How Chiropractic Releases Traumatic Stress And Resets The Nervous SystemHow Chiropractic Releases Traumatic Stress And Resets The Nervous System
I Love Being Sober
Tim Westbrook talks with Dr. Mark Blackstone about how chiropractic care can ease traumatic stress, calm the nervous system and support people in addiction recovery. The conversation blends personal stories, practical science and everyday tools that may help build a stronger physical foundation for long-term sobriety.
58:34•21 Jul 2026
How Your Spine Can Support Sobriety: Dr. Mark Blackstone on Chiropractic and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Chiropractic adjustments aim to shift entrenched nervous system patterns, helping calm an overactive fight-or-flight response common in addiction and anxiety.
- Unresolved chronic pain, especially after injuries, can increase the risk of opioid use and relapse if it isn’t properly addressed.
- Healing takes time; managing expectations around pain and recovery is crucial, particularly for injuries that have been present for years.
- Simple habits like resistance training, vitamin D, cold plunges and even smiling can support brain function and nervous system balance.
- Chiropractic care can work alongside psychiatry, therapy, medication and nutrition as part of a broader, holistic recovery plan in treatment centres.
“When you change someone’s posture, you change your confidence.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between host Tim Westbrook and chiropractic physician Dr. Mark Blackstone shines a spotlight on an unexpected ally in recovery: the spine. With more than 25 years in practice and the last five spent inside treatment centres, Dr. Blackstone explains in plain, down-to-earth language how chiropractic care can support people dealing with addiction, anxiety and depression. He’s clear that it’s about far more than cracking backs.
As he puts it, “when you change someone’s posture, you change your confidence.” Adjustments aim to shift patterns in the nervous system, helping calm an overactive fight-or-flight response and support better sleep, digestion and mood. You’ll hear about his early exposure to addiction in his family, his first patients upstairs from an AA meeting, and why working with people in recovery “hooked” him within a week.
He talks through what actually happens during an adjustment, why the body keeps trying to revert to old patterns, and how regular care can help build a new, healthier “path” over time. The episode also digs into chronic pain as a relapse risk, realistic expectations for healing, and why unresolved injuries can keep pulling people back towards substances.
There’s practical chat on exercise, vitamin D, cold plunges, and why smiling is “the lazy man’s exercise” with just four muscles compared to 27 for frowning. For treatment professionals, Dr. Blackstone shares how chiropractic can sit alongside psychiatry, therapy, medication and nutrition as part of a broader, holistic approach in rehab settings. For anyone in recovery, this is a relaxed, sometimes funny, and very real look at how tending to the body can support a kick-ass sober life.
Could your nervous system be the missing piece in your recovery toolkit?
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