The Sympathetic Nervous System in Western and Eastern Medicine: Microcirculation Does Make a Difference

Abstract

Characteristics of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) develop from embryological relationships. Embryology, neurology, pain medicine, cardiovascular medicine and, of course. Eastern Medicine, provide insight into these characteristics. The embryological ectoderm grows and develops into tissues that then, become distributed throughout the body. Dunng the course of development, afferent sympathetic nerves, i.e. C-fibers, spread out with the integument and end up occurring in the surface layers of the skin, around blood vessels, on the surface of other nerves, intertwined in internal organs, and along the tissue planes, basically all through the interstitial ground substance of the body. Referred pain patterns, which are usually non-dermatomal, results, at least in part, from sympathetic C-fiber pathway mechanisms cephalad of the stimulated peripheral C-fiber nerve endings. Efferent sympathetic fibers, i.e. unmyelinated motor fibers, go to primitive body organs, such as die heart GI tract, etc. as well as to arterioles. Nerve signals along these efferent fibers, thus, control microcirculation throughout the body; then, obviously, subtie nerve signal changes, plus or minus, to the arterioles can change local tissue environment and thus, local tissue and organ health. These efferent SNS fibers communicate with other cellular systems, e.g. fibroblasts and immune cells, also. Clinically, Eastern medicine has specifically identified and used points and areas related to internal organs and other parts of the body to treat human physical problems for centuries.