Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation • Hacker News Board

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#41

Post by zigzaggy » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:25 PM UTC

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…

Not GP but I also have severe reflux - I've had it years. It's been really bad lately.

In related information I've found that fortified yogurt helps not only my reflux but also improves my mood. But it never seemed to be enough to actually solve the reflux problem.

Just ordered the supplements. Truly hope this solves the problem.

Whoa I just realized that I have a hiatal hernia too. I didn't realize that's what that was. I hope this is a day of solutions!

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#42

Post by jwestbury » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:27 PM UTC

tibbydudeza wrote: post #15

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…

Also using CPAP and cuddling is a big problem for me as well. I have to sleep facing the opposite direction because the venthole in the nasal mask I can tolerate (F&P Eson 2) blows on her face.

I use a Resmed P30i, which I find really comfortable, but if either of the tubes on the side of my head get compressed, it gets noiser, or if the vent at the top of the head is too close to a surface, which means I now sleep in pretty specific positions to avoid disturbing my wife.

Still, better than keeping her up with my incessant snoring, I guess.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#43

Post by BSEdlMMldESB » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:39 PM UTC

wruza wrote: post #32

BSEdlMMldESB wrote: post #27

[flagged]

What a strange agitation in your comment. Melanin absorbtion spectrum is easy to search for and the data shows that its interaction with EM spectrum below UV and visible light (freq-wise) is basically zero. Radio frequencies at “home” energies don’t interact with us, so you can take the tinfoil hat off ;). Things change when you stand right in front of an industrial microwave antenna, but only there and that has noth…

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Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#44

Post by tempaway43355 » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:44 PM UTC

BSEdlMMldESB wrote: post #43

wruza wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a strange agitation in your comment. Melanin absorbtion spectrum is easy to search for and the data shows that its interaction with EM spectrum below UV and visible light (freq-wise) is basically zero. Radio frequencies at “home” energies don’t interact with us, so you can take the tinfoil hat off ;). Things change when you stand right in front of an industrial microwave antenna, but only there and that has noth…

[]

Your question makes no sense in the context of epilepsy. I genuinely have no idea what you are talking about

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#45

Post by davzie » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:46 PM UTC

zigzaggy wrote: post #41

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…

Not GP but I also have severe reflux - I've had it years. It's been really bad lately. In related information I've found that fortified yogurt helps not only my reflux but also improves my mood. But it never seemed to be enough to actually solve the reflux problem. Just ordered the supplements. Truly hope this solves the problem. Whoa I just realized that I have a hiatal hernia too. I didn't realize that's what that…

I’d love to hear if this does solve it for you ! Feel free to reply on here or on my contact page : https://davidt.co.uk

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#46

Post by sidewndr46 » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:48 PM UTC

mindsuck wrote: post #11

voisin wrote: post #9

> Further research revealed that the brain communicates with the spleen – an organ that plays a critical role in the immune system – by sending electrical signals down the vagus nerve. These trigger the release of a chemical called acetylcholine that tells immune cells to switch off inflammation. Isn’t inflammation an important process for healing? Too much is obviously bad, but if we go turning it off, won’t that le…

I'm not a doctor so I won't pretend I understand how these treatments work but: > Tracey immediately recognised the therapeutic implications, having spent years trying to develop better treatments for inflammatory conditions such as sepsis, arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Existing drugs dampen inflammation, but carry a risk of serious side effects. Here was a technique with the potential to switch off inflammation wit…

sepsis isn't an "inflammatory condition". It's a death sentence if it isn't dealt with promptly. Lumping that in with arthritis renders this meaningless.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#47

Post by jinder » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:52 PM UTC

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 neuropsychiatric symptoms.

I think the link here is that increased LPS/endotoxin production by your microbiota can induce acid reflux, cause neuroinflammation and psychiatric symptoms. Low acid production itself can result in a more inflammatory microbiome further exacerbating the problem. Long term fix would be working on the migrating motor complex, improve motility/gastric emptying and rebalance the microbiome by reducing gram-negative bacteria/pathobionts and increasing butyrate production via selective feeding. [I'm not a doctor, this is just the direction I've been working on things myself]

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#48

Post by esperent » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 2:57 PM UTC

hnbad wrote: post #37

buescher wrote: post #24

Off and on, I've been seeing woo about the vagus nerve for a while. This article was refreshingly balanced. Now I know: "Tracey’s discovery also caught the attention of mind-body practitioners, including the Dutch motivational speaker and “Iceman” Wim Hof". Aha. Indeed. Where is the rest of this stuff coming from? Is there a deeper dive?

Any mention of Wim Hof deserves a mention of the fact that the "Wim Hof Method" has a perfect verification mechanism: Wim Hof has a twin brother who does not practice the method and performs similarly well on most of the tests supposed to demonstrate the method's efficacy: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24773331 In other words: there's likely a genetic factor at play much like no amount of training will give yo…

> similarly well on most of the tests

From your link they checked exactly one thing: shivering response to cold following breathing exercises. Both twins did exactly as well on this one test. That's not "most tests". It's one test. And personally, being able to withstand cold is the least interesting claimed benefit of breathing techniques.

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#49

Post by RankingMember » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 3:13 PM UTC

BSEdlMMldESB wrote: post #43

wruza wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a strange agitation in your comment. Melanin absorbtion spectrum is easy to search for and the data shows that its interaction with EM spectrum below UV and visible light (freq-wise) is basically zero. Radio frequencies at “home” energies don’t interact with us, so you can take the tinfoil hat off ;). Things change when you stand right in front of an industrial microwave antenna, but only there and that has noth…

[]

You're getting downvoted because what you're saying doesn't make any logical sense, not because of any "taboos".

Re: Growing scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation

#50

Post by swader999 » Wed, Aug 23, 2023, 3:18 PM UTC

esperent wrote: post #48

hnbad wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any mention of Wim Hof deserves a mention of the fact that the "Wim Hof Method" has a perfect verification mechanism: Wim Hof has a twin brother who does not practice the method and performs similarly well on most of the tests supposed to demonstrate the method's efficacy: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24773331 In other words: there's likely a genetic factor at play much like no amount of training will give yo…

> similarly well on most of the tests From your link they checked exactly one thing: shivering response to cold following breathing exercises. Both twins did exactly as well on this one test. That's not "most tests". It's one test. And personally, being able to withstand cold is the least interesting claimed benefit of breathing techniques.

Yes! And it's so easy to just try it and see for yourself. Laughable that anyone wouldn't just take ten minutes to see if it does anything.