Written by Dr. Suzanne Tang

May 5th, 2024

Think of the vagus nerve as the “superhighway” of the nervous system. This important highway sends communications between your brain and gut, known as the “gut-brain axis” as well as other parts of the body, such as the heart, pharynx, larynx, lungs, skin, muscles, and urinary tract system. The vagus nerve plays an important role in balancing your hormones, supporting digestion, regulating your heart rate and blood pressure, and facilitating immune system responses, your mood, speech, what you taste, and how much you urinate. It also buffers the stress response by counterbalancing the sympathetic state of flight, fight or freeze response and shifting it to the parasympathetic state of rest, calm and digest.

Signs and Symptoms of a Dysfunctional Vagus Nerve:

When your body is exposed to long periods of stress, such as infection, inflammation, and emotional and mental stress, the vagus nerve becomes overworked and begins to lose its signal and tone. Fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, and chronic headaches are common symptoms of poor vagal nerve function.

Over time, a dysfunctional vagus nerve can lead to:

Abdominal pain and bloating
Acid reflux
Constipation
Gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying
Changes to heart rate, blood pressure, or blood glucose levels
Difficulty swallowing or loss of gag reflex
Dizziness, vertigo, or fainting
Hoarseness or loss of voice and wheezing
Appetite changes
Weight loss or weight gain
Nausea or vomiting
Chronic Inflammation
Anxiety and/or depression
Insomnia
Obesity

Aging can also reduce vagal tone increasing the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression.

Stimulating the Vagus Nerve to Improve Vagal Tone and Overall Health:

Stimulating the vagus nerve blocks the pain signals causing headache or migraine attacks, to help provide fast relief and prevent future attacks. It can also help calm your nervous system, improve digestive function, regulate your appetite, quell stress and anxiety, promote deep sleep and reduce other types of pain and inflammation.

Unlike traditional vagus nerve stimulation, gammaCore non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator (nVNS) activates the vagus nerve with gentle electrical stimulation.

In addition, gammaCore SapphireTM is the **first and only FDA cleared** non-invasive device to treat and prevent multiple types of headache pain via the vagus nerve. It’s small, handheld and portable for quick and easy treatments whenever and wherever needed.

Stimulating the vagus nerve also offers multiple mechanisms of action, including improving autonomic nervous system function, inhibiting the effects of the stress hormone cortisol, balancing neurotransmitter function, and pain modulation, which all help to restore the sympathetic and the parasympathetic balance.

How gammaCore, Vagus Nerve Stimulator Works:

gammaCore sends gentle, electrical stimulation through the skin to stimulate the vagus nerve. The signal emitted from the stimulation surfaces on the device is patented and specifically designed to penetrate the skin and activate the vagus nerve at the side of the neck.

Designed as an easy-to-use device with no downtime, it can be used alone or in combination with other medications or treatments.

Backed by numerous clinical studies and FDA-cleared with 6 indications for migraine and cluster headache, gammaCore is for preventive and acute use with short, 4-minute treatment times.

Additional Ways to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve Include:

Deep breathing exercises & meditation
Doing yoga
Taking an ice bath
Singing and dancing
Gargling water
Eat a healthy diet of organic lean protein, fruits, and vegetables
Acupuncture
Reiki and/or craniosacral therapy
Massage therapy
Exercising
Connecting with friends

If you are interested in leasing a gammaCore device, please contact our office, Whole Body Health Team at (949) 577-9171 to schedule your complimentary demo.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Still thinking of a mother’s day gift? Treat you and your mom to our upcoming Women’s Wellness Day on May 11th 9:30 am - 12:30 pm at Whole Body Health Team. Click HERE TO REGISTER!

Upcoming Wellness Talk

Need inspiration and motivation to jump-start your wellness care and want to learn about our all-inclusive wellness programs? Join Dr. Tang for her talk on Hormones, Inflammation + Fatigue on May 9th at 5:45 pm at Whole Body Health Team. Register by clicking HERE or on the image below!!

Our team will call to confirm your RSVP.

Yours in Wellness,

Dr. Suzanne Tang, ND, LAc
Inspire Natural Wellness

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