The body is SO BRILLIANT. 

Your body has it’s own innate intelligence. It’s called the autonomic nervous system — the body’s brain. It’s like a built in bio-computer who’s job is to keep you alive, recovering, healing, and thriving.

Lets take a moment to marvel at how incredible we are for a sec …

Body Brilliance And Your

Autonomic Nervous System

Our bodies are CONSTANTLY correcting themselves, all separate from your conscious mind and thoughts.

For example, your blood pressure is constantly adjusting itself so that it’s as close to 120/80 as possible.

The pH of your blood is constantly adjusting itself so that it’s the perfect 7.4ish.

Your temperature is constantly adjusting itself through a negative feedback loop so that your temperature is as close to 98.6 as possible.

Your blood sugar is constantly adjusting itself so that you’re not hypo or hyperglycemic.

ALL OF THIS HAPPENS SEPARATE FROM YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND

This literally all happens without you having to think about it for even one moment.

THIS IS THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. THIS IS THE BRILLIANCE OF YOUR AMAZING, INTELLIGENT, POWERFUL HUMAN BODY

Can you even believe this?! Like seriously, how much of a miracle are you?? The biggest miracle, IMO.

Could you imagine having to constantly worry about making sure your blood pressure is perfect, your temperature is perfect, and your blood pH is perfect?

Oh yeah, AND continue on doing your regular human things like working, driving, organizing, paying bills, solving problems, tending to your relationships, raising kids, going to therapy, meal prepping, AND going on trying to be the best possible human you can be??

It’s stuff like this that sends me into a tailspin of holy mother of pearl how is this even something that happens in real life. It blows me away every single time. THE HUMAN BODY IS INCREDIBLE.

Nurse talk for a few minutes …

“Healthcare” and allopathic medicine has totally failed the chronically ill patient. We totally slay in terms of broken bones, acute emergencies, trauma, massive transfusions, etc. But when it comes to the people who slowly over time break down, exhibit symptoms (remember, symptoms are the body’s way of telling us something is amiss), and gradually deteriorate, we do not look at the whole picture and it is a huge detriment to the patient. It's a tough pill to swallow for medical professionals. If this triggers you, I invite you to go inward and unpack some of those emotions.

Hypertensive. Diabetic. Demented. Atherosclerosis. Hypothyroidism. Premature ovarian failure. Depressed. Anxious. Cancer. Chronic pain. GERD. Plus like 100,000 other ICD-10 symptoms, diagnoses, abnormal findings and circumstances not listed here.

Medicine loves protocols. It loves diagnoses because there’s usually a clear cut checklist of things to prescribe and ways to treat.

And if it has an ICD-10 code, there is a protocol/medication regimen on how to treat.

Medicine loves numbers and lab values and vital signs and empirical hard data to drive decision making. And while these are absolutely valuable in guiding treatment, there is much, much more to the picture that we miss out on because we don’t dig deeper than what the numbers say.

THE REAL MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN WE USE OUR FORMAL EDUCATION AND WE CONSULT THE BODY’S INNATE INTELLIGENCE

Every single person is different, unique, and profoundly special. What works for one may not work for another.

This is the problem with protocols. The “one size fits all” approach is lazy medicine, IMO.

But when we ask deeper questions, look at the WHOLE picture:::

Examine past trauma and experiences

Nutritional deficiencies

Dietary practices

Stress management (or lack thereof)

Exercise regimens

Supplementation

Past dietary and supplement history

Physical and emotional scars

Childhood experiences

Toxin exposure

Relationship dynamics 

etc etc etc, we start to see the person for all the unique and wonderful individual things that they are, AND we start to see the unique circumstances that brought them to their current state of health.

As a nurse, one of the most powerful tools in my nurse toolbox (or rather my nurse fanny pack with my Kelley clamp, alcohol swabs, scissors, and NS flushes lol) is simply listening.

People are absolutely fascinating when you give them space to speak freely and share intimate details about themselves and their medical history.

And so many times in my nursing career it has served me in caring for them, AND it has served them in their road to recovery because there are some things that guide care that are not found in the medical history.

The body wants to heal. Literally the only job of your autonomic nervous system is to keep you alive and thriving.

And it will heal, when it has all the nutrition, hydration, rest, and healing thoughts it needs to get you back to your own body’s uniquely beautiful homeostasis.

Don’t be afraid to listen to your body’s innate wisdom. It is always speaking to you. I believe that when we go inward, tune in, and really listen to our body and it’s needs, we will always find healing there.

Do you listen to the messages your body gives you?

Tell me in the comments below!

Here’s to you and your autonomic nervous system!

 (This is not medical advice.)

xoxo,

Emily 😊