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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

#141

Post by hospitalJail »

blueyes wrote: post #56

For me, the amazing thing about the Vagus nerve is that you can stimulate it with your breathing. And since the Vagus nerve affects the autonomic nervous system (involuntary, not consciously controlled) while breathing choices are conscious, this is one of the few ways that humans can directly impact important aspects of their psychology and physiology, like how calm they feel. Mindfulness + breath choices + vagus ne…

>Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

I'm a bit surprised that we don't have more criticism of this book. It was less of a pop science book, and more of an anecdotal gonzo journalism.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#142

Post by tangjurine »

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."…

There's a whole different set of heuristics people develop when working with reasonings that might not be right but give a better outcome for whatever reason.

Scientific reasoning is a relatively new phenomenon on top of the old way.

Interestingly, scientific reasoning is getting so prevalent that people don't imagine the old way existed...

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#143

Post by msandford »

davzie wrote: post #25
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…

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 had symptoms of low stomach acid for a while also.

Six months into COVID I hadn't experienced anything at all on what would have been 1-2 monthly flare ups. Once I had the realization I put it all together.

When COVID hit I had restarted taking a multivitamin and some extra iodine (which is involved in stomach acid production, as it turns out). I had thought my diet was pretty healthy, but as it turns out there was something I wasn't getting enough of. I still don't know what. But I keep up with it and I don't have symptoms.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#144

Post by fasteo »

victorbjorklund wrote: post #18
tempaway43355 wrote: post #2

One of my children has severe epilepsy and has a Vagus Nerve Stimulation device implanted - Sentiva 1000 https://www.livanova.com/epilepsy-vnstherapy/en-gb/hcp/produ... It has really helped although obviously it took surgery and then also nine months of slowly tweaking the settings. Before the VNS they could (for example) not go on a trampoline for more than a few minutes without having a seizure, but now they're fin…

Wow, I had no idea that the science around the vagus nerve had progressed so far that we actually have implants that can be used in humans. Amazing. I'm so happy it helps your child.

Note that vagus nerve implants were approved by FDA in 1997

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#145

Post by jkhn »

blue_dragon wrote: post #133
jkhn wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I can empathize with how difficult it must have been to get a diagnosis and treatment plan. In my daughters case her symptoms were coughing while eating and vomiting. Most of the doctors we saw at first suggested it was acid reflux and she should be on prilosec, but she continued to get sicker and sicker and we really had no idea what to feed her.

It turns out she is allergic to corn which is unfortunately in almost every manufactured food. We had to do a deep dive into corn and it's derivatives in order to avoid foods that would trigger her. Even things like citric acid can be triggers because of the way it is produced.

She's been doing great for a number of years on the mometasone and we are excited to start dupixent now that she is old enough.

I've been lurking HN for 14 years or so and never made an account but felt compelled after I read your comment because I know how tough EoE can be. Good luck with your treatment!

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#146

Post by linsomniac »

matthewpick wrote: post #135
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).

I've heard they're about $3,500USD and aren't covered by insurance. For something that I'm unsure would solve the problem, it seems a bit much. If it were 1/10th the price, I would just try it.

Seems like the 3d scanning my kids had for their braces, plus 3D printing could make it less expensive, at least for a prototype device to just try.

I should try that "tape over the mouth" thing to see if it helps, particularly as I'm super mild apnea, but I'm expecting it won't really work with my beard.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#147

Post by AndrewKemendo »

tangjurine wrote: post #142
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."…

There's a whole different set of heuristics people develop when working with reasonings that might not be right but give a better outcome for whatever reason. Scientific reasoning is a relatively new phenomenon on top of the old way. Interestingly, scientific reasoning is getting so prevalent that people don't imagine the old way existed...

What is the specific “old way?” you are referring to?

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#148

Post by patmorgan23 »

adversaryIdiot wrote: post #115
tempaway43355 wrote: post #2

One of my children has severe epilepsy and has a Vagus Nerve Stimulation device implanted - Sentiva 1000 https://www.livanova.com/epilepsy-vnstherapy/en-gb/hcp/produ... It has really helped although obviously it took surgery and then also nine months of slowly tweaking the settings. Before the VNS they could (for example) not go on a trampoline for more than a few minutes without having a seizure, but now they're fin…

i wonder why the battery cant be charged wirelessly

Heat would be an issue but if you do it a little bit at a time might be ok.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#149

Post by gottorf »

theshrike79 wrote: post #54
albntomat0 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in a very similar situation as you with EoE, acid reflux, and a confirmed mild hiatal hernia. The anxiety seems to line up as well. Have you found any additional solutions, past the standard PPI and diet for acid reflux? Thanks!

Diet mostly, I dropped most added sugars, wheat and drip coffee (french press and cold press are fine for some reason) along with broccoli (random, right?) and industrial breads (something in the rising agents ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and I'm currently mostly fine. Large amounts of red meat is bad, because it just doesn't digest properly, I might burp in the evening and still taste my lunch sausage... Metamizole is the only one t…

> drip coffee (french press and cold press are fine for some reason)

That's so wild. If anything, you'd expect it to be the other way around, since French or cold press methods have the bean/grounds touch the water directly and therefore leave more oils in the final product, vs. drip coffee where it goes through a filter.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#150

Post by BizarroLand »

thenerdhead wrote: post #109
BizarroLand wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of me is interested, part of me is horrified by the idea of DIY electroshock therapy.

What exactly is DIY here? TENS devices are FDA approved and these are well known settings / protocols for different conditions.

DIY is "Do It Yourself" as in, not having trained professionals do it for you, therefore, the whole thing is DIY. Sure, maybe less DIY than making a pickaxe out of stone and mining the raw metals to build a tens device from actual scratch, but doing it to yourself is doing it yourself.
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