The Vagus Nerve is the key part of your parasympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as the "rest-and-digest" system. It affects your breathing, digestive function and heart rate, all of which can have a huge impact on your mental health.
Shortcut to Longevity and Health
Aging can be thought of as a decrease in the body's ability to maintain homeostasis, our body's ability to "self-tune" or self-stabilize in response to stressors. Our challenge is to restore homeostasis, a unique and innate human ability, through our innovative bioelectronic technology to lead healthier lives and delay aging by stimulating the cardiac branch of the vagus nerve and correcting the imbalance of the autonomic nervous system.
Everything is in the Vagus Nerve
Chronic stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep negatively impact our immune system and its balance and increase the risk of developing or worsening diseases.
The Vagus Nerve is the longest in the body. It is the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system of the autonomic nervous system and is the conductor of all immune defence mechanisms. If the vagal tone is activated, the parasympathetic nervous system functions properly, and the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke are reduced. It is also good for the intestines by improving digestive metabolism and decreasing migraines. Not only will this allow you to age healthier, but it also lowers an individual's risk of death and the need for medication or hospital visits.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
The idea of stimulating the Vagus Nerve to regulate the activities of the autonomic nervous system has been pursued for over 100 years. The Vagus Nerve relays the parasympathetic nerve fibres to the heart, the signals from which can slow down heart rate. Furthermore, the effects of Vagus Nerve stimulation not only improve sleep and stress, but also enhance and strengthen overall body functions. Dysfunction of the Vagus Nerve can be very dangerous due to its relationship to the heart. On the other hand, our studies demonstrated that Vagus Nerve stimulation is potentially useful in various disorders related to the vagal tone and autonomic nervous system.
Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has two major efferent pathways, sympathetic and parasympathetic which innervate and affect all the organs in the body. The structure of the autonomic nervous system with numerous neurotransmitters and synapses allows for the flexible control of organ functions and the maintenance of systemic blood pressure and body temperature.
Autonomic Disorders
Autonomic dysfunction can make us feel old and sick, whilst keeping us from enjoying our basic quality of life. Autonomic Dysfunction means that many systems in our body stop working properly and as a result we can feel tired and dizzy, have headaches, and are increasingly unable to eat or digest food, use the bathroom as normal, get a good night’s sleep, or have sexual intercourse. Autonomic dysfunction is the key to chronic pain, chronic fatigue, persistent hunger, insomnia, emotional regulation, blood pressure and blood sugar regulation, depression, anxiety, panic attacks and PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).
Recent studies have found significant evidence that Vagus Nerve stimulation (VNS) may be a potential adjunct therapy for COVID-19.
Although there is no specific treatment for COVID-19, drug repurposing has made it possible to identify drugs that may be effective against the disease. Drugs that can mainly inhibit cytokine release and recover inflammatory control are being studied.
New studies have been published focusing on vagus nerve stimulation as a potential COVID-19 therapy. This approach manipulates the activity of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways, and recently, this therapeutic strategy has become an important approach for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and sepsis.
A recent study by the Mayo Clinic reported that up to 63% of patients after the COVID-19 infection have autonomic dysfunction with specific symptoms. When the autonomic nervous system is always in fight-or-flight mode (meaning that it is not relaxed), it is out of balance. This loss of balance underlies the immune dysregulation and runaway inflammation associated with chronic stress, and appears to play a role in severe cases of COVID-19.
COVID-19 decreases parasympathetic activity and increases sympathetic activity, which leads to catecholamine release. The secretion of catecholamines increases blood flow and metabolism and stresses the heart. Reduced parasympathetic activity may reduce the vagal anti-inflammatory effect leading to a cytokine storm.
The Vagus Nerve, a neural network that connects the brain and immune system to the heart, intestines and other organs, controls parasympathetic activity in the autonomic nervous system. When the Vagus Nerve is activated, it acts as a brake on stress and all immune-stimulating effects in the body. Vagus Nerve stimulation has also been shown to suppress inflammatory responses, and may be useful in regulating lung failure and hyperimmune responses.
