With technology advancing and the ability to measure brain activity and health improvements each year, studies and theories about the brain-body connection are finding ever-increasing popularity.

Advancements in the brain-body research are incredibly important, as the brain is responsible for all body function, thought and social interaction. The more we discover about the functions of the brain and the pathways in which it communicates with cells and the senses, the more likely we can expand our mental, emotional and functional capacities and overcome disease.

The Real Connection

With so much thought going intothe brain and how it keeps the body going, we bet you're wondering what keeps the brain going. The answer is pretty simple: Your body. While the brain keeps the body developing and moving along, it is the nutrients that comes from the body through eating, drinking, breathing air and the products of cellular function that keep the brain alive and well.

Important nutrients that the brain needs for surivival such as oxygen, glucose and neurotrophins (nutrients that keep neurons strong) get from the body to the brain through the cerebro-spinal (brain-spine or spine-brain) fluid (CSF) that flows from inside your spinal canal. This fluid gets from the spine to the brain with the use of a CSF "pump."

This CSF pump doesn't use electricity. The power for the pump is generated by the movement of the sacrum (the lowest portion of the spine) an the cervical spine (upper portion of the spine).

For the CSF Pump to move more effectively, you need a healthy spinal column. Irregular or reduced motion of the sacrum and/or cervical spine will lead to an abnormal and reduced flow of oxygen, glucose, neurotrophins and other important nutrients to the brain. That's why the spine-brain connection is so important. A bad back or neck will literally give you a bad brain.