The Role of Neuroplasticity in Your Overall Health

Neuroplasticity is a big word that simply refers to the brain’s ability to adapt, grow, and change. It was once thought that the brain was not “plastic,” or able to reorganize neural connections and acclimate to changes, but scientists now know that the brain does actually have a great deal of plasticity.  

Young kids have, by far, the most neuroplasticity, as they learn and grow constantly in their first few years of life. Consider the drastic changes from birth to age 5 alone—babies go from doing literally nothing to walking, talking, feeding themselves, dressing themselves, and so much more. But as more research is done and more is learned about the brain, we are discovering that the brain has far more plasticity even later in life than we once realized. Consider a stroke or accident victim who has to relearn certain physical skills that he or she did for decades, or think about someone who suffered a traumatic event and has to learn mental coping strategies and how to better balance emotions. These both require neuroplasticity, and our ability to learn these things depends on the overall health and function of our brain and central nervous system. Everyone’s brain has an innate ability to change and adapt, but how effectively this can occur is based largely on cognitive function and whole-body health.

Cognitive Function & Neuroplasticity

It’s extremely important for our overall health—both mental and physical—for our brain to have plasticity. We need to be able to learn new things, adapt to changes, and alter past behaviors, thought patterns, or physical abilities. But if cognitive function is lacking, whether due to a physical injury, emotional problems, or something else, positive neuroplasticity can be hard to come by.

Consider those who have had a stroke or suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Their brains are not as physically healthy, so it will be much harder for them to alter their physical abilities or thought processes due to their less-than-ideal cognitive function and minimal neuroplasticity. It is the same for someone with negative thought patterns—their cognitive function can suffer from constant negativity, which then makes it harder to alter those exact thought patterns with neuroplasticity. It creates a cycle of undesirable thoughts and mindsets that continuously feeds itself. Essentially, the more negative, fearful, or anxious your thoughts, the harder it is to rework those processes and create new thought patterns.

The Role of Chiropractic

The main job of chiropractic is not just to relieve pain, although that is one component. Instead, the primary role is to improve the function of the entire central nervous system, which is comprised of the brain and spinal cord. When the spine is misaligned, the function of the brain is impeded, leading to a reduced ability to adapt and change and minimal neuroplasticity. Des Moines chiropractor Dr. Paige Roth is committed to providing her practice members with neurologically-based chiropractic care that not only improves their overall health and pain levels, but also increase cognitive function for optimal neuroplasticity. To learn more about neurologically-based chiropractic care at True Roots Chiropractic, contact Dr. Paige Roth and her team.