You have a moderately negative (Parasympathetic Dominant) Autonomic Nervous System. This will be reflected in your Metabolic Dietary Type and nutrient recommendations.
The autonomic nervous system controls most of the involuntary activities of your body. It regulates your metabolism and keeps you alive without conscious thought. It has two opposing branches; the parasympathetic and sympathetic. The parasympathetic branch (“rest and digest”) causes pupil contraction, lowering of heart rate, lowering of blood sugar, increasing of digestive secretions, and relaxing of the bladder among other things. The sympathetic branch (“fight or flight”) does the opposite. Some nutrients strengthen one branch over the other. When an imbalance exists, these nutrients can make the imbalance better or worse. Different people have different dietary requirements.
The best source of information about Metabolic Typing is The Metabolic Typing Diet by William L. Wolcott and Trish Fahey, published in 2000.
There are supplements formulated to balance the autonomic nervous system. An example of one can be found atinterclinical.com.
Signs, symptoms & indicators of Autonomic Nervous System Balance (Negative)
High systolic blood pressure
High diastolic blood pressure
Thin musculature
Counter Indicators
Thick musculature
(Very) frequent stools or normal stool frequency
Counter Indicators
(Tendency to/very) infrequent stools
Arrhythmia
Weak appetite
Infrequent eating
Counter Indicators
Frequent eating
Strong appetite
(Confirmed) delayed gastric emptying
(History of) heartburn
Counter Indicators
Absence of delayed gastric emptying
Cold sores
History of infections
Low stamina
Patient/calm disposition
Being anxious/nervous
Being highly motivated
A hard-driving personality
High spontaneity
Being easily excitable
Being an antisocial person
Counter Indicators
Being a sociable person
Being not easily excited
Low spontaneity
Being unmotivated
Rashes
Dry skin
Counter Indicators
Oily/moist skin
Unsound sleep
(Frequent) difficulty falling asleep
Conditions that suggest Autonomic Nervous System Balance (Negative)
Risk factors for Autonomic Nervous System Balance (Negative)
Angular face
Counter Indicators
Round face
History of adult allergies
History of hypoglycemia
History of adolescent acne
Key
Strong or generally accepted link | |
Weakly counter-indicative | |
Strongly counter-indicative |
Glossary
Parasympathetic
Usually Parasympathetic nervous system: Portion of the autonomic nervous system that is generally associated with increasing digestion and intestinal muscle activity; decreasing blood circulation and respiration.
Nervous System
A system in the body that is comprised of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, ganglia and parts of the receptor organs that receive and interpret stimuli and transmit impulses to effector organs.
Metabolism
The chemical processes of living cells in which energy is produced in order to replace and repair tissues and maintain a healthy body. Responsible for the production of energy, biosynthesis of important substances, and degradation of various compounds.