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Dr Bree Allred: [00:00:05] [00:00:10] [00:00:15] [00:00:20] [00:00:25] Welcome to Healing at Your Core today. I'm Dr. Bree Allred, and I'm [00:00:30] so excited to talk with our guest today. We have Dr. Tyler Shearer with Ideal Family [00:00:35] Chiropractic, and we're really gonna be talking about the nervous system. We as women, I [00:00:40] feel like hear about this all the time. Like, we have high cortisol levels.
Our nervous systems are just [00:00:45] off the wall a lot of the times. We're gonna talk a little bit more about nervous system [00:00:50] regulation in practical terms, and how constr- how stress influences [00:00:55] pain, muscle tension, sleep, digestion, pelvic health, general well-being, [00:01:00] being, and then kind of what we can actually do about it.
So [00:01:05] we hear the phrases like regulate your nervous system fight or [00:01:10] flight. Your body is holding stress everywhere right now. But [00:01:15] what do these phrases actually mean, and what's actually happening physiologically in our bodies? [00:01:20] So Tyler, tell us a little bit more about you and what got you [00:01:25] into the chiropractic space.
Tyler Shearer: So I [00:01:30] actually used to be a police officer, and then I met my wife and ended up moving across [00:01:35] the country. So I grew up in Pennsylvania, and then met my wife and ended up out here in [00:01:40] Utah. I don't have like a cool origin story for how I got into chiropractic. I just kind of shadowed [00:01:45] and figured that I liked it.
But once I got into school, it was actually like [00:01:50] the last half of school I started really enjoying the pediatric part of chiropractic. [00:01:55] And so I did an internship with the pediatric stuff and then when we got pregnant with [00:02:00] Declan we knew he was gonna have Down syndrome at about 20 weeks pregnant.
And then that [00:02:05] led me down this like neurological nervous system stuff, because I knew he was gonna need help with that. [00:02:10] So, and then
Dr Bree Allred: feel like you needed help with that, with your history in the public service [00:02:15] area?
Tyler Shearer: Well, yeah, probably. That's, that's a good point. And [00:02:20] luckily I have
Dr Bree Allred: just one of those when like I was married to a fire- well, I am still married to him, but he's no longer a firefighter, but a [00:02:25] firefighter as well, and just knowing the intimate, like lack of sleep, some of the stuff that you guys saw [00:02:30] or see
Tyler Shearer: Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know that he used to be a fire fighter. That's interesting.
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. Kind of [00:02:35] funny. So why would you say the nervous system has been such an [00:02:40] important piece of the approach that you take as, in your chiropractic practice?
Tyler Shearer: [00:02:45] Well, the nervous system controls like everything in the body, right? So [00:02:50] when I say nervous system, I'm talking brain and spinal cord and all of the nerves that run throughout the whole body. [00:02:55] And so when we think about all the different systems in the body, they're all managed and [00:03:00] regulated by the nervous system.
And so if you have some issue with nervous system regulation, [00:03:05] it makes sense that downstream of that you might have issues too. That can go into like the pain thing, you know, [00:03:10] perception of pain. It can go into all of your hormone regulation and things like that. So it [00:03:15] really affects every aspect of your life
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. When someone says nervous [00:03:20] system regulation, what would you say that actually means?
Tyler Shearer: I think [00:03:25] it really comes down to how you are able to process stress and manage [00:03:30] your stress levels and come back from stress. We [00:03:35] are all gonna encounter stresses, right? That's just part of life. But the question is how do you process that? How do [00:03:40] you return back from it? How do you return to a resting state after you encounter stress?
[00:03:45] And that's what the vagus nerve helps you do. The vagus nerve is pretty trendy right now, but that's what I try and help people [00:03:50] with is coming back from stress, helping their vagus nerve really function the way [00:03:55] that it's supposed to so that their body can adapt to it and be resilient
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. [00:04:00] Can somebody's nervous system really become dysregulated, or do you feel like that term is [00:04:05] overused?
Tyler Shearer: Oh, that's a good question. It absolutely can [00:04:10] become dysregulated. I feel like sometimes we overuse that term though and blame other [00:04:15] things on dysregulation. But yeah, I think a lot of people really do struggle with nervous system [00:04:20] dysregulation which is something we can actually measure in the office here.
It's pretty cool.
Dr Bree Allred: That's really [00:04:25] neat. How do you guys measure that?
Tyler Shearer: So we have three different neurological scans that we use to [00:04:30] measure different aspects of nervous system function. One of them is called heart rate variability, and that one's [00:04:35] pretty popular in like the health and fitness world right now. There's like smart watches and rings and stuff that measure that [00:04:40] too.
