We must realize that when you walk into this office for the first time, you are carrying around a long adaptive pattern of memory, in which your nervous system has stored over the years of your life. Your system is dynamic, constantly changing, modifying and adapting to the environment, stress, trauma and chemicals. Your brain has the capacity to learn and mold into patterns and habits in response to these cumulative traumas and stressors. By the time most people show up here, their system has been trying to maintain balance and homeostasis for so long that eventually the system loses its ability to maintain homeostasis, and the threshold to adapt has become extremely small.  When your threshold to adapt shrinks, your body has an internal mechanism to alert you that your system has reached defcon 5 or a critical state.  Hence, once this threshold has reached capacity, your body gives you a signal (a symptom). I am writing to share some thoughts on the importance of frequency when it comes to changing neurological habits, particularly in relation to neuroplasticity and the chiropractic adjustment.
At the core of habit formation and change lies the principle of neuroplasticity—the nervous system’s remarkable ability to reorganize, adapt, and form new neural connections in response to repeated input. The brain and spinal cord are not static structures; they are dynamic, constantly reshaping themselves based on experience, movement, thought patterns, and sensory feedback. However, this adaptability depends heavily on one critical factor: frequency.
Neural pathways strengthen through repetition. When a stimulus is introduced once, it may create temporary awareness or short-term change. But when that stimulus is delivered consistently and at appropriate intervals, the nervous system begins to recognize it as significant. Synaptic connections are reinforced, inefficient pathways are pruned, and new, more efficient patterns emerge. In essence, frequency turns a momentary input into lasting neurological change.
This principle is highly relevant in the context of chiropractic care. A specific chiropractic adjustment managed in a way that promotes the creation of new neural pathways. The correct application and approach provides a specific neurological input to the spine and, by extension, to the central nervous system. The adjustment is not merely mechanical; it stimulates mechanoreceptors, alters afferent input to the brain, and can help reset maladaptive patterns of muscle tone, posture, and movement. However, just as a single workout does not create long-term fitness, a single adjustment is unlikely to fully retrain deeply ingrained neurological habits.
When adjustments are delivered with appropriate frequency, they provide repeated corrective input to the nervous system. This repetition supports the brain’s ability to recognize new patterns of alignment and movement as the new “normal.” Over time, the nervous system can shift away from stress-adapted or compensatory patterns and toward more efficient auto-regulation and coordination. Frequency, therefore, is not about dependency; it is about providing sufficient repetition for neuroplastic change to occur.
Furthermore, many neurological habits—such as organ and system dysfunction, asymmetrical movement, or chronic tension patterns—develop over months or years of repeated stress. Reversing these patterns requires consistent input that matches or exceeds the frequency with which the maladaptive patterns were reinforced. Strategic, repeated adjustments help interrupt old pathways while strengthening new ones.
In summary, frequency plays a foundational role in changing neurological habits. Through the lens of neuroplasticity, repeated and intentional input is what transforms temporary change into lasting adaptation. Chiropractic adjustments, when delivered with appropriate consistency, serve as powerful neurological stimuli that can guide the nervous system toward improved function and resilience.  So if you are in the middle of a crisis in life, whether it be emotional, seasonal, physical (good or bad), don’t fret.  Your body loves old habits, because that is what the foundational baseline is set at.  If we change the frequency in response to heavier stress or trauma that your body is experiencing, your body will adapt the way it is supposed to.
It’s not that your symptoms are coming back, and you don’t need to wonder what it is you “did”.  It's how your brain is processing your current stress levels and it is wiring to the most learned neurological foundation.  Let us know what you’re processing at this time in your life and we can make temporary frequency changes to help bring your body out of crisis and restore balance and homeostasis.  You will and can heal. In order to be successful at this just know it is all about proper management of your care.

Wishing you all the best with peace and love,

Dr. Mike