Episode 110: Living in a Constant State of “Fight or Flight” – with Chiropractor Dr. Dennis Warren

The world’s top researchers are working to find answers to the problems arising from the Corona 19 virus.  Dr. Dennis Warren, my chiropractor, and contributor to my podcast, is one of those people doing research. He is interested in not only how and why we catch the virus but more importantly, why some people seem to get mild cases while other people need intensive medical intervention, which may not even help, resulting in death.  A study that is still being investigated put forth the hypothesis that stress, whether everyday problems or severe depression due to the total upheaval of everyone’s lives due to Covid, has a direct effect on the severity of the disease. 

The sympathetic nervous system is a part of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating the body’s unconscious actions. When you are stressed your body sends signals to the sympathetic nervous system.  It reacts by flooding the body with chemicals such as epinephrine and cortisol which prepare the body for “fight or flight”. Another part of the autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic system.  It is responsible for stimulation of the “rest and digest” activities that occur when the body is at rest.  One system works to calm you down while the other works to get you ready to run.  

In times of extreme stress, the autonomic nervous system can get out of balance with many more of the “get ready to run” hormones running through the body than the calming ones.  This imbalance leads to compromised immune systems which can make catching the Corona virus or any other infection much easier.  Once you catch it, you are then more susceptible to severe cases or development of other concurrent issues.

The Vagus nerve controls the parasympathetic nervous system.  When the body is not under stress, it sends commands that slow heart and breathing rates and increase digestion. In times of stress, control shifts to the sympathetic system, which produces the opposite effect.

Nuclear Factor Kappa Beta (NF-Kappa B) is a group of proteins that help control many functions in a cell, including cell growth and survival. These proteins also control the body’s immune and inflammatory responses.  NF-Kappa B can be over productive and cause inflammation that damages healthy cells leaving you more susceptible to diseases, infections and viruses such as Covid 19.  When you stimulate the vagus nerve the body releases the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which suppresses the NF Kappa B and helps put the body in the rest and digest state. 

This won’t keep you from catching the virus but it can help your body to heal and possibly not have some of the serious side problems that often come with it.  

There are always things we have absolutely no control over, But there are also areas in our life that we can pull in control to help give our bodies the best fighting chance to minimize disease. 

A few ways to stimulate the vagus nerve:

Chiropractic adjustment

Massage

Meditation

Breathing exercises ( see book by James Nester)