We Don’t Like Traffic. Neither Does Your Body.
By Dr. Michelle Lim, D.C.
You see, getting on the freeway is a mindless task, joining the stop-and-go pulse we know as traffic. It builds patience and discipline. To merge is an art. It could all work in everyone’s favor-mechanically, peacefully, harmoniously, if we all went when we’re supposed to.
You’re doing your job as a diligent driver to peacefully merge, slowly blending together like a zipper being closed shut. The movement of cars is fluid, like a body of a snake, and all is well in the world. You begin to envision coming home, ready to watch your recording of Pardon the Interruption and passively daydream about what you’ll be having for dinner. You wonder what other shows you can catch and if your significant other did that one chore you asked them to. You’re lost in your thoughts, savoring the alone time you get on your drive home.
Then. It. Happens.
Someone suddenly felt entitled to go before his turn, selfishly seeking to get ahead of the crowd and causes a disarray in the line of cars. “How dare he?” Passive aggression begins and people stop letting people “in” due to the lack of organization. The stench of adrenaline pollutes the air in what should’ve been a humdrum event, now turned into some sort of ego-centered rat race.
Frustrated drivers curse in their cars, silenced by the honking all around them. Anger and discontent expressed. Accidents waiting to happen. An inner city hell breaks loose and road rage is triggered, all from that one car. Instead of naturally coming together, one person decided to call the shots and disassembled the whole puzzle in the process. It takes only one person to obstruct the flow of traffic before a cascade of chaos ensues.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the same principle that occurs in our bodies. Whether or not we acknowledge it, a simple trip on the sidewalk, a fall from snowboarding, a small car accident, or even just poor posture sitting at your work desk all day can cause a subluxation. Most people have multiple subluxations in their body, but just one subluxation is enough to throw you off. Much like traffic, when there is one car stopped in the middle of the road with its hazard lights on, what should normally be a 70 mile-an-hour highway, now turns into a four-lane, bumper to bumper parking lot.
When we have a subluxation in our body, other muscles start to compensate, the same way other cars have to go around the single broken down car. You begin to torque yourself in a comfortable position as to guard yourself from the pain. Some of you may even take a painkiller to numb your body. Certain muscles then begin to weaken, while others become overworked, as your gait is now thrown off. Range of motion becomes limited and nervous system functions decrease. You may hobble or limp to a degree, meanwhile getting acclimated to your pain, forgetting what normal is and you get used to it. This misalignment then begins to stress your bones and joints, causing bio-mechanic dysfunction, predisposing you to future arthritis, inflammation and numerous other conditions.
Living in Los Angeles, you can clearly see how one car can make or break the flow of traffic. Doesn’t it make sense to get adjusted then? To free your own body, your own nervous system from a traffic jam within? Having a spine in proper alignment allows your veins, arteries, and nerves to flow effortlessly to and from your brain, to your organs, and vice versa. If you don’t maintain proper communication within your nervous system, inner turmoil begins and that’s when many malignant conditions arise. The last place you would want a traffic jam or an accident to occur is in your body.
Don’t you hate when you’re in traffic and after you pass the source of it, the freeway is wide open? Well, having subluxations are like mini accidents and mini sig-alerts inside your body, while experiencing dysfunction is the body’s way of throwing on the hazard lights and pain is the body’s way of honking. Are you listening or just drowning them out? Chiropractors find the source of traffic (subluxations) and clear it out. Chiropractic restores balance so that the cells in your body don’t have to exert energy on clearing out little traffic jams. When your spine is in proper alignment, cells can invest more energy in keeping you healthy rather than trying to “fix” you all the time.
Much like a city, your body has billions of residents with different kinds of jobs. Help them, help you, by relieving them of traffic so they can get to and from their destinations. Stress free, your cells can perform their jobs effectively and efficiently. A healthy spine optimizes the health of your nervous system, paving the way for an optimal quality of life. Get your body up to flow and on the fast track to better health with chiropractic. We don’t enjoy traffic, neither does your body. Keep your body happy, get adjusted!
