We often experiment with doctors, diets, drugs, supplements … whatever … trying to find relief without knowing what’s really causing our problems. Why don’t we treat the cause of illness rather than experimenting with symptom relief?
The reason that we get stuck focusing on isolated symptoms is that we simply haven’t known what really causes these problems or what to do about them.
What if there was a single cause underlying a wide variety of symptoms? For example, what if chronic pain, anxiety, IBS, inflammation, and many other chronic issues shared a common cause that we could remedy? Wouldn’t it make sense to treat that single cause rather than to chase after a list of seemingly unrelated symptoms while ignoring the cause?
What’s So Revolutionary?
The revolution involves a new understanding of how our bodies regulate our own health and well-being via the vagus nerve. When we focus on the function of the vagus nerve we’re focusing on the primary cause of health or illness. When the vagus is functioning properly our gene expression, neurological balance, biochemistry, and ultimately our health and well-being is optimal. When vagal function falters so does our health.
The overall premise is to treat the cause of illness first, which is vagal dysfunction, and support it as needed with diet, nutrition, etc. Treat the cause first rather than treating symptoms endlessly while ignoring the cause.
Based on this new understanding of disease causation, technology companies are competing to develop vagus nerve stimulators which I’ll mention again later. For now, let’s realize that the revolution is about us … you and me … having a more comprehensive and scientific understanding of what makes us sick and how to get well.
The revolutionary news is that we can learn how to balance our own vagal functioning. With this knowledge, we can take care of ourselves with more confidence and less fear. And by the way, more confidence and less fear are inner states that dramatically increase vagal health.
The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Vagus Nerve
Medical science has known for decades that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) governs our overall health. That system runs pretty much on automatic, managing immunity, organ function, mood, just about everything.
More specifically, it’s the parasympathetic branch of that system and its vagus nerve that’s in charge of the maintenance and repair functions of the body. When the vagus nerve is working properly it regulates our organs to keep us alive and vibrantly healthy. When its function is impaired we become symptomatic.
A healthy diet, adequate exercise, hydration, good dental health, and meaningful relationships are often all we need to stay healthy and happy as long as the vagus nerve is working properly.
However, the function of the vagus nerve, a cranial nerve that exits the brain and travels to all of our organs, can become impaired by the stress response and as a result, our health and well-being suffer. It’s as if stress opens the vagus circuit breaker and the lights begin to dim.
In response to a perceived threat, like a tiger or even an unexpected expense, our system prepares to defend itself, not to heal itself, and the vagus nerve is inhibited. Blood sugar goes up, blood pressure rises, blood fats go up, inflammation increases, as does muscle tension all in preparation for us to run or fight, not to heal and be healthy.
While stress is acknowledged as a contributor to illness the dramatic degree to which it impairs our health and burdens the healthcare system is for the most part ignored. And so is its treatment.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored a meta-study that’s based on over 300 studies spanning a 30-year period that concluded that 85% of hospital admissions were for ailments resulting from chronic stress.
While the topic of stress is well documented it’s ignored at least in part because the solution to stress is an individual’s responsibility, not a medical treatment. There’s no pill for stress. It’s an inside job.
And it’s rare to find someone who knows how to consciously activate their vagus nerve to resolve stress and restore health. So for most of us learning to live more comfortably in our own skin … via vagal activation … is indeed a learning experience.
Polyvagal Theory: Fueling a Revolution in Healthcare
Dr. Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory tells us that the vagus nerve comes with a ‘reset’ function. And if we can learn to reset the vagus nerve (to increase vagal tone) we can inhibit the stress response and resolve many of our health concerns at their roots. Just ahead I’ll offer practical suggestions for how to increase vagal tone.
Much of Porges’ work focuses on the role that kind, compassionate, face to face human interaction plays in restoring balanced function to the vagus nerve. Balancing the vagus supports healing from head to toe. Kindness and compassion focused toward others as well as ourselves transforms our biological as well as spiritual health.
Medical science and venture capitalists are not unaware of this potential for a revolution in healthcare. In the last year, I’ve read about implantable devices that stimulate the vagus nerve internally. They’re calling it neuromodulation.
Since thoracic surgery is a hard sell for the average stressed-out consumer, now wearable devices are being developed to increase market share along with improving vagal tone to reduce the impact of stress and improve health overall.
While these wearable devices actually sound very promising, wouldn’t it be great to know how to increase vagal tone and trigger neuromodulation all on your own and not have to worry about batteries pooping out?
Safety Comes First
Porges discovered that by turning off the stress neurology of defense (fight or flight) we allow the vagus nerve to function more normally in support of health and wellness. This is the foundation for the revolution in healthcare.
The indispensable key to turning off fight or flight is to remove the perception of threat. With no threat, there’s no need to defend and the vagus remains active in supporting our health and well-being.
We must feel safe on a deep bodily level in order to reset the vagus nerve or to increase vagal tone.
Here are a few introductory steps that I routinely share with new patients, that serve as unconscious bodily cues to the nervous system that one is indeed safe. These are simple, yet powerful beginning steps for increasing vagal tone and restoring health.
- Notice your belly and allow it to relax, or pooch out a tad. Just noticing your belly casually and curiously as a source of sensations taking up space is neurologically balancing. It creates a synchronized alpha wave throughout your brain and more …. ultimately increasing vagal tone.
- Next, Allow your breath to slowly … s-l-o-w-l-y … move into your belly. It’s your belly that moves the most rather than your chest. And ideally, or at least with some practice under your belt, your in and out breaths will each last about 5 seconds long. If it’s comfortable to add an extra second or so to the exhale so much the better. This step also cues your system that you are safe and increases vagal tone.
- Lastly, enjoy the process. If there’s something about this process that you can appreciate by all means savor that experience. Enjoy the bodily felt sensations that go with greater ease or inner quiet. Research in the field of neurocardiology shows that the experience of appreciation or gratitude increases vagal tone.
The above process can be practiced for just a minute or up to twenty minutes. The key word here is practice. The more one practices, like when practicing a musical instrument, the more the beneficial neurological and biochemical changes become programmed into the system creating a new default setting. With practice comes lasting functional and structural changes in your brain known as neuroplasticity.
Viva La Revolucion!
This is really a grassroots revolution where individuals like you and me take back our power. We’re reclaiming our power in terms of self-healing and overall well-being. From this new perspective, we’re in charge of our healing and we welcome partnering with healthcare professionals when their training and expertise is needed for additional support.
For those that choose to take the practices deeper, as we let go of more and more early life and cultural programming, not only are inhibitions removed from our physiology but also from our soul. We’re moving towards revealing more of our most essential or authentic self.
There are powerful forces in our culture and in our own subconscious that are likely threatened and opposed to losing power and control.
We often see this played out on the outer level as resistance to these ideas or to the concept of increasing emotional awareness.
On the inner, personal level our ego is threatened at the prospect of losing control and will do its best to disrupt our transformation. However, the more consistently we engage in these new practices and experience benefits the ego will begin to relax and support us in our quest for healing and inner growth.
It helps to be aware of these cultural and psychological dynamics so that we’re better able to more consistently stay on course.
Over the years I’ve incorporated a number of therapeutic techniques and strategies that increase vagal tone which I’ve verified with Heart Rate Variability assessments and positive patient outcomes.
I’ve assembled the best of these techniques into a training program called The Polyvagal Solution. The program offers a collection of skills that can be learned for self-care.
Some of the skills can be learned and applied in minutes, while other more refined inner attention skills require practice over time.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback.