A Visit to the Chiropractor Could Improve Your Sex Life

The headline above is from an article published on April 15, 2015, in Shape magazine. The article begins by noting that most people do not come into a chiropractor's office specifically for sexual issues, but many report improvements in that area after care has begun.

Dr. Jason Helfrich, a chiropractor in Colorado, commented in the article, "People come in with back pain, but after adjustments, they come back and tell me their sex life is so much better." He explains, "It’s no surprise to us—it’s amazing what the body will do when you take away the pressure on the nervous system."

The article goes on to explain that what chiropractors do is to correct "subluxations." Every function of your body is controlled by the nervous system. It is therefore essential that the messages traveling from the brain to the parts of your body can do so without any interference.

A subluxation is when one of more of the spinal vertebrae become misaligned and cause pressure or irritation on nerves resulting in interference to the normal nerve function. Interference to normal nerve function from subluxations can cause parts of your body to either experience pain or to not function properly. Dr. Helfrich points out in the article that, "Every chiropractor's goal is to remove these subluxations, since they can both cause pain and impede feeling."

The Shape article explains two mechanisms where subluxations can have an effect on sex life. The first involves the lumbar or lower back region. Subluxations in this area can not only cause lower back pain but interference to those nerves can also affect function and blood flow to the sex organs.

But lower back subluxations are not the only area that can affect sexual function. The article also points out that the top of the neck can have a large role in this as well. The first two vertebrae in the neck are located right below the brain stem. Subluxations in this area can affect hormonal functions as well.

"Libido and fertility require a delicate balance of estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones, many of which are released in the upper cervical and neck area," explains Dr. Helfrich. He concludes the article by stating, We want to improve people’s health, and health is about living life as its intended. Having a great sex life is huge part of that."