If you've been following the blog and recently watched the movie Heal, you may be wondering what effect the autonomic nervous system plays into healing. Just looking at the above chart tells you the sympathetic nervous system works to enable the body to heal. But how do you get the nervous system to over ride and produce that healing? That my friends is the million dollar question.
No wonder why there is so much searching for these "mystical" interventions. The medical field does not fully understand the body's role in enabling it to heal itself. And, they certainly can't offer us more than medications to mask the symptoms or pain. It is not wonder we are consistently avidly searching ways to heal ourselves.
But, in order to learn these methods we must self teach. There is no other way, as western medicine does not accept many of these principals because they just can't see it working. After all, if you can't conduct an efficient scientific study, then it can not be simply plausible. It's not the medical professional's fault, it's simply the way they are trained.
It is well-known that parasympathetic nervous system when engaged produces healing. This can be ascertained the minute we leave the doctor's office ill with the a prescription and the words, "Rest and hydrate". Well, rest is engaging the parasympathetic nervous system to heal your aliments. And, yes, this would apply to other phases of healing as well as the common cold.
So what are these two autonomic nervous systems?
The human nervous system has two major divisions, the voluntary and the autonomic systems. The voluntary system is concerned mainly with movement and sensation. It consists of motor and sensory nerves, among many others.
The autonomic system mainly controls functions over which we have less conscious control. These include the digestion of food, maintaining the blood pressure and heart rate, and much more. Its nerves leave the spine and connect to all the major organs and glands, either inhibiting or stimulating their activity.
The autonomic system has two branches. These are called the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches.
The Sympathetic Branch
This activates the glands and organs that defend the body against attack. It is called the fight-or-flight system. Its nerves direct more blood to the muscles and the brain. The heart rate and blood pressure increase, while it decreases the blood flow to the digestive and eliminative organs.
It also activates the thyroid and adrenal glands to provide extra energy for fighting or running away. Nervousness, stress or feelings of panic are what one feels when in a sympathetic state of readiness.
The sympathetic system is catabolic, which means it tears down the body. Energy is used to prepare for defense, rather than for nourishment or for elimination of wastes.
In a human being, the feeling of an “adrenalin rush” is caused by activation of the sympathetic system. It may feel good at first, but is always followed by a feeling of fatigue. The reason is that this branch of the autonomic nervous system uses up energy and depletes the body.
The Parasympathetic Branch
This is concerned with nourishing, healing, elimination and regeneration of the body. It is more anabolic, or concerned with rebuilding the body.
Its nerves stimulate digestion, and the immune and eliminative organs. These organs include the liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines. The parasympathetic nervous system, when activated by rest, relaxation and happy thoughts, is essential for balanced living and for all healing.
Moving yourself into a healthy parasympathetic state, and staying there as much of the time as possible, helps heal all health conditions, both physical and emotional ones as well.
The feeling often associated with the parasympathetic state can be one of lethargy or fatigue, as you are so relaxed. Do not, however, believe this is unhealthy. Rather, it indicates a state of repair and rebuilding in progress.
Antagonism of The Sympathetic And Parasympathetic Branches
Only one or the other system can be active at a particular time. The sympathetic branch powerfully inhibits the parasympathetic system. This is, of course, a survival mechanism because the emergency system, the sympathetic, takes precedence over the relaxation and healing.
Thus, either one or the other branch is activated most of the time. To promote balance and healing, the goal is to keep the sympathetic system turned off as much as possible. This allows the maximum healing to occur. Simple ways to do this are to rest, relax and think happy thoughts. As soon as you think fearful or angry thoughts, or become too physically active, the body shifts into a sympathetic stance.
ANALOGIES
The sympathetic nervous system may be roughly likened to the gas pedal of a car. The parasympathetic is more like the brake. Unlike a car, however, when the ‘brake’ is applied to the body, it begins to heal itself.
Emotionally, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic system is associate with fear. The parasympathetic branch is associated with feelings of love. Love always drives out fear.
Also, activating one’s sympathetic nervous system is like putting most of a nation’s resources into military service. This may be needed, at times, for emergencies. However, if continued too long, the nation becomes depleted, out of balance, and much poorer for lack of productive commercial activity – making things in factories, growing food on the farms, and so on.
A flexible oxidizer is like a car that can drive slowly and can drive fast, depending on the need.
