What happens in Vagus…
IN a past life as a younger and significantly more irresponsible man I worked in a ski resort in Canada with some friends for a season. Now the upsides of being in a spectacular mountain resort with cheap all access lift pass and weeks to ride to your heart's content is balanced by earning a rather meek wage from which to live on/buy jugs of beer with.
The decision to pick a healthy supportive diet to help with all the activity you do on the slopes is less appealing to 20 somethings than eating the cheapest thing that will fill a hunger shaped hole in your appetite. Enter KRAFT Mac and Cheese: Microwavable, with the consistency of child snot and wallpaper paste, enough flavour enhancers to not notice and an orange colour that would make President
Trump uneasy. One set of workers decided to make this their exclusive food of choice, so much so that they were eventually taken ill with…..wait for it….Scurvy. Yes the disease that pirates and sailors would get due to a lack of vitamin C. Definite candidates for the Darwin awards that year.
Now one thing you must know is that you are what you eat, meaning that what we consume and put into our bodies helps to shape the state of our health. In short food is fuel. If you put the wrong fuel into your car it malfunctions, or the wrong batteries into an appliance it will not work. It is safe to say that the average
diet in the uk leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the required nutrients, vitamins and minerals that our body needs to survive let alone thrive. It is estimated that under 10% of people in the uk eat the recommended amount of fruit and veg needed each day. However I am not writing this to go through what the best diet is, or how to cook the latest superfood. You will probably agree if you have read further into nutrition at all you will know it is a veritable minefield of ideas, information and recommendations. Certainly a lack of information is not the problem.
Maybe we are asking the wrong question? Why do some people have certain bowel and digestive problems that go away when they change their diets when others do not? If you or anyone you know has suffered with ‘plumbing issues’ it can be life debilitating to say the least.
The way our digestive system works is pretty amazing. It is known as the 2nd brain due to the amount of nerves linked to the gut. Conditions ranging from Migraines, Depression and even Multiple Sclerosis have been seen to have links to dysfunctional plumbing. C section babies have demonstrated poor digestive function.
The gut, like all organs in the body is instructed on how to work by the nervous system and one key area is a very important nerve called the Vagus nerve. This powerhouse nerve connects your brain to your lungs, heart, spleen and digestive system and is the ‘dampener switch’ for these organs helping you rest and digest. It is recognised that having low Vagus nerve function has dire consequences for the body. So the question is not just ‘how can we get it working again?’ but ‘what is causing it to not work well in the first place?’.
The answer lies in its location, it exits through the base of the skull as it travels down the body, and an area where as a Chiropractor I see the biggest amount of joint restriction and subsequent nerve interference is in this area where the skull and the spine meet.
Come and see how we can help you, there is another way to better health, your body has an ability to heal greater than you realise.