But we do heart rate variability, which is basically a vagus nerve measurement [00:04:45] of how well your nervous system adapts to stress. We also do a surface EMG, [00:04:50] which is electromyography, which measures the electricity and microvolts in your spinal [00:04:55] muscles. So when you sit up straight against gravity, you should use a certain amount of energy, [00:05:00] electricity in your muscles, and we can measure that and see how normal or abnormal [00:05:05] that looks.
The third one that we do is a-- it's a rolling thermal scan. So we just [00:05:10] start at the, the top of the sacrum, roll up to the base of the skull, and we can see how [00:05:15] the skin temperature is being regulated and if it's-- if there's big temperature [00:05:20] differences side to side and what that looks like
Dr Bree Allred: That's really neat. So kind of where it ties [00:05:25] in with, I know in your office you've got the thermography scans as well. So [00:05:30] kind of a similar type of idea as a thermography scan?
Tyler Shearer: Same, [00:05:35] same concept. The thermography scans do it not on the like they can see the [00:05:40] spinal stuff, but my rolling thermal scan is only looking at the spinal nerves and the little [00:05:45] dermatomal sections. So you can see the sections of skin and if like C4 on the left [00:05:50] side is the same as C5...
Or I'm sorry if C4 on the left side is the right [00:05:55] C4 on the right side. Yeah. So you're comparing the two sides because you have two different spinal nerves, one on the left [00:06:00] and right, and your back is exposed to the same room temperature. And so that should [00:06:05] be about the same temperature, and if it's not, that's a problem we wanna try and fix [00:06:10] that
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah, that makes sense. So give us a real simple explanation or maybe how [00:06:15] you're explaining things to your clients on the definition of the sympathetic nervous system and the [00:06:20] parasympathetic nervous system
Tyler Shearer: Yeah my explanation's probably similar to most people's that talk about [00:06:25] that, where the sympathetic nervous system is like your stress, anxiety, fight or flight mode. And I know there's a [00:06:30] couple other words that go in with that,
Dr Bree Allred: Thaw and or freeze?
Tyler Shearer: Exactly, yeah. And then the [00:06:35] parasympathetic nervous system is rest and digest.
It's your regulation side of your nervous system. It helps [00:06:40] you regulate your emotions and behaviors and thoughts, and decreases your anxiety. It [00:06:45] helps you sleep and poop and all those important things. And so You need both, [00:06:50] right? I think we don't give the sympathetic nervous system the respect that it requires because you need that part of [00:06:55] your nervous system, you just don't wanna be in it all the time.
So that's, that gets overlooked [00:07:00] sometimes
Dr Bree Allred: ' Cause your body depletes when you're in that, in
Tyler Shearer: Exactly,
Dr Bree Allred: of your [00:07:05] nervous system.
Tyler Shearer: You're gonna burn up all your resources just in survival protection mode [00:07:10] instead of being well-balanced. Like, you need to go into your fight or flight mode if when you're playing [00:07:15] sports when you're being active that way. You need it to get over sickness and illness.
Uh, but [00:07:20] yeah, you shouldn't be in it all the time, and a lot of us are
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. So what is [00:07:25] supposed to happen when we experience stress?
Tyler Shearer: Well, there's a couple of things. [00:07:30] So the sympathetic reaction is appropriate when you encounter stress. So your heart rate should [00:07:35] increase, your blood pressure should increase, your muscles should tense a little bit, right? That's a [00:07:40] typical stress response when you encounter something like that. Um, [00:07:45] and it's normal.
It should happen. But when you're done with that situation, [00:07:50] let's say you go for a run, right? Your heart rate's gonna go up, your muscles are gonna be more tense, right? More blood flow. [00:07:55] But when you're done with the run and you go get in your car and go home or go sit on the couch, your [00:08:00] heart rate should come back down to resting level.
And that's the, the vagus nerve part of it. [00:08:05] That's the parasympathetic part of it, is bringing you back down to rest. And so, uh, [00:08:10] we don't do that so well sometimes, and that's part of that nervous system [00:08:15] dysregulation. Like, if you have a dysregulated nervous system, you're not able to come back down to rest in a, [00:08:20] in a decent amount of time, and your heart rate will sta- stay elevated for the whole afternoon and, [00:08:25] uh, you just feel that anxiety and, and that sort of thing
Dr Bree Allred: [00:08:30] Continue there. Um, do you feel like we [00:08:35] can, our bodies can stay in that heightened state even when we don't really feel stressed?
