Why Nervous System Regulation is a Missing Link in Healing Chronic Illness

As a nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner, it often surprises people to learn that a significant part of my work with clients involves nervous system regulation.

You can have the best diet in the world and a carefully considered, targeted supplement protocol—but these strategies can only go so far when the root issue is immune dysregulation driven by an unresolved Cell Danger Response (CDR).

What Is the Cell Danger Response?

The Cell Danger Response, a concept introduced by Dr. Robert Naviaux, is a protective metabolic state that the body enters when it encounters infection, toxins, chronic stress, or trauma.

In this state:

• Cells reduce communication with each other

• Metabolism shifts from growth and repair to defence

• Healing is put on hold while the body prioritises survival

In a healthy system, this response resolves once the perceived threat is gone. But in many chronic illnesses—including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and mould-related illness—the body can become stuck in this survival mode.

What Happens When the CDR Doesn't Resolve?

When the Cell Danger Response fails to turn off:

• The limbic system remains hyper-vigilant

• The immune system stays inflamed and dysregulated

• The autonomic nervous system favours fight, flight, or freeze responses

• The body begins to misinterpret everyday stimuli as threats, even in the absence of real danger

These changes can lead to persistent symptoms, even after the original infection, injury, or toxin exposure has resolved.

Where Nervous System Regulation Comes In

You cannot eat, supplement, or medicate your way out of a stuck Cell Danger Response. The body must receive signals of safety in order to shift back into a state of healing and repair.

This is where nervous system regulation and brain retraining practices are essential:

• Vagus nerve stimulation helps reduce inflammation and communicate safety to the body

• Limbic system retraining teaches the brain to stop over-interpreting danger signals

  Somatic practices and breathwork support nervous system flexibility and calm

• Environmental and sensory adjustments (light, sound, touch, movement) reinforce the feeling of safety

Over time, these approaches can help the body exit survival mode and begin true healing at the cellular level.

Final Thoughts

Your body may no longer be fighting an active infection—but your cells may not know that yet.

To break the cycle of chronic symptoms, we must shift the internal message from defence to repair. Nervous system regulation is the key to resetting this biological loop—and it deserves a place at the centre of any long-term healing plan.

If you’re living with MS and want to explore how nervous system support can enhance your recovery, I’d love to work with you.