Dr. Eric Schiffer Provides Chiropractic Care For Patients With Chronic Anxiety
Although a modest anxiety level in humans seems to be a part of the hard wiring, too much can lead to health problems. Anxiety is the warning mechanism in humans that responds to rear or arousal. It can be characterized as apprehension, worry, fear and uneasiness. Anxiety carries the basic message for the person to move away from a situation. When the person is experience anxiety, he or she may experience increased heart rate, surges of adrenaline, and higher blood pressure. The flow of blood to the major muscle groups also increases to prepare the body to fight or flee.
These responses to threats in the environment are the normal response of the human body to stressful situations. The brain automatically makes these responses of which the person may or may not be aware. However, if during certain stages of development, anxiety is prolonged and frequent, the person may start responding in a similar manner to any perceived threat. In some cases, the body becomes stuck in the response and the anxiety can persist or become a default condition for the person.
One of the results of such chronic anxiety is chronic muscular tension, chronic back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, shortness of breath, chest pain and heart palpitations. The person often experiences an ongoing feeling of dread, anticipation of the worst, constant irritability and tension as well as panic attacks. Dealing with all the anxiety can cause fatigue and possibly depression as the person is no longer able to deal with mounting stress.
The experience of chronic anxiety can also impact the musculoskeletal system. As adrenaline levels are persistently elevated, there is tension in the muscles of the back as well as the muscles that bear weight in the legs, back and pelvis. Over the long term, chronic back pain can develop along with inflammation of the lumbar discs, and an inflamed sciatic nerve. Health problems can create even more anxiety for the sufferer.
Chronic anxiety solutions most often require the help of a multidisciplinary team. For example, it is often helpful to change the diet by reducing the number of simple carbohydrates. Replacing these with five servings of fresh vegetables and fruit daily can improve the body’s response to anxiety.
In addition, chiropractic care, like that offered by Dr. Eric Schiffer, is often helpful for persons facing chronic anxiety. Chiropractic care can help to reduce muscular tension and stress while normalizing musculoskeletal activity. This therapy helps to eliminate unnecessary sources of physiological and biochemical stress.