The Big Three and the Key to Unlocking the Mystery

When the body experiences a stressor, such as an injury, illness, or trauma, the immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system all work together to defend against threat and bring the body back into homeostasis. These three systems are interdependent and act as one supersystem, so anything that affects one will affect all three.

This means that healing the nervous system will naturally bring both the immune system and the endocrine system back into balance and vice versa. It is also why persistent pain often progresses into autoimmune and/or endocrine disorders, and why these conditions can be so difficult to manage.

One of the courses I'm taking as part of my Therapeutic Pain Specialist Certification is about autoimmune conditions and chronic pain. We have been learning about complex conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Lyme Disease, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These conditions all have overlapping symptoms, and the root cause of each of them is chronic stress which overloads the body's ability to maintain homeostasis.

The theory is that all of these conditions may actually be examples of supersystem dysregulation, but our individual genetics and epigenetics lead to vulnerability in different branches of the supersystem so that dysregulation is expressed differently in each person. This is why some people have symptoms that manifest in the nervous system (e.g. adrenal fatigue), some have symptoms that manifest in the immune system (e.g. fibromyalgia), some in the GI system (e.g. IBS and non-celiac gluten sensitivity), some in the endocrine system (e.g. chronic fatigue and chronic lyme), and some in the motor system (e.g. frozen shoulder).

Here are some overlapping symptoms of supersystem dysregulation:

• Diffuse pain aggravated by:

  • Exertion

  • Stress

  • Lack of sleep

  • Weather or temperature changes

• Stiffness

• Fatigue

• Sleep disturbances

• Cognitive challenges (like brain fog or difficulty problem-solving)

• Depression and/or anxiety

• Headache

• A sensitive GI system (like food allergies or intolerances)

• Lightheadedness

One of the challenges with Western medicine is that providers are so specialized that they often only look at one piece of the puzzle. If you have a cluster of these symptoms, the diagnosis and treatment you receive may depend upon whether you see a rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, or orthopedist, as each specialist sees the problem through their discipline's lens.

These are the kinds of people I LOVE to work with because I love to look at the whole picture and put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. Whether you have a diagnosis or not, if you are experiencing signs of dysregulation, an integrative approach can help.

You deserve to work with a health care provider who will truly listen to your health story, work in partnership with you to unravel complicated symptoms and identify the root causes, care about your pain, and support you every step of the way in your path of healing. Let's schedule time to talk about your needs and goals and determine if my offerings are a good fit for you.

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