Sensitive Nervous System: Is the Nervous System At The Root Of Sensitivities?
Sensitivities seem to be one of the fastest-growing issues in the United States. Whether the sensitivities result from EMF exposure, food intolerances, or chemicals in your environment, the common theme is that today, more than ever before, Americans are sensitive to the world around them.
What are these sensitivities all about, and why are we seeing them show up so frequently? In this article, you'll learn:
The story behind food, EMF, and multiple chemical sensitivities
The common symptoms shared by all three types of sensitivities
What's at the root of this sensitivity epidemic
How to treat sensitivity from a holistic perspective
Food Sensitivity
What Is Food Sensitivity Or Intolerance?
Food sensitivities cover a more broad range of symptoms and potential causes than food allergies. When you have an allergy to food, it's your immune system that jumps into action, causing hallmark symptoms when you consume a specific type of food.
Food sensitivities (or food intolerances), on the other hand, are associated with your digestive system and are more common in those with digestive disorders. According to the IBS Network, most people with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) have food intolerances that can exacerbate their symptoms[*].
Food intolerances may be mild to severe, and many people report that they come and go at times.
What Causes Food Sensitivities?
Although there is no single cause of food sensitivities, as mentioned above, they seem to root in digestive disturbance as opposed to immune activation. One known cause of food intolerance is a lack of enzymes; lactose intolerance, for example, is due to a lack of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down sugars from dairy.
Aside from a deficiency in an enzyme, most food sensitivities boil down to digestive issues like IBS or celiac disease. One primary contributing factor to sensitivities, however, is recurring stress or psychological disturbance[*].
This makes sense if you look at the issue of food sensitivity from a holistic view. Your autonomic nervous system is in charge of your digestion, with your vagus nerve at the helm controlling the digestive process.
When you are relaxed and calm, your vagus nerve can carry out its duties, and digestion is smooth and stable. However, when you are anxious or stressed, your nervous system switches its mode, and the vagus nerve is no longer in charge. This is an adaptation from our hunter-gatherer days when it would be a waste of time and energy to focus on digestion and elimination when you were running from a tiger.
Unfortunately, your body doesn't know the difference between everyday stressors (which there are many) and life-threatening situations. Therefore, digestion takes a back-burner when you're under stress, and issues like IBS and food intolerances are the result[*][*].
Symptoms
Some of the most common symptoms associated with food sensitivities include[*]:
Nausea
Stomach pain
Gas, cramps, or bloating
Vomiting
Heartburn
Diarrhea
Headaches
Irritability or nervousness
Prevalence
Food intolerances are harder to track than food sensitivities due to their nuanced nature. It is estimated that around 2-20% of the population suffers from food intolerances[*].
Chemical Sensitivity
What Is Chemical Sensitivity?
Chemical sensitivity, also referred to as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS, is a syndrome in which individuals experience multiple symptoms due to low-level exposure to certain chemicals and environmental factors. MCS is characterized by the patient's belief that their symptoms are the result of low-level exposure, as biological factors have yet to be distinguished for this condition yet. Our community often reports improvement in symptoms with the reduction of layers of toxicity in your environment.
Someone with MCS will often report that everyday materials like soaps, detergents, cosmetics, and newspaper inks, can trigger symptoms[*].
What Causes Chemical Sensitivity?
At this time, there is insufficient evidence to pinpoint the exact cause of MCS, but researchers believe that it may stem from either true allergies or a sensitive nervous system. However, what is clear is the significant correlation between MCS and symptoms like anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions.
For this reason, many people believe that the root of MCS may be an unbalanced nervous system, with symptoms spearheaded by anxiety as opposed to physiological factors[*].
Symptoms
Common symptoms of MCS include[*]:
Headaches
Rashes
Asthma
Muscle and joint aches
Fatigue
Confusion
Prevalence
In the past decade, the prevalence of diagnosed MCS has jumped 300%, with self-reported chemical sensitivity up 200%. In 2018, a survey of just over 1,000 Americans reported that 12.8% were medically diagnosed with MCS, and 25.9% had self-reported chemical sensitivities[*].
EMF Sensitivity
What Is EMF Sensitivity?
EMF sensitivity, also known as Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity or EHS, is characterized by a variety of non-specific symptoms attributed to exposure to electromagnetic fields. The symptoms vary from individual to individual but are primarily related to the nervous system and skin. Interestingly, EHS resembles Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in both symptoms as well as the unclear root physiological cause.
Furthermore, it appears that in many cases, MCS precedes EHS, with 37% of EHS patients also reporting symptoms of MCS[*].
What Causes EMF Sensitivity?
Much like MCS, the root cause of EMF sensitivity is still unclear. However, there is strong evidence that there is a neurological basis for EHS and that treating the nervous symptom could help prevent and calm symptoms[*].
