There are 3 basic parts to your nervous system.
Central Nervous System: the brain and spinal cord
Somatic Nervous System: nerves going to and from muscular system – the ‘voluntary nerve system’
Autonomic Nervous System: nerves going to and from organs and glands – the ‘involuntary nerve system’
The autonomic nervous system regulates homeostasis via two opposing divisions: the sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division. Both systems connect to the organs and act in opposition to one another to maintain normal physiology, including blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and nutrient levels. The amount of work that a given organ must do to maintain homeostasis differs from one situation to the next. In addition, certain organs need to work to prepare the body for possible future situations. These functions are all regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
Survival Mode:
The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is the division that prepares the body for stressful situations. It is often referred to as the “fight or flight” system. The effects of this system are numerous, but
generally include increasing heart rate, constricting blood vessels to the skin and viscera (thereby increasing blood flow to muscles), increasing pupil size, and decreasing salivation. These responses all promote survival in a dangerous situation.
Healing Mode:
The parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system prepares the body for rest and rejuvenation and is often called the “rest and digest” system. Effects of the parasympathetic nervous system include slowing heart rate, increasing gastric motility, and increasing salivation. These responses help the body to recover as well as prepare for stressful situations by storing nutrients.
When you are out for a walk, and a big, scary animal jumps out in front of you, you can climb a tree, jump a fence, or run really fast! Your body instantly goes into Survival Mode, shuts down digestion and shunts all the blood and energy to your muscular system so that you can survive the immediate situation and be alive for the next one. Our bodies are designed for this on the short term.
But what happens when we get an unexpected big bill, or we see disasters on TV, or the swirling red lights in our rear view mirror – the same thing! Our heart speeds up, digestion and rejuvenation shut down and all our blood and energy go to survival mode. Many people live in one highly stressed situation after another – this is Survival Mode over the long term which we are not designed for. Eventually, we begin relying on stimulants and sedatives to run our autonomic nervous systems: digestion becomes poor, we are constantly tired, often sick and begin to have all kinds of chronic problems because our bodies can no longer rebuild, repair and recover.
No matter what your health situation is, if your autonomic nervous system is out of balance, your body is going to have a tough time healing. Gentle chiropractic adjustments along your spine can help you restore this balance.