HOW THE BRAIN-WORKS
Warning: This is a bit of a heady article I’ve written here, but there’s really good news if you’re a chiropractor and can make it to the end.
The area of our brains that’s responsible for executive functions is called the prefrontal cortex. Just as the president of the United States makes executive decisions from the Oval Office that affect the entire country, so activity in the prefrontal cortex our brain controls your body’s policies on lifestyle affairs. The brain is like the body’s Oval Office!
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for controlling consumption habits. A Canadian study at the University of Waterloo found that overeating junk food can be caused by errors in how this part of the brain functions.1 The researchers, who published their findings in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, discovered that there were operational flaws in the prefrontal cortex in people who craved and ate the most junk food during the experiment.
This means that for some of us, the brain is working against us instead of for us.
THANKS, Brain!
Studies have also found that the brain’s prefrontal areas can be an issue for people who struggle to control their behaviors. When high functioning, this part of the brain can manage automatic, knee-jerk type reactions like cravings for cheesecake, bread, or vodka and instead make better, healthier, long-term decisions on behalf of the body. When this part of the brain lapses or is “taken offline,” cravings, bad snacking decisions, and overeating are boosted and rage against the machine.
Your brain provides the underlying circuitry that causes you to behave in certain ways. Utilizing technology, scientists can now see the location and action of brain activation related to what you are thinking. For example, if you view a picture of your family, your brain activity can be assessed. The occipital lobe of the brain will exhibit and increase in blood flow that is detectable on a functional MRI scan or seen as electrical activity on an EEG. Visual perception received in that part of the brain causes it to “fire.”
Neuroscientists J. T. Kaplan, S. I. Gimbel, and S. Harris at the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California studied another important area of the brain when it comes to your life’s commitments. They found that when political beliefs are challenged, a person’s brain becomes active in areas that govern personal identity and emotional responses to threats.2 Those resistant to changing their beliefs had more activity in the amygdala—a pair of almond-shaped areas near the center of the brain and the insular cortex—compared with people who were more willing to change their minds. This study also revealed that abilities such as self-control and power to change and grow can be wired into our neural circuits.
The brain, its intricate neural connections, and it’s incredibly complex patterns of firing greatly influence perceptions and behaviors. Yet, you also possess “cognition,” or the ability to think, evaluate ideas, process information, reflect, and become aware of the subtle beauty of life.
The great news as a chiropractor is you can change and improve both your brain and your thoughts. Your brain, thoughts, and actions are not permanently pre-programmed. Many studies have shown that a chiropractic adjustment has a specific effect on the very areas of the brain discussed here. As both brain and cognition improve, people can move toward a true, metamorphic, caterpillar-to-butterfly-like change in both behavior and health outcomes.
Need help consulting or putting a home or office budget together? To contact us at the Ultimate Influence Group and find out more about the resources we provide to help you build your practice, business, and finances send us a message at: [email protected] or click HERE!
Have fun saving the world
Dr. Ben Lerner
