Fight-or-Flight Response / Notes From The Workshop

Notes from the Workshop: 22nd December 2021

Normal Blood Pressure Returns!

The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

Summary: After a thorough investigation, the author’s GP confirmed her blood pressure was normal at 109/68, dispelling her hypertension scare. However, adopting a morning walking routine during this scare has been a positive change that she’ll continue. All blood tests, including cortisol, were normal, challenging the author’s theories on cortisol’s role in diabetes. More mysteries to explore.

I have an update on my blood pressure.  I wrote here about how my diabetologist diagnosed me with hypertension.

I went to my GP and had a more thorough investigation undertaken.  I wore a blood pressure monitor for 24 hours, whilst exercising and resting and everything in between.  It turns out that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with my blood pressure!  My average blood pressure was 109/68.

Interestingly though, whilst going through this health scare, I adopted the habit of walking every morning…  And I kinda like it so I’m going to keep it up!  I think maybe God has intended this to be the outcome.  Who knows…?!  He has filled me in on his plan!!

My GP also ran a series of blood tests, including a full blood count, folate, cortisol, creatinine, sodium, potassium, ferritin. vitamin D and TSH.  All of my readings were completely normal!  So, for a chronically ill person, I’m pretty healthy!!

My normal cortisol reading leaves me with questions.  It kind of throws a bit of a spanner into my fight-flight theory of diabetes!  I started wondering whether it’s not the amount of cortisol being produced that is a problem but some other part of the cortisol system.  I found this study that showed how Type 2 diabetics had normal cortisol production but cortisol is still high in the human body.  That suggests a problem with the way cortisol is processed.  An interesting thought for now.

Bye for now!

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    Picture of Natalie Leader
    Natalie Leader

    Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

    The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
    Recent Comments:
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    December 22, 2021
    Read more about the article Notes from the Workshop: 22nd December 2021
    Emotional Wellbeing / Fight-or-Flight Response / Releasing Suppressed Emotions

    Osteopathy Turns The Freeze Response To Flight!

    How Trauma Theory Informs This Response

    The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

    healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

    Summary:  After her initial osteopathy session revealed a freeze response, the author returned for a follow-up to find her body had shifted to a flight response. Surprised at the quick transition, the author reflected on trauma experts like Peter Levine and Babette Rothschild, exploring how these theories highlight how fight-flight-freeze responses impact health.

    I discussed in my blog post here about my first osteopathy appointment, where my osteopath found that my body was in a freeze response. 

    Now, I have returned for a follow-up appointment with my osteopath and have found that my body has shifted into a flight response!  My predictions in my blog post were right… I postulated that my freeze response would turn into a fight/flight response when it thawed!!

    I have to say that I was shocked at how quick it was for my body to shift from one state to the other.  Of  course, in normal life  and health, the human body switches between the fight-flight response and the rest-repair response with ease.  However, I now realise that I had expected something different from my body…  I thought it would just be stuck in one mode forever.  That I somehow had a broken switch, stuck forever in an activated sympathetic nervous system.  It would appear that that is not the case.  My body can heal whenever it wants.

    Peter Levine: Trauma Is A Physiological Response

    This transition in my sympathetic nervous system brought to mind for me the work of two trauma experts.  The first was the work of Peter Levine, PhD.  Peter Levine is a trauma specialist who works with the bodily responses of clients who have experienced traumatic events.  He is interested in the physiological process that animals undergo as a result of traumatic events and how this information can be used to heal unresolved trauma in clients.    He argues that an unresolved trauma response, which is what I suspect Type 1 Diabetes is, can only be completed when the body is enabled to complete the normal physiological response to trauma.  

    This video is Peter Levine explaining in his own words how this may take place….

    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zsp4iRAGtc

    Babette Rothschild: Hierarchy Of Trauma Responses

    The second trauma expert that came to mind for me was Babette Rothschild.   Babette is a trained psychotherapist and body psychotherapist based in the United States.  Like Peter Levine, she specialises in the field of trauma and particularly on the bodily responses to it.  She has written an excellent book called ‘The Body Remembers‘, which I found incredibly useful when processing the disabling overwhelm of early bodily trauma.  

    In her second book, ‘The Body Remembers Volume 2: Revolutionizing Trauma Treatment‘, Babette outlines a model for understanding the different physiological responses to trauma – fight, flight, freeze – and places them relative to each other in scale.  (You can see a diagram of this scale, entitled ‘Autonomic Nervous System : Precision Regulation‘ on her website, somatictraumatherapy.com).

