Five Resources on Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Photo Cred: E-ART/Shutterstock

By Avery St. Onge

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become an increasingly popular treatment for a variety of conditions, from depression to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While conventional forms of VNS use an implantable device in the neck, there are also non-invasive forms of the intervention to reduce acute stress response and control inflammation.

We’ve rounded up a list of resources on vagus nerve stimulation, with details about what the vagus nerve is, what conditions it can treat, and the different forms of stimulation.

Read more to learn how to incorporate vagus nerve stimulation into your clinical practice.

Why the Vagus Nerve is the Key to Fighting Stress

The vagus nerve plays a critical role in stress regulation and feelings of safety, according to both Brad Lichtenstein, ND, BCB, at The Breath Space in Lake Forest Park, Wash. and Courtney Snyder, MD, a holistic psychiatrist in private practice in Louisville, Ky.

Known as the “great wandering protector” of the body, it starts in the brain stem and extends all the way down through the colon, affecting most body systems, according to a 2017 article in Gastroenterology. Like a superhighway, it transmits information back and forth from our organs to our brains and vice versa.

“The vagus sends signals down to the body to help regulate digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure, inflammation, and more. It also sends signals back up to the brain about what is happening in the body,” said Lichtenstein.

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Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Clinical Practice

The vagus nerve originates in the medulla and is the longest cranial nerve in the human body. It has bidirectional motor and sensory functions that influence many organ systems and regions within the body. Because it is a main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, it is often associated with stress response and mood. 

“The vagus nerve is responsible for not only sensing stress but also affecting many of the symptoms of stress,” explained integrative medicine physician Jeff Hardin, MD. “In the worst-case scenario, patients can have a myriad of symptoms from stress such as heart palpitations, arrhythmias, dyspepsia, ulcers, and others that are mediated via the vagus nerve.” 

While research shows that vagus nerve activation can help reduce acute stress responses, it has further applications in clinical practice. 

“Vagus nerve stimulation has traditionally been used for seizure disorders and treatment-resistant depression,” said Hardin. “In the emergency department, we maximally stimulate the vagus nerve via several techniques in order to convert patients out of supra-ventricular tachycardia.” 

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The Role of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve, or the tenth cranial verve, is the longest cranial nerve. In Latin, the word “vagus” means wandering, an appropriate way to describe the path of this nerve.

It runs from the brain stem to the transverse colon. Along the way, it innervates the larynx, esophagus, lungs, trachea, heart, and most of the digestive tract. The brain and gut feed-back and feed-forward loops are linked by the vagus nerve.

The long, convoluted pathway means the vagus is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the rest and digest system. This is the autonomic system that helps the body conserve energy by slowing the heart rate (rest).

The vagus nerve modulates digestion through the migrating motor complex and relaxes the ileocecal valve and other sphincter muscles in the gut (digest).

The messages the vagus nerve transmits to the brain from the gut microbiome also impact the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, which in turn controls the neuroendocrine system, mood, and the immune response.

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Using Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Control Inflammation and Improve Cognition

Navaz Habib, DC, AFMCP, AcuP, joins Integrative Practitioner Content Specialist Avery St. Onge to discuss the research behind vagus nerve stimulation and how it can help treat various inflammatory conditions and improve cognition.

Listen to the interview here.

Newly Published RCT Shows Acupuncture Can Help Relieve Depression Symptoms

A recent randomized clinical trial featuring 304 adults aged 18 to 50 years with moderate to moderately severe depression found that auricular (ear) acupuncture provided greater symptom remission at three months.

“This study does not suggest that auricular treatments can cause a full recovery; however, it did show symptom remission, which is a strong step towards a full recovery,” explained mental health expert Peter Bongiorno, ND, LAc. “The authors of the study also explain that their rates of recovery (58 percent) and remission (46 percent) are similar to those observed with pharmaceutical treatments and are superior to psychotherapy, which means auricular treatment is as effective as drugs and better than psychotherapy.”

A 2017 controlled clinical trial found electroacupuncture to be even more effective at reducing symptoms in individuals with major depressive disorders compared to SSRIs.

To read more, click here.