What Kind of Tree Are You? Article of the week June 18-22, 2018
Last spring I had a tree company plant 6 white spruce trees on my property. When the snow melted this spring I noticed that a number of these new trees seemed to be struggling. A lot of the needles were rust coloured and shedding, and several of the trees weren't showing signs of new spring growth.
The health of these trees depends on the environment they live in, and their ability to adapt to the stresses of their environment. There are various factors that determine whether trees will thrive or struggle to survive; the quality and nutrients in the soil, receiving adequate moisture, adequate sunlight, the wind and disease just to name a few.
The woman who planted these trees last spring dropped by my house recently to diagnose the problem and determine why these trees seemed to be failing to thrive. She informed me that there is a tree fungus that is affecting many of the spruce in our area. However, I noticed that many of the spruce trees on my yard seemed to be unaffected by the disease and were living quite happily and disease-free next to the sick and dying trees, in spite of living in an environment of similar stress.
Trees are like any other living organism. All living organisms are exposed to seasons of stress and the ability of that organism to thrive and stay healthy depends on, among other things, it's ability to adapt to stress. Do you have stress in your life? Of course you do, and so do I! It is important to do the things that we can to manage our stress and try to remove ourselves from stressors when it is possible.
You could remove stress from your life by making changes to your diet, quitting smoking, shedding some unwanted weight or resigning from a stressful job. However, some stresses are unavoidable such as losing a pet or a family member, being involved in a car accident, or worrying about your kids. One of the keys to being a healthy “tree” amidst the sick ones is to make sure that your body has a high ability to cope and adapt to the stresses it encounters.
Did you know that the nervous system is the part of your body that controls the stress response? If your nervous system is functioning properly, you have an appropriate stress response which means your body is making stress hormones only when needed. Constantly elevated levels of stress hormone break your body down which over time leads to disease. Chiropractic adjustments actually dampen the part of your nervous system that is over-active when you are under long-term stress, and restore stress hormone balance.
When your body can respond properly to the stresses of it's environment, you are more likely to thrive and enjoy optimal health when others around you are succumbing to disease and poor health.
I envision a yard full of healthy trees, and a community full of healthy people. Getting more people adjusted by the chiropractors in our community is a great start to creating healthier people, better able to adapt to the increasing demands of the stressful world we live in.
Be well and have a great week!
Dr. Tim
Grace Chiropractic – 1-3230 Monarch Drive – 705-323-9100 – http://gracechiropractic.ca
Upcoming closures: Monday July 2nd & the week of July 16th – 19th