY IS SO HEALTHY AND IF EVER SHE GETS A LITTLE SICK SHE GETS THROUGH IT FAST WITH GOOD FOOD AND MONTHLY OR MORE IF NEEDED CHIRO CARE️

This is not a pro or anti vaccination post. But I am going to use them as an example. There are so many emotions that surround vaccines. To a point, that I put them on a short list of being aware of who you are talking to when discussing them. If you're interested the other things are politics, gun control and money. Highly charged topics that pretty much everyone is unwilling to discuss or actively listen to a different view point. 

Missoula is in the midst of a whooping cough outbreak. If you could call it that. The news reported 169 cases in the Missoula county, which has a population of just shy of 110,000 (according to google). As a percentage that makes 0.15% of the population, hardly the definition of an outbreak, which is a violent or sudden start of something unwelcome.

Why am I talking about this? Because, in my opinion, reporting of this nature is designed to spread fear. When we are taught to fear diseases, as a whole we don't do the research we need to make an actual informed choice (I'm completely generalizing here). This in turn creates heightened emotions surrounding the topic, to a point where it's hard to have a discussion with somebody who doesn't share our viewpoint. Members of our community get ostracized because they might choose differently for their family. I know this is not what the Missoula community wants. I see it on a daily basis. Sentiments to spread love, not hate; messages of inclusivity and powerful statements from individuals and businesses for oneness. 

Whether you choose to vaccinate or not is not my point. Again, I have chosen to use this example because it is a perfect example of when we make decisions out fear we lose our power. I implore you, when you do make decisions health based or otherwise, to do so from your power, not because you're scared. 

Peace, Love and Wellness

Dr. Liz