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Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

theguardian.com

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Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#131

Post by bentt »

jinder wrote: post #47
theshrike79 wrote: post #4

I have acid reflux and possibly a mild hiatal hernia. When it triggers in Just The Right Way, I also get severe panic attack symptoms. When I started investigating it (my coping mechanism during panic attacks) I discovered that the vagus nerve travels next to the esophagus through the diaphragm. So my complete layman explanation was that the stomach pushes through the diaphragm during a hiatal hernia -> it rubs again…

Famotidine an old school H2 antihistamine used for acid reflux (pre PPIs), was found to have an additional mechanism of action via activation of the vagus nerve to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines in covid (via alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) signal transduction - https://molmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10020-022... ). It has also been used quite extensively to combat post-covid neurop…

I had years of dysbiosis type problems and found that the other main H2 blocker, Ranitidine, helped with my symptoms. Luckily I didn't take it that often or for too long, as it was found to be dangerously contaminated with a carcinogen when stored for too long. But that's not the point. The point is that an H2 blocker strangely offered relief.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#133

Post by blue_dragon »

jkhn wrote: post #123
blue_dragon wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hijacking your comment to share my story and ask for advice. I have diagnosed EoE, I've had it for my whole life. I'm currently on 80mg omeprazole daily and an elimination diet. This helps a lot but is not a cure. I've also experienced benign heart palpitations for my whole life (confirmed by a cardiologist). For a long time, I've had a hunch that the two were connected. On days when I have EoE flare-ups, I feel some…

You may want to look into dupixent or mometasone for elimination of your EoE symptoms. My daughter was diagnosed around 2 years old and has been seeing a doctor at Boston Children’s hospital who is involved in EoE research. For a few years now she has been taking a compounded mometasone slurry daily which has kept all her symptoms at bay. Now that she is 12 she is eligible for dupixent which the doctor has said she h…

Thanks for the suggestion. I have an appointment with my GI coming up soon and I'll definitely ask her about those. Dupixent in particular looks very promising!

I'm glad you got your daughter into treatment early. I'm ~30 years old and research and treatments for EoE weren't nearly as good when I was her age, so I wasn't properly diagnosed until my 20s. By that point, just eating normal meals was a struggle and I had to have an esophageal dilation before I finally got onto my current treatment plan. I hope she never has to experience that, it sucks.

Omeprazole and elimination diet work ok for me, but it's not anything close to remission. I can finally eat normally again, but I don't have a comprehensive list of my trigger foods, and I get painful flare-ups if I accidentally eat the wrong thing. I'll gladly give myself injections once per week for the rest of my life if it means no more intermittent chest pain and it lets me eat a normal cake on my birthday again.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#134

Post by photochemsyn »

The article and comments don't mention it, but vagus stimulation by hot peppers (maybe wasabi too) has been studied and seems significant with respect to immune-nervous system interactions controlled by the vagus nerve, at least there's some interaction (wishful thinking perhaps, but as I like hot peppers this supports my view that they improve one's digestion and circulation):

(2013) "Capsaicin-sensitive vagal afferent neurons contribute to the detection of pathogenic bacterial colonization in the gut"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4188534/

> "We conclude that activation of the afferent arm of the parasympathetic neuroimmune reflex by pathogenic bacteria in the gut is dependent on capsaicin sensitive vagal afferent neurons and that the release of inflammatory mediators into intestinal tissue can be directly sensed by these neurons."

More general current open-source review of the overall topic (2018):

"Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders"

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.0004...

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#135

Post by matthewpick »

jwestbury wrote: post #5

Nerve stimulation implants are really exciting. I have sleep apnea, and while I take to CPAP therapy pretty well, I hate having to travel with the device and I hate its limitations. When we travel, I have to ensure there's an outlet somewhere near my bed; I can't camp without a massive battery pack for my CPAP; I can't go backpacking; and even cuddling my wife at night is a challenge because of the hose hanging off m…

Depending on how severe your sleep apnea is, there are oral appliances that can help with mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. Could be an alternative to a CPAP machine. It’s like wearing a bulky retainer at night.

That said, you’ll want to go to a dentist who specializes in sleep apnea and is able to test / fit the oral appliance properly. (Source: father is dentist who specializes in TMJ pain and sleep apnea).

