When the Alarm Stays On: How Trauma, Burnout, and Toxins Rewire the Body

For most people, the sympathetic nervous system (Fight or Flight) works like a house alarm. It’s there to keep us safe. You set it at night, go to bed, and trust it will only sound if there’s a true threat. That sense of security allows the body to rest, repair, and recover.

But what if that alarm had a sensitivity dial? Imagine being able to set it anywhere from 0 to 10.

• At 0, the alarm is useless—you could be in real danger and never know.

• At 10, the system is unbearable—every squirrel bounding across the porch, every leaf falling on the stoop sets off the floodlights and sirens.

This is what happens in central sensitization: the nervous system’s dial gets turned up too high. Ordinary sensations—aches, noise, even stress—are interpreted as threats. What once felt manageable now feels overwhelming.

And over time, the problem escalates. The nervous system doesn’t just stay oversensitive; it rewires itself into something more like a fire alarm. A fire alarm doesn’t wait for an actual blaze—it blares at the first sign of heat or smoke, sometimes from nothing more dangerous than dinner left in the oven.

For many veterans and first responders, this is daily life: a nervous system that never resets, sounding alarms in the absence of danger, keeping the body stuck in overdrive.

Maladaptive Neuroplasticity: Rewired for Survival

The brain’s ability to rewire itself—neuroplasticity—is usually a gift. It allows humans to learn, recover, and adapt. But under chronic trauma, TBI, or stress, neuroplasticity can become maladaptive.

Research shows these changes in the nervous system recalibrate survival circuits toward hyper-responsiveness. The brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) amplify stress and pain signals, while tissues, immune cells, and the gut (peripheral nervous system) continually press the “alarm button” (Apkarian et al., 2011; Woolf, 2011).

This dual process—central and peripheral sensitization—means even safe environments or minor stressors trigger overwhelming responses. The body isn’t broken; it’s adapted for survival in combat or crisis. The problem is that it doesn’t know how to turn back down once the fight is over.

Trauma and TBI: Rewiring the Alarm

Trauma and brain injury don’t just leave scars on memory—they recalibrate the nervous system itself. Research shows that trauma exposure is strongly linked to central sensitization, with PTSD symptoms acting as a key driver of this amplified pain and stress response (McKernan et al., 2019).

In the same way, traumatic brain injuries set off a cascade of neuroplastic changes. The brain reorganizes circuits for survival, but persistent inflammation often drives these changes toward maladaptive wiring, leaving the system hyper-reactive long after the original injury (Su et al., 2016).

The Fuel That Keeps the Alarm Blazing

Gut–Brain–Immune Axis

Stress and trauma disrupt the gut microbiome. Dysbiosis and leaky gut increase inflammation, which crosses into the brain and primes the alarm to stay on (Carabotti et al., 2015; Foster et al., 2017).

Environmental Toxins

Layered onto this is the hidden burden of environmental exposures. Military veterans were exposed to burn pits, heavy metals, and contaminated water. Firefighters and first responders inhale smoke, handle solvents, and face PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in their protective gear. These toxins impair mitochondria, hormones, and immune balance, locking the nervous system in overdrive (Smith et al., 2020).

The result is a perfect storm: trauma, gut dysfunction, and toxins all fueling a system that can’t switch off.

Why Burnout Isn’t Just Fatigue

In the general population, burnout is often described as exhaustion from long hours or stress. But for veterans and first responders, burnout is something deeper. It’s the lived experience of a body whose alarm has been stuck on 10 for years.

This is why sleep doesn’t restore energy, medications only mask symptoms, and “pushing through” makes things worse. Burnout in this population isn’t simply about rest—it’s about rewiring. Until the underlying sensitization and inflammatory drivers are addressed, the body cannot recalibrate.

How HHA Helps Reset the Alarm

At Heroes Health Alliance (HHA), we refuse to settle for symptom management. We work to identify and heal the drivers keeping the alarm on.

Advanced Testing

Every participant begins with gut and immune mapping. Those with more complex needs receive additional assessments: hormone and adrenal health, mitochondrial function, neurological markers, and toxin screening. This layered approach helps identify the exact “wires” that need repair.

Evidence-Based Interventions

Our care plans draw from the strongest available evidence across nutrition, lifestyle, and targeted nutraceutical support. Interventions may include:

• Nutritional strategies to repair gut integrity and stabilize blood sugar.

• Lifestyle practices like movement, breathwork, and sleep hygiene to retrain stress responses.

• Nutraceuticals supported by clinical research—such as omega-3s, probiotics, adaptogens, and mitochondrial supports—to reduce inflammation and restore resilience.

The Health Vault

Each participant gains access to our ever-expanding Health Vault: a digital library of vetted resources, dietary plans, stress-reduction tools, and community programs designed for veterans and first responders. This ensures care continues beyond appointments, building long-term capacity for healing.

Telehealth and Case Management

Our providers and care coordinators walk side by side with participants. Through telehealth and case management, we help interpret labs, apply interventions, and track progress. Healing isn’t left to chance—it’s guided every step of the way.

Our mission is simple but profound: to recalibrate the alarm, quiet the false signals, and restore the body’s ability to rest and heal.

A Call to Action

When the alarm stays on, every part of life is affected: sleep, mood, digestion, relationships, and purpose. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

At Heroes Health Alliance, we combine advanced diagnostics, evidence-based care, and compassionate support to help veterans and first responders reset their alarm systems. We don’t just offer coping strategies—we provide the tools to rewire resilience.

Our heroes have sacrificed enough. They deserve the chance to finally hear silence when the alarm should be off.

References

• Apkarian, A. V., Hashmi, J. A., & Baliki, M. N. (2011). Pain and the brain: Specificity and plasticity of the brain in clinical chronic pain. Pain, 152(Suppl 3), S49–S64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2010.11.010

• Carabotti, M., Scirocco, A., Maselli, M. A., & Severi, C. (2015). The gut–brain axis: Interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Annals of Gastroenterology, 28(2), 203–209.

• Clemente, J. C., Manasson, J., & Scher, J. U. (2018). The role of the gut microbiome in systemic inflammatory disease. BMJ, 360, j5145. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5145

• Foster, J. A., Rinaman, L., & Cryan, J. F. (2017). Stress & the gut–brain axis: Regulation by the microbiome. Neurobiology of Stress, 7, 124–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2017.03.001

• McKernan, L. C., Johnson, B. N., Crofford, L. J., Lumley, M. A., Bruehl, S., & Jernigan, C. D. (2019). Posttraumatic stress symptoms mediate the effects of trauma exposure on clinical indicators of central sensitization in patients with chronic pain. PAIN Reports, 4(3), e736. https://doi.org/10.1097/PR9.0000000000000736

• Smith, B., Wong, C. A., & Boyko, E. J. (2020). Environmental exposures and health outcomes in veterans: Emerging evidence and implications. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(3), e111–e117. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001809

• Su, D. M., Zhao, Y., & Wong, A. W. (2016). Neuroplasticity after traumatic brain injury. In Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury. NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK326735/

• Woolf, C. J. (2011). Central sensitization: Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain, 152(3 Suppl), S2–S15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2010.09.030