The Mind-Body Connection and Your Human Potential

By Doctor James B. Clausen

Everyone is talking about the mind-body link and the connection. Recent scientific discoveries have placed this phenomenon at the core of the wellness movement. Educating yourself on the mind-body connection can make a big difference in your family's health.
The Mind
The home of the mind is the brain. According to the February 1997 issue of Life Magazine, "this 3 pound organ stores 100 trillion bits of information over the course of 70 years. That is equal to 500,000 sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica, which stacked, would reach 442 miles high. A fully formed brain contains 100 billion neurons, or nerve cells. While those numbers are staggering, what's even more impressive is how these neurons function to originate thought and supply information to the body. This is what chiropractors and other holistic health professional refer to as innate intelligence. Your innate intelligence, within you, is the life energy that keeps you alive, heals you when you are sick, and enables your body to perform the extraordinary amount of work, effortlessly, that keeps you functioning at your full potential. It is important to keep your mind clear and sharp for it to be effective in the mind-body connection.
The Body
The performance of your body is extraordinary. "Breathing one pint of air 17 times a minute, we take in 70 million gallons in an average life span, enough to fill the Hindenburg airship one and half times. The average person takes one billion steps in his life and walks about 77,000 miles, landing on each foot with a force triple his body weight. Eight million new red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow every second." That's amazing! What do you think will happen if you only take care of your body when it is broken? Unfortunately, there are many people who grew up with the mindset, "if it ain't broken don't fix it." These people ignored pain and did not participate in wellness activities. They are paying the prices today. Just look at their posture. If people look crooked on the outside, how do you think their bodies are on the inside? Rather than commit to wellness, they cover up their problems with drugs and keep going, functioning at much less than their full potential. Wellness is a better choice, don't you think?
The Connection
This connection has been written about since Hippocrates wrote, "look well to the spine for the cause of disease." Thomas Edison said, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." The spine, spinal cord and nerve system is the vital link in mind-body connection. Chiropractors have always understood the importance of this connection in relation to the well being of the whole person. When healthy, impulses travel over this system at up to 325 miles per hour. Research shows, however, that when the spine is injured from the birth process, or any other mental, chemical or physical stress, "neurons die in a domino effect." This causes interference that effects every aspect of your well being, lessoning the expression of your innate potential.
What do you think would be the effect on a child if the link going to the ears were damaged? What if your stomach, kidneys, or heart were compromised? How do you think interference in the link would affect your energy? If you wait until "feel it", the damage may already be occurring.
By removing interference to this critical link, chiropractors ensure the integrity of the mind-body connection. Babies should be examined immediately after being born. Children at every stage of growth and development should be checked. Adults, with the stress of life and daily activities causing pressure on their spines, must keep their nerve systems functioning without interference, at all times, to have any chance of approaching the human potential. When you consider the wonders of the mind and the capacity of the body, along with the power of the intelligence within, it's no wonder the mind-body connection has become the most important health issue of our time. You must take care of your spine and nerve system, your connection, for you to stay healthy and reach your potential. Join the millions of adults, infants and children who are already experiencing the positive impact chiropractic is having on their lives. Don't settle for less than your best.