Metabolic System

Introduction

The role of the Nervous System

The.

Where is the Nervous System

The .

Healthy function of the Nervous System

As an example,

Malfunction of the Nervous System

In a healthy body, str

Downward loop (dysregulation → inflammation)

It typically goes like this:

1. Stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or hormonal imbalance

2. This pushes the body into emergency physiology
   → blood sugar becomes less stable
   → cortisol and adrenaline favour quick fuel (glucose)

3. The brain and immune system ask for fast energy
   → sugar and carb cravings increase

4. More glucose spikes + crashes
   → more inflammatory signalling, more oxidative stress

5. Inflammation worsens insulin sensitivity and leptin signalling
   → the body feels even less nourished and more alarmed

6. Gut barrier, hormones, energy and immune regulation worsen further
   → cravings and inflammation amplify each other

So yes: dysregulation can literally create cravings, which feed the inflammation that caused the dysregulation in the first place.

Mechanisms for Returning to Homeostasis

So now that we understand at a basic level how

Upward loop (regulation → reduced inflammation)

When the system starts shifting toward balance, the loop reverses:

1. Better sleep, lower stress, steadier nourishment, less inflammation

2. Blood sugar stabilises and stress hormones soften

3. The brain stops demanding emergency fuel
   → cravings naturally reduce

4. Fewer glucose spikes = lower inflammatory signalling

5. Insulin and leptin sensitivity improve
   → the body actually registers nourishment again

6. The gut barrier, immune regulation and energy metabolism improve further
   → even less inflammation, even fewer cravings

So healing also becomes a self-reinforcing cycle, but in the other direction.

Insulin and leptin link nutrient availability to inflammation; resistance to either maintains cytokine output.

• Cortisol and thyroid hormones regulate mitochondrial efficiency.

Supporting those Mechanisms