Relatively few people today have a strong and balanced autonomic system. Most people favor the sympathetic branch over the parasympathetic branch. Before discussing these types of individuals, let us discuss the ideal situation.
The Balanced Individual – A Flexible Oxidizer
When the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are working as they should, the tendency is to rest often and easily. One can, however, perform at “top speed” with equal ease. When challenged by stress, the balanced person is able to respond with vigor and fortitude.
The parasympathetic system reduces the activity of the brain, the muscles, and the adrenal and thyroid glands. When no situation is pressing, the balanced person can comfortably choose to rest and can go to sleep easily and deeply. Babies often have this ability. However, few adults have this capability today because they overuse their sympathetic system, which is the emergency alert system that inhibits rest and sleep.
In hair analysis terms, the balanced individual will be a flexible oxidizer. This means the person is able and comfortable slowing down at bedtime and yet also able to run, play and even fight when needed. These activities tend to speed up the metabolism. Thus the balanced individual may be in slow oxidation, at times, and in fast oxidation at other times.
It is important to note that just because a hair analysis reveals a fairly balanced oxidation rate, however, does not mean the person is a flexible oxidizer. In fact, the test may be skewed in many ways by toxic metals, living habits or other factors that can make it appear balanced or flexible.
For example, cadmium will raise up the sodium and, to some extent, the potassium levels on the test. So if a person is a slow oxidizer, but they smoke cigarettes or have some other source of exposure to cadmium, the test may superficially appear balanced or flexible.
In fact, this is the reason why some people enjoy cigarettes. However, the point is that many factors can cause the body to compensate for its imbalances at a superficial or even deeper levels. Thus we never regard a first or even later hair test as the deepest reality. Later tests will show deeper layers of adaptation and compensation in all cases.
In fact, there is no limit to how many layers of compensations and adaptations may be unloaded in a person who desires the greatest level of health and well-being.
FAST OXIDATION, A MORE SYMPATHETIC STATE OF BODY CHEMISTRY
Fast oxidation is an alarm stage of stress in the stress theory of disease. This is also called a fight-or-flight reaction. Fast oxidation is a more sympathetic state of body chemistry, meaning that the sympathetic nervous system (also sometimes called the fight-or-flight system) is activated more in these people.
We define the oxidation types based upon a properly performed and properly interpreted hair mineral analysis. Some doctors use blood, urine or other tests to determine the oxidation rate. However, we do not find these methods accurate or reliable. Fast oxidation can be healthy or unhealthy.
Healthy fast oxidation. Almost all babies, and most children up to the age of about 3 to 10 are naturally fast oxidizers. This means that their adrenal and thyroid activity tend to be adequate or high.
For example, medical science is well aware that newborns have a high heart rate, and even their body temperature tends to be a little higher than older adults. These are symptoms of fast oxidation.
Babies do well on lots of dietary fat and the high level of calcium found in mother’s milk. These are other indicators of fast oxidation. They also are usually warm and pink and have rather loose bowel movements. These, also, are indicators of fast oxidation.
On their hair tissue mineral analyses, in general, they have low levels of calcium and magnesium and elevated levels of sodium and potassium. This is the way fast oxidation looks on a hair mineral test.
Babies and young children are in a sympathetic state, or fast oxidation, because they are healthier than adults with more etheric energy in their bodies. They are also usually excited to be in the world. Some also have a lot of stress that can keep them in fast oxidation.
Unhealthy fast oxidation. This occurs in adults, in whom fast oxidation is not the normal state. Some adults are in a fast oxidation state because of extreme stress, the presence of toxic metals, an illness, or perhaps for other reasons. When these people follow a development program, their oxidation rate eventually changes to slow oxidation, which is normal for adults.
Unhealthy Slow Oxidation. This is very common. It is revealed on up to 90 % of adult hair mineral analyses, for example. It is basically the end stage of sympathetic burnout. People in this condition have exhausted their sympathetic systems so much, their bodies flip into a default parasympathetic state we call slow oxidation.
It is a condition in which the sympathetic organs, the thyroid, adrenals and the muscles and brain, in fact, are operating more sluggishly. These people are often tired, apathetic, and tend to get depressed easily.
This state is far more common in adults than it is in young children. However, it is seen more and more commonly in children, as they are born far more toxic and depleted today.
