Palpitations, Anxiety, and even Dizziness | Incheon Dysautonomia

The Conductor of My Body Has Vanished

Hello, this is Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

The orchestra within my body has lost its conductor and begun to play erratically.

Even when I'm still, my heart races; sweat pours down even when it's not hot; and my digestive organs arbitrarily halt their movement.

I clearly want to rest, but my body is fighting a war on its own.

"Tests always show there's no cause. But my body, my day, is certainly not normal. It's truly frustrating and anxiety-inducing."

Unexplained Headaches, Dizziness, and Extreme Fatigue

These are strong signals that your body's automatic regulatory system is malfunctioning.

The Car's Accelerator and Brake Are Broken

Our bodies have an automatic regulatory system, the autonomic nervous system, which independently controls our heartbeat, sweating, and digestion.

The autonomic nervous system is like a car's accelerator (sympathetic nervous system) and brake (parasympathetic nervous system).

The accelerator primes our body for tension in crisis situations, while the brake relaxes the body during rest, maintaining balance.

Autonomic dysfunction is precisely this state where the accelerator and brake are malfunctioning.

It's when the accelerator is pressed spontaneously (sympathetic overactivity) or the brake doesn't respond in time, keeping the body in a constant state of tension, even without the driver's intention.

All inexplicable physical symptoms that appear regardless of our will are due to errors in this system.

The Dance of Fire and Water, Its Balance Broken

In Korean medicine, health is viewed as a state of perfect balance between two energies: Yin (陰) and Yang (陽).

Yang (陽) is the energy of fire that activates, generates heat, and excites, while Yin (陰) is the energy of water that stabilizes, cools, and promotes rest.

Autonomic dysfunction is a state where this harmonious dance of fire and water has been disrupted.

The energy of activity (Yang) flares up excessively, while the energy of stability (Yin) cannot effectively control it.

Unnecessary heat in the body rises, the mind becomes anxious, and the vital fluids and blood necessary for recovery become deficient.

Therefore, Korean medical treatment focuses on calming excessive Yang energy and replenishing deficient Yin energy to restore the broken balance of Yin and Yang.

3 Habits to Restore Nervous System Balance

Daily efforts are needed to calm the overactive sympathetic nervous system and activate the resting parasympathetic nervous system.

Habit 1: Breath Control

Deep, slow abdominal breathing is the most powerful switch to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

Imagine the tension leaving your body as you exhale longer than you inhale.

Habit 2: Regular Lifestyle (Stable Routine)

A regular sleep-wake schedule, going to bed and waking up at similar times each day, provides a predictable sense of security to our nervous system that 'now is safe'.

Normalizing the body's biological clock is the beginning of treatment.

Habit 3: Minimize Stimulants

Coffee, energy drinks, and alcohol are like pressing the accelerator even harder.

Excessive smartphone use or consuming stimulating media also prevents the brain from resting.

The total amount of daily stimulation must be reduced.

From System Errors to System Burnout

Physical symptoms of unknown cause are often dismissed as psychosomatic or malingering and left untreated.

However, these error signals from the autonomic nervous system are warning lights indicating that our body is currently running in an emergency state.

Ignoring these warning lights and continuously pushing the body leads to the depletion of all energy, ultimately resulting in irreversible system burnout.

Depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic fatigue can be the outcomes.

However, recognizing now that these are urgent distress signals from your body's system and making efforts to restore balance is a wise choice that breaks the cycle of unexplained suffering and reclaims comfortable control over your body.

#AutonomicDysfunction