NERVOUS

BRAIN, NERVES

The central nervous system is the spinal cord and brain. The peripheral nervous system consists of the nerves that extend out from the spinal cord and the base of the brain to other parts of the body. The autonomic nervous system regulates the internal organs and functions that are considered to be outside of our conscious control such as our heart rhythms, digestion, and breathing. Of course, hunters and athletes have repeatedly shown that many of these responses such as breathing and heart rate can be slowed, controlled, and calmed at will when the need arises.

The central nervous system and the immune system are closely related. The brain sends messages back and forth between the two systems in a continual round. Any type of anxiety or stress has long been recognized as compromising to the immune system.

DISEASES

Alzheimer’s, anorexia, autism, bulimia, depression, Down’s syndrome, dyslexia, epilepsy, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, senility, shingles, spina bifida

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms vary according to the area of the body affected. Symptoms can include mental illness, dementia, headaches, migraines, hyperactivity, insomnia, memory loss, and vertigo.

STRESSORS

The nerves are the most sensitive organs of the body and react very poorly and often very quickly to poor nutrition, lack of oxygen, prescription drugs, air pollution, stress, hormonal imbalances, and toxic metals.

PROBLEM DRUGS

Ativan (anxiety and tension drug), Bitolterol (for asthma), Bromocriptine (used to prevent lactation after birth), Cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxant), improperly balanced B-Complex supplements

VITAMINS / MINERALS / FOODS

Vitamin C, calcium, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, molasses

HERBS / SUPPLEMENTS

blue vervain, cayenne, damiana, gotu kola, dong quai, lady slipper, motherwort, passion flower, hops, black cohosh, scullcap, catnip, chamomile, peppermint, hawthorn berries, oats, lavender, pulsatilla, St. Johns wort, lemon balm, ginseng, lobelia, valerian, wood betony

EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS

The nervous system responds immediately to our every thought and feeling. It is important to pay attention to where in the body various emotions are manifesting. This is especially true of pain that seems to have no overt physical cause.

PAIN: Pain, anywhere in the body, is a signal that something is wrong. More than that, it is a signal that something needs your attention and some changes need to be made. Sometimes, the problems are physical; more often it is physical with some emotional undertones. Addressing the physical issue feels good for a while, but inevitably the body will send its message with a pain signal from somewhere else—the other hip, for example. Unless the pain is being caused by something entirely physical (and maybe even then), where in the body the pain is located can give you amazing clues as to what needs addressing in your perceptions.

A major, underlying contributor to all pain is lack of circulation, as a result, lack of oxygen to the area.

HEADACHES: There are many possible physical reasons for headaches. Some of the possibilities are structural misalignments, hormone imbalances, muscle tension, chemical or food allergies, insufficient water intake, or lack of physical exercise.

Headaches can also have emotional drivers. The possible emotions are as many and varied as people and situations. It is always helpful, when looking for the source of persistent or chronic headaches, to look back over the events of the preceding few days and examine the emotions that you felt just prior to the onset of each headache.

Excessive mental strain, too much time in front of a computer screen, pushing yourself too hard in an attempt to do too much, or failing to deal with feelings such as anger, fear, or worry are a few examples of common headache triggers. Some others are being stubborn (or just plain hard-headed), intolerant, and self-centered. Each of these attitudes can create tension that centers in the neck and shoulder muscles.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Recent research indicates, unequivocally, that the heart sends electrical impulses to the brain in response to stimulus from the outside world. It is the heart, not the nervous system—according to these studies—that is the instigator of our emotional responses to our environment and is responsible for the formation of our perceptions. “As a man thinketh in his heart” is turning out to be a physical reality, not just an interesting platitude. The pituitary and hypothalamus glands also play important roles in this communication between heart and mind, as well as in other nervous system functions.

Other recent research indicates that there is a high-speed communication system at work in the body that is not connected to the nervous system or to the hormone/cytokine networks. This system is being called the tissue tensegrity matrix system or just the “living matrix”. This matrix functions far more rapidly and efficiently than can be accounted for by the neurons and synapses of the nervous system.

Research indicates that part of this system depends on the ability of living tissues to transmit electrical signals (called energy by some people) from cell to cell throughout their structures. These electrical energy waves were previously undetected, not because they didn’t exist, but because of limitations in the detection technology of previous studies.

It is known that water is an essential part of this communication system. Without water and its hydrogen bonds, the components of DNA and all other proteins would be so unstable they would simply fly apart. Water also plays a primary role in the conduction of electrical impulses. If we do not keep ourselves sufficiently hydrated, our cells cannot perform their functions properly.

There are references in ancient Chinese texts to tiny filaments which run through the layers of connective tissue that surround every organ and joint of our bodies. Over the last few years, technology has finally advanced to the point where these tiny threads, called fascia, can be observed in laboratory settings. These filaments conduct electricity and are obviously part of the body’s high speed communication system. The conclusion is being drawn by scientists from different countries that the fascia network may correspond to the acupuncture meridian system of traditional Chinese medicine.

As more and more research is being done, the published results sound more and more like ancient eastern philosophical and medical texts. Some of the findings being reported by western scientists sound very much like descriptions of meridians, chakras, and fascia.

As the above narrative suggests, this system is very complex, with many different layers of symptoms. Not only are the physical and pain issues manifested here, but the emotional components of this system are just as relevant. Generally, by the time the body has an imbalance in the emotional field, the physical body is manifesting pain symptoms to give you a warning of what might need your attention.

Pain just about anywhere is your body trying to get your attention. Something isn’t right and your body wants your attention. Here, once again, we see that the body’s systems are very inter-related. Red blood cells are created in the bone marrow, stimulated by a hormone produced by the kidneys -- red blood cells carry oxygen in the blood -- the heart pumps the blood throughout the body -- lack of oxygen to any one certain area of the body, due to poor circulation, can result in pain and dis-ease. We often tend to think that the pain is the problem and we get “stuck” in treating that. In fact, we may make more progress with true healing by searching for the reasons for the pain.

Healing all layers of our bodies produces true, lasting health. Be sure to pay attention to the signals your body is trying to give you. Preventing stress and illness is way easier than correcting major imbalances.

Oils which have an affinity for the nervous system include: Acknowledge, AboutFace, AgeLess, Angel, Aspire, Assurance, Believe, Benediction, Cherish, Deeper, Dreams, Expressions, Faith, Grace, HeartSong, Housewarming, Inner Peace, IQ InsideOut, Key to my Heart, Letting Go, LifeForce, LivN, Magi, Meditation, Millenia, MyGraine, Paine, Patches, QuietEssence, Reconciliation, Revitalize, Sancturary, Synopsis, TendaCare, Tranquility, Trust, Turmoil, Unity, Vitalilty,WarmDown, Wisdom, anthopogon, bergamot, birch, black pepper, cedarwood, chamomile Roman, fir balsam, frankincense, galbanum, helichrysum, lavender, peppermint, petitgrain, sandalwood, saro, Spanish sage, spearmint, spikenard, spruce, wintergreen, valerian, vetiver, violet leaf, yarrow (This is a very extensive list. Many more oils could be included because of the inter-relationships with other systems.)

Herbs which have an affinity for the nervous system include: BBL, KNA, MIN, NV, NT, NS, NVC, PN, PPAC, catnip/chamomile, blue vervain, cayenne, damiana, gotu kola, dong quai, lady slipper, motherwort, passion flower, hops, black cohosh, skullcap, catnip, chamomile, peppermint, hawthorn berries, oats, lavender, pulsatilla, St. John’s wort, lemon balm, ginseng, lobelia, valerian, wood betany