In our office, one of the things that we pride ourselves on is the education of our patients. We work hard to ensure our patients understand how Network Spinal Analysis works and their bodies responses. If there is one topic that gets mentioned more than others in our office, it could very well be the comparison of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The following is a summary of this topic to add to what may have already been discussed one-on-one in the office.
Our nervous system is separated into two main parts: the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal cord and the PNS consists of the cranial nerves and the spinal nerves. The PNS is further divided into three functional divisions: the Somatic Nervous System (SNS), the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). For our conversation here we will focus on the ANS.
The ANS consists of two parts: the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic. Most people know the sympathetic nervous system by its moniker “fight or flight.” This name is great because it really speaks to the purpose of this branch of the ANS. Our Sympathetic nervous systems job is to prepare our bodies for action and to “protect” us from perceived threats.
~ Dr. Michael Nichols