Articles by Dr. Lee

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems

by Dr. Helen Lee 

The Autonomic Nervous System is responsible for most of our internal functions including organ & muscle function. It controls & regulates everything that happens automatically.  Such as: heart rate, pumping of blood & nutrients to various parts of our body, breathing, oxygen levels, all the muscles needed to pick up a piece of paper, etc.  If we had to consciously THINK about every single one of these things, we would never even make it out of bed in the morning!  

There are 2 basic  parts of the Autonomic Nervous system: the Sympathetic (SNS) & Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).  Sympathetic nervous system takes control in emergency situations: fight or flight.  Parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of relaxation, rejuvenation, repair, reproduction, & digestion.  Only one can work a time.  It’s like a light switch.

If a bear were to walk into the room, everything your body needed to do to react & fight or run for your life would be controlled by the SNS.  In the old days the threat of a bear was a very real  and was critical for survival.  Nowadays we don’t have the threat of a bear unless we are camping.  Today we face other kinds of bears: Relationship bears, family bears, financial bears, work bears, kid bears, time schedule bears, etc.  From the moment we open our eyes in the morning, the SNS is going full force all day long, making decisions, worrying, reacting, adrenaline flowing, working, etc.

The SNS helps your body react to an emergency. But like all emergencies, the quicker they are over, the better. The longer the emergency mode lasts, the more by products are produced:  increased cortisol, increased inflammation, muscle fatigue, pain, congestion, organ fatigue, etc. After the emergency, we need the Parasympathetic nervous system to help us recoup, rejuvenate, repair etc. We need to eat & digest so that we can refuel our bodies. 

With the busy, stressful, anxiety-filled lifestyle that many of us lead today, the SNS is being activated all day long. If this goes on for long enough, you can get “stuck” in sympathetic mode and the body can’t “switch” over to the parasympathetic nervous system.  So even when you want to relax you can’t seem to fall asleep, you are getting indigestion, constipation/diarrhea, increased muscle achiness and muscle tightness that doesn’t even go away with a massage, increased pains, reproductive problems (infertility), etc.

Things you can do to make sure these systems are working hand in hand:

1. Relax before & while you eat. Don’t engage in any other activity while you are eating.

2. 5 Deep Abdominal Breathing exercises every hour: Abdominal/belly breathing initiates relaxation whereas shallow/chest breathing activates the sympathetic NS.

3. Practice quieting the mind. Whether it is 10 minutes or an hour, practice not worrying, and that is your time to get centered.

4. Get checked for Subluxations & get Adjusted!