{"id":581,"date":"2022-12-19T20:57:54","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T20:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immersionhealthpdx.com\/?p=581"},"modified":"2023-09-22T22:09:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T22:09:18","slug":"autonomic-nervous-system-why-you-need-to-get-it-under-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immersionhealthpdx.com\/autonomic-nervous-system-why-you-need-to-get-it-under-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Autonomic Nervous System: Why you need to get it under control"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]\n

Autonomic Nervous System: Why you need to get it under control<\/h1>\n

Restoring sympathetic\/parasympathetic balance is the cornerstone of recovery and health<\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]I am an unapologetic geek. I love to pick a topic and dive into the published research. I am continuously fascinated by how much information is out there on virtually any topic that might spark my interest. And of course most of the topics of interest to me (though certainly not all) have to do with my clinical work. I will commonly pick a specific nutrient, or a new intriguing medication, or some new therapeutic device, and will read a book of scientific monographs on that topic. And as I\u2019m reading I have my Rolodex of patients in my head, thinking about how these various new learnings apply to various patients.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”609″ bg_position=”center center” background_image_loading=”default” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”light” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” color_overlay=”#000000″ advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ overlay_strength=”0.5″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” parallax_bg=”true” parallax_bg_speed=”fast” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-10-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.5″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]\n

If the ANS is dysregulated, all the other elements of a treatment plan are, at best, Band-Aids that will fall off as soon as the treatment plan stops. If the goal is to establish long-term health and vibrance, regulation of the ANS is an essential part of virtually every treatment program.<\/span><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” advanced_gradient_angle=”0″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]One common denominator among virtually all nutrients and therapies is their beneficial impact on the regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). I have come to realize that an imbalanced ANS is the proverbial elephant in the living room when it comes to symptoms that don\u2019t respond to therapies as expected. If the ANS is dysregulated, all the other elements of a treatment plan are, at best, Band-Aids that will fall off as soon as the treatment plan stops. If the goal is to establish long-term health and vibrance, regulation of the ANS is an essential part of virtually every treatment program.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Autonomic Nervous System: A Brief Overview<\/span><\/h4>\n

The nervous system is divided into two general branches: the central nervous system (brain and brain stem), and the peripheral nervous system (everything else). The peripheral nervous system is then divided into the somatic nervous system (stuff you have conscious control over, like arm and leg movements) and the autonomic nervous system (stuff you don\u2019t think about, like heart rate, blood pressure, digestive secretions, etc.).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dividing things even further, the ANS has two dominant branches, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches. The sympathetic branch is what is commonly labeled as the \u201cfight or flight\u201d response, though that has been more recently updated to \u201cfight, flight, or freeze\u201d to be more accurate regarding its effects. It is the branch that prepares our body to deal with a crisis. When it is active, heart rate increases, digestion shuts down, saliva and tears dry up, pupils dilate, and we generally feel ourselves to be on heightened alert.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]\n

When either branch of the ANS is overly active, the other branch is suppressed in its activities. And as you might imagine, we are living in a world that is inviting us all into sympathetic (fight, flight, or freeze) activation.<\/span><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Parasympathetic ANS activity regulates all the activities we commonly associate with relaxation: blood pressure drops, digestion is activated and bowels move appropriately, heart rate slows, breathing slows, thoughts are calm, etc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When either branch of the ANS is overly active, the other branch is suppressed in its activities. And as you might imagine, we are living in a world that is inviting us all into sympathetic (fight, flight, or freeze) activation. Anxiety is one of the most common symptoms that patients are telling me they deal with regularly, whether that\u2019s about their health, or their job, or the state of the world, or all of that combined.<\/span><\/p>\n

ANS imbalances have a wide range of clinical manifestations, but there are some common ways it presents:<\/span><\/p>\n