What is wellness? It's something that we talk about a lot, but often have trouble really defining. Well, the Chiropractors Association of Australia has developed a new wellness definition to help us out. They state that ...
Wellness, then, is about your lifestyle and your actions, and is a journey - not a destination. You will notice that there is nothing in the definition about pain or symptoms either, because it is possible to be symptom-free but not be well. In fact for over 50% of people who die of heart disease the first symptom they have is the heart attack that kills them. Up until that point they didn't have any symptoms, but they certainly weren't well. So wellness is more about how your body is performing rather than how it is feeling.
How does chiropractic fit into this picture? Well, often chiropractic care is the missing link in people's wellness lifestyles. Other times it can be the first step. Your nervous system is the master control system for your body. It relays all of the information from your environment (internal and external) back to your brain and passes on all the messages from your brain to your body. It makes sense, then, that any interference to this system will inhibit your body's ability to be well. It will inhibit your body's ability to adapt, to repair and to regenerate. In fact it would not be possible to be truly well if there was any interference to your nervous system.
Think of it this way: if you are very careful with your diet - you eat all of the right things, you avoid chemical toxins, you eat the right quantities and at the exact right time - if you have interference to your nervous system, you might not absorb those foods properly or won't process the nutrients properly. So are you really well?
Getting a check-up from a chiropractor can help you identify and correct this nerve system interference (we call it a subluxation) using specific chiropractic adjustments. Enabling your body to adapt better, repair better and regenerate better to your environment. In short a chiropractic adjustment can help move you towards wellness.
Remember also though that it is possible to be regularly adjusted and have a perfectly functioning nervous system and still not be well. Imagine your spine is in perfect alignment and your nerves are passing on the messages perfectly but the food you are eating is horrible. All your body can do is process that food to the best of its ability - it can't make it good food. Sure you will be better off than you were before the adjustment but you won't be truly well.
So for me wellness comes down to four things. Eating in a healthy way, thinking in a healthy way, moving in a healthy way and getting a regular chiropractic check-up. Do these four things properly and you will be well on your way to a "more balanced, dynamically sustainable and fulfilling existence in all dimensions of life".
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