The average American spends $10,966 per year on health care and health-related expenses. That by far leads the world in average spending per year, but we still lead the world in chronic disease and obesity. Roughly 45% of Americans have a diagnosed chronic condition, and by the year 2025, it is expected that more than half of the population will have a diagnosable chronic disease.
It is fair to state that our current health expenditure is not helping to increase health. There is a better and more cost-effective means to improving health and it does not involve drugs or surgery. It only consists in increasing the output of the healing mechanisms already equipped in human physiology.
The grand controller in all events in human physiology is the central nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. Nothing is untouched by this system. It is on the job, constantly telling your heart to beat and lungs to breathe, while also firing muscles for movement and keeping you upright. These actions are all happening while it is also coordinating immune system function without your knowing. To improve health, we must improve the communication of this system.
The central nervous system is protected by a bony structure called the spinal column, which consists of 33 bones and over 100 joints, which give attachment sites for over 100 muscles and 220 ligaments. This system protects over 13 million neurons inside the spinal canal and is designed with a standard structure for optimal function. The ideal structure of the spine consists of two lordotic curves in the cervical and lumbar regions, a kyphotic curve in the thoracic spine, and a completely straight spine from the front. The neck curve is the most important because of its proximity to the brain. The curve in the neck is also the most damaged from the modern lifestyle.
The loss of cervical lordosis has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases and decreased central nervous system functioning. Research has shown that cervical lordosis is so vital for health that Alfred Brieg, M.D. termed it the “Arc of Life” after completing his research on the subject in 1978.
Research published in July 2021 demonstrated that the cervical lordosis improved in 10 weeks caused remarkable changes to the speed of the nervous system signals through corrective chiropractic care. To improve cervical lordosis, the entire spine must first be assessed through postural analysis and full spine x-rays.
Steps to Improving Cervical Lordosis:
- Postural analysis and structural x-rays.
- Specific spinal warmups to hydrate discs, mobilize ligaments and nourish muscles.
- Chiropractic adjustments for mobilizing spinal joints and activating neural circuits.
- Isometric exercise for stabilizing the spine towards an ideal alignment.
- At-home rehab to mold proper spinal curves