We are one nerve

There have been quite a few workshops, seminars/lectures, and appointments that I have attended over the past few years that have changed and shaped how I view the human body.

What does that even mean?!?! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well, for starters, it means that:

I learned this in a workshop! And I definitely have mentioned it before….though it is worth repeating because this is one of those things that can get us stuck and searching in the wrong places for answers!

So, the symptoms (pain/discomfort) we feel, in the location that we feel them? It’s rarely where the actual issue is coming from – – because the real problem area often has ZERO pain, since it normally passes it’s calamity on to other tissues of the body.

Seriously, this concept is HUGE!! And we are definitely a society that dives into and scrutinizes over the symptom (first and relentlessly) before recognizing that the entire body plays a role in everything we are doing, thinking, and feeling. 100% of the time.

I wasn’t aware of these things before, that’s for sure. I used to look at the body compartmentally. When the foot hurts, it’s a foot issue, and when the shoulder hurts, it’s a shoulder issue. And that isn’t the case 90% of the time, (or MORE!!!)

If there was no stubbed toe incident…..😛……my foot could hurt because my upper body is off and leaning, so I’m constantly putting more pressure on one side of my body without realizing it. Compensations are super stealth!!!!! 🥷 Like a ninja!!

And my shoulder could hurt because my hips are imbalanced, which directly affects the positioning of their upstairs neighbors: the shoulders. OR the answers could be found in multiple places of the body due to a build-up of many compensations over the years.

And once we can actually look at the body as one entire piece and not this breakdown of many isolated and disconnected pieces, then things make A LOT more sense!!!!!!!!! And we gain clarity, insight, and way more awareness about what our bodies are doing and therefore what they may need to feel better.

The short & sweet version: We get answers about our own bodies that actually HELP in a longer-lasting way because we’re going after the actual cause of the symptom(s) in the first place!!!

I can go on for a WHILE on this topic, as you can tell, so I will put a pin 📌 in this for now! It’s a life-changer, I promise you!!!! Do your very best to tend to any pain/discomfort symptoms you are experiencing, while ALSO staying open-minded and remembering that those symptoms could be coming from ANYWHERE. You know, like from a non-painful place that actually “feels fine.”

Next, I learned at a seminar/lecture, that the body has NO IDEA what a “triceps muscle” is or a “stomach” or a “big toe.” WE, as humans, have identified and named these muscles, structures, organs, body parts…..however, our brain and body just know that everything from head to toe runs as a unit AND relies on every piece working together as a unit. PERIOD.

Which means that everything in our body has a specific job (or lots of jobs) to do. And if one body part or one organ or one system in the body is hindered and slacking on their job, the others ALWAYS pick up the slack (not their designated job(s)) and therefore the body starts to move off track, break down bit by bit, and create chaos somewhere (anywhere!) in the body.

IT’S ALL CONNECTED!! And the question that we need to keep asking is “why?” Kinda like a toddler! 😉

Because when the “triceps” hurts, it can’t just be at the triceps. It’s impossible because the triceps muscle is connected to the lower arm as well as the shoulder….and the shoulder is connected to the pecs and the upper back…..and the pecs and upper back are connected to the neck and abdominals …..and on and on…….do you see what I mean? It’s impossible to only have an issue at the triceps muscle because the whole body is connected by fascia and overlapping muscle – – each relying on each other to perform their jobs.

AND beyond the muscular associations, within that triceps muscle, there is blood flow, lymph flow, oxygen transfers in the cells….so, if something is off with one of those items, ANYWHERE IN THE BODY, it can result in pain, or an alert, anywhere it chooses, like at the triceps muscle!!

The body is one machine and the names of each part doesn’t matter!!!! Each part needs the other parts to function and function well. Again, that’s why finding answers for mystery symptoms requires us to look at the whole body and ask “WHY is pain showing up where it is?” Reminding ourselves that there are no such things as isolated injuries – – for example, like a painful triceps muscle meaning an issue ONLY at the triceps muscle!! It doesn’t work like that!!

Finally, and this one I learned recently, like 2-3 weeks ago, the brain and body never forget ANYTHING.

Did you have your tonsils out when you were a kid? Yup, that was traumatic and your body remembers it. Did you have a conversation with someone that really bothered you and it replays over and over in your head? No matter how long ago? Yeah, those feelings can be stored in the body and create tightness and mobility issues, (like in the triceps muscle from the previous example!!😉), even years later, because the body never forgets.

And did you ever have a cavity filled from when you were 12 years old and it’s messing with your nervous system now, decades later?!?!?!?! Oh yeah, this one is ME!!! 😱

I just found out that my filled tooth, from one cavity that I had taken care of at 12 years old, (so, a loooooong time ago…) is creating issues for my legs. And when I grit my teeth on the left side, at that tooth, it actually shuts down the muscles of my legs and I lose a little activation and control!!!!!!!!! How crazy is that?!?!?! 🦷

Talk about a major issue that could create a serious knee injury for me (again) if I wasn’t aware of it!! Like, if I was trying to work on something challenging, like jumps, and I just happened to grit my teeth as I was focusing. That would NOT be the time for my legs to stop working well, you know???

I bring this up because there are things that we have gone through in our past that feels like ancient history. And it is! HOWEVER, the brain and the body have this ability to store memories and emotions, making certain events a part of our make-up, even if we have long forgotten about them.

And much like how the body has no ability to decipher its parts and all those names that we use, the very same goes for the nerves that run throughout our bodies and muscles. These nerves that make movement and communication within the body possible. AND, therefore……

We are one nerve!!!!!! One nerve that breaks off into millions (or even trillions!!) of branches within the body from top to bottom and side to side. Again, the names of each nerve doesn’t matter. They all feed into and out of one continuous nerve line throughout the body.

And this “we are one nerve” concept is REAL. Like for me, an issue with any nerves in our teeth, for example, can create pain, mobility issues, and muscle control issues anywhere in the body!!! Even if it seems impossible for one tooth to have ANYTHING to do with leg issues, it absolutely can!! 🤯 Which means that a nerve issue in some random place (where there is no pain or signs of issues) can be contributing to symptoms that are elsewhere in the body.

AND SO, all this to say: please be so careful when dealing with symptoms of the body! The body is doing it’s very best to serve us and keep us alive. And pain and discomfort are signals to us that the body needs a change and requires some assistance with SOMETHING. It doesn’t tell us exactly what or where the issue lies.

Keep the eyes open, continue to ask WHY, and be open to answers that may seem unlikely and even ridiculous – – remember the body works in mysterious ways and it, in no way, shape, or form, has an obligation to make sense to us!!!

And ALWAYS VIEW THE BODY AS ONE UNIT. Understanding that and how we are one nerve and how fascia and overlapped muscles link the whole body together…….will change the way you perceive your own body, 100%. And also get you those actual answers that make a lasting difference when signs of pain or discomfort appear.

It’s really amazing, you know. The body never forgets AND everything is connected. You are one miraculous and remarkable being!!!!!!!!!!!! 😍 And don’t you forget it!! Talk to you next time! 💖✨💖✨