I get the question – “What is the difference in life expectancy in chiropractors and medical doctors”, every couple of years. The last time it came was about six months ago. And my answer, is always the same…
I only know of one study that crunched data between these two professions, and there was no difference. And not surprisingly to me, at all.
I mean, have you heard me rip on chiropractors before? I love them, I love what they started for, and I hate that they (for the most part), got sucked into talking about your pain with you every time you head into their office. Where I tell you on your first visit “I don’t care about your pain, I will never let your pain distract me from the issue at hand… and you’ll thank me for it when you are pain free for a reason.”
That reason – healing.
Healing, the process of the body replacing cells with new healthy cells. All parts of the body heal outside of the CNS (central nervous system such as brain and spinal cord, and cranial nerves… like the nerve to my eye that died nearly 12 years ago from the hockey puck… that one doesn’t heal without divine help) – and the other area that doesn’t heal, are scarred tissues. Scarring is forever. You might have noticed that with a superficial scar on your skin somewhere. Well, the same holds true to a scarred liver, or kidney, or the scarred insides of your arteries, or your heart even.
Scarred tissue does not heal, thus it can reduce your life expectancy. One reason why I battle inflammation (which always results in scar tissue), with daily doses of juice plus, on top of the 13 servings of vegetables I am trying to eat each day. (I believe juice plus is one of the easiest ways to get your anti-inflammatory dose up in a healthy way… https://hsprout.juiceplus.com/us/en )
So what does cause healing? It is a natural body process, that is dependent on the human brain. Science hasn’t fully accepted how this happens, at least not universally. However I had an histology professor 20 years ago who had a great grasp of how it works, and he related it to the eye opening studies of epigenetics. What controls genes. Such a cool area of study… but I don’t want to chase too many rabbit holes. The professor however did an absolutely fantastic job of helping us see the absolute desperation of a cell that is disconnected from its source… the source being the CNS (brain and spinal cord).
Let me re-phrase that, the cell is desperate for function. because without a brain it cannot function correctly, it cannot heal, and it will ultimately die. This is why we cannot keep tissue alive indefinitely at room temperature, with all of the oxygen and nutrients in the world… if not connected to a brain.
This is the true message of chiropractic, and it is also the true message of yoga, and pilates, and posture rehab… basically, it is the message of any practitioner who works hard to help you to maintain your spine. They all, though they mostly have no idea how amazing the results of their efforts can be, but nonetheless… is air any less valuable because the air doesn’t know its value? So when you decide to get a stand up desk because it is the cool thing to do these days, you might want to stop and say a little thanks… “Thank you maker of Vari-desk, for helping to save my life through improved posture and ultimately greater healing in my body”.
And you think I am kidding?
The medical model of the world aims to save lives that are mostly broken because of poor choices. The wisdom of the world says that before you rely on that model, you should begin to make changes that reduce their importance.
Be wise , Be blessed, and be well… – Dr. E