Osteopathic treatment can have a profound benefit to the nervous system and your mental health.
Osteopathy helps bringing greater health to the mind (calmer and clearer thinking), to the autonomic nervous system (that part which controls our blood vessels and body organs) our brain and spinal cord in addition to the nerves which supply our muscles joints and skin.
We all have had the 'butterfly in the stomach feeling' at some time in our life. This usually occurs when we are about to do something which is making us anxious. In this example our 'solar plexus' (medically called the coeliac nerve plexus) is getting over stimulated (by stress) and causing the upper part of our digestive system to feel discomfort.
Stress, Tension and our Posture
How many times have you felt in yourself, or noticed someone else having their shoulders all hunched up, as if up around their ears? If you are honest again we all have at times.
Most people have heard of the 'flight or fight response'. In this situation the body pumps out adrenaline and a mix of other hormones, so that we can either run away from the sabre toothed tiger or stand up and fight it. This is a life saving response which was required by our stone age ancestors. Sadly when the fight or flight response kicks in when we are in a traffic jam, having a row at home or work, the post is full of heavy bills etc, then we cannot expend the pent up adrenaline by running away or fighting - not a good idea to fight the postman! The consequence is that our muscles stay tight, the blood vessels become more constricted, body organs have altered blood flow - the list could go on and on. These changes if allowed to continue can have an effect of prematurely ageing the body tissues.
HELP WITH OSTEOPATHIC TREATMENT
At Osteopath Ashford, in Kent, we can help to release the physiological effects of stress on the body. As the osteopathic treatment (in particular the cranial osteopathy approach) releases the body tissues from their stressed state, the feedback to the brain of greater relaxation, re-sets the autonomic nervous system, switching off the flight and fight response. The mind then naturally feels calmer and brighter, and the body feels more energy (being in a flight and fight mode for long periods can be exhausting, and often we don't even know that is happening to us).
So if you often feel tired and run down, suffer with exhaustion or get anxious and irritable easily, you would benefit from an osteopathic consultation so that we can evaluate the true underlying cause of your condition. Or perhaps you would appreciate regular preventive treatments. These can have the effect of reducing the underlying stress levels in the body so that they don't build up and later cause symptoms. Prevention is easier and better than cure!