This state corresponds to an exhaustion stage of stress according to the stress theory of disease, another important concept to master if one is to use hair analysis prope
In this condition of body chemistry, one cannot fight back as well as in fast oxidation. It is more of a state of acceptance and give-up. It can cause symptoms such as discouragement, fearfulness, depression, apathy and even despair and suicidal thoughts when extreme.
The hair analyses of these people have elevated calcium and magnesium levels and lower sodium and potassium levels, providing the hair is not washed at the laboratory.
This is, of course, the exact opposite of the fast oxidizer hair analysis. The causes of this unhealthy parasympathetic states are quite a few. Recall that it is just a late stage of excessive sympathetic activity. This causes nutritional depletion, excessive tissue breakdown and eventually general destruction of the body tissues and organs.
It is made far worse by lack of rest, improper diet, poor eating habits, worry, fears, angers and more. Other causes include victim thinking, electromagnetic pollution, toxic metals and toxic chemicals in the food, air and water.
HOW TO BALANCE YOUR AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
There is much anyone can do to keep the autonomic system functioning well.
Rest often and sleep a lot. Nap often, and sleep at least 8-11 hours or more each night. The hours before midnight are by far the best for sleeping. Avoid excessive activity of any kind. Even exercise is often overdone. Exercise is a powerful sympathetic stimulant. Avoid getting exhausted by any activity you engage in. Be careful when using exercise to “run away” from stress, for example. More rest is often what is really required.
Eat well. The nervous system must be properly nourished to function correctly. Animal protein is particularly helpful for the brain and nervous system as it contains fats and proteins essential for the nerves. These include the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Excellent foods for the nervous system are eggs, meats, nuts, root vegetables and oily fish such as sardines and salmon.
Supplemental nutrients that calm the sympathetic system are calcium, magnesium, kelp, selenium, manganese and zinc, among many others.
Reduce your stress level as much as possible. Stress is a major activator of the sympathetic nervous system. It can arise from within the body due to fatigue, muscle tension, spinal misalignment or nutritional deficiencies, among other reasons.
Stress can also come from outside, such as financial, work or family stress. Other types of stress to minimize or avoid are living in a noisy environment, or in one with contaminated air and water.
Electromagnetic stress is also very real, although it cannot be seen. Reduce your use of computers if possible, and do not keep televisions, computers and other electrical devices on when not in use. Be sure to turn them all off when you sleep, and keep even clocks and radios away from your head in the location where you sleep.
Activities like driving and even exercise are also stress-producing, even if you are not aware of it at the time. A simple lifestyle and gentle exercise is a step in the right direction to reduce or limit your stress.
Keep your thoughts and your emotions as uplifted and positive as you possibly can, all of the time.
Do your very best to stay in gratitude. This will help keep you in a positive, uplifted state.
Practice forgiveness. This places you in a position of power and compassion. It is much better than allowing yourself to feel like a victim, which always leads to a fight-or-flight response.
Cultivate contentment. This is different from feeling you need to be ecstatically happy all the time. This type of happiness, as most people know it, is often short-lived. It is often an attempt to overcome feelings of unhappiness. Contentment or joy, in contrast, is a state in which you are at peace with yourself and the world, even if the world around you is not to your liking. You can learn to let the world go and choose contentment and joy rather than attempting always to control the world around you.
Do not to compare yourself with others. This causes fear, and often anger and resentment. The world never seems fair from our limited perspectives. There is much that is hidden. If you knew more about others’ lives, you would be less anxious to trade places with them.
Train you mind to stay out of negative emotions. These include worry, fear, anger and guilt. These emotions turn on the sympathetic system and keep it active. Meditation, affirmations, counseling and other natural therapies all can help. Also, surround yourself only with uplifting books, tapes and other forms of media. Pick your friends and relationships carefully. Work, school and all your activities either contribute to your contentment or detract from it.
Become aware of who and what truly give you energy, versus who and what mainly use up your energy. This is rather complex. Meditation of the type we recommend can help a lot to identify these feelings accurately, since one cannot go on feelings alone.
Practice breathing deeply. This is one way to control the autonomic system with a voluntary action. Slow, deep breathing by itself turns off the sympathetic system.
CONCLUSION
The health of the autonomic nervous system is a critical aspect to healing that is often overlooked. Most people today have some degree of sympathetic nervous exhaustion. It is, in fact, a major cause of all disease that should receive much more attention.
On a brighter note, nervous exhaustion can also cause a person to begin searching for answers deep inside. This can lead to changing your lifestyle and eating habits, and developing your inner potential. As more people become willing to change their thought patterns and lifestyles, they will experience a state of contentment and bliss that comes with having a balanced autonomic system.
