As a personal trainer and strength coach there is always a new challenge popping its head out of the bushes begging to be tackled and at times it frustrates you to as much as being tied to a chair and being forced to watch reruns of all the Roseanne sitcoms. I have recently been bashing my head against the wall trying to find an issue with one of my clients who for the sake of her using her newly gained strength against me in a flurry of right crosses we will just call her Jen. So the story goes like this; Jen contacted me for help getting her body stripped of fat which seems like the typical reason most women hire me. The problem that reared its ugly head after our second month isn't the fact of muscle imbalances or physical restrictions due to Jen's long limbs. Jen has really nicely developed arms, forearms, upper legs, and calves. The problem is that the body fat accumulation around her midsection is to say the least very stubborn. Jen brings it on every session and almost every day leaves her sessions dripping in sweat, exhausted, and hardly has the energy to drive 20 minutes home without stopping to take a nap. In other words this girl lifts with intensity that most men lack and yet it seems like we can't put a dent in the body fat percentage. This has led me to believe there is a condition within the body causing a chaotic disruption within her system some place.I ruled out hormones with the exception of cortisol due to high stress levels. (3 teenage daughters at home is enough to cause severe stress in anyone.) I don't believe cortisol is the main issue but a contributor and there could be a possible thyroid issue but for now I figured it best to work on issues to help overall health fast while we track the prime factor. After reading many articles and anatomy books to find possible causes to attack I decided to contact my mentor and trusted friend Dr. Steven Tullius D.C. Who is very savvy in total body wellness and health and has a deep love and compassion for people. I know from visiting Dr. T on many many occasions that the CNS or Central Nervous System which controls every aspect of our body functions can at times be hindered by spinal misalignments. Think about a water hose running wide open and if you step on the hose you choke back the efficiency of the hose to deliver water. Same principle but what many people don't understand is that the CNS branches out from the spinal column and nerves run from every vertebra to various areas controlling everything from firing your muscles to sex organs to digestive functions. My thoughts are that Jen may have a serious subluxation around the middle back in the thoracic spine causing problems with digestion and hindering her metabolic drive but I am not the Doc so I will be asking Dr Tullius to give a brief description of his findings to allow others with the same issues and symptoms to hear straight from the professional. I also am aware that Jen's Atlas bone was out of alignment so hopefully Dr. T can touch on those effects as well.
The following is an addition by Dr. Steven Tullius D.C.
Jessie hit the nail on the head with this one. We have three components to the nervous system. We have the sensory system which controls pain, pressure, temperature, etc... We all know when those nerves are irritated because we can feel it.
The motor system controls the movement, strength and coordination of muscle firing. We don't always know when these nerves are being affected and can often just put it off on "weak" muscles when in fact the muscle is not getting the proper messages to do the requested movement.
The third and most important component of the nervous system is the autonomic system. The autonomic system consists of the sympathetic system, fight or flight response, and the parasympathetic system, rest and digest response. Jen's sympathetic system was out of control. Her atlas, or first cervical bone, was severely misaligned, placing pressure on the brain stem as it enters the spinal column. Her body literally believed and has been for a very long time that it needed to either fight or run away. The physiological response?
Acceleration of heart and lung action Paling or flushing, or alternating between both Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action (digestion slows down or stops) Secretion of adrenaline from the adrenal glands
It's no wonder she has suffered from insomnia, anxiety, excessive sweating, and trouble losing weight. Unfortunately a subluxation, or spinal misalignment, is the most often overlooked cause of system imbalance and dis-ease in the body yet it is the most common. Keep in mind that chiropractic does not seek to cure any of these problems Jen has been suffering from, it simply restores balance to the nervous system and the body does what it does best: heals and maintains life.
If you or someone you love is not experiencing optimum health and vitality, chiropractic can help.
Yours in Health,
Steve Tullius, DC www.dr-t.net
So If you have ever lifted weights to the point where your eyes have almost popped out of your skull with no results and you have practiced strict discipline with your nutrition as well as hormone balancing and still cant lose weight then maybe the problem holding back that fat loss is as simple as getting the spine tuned up so the nervous systems can function properly and get your body feeling the way it should feel.
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