Tyler Shearer: [00:08:40] Yeah. Yeah, I do. Um, sometimes we won't even know that, but [00:08:45] h- I guess ways that you could know it is if you have regularly, [00:08:50] regularly elevated blood pressure, um, or elevated heart rate. [00:08:55] Those are good measurements of that. Um, if you feel like you are, like, hot all the time and things like that, [00:09:00] you know, issues with, with your own internal temperature regulation, uh, those are [00:09:05] all signs that maybe you are stressed even if you don't feel like you are 'cause you're used to it, [00:09:10] right?
You're, you're living that every day
Dr Bree Allred: Our bodies acclimate to what we feed them all the [00:09:15] time, right?
Tyler Shearer: I know. Miguel
Dr Bree Allred: So just some things I will say in my practice, [00:09:20] and maybe you throw in some more that you've seen, but some symptoms that women may recognize [00:09:25] when, um, they're more in a sympathetic state or they're in that prolonged [00:09:30] sympathetic state is maybe trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
They're clenching their jaw, [00:09:35] neck or shoulder tension, headaches, you're not pooping as well, or you're more [00:09:40] bloated. We see people where it's like their pain sensitivity is [00:09:45] way increased to where it's things that wouldn't normally bother them now all of a sudden [00:09:50] are. Fatigue, feeling wired but tired, that idea.
Having [00:09:55] difficulties relaxing, not ever being able to, like, truly relax. Um, sometimes changing [00:10:00] in your breathing, and in my practice, I see a lot of pelvic floor tension. That can be another sign of that fight [00:10:05] or flight as well. Do, would you say there's any others that you're like, "Oh, these are like ... [00:10:10] When people mention these, they're kind of trigger words or, or things that may be
Tyler Shearer: a pretty good Bre. [00:10:15] Yeah, no, that a pretty good list. Um, I guess the one thing that I would [00:10:20] add is, um, a lot of like dysautonomia signs, like POTS is [00:10:25] becoming a real popular thing, and I think that is the body trying to figure out what to [00:10:30] do with the sympathetic dominance.
Like when you live your life in a, in the stress state, it [00:10:35] starts to dysregulate the autonomic nervous system, so all the automatic things your body does on its own. [00:10:40] That's something that I've been seeing a lot, especially with like, like younger [00:10:45] wom- like, like, you know, early 20s up through 40s. So that's [00:10:50] the only thing that I would add into that, but yeah, that was, that was a pretty good list
Dr Bree Allred: Good. Okay.
Tyler Shearer: [00:10:55] for the pelvic I have
Dr Bree Allred: Go ahead
Tyler Shearer: not seen the pelvic floor stuff, but that's not what I [00:11:00] do.
Dr Bree Allred: You're like, "Meh, it's more my world. That's okay."
Tyler Shearer: [00:11:05] AEOI
Dr Bree Allred: Um, why do you feel like two people can experience the exact [00:11:10] same stressful situation but have completely different physical responses?
Tyler Shearer: [00:11:15] Also a wonderful question. I wish I had a great answer for you for that one, but I think [00:11:20] that it has a lot to do with, um, our upbringing, our, you know, the [00:11:25] environment that we surround ourselves with, our mindset, um, any weak [00:11:30] points, whether those are, like, physiological, you know, structural weak points where [00:11:35] maybe you have an old injury and that can get exacerbated when you encounter stress.
For [00:11:40] me personally, my low back I used to do a lot of wood splitting, you know, with like an ax [00:11:45] 'cause we had a wood-burning stove, and so I'd always have to split wood in the summertime [00:11:50] and the fall, and I think I had poor form when I was a teenager doing that, and so I, I'm sure I, I [00:11:55] hurt my back.
And then when I got into my 20s, it, it was like a chronic thing. So anytime I encounter a [00:12:00] lot of stress, like emotional or mental stress, my low back will really hurt for, like, two weeks, [00:12:05] and I'm sure that a lot of people feel that too with different places that they've had different injuries and things [00:12:10] before.
Could be, um, some people might manifest issues [00:12:15] in certain weak places. Like, if you experience, you know, muscles that aren't [00:12:20] quite developed, you could have discomfort in those areas when you encounter stressful things. [00:12:25] So, uh, is that answering your, your question? think I got lost there just
Dr Bree Allred: And I would agree that I'm [00:12:30] like, our upBreenging does, I know you guys deal a lot with like birth trauma, uh, [00:12:35] from in kids as well, and like there's certain things that are out of our control and there are certain things that are in our [00:12:40] control, but based on beliefs that we have and, and just how we were, how we perceive things, right?
