Nervous System Sensitization

**Nate** · #1 07-15-2010, 09:04 AM

Nervous System Sensitization
Christina Lasich, MD

Monday, July 12, 2010

"What is the nervous system designed to do? Nerves make the arms and legs move. Nerves make the heart beat and the lungs breathe. Ultimately, the entire nervous system is designed to keep the body alive. That is its most primal function. If a lion is chasing, the body runs. If the hand touches something hot, it jerks away. Just like a built-in alarm system, this system of nerves will alert the body to danger and trigger automatic protective responses. Normally, this system works beautifully and life is preserved well into adulthood.

However, in some cases, this alarm system goes haywire. For example, some people are born with the inability to feel pain, a condition called the congenital insensitivity to pain. That condition is not a blessing, but a curse that leads to insurmountable body damage and a premature death. The nervous system can go haywire in other ways too. What happens if this alarm system is too sensitive? Now instead of feeling no pain, one is left to feel too much pain. Just like a car alarm system that triggers anytime the wind blows, an overly sensitive nervous system can lead to false alarms and alarms that never turn off. Scientists have studied the process that leads to an overly sensitive nervous system and have called it nervous system sensitization..."

Click on the link for the full article:
http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/27148/115887/nervous?ic=506011

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode