You might think not… but what if you were developing a horn right now, even as you are reading this? Or what if you were developing two horns? Would you even know?
A recent, widely publicized study out of Australia suggested that may be what is happening to many people from ongoing and repeated use of their cell phones. The research shows that some young people have developed unusual bone growth caused by tilting their heads forward for extended periods of time. The posture of a forward head tilt shifts the weight from the spine onto the muscles at the back of the head which causes the unusual bone growth. The result on x-ray looks like a hook or hornlike structure sticking out of the back of the skull, just above the neck.
The bone growth is similar to the development of a callus on your skin from repeated friction of pressure. Your body is so smart that it responds to repeated rubbing in a specific area by thickening your skin in that particular area to prevent further injury. Sometimes calluses are undesirable, if they are on the bottom of your feet or hands caused by shoes or yard work. However, sometimes people try to build calluses in certain places, for example on the fingertips if you are a guitar player.
So maybe we aren’t becoming unicorns but the bone growth is just one of many examples of how our bodies can and will adapt to changing environments and unusual stress. Our bodies are so smart and they are constantly adapting to help us be our best in any situation. When it’s hot out we sweat. When bacteria or viruses proliferate in our bodies we get a fever. When we eat something toxic we throw up or get diarrhea. We may not like our body’s response but these are all examples of intelligent displays of the body; healthy, good, intelligent responses. Nobody likes sweating, having a fever, vomiting, or getting diarrhea, but they are all healthy responses to changing environments and unusual stress.
Your brain is constantly monitoring conditions in every part of your body and responding in an intelligent manner. Your nerve system connects your brain to every part of your body and it relies on good communication to respond in the best possible way. That’s why seeing your chiropractor regularly is so important. Your chiropractor will check your spine to insure that the individual bones aren’t disrupting the function of your nerve system. The clearer your nerve system, the better the communication and the better you can respond to the ever changing world in which you live.
—By Judy Nutz Campanale, DC, ACP, FCSC (hon)