[00:12:45] You can go into the same situation and people will perceive it totally differently, and I think [00:12:50] it's really, it's just like part of who we are, and just some of us have a little bit te- [00:12:55] higher tendency to maybe respond with these, these stress responses than
Tyler Shearer: And it's, it's [00:13:00] wild too, and it, it's really unfair, you know, when you think about how life works. But you can have two [00:13:05] people that are living the exact same lifestyle in, in many ways. One of them [00:13:10] might end up with a stroke, one of them might end up with a heart attack, one with diabetes, and then one of them might never have [00:13:15] any issues until they're 95, you know?
Why is that? I don't know. I don't know what causes all that [00:13:20] different y- variation with, with outcomes, but it's there, you know, so you [00:13:25] just wanna pay attention to it, be aware of it
Dr Bree Allred: Yep, absolutely. Um, [00:13:30] how does the nervous system influence how we experience pain? What do you see [00:13:35] there?
Tyler Shearer: I think it, uh, causes extra sensitivity. So, [00:13:40] um, if you-- So I'm gonna go a little bit in the weeds here just for a second. There's something [00:13:45] called proprioception, right? And you probably know what this is, Bre, but [00:13:50] proprioception is like your body's position sense. It's your motion sense. So you have [00:13:55] proprioceptors in all of your joints, and they tell your body where it is in space, right?
And the, the [00:14:00] proprioceptors are constantly sending feedback to the brain. Um, so your brain really relies on that [00:14:05] input to know where your body is and what it's doing, and, and it's why movement is really good for you because [00:14:10] your brain is always getting that feedback. But when we're sedentary or when we have things that are [00:14:15] stuck or not moving right, or we have muscle tension, you know, that prevents full range of [00:14:20] motion, um, the proprioception stops or it slows down, and the brain is [00:14:25] not getting that.
And then you have another type of sensation that takes over called [00:14:30] nociception, which is like a pain sensation, right? So when we are [00:14:35] stressed and our muscles tighten up, the tension itself is [00:14:40] gonna limit some movement with the joints, the individual joints, which is gonna limit the proprioceptive input to the [00:14:45] brain.
And then you also have, you know, the stress, if you will, [00:14:50] of being sedentary and not moving as much as we should anyway, and that is gonna increase [00:14:55] nociception. And so all these, uh, you know... And then you have the added [00:15:00] effect of, of what we just talked about, of if you do have, like, old injuries or things like that [00:15:05] that get exacerbated during a stressful situation.
So all of these things [00:15:10] contribute to that whole, you know, tension-pain cycle. And I know in the, in the birth world, [00:15:15] there's a fear tension-pain cycle, where if you s- if you experience fear, that leads to [00:15:20] tension, and then the tension will lead to, to sensation of pain.
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah
Tyler Shearer: and then there's a lot [00:15:25] of brain, you know, neuroscience that goes into the sensitivities and [00:15:30] feeling extra pain, even though maybe to a different person, that same thing wouldn't [00:15:35] necessarily register that way.
So, but that's, that's way out there
Dr Bree Allred: I'm like [00:15:40] in a mother's world, right? If I'm like sleep deprived, I can't handle certain [00:15:45] things, maybe a whiny child as well as I would like to when I'm more tired. It's like my [00:15:50] sense or my tolerance level goes down a bit, and I think that's somewhat what stress does to our brain. [00:15:55] It's just like I can normally handle this, but when there's certain stressful situations, [00:16:00] it's kind of like these pain signals can become heightened because they just can't handle it as well.
They can't handle the [00:16:05] input as well.
Tyler Shearer: And we all have a stress bucket, you know, and the whole, the whole idea is that we want to not [00:16:10] overfill our stress bucket because then you are, you know, you do have heightened sensitivities to, to [00:16:15] feeling extra sensitive, whether it's physically or emotionally. You know, you can have a-- [00:16:20] If you're having a hard time with something, like that's gonna, that's gonna take a toll on you emotionally too, and you [00:16:25] might not be quite as patient as you'd like to be and, you know, whatever that looks like for that [00:16:30] person.
Dr Bree Allred: Absolutely. How do you feel that we can help someone feel safe moving [00:16:35] again rather than becoming afraid of their body?
Tyler Shearer: Take it [00:16:40] slow, which is hard. Um, you know, when you're go- going back to [00:16:45] movement or going back to previous routines that you've maybe not been able to do for a while. [00:16:50] As you get older especially, you know, I've been trying to get back into running and working out and things, and it's [00:16:55] hard not to just go full bore back into it, but you really do...
