Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction
My hope in writing this blog is to bring awareness to the fact that the symptoms responsible for CFS, Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, and many chronic illnesses are directly related to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which links body to mind. Thus, all of these diseases are body/mind diseases, and all can be improved, if not cured, by correcting autonmic nervous system dysfunction.
In order to understand how ANS dysfunction causes the wide variety of symptoms displayed in these illnesses, I've read and researched the work of Dr. John Sarno, and Dr. John Eaton. Both of these doctors have come up with treatment programs for those who suffer with chronic illnesses, and their programs are based on the theory that ANS dysfunction is the true cause of their illness.
The nervous system is complex, and as I've stated, I think of it as the "link" between our body, our mind, and the world around us...it's a complex soup of external and internal stimuli, and it's constantly sending us signals of where we "are", physically, emotionally, and mentally in relationship to the world around us. All of these aspects of our innner selves and our outer world are at play, giving us constant guidance throughout our day. The guidance comes to us via the body, and not the mind. This is, after all, a physical process!
But when the autonomic nervous system is overloaded with stress, usually from our internal and external world being in conflict with each other, it goes on high alert, triggering an over reaction of the emotional centers in our brain. These consist of the limbic system and the hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal axis.(HPA). As Dr. John Eaton outlines in his book, Reverse Therapy, the HPA axis goes on "high alert", overworking the immune and sympathetic nervous system, resulting in dysfunction of the immune system, gut, heart, and muscles. Thus, the frequent infections, the link between a virus and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (think Epstein-Barr VIrus, which most of us have been exposed to but show no symptoms of ), the fatigue, low blood pressure, dizziness, sensitivity to light, fatigue and joint pain...all results of a body stuck in constant "fight or flight".
The good news and the bad news is there is no pill for this! There is no cure...because the symptoms serve a purpose. They are there to tell you that something is not right in the relationship of your inner world to your outer world. When you correct that relationship, your body will right itself. It will heal.This discovery, and the repurcussions of it are monumental. Because if we can find a way to heal this, (which there is a treatment!), then we can more deeply understand ourselves, our nervous system, and how our bodies and minds work together to do the work of our souls.
I recently purchased an DVD of an interivew of world renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks...it's title is The Nervous System and The Soul... perhaps we are onto something...!
In order to understand how ANS dysfunction causes the wide variety of symptoms displayed in these illnesses, I've read and researched the work of Dr. John Sarno, and Dr. John Eaton. Both of these doctors have come up with treatment programs for those who suffer with chronic illnesses, and their programs are based on the theory that ANS dysfunction is the true cause of their illness.
The nervous system is complex, and as I've stated, I think of it as the "link" between our body, our mind, and the world around us...it's a complex soup of external and internal stimuli, and it's constantly sending us signals of where we "are", physically, emotionally, and mentally in relationship to the world around us. All of these aspects of our innner selves and our outer world are at play, giving us constant guidance throughout our day. The guidance comes to us via the body, and not the mind. This is, after all, a physical process!
But when the autonomic nervous system is overloaded with stress, usually from our internal and external world being in conflict with each other, it goes on high alert, triggering an over reaction of the emotional centers in our brain. These consist of the limbic system and the hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal axis.(HPA). As Dr. John Eaton outlines in his book, Reverse Therapy, the HPA axis goes on "high alert", overworking the immune and sympathetic nervous system, resulting in dysfunction of the immune system, gut, heart, and muscles. Thus, the frequent infections, the link between a virus and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (think Epstein-Barr VIrus, which most of us have been exposed to but show no symptoms of ), the fatigue, low blood pressure, dizziness, sensitivity to light, fatigue and joint pain...all results of a body stuck in constant "fight or flight".
The good news and the bad news is there is no pill for this! There is no cure...because the symptoms serve a purpose. They are there to tell you that something is not right in the relationship of your inner world to your outer world. When you correct that relationship, your body will right itself. It will heal.This discovery, and the repurcussions of it are monumental. Because if we can find a way to heal this, (which there is a treatment!), then we can more deeply understand ourselves, our nervous system, and how our bodies and minds work together to do the work of our souls.
I recently purchased an DVD of an interivew of world renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks...it's title is The Nervous System and The Soul... perhaps we are onto something...!
Hey there! Does Dr Sanno discuss lyme's place in all this? I have read Dr Eaton's book and he specifically says RT is not for lyme. But I know Kyle has had good results before with at least one person. I know i asked you about this in the past but I wondered if you have come across any other info where it is addressed int his context since then. It's still the thing that trips me up the most mentally as far as having faith in the process working for me. Great post as usual! Very encouraging!
ReplyDeleteHI Sarah, Dr. Sarno does discuss Lyme as a mind/body disorder. Lyme can be difficult to diagnose as anyone who has been exposed to Lyme will have lyme titers in their blood, much like anyone who has been exposed to epstein-barr will have those titers as well...so sometimes the symptoms attributed to Lyme disease are not lyme disease...but the autonomic nervous system dysfunction attributed to mind/body states. Anyone can improve their health by regulating their ANS...it will boost immune function...I think many people have a very hard time believing that their very debilitating illness can be cured through mind/body intervention...or even attributed to dysfunction between the body and mind...this is a huge leap for anyone...I think I was prepared to be very open to this because I have always had a deep interest in the mind/body interaction...but I am convinced that true healing of any disease can occur naturally, with the proper understanding of how mind/body work together to heal, and with the proper teaching of what physical symptoms are trying to communicate to you. No matter what the illness, their is always a deeper message. It does require a lot of work, but the effort is worth it!
ReplyDeleteCool! I will have to check out his work then, too. I agree that regulating the ANS can only help!
ReplyDeleteIt's been slow and challenging for me but I also see progress and know why I am still stuck in some ways. So I keep practicing and becoming more aware. I love the process and have a sense of how true it is. I've actually healed my body by these means in the past so I know it works. I wasn't as sick then and my nervous system's patterns were not as ingrained. So it was easier then. I did it on my own very intuitively. It's a powerful experience to be so lovingly connected in trust with yourself and grounded in the mind/body communication. It's such a gift to be remembering my ability to live that way again.
HI Sarah, Yes, so glad to hear that you have experienced how powerful you can be when mind and body are working as one..the key is really to live in the body, and not the mind...it's an amazing experience when you can go through your life being so connected...I don't always do this...but when I practice living from the wisdom of my body, I find I'm more intuitive, intelligent and creative...and I've found my grounded, centered self..something that was missing before...The book by Dr. Sarno is called The Mindbody Prescription...he attributes many chronic illnesses to disruption between the mind and body...including chronic pain, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and immune system disorders, to name a few!
ReplyDelete