The first part of this article was written by Dr. Deb Ayer, a colleague of mine who practices in New Hampshire. We all have agreements we’ve made with ourselves. Some are visible. We can name them. We know we’re choosing them. We can decide whether they still fit. But then there are the invisible agreements. The ones we made somewhere …

My dad was a great man. Not perfect, but great. Perfect isn’t real. In fact, chasing perfection may be one of the fastest ways to flood your body with stress hormones while striving for something that doesn’t exist. One of the unique things about our relationship was that he was 50 years old when I was born. Lately, I’ve been …

A few years ago, after buying our forever home, I started noticing little things that seemed off. As is often the case with a home that’s new to you, small imperfections slowly reveal themselves over time. On the south-facing wall of our living room, there was a small crack in the drywall near the ceiling. On the adjacent wall, one …

Just like the rest of our bodies, the nervous system is remarkable. At its most fundamental level, it coordinates our body’s functions while helping shape our thoughts, emotions, sensations, and movements. In many ways, the nervous system is the lens through which we experience life itself. Without a functioning nervous system, we couldn’t grow, develop, adapt, recover, learn, think, or …

A recent study reviewed the clinical records of 145 infants, ages 0–12 months, who presented for chiropractic care in a single-practitioner practice. The findings help characterize the patterns commonly seen in infants entering chiropractic care, including feeding dysfunction, torticollis, plagiocephaly (flattened head), tongue-tie-related concerns, and findings involving the cervico-cranio-mandibular (head/neck/jaw) complex. The study found that breastfeeding difficulty was the most …

It takes roughly the first 25 years of life for the human brain to mature to its maximum size. Its wiring continues to evolve into our later years, adapting and learning through life. The first years of life help form the foundation for healthy physical, emotional, mental and social functioning. So a brain and nervous system that can experience safety, …

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most common health findings in adults. Depending on how it’s measured and which guidelines are used, a significant portion of the population will meet the criteria for hypertension at some point in their lives. For years, hypertension has been called the “silent killer” because it often develops without noticeable symptoms. It’s helpful …

One of the most common questions people ask during their healing journey is, “How do I know if I’m getting better?” Most people naturally look to pain as the answer. If the pain is gone, they assume they are healing. If the pain returns, they assume they are getting worse. The challenge is that pain is not always a reliable …

Most people recognize that their thoughts and emotions can affect their body. Stress, worry, fear, frustration, and overwhelm can all create tension throughout the nervous system, muscles, and spine. But what many people don’t realize is that the relationship works both ways. The state of your nervous system can influence the way you think, feel, and experience the world around …

As Father’s Day approaches, I’ve been thinking about strength. Of course, strength is not exclusive to fathers. Yet culturally, the masculine identity has long been associated with being strong. I’m old enough to remember when men were taught to be the “strong, silent type”—steady, dependable, and unwavering. Strength was measured not only by physical capability, but by a person’s ability …