I was pulled over and given a ticket for the first time in my life last week. As I write this I feel slight anxiety that my Mom is going to read this and be mad at me. I half expect a lecture from my dad. I still haven’t told them, maybe by the time I post this they will know, maybe not. Sorry Mom.

I was pulled over for going 30 mph in a school zone (regular speed limit is 25). When the officer asked me if I knew what I did wrong, I was sincerely clueless. I fumbled out the words, “No, I honestly don’t!” She told me my violation, and took my information. As I waited, sweating to death from anxiety and the 95 degree heat, I thought to myself  “Where was the school zone?!”

I did what anyone would do in that moment. Mentally calculated the dollar amount, and the potential points on my license. Quickly texted Jenny, the person I was meeting, to tell her what happened. Afterwards, threw my phone as far away from me as possible. I didn’t want any indication that I was texting and driving. (I wasn’t, I promise!)

When the officer returned my information, she told me she would let me off easy with no points, but a ticket. I frantically apologized over and over, because subconsciously I didn’t want this authoritative figure to think I was a bad person! (It’s crazy what goes through our minds in moments of stress.) I kept saying “I didn’t see the flashing lights!! I’m so sorry!”

Her response, “You just have to be more observant.”

Her words bothered me, but not because I thought I was right and she was wrong. I messed up, clearly, I truly did not see the flashing lights, meaning I was not being observant. To be very honest I was thinking about how much fun I’ve been having writing this blog, and my meeting with Jenny to go over nutrition. Her words bothered me because she told me what I wish I could say to my patient’s everyday.

Pain. Indigestion. Headaches. Constipation. Diarrhea. Limited Motion.

THESE are Flashing Lights!

Sciatica is a condition that most people have heard of, or experienced. Sciatica happens when there is pressure on the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve contains bundles of nerves from different levels in your lumbar spine, or lower back area. These nerve bundles allow the muscles in your leg to contract/relax so you can run, walk, stand, etc. They also contain sensory components to tell your brain if something warm, wet, cold, etc is touching your leg. When there is pressure on this HUGE nerve, people will experience numbness, tingling, burning, pain, muscle tightness, and sometimes an inability to move their leg/foot.

Sciatica is a condition of a nerve being “pinched,” or more accurately, compressed.  All of your nerves start in your brain and they bundle together to create the spinal cord, which runs down through your spine. Your spine is designed to flex, extend, and create movement in your trunk area of course, BUT it’s main purpose is to protect the spinal cord. It is the house for the nervous system, the home of your Mini You. If there is a shift in position of a vertebrae, a bone in the spine, a nerve in that area can become compressed. This is known as a subluxation, or misalignment of the spine. A subluxation can be as small as millimeters to trigger a response from the nervous system!

So we know the sciatic nerve controls the leg.

What happens if a nerve supplying your lower intestines is being compressed? Constipation. Diarrhea. Pain in the upper part of your low back.

What happens if the nerve supplying the upper part of your stomach is compressed? Indigestion. Stomach ulcers. Acid re-flux. Pain in your mid back.

What happens if the nerve supplying sensory to your head is compressed? Migraines/Headaches. Ocular (eye) pain. Muscular tension under your skull.

I could go on and on… My point is, is that these conditions that I’ve listed, among many others, have become “normal,” in our society.  Diabetes affects 30.3 million Americans and rising, yet we don’t call it normal (1).  Normalizing conditions is a way to tell ourselves that it’s “okay.” What’s worse is that we routinely take medications that essentially puts our blinders on to the flashing lights!

The best part about my job as a chiropractor is that a patient will come in for an issue that they are familiar with chiropractors helping, like neck pain, and a few visits later they are telling me their sleep has improved, their headaches are gone, and they are off of their acid re-flux medication.

Chiropractic is more than pain relief, and infinitely more than a “crack.” In fact, there are dozens of techniques within the chiropractic world that you may not even hear the audible of the adjustment! Chiropractic was designed to take pressure off of the nervous system, by specifically adjusting areas of the spine that are compressing nerves.

Listen to your Mini You, get your spine checked. Remove you’re blinders. Ignoring your inner flashing lights, may cost you more than a ticket.