What's that? You just read what I said? Thanks to your brain and nerves - those structures that make up your nervous system.

Bless you. What's that? You didn't sneeze? Well, let's pretend you did. While your lungs and nose were involved, it was your immune system telling the nervous system to make a sneeze happen: air intake, lungs contract with force, throat open, yada..yada…. The immune system sensed a possible invader or cell/pathogen/mucous that needed expelled from the body and ordered up a sneeze that the nervous system made happen.

And that's it, folks, That's the whole lesson. Kinda.

I've been seeing a whole lot of good teaching online blaming and crediting the nervous system for all our body's faulty functions.

If you could just do more breathwork…
If you used this vagus nerve stimulator regularly…
If you just did affirmations consistently to tell your body you are safe…
If you'd just practice proprioceptive input, your body would sort its pain out…
A bit more mindfullness and that persistent EBV will go away when you manage your stress better….
If you nourish your adrenals, the POTS will fade, which means you need to manage your stress better, too….
If you just slept better, then your infection issue you think you have would manage itself…
If you just did some EMDR and released the triggering trauma, your nervous system would settle and you'd have more resilient health…
If you just ignored the pains and did positive visualizations, your body will catch up and that fibromyalgia will fade…
If you get that kid to ground on the Earth a bit, they can stop their meltdowns that started after strep this winter…

And while those are all good and well meaning pieces of advice - they miss the whole point.

Your immune system and its signaling and communication are the key to retaining health.

Not nervous system work. Why?

Let's make a quick analogy.

Envision your body as a school building. The school is struggling with fights (pain), poor menu options (bad digestion), the fire alarm system is overactive (MCAS), kids are late to class (fatigue), the janitor didn't show up to clean up and take the trash out (acne, eczema and rashes), the kinder teacher is actually a student teacher (PANS/PANDAS) and the whole vibe of the school is low vibe from all the chaos (depression and anxiety).

How do we fix it? We bring in a cool, calm, collected principal (healthy nervous system) to communicate with the broken parts, calming fears, encouraging confidence, timeliness and bringing back some structure and routine. All should become well, right?

Wrong. There's another issue. The doors on the school are closed, but the security system (immune system) isn't locking and the school cop is letting anyone in past the office who feels like wandering the halls.

No matter how great of a cool, calm, collected person the principal (nervous system) is, they can't keep the function and calm if there are continual threats being let in the building at multiple access points (immune invaders and responding immune cells).

Much like your body. You can do alllll the nervous system work - which is good and healthy, noble healing effort - but if the immune signaling, permissions and functions aren't balanced, healthy and appropriately patrolling - the health of the school (your body) won't hold, no matter how wonderful the principal (nervous system) and her efforts (nervous system work) are.

Symptoms always find their root and mend in the immune system. And immune work is what brings the body back to a foundational place of typical health.

Maybe you've got a friend with ongoing illness struggles of some variety. The cool part about the way we see our client's healing process is - no matter the diagnosis or disorder, care is organized around the function of the body - and everyone has an immune system: which means everyone can get better. I'd love it if you spread the good word and forwarded this email to a friend who may be empowered to think differently about their healing process.

Or have a listen to this season's podcast opening episode: Why Some People Stay Sick: Immune Imbalance, Chronic Infections & the Missing Piece in Healing,

Or skip right to the good part and schedule a clarity call where we can discuss next steps for getting you to a better place with your health.