Chiropractic care is an effective, drug-free and long-established approach to injury prevention, chronic pain treatment and overall optimization of musculoskeletal health. However, studies suggest that chiropractic care can positively impact nervous system function, specifically, the brain’s command center, helping to improve mood, sleep and overall health and well-being. These benefits are based on natural responses in our brain-body connection.  

Research also reveals potential links between chiropractic adjustments and improved muscle control and motor function. This may involve neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt following injury or reorganize and form new connections between neurons, which could help the nervous system adapt and heal. Neuroplasticity is often described as the brain’s gift for “rewiring” itself in response to injury, experience, or new learning.

For example, many people who lose the ability to speak following a stroke regain it over time as the brain strengthens secondary language centers to compensate for damaged areas. Similarly, if your dominant hand is in a cast, neuroplasticity helps you adapt by training your non-dominant hand to perform tasks like signing your name.

Think of your brain as a drone pilot and your body as a drone. The brain sends signals through the nervous system, like the drone’s remote controller, to direct the body’s muscles, fine-tune balance or react to the environment. 

Meanwhile, sensors in the body — the drone’s cameras and instruments — send information back to the brain about our body position, a touch we felt, some pain, or the temperature so that the brain can respond appropriately. 

If the signal between the pilot and the drone is disrupted, say there’s interference or a lag, the drone might move erratically or not respond. Similarly, if the brain-body connection is off, your movements can become uncoordinated or your muscles may not function properly. 

Testing the Brain-Body Connection

In one study, researchers examined the effects of chiropractic care on brain function by dividing patients with chronic low back pain into two groups with 38 patients each. 

Using electroencephalogram (EEG) to study brain signals, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to factor in the brain’s management of touch and sensations, Fitbit data to gauge activity levels, and sleep data, researchers were able to draw objective conclusions. By having each patient complete questionnaires to report how they felt in a more subjective way, researchers could draw more nuanced conclusions throughout the study.  

One group received actual chiropractic care while the other received simulated chiropractic treatment. EEGs and SEPs were performed before the study’s start, immediately following the first chiropractic session and again after four weeks of care. The questionnaires were completed at the beginning of the study and repeated after the fourth week. Fitbit data collection was continuous throughout. 

Following chiropractic care, EEGs showed significant increases in beta, alpha and theta brainwave frequencies and a marked drop in delta brainwave power. Delta brainwaves are slow and typically dominant during heavy sleep. Theta brainwaves are also connected to sleep, particularly deep, meditative states and drowsiness. On the other hand, Alpha brainwaves tend to be most active when we’re awake, but calm, as when we daydream or meditate. Beta brainwaves are faster and associated with analytical thinking. 

The study suggests that chiropractic care could cause our brains to pivot from comparatively sluggish and diminished brain power to become brains that are relaxed yet alert. More specifically, chiropractic may cause neuroplastic alterations of brain structure and function related to how we experience pain, manage sleep and regulate our moods.

This multinational study, involving researchers from New Zealand, Denmark and Turkey, revealed that chiropractic may benefit muscle control and motor function, including signals sent by the brain to muscles in our arms and legs. 

This suggests that chiropractic adjustments might enhance the brain’s control over muscle function.​ In addition, there is potential for spinal manipulation to improve motor function, possibly benefiting persons with movement disorders or muscle control impairment. If true, chiropractic is a possible avenue for treatment in rehabilitation settings for patients seeking to improve muscle control and coordination. 

What Physical Fitness Does for Neuroplasticity 

Exercise boosts blood flow, meaning more oxygen and nutrients reach our brains, making us more alert and mentally focused. It enhances neuroplasticity by helping the brain forge new neural connections, especially in learning and memory, and it triggers the release of chemicals such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), to help neurons survive and grow. 

Doctors of chiropractic help patients become or remain physically fit because a whole-being, drug-free approach makes that focus natural, in every sense of the word.

While it is a popular term these days, for those who are unfamiliar, here is a thought experiment to help you understand what’s meant by a cortisol detox.

Imagine that you are terrified enough to start running from a threat. Lungs heaving and heart pounding, you never dreamed you could run this fast. Your destination: a cave about a quarter mile ahead. You leap over fallen branches and scramble through thorny brush. 

When you fall, you spring to your feet again and keep running. Homing in on the cave’s entrance, you shoot through headfirst like a torpedo. The bull elephant that was hot on your trail skids to a stop outside, too large to follow you in. 

Anyone who’s outrun a bull elephant probably has the stress hormone, cortisol, to thank. It is part of the body’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When our brains sense danger, they activate the HPA, causing our adrenal glands to release cortisol. 

Cortisol reroutes energy from where it’s less needed to where it’s needed most. Cortisol also helps us through difficult psychological or emotional experiences. Too much cortisol means that a “cortisol detox” might help restore its normal levels and stop unhealthy effects.  

Cortisol boosts energy by triggering the release of blood sugar and manages inflammation to reduce pain and swelling and prevent infections. It “borrows” glucose retained in the liver to prevent low blood sugar and even suppresses our appetites in case we can’t find food for a while.  

Stress is part of life, and some stress is good for us. But when it becomes too much — money shortages, family tensions, overstimulation from smart devices, etc. —  our brains stop discerning bull elephants from stressful but safe situations, such as making a speech. 

When this happens, cortisol imbalances can become chronic, leading to longer-term physical, mental, and emotional health issues. 

The list of possible problems related to high cortisol and chronic stress include:

• Anxiety, depression, and irritability 
• Blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance, and fatigue
• Racing thoughts, brain fog, and forgetfulness 
• Susceptibility to illnesses, slower healing time, and greater risk of infection
• Weight gain, especially abdominal

We see bullet points like these in healthcare articles all the time, but they often lack explanation. If we remember that cortisol’s job is to take energy from some systems to give to others, it’s easier to see how prolonged cortisol production would lead to problems by depleting some resources and overloading others.  

Additional problems may include high blood pressure, muscle weakness, headaches, and salt or sugar cravings. Digestion problems are also possible, and some women with high cortisol report irregular menstrual cycles. 

Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) are skilled at addressing these issues. Their mentorship-based care helps patients understand how stress, habits, and other lifestyle features impact their whole-being, but seeing a chiropractor sooner rather than later is important for achieving the best possible outcome. 

Cortisol Detox Versus Cortisol Detox Diets

It is a human tendency to embrace unhealthy habits that have long-term consequences, then latch onto fads and quick fixes such as “detox diets” and scam nutritional supplements to make everything right again. 

A cortisol detox can be a healthy choice, but cortisol detox diets and many supplements marketed as a means of cortisol control or elimination are ineffective and possibly harmful. A detox that includes a consistent sleep schedule of seven to nine hours, adequate hydration, and nutrient-, fiber-rich foods is a better option for treating high cortisol and chronic stress. Exercise is important, too, because it can help reduce cortisol, balance blood sugar, and manage stress. However, one should be careful not to overdo it on exercise as too much can increase cortisol. 

DCs help re-establish mental, physical, and lifestyle alignment, including identifying exercises that won’t raise cortisol.  

If you have questions about cortisol or chronic stress, talk to your DC. If you’re not currently benefitting from chiropractic treatment, consider scheduling a consultation with one soon. Remember, sooner is safer than later.