Life Occurs at the Intersection of Chaos and Order
Chaos is random, without form, potential. Order is predictable, structured, actual. These ideas of chaos and order have been distilled throughout history and are reflected in many different practices such as religion, philosophy and science.
Human beings are the crowning jewel of ordered chaos. The capacity to take electricity and other raw materials such as oxygen, carbon and hydrogen and arrange them into organized intelligent life always astounds me.
Our brain is designed and wired to decode the dance between order and chaos. It starts and ends with the cerebrum.
The cerebrum makes up the largest aspect of our brain. It contains the most evolved portion of the brain, the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is often considered the seat of intelligence: attention, perception, awareness, thought, memory, language, and consciousness are all associated with the cerebral cortex. Motor control and sensory interpretation are also under the control of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is separated into two parts: the left and right hemispheres.
While each hemisphere is not entirely compartmentalized in function, each hemisphere is attuned for either chaos or order from a neuropsychological standpoint. Quoting Dr. Jordan Peterson, Ph.D:
“The left [hemisphere] tries to impose order on the world, the right hemisphere reacts to novelty and generates novel hypotheses."
The left hemisphere drives for answers while the right hemisphere searches for questions. The left hemisphere is often associated with logic and reason while the right hemisphere is linked to creativity and imagination.
The bridge between the two hemispheres, called the corpus callosum, is the translator for each. The corpus callosum helps order understand disarray and allows chaos to understand form. The corpus callosum permits one true dialogue rather than two noisy monologues in the brain.
Once logic, reason, creativity and imagination are properly oriented in the brain between its hemispheres, it shares these concepts with the body in order to “act” them out. The body gives motion to the thoughts of the brain.
The link between thought and motion occurs at the brainstem. Information from both the left and right brain hemispheres convenes at the brainstem in the form of nerve tracts. The lower portion of the brainstem is housed and protected by the two top cervical bones of the neck, the Atlas and Axis vertebral bones.
In order for the brainstem to function at its best, the surrounding cervical bones must be in structural alignment. When in proper alignment, the brainstem can send out the brain’s information and receive the body’s input in a clear matter and at its greatest potential. There is a natural balance between chaos and order, both internally and externally. This is a benchmark for health and well-being.
A misalignment of the upper cervical spine can put added tension on the delicate brainstem tissue. This can disrupt the flow of neurological messages exiting the brain and returning from the body. This is called a vertebral subluxation.
A vertebral subluxation can effect how we interpret the chaos and order of our internal and external world. Structural and functional inconsistencies create variations in our health and well-being. This can be food for sickness and disease processes.
Chiropractic aims to keep your upper cervical spine in alignment through a specific adjustment. A specific adjustment helps optimize your neurological function. And since we live through our Nerve System, we are better aligned to that link between chaos and order. We can adapt to the chaos and preserve order at our greatest potential. We can find better meaning in and about our world. To quote again Dr. Jordan Peterson, this time on the essence of meaning:
“...what meaning does, it’s function, it’s biological function—which I think is more real, in some sense, than any other biological function—is to tell you when you’re in the place where you’ve balanced the stability, let’s say, of your left hemisphere systems with the exploratory capacity of your right, so that not only are you master of your domain, but you’re expanding that domain simultaneously. I think that when you’re there, it’s kind of a metaphysical place, in some sense. You’re imbued with a sense of meaning and purpose. That’s an indication that you’ve actually optimized your neurological function.”
A healthy Nerve System, one free of vertebral subluxations, can help us grow and express our true meaning and purpose.
Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.
