If you suffer from anxiety, stress, or often feel that you’re in a state of fight or flight, you are not alone! This happens when at least 1 of the 3 systems vital to your health is not working like it should. You have almost certainly experienced this if you have EDS or other chronic illness such as Fibromyalgia, chronic pain, or chronic fatigue,
Thousands of people are affected by this condition every day. Luckily, there are many simple and effective physical therapy methods to improve these systems and how you feel.
The Top 5 Things You Need to Know about EDS, POTs, and Dysautonomia
Watch the short video above before we get into the 3 most important systems for your health, peak performance, and fast recovery. It also contains an overview of related complex conditions and common symptoms.
In Austin and Houston, we have effectively treated various types of EDS, Dysautonomia & POTS, and severe chronic illnesses. Working and researching alongside some of the most experienced physical therapists and EDS specialists, we learned how the brain works. What is required and how long does it take for the brain to heal properly? Fact of the matter is, every person heals differently.
The body is extremely complex and is regulated by multiple systems. Some systems control vital functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion, balance, and much more. Other systems are in charge of:
- the “fight or flight” response, which occurs when our body perceives an event as harmful or a threat to survival,
- physical protection, even if it this results in compromised bodily functions
- awareness, what we absorb, and how we absorb it.
These systems are on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They dictate how we do things and how we live life.
The 3 Most Important Systems for Your Health & Vitality | How to Treat Chronic Illnesses & Recurrent Injuries
- Autonomic System
- Vestibular System
- GI System (gastrointestinal)
When these three systems work in harmony, they provide a solid foundation for your body to work and heal appropriately. In particular, this state is reached by minimizing compensations and unnecessary stress. For this reason, we should look into these crucial systems specifically.
There are too many things going on in the body to target all systems directly. But what if you could indirectly improve bodily function by focusing on only a few systems? Whether you are an elite athlete or suffer from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, these systems must be in balance for optimal performance and recovery.
Recovery can be challenging as it is very specific to each person. We shouldn’t group people into one “box” based on similar a presentation or diagnosis. If we did, we would be inconsistent with getting results for that same “box” condition. Our protocols essentially aren’t true protocols. When we look at each person as a a unique individual, we can provide the best physical therapy service needed for fast recovery.
Recovery is not a simple textbook protocol. Each step is different for each person, but the 3 systems vital to your health and to bodily regulation are the same. The focus is to build that solid foundation in order to have longer lasting results without the occurrence of a “relapse” into bad habits.
Stress and Its Effects on the 3 Most Important Systems for Your Heath & Vitality
For example, experience shows that we tend to associate chronic back pain with dysfunctions related primarily to the back itself. However, when we considered these three vital systems, we can also associate chronic back pain with other things such as excess stress from work. Stress causes the “fight or flight” response, which will tighten your muscles, reduce consistency with digestion, and give a false sense of awareness. Prolonged stress can ultimately result in back pain or muscle spasms.
How about chronic neck pain and headaches? Rather than looking at a few tight muscles or slightly misaligned joints, let’s look at what might truly be going on. Poor visual tracking, clenching your jaw, or even shrugging your shoulders can result in neck pain and headaches. In addition to bad posture, let’s add poor breathing patterns that result in having to use your secondary breathing muscles in your chest and neck, causing even more muscle tightness. This can cause micro trauma throughout the day resulting in headaches, aches, and even dizziness.
Thank you we appreciate it
I have EDS and spent much of my life unaware- I just had “ lots of weird” medical conditions. Today, many MD’s are still uninformed and there are even fewer who treat your syndrome and person as a whole.
Stumbling on this was a breath of fresh air as you accurately identified the exact systems with the most negative Impact on quality of life. Please send a clone to Madison WI to practice here! Keep up the good work. Encourage others in your field to stop looking for horses when they hear hoof beats! We Zebras are getting louder
Thank you so much for your comments! We are looking to spread the word to other clinicians and facilities to help people nationwide. Let us know if you have any more questions.