https://www.caringmedical.com/can-repair-vagus-nerves/
REPAIRING THE VAGUS NERVE
Here are some things that you can do to strengthen your vagus nerve:
Alternate-nostril breathing
Apply cold compresses to your face and the back of your neck
Be quiet
Breathe deeply and slowly
Compliment others
Connect with nature
Diaphragmatic breathing, the slower the better
Eat a whole-foods diet
Exercise (within your ability/within your physician’s guidelines if you are being treated for upper cervical instability)
Expose your skin to sunlight
Have an attitude of gratitude
Hum (such as a rhythmic Om)
Laugh and giggle often
Listen to calming instrumental music versus amped-up, heavy music
Listen to music with uplifting, happy, grateful lyrics versus complaining, bitter, spiteful lyrics
Sing (make a joyful noise!)
Massage
Meditate
Nostril breathing (versus mouth breathing)
Pray for your own healing and for others (including those who you may see as “enemies” or ones who have hurt you)
Reflexology
Regularly move your body
Say “thank you”
Smile as much as possible
Take probiotics or eat probiotic foods
Visit with people who lift your spirit versus make you feel crummy
Being fit versus sedentary effects on vagal tone
We know there are immeasurable health benefits to regular exercise and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. It is no surprise, then, that there is a positive correlation between exercise and vagal tone! Consider one study where rats were subjected to chronic endurance training for 12 weeks to see the effect on the vagus nerves.5 After 12 weeks of training:
The exercised rats showed a significant increase in the diameter of the axon and of the myelin sheath of the vagus nerve fibers.
The diameter of the unmyelinated vagal fibers increased significantly in the exercised rats.
Lastly, in the exercised rats, there was an increase in the number of microtubules and neurofilaments per unit area in the myelinated fibers (shows the transporting of substances within the axon would increase).
With positive changes in the vagus nerves, one would expect an increase in vagus nerve function, beginning a virtuous cycle of improving numerous aspects of your health!
Vagus nerve stimulators
In some cases, our patients are recommended to use a vagus nerve stimulator between Prolotherapy treatments.
Vagus nerve stimulators are known to stimulate the nucleus tractus solitarius and affects its projections to the forebrain, limbic, and brainstem sites, including spinal trigeminal nucleus, parabrachial area, dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), periaqueductal gray, thalamus, amygdala, insula, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus and locus coeruleus (LC). One functional MRI study showed with left ear vagal stimulation decreases in blood flow (activity) in the following areas: limbic and temporal brain areas, including bilateral amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, precuneus region, temporal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, paracentral lobe, superior frontal gyrus, and left hippocampus.6 It also increases in Blood Flow (Activity) in insula and precentral gyrus on both sides and in the right thalamus and right anterior cingulate cortex.
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A summary of other fMRI studies7,8 notes that vagus nerve stimulation causes a decrease in activity in the areas of the brain that produces physiological responses to stress and panic, including the locus coeruleus nuclei in the pons (the principle site of brain norepinephrine). The locus coeruleus projections are far and wide. They include the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, hypothalamus, thalamic relay nuclei, amygdala, and cerebral cortex. The norepinephrine from the locus colureus (LC) has excitatory effects on most of the brain, causing arousal and priming the brain’s neurons to be activated by stimuli. For some patients, vagus nerve stimulation may have positive effects on the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and locus colureus, thus, affecting all of the places these neurons go to including other parts of the brainstem, cerebellum, spinal cord and, of course, the brain!
Ear Bud/Clip Vagus Nerve Stimulation (EB-VNS) Clinical Effects:
Improved Quality of Life (QOL).
Decreased body pain.
Increased sleep quality.
Improved mood.
Lessening of severe depression and anxiety.
Decline in inflammation.
Improvement in rheumatoid arthritis bloodwork.
Resolution of acute migraine and cluster headaches.
Decrease in epileptic seizures.
Stroke rehabilitation improved.
Weight loss.
Improved heart function (pumping).
Decreased tinnitus.
Improvement in lung function.
Angina lessened.
Heart disease patients have increased exercise tolerance.
Decreased baseline heart rate and blood pressure.
Atrial fibrillation episodes decrease.
One of the main ways that you can stimulate the healthy function of the vagus nerve is through deep, slow belly breathing.
Breathe more slowly (aim for six breaths per minute).
