The Parasympathetic System

An important aspect of healing is to accept where you are right now and being OKAY with it in the moment.  That doesn’t mean to say that you stop trying to get better, it simply means that for now you will accept the situation you are in and come to peace with it.  The key is to continue doing all the things you have learned while keeping yourself in a more positive emotion. Or at least, a neutral place, where stress is kept low. The only way I was able to do this was with self determination that healing would come.  Then my attitude changed to not only being okay, but being HAPPY it was coming. This is, of course, where faith and belief come in to play.

The reason why it is important to come to a place of peace is that you simply can’t heal when you are in a constant state of stress. I don’t care what you eat or don’t eat or the supplements you are taking. If you are in a constant state of worry, fear and stress your body can’t heal.

Physically, we have an Autonomic nervous system, which manages all our involuntary bodily functions and is made up of the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic systems.

The Sympathetic System activates our fight and flight state which releases stress hormones into the body.  This flood of hormones, cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline) are crucial when we are in some kind of danger.  Our muscles tense, giving us more strenght, our pupils dilate so we can see better and our blood vessels constrict so we don’t bleed to death in an accident.  This is all good for those rare moments in life when we need it to turn on.  Yet, in modern times, everyday stresses can turn this system on and in some incidences, it doesn’t turn itself off.  Why is this bad?  As the sympathetic system is focusing on where it needs to be, it is turning off other functions in the body.  It down regulates the healing and repair systems in the body.  Our heart and blood pressure increases, digestion slows and blood is moved away from organs.  It suppresses our immune system which prevents our body to fight viruses and bacteria.

The Parasympathetic is our repair and renew system.  It brings our body into balance by releasing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which lowers your heart rate, helps with digestion, boost immunity, enhances breathing, and helps in detoxification.

If you want healing to occur in the body, it needs to be in the Parasympathetic state.

Naturally, during any given day, our bodies go in and out of these two systems.  The key is to get your body into the parasympathetic state as often and as long as possible.

The best way to get into a healing state is through breathing.  Breathing in long inhale and exhales stimulates our vagus nerve which goes hand in hand with the parasympathetic state. The vagus nerve runs from the brain, behind your ears, down the neck and front of the body.  This nerve can weaken over time from toxins and stresses.  You can help activate this nerve by taking nice deep breathes.  I like the 4-7-8 breathing technique.  This is, breathing in for a count of 4, then holding the breath for a count of 7 and exhaling for a count of 8.  Doing this stimulates the nerve and helps it connect the brain to vital organs and systems.

When we sleep, meditate, do yoga or simply relax we are using our parasympathetic system.  I like to meditate knowing that in the moment, my body is working to repair organs, cells, tissues and systems. This wonderful parasympathetic state  is bringing our body into harmony.

The greatest thing about this system is you have control over it and you can turn it on whenever you want.  Take time for self healing! Relax–Breathe…. Enjoy walks in nature, take baths, laugh and love.  This isn’t a strict protocol, this is easy and you will feel wonderful and your body will be healing.

Give thanks everyday that your body has the ability to heal and do your part to help support it.  Your body will respond in the best ways possible.