"Fight or Flight" Response And How The Body Works

This article is a continuation from How You Can Help Create A New Body and Stress On The Body And The Toll It Takes. nRemember playing hide and seek when you were a kid? You were hiding in a dark place and someone found you, but at the same time scared you because they may have come from a different direction. Remember the feeling of everything moving in your body. It seems like you were about to jump out of your skin! Or maybe one day you were called into the boss’ office because of an error you might have made. Oh boy, the lump in the throat, the knot in the stomach, the fear of just being confronted. Oh yeah! These are all “fight-or-flight responses.nnThe hormonal and chemical defense mechanisms that evolved over the centuries as a means of protection have been retained, but due to the everyday stress in our lives they are over-worked and therefore are being suppressed, which can cause harm to our bodies. When we are faced with a threatening situation, whether real or received, our thoughts trigger two branches of the central nervous system: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. nnThe sympathetic nervous system initiates involuntary responses designed to activate all the major systems of the body. The hypothalamus floods hormone secretion, and activates the pituitary gland. This gland releases hormones that cause the adrenal gland to intensify the output of adrenaline and noradrenaline into the bloodstream. The two hormones mimic the action of nervous stimulation in a number of organs in the body. There are many other stimuli that can trigger the adrenocortical stress reaction. However, the response is the same in most cases. This reaction always activates the immune system after the attack. When this is constantly activated the parasympathetic system is weaken. It cannot calm the system after the attack, because it is an ongoing attack. Therefore, the immune system is in a weakened state. It is at this point that the body is susceptible to a variety of diseases.nnPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE: HOW IT WORKSnnWhen the body is in a “fight-or-flight” situation the stress chemicals induce a physiological changes designed to improve performance. The blood supply to the brain is increased; the heart speeds up and fuel is released into the bloodstream from glucose; fats or stored blood sugar provided additional energy. Extra blood is sent to the muscles for faster reaction; our breathing rate and function improve as the air passages relax; and a sense of stimulation is produced as blood pressure rises. At this time the digestive system is not being used so the blood supply to this region is limited.nnYou can see the reaction the body takes to deliver the needed energy for this situation. The body is put at great risk if the situation is ongoing. The parasympathetic nervous system is designed to relax the body after the stress is over. Often stress is ongoing. This is where a Systematic Bio Energetics treatment comes in to completely relax the body as we work on the sympathetic nervous system.nnWe need to teach our selves and our clients to relax. One of the best ways is through our work. S.B.E and Reflexology can enhance the parasympathetic system, relax the adrenal and move the blocked areas, allowing the Chi (or energy) to move freely. If you would like more information on Systematic Bio Energetics please go to our website: http://www.ahealingtouch.biz and see Our Articles. We hope to be teaching S.B.E soon so if you are interested in learning what you read here let us know.n