What is stress, really? It gets so much lip service. We complain about stress interfering with our lives, yet joke about it because it is so elusive. It is an easy excuse to rely upon and ongoing problems are ignored. What can be done about something that is so obscure?

Stress can be a noun, verb or adjective and stand for nothing specific. A doctor can look a patient in the eye and suggest reducing stress levels, but no one really knows where to begin.

For an easy definition, stress is anything that pushes someone beyond his or her “typical function zone.” It is up to the individual to decide what a balanced or safe function is and how much stress is too much. There are no cut and dry rules.

In chiropractic language, there are three types of stress that harm the body: mechanical, chemical and emotional. Mechanical stress consists of physical trauma, repetitive strain and old injuries that have healed poorly. Chemical stress is any environmental or dietary toxic ingestion. Emotional stress is any thought, feeling or belief causing an overabundance of hormonal secretions that keep the body out of balance.

The easiest stress to treat is the mechanical type. Most people are aware that chiropractic adjustments help reset nervous system patterns so injuries can heal efficiently. Chemical stress takes more effort because there are many sources of toxic bombardment in our daily lives.

Emotional stress carries the most dangerous impact on health. It is the least understood, so it is brushed aside. Every thought involves an emotional response. Collectively, these emotional responses help us or harm us.

Emotional stress is also attached to every mechanical or chemical injury to the body. For example, when practice members come to my office with injuries, they tell me how they became injured and there is always an emotional component expressed. Back sprains resulting from yard work usually occurred when someone was in a hurry. Often, when people were injured during physical work, they were preoccupied by something else that provoked anxiety.

I also see a clear trait in those who don't heal well. When they speak to me, I can hear the negativity in their tone of voice and choice of words. The two most significant emotional triggers practice members share with me are how unhappy they are at work and how little time they have outside of work.

Sometimes I tell people to find new jobs or make better use of their time, but change only takes place when they make the personal commitment to live better. I use chiropractic to help them understand the damaging, yet preventable effects of mechanical, chemical and emotional stress.

Chiropractic adjustments aid the relaxation response and permit faster healing. If someone has more energy, it is easier to make healthier choices. When someone experiences a release of tension, self confidence returns.

A chiropractor reaches out to calm an overburdened nervous system so stress becomes manageable, rather than mysterious.

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