The February fire left bushland near Bullsbrook College ravaged. I’m sure you have seen it. Bare soil, black trees, an unrelenting summer. Dead. Thanks to our firefighters, the kids and school were safe, (and the ground was well fertilised). Now, after the rains, it is springing back to life — it’s the regeneration magic of our Australian bush.
Deep inside those burned-out trees, there’s life.
So too in our bodies! Countless processes continually break down and rebuild us from the inside out. Our skin, bones, muscles, intestines, lungs…are in a constant state of damage and reconstruction. At varying rates these constantly regenerate.
A major purpose of our health discipline, chiropractic, is to optimise your body functions so that it can regenerate well.
Regenerate well? Not all damage and repair is equal. For example, growing scar tissue is your body’s brilliant way of taking blood components, using an inflammatory process, and quickly repairing torn tissue – let’s say it’s a hamstring tear. The resulting scar is less flexible than the original muscle tissue. And over time it is likely to tighten, predisposing you to further tears (does this sound familiar?). If you immobilise it for too long, the scar is likely to become even more restrictive. However, if you have appropriate movement, stretch, nutrition, and rest, the scar will constantly break down and rebuild itself into a reliable repair of the muscle.
It is difficult to overestimate the complexity and brilliance of our bodies. Before the discovery of the double helix DNA molecule, traditional chiropractic philosophy spoke of the ‘innate intelligence’ of our bodies. We have an inbuilt ‘knowledge’, encoded in the language of DNA and coordinated by our central nervous system, that directs our constant process of regeneration. The life that is in us is driven toward optimum health expression.
Trust it. Look after it. Enjoy it.