    What is important for me in Babette’s scale is that the freeze response is recognised as a greater response of the sympathetic nervous system than the fight-flight response.  So this supports the finding of my osteopath that, following treatment with her, my system down-regulated itself from a freeze response to a fight-flight response.

    My Body’s Response To The Flight Responses

    I am now wondering about the hypertension that my diabetologist has just diagnosed me with (see my post here on that).  I saw him for my appointment just two days after I had my osteopath appointment.  Was the high blood pressure just a temporary result of my body shifting from a freeze response to a more enlivened fight-flight response?  When the sympathetic nervous system triggers a fight-flight response, a series of hormones are released that trigger a raise in heart rate, breathing rate and, yes, blood pressure!

    I have booked an appointment with my General Practitioner to talk this through and explore whether or not I have a blood pressure issue.  Let’s find out if this is a fight-flight reaction or an actual health concern.  I’ll let you know what happens!

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      Picture of Natalie Leader
      Natalie Leader

      Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

      The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
      Recent Comments:
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      December 6, 2021
      Read more about the article Osteopathy Turns The Freeze Response To Flight!
      Exercise / Fight-or-Flight Response / Physical Wellbeing / Relaxation

      Walking It Out

      Improving Blood Pressure, Cortisol Levels and Enhancing Vitamin D

      The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

      Summary: Diagnosed with hypertension, the author adopted daily walks as advised. Andrew Weil’s insights on walking’s benefits resonated, especially its role in regulating the nervous system crucial for her Type 1 Diabetes journey. Besides lowering blood pressure and cortisol, it enhances Vitamin D levels naturally. Walking has truly become a pivotal part of the author’s healing path.

      I spoke in my post here about my hypertension diagnosis.  My doctor then advised me to walk every day.  This has now become a part of my daily life.

      healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

      Dr Andrew Weil , author of many books – including ‘Spontaneous Healing’ (1995) – states that ‘human beings are meant to walk’.  I am inclined to agree with him because of the many benefits it yields.

      What Are The Benefits Of Walking?

      The benefits of walking are numerous!   Of the numerous benefits, some really stand out for me as being beneficial to healing my T1D…

      1. Nervous System Regulation

      Andrew Weil (1995) argues that walking harmonises the whole nervous system.  I believe that this harmonisation is crucial in healing the fight-flight-freeze response that I believe is, or results from, Type 1 Diabetes (see my post here for more on this).

      2. Reduced Blood Pressure

      This is a big one for me right now and a huge motivator for getting out the door every morning!  (However, I also found this study that questions the quality of the research proving it.)

      3. Reduced Cortisol Levels

      Walking reduces cortisol levels.  Sustained high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) can lead to a range of health issues, including anxiety, depression, sleep problems and weight gain.  For Type 1 Diabetes, increased cortisol can also lead to elevated blood glucose readings.  Walking for just 20 minutes is enough to reduce these cortisol levels.

      4. Improved Vitamin D Levels

      If you walk outsie, you also gain from more exposure to the sun.  This will enable your body to increase production of Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining health in Type 1 Diabetes, as I discussed in my blog posts here.

      Getting Started

      Walking is a perfect exercise choice for many reasons.  It is easy to do.  You just need yourself and a good pair of shoes!  You do not need to learn anything new to do it.  It costs nothing.  You can do it anywhere – outside in an urban area or in nature, inside on a treadmill or even in circles in your own home!  There is little chance of injury (just avoid snow and ice!).

      You should walk at a brisk pace.  The pace should be fast enough to get your breathing harder but not so hard that you can no longer hold a conversation.  

      The British Journal of Sports Medicine states that a suitable pace of at least 100 steps per minutes is ideal.  If you do not wish to count steps whilst walking, a pedometer or fitness tracker can do this for you.

      Walking has now become the next step (pun intended!!) in my healing journey.  Let’s see where it takes me!

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        Picture of Natalie Leader
        Natalie Leader

        Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

        The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
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        November 22, 2021
        Read more about the article Walking It Out
        Emotional Wellbeing / Fight-or-Flight Response / Releasing Suppressed Emotions

        It’s The Freeze Response!!

        Osteopathy Provides Answers

        The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

        healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

        Summary: After her first osteopathy session, she experienced profound insights about my body’s freeze response. Osteopathy, a holistic therapy, gently manipulates the body to enhance wellbeing. Despite initial uncertainty during the session, the author felt deeply relaxed afterward, akin to a therapeutic process. Exploring the freeze response’s role in her Type 1 Diabetes journey revealed intriguing possibilities for healing.

        I had my very first osteopathy appointment this week.  And the information I gained about my body was INCREDIBLE!!!

        What Is Osteopathy?

