Your Mental Health Matters
How Chiropractic Care Benefits Your Mental Health
Nearly one in five US adults live with a mental illness (approximately 52 million in 2020), and that number is thought to have grown due to the pandemic.
It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and for the rest of May, everyone may likely feel more at ease talking about their mental health.
But here at Holistic Family Chiropractic, we treat each day as a time for mental health awareness. We work to reduce stigma and increase understanding about mental health in our Canton, OH office.
Read on to learn how holistic and chiropractic care can support your mental health year-round.
How can Chiropractic Care support mental health?
Connects Your Mind and Body & Boosts Overall Wellness
A chiropractor works to help you achieve balance within your body by taking a holistic approach to all health areas, including adjustments, therapies, exercise, diet, and supplements.
When we ask our patients how they feel post-treatment, they report feeling better, hurting less, moving with more freedom, and not being sick as often.
For example, chronic stress and/or anxiety can cause muscles to tense and contract. As a result, it’s not uncommon for people to experience fatigue, inability to sleep, muscle tension and stiffness, headache/migraines, body aches, and inability to relax. Chiropractic adjustments bring relief from physical issues that, in turn, can affect our mental health.
Reduces Anxiety
Chiropractic care reduces muscle tension and promotes relaxation. It is an entirely natural treatment approach that can aid in the reduction of anxiety levels without the side effects of pharmaceutical medications.
Your chiropractor might also recommend adding acupuncture to your anxiety treatment plan. Acupuncture relieves stress and anxiety by encouraging the free flow of energy (Qi) throughout the body, which releases endorphins, natural pain-killing chemicals in the brain.
Additionally, acupuncture treatment can contribute to reducing stress by lowering blood pressure, decreasing heart rate, and easing muscle tension.
Improves Sleep
Another contributing factor to anxiety and/or depression is getting poor quality of sleep and vice versa.
With consistent chiropractic care, you may find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Correcting misalignments allows your spine to release tension that has naturally built up. This release allows your body to ease into sleep.
Your chiropractor might also recommend massage therapy to ease muscle tension further and promote relaxation.
Relaxes Muscles & Reduces Headaches
Stress can lead to muscle tightness, neck pain, and back pain. It’s also often accompanied by headaches and migraines. A recent study found that patients with depression who sought regular chiropractic treatment reduced their number of headaches by 50%.*
Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a primary symptom of anxiety or stress.
Regular chiropractic adjustments combined with massage therapy have successfully reduced blood pressure numbers after only 15 minutes of treatment.*
Triggers Positive Hormone Responses
Hormone imbalances can be the root cause of some mental health issues.
A spinal adjustment can activate the positive hormones in your body— the source of both the physical and emotional good feeling you experience after receiving a chiropractic adjustment. These “feel-good” hormones include:
Neurotensin - neutralizes pain caused by stress.
Cortisol - prevents pain caused by inflammation.
Oxytocin - increases neuro-communication and feelings of social bonding.
The holistic mind-body approach of chiropractic care can bring relief when and where you need it most without harmful side effects.
Contact us today to learn more about how Holistic Family Chiropractic can help you.