The Vital Connection

 
Nervous System

Your nervous system is the center of your thoughts, memory, learning and consciousness. Nerves control muscle tension, blood vessel openings, glandular function, spatial orientation, proprioception, pain, touch, vibration, vision, hearing, taste, temperature and other senses – nerves connect your inner and outer worlds.

Spinal Column

• The first of your seven cervical (neck) vertebrae (C1), called the “atlas,” holds the globe of the skull, as the god Atlas held up the Earth.
• Your second (C2), the “axis,” permits head turning and tilting. Your 12 thoracic (mid-back) vertebrae (T1 – T12) all connect to the ribs in the back and all but two (T11 & T12, which “float”) join the sternum (breastbone) in front.
• Your five lumbar (lower back) vertebrae are the biggest, thickest and most massive vertebrae. They support the weight of your entire spine, which is why so many spinal problems are in the lower back.
• Your sacrum is made up of five fused vertebrae. The sacrum and the hips on either side make up your pelvis. Your coccyx, four fused vertebrae, is what’s left of your tailbone.