Vagus Nerve Stimulation

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve is the key information superhighway that connects the brain and most internal organs. It is the longest of the cranial nerves emerging directly from the brain rather than through the spinal cord, with an origin at the base of the skull that extends down the neck to the abdomen.It gathers signals from internal organs, playing a crucial role in regulating automatic body processes such as digestion, sleep, and inflammation.

Upregulation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS, fight or flight) is related to almost every health problem known to medicine, due to the cascade of neuro-hormonal responses that occur after prolonged stress elevation. While the SNS is the accelerator, the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS, relax & restore) are the brakes, which slow us down when danger is not present. The vagus nerve is primary component of the PNS, controlling 80% of restorative functions, counterbalancing stress responses, and making us calm, relaxed, and sociable.

About 80% of vagus nerve fibers carry information from organs back to our brain. This forms the bidirectional gut-brain axis, which can explain the “butterflies in your stomach” when you feel nervous, and why gastrointestinal problems can cause anxiety and depression. Essentially, the vagus nerve is the gut-brain connection.

Top Related Vagus Nerve Disorders:

Depression or anxiety or both
Insomnia / sleep apnea
Higher blood pressure
Gastrointestinal complaints

Recent Vagus Nerve Research

Evidence indicates that stimulating the vagus nerve can help people with epilepsy, diabetes, treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder — as well as inflammatory autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis. There is even some preliminary research suggesting that long Covid symptoms could originate, in part, from the virus’s effect on the vagus nerve.

Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Simulation (VNS)

The concept of passive or active electrically stimulating the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN) is now gaining recognition in literature. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation has been reported to improve HRV, activate the parasympathetic system, to reduce inflammation, improve respiratory dysfunction, and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Through the vagus nerve's connection to various parts of the body, VNS can offer a truly holistic approach to healing, helping patients achieve optimal health and wellbeing.

10 MINUTES of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy yields the same reduction in stress levels as 8 HOURS OF MASSAGE

Health benefits of enhanced vagal tone:

Stress Reduction & Relaxation

Enhanced vagal tone promotes relaxation and reduces stress by lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and calming the body's physiological responses to stressors. This de-activates body-wide trigger point sensitivity and reduces overall muscle tension.

Enhanced Immune Function & Reduced Inflammation

Vagal tone influences the immune system by regulating inflammation. A well-functioning vagus nerve helps maintain a balance in the immune response, reducing excessive inflammation that can contribute to chronic diseases such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease

Improved Digestive Function

The vagus nerve and the Enteric Nervous System harmoniously play critical roles in the functioning of the gastrointestinal system. This interplay is essential for maintaining digestive health, immune function, and overall well-being. Scroll down for more information about this gut-brain axis.

Mental Health & Emotional Regulation

Enhanced vagal tone is associated with improved emotional resilience and regulation. It helps regulate mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. The vagus nerve also plays a role in the brain's reward system and social bonding, contributing to overall mental well-being.

Vagus Nerve & The Gut

The Vagus Nerve and the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) together play vital roles in the functioning of the gastrointestinal system. The ENS is a complex of neurons located in the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. Signals from the ENS are transmitted to the central nervous system via the vagus nerve, therefore proper function of the vagus nerve is essential to ensure messages from the ENS reach the brain.

Integration of Reflexes

The ENS integrates reflexes within the gut, allowing for rapid responses to changes in the environment. This local processing helps optimize digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Homeostasis Maintenance

Together, the vagus nerve and the ENS play crucial roles maintaining homeostasis within the gastrointestinal system, ensuring proper digestion, absorption of nutrients, and immune function.

Sensory and Motor Functions

The ENS contains sensory neurons that detect the state of the gastrointestinal tract and motor neurons that regulate muscle contractions. This intricate network ensures efficient digestion and movement of food.

Gut Motility & Peristalsis

The ENS coordinates the rhythmic contractions of smooth muscles in the digestive tract, facilitating the movement of food along the gastrointestinal canal.

Immune System Interaction

The ENS communicates with the immune system in the gut, contributing to the defense against pathogens and maintaining a balance between immune response and tolerance to the microbiota.

Local Neuropeptide Production

The ENS produces various neuropeptides that act locally within the gastrointestinal tract, influencing processing such as blood flow, and immune function.

Understanding Vagus Nerve Inhibitors

There are the three primary adversaries to the function of the vagus nerve and its critical communication pathway. These impediments subtly undermine the vagus nerve and therefore our overall wellbeing. Before any VNS treatment, it is essential to treat these inhibitors, which can be done in the same session.

Scars & Adhesions

Scars activate sympathetic stress, suppressing the vagus nerve activity. Scars form internal adhesions which connect two or more otherwise separate structures, which can lead to complications such as chronic pain and bowel obstructions. The vagus nerve can easily find itself entangled in the webbing of internal adhesions, which impairs its function. The prolonged sympathetic stress response of scars and adhesions can lead to muscle tightness, trigger points, and the reduced circulation and lymph flow.

Liver Damage & Vaccines

Liver Toxicity, whether through environmental sources or medical treatments (including vaccinations), can provoke a stress response that dampens the activity and strength of the vagus nerve, leading to a cascade of physiological disruptions. Vaccines exert a protective action by eliciting an inflammatory immune response, and all vaccines are processed in the liver.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is known as an antagonist to the vagus nerve, disrupting the critical function it oversees during rest and repair. Fragmented sleep patterns negate the restorative effects of sleep, by inhibiting parasympathetic activity and instead activating a "fight or flight" response. Disruptions in sleep cycle significantly influence the vagus nerve and if untreated will reduce the effectiveness of a VNS treatment.

VNS Treatment

3 Steps to Better Health

Step 1: Release any of the three vagus nerve inhibitor mentioned above using a Micro-current Point Stimulation protocol.

Step 2: Enhance the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). This is crucial for optimizing vagus nerve functioning due to their close interconnections and bidirectional communication in the gut-brain axis. An additional series of acupoints tailored gut microbiota colonization can be added here based on clients symptoms.

Step 3: Stimulate the vagus nerve. This part of the treatment lasts between 5-15 minutes. The Neurostim device is clipped to one or both ears (as shown to the right) and runs a continuous negative polarity through the body.

Request to Book

Questions about VNS?

Vagus Nerve Stimulation can be booked as its own service, or in conjunction with a separate treatment. Adding VNS to bodywork can significantly promote the effectiveness of pain and stress reduction, while also boosting immunity and overall health and wellbeing