[00:17:00] Like, you need to warm yourself up. You need to get your body used to it again. Um, and I think [00:17:05] that includes mindset too. Like, you need to get your mindset adjusted to it again, uh, so you don't [00:17:10] wear yourself out physically or, you know, mentally. Um, but yeah. [00:17:15] But, uh, yeah, I think taking it one, being
Dr Bree Allred: one thing that physical therapy does [00:17:20] really well that, I mean, there's a lot of things that are people like, "Oh, I could probably do this myself." And [00:17:25] I'm like, sometimes the answer is true, but what physical therapists are really good is knowing what tissues can [00:17:30] handle at what point in time, and being able to grade, you know, your return to exercise, your return [00:17:35] to movement really well.
Um, and being able to get it to where it's like we're getting that [00:17:40] really progressive increase so that your body doesn't go into like, "Oh, that was too much [00:17:45] and we're gonna pull everything back down."
Tyler Shearer: Then that's, that goes into a really good point of, like, [00:17:50] accountability too, right? Because a lot of times if we you know, you get back into a workout routine or [00:17:55] something and you get sore, and then you're "Ah, you know, can't do it tomorrow because I'm really [00:18:00] sore and I don't wanna hurt myself." But then if you, if you have something like a regular physical therapy appointment, or if you [00:18:05] come into my office and, and we have you doing certain movements or stretches or exercises, uh, [00:18:10] it's another layer of accountability to where you're not just left to your own devices.
You know, somebody else can be there [00:18:15] being like, you know, "Let's, let's keep going, you know? It's okay to be a little sore. Just take it easy
Dr Bree Allred: [00:18:20] Yeah. Or noticing when we get those responses where our body does go [00:18:25] into, like, that guard and protect mode again. It's in that kind of fight or flight response. Um, [00:18:30] sometimes your muscles aren't just simply weak, they're unlearning responses and relearning [00:18:35] what they need to be doing in certain situations as well
Tyler Shearer: Yeah, absolutely
Dr Bree Allred: [00:18:40] Yeah.
Um, why isn't telling somebody just to [00:18:45] relax not enough?
Tyler Shearer: Oh gosh, that is... [00:18:50] Oh. So, [00:18:55] uh, this is all, a lot of this is very deep-rooted in the nervous system. Like, [00:19:00] how is your brain communicating with your body, and how is your body sending [00:19:05] information to the brain? Telling somebody to relax, like yeah, that, uh, f- [00:19:10] for some people that might be helpful. Be like, "Oh yeah, I should relax.
I should take some deep breaths," you know? But for [00:19:15] a lot of people, they don't even know what that means. If I go up to somebody and, and they're obviously stressed [00:19:20] and they're having a hard time and I say, "Relax," like what does that even mean? You know? And so they probably... It, it'd [00:19:25] be better to give them some, some clues or cues to what they should be doing.
Like [00:19:30] help them take deep belly breaths, right? And some people don't even know how to do [00:19:35] that, which is kinda wild. But yeah, you gotta breathe deep into your belly and do that for a few minutes. But, [00:19:40] um, making time for yourself is important, so [00:19:45] you know, go get massages. I think massages are heavenly, and I get them regularly because that's [00:19:50] how I relax.
But yeah, just telling somebody to relax is just, it's not useful most of the time [00:19:55] because people don't really know what that means. They don't really know what relaxes them, uh, so [00:20:00] giving them ideas would be a much more useful, productive tool I think.
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. [00:20:05] Yeah. And I think sometimes the body's kind of stuck in these loops that it doesn't know how to get [00:20:10] out of, so it's like, "Well, I'm trying, but I don't know how." And I think it can be hugely helpful, just like you [00:20:15] said, to really give them, like, here's some strategies and tools on how to be able to do this [00:20:20] as well.
Tyler Shearer: Yeah. Like if I, if I told a, a super stressed young mom to go home and [00:20:25] relax, right? Because she's having a hard time with her child, maybe she'll put her, her, [00:20:30] uh, her baby or her young child to bed early that night and then sit on the couch and like [00:20:35] scroll, you know? Is that really relaxing? I don't think so.
I don't think that's, that's actually gonna [00:20:40] relax your nervous system. If anything, it's gonna give you like more like quick, you know, the, [00:20:45] yeah, inputs. Mm-hmm. Yep. And that's not gonna really help you relax. So I, I, [00:20:50] you know, walks I think would be even more, uh, relaxing than scrolling and doing [00:20:55] reels and stuff like that
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah, exactly. So tell me a little bit about where [00:21:00] chiropractic care fits into all of this
Tyler Shearer: Chiropractic care, um, as we [00:21:05] talked about the proprioception, it restores proprioception. So if you have joints that are, [00:21:10] you know, we call it misaligned, like subluxation, or if you have muscle tension, muscles attach [00:21:15] to bones, and bones move joints, right? And so if we can go in and, [00:21:20] um, adjust a joint, s- it signals to the muscles to relax.
