Everyone knows that the more exercise you have the healthier you are, but many do not understand why it is a required nutrient for the brain. Some researchers initially thought it was increased blood flow and oxygen supply that improved brain and overall health. Science now shows that it is not the aerobic activity that is responsible for the amazing benefits of movement, but it is the neurologic stimulation of pathways between spinal joints and the brain. “At a major neuroscience symposium in Chicago where experts in the field of movement and cognition met the message was clear: Our body enriches our mind”.
Your brain sends millions of electrical messages down your spinal cord out through the tiny nerves that pierce out of the small openings between the vertebrae to all the body parts. The nerve messages make your body parts move and work to balance your system. But in order for the brain to coordinate all the functions of the body it must be energized and that energy comes from movement, especially of the spine.
Spinal motion is a required nutrient for proper brain function for the coordination of concentration and learning, motor control, organ function (including immune organs), and emotions. 1-2 Roger Sperry was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1982 for his work on spinal motion in relation to proper brain function. He made the analogy that movement of the spine charges the brain’s battery like a windmill generates electricity for a power plant. Dr. Sperry also stated the more structurally distorted we are (poor posture and decreased spinal range of motion) the less energy we have for thinking, for healing, and for learning.
Think about this folks: If you get enough to eat, and sit down all day, at the end of the day of conserving energy why is it that you are tired? But if you get up and move around and expend energy how is it that you get more energized? It’s because movement of the spine charges the brain! Half of all the nerve impulses being sent between the brain and body are for the delivery of movement stimulation to the brain.
Research is now showing that people who do not properly stimulate their brain with joint movement have behavioral, emotional, concentration (like ADHD), learning, and overall health deficits.2 So exercise regularly and make sure you spinal joints are aligned and moving properly by seeing your family wellness chiropractor.
Some Great References:
1. Schmahmann, J. The Cerebellum and Cognition. Int Rev Neurobiology Vol 41
2. Chestnut, J.L. “The 14 Foundational Premises for the Scientific and Philosophical Validation of the Chiropractic Wellness Paradigm” 2002
3. Guyton, A. Textbook of Medical Physiology
4. Jensen, E. Learning with the body in mind. 2000
Information courtesy of Dr. Nathan Riddle Chiropractor, Webster NY. You may visit Dr. Riddle's website: http://www.riddlechiropractic.com/