What side of Your nervous system do you live in?
Our autonomic nervous system has two sides that work together to control and regulate the background functions within our body. From hormone production, digestion, immune function and heart function these are all controlled and regulated by the autonomic nervous system. This part of the nervous system functions automatically without our conscious control. The vast majority of the nerves within the autonomic nervous system are housed and protected by the spine and skull.
We have two sides of the autonomic system that need to function in a regulated manner in order to keep each other in check and maintain a balanced state within the body. Our Sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight or flight state. This state is activated when the body perceives stress or threats. Our body is in a high alert state and more blood is pushed to the extremities and brain in order to be able to make quick decisions and quick actions. Have you dealt with a experience of extreme stress (physical, emotional, mental, etc) or anxiety and even after that situation has passed you still experience the effects of that state on your body?
Our parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the rest and digest side of function. It is a calming and relaxing state with a purpose of down regulating and balancing out the activity of the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system.
The central nervous system and the areas it controls can be affected by many different stressors from physical, emotional, mental and chemical. We work with this every day in our office, because when the body faces to many stressors and struggles to adapt to them the autonomic function begins to diminish (dys-autonomia). Dys-autonomia can present itself in many different ways and symptoms depending on what side of the nervous system the imbalance falls on.
When our body is in a dominant Sympathetic state or we experience stressors over and over our nervous system can become “stuck” in the fight or flight state. This can cause symptoms of high stress/anxiety, exhaustion, weakened autonomic and immune function and diminished healing ability. Bringing balance and regulation back to the autonomic system through chiropractic adjustments helps reduce sympathetic dominance.
However just as the sympathetic nervous system can be over active the parasympathetic can become the dominant functioning side of our nervous system it can cause many symptoms and issues in the body. Common issues we see in our office that we see with an over dominant parasympathetic nervous system is low energy, low adrenal function (hormone imbalances), sluggishness, digestion issues, lethargic and fertility issues. A nervous system in this state may benefit from specific chiropractic adjustments that focus on improved regulation and balance within the central nervous system.
Chiropractic adjustments that are nervous system specific allow for improvements in the function and balance of the autonomic system allowing for improved healing and wellness on not only a regional level but also a global level throughout the body.
At Bloom and Flourish Family Chiropractic we specialize in specific and focused exams that allow us the evaluate the function of your autonomic nervous system and how the health of your spine is impacting its ability to maintain health throughout the body. While getting you feeling better is always our priority we also want to make sure we are improving your bodies ability to heal. We also want to maintain that state so that your health never falls back or suffers when you experience stressors again. Having a balanced and regulated autonomic nervous system allows your body to be adaptable and handle many stressors with ease.
Do you feel stuck in one of the sides of your nervous system and are looking to unlock a better state of health. Lets work together, schedule your first visit or consultation today so we can see exactly what is going on in your nervous system and how chiropractic may benefit you.
Share with someone you know that could benefit from specific chiropractic care, we love to help them.
-Dr. Josh Stearns