There's [00:21:25] muscle spindles in there, and, and when you do these quick movements, it stimulates them to relax, uh, [00:21:30] to not be so tight, and that restores proprioception when that happens. And so, [00:21:35] um, chiropractic will limit, it'll decrease [00:21:40] the amount of nociceptive, that pain input into the brain, um, and it [00:21:45] will increase the proprioceptive input to the brain, which for adults looks like [00:21:50] less pain, less aches, less stiffness, uh, less headaches.
But for kids, which [00:21:55] I specialize with, um, that can look like less bedwetting. It can look [00:22:00] like, um, less colic if it's a baby, less reflux. It can look like a lot of [00:22:05] different things. It can look like, you know, better ability to focus if you [00:22:10] have attention issues. It can look lots and lots of s- uh, different things [00:22:15] with that.
It's just the body is communicating better with the brain
Dr Bree Allred: [00:22:20] Yeah. Tell me a little bit more about the evidence that we have for chiropractic care and [00:22:25] nervous system connections and treatments
Tyler Shearer: Well, are you looking for [00:22:30] like research, like in the
Dr Bree Allred: Sure. Or just like you can say like general things that you can back with [00:22:35] research.
Tyler Shearer: Yeah. Um, so I was actually very surprised. I had [00:22:40] somebody ask me about, um, like research. They were talking about ADHD [00:22:45] a couple of months ago, and I was like, "Well, to be honest with you, I don't know that there's much like [00:22:50] published research about, you know, chiropractic helping with ADHD." And then I went [00:22:55] and I looked it up, and I was surprised that there's, there's actually quite a lot [00:23:00] out there if you go and, and look into these things.
So you'd really have to look up [00:23:05] that specific issue and chiropractic and see if there is research out there on it. [00:23:10] Most of the things that I help with, I would say that there is research out there on it. Um, [00:23:15] when I was in school though, we learned about this evidence triangle, the, the whole [00:23:20] evidence-based, you know.
Have you learned about that, Bre? So there's like, there's the research, [00:23:25] and then there's the practitioner experience, and then there's patient preference. And [00:23:30] so, uh, the further into practice I get, the more important I think that [00:23:35] patient preference and the practitioner experience is. And you've gotta weigh all [00:23:40] three.
Um, but you know, when I see case after case after case of, you [00:23:45] know, people with POTS coming in, and then they do a p- [00:23:50] uh, a, a care plan that I suggest, and then the POTS like disappears, [00:23:55] that's kinda wild, you know? Like who woulda thought that adjustments, [00:24:00] chiropractic could help with something like dysautonomia or POTS symptoms?
But when you [00:24:05] follow a plan that kinda makes sense with how the nervous system works and how we know [00:24:10] neuroplasticity works, and the th- how we can measure [00:24:15] the nervous system and how it's improving over time, like it kinda makes sense that that would go away. It's just not [00:24:20] intuitive for a lot of people that moving these joints will help like heart [00:24:25] issues, you know, and, and things like that.
So
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. And sometimes it's [00:24:30] the client and practitioner experience that starts to feed into the research, and [00:24:35] we start to see the evidence come from that as well. And it is great. I always like to self-check and [00:24:40] be like, "Hey, is there evidence to support what I'm doing? And if not, am I [00:24:45] interested in jumping on board to help see if we can get some?"
Tyler Shearer: Yeah, and there's, I guess two [00:24:50] final thoughts on that is number one, it's frustrating because you can almost [00:24:55] always find research for and against any particular thing, and so you have to keep that in mind too. And [00:25:00] then number two is chiropractic is not like a super [00:25:05] wealthy field. You know, we do not have the financial backing that medicine does, and [00:25:10] so it's gonna be harder to fund or to find research on certain things.
And it doesn't mean that it's not [00:25:15] helpful, just means it maybe hasn't been studied as thoroughly as we would like it to be. But yeah, I think that, [00:25:20] um, I'm with you in that I'm I'd be happy to hop in on any kind of research like that [00:25:25] and just, you know, support that moving forward so that we do have the data to back things up
Dr Bree Allred: [00:25:30] Yeah. How do you feel that like movement, sleep, breathing, [00:25:35] nutrition, mental health, stress management, how do those all fit alongside your chiropractic [00:25:40] treatments?
Tyler Shearer: They're extremely supportive and complimentary. Um, [00:25:45] staying active. I, I feel like we are very good at being active, but we're maybe not so [00:25:50] good at coming back from being active sometimes. So the sleep really, I mean, we all [00:25:55] need to sleep, and we all need enough sleep, and it should be good quality sleep. But if you're doing things during the [00:26:00] day that are helpful and beneficial to your health, you will [00:26:05] naturally sleep better at night.
You know? It's-- I, I feel like when you're sedentary all day and not moving much, [00:26:10] you know, that's when people struggle with sleep, and they're waking up in the night. But yeah, a healthy [00:26:15] diet, like, that's gonna help your insides for sure. You know? There's different, um, [00:26:20] different aspects to life and to your body, so your insides...
I like car analogies for [00:26:25] some reason, so I always compare, like, your internal stuff like diet is like [00:26:30] all your fluids. You know, like your oil and your gasoline and that sort of thing. And then you have, like, going to the [00:26:35] gym and, and PT and, like, taking care of your frame, you know, the body of the car, the [00:26:40] chassis, all of that stuff.
And then I, I correlate chiropractic more to, [00:26:45] like, the car's electrical system, right? Where a lot of the times when you have a check engine light [00:26:50] come on, I would say a lot of the time it's a sensor, right? Which that's what chiropractic does is [00:26:55] it kind of quiets some of those faulty sensors or fixes them.
Uh, so that, that's just [00:27:00] how I tend to think of it, and you can't just work on the electrical system. You know? Sometimes you [00:27:05] have something else. Sometimes you have a, a, a b- a flat tire that needs fixed. [00:27:10] That's not my thing. I'm gonna send you... that person over to Bree to get fixed, you know? And, and [00:27:15] sometimes you have bad oil or you're, you, you need more oil or an oil change or [00:27:20] whatever else cars, you know, need.
Um, those are different aspects of [00:27:25] life and different aspects of staying healthy, and you need to do that in all [00:27:30] those aspects if you're gonna attain true health and wellness.
Dr Bree Allred: Yeah. We're [00:27:35] multimodal beings, and we need multimodal practitioners to
Tyler Shearer: Which is [00:27:40] frustrating, right? Why can't we just do like one thing and stay healthy for the rest of our life and not have [00:27:45] to do it over and over again? So
Dr Bree Allred: Magic bullet, you're gonna find that, right?
Tyler Shearer: [00:27:50] Right
Dr Bree Allred: Okay, so let's talk a little bit about how do I regulate my [00:27:55] nervous system? We've got a woman listening to us right now that she's going at 100 [00:28:00] miles an hour. She's working, she's got kids. She's maybe getting into these phases, I mean, I [00:28:05] could be describing myself, where she's in perimenopause.
You know what I mean? Things aren't functioning exactly the way that they used [00:28:10] to. Um, her body's been through a lot, and she's feeling the nervous [00:28:15] system. Doesn't it? Running and, and kind of having that strategy there. [00:28:20] So what would you tell her? Um, how would you [00:28:25] encourage her to regulate her nervous system?
Tyler Shearer: So number one in my book, [00:28:30] and this is my bias because it's what I do, but number to me is come into my [00:28:35] office and let's check and see objectively how is the nervous system working [00:28:40] with the different aspects that we can measure in our office. Sometimes [00:28:45] it's validating because it's like, yeah, this doesn't look very good, you know, and [00:28:50] we need to work on this.
And sometimes it's reassuring that maybe this isn't [00:28:55] quite as bad as we thought it was, and there's just a couple of things that we need to work on to, to get you feeling how [00:29:00] you wanna feel. Um, so number one to me is [00:29:05] let's make a plan to get you feeling better as far as your body goes and [00:29:10] moving the body and getting these, uh, these nervous system stresses that we can [00:29:15] identify, getting those under control.
Number two is, um, [00:29:20] the you time. You know, like I said before, making sure that there's [00:29:25] actual relaxation time somewhere in the schedule during the week, um, aside from just [00:29:30] sleep. I feel like we rely too heavily on the six to eight hours we're in bed [00:29:35] to help us return from stress, but s- I, I don't think that's sufficient most of the [00:29:40] time for most people.
