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By Phillip Low, MD, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic
The autonomic nervous system controls internal body processes such as the following:
Blood pressure
Heart and breathing rates
Body temperature
Digestion
Metabolism (thus affecting body weight)
The balance of water and electrolytes (such as sodium and calcium)
The production of body fluids (saliva, sweat, and tears)
Urination
Defecation
Sexual response
Many organs are controlled primarily by either the sympathetic or the parasympathetic division.
Sometimes the two divisions have opposite effects on the same organ. For example, the sympathetic division increases blood pressure, and the parasympathetic division decreases it.
Overall, the two divisions work together to ensure that the body responds appropriately to different situations.
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My two cents: Ptsd upsets this balance as our sympathetic nervous system fires our fight or flight mechanism over and over. Real danger never arrived during all my fight or flight episodes.
It must of been many mirages, even spécial agent Gibbs from NCIS could not survive this much danger.
Our breath has great influence, a great power to calm the body, using the parasympathetic nervous system.
As always, I encourage everyone to learn to meditate, it helps all aspects of our emotional wellbeing in a positive way.
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PTSD - A Way Out.com 