5 Pillars of Illness
Autonomic Imbalance: This is the division in the nervous system between Sympathetic (Gas Pedal) and Parasympathetic (Brake Pedal) systems. The sympathetic is the fight or flight side. Actions on this side of the nervous system prime you to escape or to fight a tiger. This is the protections side. The parasympathetic side is the rest and digest side. Actions on this side prime you to heal, grow, and repair. This is the growth side. You cannot be in growth and protection at the same time.
An imbalance or default setting on one side for a period of time puts you at an increased risk of disease and ailments. If you are always on the gas pedal, the only way to stop is to run out of gas or to crash. Neither is a successful outcome. Being on a brake pedal constantly is about as successful as a baby taking care of himself. You are so burned out, your only line of defense is to cry.
Adrenal Dysfunction: The adrenals are the first organ your brain and spinal cord communicate to when there is danger. The adrenals are going to release 2 classes of hormones to save your life. One is catecholamines like adrenaline and epinephrine. These increase cardiac output to fight or run. The other is Cortisol. This dumps sugar into your blood for instant energy. If you’re not eating it, your body will literally rip itself apart to obtain it.
The more Cortisol is stimulated, the more you will create thyroid dysfunction, hormone dysregulation, cognitive impairments, and set yourself up for the other 3 pillars.
Insulin Resistance: Insulin resistance is more than just diabetes. Insulin aids in virtually every cell function. It helps hormones and nutrients bind to the receptors on the cell. When the cell becomes insulin resistant, these actions are not carried out. The first place insulin resistance happens is in the liver and then in the muscles. The last place is the butt, gut, and thighs (hence obesity). Obviously sugar intake contributes but the chronic release of Cortisol from sympathetic stimulation will also contribute since there is a dumping of sugar into the blood.
The latest cognitive impairment research is calling brain degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and dementia Type 3 diabetes. When you hear brain ailments, start thinking insulin resistance.
Chronic Inflammation: Many will say this is the root cause of disease but it’s an effect of poor lifestyle choices. Deficiency and toxicity are the root causes of illness. The more your body has to adapt to survive (sympathetic and adrenal stimulation), the more it breaks the body down (catabolic), which creates inflammation. Inflammation feeds inflammation. If the body sees some, it will produce more because it feels it needs to protect the body.
Another source of inflammation is free-radical production. Free radical production is a normal process of energy expenditure. When energy expenditure is increased all the time (sympathetic stimulation), this will create more free radical by-products. Free radicals rip apart tissues and even the DNA, which can cause genetic SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms).
Immune System Dysfunction: When there is an autonomic imbalance, the immune system takes a back seat for the priority of survival. The problem is that most stay in survival mode. 70-80% of your immune system resides in the gut. Poor immune health is also poor gut health. This poor gut health can be things like poor digestion (usually a lack of stomach acid). This allows proteins to make their way through the system. An unhealthy gut means a leaky gut. Proteins leak from the gut into the blood stream. The body attacks those proteins and builds antibodies against them. These antibodies can then attack other tissues and create an autoimmune environment. Antibodies create inflammation which feeds pillar #4 again.
Chronic inflammation will then be recognized as an attack and start the cycle of autonomic imbalance again. It’s a vicious cycle that often gets poorly diagnosed and managed with medications and surgery. The symptoms get suppressed but the root cause never gets addressed.
The key to the Kalus Method is to halt and repair the imbalances in these 5 pillars. The beauty is that your choices greatly affect the level of imbalances in these 5 pillars. Medication may help in an emergency situation to aid in regulating these 5 pillars but long term use only makes you “feel” better as you continue to decline in health.
Want to know more? Want to have Dr. Kurt Perkins DC CCWP come speak to YOUR group about the 5 Pillars? Learn how now…