What is Dysautonomia?
Dysautonomia is a word you won’t hear every day, but it can play a big part in you or your kiddos story! Dysautonomia refers to dysfunction within the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two divisions that are broken down into the sympathetic division and parasympathetic division. The sympathetic side, also known as fight or flight, is comparable to your body being on the gas pedal. The parasympathetic side is comparable to a brake pedal. It is important to have a balance between these two sides!
The autonomic nervous system is designed to control the involuntary functions of the body. These functions can include the heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, bladder, and immune function to name a few. A well-regulated nervous system helps these organs function as they were intended to.
So what can cause dysautonomia?
Simply put, dysautonomia is brought on by neurological stress. There are three categories of stress that can cause this: emotional stress, physical traumas, and chemical stress. In chiropractic, this neurological stress is called subluxation. All of this plays a role in how our nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) communicate with and organize the rest of the body!
In utero, one of the first stressors can come from the mother. The baby/mother relationship is beautiful. In utero, mom and baby essentially share a nervous system. So, if the mother is in a constant state of anxiety and fear this will cause a sympathetic shift within the baby as they develop. This can be the beginning of dysautonomia.
The next stressor can come in the form of birth trauma. Birth can be a beautiful moment for families, but we have to understand that birth is hard for both mother and baby. Birth interventions such as C-section, forceps, induction, vacuum extraction are all important, but this intervention causes extra physical stress on the newborn. Specifically, these interventions place a lot of pressure on the brainstem and upper cervical areas of the baby.
These areas can be termed the “air traffic control” for the autonomic nervous system, and is specifically where the vagus nerve is located. The vagus nerve is a key part of this air traffic control team. It plays a huge role within the autonomic nervous system, as it has both sympathetic and parasympathetic functions. Again, we need a balance between the two divisions.
Now that we have a grasp on dysautonomia, how do we care for the children struggling through it?
In our office we use Insight Technology to measure dysautonomia. We have three scans that are each designed to measure different aspects of dysautonomia:
Neurothermal Scans: Analyze temperature differences within the spine to measure dysautonomia
Neurospinal EMG Scans: Analyzes motor patterns and postural strength related to dysautonomia
Heart Rate Variability: Measures overall function, adaptability, and resiliency of the autonomic nervous system
Not only do we use the scans to show us a deeper look into the nervous system, but we do a deep dive on the case history to figure out the best care. One important thing for parents and providers to know when caring for patients struggling with dysautonomia is that we must first address the “basics” and get things like digestive motility, sleep, immune function, and motor function healthy and back “online” first. Through specific adjustments to the neuro-spinal system, we look to bring balance to the autonomic nervous system so the body can heal and thrive as it was intended.
In health,
Nate Broders, D.C.
