noun

- the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health.

"autonomy in self-care and insulin administration" - the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress. "expressing oneself is an essential form of self-care"

Self-care is a catchy term that has become increasingly popular today. It involves taking care of yourself both mentally and physically. Self-care involves keeping your body as healthy as possible, prevention, and improvement of your overall quality of function on a day to day basis. It also involves keeping your mental health in consideration and promoting proper emotional and social wellbeing.

Chiropractic care fits into this new paradigm of health, in fact it should be one of the foundations of self-care.

Chiropractic works to improve and perfect the expression of your health from within. A chiropractic adjustment serves to boost nervous system function, the control mechanism of the body, and improve brain function. This helps to improve other areas of health.

The goal of self-care is to focus on your internal well being by making healthy choices. Having proper social interactions, exercising, alone time, reading, relaxation, meditation, eating healthy and many other actions are considered self-care. Doing things you are passionate about, hobbies that you enjoy, and truly having fun creates a good environment for you to feel safe and allows the body to heal and decrease physiological stress.

Chiropractors work on restoring proper communication in the body. This allows the body to detoxify, lower stress levels, and heal both in an emotional and physical way. Your nervous system and brain function is the most important aspect of self-care. Every action you take contributes to changes in how your body perceives itself.

A majority of actions we take during self-care, anything from reading a book, to taking a relaxing bubble bath, or meal prepping, is an attempt to increase parasympathetic function in the body. That is the resting, healing balancing portion of the nervous system. All of these choices are silent improvements to your overall health and wellness.

Chiropractors value the internal, silent, health of the body. Our office sees patients of all ages, and with any issues they may have. The ultimate goal is to correct the internal challenges the body faces so that the body may heal from the inside out.

Wellness is not merely the absence of disease or symptoms, it is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, according to the WHO. Maintaining care in our office on a consistent basis is important for your internal health. Once symptoms have faded and you feel better it is important to maintain your health. Patients in our office do this through regular consistent care, often weekly.

There is a need in our community for better maintenance of health. We are struggling to face the facts but our current model of healthcare has failed millions of families. Treating symptoms and covering up problems rather than correcting them has lead to worsening health outcomes and greater lifestyle issues.

Self-care is a great way to begin changing our health outcomes. Incorporating chiropractic care into a healthy lifestyle needs to be a priority. Regular chiropractic care will reduce sickness, improve digestion, improve sleep, improve mental health, and change the paradigm of true wellness.

If you have family or friends who are incorporating self-care into their lives they should include chiropractic. If you have family or friends who are suffering needlessly they should be checked by a chiropractor. If you have family or friends who are perfectly healthy they should be checked by a chiropractor. Do yourself a favor and start improving your life today.

Please follow @markochiropractic on Instagram for more chiropractic philosophy, research and lifestyle tips. Feel free to share and spread the message, that's the purpose of this blog.

Drs. Marko Family Chiropractors, South Burlington, Vermont. Chiropractic care for families.

Every day is a gift.