I’ve been looking through a medical embryology book, along with early chiropractic writings by D.D. Palmer and Stevenson from the 1920s, and they all point to something fascinating: the nervous system actually develops from the bottom up, not from the brain down. In other words, the spine and spinal cord form first, and the brain grows out of that foundation.
This means the spine isn’t just a support structure; it’s the body’s main communication highway. The brain works like a processor; it receives signals from the body through the spine, interprets them, and sends instructions back out. It doesn’t label those signals as good or bad; it just keeps everything running, from your organs and muscles to every single cell in your body.
Medical embryology highlights how central the spine is to our overall function and sense of well-being. When we connect this to research on the brain’s reward system, like Reward Deficiency Syndrome and the Brain Reward Cascade, it becomes even clearer that the spine plays a key role in how we feel and function at our best.
This is what chiropractic pioneers like D.D. and B.J. Palmer were talking about: when your spine is properly aligned and free from nerve interference, your brain and body can communicate clearly. That allows your nervous system to function at its highest potential, helping you feel balanced, healthy, and truly well.
