Source: Getty/Steve Granitz All of the stars looked glowing in their gorgeous dresses at last night’s Oscars. One common thing stood out to me as a Chiropractor – good posture! As the stars demonstrated last night, good posture is vital when needing to look your best - It makes you look thinner, your shoulders look more defined, makes your chest look perky ;)… What may be even more important is what’s going on INSIDE your body when you’re standing tall.
Some studies say after only 2 minutes, correct posture can cause a hormonal surge that helps you feel more powerful and confident! A 2010 study tells that people who adopted proper “power pose’” postures (straight spines, shoulders back, chest open, chin up & back) had a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol – our bodies’ stress hormones.[1] Too much cortisol is associated with weight gain, lower immune function, increased blood pressure, bad skin and other not so “glamorous” things.
Poor posture not only causes aches and pains – it is associated with depression, decreased energy, GI symptoms like constipation, decreased circulation, heart disease, shallow breathing and even decreased life expectancy. A 2004 study tells us that individuals with (even slight) hyperkyphotic posture (think old lady hunching over) had a greater mortality rate than those without the hunched posture.[2]
Some studies say after only 2 minutes, correct posture can cause a hormonal surge that helps you feel more powerful and confident! A 2010 study tells that people who adopted proper “power pose’” postures (straight spines, shoulders back, chest open, chin up & back) had a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol – our bodies’ stress hormones.[1] Too much cortisol is associated with weight gain, lower immune function, increased blood pressure, bad skin and other not so “glamorous” things.
Poor posture not only causes aches and pains – it is associated with depression, decreased energy, GI symptoms like constipation, decreased circulation, heart disease, shallow breathing and even decreased life expectancy. A 2004 study tells us that individuals with (even slight) hyperkyphotic posture (think old lady hunching over) had a greater mortality rate than those without the hunched posture.[2]
Source: Getty/Jason Merritt Why are chiropractic and posture so closely related? Posture is the window to your spine – when you have postural abnormalities, we know that there is change and possibly damage to your spine. This will cause biomechanical imbalance, which leads to early breakdown and degeneration to your spine. Your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord), which controls every function in your body, is housed by your skull and spine. When there are changes or damages to these structures, it causes interference within the nervous system, which will result in improper communication between the brain and the structures in the rest of the body – every tissue, cell and organ! Improper communication leads to dysfunction and disease.
The negative health associations with poor posture are actually the result of poor spinal health. Chiropractic helps slow down, stop and reverse the changes in your spine that lead to poor heath, dysfunction and disease.
When was the last time you had your spine evaluated? Call us for an appointment: 203-355-2830.
[1] Carney, D., Cuddy, A. J. C., & Yap, A. (2010). Power posing: Brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Psychological Science, 21, 1363-1368.
[2] Kado, D. M., Huang, M. H., Karlamangla, A. S., Barrett‐Connor, E., & Greendale, G. A. (2004). Hyperkyphotic Posture Predicts Mortality in Older Community‐Dwelling Men and Women: A Prospective Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(10), 1662-1667.
The negative health associations with poor posture are actually the result of poor spinal health. Chiropractic helps slow down, stop and reverse the changes in your spine that lead to poor heath, dysfunction and disease.
When was the last time you had your spine evaluated? Call us for an appointment: 203-355-2830.
[1] Carney, D., Cuddy, A. J. C., & Yap, A. (2010). Power posing: Brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Psychological Science, 21, 1363-1368.
[2] Kado, D. M., Huang, M. H., Karlamangla, A. S., Barrett‐Connor, E., & Greendale, G. A. (2004). Hyperkyphotic Posture Predicts Mortality in Older Community‐Dwelling Men and Women: A Prospective Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(10), 1662-1667.
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