Merchants were sending ships out to sea unworthy and overloaded. Inevitably, when rough seas ensued, the ships sank. A member of Parliament at the time, Samuel Plimsoll, tackled the problem by submitting legislation that would require ships be inspected and marked with a load line that showed their upper limit to carry cargo and yet maintain buoyancy. Ships could be loaded with freight until the line and the water met, and then allowed no more. This line became known as the Plimsoll Line, and is now standard in international shipping.
The reality is we all have a "Plimsoll Line" - a limit in which we maintain buoyancy and float, and if we overload our "vessel", rough seas will sink us. And just like ships on the seas, there are two variables within your control: 1) the seaworthiness of your vessel, and 2) the load upon it.
Seaworthiness
Your body has an inherent strength and the ability to self regulate, heal, adapt, and grow. This ability is called your Innate Intelligence, and (Thank God!) it's always on the job and always working in your best interest. Your Innate Intelligence works through your material body, however, and thus there are limitations. What have you done to improve or maintain the "seaworthiness" of your vessel lately? Are you feeding your body good nutritious fuel? Are you exercising to keep your body strong? Do you get adjusted? Do you get enough rest?
Overload
All the strength in the world can be overcome with enough force. You can do all those things above, but if your load is too much, you're still going to sink. In chiropractic, we recognize that our bodies are constantly encountering stresses. These stresses can be grouped into 3 categories: physical, chemical, and mental/ emotional, and anyone of them alone have the ability sink your ship, but they're also cumulative.
Your Plimsoll Line
We all have a unique stress threshold. Yours is not the same as mine, and mine is not the same as Bob's or Sue's. But we all have one, and if that threshold is met or exceeded, our vessel is in serious danger. Ships that went out of port having illegally surpassed the Plimsoll Line were called "Coffin Ships". Appropriate for us, too. It begins with tissue breakdown and injury, progresses to disease, and it ends in death.
Somedays it seems like a ripple is all it would take to sink the ship. Other days, a hurricane wouldn't stop us.