No wonder why there is so much searching for these "mystical" interventions. The medical field does not fully understand the body's role in enabling it to heal itself. And, they certainly can't offer us more than medications to mask the symptoms or pain. It is not wonder we are consistently avidly searching ways to heal ourselves.
But, in order to learn these methods we must self teach. There is no other way, as western medicine does not accept many of these principals because they just can't see it working. After all, if you can't conduct an efficient scientific study, then it can not be simply plausible. It's not the medical professional's fault, it's simply the way they are trained.
It is well-known that parasympathetic nervous system when engaged produces healing. This can be ascertained the minute we leave the doctor's office ill with the a prescription and the words, "Rest and hydrate". Well, rest is engaging the parasympathetic nervous system to heal your aliments. And, yes, this would apply to other phases of healing as well as the common cold.
So what are these two autonomic nervous systems?
The human nervous system has two major divisions, the voluntary and the autonomic systems. The voluntary system is concerned mainly with movement and sensation. It consists of motor and sensory nerves, among many others.
The autonomic system mainly controls functions over which we have less conscious control. These include the digestion of food, maintaining the blood pressure and heart rate, and much more. Its nerves leave the spine and connect to all the major organs and glands, either inhibiting or stimulating their activity.
The autonomic system has two branches. These are called the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches.
The Sympathetic Branch
This activates the glands and organs that defend the body against attack. It is called the fight-or-flight system. Its nerves direct more blood to the muscles and the brain. The heart rate and blood pressure increase, while it decreases the blood flow to the digestive and eliminative organs.
It also activates the thyroid and adrenal glands to provide extra energy for fighting or running away. Nervousness, stress or feelings of panic are what one feels when in a sympathetic state of readiness.
The sympathetic system is catabolic, which means it tears down the body. Energy is used to prepare for defense, rather than for nourishment or for elimination of wastes.
In a human being, the feeling of an “adrenalin rush” is caused by activation of the sympathetic system. It may feel good at first, but is always followed by a feeling of fatigue. The reason is that this branch of the autonomic nervous system uses up energy and depletes the body.
The Parasympathetic Branch
This is concerned with nourishing, healing, elimination and regeneration of the body. It is more anabolic, or concerned with rebuilding the body.
Its nerves stimulate digestion, and the immune and eliminative organs. These organs include the liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines. The parasympathetic nervous system, when activated by rest, relaxation and happy thoughts, is essential for balanced living and for all healing.
Moving yourself into a healthy parasympathetic state, and staying there as much of the time as possible, helps heal all health conditions, both physical and emotional ones as well.
The feeling often associated with the parasympathetic state can be one of lethargy or fatigue, as you are so relaxed. Do not, however, believe this is unhealthy. Rather, it indicates a state of repair and rebuilding in progress.
Antagonism of The Sympathetic And Parasympathetic Branches
Only one or the other system can be active at a particular time. The sympathetic branch powerfully inhibits the parasympathetic system. This is, of course, a survival mechanism because the emergency system, the sympathetic, takes precedence over the relaxation and healing.
Thus, either one or the other branch is activated most of the time. To promote balance and healing, the goal is to keep the sympathetic system turned off as much as possible. This allows the maximum healing to occur. Simple ways to do this are to rest, relax and think happy thoughts. As soon as you think fearful or angry thoughts, or become too physically active, the body shifts into a sympathetic stance.
ANALOGIES
The sympathetic nervous system may be roughly likened to the gas pedal of a car. The parasympathetic is more like the brake. Unlike a car, however, when the ‘brake’ is applied to the body, it begins to heal itself.
Emotionally, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic system is associate with fear. The parasympathetic branch is associated with feelings of love. Love always drives out fear.
Also, activating one’s sympathetic nervous system is like putting most of a nation’s resources into military service. This may be needed, at times, for emergencies. However, if continued too long, the nation becomes depleted, out of balance, and much poorer for lack of productive commercial activity – making things in factories, growing food on the farms, and so on.
A flexible oxidizer is like a car that can drive slowly and can drive fast, depending on the need.
Relatively few people today have a strong and balanced autonomic system. Most people favor the sympathetic branch over the parasympathetic branch. Before discussing these types of individuals, let us discuss the ideal situation.
