Not much beats the pure pleasure of a trip to the Doctor’s office. There’s those menacing needles, that oh so cozy paper-like gown not to mention that scale that’s just waiting for you in the corner. But what about that small hammer like thing the doctor hits you with just under the kneecap? What she is checking is part of something called your reflexes. And your reflexes go well beyond the party trick status we brand it. So for today let’s think about reflexes and why it’s more than something to sneeze at.
So what is a reflex? It’s a sneeze. A blink. It’s a yawn in the middle of a boring speech. It’s an action or movement without upper management (your brain) involved. Without a thought your body protects you and keeps your factory functioning. We cough to clear our windpipe of any tiny intruders.
We blink to clean and protect the eye. If a stray baseball comes flying towards you face, know your eyes will close before your brain tells you it’s a ball. And we yawn when the brain stem has decided it’s time to clean house. Yes a big yawn gets rid of some of that extra carbon dioxide and gulps in some extra fresh oxygen.
To look a little closer at reflexes let’s say we’re cooking up some spaghetti (organic, with omega 3’s – yes even our example should be healthy.) Our water boils over and splatters on to our precious tender skin. A sensory nerve on our hand is alerted by the hot water. The message is relayed to the spinal cord.
Acting quickly the spinal cord transfers the message to motor neurons in our arm. And you pull your arm away from the boiling water. Meanwhile the spinal cord also sends a message to the big boss your brain letting you know of the assault on your hand. So there you have it, the body has sprung into action before you even have to say please.
Simply put, reflexes are windows to our nervous system. And checking them is usually pretty fast and easy. Some we are born with and outgrow. Other we have for life. Take for example the grasp reflex. Place your finger in the palm of an infant and those tiny fingers will grip your hand.
This is totally normal and expected in the first few months of life. But not to long after that (3-4 months of age) it’s in indication of a possible insult to the brain. In general, when reflexes are not as they should be it’s a window into your nervous system and a call for further investigation.
Know that doctor is Latin for teacher. And a doctor works best when a patient is also viewed as a student and a teacher.