Stress is a joke, but not a laughing matter. Stress is blamed for everything from car accidents to heart attacks, yet we haven't gotten a handle on it. The joke is on us because we make so many meaningless comments about stress.

We've all participated in this strange cultural behavior. Standing in line at Dunkin Donuts or the post office, it is easy to tune in to people's conversations about all their stresses. Stress leads the way to the most common causes of death in the United States, which are heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. We may feel complacent about stress but these diseases rob us of quality living. Nobody laughs when it happens to a loved one.

It is easy to ignore the sources of stress, but we are fully aware of our reactions to them. They happen to be the most common contributors to these diseases: smoking, drinking, obesity, lack of exercise and negative thinking. When we let stress invade our lives, it seems as if an autopilot process takes over. Richard O'Connor, Ph.D, calls it perpetual stress.

In his book, “Undoing Perpetual Stress: The Missing Connection Between Depression, Anxiety, and 21st Century Illness,” he discusses how stress becomes ingrained in our DNA. “Preconditioned pathways” are formed that make it easier for disease to take hold because organs wear out due to a persistent fight or flight response. O'Connor states in his book that these pathways are so profound the body and mind are stuck in a degenerative self destructive process.

We know the ugly end results of stress as well as the undesirable habits we take up to console ourselves, but we have to change how we live. There is a critical need to give up stressful behaviors and replace them with new behaviors. We can learn new activities and recondition our brains the same way stress patterns develop. O'Connor calls this “adaptive spiraling” because vicious cycles such as perpetual stress can be reversed.

In chiropractic it is called spinal learning. The chiropractic adjustment interrupts neurological patterns so new patterns can be established. The effects of the adjustment reach the brain as well as every organ of the body. It is similar to tilling the soil before planting new seeds. Preparing the body for healing is like preparing the ground for future harvests.

Managing stress should not be daunting. We often procrastinate because change is not easy. Rather than concentrating on the work ahead to manage stress, look forward to the liberation that can be gained. As I watch my patients grow in this understanding, they realize it is more than getting better. It is about the strength and insight achieved through living better.

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