Balancing the Nervous System with Cassandra Damiris

The following is a guest post by health and fitness professional Cassandra Damiris.  Sandra contacted me many months ago when she decided to fully embark upon RRARF.  She followed the guidelines religiously, had a big rise in body temperature and many health improvements, and has since lost her excess body fat (mostly through Intermittent Fasting) without any damage to her large body temperature gains.  The following article puts RRARF into the context of balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic Nervous Systems.  Big thanks to Cassandra!!!  Her contact information is at the end of this post.  To enlarge any of the images below, simply click on them...

If this is your first time reading the 180 Degree Health Blog, then I'm honoured that the first post you're seeing is one of mine.

I've been a fan of the RRARF (Rehabilitative Rest & Aggressive Re-Feeding - CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE RRARF EBOOK) protocal since it was known as the "The High Everything Diet" (HED). As a personal trainer that's worked with hundreds of people, I've been exposed to (and legally bound) to prescribe nutrition advice based on universal principles that don't take into account a person's unique constitution.

I think I've seen it all. Clients of all sizes, ages and fitness levels striving to achieve ideals only found within the various filters and graphic elements of Adobe Photoshop. I've trained women who continuously gain weight while eating 800 calories a day, men who take steroids and lost their ability to manufacture testosterone, teenage girls that drink coffee and smoke all day while running on a treadmill to nowhere, and desperate people who have resorted to gastric by-pass surgery as a last resort.

And for all this, I'm to prescribe nutritional advice based on a pyramid built by lobbyists and bureaucrats within an inner government circle? I don't think so. I quit training people last spring, but will be starting again very soon. What has transpired since then has completely rocked my world in terms of understanding human physiology, and what you're about to read is a fundamental component of what I've learned.

We're all biologically different, come from different genealogical backgrounds, live in different places, and are exposed to different stress and stimuli. Matt, through putting himself through various diets, has demonstrated to us the fallacy of following a universal strategy and how destructive it can be to our health. Since our constitutions are unique, our health issues must be approached at a root level that takes into account the various factors we encounter every day.

Getting to the root of one's physical, mental and emotional heath issues is an essential component of any holistic health and rejuvenation program. Much of what is discussed here on 180 Degree Health involves hormones, autoimmune disease, exercise and nutrition protocols and a key component to understanding these issues involves the nervous system and that's what we'll focus on in this article.

In a nutshell, the nervous system is the information superhighway of the body. Certain organs work with others, while glands send out messengers through the master control centre, the brain. The goal is homeostasis: an equilibrium of all processes in the body. A body in balance is healthy, lean and vibrant - one that transcends the physical into a mental state of well being.

A truly holistic approach to diet and exercise involves an understanding of how the various parts of the body work and communicate with each other – the interplay between organs, glands and hormones, and how they all work within the nervous system. This article is about the interplay between the nervous systems and how bringing them into balance could be the missing element in any holistic health program, like RRARF.

Understanding the Components of the Nervous System

The Nervous System is a collective network of neurons that work together with organs to coordinate movements and transmit signals between different parts of the body. There are two main branches to the nervous system: the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).(1)

The CNS functions as the control centre, and is composed of the brain and spinal column, receiving information from the PNS, and developing an appropriate response to stimuli. The PNS monitors our body parts and organs and sends information to the CNS via a system of nerves connected to the extremities of the brain.(2)

The PNS can then be divided into two more branches, the Somatic Nervous System (SNS) and the the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The SNS, derived from the Greek word Soma (Σώμα) or body, coordinates bodily movements while reacting to external stimuli such as heat or cold. We're able to monitor the SNS in action as it is under our conscious control – we can feel ourselves shivering in the winter and we voluntarily raise our hands to grab objects. The ANS on the other hand is a system we are largely unconscious of, as it largely controls visceral or organic (organ) functions.

This article will mainly focus on the ANS, as this is the system the governs the processes we're most interested in here on 180 Degree Health: energy, digestion, repair and relaxation. The ANS can be further divided into two final branches: The Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic Nervous Systems. These can be thought of as complimentary processes: the sympathetic branch is often associated with outward energy production and response to stress/stimuli while the parasympathetic branch promotes rest, digestion and repair.

