You may have heard stories—or have firsthand experience—of how the brain warps your perception of pain during a traumatic accident. Stories of people with bones jutting from their bodies, long pieces of shrapnel impaling their flesh, deep cuts from glass shards all over, and somehow, they seem completely unaware that anything is wrong. However, this doesn’t just apply to traumatic incidents.
There are just as many cases where people won’t detect major illnesses in their bodies until they’ve escalated to a much more severe state. This could be something as inconvenient as a cavity or something as devastating as stomach cancer. Here at Bare Chiropractic, we believe that health comes from within rather than simply treating ailments as they appear, and we’d like to give our reasons as to why.
Why Feelings Are Unreliable
Just because you can’t feel pain doesn’t mean the functionality of your body hasn’t been compromised. One of the best examples of this is the spinal discs—the pad-like structures between your vertebrae. These discs have no nerves in them whatsoever, so when they deteriorate, it can be undetectable. In fact, even those suffering later stages of degenerative disc disease can report no pain whatsoever. This is because the pain of these diseases doesn’t come from the disc itself, but the irritation and pressure they enact on the surrounding nerves. You won’t feel the pain of these conditions until your spine’s structure has already been compromised; thus, the feelings you’re experiencing don’t match the actual function of your body and its systems.
Perhaps you are experiencing pain, concerning symptoms, or general discomfort. When you suspect something is wrong, you take some medication, go to the doctor, or undergo surgery. However, is it true that once the discomfort goes away, you’re healthy? Health is defined as the absence of sickness—when the body is functioning optimally—rather than the lack of negative feelings. The majority of medical remedies for health issues do not do this. Instead, they mask the symptoms or add something artificial that claims to improve your body’s function, but that often has adverse effects and causes more issues in the long term. This isn’t an increase in functionality—this is just making you feel better for a time.
Why Function Is Vital
Seeing how unreliable our sense of pain can be, it’s no wonder that chiropractors like Dr. Thomas Keogh are vital to properly maintaining our health through prevention and health maintenance. Chiropractors focus on the central nervous system and spine, which directly connect to all of your organs and bodily processes. However, there are areas of your body that your nerves don’t touch. If you look at a detailed diagram of the human nervous system, you’ll notice that the nerves don’t cover every inch of your body, leaving gaps like the dead zones in your cellular coverage. Without their help, you may never know if you’re truly healthy and functional, or if you’re just not feeling what’s wrong, masking a small issue until it becomes a bigger one.
If you want to learn more about what chiropractic can detect in advance, contact us or visit our office in Billings. It’s always okay to reach out about any curiosities or concerns. After all, we’d rather you do that before your sense of pain matches your concerns.
Sources
Sääksjärvi, Simo, et al. “Disc Degeneration of Young Low Back Pain Patients: A Prospective 30-year Follow-Up MRI Study.” Spine 45.19 (2020): 1341-1347.
Tyagi, Sahdeo P., Gastrointestinal Cancers: Prevention, Detection and Treatment. Nova Science Publishers, Inc, 2016, pp. 292.