        Osteopathy is a complementary therapy that can be used alongside more usual Western medical treatments to increase the health of a person.  It can treat issues in the nervous system, the circulatory system and the lymphatic system.

        Osteopathy is a hands-on treatment that is both drug-free and non-invasive.  Osteopaths use their hands to manipulate the joints, muscles and spine of a patient to improve functioning and wellbeing.

        Osteopathy understands the body holistically, as a mind-body-soul system.  All systems of the body are understood as interrelated.

        My Experience Of Osteopathy

        Osteopathy definitely needs to be identified as an alternative therapy.  I found it be wholly relaxing, lying on my back on a massage table as my osteopath proceeded to place her hands softly on various parts of my anatomy.  To be honest, most of the time I was even unsure if anything effective was being undertaken!  There was no manipulation of my joints or muscles.  

        I wasn’t even sure if anything was being done… Until I finished the treatment!  At the end, I felt exhausted and a bit dizzy.  I spent the rest of my day simply relaxing and resting on the sofa.  I felt like I had undergone a really intensive energy process, not dissimilar to the feeling I have got from an emotionally-intensive psychotherapy session.

        Making Sense Of The Freeze Response

        From the moment my osteopath put her hands on my feet, she told me  with absolute certainty that I was in a freeze response.  I was instantaneously fascinated!  It was the piece of the puzzle that I was missing at this point in my healing journey.

        I had been oscillating between conceptualising Type 1 Diabetes as a fight response and then as a freeze response and then back again.  In my article on the fight-or-flight response, I discussed how I believed Type 1 Diabetes was a chronic fight-or-flight response brought on by traumatic experiences.  At the time of writing that article, I had been suspecting that T1D was most likely to be a chronic fight response.  This hunch came from my observations, and personal experience, of the high level of anger and rage that diabetics  exhibit, as well as the terminology that is often used to describe the condition… ‘Diabetes is a daily battle’ or ‘Winning the fight against diabetes’.

        However, in this article, I did also touch on how I felt that the fight-or-flight response became chronic because the person experiencing the trauma had no opportunity to process it.  And this would be where the freeze response comes in.  If the body has no outlet to process it, the experience has no option but to remain stored in the system, creating a chronic freeze state.

        Evidence Of A Freeze Response…?

        When the body goes into a ‘freeze response’, a series of physiological changes cascade through the body.  As I have thought about my body and the symptoms it has been exhibiting, I have concluded that my osteopath’s conclusion is most likely correct.  I do seem to exhibit a wide range of ‘freeze’ symptoms…

        Unthawing The Freeze Response…?

        My osteopath feels that she can shift my freeze response within two to three sessions.  To be honest, I feel skeptical right now that that is possible so I will wait to see what happens with that.

        Another thought that is still nagging at my mind now that I know my body is  in a freeze response comes about when I think about Daniel Darkes.  Daniel is an ultra-marathon runner.  One of the more usual responses to a threat is the flight response – running for your life.  So, if I am in a freeze response, like my osteopath is suggesting, and if I am therefore extrapolating correctly that T1D is an extended, chronic freeze response,  how did Daniel cure his T1D by using a flight response?? 

        The only thing that I am wondering about is whether healing from T1D might be a staged approach.  I suspect that, as you unfreeze from a freeze response, your body will then want to complete the unfinished fight-or-flight response.  For example, a deer in the wild that has collapsed in a freeze response in front of a predator, will want to awaken and spring to life at the first opportunity then run away.  If that is the case, I would expect to see a change in my physiology resulting from my osteopathic treatment, which exhibits more fight or flight responses.  I’ll keep you posted on that!

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          Picture of Natalie Leader
          Natalie Leader

          Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

          The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
          Recent Comments:
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          November 8, 2021
          Read more about the article It’s The Freeze Response!!
          Fight-or-Flight Response / Releasing Suppressed Emotions

          Cortisol: The ‘Stress’ Hormone

          Can Cortisol Actually Induce Healing?

          The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

          healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

          Summary: The author explores exercise-induced cortisol levels and their impact on T1D healing, influenced by an article from Shape. It discusses cases of spontaneous remission linked to stress-induced cortisol spikes, suggesting a potential mechanism akin to Peter Levine’s stress cycle theory. This hypothesis prompts consideration of re-enacting past traumas for healing benefits.

          Since writing my post on the fight-or-flight response, I have come across an article that has further developed my understanding and thoughts around this…!  It all started when I was musing about what form of exercise I wanted to select as part of my healing process.  I like doing weight training but I always come away from my sessions feeling pumped up and ready to fight or punch someone.  It made me think about how I might be encouraging the fight-or-flight response in my system.  Therefore, I wasn’t sure that that feeling was inducive to my healing.  So I started Googling to see what I could learn about this.  One of the articles I came across was this article in Shape.  It reassured me that the cortisol from my gym workouts were not going to be troublesome to the health of my body or to my healing.

