Health Item of the Week. I'm in love.

I have found a new favorite thing: My Chiropractic Cervical Pillow. This thing rocks.

Best night sleep I've gotten in a while. The pillow works in a bunch of ways to give you a great night's sleep. You fill the pillow up with so many ounces of water (depending on the firmness level you prefer and will support your neck the best) and the water helps to cradle your head and neck while sleeping, whether it be on your back or side. And because the water is flexible (duh!) if you change positions during the night it moves with you so that your head and neck remain supported and in line with the rest of your spine. Awesome.

Last night was probably one of the best nights of sleep I've gotten in a while. Granted, the dreams were beyond weird and I don't care to repeat most of them, but the fact that I did dream so much is just testament to how deep my sleep was. I can't remember the last time I dreamt like that. Not to mention my neck feels great today!

I also got my first chiropractic adjustment yesterday. The last time I was adjusted was almost eight years ago, so I was way overdue. Especially since my x-rays revealed a lot of things that explained why my body screams at me so much. I have some mild scoliosis in my lower back, no thanks to my uneven hips, and my neck has no curve to it like it should. Aha! No wonder my lower back and neck are always bothering me! The doc said that because my hips are uneven (something I was born with), my spine has tried to compensate for the imbalance by curving so my head stays upright. It's funny how spines do that. The lack of curvature in my neck is most likely due to a car accident I was in two years ago from whiplash that I never had treated. Seriously people, if you are in a car accident get yourself to a chiropractor right away. Whiplash can really mess up your spine, your muscles, and everything. The effects become systemic, almost like a domino effect.

The doc also explained to me (with a cool drawing) how the spine works and what can happen if it's not taken care of. Let me see if I can recreate this with words since the drawing was actually interactive so I can't quite reproduce it here:

• The brain, which controls our central nervous system (the master system), is supported by the spine, which is the gateway through with all of our body is connected to the brain.
• When the spine is able to FUNCTION the body is then in a state of EASE.
• If the spine gets out of line, causing vertebral SUBLUXATION, the nervous system gets in to a state of (DYS)FUNCTION.
• This state of (DYS)FUNCTION leads to a state of (DIS)EASE.
• Once we begin to correct some of the subLUXATION (I am uncapitalizing to show that some of it has been removed), the symptoms of (DIS)EASE go away (such as pain, or other symptoms) the spine can return to a EASE, meaning no pronounced symptoms or pain.
• By only correcting some of the subLUXATION we still have a state of (DYS)FUNCTION, which can lead to more (DIS)EASE, so we continue to correct the subluxATIONs that we can return to a state of FUNCTION and EASE.
• Continued care will prevent subluxation and help to maintain the state of FUNCTION and EASE.

Neat, huh? Seriously, everyone should get chiropractic care. We may not even know our spines are in a state of DYSFUNCTION until the DISEASE shows up, and by that time your problems may have a progressed to a point where it takes much longer and a lot more money to treat. We noticed a rib out of place near my gallbladder in my x-rays, and the subluxations in my lower spine have been shown to increase the likelihood of gallbladder and and other digestive dysfunction in clinical studies (I'll get the resources later, I read about it in the exam room). So, things are starting to make some sense. Also, subluxations in the neck have been shown to increase the likelihood of mental and emotional disorders, which explains even more to me about some of the issues of anxiety and depression that I have dealt with over the years, and the occasional brain cloudiness I feel. The proof is in the pudding though; ever since my adjustment yesterday my head has felt clearer and my mood is definitely lifted, and the nausea I was feeling all week from my gallbladder has subsided. I even ate the same meal for dinner last night that had made me god awfully nauseous just one week prior! The change was so quick!

Get yourself to a chiropractor folks. It is the first step you can take towards truly achieving health and wellness.