In both conditions, there is a lack of apparent physiological or toxicological assault, further underlining the potential nervous system involvement.
Whether EHS is related to EMF exposure is still up for debate as well. Thus far, most studies that have been performed found that those suffering from EHS cannot detect EMF exposure more accurately than non-EHS individuals. Furthermore, double-blind studies have found that many EHS symptoms are not correlated with EMF exposure levels.
Overall, more evidence points to underlying psychiatric conditions and stressors as the root of EHS, as opposed to environmental factors[*].
With that being said, in Brain Harmony’s experience of working with thousands of very sensitive friends around the world, the negative impact of this extra toxic load is reflected in their disorganized and sensitive nervous systems. Furthermore, we’ve found that when you strengthen the nervous system, it builds resilience and enhances your ability to respond to these stressors and constant attacks on your body.
Unfortunately, EMF is everywhere these days. Luckily, there are some simple and effective ways to protect your body and energy field from these unwanted frequencies. The Harmoni Pendant is one such device that helps to balance out the emission of EMF, and bring harmony to your biofield (the field of energy around your body.) They are currently running a special for Mothers Day, so it’s a great time to check out the Harmoni Pendant and see if it’s for you.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of EHS include[*][*]:
Dermatological symptoms
Redness
Tingling
Burning sensations
Nervous system symptoms:
Fatigue
Anxiety
Irritability
Tiredness
Concentration difficulties
Dizziness
Nausea
Heart palpitation
Headache
Tinnitus
Confusion
Digestive disturbances
Prevalence
It's difficult to pindown the prevalence of EHS as there is currently a wide range of estimates. Some reports estimate that only a few people in a million have EHS, while other reports are as high as 13% of the population[*].
Nervous System Imbalance: The Common Thread
When looking at sensitivities in general, there seems to be one common thread -- nervous system imbalance.
Your vagus nerve plays an undeniable role in food sensitivities and the conditions that set you up for food intolerances issues. As mentioned previously, when your nervous system is unsettled, your vagus nerve doesn't get the energy it needs to do its job. This results in poor digestion, which further leads to issues like IBS and food intolerances.
Research strongly supports this hypothesis as stress is one of the primary contributing factors that not only triggers IBS but may also cause the syndrome[*].
In both MCS and EHS, the root cause can be more elusive if only reading published research. What's clear to Brain Harmony is that there is a strong correlation with autonomic nervous system responses and this toxicity.
Looking at the symptoms of all three sensitivities, you can also see that these symptoms stem from the sensitive nervous system more often than not. For example, headaches, anxiety, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, concentration issues, and confusion all come from an imbalance in your neurological system. Even digestive disturbance can fall under the nervous system as this part of your body is largely controlled by the vagus nerve.
Therefore, whether you're treating sensitivities rooted in food, environmental chemicals, or EMFs, taking your nervous system into account is crucial.
How To Treat Sensitivities
As is true for most conditions, it's best to take a comprehensive approach to treat sensitivities. This means focusing not only on avoiding the sensitivity but also on working with practitioners and finding practices to get to the root of the problem.
The three areas to focus on for sensitivities include:
#1 Cellular Healing
Working with a functional medicine practitioner can help you target cellular healing in a way that is individual to you. Your functional medicine practitioner may take labs or recommend supplements that are known to assist in healing the body from the inside out.
Neurological imbalance can be very nuanced and involve many systems in the body; a trained professional will be able to determine if there are nutrient imbalances that need to be addressed to support a functional nervous system.
If you’re looking for a functional medicine provider, we recommend reaching out to:
Christine Shaffner
Wendy Myers
Ari Whitten
Dr Taz
#2 Emotional or Spiritual Healing
Emotional or spiritual healing can look different for different people. Depending on your beliefs, anything from spirituality to meditation and energy work or even talk therapy can help ease the emotional system. The goal here is to provide support for your mindset and your ability to think and experience life in a more empowered way.
#3 Physical Input For Neurological Change
Providing yourself with physical input for neurological change can get right to the root of your sensitivities. At Brain Harmony, we calm the nervous system and rewire the neurological system to improve its function. This not only improves the strength of the individual, but it sets the stage for the body and mind to be less reactive to sensitivities and stressors.
Takeaway
More people are showing up with all types of sensitivities today than ever before. Is this due to the amount of stress that we're under nowadays? Very likely.
Although the exact cause of many sensitivities is still unknown, whether it's food, EMF, or multiple chemical sensitivity, the symptoms that show up are largely neurological.
At Brain Harmony, we offer protocols that start at the root of your central nervous system, which allows the symptoms associated with your sensitivities to calm and resolve.
If you're interested in learning more, schedule a Free Consultation today.
