Why is Nervous System Regulation so critical for total healing?

Where Healing Begins and Ends

Our bodies, and especially our central nervous systems (CNS), are incredibly complex and beautifully intriguing. The human nervous system has many jobs: a message board, a speed-of-light communications highway, the source of stimulus for all types of muscle and organ and system function, the master of speech, the reason our five senses work so well for us and keep us safe as well as adding to our enjoyment of life, among other roles that the CNS fulfills. When in balance, the nervous system keeps our bodies in balance also. When dysregulated, it can prevent us from experiencing the healing we need and desire.

A Real Client's Experience

Often I have used my own healing journey to illustrate this, but with a current client's permission I would like to share a real time example that is unfolding. This individual has previous diagnoses of CIDP (a very painful and scary muscle and nerve autoimmune disease) and fibromyalgia among others. Now add to the list a more recent manifestation of complex gout, which is an extremely painful condition where uric acid crystals build up in the bloodstream and deposit themselves in joints of the extremities. (In this person's case, the feet.) This client came back under my care about two weeks ago because they cannot take the medications that mainstream doctors prescribe, and have had positive experiences and improvements for other conditions in the past when we worked together. Some of the things we have uncovered these past couple of weeks include: this person's body is a living barometer that predicts the anguish to come with inclement weather, which foods are gout triggers for them personally, the relationship happening between the various conditions, the cascade of biochemical reactions happening in the body, the role of the kidney and liver in this illness and how to best support them, and the herbal supplements and homeopathy most suited to her symptoms. There have been other modalities that come into play too, but the most impactful and striking change has come with regulating the nervous system.

Here is why it matters for this person's case- The gout came on during a prolonged period of intense physical and mental stress. Without sharing too many personal details, this client was in a very bad situation of neglect and abuse while being expected to be a caregiver to the abuser. What happens to the body when there is ongoing relentless high stress? In fight or flight mode/survival mode, the adrenal glands kick into high gear and stimulate the liver to dump a ton of glucose into the bloodstream to fuel the escape from a non-existent tiger. Because there is no sprinting to safety actually occurring, that glucose doesn't get used up. People with chronic stress usually have elevated blood glucose (sugar), and often are diagnosed with diabetes. But taking insulin or a GLP-1 medication doesn't address the root problem, it only masks it and the patient is expected to live with the condition. (Please note, I am not discouraging anyone from taking medications which they have had prescribed for them by their doctor.) The circulating blood sugar then gets converted into other things, including uric acid. Most mammals have an enzyme called uricase to break that down, but higher primates including humans do not. So even if this client were able to take the gout medications, pain medications, and diabetic medications that doctors recommend, the real issue still would not be addressed. While some symptoms may abate or disappear, the individual's body would be damaged by long-term consumption of potent medications and even more so by the chronic stress. Chronic stress also negatively impacts the gut pH and microorganisms, so taking high quality probiotics is also key to this journey.

Helping this client to recognize the crucial need for peace, rest, and nervous system regulation has brought on swift and incredible improvement! We have used a combination of breathwork, sound healing, nutrition, herbalism and homeopathy to support healing through calming the nervous system. Prior to this, nothing was helping this person to get relief. They have been removed from the terrible situation and now living in the care of a relative who understands the necessary and proper care involved. Now this client feels better equipped to face these challenges by employing the methods we have practiced together. We have more progress ahead of us, but in only two weeks the excruciating gout attacks have reduced dramatically, and both blood pressure and blood sugar have improved. This is extremely important because the body interprets pain as stress, so the cycle of elevated blood sugar and uric acid crystal formation would have continued to augment itself. Interrupting that stress-sugar cycle and rebalancing the CNS were the only way to achieve this. The feet are beginning to look healthier and show better color and reduced swelling.

What does this mean for you?

As I've said many times since I followed my calling into holistic wellness practice, even if a person is doing everything else perfectly, if their nervous system is going wild either from chronic stress or other factors, they will be sick. There are no clarifying factors to list. It is really that simple. Regardless of what else a person is doing for the benefit of their health (diet, exercise, supplements etc.), if they do not know how to keep their nervous system regulated or how to rebalance it in a difficult moment, they will be sick. Many studies have been published in the last several years that show this correlation, as well as the high blood sugar link to gout, dementia, cancer, metabolic syndrome and other diseases. Then many people are living with these conditions and having to take expensive medications for the rest of their lives. When looking at the CNS, the gut-brain connection in particular is critical to health and well-being. Do you ever get stressed, surprised, upset, nervous and feel a jolt in your stomach/gut? That is the vagus nerve, sometimes called the gut-brain axis. This nerve is a good measuring stick for the state of your nervous system. When it is over/under active, there will be chronic illness. And it can be calmed and balanced, through a personalized combination of modalities.

Regardless of what you are feeling or experiencing in your body, with the right conditions healing is possible. Our bodies are exquisite and marvelous in their ability to heal when we listen to the messages they are sending us and give them the supportive measures required. The central nervous system is the messenger trying to reach us, and it wants to work cooperatively not combatively. Looking back to a time when you were trying to overcome an ongoing health issue, trying everything and anything that might offer some relief and progress, maybe you felt as though your doctor was not truly 'getting it' or listening... what can you point to now as the missing piece in your wellness journey? Did it get resolved, or did you have to resort to taking medications to cope with symptoms and live with the disease? What could be different for you if you learned this crucial skill? Better yet, if you are struggling with chronic stress but don't have a health condition, let's work together to prevent a decline in wellness. With a focus on inner healing and preventive care via the network of the nervous system, let me be your GPS on the Highway to Health.

If you read this post all the way to the end, thank you. As a expression of my gratitude here is a coupon code valid through this weekend only: BLOG. Use this code at checkout to receive 20% off of all services! (including the big package deals) These services will be fulfilled remotely via zoom unless you live near me.

Much Love,

Donna