Diagnosing Imbalances
How does one know if their imbalance is toward the sympathetic or
parasympathetic sides?
Knowing
the duties of each, the symptoms
one is presented with is the first
clue. There also some simple challenge tests that can reveal one’s ANS
status. For example, the color red
stimulates the sympathetic system.
If one looks through a red film and
it weakens their nervous system as
exhibited by muscle testing, chances
are good they are on sympathetic
overload. Conversely, the color blue
stimulates the parasympathetic system. If weakness occurs while looking through a blue film, they are
dominant on the parasympathetic
side. Another simple challenge test
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is to have the person take a deep
breath in and hold it and monitor
for reflexive changes, which would
display as a postural shift, or again
a muscle test could be done. Once
this imbalance is revealed, treatments become more obvious and
can be tailored that would inhibit the
dominate side and excite the weaker
side. There are degrees of severity of imbalances. Questionnaires
could also be utilized. Years ago Dr.
William Kelley, who did much of the
pioneering work on ANS imbalances,
developed extensive questionnaires.
He identified ten different states of
imbalance.