The Autonomic Nervous System Part 2: Rest & Digest

The Parasympathetic Nervous System

The Parasympathetic Nervous System, often referred to as the Rest and Digest response, takes over when there are no threats present. When you don't need to fight, run, or freeze, your body can go back to chillin' out and taking care of itself.

Your blood and energy return to your digestion, your heart rate maintains its normal (non-emergency) rate, your adrenal glands stop releasing adrenaline, your pupils stop dilating, and the muscles that contract to make your hair stand on end relax.

This is the place you want your body to be when you are not facing an immediate threat or emergency.

In this state you get to put your resources towards thriving instead of surviving: your body performs maintenance and upkeep, aka healing.

The Importance of "Rest and Digest"

You can see how essential the parasympathetic nervous system is to your overall health. Without it, you wouldn't be able to efficiently process nutrients, sleep, enjoy a day on the beach, read a book, give a hug - any activity that requires you to be calm.

If you were always in Fight, Flight or Freeze your heart would wear out, your digestive system wouldn't have enough energy to do its work, your eyes would constantly be on alert.

It would be very hard to fall asleep, do focused work in a sustainable manner, or go about your daily life. Which probably sounds an awful lot like you, since you are dealing with chronic pelvic pain.

So Now What?

In the next post you'll learn about how to keep your nervous system in balance, so you have your Fight, Flight or Freeze response primed to go when you need it, and can spend the rest of the time happily Restin' and Digestin'.

The Autonomic Nervous System Part 1: Fight, Flight or Freeze

This week we'll be looking at parts of our nervous system, the balance between them, and how that plays into pelvic pain.

The Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls our involuntary nervous responses, like our heartbeat and digestion. We don't have to think about these functions for them to happen.

Three main parts comprise the ANS: the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric. They work together to maintain homeostasis, or balance, in the body.

The Sympathetic Nervous System: Fight, Flight or Freeze

Often called the "fight or flight" response, the sympathetic nervous system is more accurately a "fight, flight, or freeze" response. Simply put, this is our defense mechanism.

If you were attacked by a hungry animal or a hostile person, you would try to fight it off. This is the "fight" response.

On the other hand, if it was possible, you may instead run, rather than staying to fight. This is the "flight" response.

You know the phrase "like a deer caught in the headlights?" That is the "freeze" response. To freeze - originating from the instinct to remain immobile in the hopes of not being noticed by a predator - is a technique used by various prey animals as well as humans. The freeze response includes playing dead. (Many predators prefer to eat live animals rather than ones that have already kicked the bucket, so instead of attacking, they may sniff around, decide said the prey was dead, and move on. Once the threat has passed,  the prey can relax and go back to living.) 

In human terms, the "freeze response" would include hiding in fear, or submitting to an attack in the hopes the attacker would leave you alone or at least reduce the severity of the attack. 

Of course, these days modern Americans are not usually being attacked by predators. So instead our sympathetic nervous is activated by other threats: a car swerving in front of you, almost being hit while crossing the street, or...stress. A looming deadline for an impossibly huge project, financial worries, family drama, dreading an exam. Daily stresses are interpreted by our nervous system as threats, and without our conscious control, create a specific response in your body.

The Sympathetic Response

What happens when your body perceives a threat? It prepares for "fight, flight or freeze." Functions that are not essential to your survival in that moment are shut down: blood is shifted from your digestive system to your muscles, your heart races, you start pumping out adrenaline, your hairs stand on end, your pupils dilate. 

In the olden times, this response would help us elude a threat. Once the threat passed, we could relax and go back to other essential functions, like digestion, or a slower, more sustainable heart rate. 

But today we have perceived threats around us all the time - rushing to get to work, your two year old having a tantrum, trying to avoid the bully at school. So our sympathetic nervous system is "on" more frequently.

But the sympathetic nervous system is supposed to help with homeostasis, remember? That's balance in the body. If our sympathetic nervous system is being called upon more frequently, we are out of balance, what we commonly refer to today as being "stressed."

Next Up

In the next segment we will learn about the sympathetic nervous system's buddy, the parasympathetic nervous system. While the sympathetic nervous system is often maligned in our society - who likes being stressed? - both are needed to maintain balance.

Resource Round-up!

Got less than a minute? Here's the low-down on this week's posts:

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Resource Spotlight: Section on Women's Health

Did you know that physical therapists can help with pelvic pain?

If you didn't, you aren't alone. Most doctors, even gynecologists, are not aware that PTs can help with pelvic pain and dysfunction.

The Section on Women's Health is a sub-organization under the umbrella of the American Physical Therapy Association; it was founded in 1977. Originally focused on the needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy, the scope has expanded to include a variety of female health issues such as:

• incontinence
• pelvic pain
• vaginal pain
• fibromyalgia and chronic pain
• rehab following breast surgery

and more.

The site primarily serves physical therapists, but there are a few key pieces here for patients.

First, there is a page briefly explaining how these specialized PTs can help different medical conditions, what certifications they may have, and why this specific education is necessary in order to help you.

There is also the awesome PT Locator. You select your symptoms and poof!, get a list of local providers who specialize in your complaint. How handy-dandy, especially since your doc may not be a source of referrals. 

If you are all into science-y stuff, there are two things that may be of interest to you:

1. You can subscribe to the Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy, or buy a specific article. The site doesn't seem to offer their entire catalog of articles, but it's a start.
2. You can find research projects in which to participate, a great no-cost way to

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

(Thanks Gandhi.)

Pretty cool!

Even though the site is primarily aimed at physical therapists, it's worth a look-see, especially if you are curious about, or actively looking for, a PT. 

I hope this week's round-up of Resource Spotlights help you on your healing journey.

Be well, darlin'!

Resource Spotlight: National Vulvodynia Association

Founded in 1994, the National Vulvodynia Association is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year. Woo hoo!

I came across the website about ten years ago, when I was first diagnosed. It wasn't much. A few pages. While part of me was relieved I wasn't alone, the fact that the website was bare bones reinforced my (erroneous) belief that this vulvodynia thing must be rare, and therefore I must be a freak, destined to a medical journey of horrors experienced in solitude... (This is a great example of catastrophic thinking in action. I don't recommend it.)

I am happy to report that the NVA has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade. There's plenty of information on vulvodynia itself, conveniently tailored for both patients and medical professionals. So cool that they are working to educate the medical community! There's also info on the practical side of vulvodynia, like dealing with chronic pain in the workplace.

If you want even more info, you can join the NVA for access to an online vulvodynia learning center, a list of doctors treating vulvodynia, resources for women wanting to become pregnant, and more. The NVA is a non-profit organization run mostly by volunteers, so your membership donation helps them keep things running. No cash to spare?   You can write to them explaining your situation and they will do their best to accommodate your needs.

There is a full list of their activities here. One of the coolest, in my humble opinion, is the Support Network of about 100 women spread across the country to provide a personal contact and source of information for women suffering from vulvar pain. In some cases, they even organize support groups. (And as you know, I think support groups are the bomb.)

In short, if you are feeling like you are in a vulvar pain rut, the NVA can help get you out of it and on your way to feeling better. Yes! We love feeling better!

So here's a big ol'

THANK YOU

to all of the NVA volunteers for their 20 years of hard work! You are being the change we all wish to see in the world, and that is a beautiful thing.