We need to do other things that are not causing us [00:29:45] stress and, uh, causing us to be more on high alert during the day, um, aside [00:29:50] from just sleeping at night. And so to-- like I said, to me, that's massage. For some [00:29:55] people, you can go get acupuncture, go get adjusted, uh, go for a walk, uh, go chat [00:30:00] with your friends, you know, whatever that looks like to that person
Dr Bree Allred: So [00:30:05] great. What is one nervous system habit that you personally practice every day?[00:30:10]
Tyler Shearer: Well, aside from being adjusted now, I am adjusted almost every day [00:30:15] myself because I'm on a bit of a care plan to try and work on some things. But [00:30:20] aside from that, I really try and be cognizant of my breathing. I tend to [00:30:25] hold my breath a lot, which I, I don't know why, but I'm trying to really focus on my breathing and [00:30:30] getting those deep belly breaths at least a few times a day, and really focusing on breathing better, [00:30:35] because that, uh, tends to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, like the vagus nerve, the [00:30:40] rest and digest part.
And so, uh, that's important
Dr Bree Allred: I love that. [00:30:45] And I'll just say for me as well, 'cause I'm sure everybody could ask the same question of right, what's one [00:30:50] thing that I practice every day? And I make sure that I am finding a time to sit [00:30:55] and be quiet, just be still. No, no phones, no kids, [00:31:00] genima- just some time that I sit and be quiet for me.
And oftentimes that includes a practice of [00:31:05] gratitude and paying attention to the things that are around me. Even better if I can do it outside. Sometimes that's [00:31:10] possible, sometimes that's not. But that's something that I try to do every day to help regulate my nervous system. [00:31:15] Any other final takeaways that you wish that people listening would know?
Tyler Shearer: [00:31:20] Sometimes with kids and the things that they commonly deal with, it's outside... I don't wanna [00:31:25] remove, like, responsibility or control from people, but I also wanna acknowledge that [00:31:30] sometimes these things are just out of their control just a little bit.
And so if [00:31:35] we can find where it's not in their control in the nervous [00:31:40] system, and if we can fix that or if we can help it to work better, we can put [00:31:45] that back in their control, right? We can get the, [00:31:50] you know, we can get the body communicating more clearly and more accurately and precisely with the [00:31:55] brain which will calm, like, the amygdala, your fear, anxiety part of your [00:32:00] brain.
And then these kids will not be so anxious. They'll be able to focus [00:32:05] better. They might not be so hyperactive. They'll be a lot just more well-rounded [00:32:10] if that's the case. And so I suppose my big tip is [00:32:15] investigate the nervous system, even for kids, because kids nowadays have a lot of stress early [00:32:20] on, even starting from birth.
And maybe we'll get into that sometime about what that looks like these [00:32:25] days. But even from birth and pregnancy, there's a lot of stress that kids [00:32:30] encounter that's outside of their control. And if we can go back and [00:32:35] address some of those things, moving forward, they'll be in much better shape, and they'll be in much, they [00:32:40] have much more of a say in what their behaviors and their actions and their thoughts are
Dr Bree Allred: [00:32:45] Yeah. That's great. Okay. One of the biggest things that we want women [00:32:50] to understand at Elara is that the body doesn't function as separate pieces. [00:32:55] Your pelvic floor, your breathing, your movement, your sleep, your stress, your hormones [00:33:00] pain, how your nervous system is functioning, what your joints and your muscles are doing, [00:33:05] they all interact.
And sometimes improving symptoms means looking beyond the exact [00:33:10] place where you're feeling them, and I think there's so many great resources, including [00:33:15] chiropractic, pelvic floor therapy, mental health services, all of these things that we're starting to [00:33:20] discuss and looking at how all these systems work together.
So Tyler, if people are interested [00:33:25] in pursuing dunamis treatment with you, where can they find you?
Tyler Shearer: [00:33:30] We are pretty active on our Instagram page, so Instagram would be a good place to kind of [00:33:35] investigate and see a lot of the content that we're putting on there. Some of it we try and be a little goofy and funny [00:33:40] and fun but some of it is really educational and informative. And if you [00:33:45] just spend a few seconds looking at that and that connects and it seems like it's something that you would [00:33:50] benefit from, then I would send us a message on Instagram.
Our website has some good information, [00:33:55] too. It's not as active as the Instagram obviously, but has some details on nervous [00:34:00] system function and what we do in the office and what to expect. So those are probably the [00:34:05] two places that I would send people is our
Dr Bree Allred: Great, and we'll have them linked in the show notes. Thank you for your time [00:34:10] today, your expertise. I think you have a great way of explaining things so people can understand it, and we just [00:34:15] appreciate your time with us today.
Tyler Shearer: Thanks, Bre.
Dr Bree Allred: Thanks again for joining us with [00:34:20] Healing At Your Core. We hope you really learned a lot about your nervous system and how it affects our [00:34:25] bodies and our systems, and really hope that this has been beneficial for all of you and [00:34:30] thanks for joining us today. [00:34:35] [00:34:40] [00:34:45] [00:34:50] [00:34:55]
