WomanWith all the new information available regarding health, nervous system function and stress, there is a major shift happening in the understanding of the cause of disease and illness. Leaders in health research are no longer chasing the “germ theory” as the cause of ill heath and are now looking at the body’s neurological responses to stress (especially chronic) as the major cause of poor health.

All living creatures have an awareness of a threat to their existence. Humans have a built in warning system that alerts them to all levels of threats. Our five senses alert us to danger even when we are unaware of it. Bad smells, unusual sounds, foul tastes are just some of these warning systems. The subconscious is even more sensitive and will often trigger a protection response that we are unaware of such as an increase in blood pressure, heart rate or respiration.

The nervous system has two main divisions - One keeps everything running smoothly and in balance while the other is for defense and protection and doesn’t care about balance. Its only purpose is to offer extreme responses to preserve life. The first is called the Para-Sympathetic, the second the Sympathetic. Both are branches of the Autonomic Nervous system.

Even low levels of stress over time can have drastic results for the health of an individual. What many don’t understand is that “STRESS” is a response to a “STRESSOR”. Throughout a lifetime we will always be confronting stressors. The challenge lies in several areas: the intensity of the stressor, the duration of the stressor, the level of previous damage done to the stress response system and the ability of the system to return to a normal balanced state.

As current medical research is now claiming that 90% of all illnesses are the result of a lack of the body’s ability to reestablish normal balance, it only makes sense that we learn what must be done to return the body to normal neurological function.

When we view any outside influence as a potential “stressor”, drugs and/or surgery will just add to the level of challenge and the body tries to adapt. This explains the continuing downward cycle of sickness we see today.

As it is critical for good health to have a nervous system which can adapt to stressors and recovery correctly. It only makes sense that we have a method which has the ability to measure these action/reactions.  It is much easier to keep the system in balance than to attempt to correct it once it has already been damaged.