They say that as we age, our memory starts to go. There are always exceptions to the rule and my mom is a good example of this when it comes to memory. She’s almost 90 and she can remember things that I have trouble recalling:).
Given that aging typically gets a bad wrap, I’d like to clarify that many problems associated with aging are actually due to something else. It’s not as sexy to write about as aging is, but many people experience it.
What’s really responsible for many of the problems that aging gets blamed for is a heightened chronic Sympathetic (fight/flight) response in the nervous system. It’s what we call Neuro-Adaptive Syndrome.
What exactly is Neuro-Adaptive Syndrome?
Have you ever experienced a bad cell phone connection? Cell phone signals can sometimes drop out, especially at the most inconvenient times.
Imagine that you’re on your cell phone and you’re faced with having to save someone’s life, who’s dying in front of you. The person that you’re on the phone with is trying to give you instructions on what to do to save this person’s life.
All of a sudden the signal starts to drop and you can’t hear what the person is telling you over the phone. The signal keeps going in and out and you’re only able to catch parts of words. What is likely to happen to the person whose life you are trying to save? Is their life in jeopardy? You bet!!
This is what a heightened chronic fight/flight response does in the nervous system. It creates static and it cause the signals going from your body to your brain to drop out. It’s like your brain can hear some of what your body is saying, but it’s not catching everything. This leads to imbalance and dysfunction. If it goes on long enough, it leads to disease.
Memory, focus, concentration and coordination are complex functions in the body but one thing they all have in common is that they rely on the PreFrontal Cortex (PFC) in order to function well. If your PFC is not working properly, then it could affect your memory, ability to focus and concentrate and to have a coordinated body.
What could cause the PFC to essentially malfunction?
If you guessed a heightened chronic fight/flight response, you get a cookie! And if we correct the static and dropping signal in the nervous system, we can help to restore proper function. You can see it as improved memory, focus, concentration and coordination.
In 2016, a study was published in the journal Neural Plasticity. The study revealed that adjusting the spine changes brain function. In an interview, Dr Haavik (one of the researchers in the study) remarked that, “The study showed a change in brain function by almost 20% on average.” This included significant changes in the prefrontal cortex. Dr Haavik explained that:
“This is solid scientific evidence that adjusting the spine changes the way the prefrontal cortex of the brain is processing information. It demonstrates we change the way the brain works and shows that spinal function impacts brain function. One of the most interesting things about the changes we observed was that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for behaviour, goal directed tasks, decision making, memory and attention, intelligence, processing of pain and emotional response to it, autonomic function, motor control, eye movements and spatial awareness.”.
This means that NeuroSpinal Optimization may be of as much help to a CEO, scientist or problem solver as it is to an athlete or chronic low back pain sufferer.