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How to cure stress by balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
at 31.12.2021The simplest thing we can do for our health is to set in motion the body's ability to heal and recover on its own, eliminating any disturbances in its natural functioning.
This phenomenon will undoubtedly occur if the body has not already suffered irreparable damage. The balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems appears to be the key to maintaining a healthy body, as well as healing it. The latter is responsible for activating the immune system and stopping the process of inflammation and stress. Healing and health-maintenance processes are essentially activated only when the body is in a parasympathetic state.
Our bodies function similarly to a car, which has a gas pedal and a brake pedal, both of which are necessary for the process of travel. The sympathetic nervous system is represented by the "gas pedal," and the "brake pedal represents the parasympathetic nervous system." Activating the sympathetic nervous system, which involves a "Fight or flight!" response, allows us to accelerate automatically to avoid perceived danger, providing us with the extra energy we need to combat it. The parasympathetic state, on the other hand, involves an action such as "Rest, digest, and heal!", which slows down the body's rhythms and switches it to a response that calms us and allows us to recover after the danger has passed. Only in the parasympathetic nervous system does healing processes occur, as in "Rest, digest, and heal!".
However, the two "speeds" cannot operate concurrently, so the other must be turned off when one is turned on. When the parasympathetic nervous system ("Rest and digest!") is activated, the sympathetic nervous system ("Fight or flight!") is suppressed. The alternation of the two states maintains the body in a state of balance, supplying it with the resources it requires at the right place and right time. For example, the parasympathetic nervous system initiates digestion. Still, when danger arises, or we become anxious, the sympathetic nervous system activates, causing digestion to halt to obtain the energy needed to mobilize to counteract the threat.
The sympathetic state of the autonomic nervous system activates the fight or flight response and causes the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline to be released. As blood is directed from the internal organs to the limbs, our heart rate and blood pressure rise, and digestion slows or stops altogether, preparing us to fight or run. The respiration rate increases to transport nutrients and oxygen to the cells more quickly. As a result, muscles tense, and blood vessels in the limbs constrict. This phenomenon is critical for survival; for example, if we are injured, we are less likely to bleed to death because the blood vessels contract. In a sympathetic state, the pupils also dilate, allowing us to see more clearly.
Furthermore, the sympathetic state suppresses all functions that are not necessary for survival, including all immune-related healing and recovery processes. However, a decrease in immune system activity allows viruses and bacteria to grow, contributing to dysbiosis or the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut, the proliferation of unhealthy cells, such as cancer cells, or the development of autoimmune conditions.
The autonomic nervous system's parasympathetic state, on the other hand, is associated with relaxation, regeneration, and recovery. After the threat has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to balance by releasing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps regulate sympathetic arousal, slowing the heart rate and allowing us to regain our calm after periods of stress and anxiety.
All healing and health-maintenance processes (digestion, detoxification, immune activities, tissue regeneration, and arousal) are only activated when the body is in a parasympathetic state. The parasympathetic nervous system is the healing state that restores balance to the nervous system. In other words, we can only heal when we are in the parasympathetic nervous system. Usually, the person should be parasympathetic for at least 80 percent of the time. Unfortunately, almost all diseases and dysfunctions are caused by our inability to enter the parasympathetic nervous system.
The switch button between alert and relaxation
The vagus nerve, which acts as a switch to regulate the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, is responsible for alternating "speeds" between these two states. The vagus nerve (lat. Vagus, "wanderer") is the primary means of communication between the brain and the rest of the body. It connects the brain to the gastrointestinal tract, the heart, the immune system, and other organs. It sends messages in both directions and assesses our body's needs, causing the brain to release chemical messengers, hormones, and neurotransmitters that regulate and control all unconscious processes in our body: heart rate, digestion, appetite, mood, threshold pain, sleep, memory, cognitive function, and immune response.
When the vagus nerve functions correctly, we are more likely to recover quickly from stress, injury, or illness. However, if we do not adequately transmit these signals, our bodies become unbalanced. As a result, we may experience nausea, fatigue, brain fog, stress, anxiety, or depression, in addition to a variety of neurological and even autoimmune issues.
Vagus nerve disturbance
Two major factors prevent the vagus nerve from functioning correctly: 1) chronic stress and toxic thoughts, but also 2) physical toxins, infections, or viruses, particularly in the dental area.
We are designed to switch to the sympathetic mode when danger arises, but we return to the parasympathetic state of rest and recovery once the threat has passed. However, the stress often does not manifest itself only in the short term but can be prolonged, becoming chronic, and one cause of chronic stress is how we respond to various daily challenges. We may not be chased by a lion or at war, but we are overwhelmed by toxic thoughts brought on by a disagreement with a friend, financial difficulties, or job dissatisfaction. As a result, our thoughts cause an exaggerated and long-term stress response.
Another reason we become stuck in the sympathetic state is toxicity in the body, particularly dental infections, and toxins, which are frequently underestimated. All of these toxins run down the trigeminal nerve to the vagus nerve, intoxicating it and causing a variety of dysfunctions in the body: autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue, brain fog, and memory disorders, anxiety, anorexia or bulimia, autism, infections, cancer, cardiovascular and digestive problems, systemic inflammation, multiple sclerosis, and so on.
Selection from www.vibrantblueoils.com
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