Vagus Nerve Stimulation

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Here at Circle City Chiro we have designed a non-invasive treatment protocol using transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, enhanced oxygen breathing therapy, chiropractic adjusting, and specific home therapy treatments to improve vagal tone.

I initially wanted to add this regimen to address insomnia. Various studies worldwide have shown the prevalence of insomnia to be 10%–30% of the population, with some figures even as high as 50%–60%. Our body cycles through four stages of sleep multiple times over the course of the night. Stage three is the deepest sleep where restoration, tissue repair, and memory consolidation occur. At this stage our body detoxifies. When you get a good night’s sleep, you wake up refreshed, with improved brain function, better focus, better alertness, and better emotions. A bad night’s sleep will have the opposite effect.

While researching lowered vagal tone and its relationship with insomnia, I discovered stimulating the vagus nerve can also have a positive effect on the following conditions: chronic nausea, weight loss or weight gain, bradycardia and tachycardia, IBS, depression, anxiety, chronic infection, chronic fatigue, heartburn, dizziness, and fainting. Numerous studies support the validity of vagus nerve stimulation in treating insomnia, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, tinnitus, heart issues, etc.

The vagus nerve is the longest of the twelve cranial nerves, traveling through the head, neck, chest, and abdomen. This nerve connects the brain and body and plays a role in activating our parasympathetic nervous system, the branch of the nervous system known for “rest and digest” functions. The other branch is the sympathetic nervous system, known for “fight and flight” responses. When the vagus nerve is stimulated in response to physiological stress, a feeling of calm washes over you. If the vagus nerve is not working correctly, there might be a greater risk of conditions including gastrointestinal issues, heart disease, depression, insomnia, and anxiety. 

Damage to the vagus nerve can happen from diabetes, trauma, surgery, chronic illnesses, and viral infections. If you would like to be evaluated for vagus nerve dysfunction, I will perform a detailed evaluation to identify lowered vagal tone. 

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Molero-Chamizo A, Nitsche MA, Bolz A, et al. Non-Invasive Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Symptoms: A Study Protocol. Brain Sci. 2022;12(1):95. doi:10.3390/brainsci12010095 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8774206/ 

Zhang SK, He H, Gao WB, Wu XK, Zhang DJ. [Mechanism of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on polycystic ovary syndrome]. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2020 Feb 25;45(2):164-8. Chinese. doi: 10.13702/j.1000-0607.1802616. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32144929/ 

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De Smet S, Baeken C, Seminck N, Tilleman J, Carrette E, Vonck K, Vanderhasselt MA. Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation enhances cognitive emotion regulation. Behav Res Ther. 2021 Oct;145:103933. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103933. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34332299/ 

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Wu X, Zhang Y, Luo WT, Mai RR, Hou XY, Xia ZQ, Xu BY, Liu B. Brain Functional Mechanisms Determining the Efficacy of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Primary Insomnia. Front Neurosci. 2021 Mar 12;15:609640. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.609640. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7994340/