The Balanced Individual – A Flexible Oxidizer
When the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are working as they should, the tendency is to rest often and easily. One can, however, perform at “top speed” with equal ease. When challenged by stress, the balanced person is able to respond with vigor and fortitude.
The parasympathetic system reduces the activity of the brain, the muscles, and the adrenal and thyroid glands. When no situation is pressing, the balanced person can comfortably choose to rest and can go to sleep easily and deeply. Babies often have this ability. However, few adults have this capability today because they overuse their sympathetic system, which is the emergency alert system that inhibits rest and sleep.
In hair analysis terms, the balanced individual will be a flexible oxidizer. This means the person is able and comfortable slowing down at bedtime and yet also able to run, play and even fight when needed. These activities tend to speed up the metabolism. Thus the balanced individual may be in slow oxidation, at times, and in fast oxidation at other times.
It is important to note that just because a hair analysis reveals a fairly balanced oxidation rate, however, does not mean the person is a flexible oxidizer. In fact, the test may be skewed in many ways by toxic metals, living habits or other factors that can make it appear balanced or flexible.
For example, cadmium will raise up the sodium and, to some extent, the potassium levels on the test. So if a person is a slow oxidizer, but they smoke cigarettes or have some other source of exposure to cadmium, the test may superficially appear balanced or flexible.
In fact, this is the reason why some people enjoy cigarettes. However, the point is that many factors can cause the body to compensate for its imbalances at a superficial or even deeper levels. Thus we never regard a first or even later hair test as the deepest reality. Later tests will show deeper layers of adaptation and compensation in all cases.
In fact, there is no limit to how many layers of compensations and adaptations may be unloaded in a person who desires the greatest level of health and well-being.
FAST OXIDATION, A MORE SYMPATHETIC STATE OF BODY CHEMISTRY
Fast oxidation is an alarm stage of stress in the stress theory of disease. This is also called a fight-or-flight reaction. Fast oxidation is a more sympathetic state of body chemistry, meaning that the sympathetic nervous system (also sometimes called the fight-or-flight system) is activated more in these people.
We define the oxidation types based upon a properly performed and properly interpreted hair mineral analysis. Some doctors use blood, urine or other tests to determine the oxidation rate. However, we do not find these methods accurate or reliable. Fast oxidation can be healthy or unhealthy.
Healthy fast oxidation. Almost all babies, and most children up to the age of about 3 to 10 are naturally fast oxidizers. This means that their adrenal and thyroid activity tend to be adequate or high.
For example, medical science is well aware that newborns have a high heart rate, and even their body temperature tends to be a little higher than older adults. These are symptoms of fast oxidation.
Babies do well on lots of dietary fat and the high level of calcium found in mother’s milk. These are other indicators of fast oxidation. They also are usually warm and pink and have rather loose bowel movements. These, also, are indicators of fast oxidation.
On their hair tissue mineral analyses, in general, they have low levels of calcium and magnesium and elevated levels of sodium and potassium. This is the way fast oxidation looks on a hair mineral test.
Babies and young children are in a sympathetic state, or fast oxidation, because they are healthier than adults with more etheric energy in their bodies. They are also usually excited to be in the world. Some also have a lot of stress that can keep them in fast oxidation.
Unhealthy fast oxidation. This occurs in adults, in whom fast oxidation is not the normal state. Some adults are in a fast oxidation state because of extreme stress, the presence of toxic metals, an illness, or perhaps for other reasons. When these people follow a development program, their oxidation rate eventually changes to slow oxidation, which is normal for adults.
Unhealthy Slow Oxidation. This is very common. It is revealed on up to 90 % of adult hair mineral analyses, for example. It is basically the end stage of sympathetic burnout. People in this condition have exhausted their sympathetic systems so much, their bodies flip into a default parasympathetic state we call slow oxidation.
It is a condition in which the sympathetic organs, the thyroid, adrenals and the muscles and brain, in fact, are operating more sluggishly. These people are often tired, apathetic, and tend to get depressed easily.
This state is far more common in adults than it is in young children. However, it is seen more and more commonly in children, as they are born far more toxic and depleted today.
This state corresponds to an exhaustion stage of stress according to the stress theory of disease, another important concept to master if one is to use hair analysis prope
In this condition of body chemistry, one cannot fight back as well as in fast oxidation. It is more of a state of acceptance and give-up. It can cause symptoms such as discouragement, fearfulness, depression, apathy and even despair and suicidal thoughts when extreme.
