Sex, marriage, Biology

Written by Dr. Daniel Kimbley

Let’s talk about sex. That’s right, I said it. SEX.

One of our clients who started seeing us back in March stormed into our office, and he was raving. Not raving mad, just very fired up, and he had an interesting question for us. He asked, “how long have I been under care here?”. As Heather, my wife and Chief of Operations looked up how long he had been under care, this client started doing some calculations in his head. As he looked up towards the ceiling with his eyes, a smile began to grow on his face and after a very long pause, with a huge smile on his face he cheered, “Dude, since I’ve been coming here consistently, sex with my wife has been on fire”.

At first, I was a little shocked that he was openly sharing this information with us, but as I reflected further, I started to think to myself, “of course, sex with his wife is on fire. As a result of our care, your body is better adapting to stress you’re under, and your hormones are more balanced and working the way they were meant to.”

Sometimes it seems such a taboo topic we aren’t supposed to talk about, yet we were all born with the innate ability to reproduce. So let’s talk about sex.

And although we are taught that it’s taboo, I’m going to have you consider that marital sex is integral to our wellbeing. Better sex will foster a better marriage and create healthier relationships with those we love because it is a normal part of our biology.

Consider for a moment that having a better connection with your partner (both intimate and spiritual), better connection and more love for your kids, and more energy to live the life you desire to live is dependent on a cocktail of hormones constantly floating around in our bloodstream that need to be in exactly the right balance.

The hormonal systems in our bodies are important because they control our energy levels, metabolism, and our body’s ability to heal. Exhaustion, fatigue, irritability, decreased libido, weight gain, trouble concentrating, and trouble with blood sugar are just a few of the signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

Sex drive, fertility, and connection to our partners are dependent on a very delicate balance of progesterone, testosterone, estrogen and other hormones. The release of which are all controlled by our nervous systems-that is, our brain and spinal cord.

The problem then, is that in times of stress, our bodies release the stress hormone Cortisol, which works directly against the actions of progesterone, testosterone and estrogen. This poses a problem for us because, if you’re anything like me, avoiding stress is nearly impossible.

And although we are constantly going to have stress inside of our businesses, with finances, with getting the kids from place to place on time, traffic, or any other number of stresses that we must deal with on a daily basis, there are definite courses of action we can take to allow our bodies to better adapt to the stresses that we put them under.

I’ll have you consider that the single most important decision you can make is to ensure that you have an optimally functioning nervous system-the system that controls all functions in your body, including the hormonal system.

Interference to your nervous system comes from improper movement of the joints of the spine which compromises the body’s ability to heal and regulate itself properly–this includes the body’s ability to regulate its own hormones. “Movement of the spine [the chiropractic adjustment] stimulates proprioceptive input into the cerebellar vermis that in turn acts on the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus”.¹

The amygdala-the emotional center of the brain, the hypothalamus-the controller of the autonomic nervous system and the pituitary gland (which is a hormone producer), and the hippocampus-the center of emotions, autonomics and memory are all stimulated by the chiropractic adjustment. 

Fostering a healthier hormonal system and decreasing stress will ultimately lead to increased libido, more connection with those you love, and higher quality of life. 

Using chiropractic care as the core component of a healthy lifestyle is critical for maintaining a healthy nervous system-the system in your body that controls and regulates all functions. By restoring proper motion of the joints of the spine through Lifestyle care, you are sure to regulate the hormonal signaling systems in the body that literally controls your sex drive, your marriage, and your biology.

¹ Chestnut, J. L. (2003). The 14 foundational premises for the scientific and philosophical validation of the chiropractic wellness paradigm. Victoria, B.C.: Wellness Practice.