HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND AUTONOMIC REGULATORY FUNCTION MEASUREMENT

Autonomic nervous system measurement represents a not so well-known innovation of detection of health state . In particularly, the evaluation of pressure and stress on the organism’s regulatory (control) systems.  The latter can be assessed by careful assessment of the function of autonomic nervous system which is responsible for maintaining homeostasis (this means trying to achieve a stable inner environment within normal limits). We are thus able to assess whether there is an appropriate reaction and adaptation to the stress (load) from any source. Adaptation of the organism is a fundamental condition of life and health.

A properly functioning autonomic nervous system regulatory capability could is critical to maintenance of health in general and ANS imbalance has been described in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes Type 2, degenerative processes of joints and spine, Parkinsons’ and Alzheimer diseases, glaucoma, cataract etc. – i.e. the diseases associated with the aging process. Measurement of early ANS imbalance gives us an opportunity to detect physiological states before some pathological change and symptoms are detectable. Hence, this represents a very important early detection tool.

“An increasing number of physical illnesses also appear to be associated with sympathetic dominance, reduced vagal tone and reduced HRV. This pattern does not seem to be a reaction to disease symptoms, but may a contributing or predisposing factor to the underlying disease process. Vagal tone and the physiological processes that determine its efficiency clearly have a lot more do with vulnerability to disease than has previously been contemplated. It is likely that further study of the various frequency components of HRV will lead to much fruitful information on subtle physiological regulatory mechanisms that maintain health and on how the compromise of these regulatory processes may lead to disease processes.” Dr Nyjon Eccles BSc MBBS MRCP PhD, 2001