If you’ve heard me speak on any topic, thyroid, detox, cholesterol, hormone imbalances, or even lost productivity, hopefully you took away one message.  Your nervous system is the master coordinator and organizer of your life experiences.  Your nervous system is going to organize life into either protection mode or growth mode.

Something you would have also heard multiple times is a paraphrased quote from Dr. Bruce Lipton PhD, “You can’t be in growth and protection at the same time.”

Dr. Bruce Lipton PhD, 'You can't be in growth and protection at the same time.' Click To Tweet

What does this mean?  It means based on what is happening in your life at any current moment, the nervous system is trying to play triage whether you are in danger or not.  The nervous system will ALWAYS favor survival over sex and life over legacy.  If your body has to sacrifice your digestion, fertility, and happiness to keep your legs moving to escape a bear, it will do this 100 times out of 100.

Where we run into trouble is our nervous system is also plastic.  Imagine trying to bend a plastic fork lightly without breaking it.  It will return to its normal shape.  Keep doing this over and over again and eventually you can create a bend in the plastic.  Your nervous system is no different.  The more it uses the protection side, the more survival becomes your default setting.  The more you use logic over emotions, logic becomes your default.

What does survival look like long term?  High blood pressure, indigestion, auto-immune flare ups, chronic ear infections, constipation, headaches, hypothyroid, weight gain, inflammation, fatigue, insomnia, blood clots, infertility, PCOS, anxiety, ADHD, autism, allergies, learning disorders, memory, concentration, emotional imbalances, anger, low T, and list continues.  Survival long term drives you away from growth and repair.

Why would you be in survival long term?  It’s called modern civilization.  I wouldn’t trade our conveniences of today to go back to hunter gatherer days.  But we have to realize virtually everything we do on a daily basis today is foreign to our DNA requirements for health, longevity, and growth.  We sit too much, eat too much, worry too much, and use our healthcare system to mask the ill effects of our lifestyle too much.

If the majority of your life is spend in protection mode, how do you help the growth side of your nervous system express?

VAGUS BABY!!

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