By Elizabeth M. Wisniewski BA, CMT, Chiropractic
Intern, ATH Co-editor of Chiropractic
Recently, while writing in my gratitude journal,
I wrote “I am grateful for my handswhich allow me to see and help people heal
themselves,” As a chiropractor, hands are the greatest tools you have. They
must be strong, protected, healthy and respected. As someone who is VI my hands
are even more important to me. I literally use them to see the world around me.
Like hearing and sense of smell my sense of touch (palpation) has been greatly
enhanced with the loss of my vision. I see this as the purpose behind the loss
of my vision. I do not think that if I could see normally that I would be
graduating next month as a DC. Although there are many struggles I am grateful
to have lost my vision in order to have found my calling to be a chiropractor.
How Human Touch Reduces Stress
Chiropractors jump start the healing process in
their patients and practice members when they place their hands on them to
palpate the spine. This palpation takes place over the spine, on the largest
organ…the skin. Underneath the skin are pressure receptors called, “Pacinian Corpuscles
“which signal back to the brain. This in return signals the Vagus nerve (the
tenth cranial nerve commonly referred to as “the wanderer”) which then tells
the heart to slow down. This is one way that human touch alone can help people
to calm down during stressful situations like going to the doctor’s office.1
Since most chiropractors use their hands to adjust the spine, they are more
likely than other doctors to stimulate the pressure receptors under the skin.
Another affect of friendly touch is the release
of Oxytocin. This helps to decrease stress. Studies from England show that the
same areas in the brain that are activated when you eat something pleasurable
like sweets light up during a hug or therapeutic massage. This area is located
above the eyes and is called the Orbital Frontal Cortex. 1 This evidence shows
that touch, like chocolate, is perceived in the brain’s pleasure centers and
helps people feel more at ease.
Oxytocin is
produced in the blood and the deep nerve
centers of the brain . This allows it to have an immediate impact on the body during
times of stress. Although it lowers the “fight or flight” response (sympathetic
nervous system) it also is believed to help make better decisions during these
times. For example, it may help you sort out your response during a fight and
save you from a physical altercation. Besides human contact, swimming in warm
water, exercise and eye contact can stimulate Oxytocin in the body. These are
all activities that have been lost in recent years with the increase in
technology, social media and 24/7 news. These advances along with a
increasingly sedentary lifestyle have people more stressed out and results in
decrease levels of Oxytocin. 2
Further
studies have shown that human touch from a loved one or a health care practitioner
have similar impact on a person in pain. Human touch has been shown to reduce
not only stress but also decrease pain levels, increase wound healing, and
decrease anxiety, It has also been beneficial in autoimmune diseases and cancer
treatment. 3
Overall,
patients are more satisfied with chiropractors when compared with medical
doctors. The studies show that 83% of adults in the United States who have
visited a DC are very satisfied and this is because of the chiropractor’s
ability to discuss health problems and show empathy.4The May 2009 issue of
‘Consumer Reports’ show that chiropractors
and other hands on health care providers are rated much higher than general
practitioners (MDs).5 Patients and practice members spend more time with their
chiropractor, see them more often than their GP, and chiropractors address the
cause of the problem.
Personally,
I believe , that this high satisfaction is also due to the laying on of hands
by the chiropractor. How many times have you visited your GP and they never
look or palpate the area that is bothering you? Patients tell me often that
they have been to their MD and they never looked or touched their back, where
they were experiencing pain. Although back pain is often diffuse, patients
automatically feel better when the health care provider at least acknowledges
that there is something wrong with them and that they will get to the root
cause of the problem. This is why a DC
is also a Doctor of Cause! Chiropractors look to the spine for the cause of disease.
Chiropractors know that subluxations, misalignments , in the spine cause
interference to the nervous system. First there is dis-ease, followed by dysfunction
and disease. Finally there is death of cells and tissues. subluxations are
serious, because they interfere with normal nerve flow and function. The
nervous system controls every other system in the body and is how you experience
your entire life. the chiropractor stimulates the pressure receptors during
careful palpation of the spine causing the beneficial cascade of Oxytocin.
Oxytocin is unique in that it is both a hormone and neuropeptide. This means
that it causes immediate stress relief and over time can lower the overall
levels of chronic stress.2 This all starts taking place before the adjustment
occurs and has an extreme impact on the nervous system. One of the immediate
and important impacts of an adjustment is how it enhances the immune system
function.6This is only one profound example of the power of a chiropractic
spinal adjustment.
There are
many chiropractic techniques that do not manually (use their hands) to adjust
the spine however they do have extreme impacts on the body. Being a massage
therapist prior to beginning chiropractic school , led me to be more of a
manual , osseous adjuster and sparked my interest in the power of human touch.
I prefer these type of techniques however use others when they are appropriate.
In my experience as a massage therapist and chiropractic intern I have felt
hypertonic (tight) tissues change quickly with my touch and more importantly my
adjustments. The body is intelligent and
responds to manual interventions. Changes begin immediately during palpation,
and continue for hours following a chiropractic adjustment. Never underestimate
the power of human touch as it relates to self healing. Your body is extremely
smart and with the assistance of a chiropractor can self heal.
Be sure to
make an appointment with your chiropractor and also give someone important in
your life a hug! It will enhance not only your life but the lives of the people
around you!
Notes
6 http://cultivatingvitalism.blogspot.com/2012/10/healthy-children-have-strong-immune.html
