Controlled Systems, biofeedback and you.

When I was studying mechanical engineering at Oregon State there were a couple of classes that had an ominous, foreboding reputation. Thermodynamics 2, Dynamics, and the grandaddy of them all ME 320, “CONTROLS”. In hindsight I find the topic quite interesting but at the time the class was challenging for most students. Systems Dynamics and Controls, as it’s officially called is all about how automated systems keep things going.

Above is the classic controlled system, cruise control. Through different sensors and inputs our vehicles are able to maintain a set speed. With adaptive cruise control they are even able to slow down when approaching vehicles. Here’s how I imagine the controlled systems in the human body:

It’s . . . . complicated! As it should be, there are trillions of functions being managed without conscious control. Very cool stuff. In chiropractic we obsess over the nervous system for this very reason. It’s the master control system. One of the many mechanisms we are affecting with a chiropractic adjustment is the feedback mechanisms between the joints and the central nervous system. When things don’t move that controlled system is getting bad feedback.

That’s just one small part of the nervous system! We also have controls build into hormonal balance in the endocrine system, blood pressure/vasoconstriction, blood sugar/insulin, whether muscles and bones should grow or shrink. I just discovered Dr. Michael Levin (https://www.drmichaellevin.org/) who specializes in optimizing bioelectricity to help with cancer, birth defects, and traumatic injury.

With such a complicated system medicine often defaults to simple fixes.

Common example: fever. If a fever prolongs for too long it can certainly lead to brain damage and potentially death. On the other hand that fever happens for a reason, it’s the body’s way of fighting off an infection. Is this something we need to fix? Most of the time probably not!

More controversial example: blood pressure. In the 1930s normal systolic blood pressure was 100 plus your age. For the next 8 decades up to 140 was still considered normal.

In the last few years things have shifted again. Anything above 120/80 is color coded in various stages of yellow and red. Just being between 120 and 129 lends you the label of “elevated” or “high normal”. You can’t prescribe medicine until there is a diagnosis to associate with it . . .

Here’s the truth. High blood pressure is associated with a higher mortality rate. However, the body is elevating that blood pressure for a reason. Maybe an individual has gained weight and in order to pump blood through the excess tissue more pressure is required. Maybe the liver is working double time and higher blood pressure is helping to force blood through. Dehydration. Sodium potassium imbalance (notice I didn’t just say too much salt). Caffeine. Tobacco. Inactivity (muscles help the heart to pump blood). Many root causes that will most likely not change if you just take a pill that lowers blood pressure. In essence you just put a post it note over your check engine light because it was annoying you. Maybe it’s time to pop the hood and see what’s really going on.