The Healing Power of Hope

We hope for a sound mind. We hope for a healthy body. We hope for enough money to live and to give. We hope these things for our loved ones, too.

What happens when one thing changes and hope is hard to muster? What happens when everything happens at once? Moments when life is falling apart and we find ourselves feeling hopeless? When Jerome Groopman, MD was interviewed by the New Yorker about his book, The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness, he discussed Christopher Reeve’s journey after his spinal cord injury. He portrays Reeve and others living in “extreme circumstances” as having a hope that “assesses all of the obstacles, all of the problems, all the potential for failure” and still “sees a path to the future.” He pointed out that there have been many research studies demonstrating the healing power of hope and how it can impact pain levels, asthma and respiratory problems, heart attack outcomes, and Parkinson’s disease by stimulating neurochemical changes in the brain.

Thinking Hope

Hoping for better days is how we cope with daily anticipated stressors and the unexpected. Set your mind to believe that things will get better. Do something different to make tomorrow better. Think about positive experiences. Expect yourself to be mindful of your thoughts, your habits, and how you spend your time, energy, and resources. Care for your body so you have the energy and attitude to be at your best. Your starting point may be different from another’s but you ARE starting.

Chiropractic patients present with a wide variety of conditions and goals for care. Some come in thinking chiropractic is a last resort. Some are children coming in for care because their parents want them to have the advantage of growing up with an optimally functioning spine and nervous system. Others may be athletes that desire to keep their body mechanics working at peak levels so that they can heal faster, avoid injuries while enjoying their sport for as long as possible. Some are concerned about chronic conditions that are draining their bank accounts. They want a drug-free, non-surgical approach that will address the root cause of their health problems so they can get back to work.

Your True Potential

What should you do if you or a loved one is hopeless about your health or potential to heal? Give a 100 Year Lifestyle Chiropractor a chance to examine you and work with you to help your body heal. As long as you are alive and breathing, your body has the potential and your mind can function better and you will make more and more healthy decisions. Our techniques combined with the frequency of your visits and your new burst of hope could make the difference.

Whether you are suffering from acute or chronic pain, or whether you have been diagnosed with a severe condition, are feeling discouraged or stressed, there is hope. Make the health of your nervous system a priority. Your hope and personal commitment can make all the difference.

Daniel Cappello. (November 10, 2003). The New Yorker. In The Reeve Factor. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/11/10/the-reeve-factor.
Park, Kevin K, Liu, K, Hu, Y, Smith, P, Wang, C, Cai, B, Xu, B, Connolly, L, Kramvis, I, Sahin, M, and He, Z. “Promoting Axon Regeneration in the Adult CNS by Modulation of the PTEN/mTOR Pathway”. Science. 2008 Nov 7; 322(5903): 963–966.