LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE SPINAL CORD. #7 in series.

A patient who worked on telephone and power lines learned about the spine in our office years ago…and realized the similarities immediately. He gifted this piece to us and I have kept it in my office ever since.

Understanding this is the perfect place to begin; the parallels between this and your spinal cord are many.

The job of the power line is to allow a safe and controlled flow of electric energy from place of origin to wherever it needs to go. That flow of energy can be very powerful and potentially extremely dangerous to any matter that comes in contact with it. The spinal cord is not one single nerve fiber…but instead a collection of fibers all predetermined to travel with life energy to different parts of the body.

In this picture, far left, you will note the gray wrapping around the individual strands — that is the insulator which is essential to controlling the flow of energy so it does indeed end up where it’s needed ( and so the power it carries does not damage whatever may come in contact with the energy flow). The protective covering surrounds the brain and then continues to enclose the spinal cord as it exits the large hole (Foramen Magnum) at the center and bottom of the skull.

The human spinal cord and nerves requires the same precautions. So God, in His wisdom, provides essentially the same kind of protective cover to both the spine and the nerves that exit off the spine. That in our picture is represented by the bundles of (also insulated) fibers that are pictured. Of course with human anatomy many of the nerve fibers are as fine (or finer) than a strand of hair….and the nerve tissue itself is not at all like the covered wires in our picture. Instead, the spine (because it’s continuous with the brain) is more like the consistency of cooked spaghetti (a la dente) perhaps, but definitely a delicate tissue that can easily be compressed or damaged.

Because the spinal cord is delicate and requires insulation, God created the many moveable bones to the spinal column to protect that precious conduit.

Scientists give a rough estimate that there are 30 trillion cells in the human body (almost equal to our national debt - a number that is even difficult to comprehend). BUT every single one of those cells needs to be in communication with the brain ….and if this communication is decreased or lost, then the cells will either function at diminished capacity or will die altogether.

Before concluding today I will give one example. As a nutritionist specializing in the anti-inflammatory diet that is used to treat autoimmune diseases (over 100 different diseases have been identified as autoimmune in nature). Autoimmune means our very powerful immune system (which is designed to fight off invading bacteria or viruses) becomes confused and begins to attack and destroy the body’s own healthy tissues. There is no one single cause, but one widely accepted trigger is excessive inflammation in the body as a result of poor food choices and associated obesity. The anti-inflammatory diet will not cure the diseases but it can be utilized to force the condition into remission.

That said, MS (Multiple Sclerosis) IS an autoimmune disease and is relevant to our topic. We said every cell in the body must have a nerve supply. And every nerve fiber (because it carries an electric-like force) must also have an insulating cover - this cover is called the Myelin Sheath. In the case of MS, patches of the protective myelin sheath (nerve cover) have been attacked by the immune system and are typically damaged in patches. (Usually in “multiple” places along the course of the nerve route - hence the name as “sclerosis” is another name for the scar tissue that results when the eroded and damaged myelin sheath gets repaired.) Once the nerve is covered with sclerotic tissue it can no longer carry the nerve impulses as effectively. The most commonly affected nerves being the optic nerves to the eye and the nerves supplying the arms and legs. Function is compromised.

More to come on this but it gives insight on how crucial the nerve supply throughout the body is and one of many ways it can be interfered with. I promise you, we will get to the role of chiropractic soon.

In the meantime, if you have questions feel free to contact Bobbie at DOC KLEINS CHIROPRACTIC.