You’re all alone and step into a dark house.
The door slams behind you with a big rush of wind.
Hair on the back of your neck stands up and you feel your stomach start to twist into a knot.
You can feel your adrenaline pumping through your body.
Where is everyone?
A big flash of light blasts you in the face.
The lights come on and people jump out from everywhere yelling “surprise”!
You go from startled to relieved and let out a big exhale.
That’s the vagus nerve at work!
What’s crazy is that this scenario is repeating itself daily, no surprise party needed!
What?!
Yes, long term neck tension from poor posture and protruding your neck over technology builds in the cervical levels, C 4-6 of your neck.
These nerves are known as the phrenic nerve and they connect the brain to your main breathing muscle, the diaphragm.
Neck tension interferes with signaling to the diaphragm and you start to take short breaths.
Shallow breaths send messages back up to the brain that you’re under stress.
The vagus nerve sends signals to the neck, diaphragm and pelvic floor muscle to brace for a fight.
They go on lock down and so does your gut.
Less blood flow through the gut and you get…
- nausea
- acid reflux
- constipation
- gas and bloating
- toxic or fatty liver
- abdominal pain
- pelvic pain
- bladder or fecal incontinence
- gall bladder issues
No stressful event required, just chronic neck tension and possibly some pain.
Boom, just like that the hormones can be thrown off as well.
It’s not uncommon for women to have hot flashes and headaches at the same time.
Headaches happen when the body is making more cortisol in comparison to estradiol, the hormone that keeps tendons and ligaments healthy.
Chronic pain increases cortisol levels in men and women.
And because the diaphragm is connected to the low back as well as the pelvic floor, back pain is also common with a rise in cortisol.
Sacro-iliac joint pain issues are one of the most common stress related pain conditions…
…that are connected to hormone imbalances.
The longer the body drives to make cortisol the more depleted progesterone becomes.
Progesterone has the potential to de-inflame fired up nerves, especially the vagus nerve.
Dr. Krause’s Protocols
Instructions Included
Traveling soon? Looking to detox or reset your gut? Try one of Dr. Krause’s Fullscript plans.
I often give it to women and men at a higher dosage, then taper down to calm nerve inflammation, especially in cases of sciatica.
Yes, men too can benefit from a little progesterone!
But what if your biggest complaint is your digestive system function?
It’s entirely possible that your gut and the lymphatic drainage system are on lock down thanks to a tight neck, back and short breathing because of the pain!
So what can you do?
Try out a fascial release for your diaphragm and abdomen to get a deeper breath, move some lymph to detox the liver and gut a bit.
I learned this technique from Dr. Arianne Missimer from The Movement Paradigm.
Click HERE to watch her video demonstration.
Here’s the step by step break down for the diaphragm and abdomen release aka they “lymphatic pump”:
- lie down or stand up
- Use a scooping technique to hook your fingers underneath the ribcage on the left side to access the diaphragm attachment at the inside of the ribs
- Push down towards the opposite hip with your hands gently to release the diaphragm with the spleen, stomach, and pancreas.
- Repeat 10 times.
- Switch to the right side scooping under the ribs with your fingers to release the liver and gallbladder
- Repeat 10 times.
- Come into the center of the abdomen half way between the bottom of the sternum and belly button.
- Press your fingers down into the abdomen with the knuckles touching.
- When you Inhale relax the hands and when you exhale push in with your fingers with a pumping motion.
- This helps pump the lymphatic system to increase blood flow and toxin release from the area.
- No need to be aggressive, just intentional.
- Repeat 10 reps
- Do this daily x 2 weeks then decrease to 3x a week
- Once you’ve gone through a series here see how the pelvis and neck feel.
If there’s still tension consider a mobility session for the neck and pelvic floor release prior to the lymphatic pump and see how you do.
The take-a-way is that sometimes neck tension combined with blocked abdominal and pelvic blood and lymph flow can interfere with achieving hormone balance.
This is especially the case when you’ve tried a lot of things and are not having success with putting the hormones in check.
And when you have a pretty chill life, minimal stressors and you can’t figure out why your body wants to stay in fight or flight mode!
Always go back to the tension and restricted blood flow as the source for the stress!
This Thursday July 20th 6p PST – FREE MASTERCLASS with me!
I’m presenting on achieving Hormonal Harmony & Rejuvenating Your Youthful Glow without breaking the bank on procedures, pills or potions.
Zoom details below:
Topic: Hormone Harmony Masterclass
Time: Jul 20, 2023 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82072589920?pwd=SUZuTU9Fc01zTWtOMTA3V3JaYzdKdz09
Meeting ID: 820 7258 9920
Passcode: 074173
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kd9A87OAma
Here’s to your health,
Dr. J
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