Understanding Visual Dominance: It's Affect on Balance and Brain Fog and Why It Should Matter To You

We just got back from the Parker Seminars in Las Vegas, and boy, was there a lot to learn! Of everything, I think there are two big takeaways that I want to share with you. First, it's about the neurological impact of visual dominance and balance. Second, it's about food science as it relates to stem cells, cancer prevention, and longevity.

Understanding Visual Dominance and Balance

Let's dive into visual dominance first. It's crucial for understanding balance and the brain. Balance is essential in our everyday lives. It helps us navigate through space. If we couldn't do that well, we'd fall... a lot. Why does this matter? Well, guess what the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide is? Falls. So, when you put it in that context, maintaining our balance at any age becomes vital.

The Three Systems of Balance

There are three main systems that work together to maintain our balance and allow us to navigate our environment with ease. These systems are:

1. Visual - The information our eyes gather.

2. Vestibular - This refers to the structures behind our ears that help us with equilibrium, sensing gravity, and acceleration. You may have heard about "rocks in your ears," and it's true!

3. Proprioception - Our body's awareness in space.

   
   

When this trio works well together, we have good sensory integration. Our balance and coordination are accurate, and all is good. 😊

The Role of Visual Dominance

Now, here's where visual dominance comes in. Remember when I said that if all three systems are working together, all is good? This triad can get out of balance. We could have reduced proprioception or increased or decreased vestibular signals. Chiropractic care has long demonstrated its efficacy in boosting proprioception. However, the one I want to focus on in this article is visual dominance, which I didn't know much about until recently.

Our eyes are crucial for accurately perceiving our environment. This ability was a significant evolutionary advantage, as our eyes can scan for threats. The part of our brains that handles threats (i.e., stress) has evolved alongside our eyes. This means that the more we depend on our eyes, the higher our threat detection and stress levels.

How does visual dominance occur, you may wonder? When we bombard our eyes with visual stimuli (like screens), we flood them with more input, causing them to become more dominant. A great example from the lecturer, Dr. Jake Cook, is when you want to relax after a long day. You might lay on the couch and scroll through your phone for an hour. However, you aren't actually relaxing. In that hour, you're training your eyes to become more dominant. As your eyes scan through social media, they search for threats, and your cortisol and stress levels rise. Now imagine doing that every night to "unwind" for weeks, months, or even years. It can creep up on you! Dr. Cook also mentioned that visual dominance can override the other two systems.

The Effects of Visual Dependency

What effect does this have on us? You might be thinking, "That doesn't sound too bad. Maybe if I'm good at detecting threats, I'll have cat-like reflexes. If I'm always on alert, then I'm ready for anything and invincible!" I hate to burst your bubble, but it's quite the opposite. Here’s a list of symptoms associated with visual dependency:

• Unsteadiness in visually busy spaces (like supermarkets, airports, and shopping centers)

• Brain fog - Our working memory can be drained when the vestibular system fails, leading to less space for input and decreased focus.

• Fatigue

• Symptoms worsen with stress and improve when focusing on something else

• Tunnel vision - hyperfocus

• Auditory exclusion - If presented with visual and auditory stimuli simultaneously, you may not hear the auditory input at all (like my husband). Vision becomes the primary sense, and auditory becomes secondary.

• Increased muscle tone - This leads to a reduced pain pressure threshold, meaning less pressure is needed to increase pain sensation, resulting in leg stiffness.

• Increased sway with visual stimulation and reduced balance with eyes closed

• Persistent Postural Perceptual Dependency (PPPD)

• Migraines

• Dizziness

• Stress

  
  

If any of this sounds familiar, you might be experiencing visual dominance. So, what can we do about it?

Seeking Professional Help

At this point, I want to emphasize that if you are suffering from any of these symptoms, you should get checked by a professional. There are many reasons why we may exhibit these symptoms, and I want to ensure you are properly tested so nothing is missed. For example, you might have a metabolic or cardiovascular issue contributing to these symptoms. That said, can we have a systemic diagnosis and visual dominance? Absolutely. Just remember that there's more to consider. This isn't meant to diagnose anything or replace what you're already doing. It's merely an exploration of an area that can often be overlooked, helping us understand and restore our sensory integration.

Simple Steps to Rebalance

So, what can you do? Here are some simple steps:

1. Education - The more you understand the intricacies of how our sensory integration works, the better you'll know which "leg" needs the most assistance. Consulting a professional will only help inform you!

   
   

2. Get Adjusted! - Adjustments have long been shown in literature to boost and improve proprioception. More research is finding that adjustments have an incredible positive effect on the brain. Chiropractic care may not be the end-all-be-all answer, but I believe it is one of the "best-kept secrets" that shouldn't be a secret anymore. 😉

   
   

3. Vestibular Retraining - There are exercises called VOR I, VOR II, and VOR 0:

4. VOR I: Stare at an object (like a paper on a wall with an "X," your arm out with your thumb up, or holding a stick with a dot at the tip). Keep that object fixed and turn your head 20-30 degrees on either side while allowing your eyes to stay fixed on the object.

5. VOR II: Move the object 20-30 degrees while keeping your head still and your eyes focused on the object.

7. VOR 0: Move the object and your head 20-30 degrees in opposing directions while keeping your eyes focused on the object.




Note: If your eyes fatigue or the object becomes blurry, stop and rest. Pushing through eye fatigue reinforces visual dominance.




8. Tandem Stance Balance - Stand next to a chair or wall, stagger your feet one step apart, and try to balance with your eyes closed. Then, switch feet.

   
   

I've started to teach and practice these exercises with some patients, my family, and myself. If you haven't had the pleasure of going over it with me, feel free to let me know you're interested on your next visit, and I'll be happy to show you!

Happy Balancing!