Q: I have been suffering with mental health problems for years and felt very private about my condition with friends and family. I am just finding out now that a good portion of my friends and family are suffering with mental disorders also. A few of them tell me their Chiropractors help them with their conditions.

Is this true?

A: Not everyone is going crazy but after I give you the following statistics

you might believe it. According to the U.S. Surgeon General:

About one in five Americans will suffer from a mental disorder in the

course of a year.

Approximately 18.8 million American adults suffer from depression.

Treatment costs run about $80 billion a year.

Mental illness causes more disability and loss of life than any other

illness except heart disease.

Cost of the resulting loss in productivity is estimated at $80 billion per

year.

Cost-effective treatments now exist for many forms of mental illness.

Mental illness is an illness like other illnesses. Covering it up and avoiding dealing with the cause of the illness is unhealthy in itself. You are not alone when it comes to feeling embarrassed and private by your feelings. I believe that we all experience highs and lows in our emotional states and what makes each of us different is how we cope with these changes.

Uncontrollable circumstances exuding large magnitudes of stress can trigger long-term mental disease. Low-grade continuous mild stress can affect us in the same way. Many theories contest that mental illness is a chemical imbalance and or genetic trait. One correlation that I have observed is that when a mentally fragile person has additional stress, such as physical trauma, they are subject to an exacerbation of their mental illness. Reduction of their physical stress allows a mentally challenged person to deal more directly with their illness. Chiropractors definitely help their mentally ill patients in this way. Balancing the nervous system also balances brain activity since the two are inseparable.

Quote of the week: "As you go the way of life you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think." Native American Proverb