I'm so sensitive I can't even take medicine – The Unnamed Illness: Hypersensitive Autonomic Nervous System Constitution

Hello. This is Baengnokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

Patient Story

Today, I'd like to start with a patient's story.

This individual has been unable to eat for over a year due to a tightening sensation in their chest. They feel like something is caught in their throat, and that they might suffocate if they swallow food... They said that even when they sit down at the dinner table, there are more days when they can't even pick up their chopsticks.

"My stomach felt bad, and taking Sriban tablets didn't help much. At the hospital, they said it might be esophagitis and gave me medication. But after taking the medication, I felt more anxious, more uncomfortable in my stomach, and couldn't sleep well at night."

Eventually, they visited a psychiatrist—and although the prescribed medication only differed slightly in dosage from before,

"The medication is too strong for me... I simply can't take it."

they said.

A Common Experience

Have you ever heard a story like this? Clearly, the doctor said it was a safe dosage, and most people tolerate it well—but *I* am too sensitive to take it. There are many people like this.

Autonomic Hypersensitivity Constitution

And whenever that happens, I tell them this: It's not simply due to an 'overly sensitive personality.' This is an aspect of a state of neurological dysregulation, which hasn't even been formally named yet, called 'Autonomic Hypersensitivity Constitution.'

Amplification of Sensations

People with this constitution experience an amplification of all sensations occurring within their bodies. The sound of their heart beating, the feeling of gas building up in their stomach, a sensation of something caught in their throat... Stimuli that others simply ignore and pass by become sensations that completely disrupt the daily lives of these individuals.

The Gravity of the Issue

This patient also initially thought it was simply chest discomfort. However, gradually they couldn't swallow food, lost weight, and became completely afraid of food. Their stomach was always gurgling, gas passed easily but provided no relief... and because they constantly felt like they were suffocating, they started to dislike going outside, and developed orthostatic hypotension, heart palpitations, and tachycardia.

Solution

There's only one thing we need to understand here: This cannot be solved by prescribing stronger medication. The problem isn't the dosage; it's with 'the body's reaction.' In these individuals, the brain and nervous system are already in a state of exhaustion. The body has lost its ability to filter out stimuli.

Recovery Methods

1. We must first raise the sensory threshold. This cannot be achieved with medication. Through methods like acupuncture, abdominal autonomic nerve stabilization, and diaphragmatic breathing exercises, we must first build 'a body that can accept stimuli.'
2. Gastrointestinal issues must be approached from a sensory perspective. Rather than being unable to digest food, it's a state where 'the very act of attempting to digest food becomes a threat to the nervous system.' It's not that the stomach itself is bad, but rather that the perception and sensation related to the stomach are disrupted.
3. Medication is merely a tool. It's not about stopping medication unconditionally just because it made you feel worse; rather, you must approach it again 'after building a body that can accept medication.' For example, training is needed to gradually reduce reactivity by carefully exposing the body to small doses of Korean herbal medicine (a dose every three days) or low-dose Western medication.

Conclusion

Like this patient, there are many individuals whose symptoms actually worsen despite trying benzodiazepines, SSRIs, and digestive aids when their autonomic nervous system is dysregulated. This should not simply be dismissed as an 'overly sensitive personality' or a 'psychological issue.' This is a problem with the design of the nervous system. It's a state where the body cannot filter stimuli, and sensations are directly 'piercing' the nervous system. That is precisely the Autonomic Hypersensitivity Constitution.

Today's conclusion is this: For medication to truly be medicine, a body that can accept medication must first be built. This constitution is not a named disease, nor is it untreatable. It's simply that the current medical system has not yet been able to articulate the sensitivity of this nervous system. There is only one thing we must do: build a body that can once again trust its nervous system.

The starting point for that is to listen to the words, 'The medication is too strong for me.' Thank you.

#AutonomicHypersensitivityConstitution