Throughout the ages many of the greatest minds have pondered the simple question, “What is the purpose of life?” and have come to a variety of different conclusions. In fact, most of these greatest minds agree that as human beings we will all consider this question or some variation of this question at some point within our lives. For most people their current circumstance in life will be the primary factor which determines how the question is answered. However, from one person to the next regardless of ones life circumstance there exist a significant commonality. The common thread boils down to happiness and what produces happiness for us as an individual. So, it appears that as humans we want to get the greatest level of happiness from life that we can. Of course, what creates happiness from one person to the next can vary greatly. Whether it is having a loving partner, or success in a meaningful career, being financially sound, or simply having enough leisure time to pursue certain activities we all want it. It is so common that many would consider it to be an instinctive desire to be happy.
If instinctively our greatest value is happiness then why is it that achieving happiness can so often elude us? It seems to be just one obstacle after another that is preventing us from finding our happiness. An American great, Henry Ford, once said, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” Unfortunately, humans have another instinctive behavior that comes into play here, an obsession to fix problems. Of course, the more focused we become on the various obstacles, whether it is work stress, relationship stress, financial stress, or any other obstacle the less likely we are to achieve happiness although we convince ourselves that, “If I can just fix this problem, then I will be happy!” The reality in most cases is that exactly the opposite is true: “When you are happy, the problem is fixed!” This is literally the reason that happy people appear to have no problems and unhappy people always have multiple problems.
However, one obstacle that is significantly different is physical pain and especially when the pain becomes chronic.
Chronic Pain Can Rob Your Capacity for Happiness
Physical pain can overshadow our various paths to personal happiness. We can tolerate acute pain for a while in the hope that it will go away soon, but chronic pain is another matter. Chronic long term pain not only effects the person but also the loved ones surrounding them who are trying to support them through the crisis. Most often it requires extraordinary measures to maintain a positive attitude when dealing with ongoing pain.
Commonly people who are experiencing chronic pain find it difficult to imagine living their lives happily and free from pain. The Pain seems to prevail over everything. The help comes from knowing your options for your specific case. If your chronic pain involves the musculoskeletal system you may benefit from chiropractic care. There are many tools and techniques for diminishing the impact of the long term chronic pain. For example, chiropractic care can often help with chronic headaches, chronic neck pain, and chronic low back pain. For many people the benefit may be substantial. Chiropractic focuses on the spine and nervous system therefore gets to the source of many chronic musculoskeletal problems.
Correction at the Source
Chiropractic care specializes in correcting the shifts in the spinal alignment which put endangering pressure onto the delicate spinal nerve tissue. This compression is the source of the irritation. The irritation or pain is just one way your body lets you know of this compression. By removing the pressure to the spinal nerve root it helps restore normal spinal mobility, which in turn helps restore more better function to the nervous system. The result is often a reduction in the amount of pain a person is experiencing, and a lessening of the intensity of chronic pain patterns. As pain diminishes, muscles relax, improved circulation is reestablished, and oxygen and other vital nutrients are delivered to cells and tissues that need them the most. Not only does the corrections through chiropractic care begin the process of eliminating the pain but also puts you back on your path of regaining the quality and happiness in life you deserve through overall better health.
If you are ready to begin to enjoy your life again please call and make an appointment to discuss how chiropractic care can help get you back to the life you want to live. Your chiropractor is experienced in the care of many chronic conditions and will let you know whether chiropractic care is right for you.
For Your Health,
Dr. Wendy Lanser D.C.