Chiropractic Care Might Help with Your Depression
Depression affects as many as 16 million Americans each year. Worldwide an estimated 250 million people are affected by depression each year. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and has a major burden on lives globally. These numbers continue to grow as the way we socialize radically changes due to a pandemic. We are facing new societal norms and practices that make many people feel uncertain and anxious about the future. Luckily, there are a wide array of treatment options that can help alleviate or manage feelings of hopelessness. And chiropractic care is a great option in reducing your symptoms of depression.
What is depression?
Sadness is a basic human emotion that we all deal with from time to time. It is completely normal to experience sadness with loss, tragedy, trauma, or any other circumstance that elicits this response. On the other side of the spectrum, depression is a condition that significantly affects quality of life and can lead to general poor health or risk of suicide.
Depression is defined as a mental health condition that leads to chronic feelings of hopelessness (or helplessness) and loss of interest in normal daily activities. There are several different types of depression including major, chronic, seasonal, postpartum, and manic. We will explore some of the underlying issues related to depression in this article.
Depression symptoms
Of course, symptoms can vary with each individual experiencing depression. Here are some of the general symptoms that most people experience.
- Trouble controlling emotions- particularly anger
- Mood swings and irritability
- Lack of interest in daily life and things that were once enjoyed
- Feelings of restlessness
- Chronic anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts (please seek medical help immediately if you are experiencing these)
- Feeling hopeless, sad, or empty for more than 2-3 weeks
What puts you at risk for depression?
There are many different risk factors that go play into the development of depression. Here are some of the common most underlying issues. Typically, more than one of these factors occur at once and ultimately affect mental health.
- Inactive lifestyle or being sedentary
- Low nutrient diet- typically high in processed foods
- Changes in hormone balance
- Imbalanced brain chemistry
- Chronic pain- particularly if left untreated
- A traumatic event
- Medication side effects
- Genetics or family history of depression
- Chronic illness/disease such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, or diabetes
- Addiction
- Low self-esteem
- Pessimistic outlook on life
Traditional treatment for depression
Often, medication is the first line of defense against depression. Yet, these can come with some nasty side effects and only mask the underlying issues occuring. Other traditional ways to address depression are related to lifestyle modifications and holistic approaches to health. These include:
- Psychotherapy or behavioral therapy
- Exercise or diet modifications
- Improving sleep quality
- Physical therapy to address physical limitations or pain
- Chiropractic Care to address physical limitations, neural health, and/or pain
- Acupuncture
Depression and chiropractic care
One of the benefits chiropractic care is help address a lot of the risk factors and symptoms related to depression. For example, Chiropractic care has been shown to consistently help with issues related to poor sleep and chronic pain while instilling an overall sense of well-being.
Although there are many factors at play with depression, many of the associated risk factors can be narrowed down to one common denominator: an imbalance in the nervous system (aka the spinal cord and brain). Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP® Certification Chiropractic) is an expert-based, research-oriented approach that systematically addresses these core nerve issues by focusing on restoring spine alignment.
Often, spine misalignment is at the root of many common health issues and we don’t even realize it. We often don’t give a second thought to our posture and underlying spine alignment until something is wrong, but maybe not even then. This is why an expert evaluation from a CBP practitioner can help you feel in control of your overall health and any symptoms related to depression.
Addressing spine alignment for better neural health
Spine misalignment affects the body’s ability to function on every basic level. This is because the nerve energy required for everyday tasks is essentially blocked. You can imagine that this impaired nerve flow can affect the way we perceive the world, process emotions, and cope with life in general. CBP care can help restore nerve energy and give your body the energy it needs to find balance and thrive as it is meant to.
Often, depression symptoms are simply masked with anti-depression medications rather than focusing on lifestyle modifications and major underlying issues with neural health and brain chemistry. For long term sustainability, it’s always preferable to ditch the medications and side effects (with guidance from your doctor) and find a solution that works.
Get in touch with Symmetry Health Center in Alameda and Oakland, CA to discuss your options today. Dr. Cynthia Boyd and her elite team can provide a gentle yet revolutionary approach that may be just what you need to get your symptoms under control and your entire nervous system in sync.
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