At the end of last month's column, I stated chiropractic is a gift to yourself because of the great things you can do as a result. Since it is personal for each individual, there is no carbon copy outcome and the only expectation I have is that someone will develop a renewed passion for life.

I tell my practice members they will never feel better until they think better. In fact, I do not concentrate on helping people feel better. That is their job. My job is to coax them to an openness that expands their outlook. The vision that moved me to become a chiropractor had nothing to do with the bent over mechanics of snow shoveling or overdoing it while moving furniture. Repairing injuries may be one aspect of feeling better, but it's the other pleas I hear from my practice members that describe what they are really feeling.

The other messages I hear sound like this, “I don't feel strong enough to take care of my children.” “I feel like a failure,” or “I feel overwhelmed because I can't make decisions.”

It is socially acceptable to complain about chronic headaches, yet so difficult to admit someone feels trapped in a relationship that lacks mutual validation. Waking up with a stiff neck is nothing compared to the worries that keep someone awake half the night.

Thinking better precedes feeling better which ultimately leads to living better. While no one literally wakes up one morning and says, “Today I am going to think better,” the process begins as a response to a crisis, a curiosity or a habitual quest to learn new things.

Feelings or emotions have a considerable impact on health. Neuroscience researcher, Candice Pert, Ph.D, has revealed how emotions become chemical messengers that control cell function. She states love and negative emotions such as hate, fear or pain cannot bind to a cell at the same time. One is going to win over the other. Chiropractic releases tension from the spinal cord so balancing messages are sent to and from the body which behaves more like an extension of the emotional mind. When you think better about how your body works, you can't help feeling positively better and inspired.

The chiropractic spinal adjustment is like a computer's “reboot” button. While our bodies are being shut down daily due to emotional, physical, and chemical stresses, the adjustment allows mechanical and chemical messaging systems to open back up so the body can appropriately respond. It is well known that chiropractic allows the body to modulate pain and heal faster, but it has also been shown to benefit neurocognitive function, reaction time and information processing.

The gift of thinking better and feeling better has a rippling effect throughout society. Good health allows you to keep your dreams alive. Behind every great idea, influential charity, successful business, and community organization there are people who do not stop dreaming of giving something back. When utilizing chiropractic you gain strength, energy and endurance so you can give the world your dreams.

Lisa Ann Homic, M.Ed. D.C., may be contacted at www.DrHomic.com