FEELING VS FUNCTION: Understanding how Our Bodies Work

Why is it important to you?

We often go through life oblivious to what our bodies are generally telling us. A headache, or a heartburn are easily remedied by a couple of over-the-counter pills and the pain or discomfort is over in a flash. In fact, most painkiller brands brag about how effective and fast their medicine is. We only visit the ER when the situation becomes prolonged and dire. That is the generic way we approach life and disease, with “quick fixes”. What we fail to recognize is that these symptoms can just be a warning sign to an underlying condition or a developing one at that. It only becomes too late when we lose our functionality and we wonder how come we’ve been “healthy” for all that time then suddenly we are unable to do even the simplest of tasks. This article aims to inform you of what really happens in your body and why this information is important to you.

What is Feeling vs Function?

Feeling vs Function is a common Chiropractic term used to explain the relationship the body has with the Nervous System. The nervous system is a complex network of neurons and supporting cells that transmit signals between different parts of the body to coordinate actions and sensory information. There are 2 main distinct parts of the Nervous System:

1)The Central Nervous System
2)The Peripheral Nervous System

The Central Nervous System is made up of the Brain and the Spinal Cord. Together they work as the body’s processing center.

The Peripheral Nervous System connects the CNS to the rest of the body thus facilitating communication between the body and the CNS. It is further divided into 2 parts:

1) The Somatic Nervous System
2) The Autonomic Nervous System

1) The Somatic Nervous System is associated with activities that are conscious and voluntary. They include Sensory Nerves that carry sensory information from sensory receptors in the skin, muscles and joints to the Central Nervous System. These receptors detect stimuli i.e Touch, Pain, and Temperature and convey this message to the the CNS for processing.

Common signs and symptoms that may indicate sensory nerve problems are:
1) Numbness and tingling characterized by a loss of sensation or a “pins and needles” feeling, often in the hands, feet, arms, or legs.
2) Pain that can be sharp, burning, or aching pain, which may occur spontaneously or in response to touch.
3) Sensitivity to touch characterized by an increased sensation to touch or temperature changes, known as allodynia or hyperalgesia.
4) Loss of sensation that results to the inability to feel sensations such as temperature, pain or touch in certain areas.
5) Muscle cramps or twitching which are involuntary muscle contractions or spasms that can occur with nerve damage.

The Somatic Nervous System also has Motor Nerves that carries motor commands from the CNS to the skeletal muscles to facilitate voluntary movements. Motor commands originate in the brain, travel through the spinal cord, and are transmitted via motor neurons to the muscles.

Problems with motor nerves can lead to various symptoms indicating motor dysfunction. Some key signs include:

1) Muscle Weakness: Reduced strength in specific muscles, leading to difficulty in doing some tasks
2) Muscle Atrophy: Muscle mass wasting away due to lack of stimulation.
3) Fasciculations: Involuntary muscle twitches under the skin.
4) Paralysis: Complete muscle failure in a part of the body.
5) Spasticity: Increased muscle tone causing stiffness and difficulty in movement.
6) Hypotonia: Reduced muscle tone, leading to floppy muscles and joints.

2) The Autonomic Nervous System controls the involuntary physiological processes. It controls Blood Vessels, Organs and Glands therefore it is responsible for functions such as breathing, digestion and certain reflex actions such as coughing, sneezing and vomiting. Some of the problems associated with the Autonomic Nervous System include:

Cardiovascular Symptoms
Orthostatic Hypotension: A significant drop in blood pressure upon standing, leading to dizziness or fainting.
Tachycardia: Abnormally fast heart rate at rest or with minimal exertion (e.g., Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome – POTS).
Bradycardia: Abnormally slow heart rate, potentially causing fatigue, weakness, or fainting.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Gastroparesis: Delayed stomach emptying, resulting in nausea, vomiting, and bloating.
Constipation or Diarrhea: Chronic irregularities in bowel movements, often without clear cause.
Difficulty Swallowing: Problems with the normal swallowing process.

Respiratory Symptoms
Breathing Irregularities: Shortness of breath, especially during activities that previously did not cause such symptoms.
Sleep Apnea: Irregular breathing during sleep, leading to poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue.

Thermo regulatory Symptoms
Hyperhidrosis: Excessive sweating, even in cool environments.
Anhidrosis: Reduced or absent sweating, leading to overheating.

Genitourinary Symptoms
Bladder Dysfunction: Difficulty starting urination, incomplete bladder emptying, or incontinence.
Sexual Dysfunction: Erectile dysfunction in men and reduced sexual arousal or lubrication in women.

The Human Garage Solution

Now you know how the body generally works. It should be noted that there is a clear distinction between feeling good and functioning well. You might be feeling generally well, but are you ‘functioning great’? Your doctor may tell you you have acidity or you are bloated or your blood pressure is high but you just feel fine. And you might ignore these signs since you ‘feel fine’. These symptoms are warning lights. Just as your car notifies you with the check engine light, these and other symptoms are our bodies’ “check engine” light. You need a garage. You need The Human Garage.

Through Chiropractic Care and Fascia Manipulation we aim to identify the underlying cause of your problem and address it naturally through our hands without any need for drugs or surgery. We pride ourselves in this.

In addition, through our C.A.R.E.S program (Cleansing, Activation, Restoration, Enhancement and Support), we address your metabolism to achieve balanced homoestasis (Acidity and Alkalinity).This program focuses on what we eat to fuel the body and eliminate waste.

Finally, we address your emotional health. We achieve this through toega and shiatsu. They address your breathing, posture, balance, co-ordination, gait and body movement to strengthen your body and increase its flexibility.

Our goal is to apply these natural wellbeing services to the lifestyle of our clients to improve the state of their wellbeing. So contact us today for all your wellbeing needs.

Book an appointment with us today