Breathe more deeply, from the belly. Think about expanding your abdomen and widening your rib cage as you inhale.
Exhale longer than you inhale.
Healthy Vagal Tone Is Part of a Feedback Loop Linked to Positive Emotions
Healthy vagal tone is indicated by a slight increase of heart rate when you inhale, and a decrease of heart rate when you exhale. Deep diaphragmatic breathing—with a long, slow exhale—is key to stimulating the Vagus nerve and slowing heart rate and blood pressure, especially in times of performance anxiety.
A higher vagal tone index is linked to physical and psychological well-being. Conversely, a low vagal tone index is associated with inflammation, depression, negative moods, loneliness, heart attacks, and stroke.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201607/vagus-nerve-stimulation-dramatically-reduces-inflammation
Vagus Nerve Stimulation Dramatically Reduces Inflammation
Stimulating the vagus nerve reduces inflammation and the symptoms of arthritis.
nflammatory responses play a central role in the development and persistence of many diseases and can lead to debilitating chronic pain. In many cases, inflammation is your body's response to stress. Therefore, reducing "fight-or-flight" responses in the nervous system and lowering biological markers for stress can also reduce inflammation.
Typically, doctors prescribe medications to combat inflammation. However, there's growing evidence that another way to combat inflammation is by engaging the vagus nerve and improving “vagal tone.” This can be achieved through daily habits such as yoga and meditation—or in more extreme cases of inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—by using an implanted device for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).
The vagus nerve is known as the "wandering nerve" because it has multiple branches that diverge from two thick stems rooted in the cerebellum and brainstem that wander to the lowest viscera of your abdomen touching your heart and most major organs along the way. Vagus means "wandering" in Latin. The words vagabond, vague, and vagrant are all derived from the same Latin root.
In 1921, a German physiologist named Otto Loewi discovered that stimulating the vagus nerve caused a reduction in heart rate by triggering the release of a substance he coined Vagusstoff (German for "Vagus Substance”). The “vagus substance” was later identified as acetylcholine and became the first neurotransmitter ever identified by scientists.
Vagusstoff (acetylcholine) is like a tranquilizer that you can self-administer simply by taking a few deep breaths with long exhales. Consciously tapping into the power of your vagus nerve can create a state of inner-calm while taming your inflammation reflex.
The vagus nerve is the prime component of the parasympathetic nervous system which regulates the “rest-and-digest” or “tend-and-befriend” responses. On the flip side, to maintain homeostasis, the sympathetic nervous system drives the “fight-or-flight” response.
Healthy Vagal Tone Is Part of a Feedback Loop Linked to Positive Emotions
Early anatomical drawing of the vagus nerve.
Source: Wellcome Library/Public Domain
Healthy vagal tone is indicated by a slight increase of heart rate when you inhale, and a decrease of heart rate when you exhale. Deep diaphragmatic breathing—with a long, slow exhale—is key to stimulating the vagus nerve and slowing heart rate and blood pressure, especially in times of performance anxiety.
A higher vagal tone index is linked to physical and psychological well-being. Conversely, a low vagal tone index is associated with inflammation, depression, negative moods, loneliness, heart attacks, and stroke.
A 2010 study, “How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone,” was published in Psychological Science. For this research, Barbara Fredrickson and Bethany Kok of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill honed in on the vagus nerve and discovered that a high vagal tone index was part of a feedback loop between positive emotions, physical health, and positive social connections.
Their research suggests that positive emotions, robust social connections, and physical health influence one another in a self-sustaining upward spiral dynamic and feedback loop that scientists are just beginning to understand.
For this experiment, Frederickson and Kok used a Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) technique to help participants become better at self-generating positive emotions. However, they also found that simply reflecting on positive social connections and working to improve close-knit human bonds also caused improvements in vagal tone.
In 2014, I wrote a Psychology Today blog post, “How Does the Vagus Nerve Convey Gut Instincts to the Brain?" based on findings by researchers in Switzerland who identified how the vagus nerve conveys “gut feelings” of anxiety and fear to the brain. Clinical and experimental studies indicate that stress and depression are associated with the up-regulation of the immune system, including increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
When administered to patients or laboratory animals, cytokines have been found to induce typical symptoms of depression. Therefore some cases of low mood, low energy, and lack of motivation may be due to elevated levels of cytokine proteins.
