An Introduction To Stress

Hi, Dr. Eric Smith here with Smith Chiropractic. After some thought, and a lot of requests from existing patients, I have decided to start a blog for our El Cerrito CA chiropractic clinic. I’m going to share a little of my history, what I’ve learned about the healing process, and most importantly HOW I’ve learned. My purpose is to empower my readers to make the best decisions for their health, rather than blindly follow “doctor’s orders”. I want to cultivate in the readers a sense of becoming your healer. This includes:

• How to make choices that support your healing and well-being.
• How to uncover and resolve the issues that keep you stuck.
• How to know when you need help and what you can work on yourself.

To do this we need to talk about the healing process. Much of it comes down to stress and how we deal with the stressors we all face. Chiropractors view our patients as having three types of stress: physical, chemical, and emotional.

Physical stress is the first and the easiest to understand. Lifting injuries, repetitive movements, car accidents, over exertion, workstation ergonomics, computer use, sleeping positions. These are all examples of physical stress.

Chemical stress. When I mention chemical stress to a patient their immediate response is “I don’t have chemical stress” largely because they don’t understand what it is. Chemical stress can include air quality, food quality, chemical additives in food, medication, smoking (anything), and poor digestion. It can also include the fact that we live in a world oversaturated with electromagnetic radiation. We carry small radios with us in our cell phones, that directly has an impact on our health and stress levels.

Emotional stress. This occurs anytime you have stress and anxiety that exists on a level outside your body and brain’s ability to solve problems at the time of stress. “What does that mean?” When we have a stress response, and we can’t express our natural reaction That stress and anxiety tend to go into the body and create a host of different stress elated conditions. Daily spike in adrenalin keeps the body in defense or “fight or flight” mode, unable to coordinate a healing response.

Having a better understanding of the different types of stress and the healing process can influence your healthcare decisions. It is my hope that this blog can help start a dialogue around the healing process. How you can be more empowered as individuals to make the right choices, and to be aware of the pitfalls in the healing process that are avoidable with some knowledge.

Thank you for spending some time with me today. Next week I’ll be talking about the power of observation and how it’s helped me in my practice. Be Well!