          This article, though, also mentioned the risk of high cortisol levels from ultra-marathon running (which Daniel Darkes does) and from CrossFit (which Johan Kotze does).  That peaked my interest!  So do elevated cortisol levels somehow help in healing T1D?

          I looked to see if this idea could be seen in the other cases of spontaneous remissions I discussed in my post here.  I got stuck when it came to the case of the 32-year-old female who spontaneously healed from T1D whilst detained in prison.  It was only when I talked this through with a friend who also has T1D that it landed for me…  My friend pointed out that this woman was likely to have been under a lot of stress in a prison environment and without the supply of insulin she needed to keep alive.  So, again, elevated cortisol levels appear to heal not harm!

          My friend and I then wondered why elevated cortisol might be useful in healing T1D.  This idea brought me straight back to the work of Peter Levine (see my post here for more information on that).  Perhaps Daniel, Johan and the unnamed 32-year-old female all healed their Type 1 diabetes by elevating their cortisol levels back to the way they were at the time of diagnosis and then this time were able to complete the stress cycle in a healthy way.  This is much like Peter Levine describes.  In other words, they took their bodies back to the same condition it was in when T1D arrived but this time gave a route to healing instead.  It’s only a hypothesis and I suspect it may be difficult to prove but the idea seems to sit well with the case studies and my own intuitive feel.  It is making me think about, from here, how I may also safely re-enact my early life traumatic experiences and lead them towards a better outcome this time.

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            Picture of Natalie Leader
            Natalie Leader

            Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

            The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
            Recent Comments:
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            August 16, 2021
            Read more about the article Cortisol: The ‘Stress’ Hormone
            Emotional Wellbeing / Fight-or-Flight Response / Mind-Body Medicine / Releasing Suppressed Emotions

            Fight-or-Flight Response

            Considering Type 1 Diabetes As A Prolonged Fight-Or-Flight Response

            The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

            healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

            Summary: The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction to perceived threat, which activates the sympathetic nervous system for survival. Could ongoing activation of this response be linked to Type 1 Diabetes? Exploring trauma as a cause, the author considers if unresolved stress may perpetuate this response, hindering healing unless discharged through physical release or other means.

            What Is The Fight-Or-Flight Response?

            The fight-or-flight response is a name given to a multifaceted automatic physiological response to real or perceived threat.  This stressful, alarming or frightening situation leads the body to deactivate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating the body’s rest and digestion responses.  In its place, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is activated.  This results in a cascade of bodily changes, which include increased respiration, increased heart rate, increased hormonal production and decreased digestion.  These changes prepare the body to fight or flee from the perceived danger.  This danger can be real or perceived as real and can be physical or emotional in nature.  Any perceived threat will kick the parasympathetic nervous system into life.  Then, once the danger has passed, the system is re-regulated by the sympathetic nervous system, with rest and digestion resuming.

            Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems consist of a series of nerves that are connected via the spinal cord.  From the spinal cord, these nerves feed into a series of organs in the body.  Interestingly, functions of the pancreas are regulated by the opposing effects of both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems with both having an effect on insulin production in the beta cells.  The parasympathetic nervous system stimulates insulin secretion.  By contrast, the sympathetic nervous system shuts down insulin production, in order to ensure higher levels of glucose are available in the body in order to facilitate a fight/flight response.  

            Defining Trauma

            I think, before I go on, I need to make it clear what I mean by ‘trauma’.  I like to use Bessel van der Kolk’s definition of trauma as being any ‘inescapable stressful event that overwhelms [the individual’s] existing coping mechanisms’ [1].  Sounds like moments in life with diabetes to me!  For the purposes of this discussion, trauma can include both the huge, life-altering experiences of war or natural disasters, as well as the smaller, insidious traumas of neglect or the loss of a loved one or potentially the daily infractions against the body of medical interventions, such as those used for Type 1 Diabetes.

            healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

            Can Trauma Be The (Ongoing) Cause of Type 1 Diabetes?

            I am starting to wonder whether Type 1 Diabetes may be the result of a triggered fight-or-flight response that has never reset itself.  This triggered response would switch off insulin production and raise blood sugar levels to facilitate escape or a fight.  However, if the body then does not realise or learn that it is now safe again, this fight/flight response will just continue and Type 1 Diabetes occurs.  So could Type 1 Diabetes in fact be an ongoing trauma response for a trauma that has never been fully processed?

