From a Chiropractic perspective, life is the expression of intelligence. Intelligence is the inborn wisdom of an entity, in our case, the human body, to maintain existence. In the human body, this intelligence manifests through signs or indicators.
The 5 principal signs of life are: Assimilation, Excretion, Adaptability, Growth and Reproduction. While all 5 signs are essential, adaptability is the most relevant to Chiropractic. Adaptability is an evident sign that the Nerve System is functioning optimally.
Adaptability is the capacity of an organism to adjust a function in response to new conditions, challenges, or unexpected changes. Adaptability allows the body to “work through” many different stressors to maintain homeostasis. Quoting Dr. Rob Sinnott, DC, “...it seems our trajectory of life is inextricably linked to our ability to adapt to the stresses we encounter.” In the human body, this ability to adapt is controlled by the Nerve System.
The Nerve System controls all the movements we make, senses everything we feel, regulates all organs and relates us to the outside world. This requires continuous call and response adjustments by the Nerve System to maintain balance.
Under the direction of the Nerve System, the body adapts its movements, organ regulation, and perceptions to all the stressors it encounters. The body has limitations in its adaptive qualities. If the spine can’t adapt to the stresses it encounters, it causes a vertebral subluxation.
A vertebral subluxation is when the top bones of the spine lock in a misaligned position. This obstructs nerve communication between the brain and the body. Nerve function becomes impaired, forcing the spine to compensate.
Compensation, by definition, is “to work around a deficit or to bypass a functional impairment.” This “work around” makes it harder for the body to “work through” stress. Compensations create a loss in adaptability. A loss of adaptability underpins the disease process and to quote Dr. Rob Sinnott, DC, “precedes the symptomatic profile- sometimes by decades.”
Chiropractors analyze the spine to locate a vertebral subluxation and correct it through a specific adjustment. This shifts nerve function away from compensation to adaptation. A Nerve System that functions well, adapts well. And a Nerve System that adapts well is healthier than one that does not. Adaptability gives more vitality to the expression of life.
