Chuck Darwin<p>Healing from the hypothalamus –</p><p>To survive an infection, our body must recognize and respond to invading pathogens. This is the job of the immune system. When the first few immune cells encounter a pathogen, especially one that they haven’t seen before, they start releasing <a href="https://c.im/tags/cytokines" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>cytokines</span></a> like <a href="https://c.im/tags/interleukin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>interleukin</span></a>-1 (IL-1). </p><p>These cytokines are the messengers of the immune system. They race through the body via the bloodstream, summoning immune troops to push back the invading pathogen.</p><p>When they reach the central nervous system, cytokines must cross the <a href="https://c.im/tags/blood" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>blood</span></a>-<a href="https://c.im/tags/brain" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>brain</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/barrier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>barrier</span></a> to alert and recruit a brain response. The blood-brain barrier has only a handful of entry points, called <a href="https://c.im/tags/circumventricular" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>circumventricular</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/organs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>organs</span></a>, where traffic can pass between the central nervous system and the bloodstream with relative ease. </p><p>One of these sits at the base of the <a href="https://c.im/tags/hypothalamus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>hypothalamus</span></a> in a structure called the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Vascular" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Vascular</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Organ" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Organ</span></a> of the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Lamina" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Lamina</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Terminalis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Terminalis</span></a> (VOLT for short). The <a href="https://c.im/tags/VOLT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>VOLT</span></a> is filled with receptors that detect IL-1 and other cytokines. </p><p>That, along with its proximity to our <a href="https://c.im/tags/homeostat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>homeostat</span></a> hypothalamus, means it’s positioned perfectly to sense an ongoing immune response and initiate our brain and body’s many defensive tactics. </p><p>After receiving signals from the VOLT, the hypothalamus creates many of the familiar experiences of sickness</p><p><a href="https://pennneuroknow.com/2023/06/27/healing-from-the-hypothalamus/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">pennneuroknow.com/2023/06/27/h</span><span class="invisible">ealing-from-the-hypothalamus/</span></a></p>