Chapter Nine

The road to MG.

A theory of Mind-Muscle
Communication as it relates to
Myasthenia Gravis

Our muscles work by contraction due to electrical stimulation. The brain controls this system and it is very selective. When electric signals are generated they don't go to the whole body but are sent to one or more selected sites by the brains control. In addition to where the electric impulses go, the brain controls the amount and amplitude of the impulses. By this complex system we can move the tip of our little finger and leave the hand, the arm, and the rest of the body very still. This is the selective part.

The amount that we move our muscle is controlled by the amplitude of the signals sent to it. We can hold a baby bird gently in one hand and pick up a fifty pound weight with the other, and we can do this at the same time. The other factor to be considered is the size of our muscles. We all know that a small person cannot lift as much as a large person. If a 200 lb. person picks up a 50 lb. weight and a 100lb. person picks up the same weight--what has happened? They both pick up the weight but the large person didn't have to exert himself to the same degree as the small person. In other words, in order to do the same amount of work the small person had to send more and greater signals to his muscles.

If viewed on an oscilloscope the signals would look like this:

It appears that the small person can compensate for his size by generating more and higher signals but what happens when they both try to lift 200 lbs.? The large person generates greater impulses and succeeds while the small person does not. He has reached his LIMIT. He cannot lift more than, say, 125 lbs.. This then is the LIMIT of his Strength.

It is obvious that we are limited by the size of our muscles and our ability to generate electrical impulses. The small person would concluded, at this point that, "It is to heavy, I cannot lift it."

There is another factor to be considered. There is evidence that we are capable of using only a fraction of our potential strength. This conclusion was reached, in part, by the phenomena known as Super Strength. Under certain conditions, such as a car crash, people like you and me, have been known to lift a car off a loved one. Several thousand pounds when normally they would be limited to several hundred.

This shows that under normal day to day activity there must be a LIMITING FACTOR, AN LF that sets the maximum that we can stimulate our muscles to work.

Why, if we can lift 2000 lbs. under extreme conditions, should we be limited to only 200?

I believe our Limiting Factor is the body's way of protecting us. With no limits we would literally tear ourselves apart. We would stimulate the muscles until they would rip. The damage would threaten our lives. This Limiting Factor (LF) is a matter of safety.

For the purpose of visualizing the system the LF can be represented on the graph as an imaginary line.

RAISING THE LF

It has already been discussed how the LF can be raised in the event of an accident. The question then arises--can we move our LF in circumstances other than an emergency? Can it be lowered? Does it in fact go up and down during the coarse of our everyday lives? Does this function regulate our activities in such a way as to provide a continuing level of safety? Does it work closely with our immune system?

I believe the answer to all of the above is YES!

In the case of the auto accident a large amount of adrenaline was produced, raising the LF and stimulating electrical impulses at a rate and amplitude many times greater than normal.

I would conclude from this that in the natural order of things survival is more important than safety. If a matter of safety and a matter of survival occur at the same time the matter of survival will dominate.

In our lives, ordinary activity is accompanied by more or less excitement. Excitement would produce adrenaline and raise the LF. Not to the degree present at the auto accident but by varying amounts relative to the degree of excitement.

I submit to you that imagination plays an important role here. I can, by simply imagining the possibilities of a coming adventure or event, produce the excitement that results in the production of adrenaline. This ability to easily raise the LF may be common to all potential MG's. It may also be a key ingredient to the MG persons ability to find a road to remission.

The potential MG person, through exercising his ability to raise the Limiting Factor (LF), develops an Enhanced ability to communicate mind to muscle. He may, in fact, be capable of generating two or even three times the amount of electrical impulses that the Non MG prone person can. (He does this on an everyday basis but without a way to compare with others, is not aware that he has the ability.)

LOWERING THE LF

In looking for elements that lower the LF we must only think of things that make us feel weak or listless. Anything that drags us down and robs us of energy.

1. A common cold. The flu or any viral of bacterial infection

2. A day of extreme physical activity will result in a day or two of recuperation when the body needs to rebuild.

3. Depression leaves us listless and physically droopy.

4. Emotional and physical Stress.

At the same time these things occur we find it very difficult to feel excited about any activity. Under these conditions it would be difficult to produce adrenaline.

In addition to this general lowering of the LF there is a local lowering of the LF. In the case of infection or trauma in the right arm the LF is lowered at that point with a corresponding but lesser lowering in the entire body.

The element that lowers the LF I call:

ANXIETY-DEPRESSION-STRESS

We have now established a LIMITING FACTOR (LF) and the ability to raise the LF by Excitement-Anticipation-Adrenaline and the ability to lower the LF by Anxiety-Depression-Stress.

The last culprit in the cast of characters leading to MG I call Pressure to perform. This is necessarily a very general term because it depends on each person's life. In one person it could be the pressure to support one's family. In a young person it could be the desire to please parents or teacher. Put simply it is the element in a person's life that puts pressure on that person to perform no matter what obstacle is put in his way. While there are pressures in everyone's life to perform I refer, here, to an over developed sense of duty. The kind that simply will not allow failure.

With this last piece in place I can now make the following statement.

A strong Pressure to perform, in the presence of Severe Anxiety-Depression-Stress will lead to MYASTHENIA GRAVIS , provided the person is predisposed by the development of an Enhanced ability to communicate mind to muscle.