The Sympathetic Nervous System

When this system is activated, the body experiences the following effects(3):

• the digestive process is slowed down due to decreased blood flow away from the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract
• more blood is diverted towards the lungs and muscles
• lung function increases as a result of greater oxygen exchange
• peristalis, the action of muscles in the digestive tract (which push digestive food forward), is inhibited
• the kidneys produce a hormone, renin, that regulates blood pressure

The Parasympathetic Nervous System

In contrast to the Sympathetic Nervous System, the Parasympathetic Nervous system slows down many processes of the body that were formerly active, and promotes the following effects(4):

• digestion is stimulated by increased blood flow to the GI tract
• peristalsis is activated/accelerated, promoting digestion and absorption of nutrients
• pupils are constricted as a result of a process called accommodation, where the vertebrate eye changes it's optical power
• blood circulation to non-vital organs, such as the skin
• removes and detoxifies wastes from the skin, the extremities, the digestive tract, reproductive organs
• fuel storage (increased insulin activity)

Following is a diagram that outlines the organisation of the nervous system as it was explained above:

So now that we understand the framework of the various digestive, rest and repair functions, we need to insert the missing element in this analysis: the 'messengers' that send these signals to various parts of our body through these channels.

There is another system that works with these two to keep the body working in order, and that is the endocrine system - a hormone-based system run by glands that regulate body temperature, metabolism, tissue function, and mood, among many other processes. Certain glands are activated by the sympathetic branch of the nervous system while others are activated by the parasympathetic system. Let's take a look at the glands and hormones written about extensively in the 180 Degree Metabolism eBook, in context of the activities of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems:

Adrenal Glands & Cortisol

The adrenal glands are shaped like triangles and can be found on top of the kidneys. They are primarily activated by the sympathetic nervous system and release cortisol in times of stress.(6)

Adrenal Glands & Adrenaline

Adrenaline is released by the adrenal glands, and is triggered by acute stress, stimulants (nicotine, caffeine), dieting and lack of sleep.(7) It's production is activated by the sympathetic nervous system.

The Pancreas & Insulin

Insulin is considered to be a 'rebuilding hormone'.(8) The parasympathetic nervous system activates the storage of glucose, via increased insulin production and insulin sensitivity.(9)

How RRARF can help balance the Nervous System

Since many people subject their body to stress such as increased caffeine, meal-skipping, exhaustive exercise and restrictive diet regimes, we can assume that they are overproducing adrenaline and cortisol, which over time puts a lot of stress on the adrenal glands. The various components of RRARF, such as the reintroduction of unprocessed carbohydrates, decreased caffeine intake, decreased exercise and relaxation are essential in correcting the sympathetic-dominance imbalance plaguing so many people.

The next essential component to rehabilitation would be movement/exercise geared towards activating the parasympathetic system and relaxing the body. This involves breathing exercises, meditation and various training regimes such as Tai Chi and Yoga. Stay tuned for my next post, where I'll be delving further into that side of things.

Cassandra is freelance personal trainer based in Toronto, Canada
You can reach her through facebook, http://www.facebook.com/cassandra.damiris

References:

(1) Nervous system. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervous_system
(2) Can-Fit-Pro. Foundations of Professional Personal Training. Windsor, 2008. Print.
(3) "Your Kidneys and How They Work." WebMD. Web. 21 Sep. 2010.
(4) The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). Veronique Mead, MD. Retrieved September 21, 2010, http://www.veroniquemead.com/pns.php
(5) Per Brodal. The Central Nervous System: Structure and Function. Oxford University Press US, 2004.
(6) Adrenal gland. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrenal_gland
(7) Diana Schwarzbein, MD. The Schwarzbein Principle II. Health Communications
Inc. Deerfield Beach, FL, 2002.
(8) Diana Schwarzbein, MD. The Schwarzbein Principle II. Health Communications Inc. Deerfield Beach, FL, 2002.
(9) The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). Veronique Mead, MD. Retrieved September 21, 2010, http://www.veroniquemead.com/pns.php