The spinal bones are connected to the kidneys? Part 3

Do you know that song… the foot bone is connected to the leg bone and the leg bone is connected to the hip bone, etc? Well, ever heard the story of how the spinal bone is connected to the kidney? Confused about that? I was too for quite some time. I am going to share with you something that most doctors, even neurosurgeons, are perplexed by. Ready? Here it goes…
Do you know what a reflex is? re·flex [ r flèks ] 1. occurring automatically, involuntarily and predictably as a result of the nervous system's reaction to a stimulus, event or situation. Examples would include: jerking your hand away when touching something too hot, blinking when something touches your eye, or a muscle contracting when a tendon is stretched or tapped with a doctor’s reflex hammer. There are far more interesting reflexes in our body, such as the reflexes that exist between muscles/bones and organs/glands. This type of reflex is called a somato-visceral reflex. Let’s break that word down so you can understand how this type of reflex can literally dictate your health status - and lifespan.
The word “somato” refers to pieces of your body such as skin, muscle, ligament, tendon, disc, and bone. The word “visceral” refers to organs and glands like the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, reproductive organs, etc. The concept of the somato-visceral reflex works like this: stimulate one piece of the body (bone or muscle) and an automatic response will take place in the other (kidney or other organ). This concept works both ways. Organ dysfunction can create pain in the bones and muscles just like bone/muscle dysfunction can wreak havoc on organ function. An example of this relationship would be how a woman’s menstrual cycle (organ stress) can create low back pain. That is a visceral-somatic reflex response. By the same token a spinal problem can lead to abnormal menstrual cycles (organ dysfunction). That is a somatic-visceral response. All of this occurs because these pieces of your body are connected to each other via nerve pathways. Are you still with me? Now, how does this apply to your health and why should you care about it? Think about this…
If the status of somatic structures in your body (skin, muscle, ligament, tendon, disc, bone) depends on the status of visceral structures in your body, and vice versa, what happens when one piece becomes problematic? For instance, if you have a problem in a section of your spine, could that problem lead to an organ problem via the somato-visceral reflex system? New research in the field of neuroscience says YES! This concept has been around for 100’s of years, but only until recent have we been able to study and research it clinically. So, what does this mean to you, your health, your future health status, your health decisions, etc?
Taking care of your spine, muscles and other somatic structures can have a positive effect on the health status of internal organs. Read last week’s article on how a chiropractic adjustment can stimulate pieces of the immune system (organs and glands) - see the connection here? This is huge because it tells me as a doctor that a person who neglects the status of their musculoskeletal system is also neglecting the health status of their organs and glands. On the other hand, a person who is focused on improving the health status of the musculoskeletal system is also improving the health status of their organs and glands. The outcome of each scenario directly impacts overall health status, quality of life and longevity.
So, I ask you now… is a chiropractic adjustment more than a “pop here and a click there”? You better believe it. In fact, science says this is a medical fact of the human body – one that is independent of your belief system. Why are we so confident in the principle of Maximized Health - how can we not be?
Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

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