Autonomic Mechanisms
Your body has a self-regulating system called the autonomic nervous system. There are two parts to this, the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (more calming, digestion, reproduction, etc.). In our daily lives, we are under tremendous stress and pressure. This keeps our sympathetic nervous system on overdrive. You can?t keep an engine at high RPM all the time and not expect parts to start breaking.
At Redefining Health Physical Therapy, we employ a series of specialized manual therapy techniques to help our patients? autonomic nervous systems function properly. If you are experiencing aches, pains, mental stress, or other limiting conditions, our specialized manual therapy techniques may benefit you. Request an in-home physical therapy appointment today to find out how.
What can I do to improve my autonomic nervous system?
One of the simplest things you can do to de-stress is to breathe. Take time in the evening, to lie on your bed, and just take deep breaths – in for 6 seconds and out for 8. Place your hand on your upper abdomen to make sure that you are using your diaphragm muscle.
Our experienced Portland, OR home health physical therapists can help provide you with other relaxing techniques and exercises to help your autonomic nervous system function in the ways it is supposed to.
Evidence supporting autonomic mechanisms:
Autonomic mechanisms have also been proven to help with many physical and mental conditions. A study published by the National Institutes of Health explores this further. Titled ?Autonomic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications of Postural Diabetic Cardiovascular Abnormalities,? this study focuses on patients living with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy. This is a condition of progressive autonomic dysfunction that is connected to diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Researchers used autonomic mechanisms to treat symptoms of sympathetic withdrawal and differentiate between sympathetic and parasympathetic changes. They performed autonomic profiling of 184 patients, 142 of whom were females. Results concluded that autonomic mechanisms were able to correct abnormal trends of sympathetic withdrawal in most patients.
The study listed two important findings:
- ?The [autonomic nervous system] method enables quantitative assessment of [cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy] by independently and simultaneously quantifying the two branches of the [autonomic nervous system], sympathetic and parasympathetic.?
- ?Independent, simultaneous assessment of progressive parasympathetic and sympathetic dysfunction, autonomic imbalance, and responses of the two [autonomic nervous system] branches to therapy seems to enable early detection and early intervention.?
Contact us today:
At Redefining Health Physical Therapy, we want to help you get back on the road to good health by relieving your pain and stress. Our specialized manual therapy techniques may be ideal treatments for you. Request an in-home physical therapy appointment and learn more about how they can benefit you.