            Across the years, I have talked to a number of Type 1 Diabetics and asked them their stories of developing diabetes.  What was going on in their lives at that time?  Again and again, I have heard them say that they suffered a loss, an abandonment, isolation and/or anger.  I heard them say how the person they relied on was no longer there, perhaps due to death or a change of circumstances.  Did these losses trigger a fear response, a fight-or-flight response in their systems?  If the person they relied on was no longer there, they would have had no one to process this through with.  They would have had no way to discharge this response and reset their bodies into using the parasympathetic nervous system.  Their trauma story gets stuck in their bodies and is perpetuated on a daily basis with a ‘diabetic response’ – the continuous and repeated activation of diabetes in the body.

            Completing The Fight-Or-Flight Cycle…?

            I am wondering if the way out of this continuously evoked fight-or-flight response is to find a way to fully discharged it.  If it is pent up in the body, it needs releasing.  Dr Peter Levine, author of ‘Waking The Tiger: Healing Trauma‘ [2], writes about how animals discharge the fight-or-flight response by vibrating, twitching, and lightly trembling.  This sensation spreads throughout the body from the head to the toes and, in the process, resets the system to a resting state.  Dr Levine goes on to discuss how, like animals, humans have instinctual power to heal that just needs tapping.  The question is….  How?

            My mind is going to Daniel Darkes as I write this.  He is an ultra-marathon runner.  Did he manage to discharge the trauma response from his system, and thereby restore his pancreatic functioning, by enacting the flight response through is running? If running does it, do other forms of exercise that stimulate similar levels of movement (swimming and cycling, for example) also provide the body with this flight response?  As yet, I don’t know so, for now, I will sit with the question!

            References:

            [1] van der Kolk, B. A. (1996).  Trauma and memory.  In: A. C. McFarlane, L. Weisaeth, & B. van der Kolk (Eds.), Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society.  (pp. 279-302).  New York: Guildford Press.

            [2] Levine, P. A., & Frederick, A. (1997).  Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.  Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.

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              Picture of Natalie Leader
              Natalie Leader

              Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

              The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
              Recent Comments:
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              July 26, 2021
              Read more about the article Fight-or-Flight Response
              Fight-or-Flight Response / Taking Control of My Health

              NEWSFLASH!

              The Fight-Flight Response Is Connected To Beta Cell Creation And Destruction

              The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.

              healing curing type 1 diabetes naturally

              Summary:  Recent research confirms a link between the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and pancreatic beta cell function in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), validating the impact of stress and distress on beta cell destruction and regeneration. Addressing chronic stress and promoting relaxation may potentially aid beta cell regeneration in T1D management.

              The Relationship Between The Autonomic Nervous System And The Pancreas

              Wow, wow, wow!  I have just come across a research article that has blown my mind and I just had to share it with you!

              I found an article in the scientific literature that has confirmed a hunch I have about the development (and maintenance) of Type 1 Diabetes.  The article is entitled ‘Relationships between the Autonomic Nervous System and the Pancreas including Regulation of Regeneration and Apoptosis: Recent Developments’.  It can be found in the  journal ‘Pancreas’ (find the article here) . Fun title, eh?!  Haha!

              First, just a quick glossary for those that need it (like I did about ten minutes ago!!):

              Regeneration = creation of new cells

              Apoptosis = cell death

              What is so amazing for me about this article is that it has confirmed to me for the first time in the scientific literature that there is a link between the fight-or-flight response of the autonomic nervous system and the creation and destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.  MY INTUITION WAS RIGHT!! As I suspected…  

              Therefore, I am right to believe that sufficient trauma can result in destruction of insulin-producing cells, which would result in the development of T1D.  Then, if the body gets stuck in a fight-or-flight response – either it doesn’t process that the trauma has passed OR the trauma is ongoing or chronic – the status of T1D is maintained in the body.  

              In other words, the body continually tells the pancreatic cells to stayed destroyed and not be regenerated because the autonomic nervous system is saying that there is something dangerous out there that the body needs to be ready for.  So now the question becomes…  If I find a way to tell the body (and mind and soul) that the threat is over and I am now safe, will the pancreas then regenerate beta cells and thus start producing insulin again?

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                Natalie Leader

                Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie's special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical 'knowledge' and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

                The content of the HealingT1D website is for educational and information purposes only.  It does not contain medical advice. The contents of this website are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please always consult with your doctor, physician, or other qualified healthcare professional before making any adjustments to your routine or healthcare regime.  HealingT1D and all associated with it will not be held liable for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.
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                May 27, 2021
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