The hair analyses of these people have elevated calcium and magnesium levels and lower sodium and potassium levels, providing the hair is not washed at the laboratory.
This is, of course, the exact opposite of the fast oxidizer hair analysis. The causes of this unhealthy parasympathetic states are quite a few. Recall that it is just a late stage of excessive sympathetic activity. This causes nutritional depletion, excessive tissue breakdown and eventually general destruction of the body tissues and organs.
It is made far worse by lack of rest, improper diet, poor eating habits, worry, fears, angers and more. Other causes include victim thinking, electromagnetic pollution, toxic metals and toxic chemicals in the food, air and water.
HOW TO BALANCE YOUR AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
There is much anyone can do to keep the autonomic system functioning well.
Rest often and sleep a lot. Nap often, and sleep at least 8-11 hours or more each night. The hours before midnight are by far the best for sleeping. Avoid excessive activity of any kind. Even exercise is often overdone. Exercise is a powerful sympathetic stimulant. Avoid getting exhausted by any activity you engage in. Be careful when using exercise to “run away” from stress, for example. More rest is often what is really required.
Eat well. The nervous system must be properly nourished to function correctly. Animal protein is particularly helpful for the brain and nervous system as it contains fats and proteins essential for the nerves. These include the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Excellent foods for the nervous system are eggs, meats, nuts, root vegetables and oily fish such as sardines and salmon.
Supplemental nutrients that calm the sympathetic system are calcium, magnesium, kelp, selenium, manganese and zinc, among many others.
Reduce your stress level as much as possible. Stress is a major activator of the sympathetic nervous system. It can arise from within the body due to fatigue, muscle tension, spinal misalignment or nutritional deficiencies, among other reasons.
Stress can also come from outside, such as financial, work or family stress. Other types of stress to minimize or avoid are living in a noisy environment, or in one with contaminated air and water.
Electromagnetic stress is also very real, although it cannot be seen. Reduce your use of computers if possible, and do not keep televisions, computers and other electrical devices on when not in use. Be sure to turn them all off when you sleep, and keep even clocks and radios away from your head in the location where you sleep.
Activities like driving and even exercise are also stress-producing, even if you are not aware of it at the time. A simple lifestyle and gentle exercise is a step in the right direction to reduce or limit your stress.
Keep your thoughts and your emotions as uplifted and positive as you possibly can, all of the time.
Do your very best to stay in gratitude. This will help keep you in a positive, uplifted state.
Practice forgiveness. This places you in a position of power and compassion. It is much better than allowing yourself to feel like a victim, which always leads to a fight-or-flight response.
Cultivate contentment. This is different from feeling you need to be ecstatically happy all the time. This type of happiness, as most people know it, is often short-lived. It is often an attempt to overcome feelings of unhappiness. Contentment or joy, in contrast, is a state in which you are at peace with yourself and the world, even if the world around you is not to your liking. You can learn to let the world go and choose contentment and joy rather than attempting always to control the world around you.
Do not to compare yourself with others. This causes fear, and often anger and resentment. The world never seems fair from our limited perspectives. There is much that is hidden. If you knew more about others’ lives, you would be less anxious to trade places with them.
Train you mind to stay out of negative emotions. These include worry, fear, anger and guilt. These emotions turn on the sympathetic system and keep it active. Meditation, affirmations, counseling and other natural therapies all can help. Also, surround yourself only with uplifting books, tapes and other forms of media. Pick your friends and relationships carefully. Work, school and all your activities either contribute to your contentment or detract from it.
Become aware of who and what truly give you energy, versus who and what mainly use up your energy. This is rather complex. Meditation of the type we recommend can help a lot to identify these feelings accurately, since one cannot go on feelings alone.
Practice breathing deeply. This is one way to control the autonomic system with a voluntary action. Slow, deep breathing by itself turns off the sympathetic system.
CONCLUSION
The health of the autonomic nervous system is a critical aspect to healing that is often overlooked. Most people today have some degree of sympathetic nervous exhaustion. It is, in fact, a major cause of all disease that should receive much more attention.
On a brighter note, nervous exhaustion can also cause a person to begin searching for answers deep inside. This can lead to changing your lifestyle and eating habits, and developing your inner potential. As more people become willing to change their thought patterns and lifestyles, they will experience a state of contentment and bliss that comes with having a balanced autonomic system.
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