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#136

Post by doktrin »

progrus wrote: post #126

This place is such a shithole in 2023. Absolutely no interest in anything of import, because that reality banging down your doors is too scary. We’re in a revolution, nerds. Wake the fuck up.

You should consider the possibility that you're the one with a one-finger grasp on reality.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#137

Post by winternewt »

amatecha wrote: post #102
davzie wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spent 6 years trying everything to solve reflux. I am a relatively fit 35 year old. I tried antacids, PPIs, H2 blockers and these just exacerbated the issue over time. Eventually after much reading I read that without enough stomach acid, food backs up and causes reflux. It also causes the LES to not close properly. So I started taking Betain HCL and Digestive Enzymes (Solgar ones) before I eat and I can't tell you…

I know this sounds like a hack, but did you ever try taking some apple cider vinegar in water after eating? It's a lifesaver for me, near-instant cure for lack of stomach acid. Has to be the ACV "with mother", the cloudy stuff in it. Maybe no longer relevant if you're already taking Betain HCL (I thought that was a medication at first lol), but I definitely have to mention it in case you may have a natural medication…

I use apple cider vinegar whenever I get acid reflux. It works but often only for about an hour. Perhaps I should start doing it proactively whenever I eat. How much water do you mix it with? I just take a tablespoon of concentrated vinegar.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#138

Post by darkerside »

digging wrote: post #104
adriand wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This might go beyond how you feel and into direct biological impacts. I don’t listen to the Huberman Lab podcast much these days but I did listen to the episode with David Linden, which I found quite interesting. [1] At one point, they are discussing the mind/body axis and the latest scientific developments in exploring how mental states can affect the body. There is a fascinating although very untested - but, testab…

Haven't listened, but I think I understand where Linden was coming from, even if it's unnecessarily harsh. The idea that "you can breathe this way and get this effect" can be true and can come from folk wisdom, but they ascribe wrong reasoning to it which makes it mysticism. The reasoning is what's "bullshit". It's like saying "I tie my shoes tight every morning to honor the shoe gods or else they'll untie my laces."…

It's just that there's so many people walking around with their shoes untied because they think the shoe gods are bullshit

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#139

Post by darkerside »

sixo wrote: post #124
digging wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't listened, but I think I understand where Linden was coming from, even if it's unnecessarily harsh. The idea that "you can breathe this way and get this effect" can be true and can come from folk wisdom, but they ascribe wrong reasoning to it which makes it mysticism. The reasoning is what's "bullshit". It's like saying "I tie my shoes tight every morning to honor the shoe gods or else they'll untie my laces."…

Well, it's a low-resolution model that ancient people converged on for a reason, which is that it is starts from a readily-attainable subjective experience, which is then used to explain things in ways that surely go too far. It is relatively easy to feel some of your chakras, I've done it, it took about a week of effort via a hodgepodge of breathwork, stretching, yoga, and "somatic" meditation facilitated by THC. Yo…

Octopus have enormous numbers of nerve bundles in their arms, such that when you account for them, they rival humans in computing power. I think our bodies work the same way. We hold intelligence in our whole bodies, not just our brains. You used your muscles to store knowledge that your brain couldn't handle.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#140

Post by projektfu »

digging wrote: post #104
adriand wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This might go beyond how you feel and into direct biological impacts. I don’t listen to the Huberman Lab podcast much these days but I did listen to the episode with David Linden, which I found quite interesting. [1] At one point, they are discussing the mind/body axis and the latest scientific developments in exploring how mental states can affect the body. There is a fascinating although very untested - but, testab…

Haven't listened, but I think I understand where Linden was coming from, even if it's unnecessarily harsh. The idea that "you can breathe this way and get this effect" can be true and can come from folk wisdom, but they ascribe wrong reasoning to it which makes it mysticism. The reasoning is what's "bullshit". It's like saying "I tie my shoes tight every morning to honor the shoe gods or else they'll untie my laces."…

It sounds like something I'd expect to read from Douglas Adams, i.e. the prehistoric person doing something, then the modern/scientific person telling everyone it's wrong until they discover the science behind it, then smugly telling people they're right now and they were right to be wrong before.
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