There are a variety of symptoms that could be caused by an imbalance of your vagus nerve. Your vagus nerve is not only your longest cranial nerve, but it more parts of your body than you can imagine!
The symptoms of an imbalanced vagus nerve include:
- Heart palpitations
- Increased blood pressure
- Anxiety or Stress
- Acid reflux, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea
- Diseases of inflammation including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disease
Treatment of the vagus nerve is natural and gentle. No harsh drugs or surgery required.
To give you some more data about the vagus nerve, it works to balance your sympathetic, fight or flight nervous system. In fact it is the balance between the two which prevents the symptoms I list above from developing.
The sympathetic nervous system speeds up your heart; the vagus, as part of the parasympathetic nervous system, slows it down.
You've likely heart of the gut-brain connection. When it comes to the primary pathway whereby your body is communicating to your brain, the one from your gut (microbiome) to your brain is the most prevalent one used and it passes through your vagus nerve. Your microbiome is estimated to contain 80 to 100 trillion bacteria plus parasites, viruses and fungal species. Your body, as a comparison, contains 40 to 60 trillion cells.
The relationship between your gut and your brain is very interesting. Your microbiome contains both beneficial and hostile bacteria and 70% of your immune system is housed in your gut to prevent hostile bacteria from gaining entry intro your body's bloodstream. But enough hostile bacteria create toxins which produce lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and they overwhelm the immune system triggering inflammation and leading to the inflammatory diseases killing most Americans.
Here's where the vagus nerve comes in: How responsive your body is to the early triggers depends on how burdened your vagus nerve is from other sources. In other words, a healthy vagus nerve will enhance immune function and your body will be robust in its response to the bad organisms.
Further, the vagus nerve can be involved in gastroparesis or slowed digestion. If you feel like your food just "sits there" in your gut for hours, this is a symptom of slowed digestion.
The vagus nerve also influences the release of enzymes from the pancreas, crucial to digestion of all types of food.
Your vagus supports lung function - breathing and respiration. And the vagus is involved in detoxification through your liver and kidneys.
The vagus also manages fluid and electrolyte balance affecting your blood pressure.
Finally, your vagus nerve involves emotional regulation - how you perceives the world around you and whether you react to it feeling stress, anxiety, moodiness and more. The vagus nerve is like a sixth sense, creating homeostasis when functioning normally and emotional instability when malfunctioning.
I hope you've gained a new found respect for your vagus nerve! Simple exercises such as humming, belly breathing (box breathing), gargling, and other relaxation techniques can help take the edge off an imbalanced vagus nerve.
There is also a vagus nerve stimulator the is quite affordable that you can use at home. Contact my office for more information on it: 727-335-0400. The device is simple to use but it would be part of a coordinated program, not a "magic pill" as it were.
Vagus nerve imbalance is common yet very treatable as part of a program that addresses gut and immune and hormonal health naturally.
If you'd like assistance improving your health, we're here for you. Contact us for a consultation. 727-335-0400