The many ways your family chiropractor can help improve your health do not end at treating joint pain or muscle aches. The benefits of chiropractic care for anxiety and depression have been developing quickly, as more Americans suffering from mental illness are seeking a more holistic approach to treat the symptoms of anxiety. From stress to a traumatic event, anxiety symptoms can develop from a variety of factors. Chiropractic treatment could be the perfect way to achieve a mind-body connection and improve your mental health.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is characterized by the feeling of intense and persistent fear about common or everyday situations. Anxiety disorder symptoms can include rapid heartbeat, increased breathing rate, heavy sweating, and fatigue.
Even after a bout of anxiety has passed, many sufferers experience lingering feelings of constant worry, trouble maintaining healthy sleep patterns, high blood pressure, weight gain, or muscle tension.
Even though anxiety is a relatively common struggle, affecting over 18% of the U.S. population, around 36% of anxiety sufferers neglect to seek traditional therapy or medication for feelings of anxiety. Typically, treatment of anxiety involves medication that can come with a laundry list of side effects. For some, these side effects outweigh some of the symptoms of anxiety, making an effective treatment path unclear. This has prompted many anxiety sufferers to seek a more natural and holistic approach to their mental health.
Chiropractic Care for Anxiety
Chiropractic care for anxiety disorder and other mental health issues can be the perfect alternative to anxiety medication for those looking for a holistic approach to treatment. From direct symptoms of anxiety to the after effects anxiety can have on physical health, chiropractic care can help restore the mind-body connection and create many unexpected benefits.
Pain
One major way chiropractic care can help the symptoms of anxiety and depression comes with its ability to provide pain relief. Many suffer from anxiety and depression spurred on by the stress of chronic pain or pain from an injury. Chiropractic adjustments help to alleviate back, neck, and joint pain, bringing relief and improved overall physical health.
Muscle Tension
When experiencing an anxiety attack or prolonged feelings of anxiety, the body tends to coil and become overly tense. This muscle stiffness can lead to pain, discomfort, and can have negative impacts on other areas of life. Through spinal adjustments and joint realignment, your chiropractor can help to improve joint mobility and reduce muscle tension.
Disrupted Sleep Habits
Many mental health issues and emotional stresses lead to issues with sleep pattern disruption. Frequent panic attacks or stressful situations leading to insomnia or sleeping issues take a major toll on the body and mind.
Some sleeping issues developed from anxiety come from the misalignment, muscle tension, or physical stress that anxiety brings. Regular spinal adjustments can help to alleviate discomfort, making a healthy sleep pattern more possible to attain.
On the flip side, some anxiety can be caused by distressed sleeping patterns themselves. As chiropractic alignments help promote healthier sleep, some anxiety may be reduced.
Blood Pressure
Whether anxiety is causing high blood pressure or blood pressure issues are causing anxiety, the two issues typically go hand in hand. Help one issue, and the other is seen to receive some of the positive impact.
Research done to study the impact of chiropractic care on other bodily issues has found that regular chiropractic care can have a positive impact on blood pressure.
Hormones
Hormones within the body and brain are the main driver for anxiety and depression issues. As stress levels or emotional situations rise, hormones within the body react. Those who suffer from anxiety or depression tend to produce negative hormones without the appropriate levels of good hormones to balance them out.
Studies have shown that chiropractic treatments can promote production of good, happy hormones, like dopamine and oxytocin. These positive hormones can work wonders when released in the body.
Hormone imbalances within the body can also be a cause of anxiety for some. Regular chiropractic adjustments and an emphasis on keeping the spinal column clear and health has been shown to promote healthy hormone balance.
Benefits of a Holistic Approach
The main reason many anxiety sufferers choose to pursue a holistic approach to mental health is because of its non-invasive, cost effective, and low-risk nature. While there are many traditional treatments that are effective in helping to treat anxiety, they also come with costs and side-effects.
While medication is an effective option for some, others may experience intense side-effects from anxiety medicine prescribed by a doctor. Chiropractic care for anxiety provides a relatively risk-free and low side-effect method of treatment.
Chiropractic care also comes with a lower price tag than many medications and behavioral therapy options to treat anxiety. In addition, chiropractic care comes with an extensive range of benefits, giving you the most bang for your buck treatment option.
