There has been a lot of buzz lately about the vagus nerve
and its innate connection between depression, anxiety, healthy system
regulation and even mast cell degranulation.
The conversation has touched on the topic of the ability of stimulating
the vagus nerve through yoga! Since I
love yoga and truly believe the practice of breathe and movement to be a
critical component of healing, this has been a topic that I’m very interested
in.
If you research yoga, you will find claims that it supports
a body struggling with:
- Clogged lymph system (more on this in a future post)
- Decreased blood flow
- High blood pressure
- Depression
- High blood sugar (yoga regulates cortisol and adrenal levels)
- Muscle tension
- Insomnia
- Shallow lung function
- Gastro issues such as IBS
- Inflammation of the Joints
- Mast cell degranulation (it calms our mast cells)
So where does the vagus nerve fit in? Well, basically it is the largest cranial
nerve that wanders between the brainstem region into the lower abdomen. The nerve has “branches” that reach out to
most of the major organs including our respiratory, digestive and nervous
system. I think of it as a swaying tree in
the wind gently massaging the organs. When the nerve is stimulated, anti-stress
enzymes are released. A strong, calm and
relaxed vagal tone leads to a more resistant body during high stress periods. People with a strong vagal tone handle intense
situations better than those with a weak vagal tone basically because it
contributes to our fight or flight sensory. This is extremely important for Masto/MCAS
sufferers as stress can cause mast cell degranulation. A well balanced calm vagal tone also prevents
inflammatory cytokines from being released which is also very important to the
Masto/MCAS sufferer. The word on the street is that yoga or simply
yogic breathing (pranayama) is enough to stimulate this never and bring a calm
and relaxing effect throughout the body.
In fact, the health benefits of yoga are gaining enough attention to
warrant intense studies into how it impacts the health of those that practice
it. Yoga research is being conducted by
doctors at Texas MD Anderson Cancer Clinic, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Cleveland
Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine. It is also considered a primary exercise in
the functional medicine practice.
To induce a healthy vagal tone, simply breathe deep from the
diaphragm and slowly exhale in a long stable manner. Take your time and focus on the breath. This
breathing action travels down from the conscious mind through the organs and
into your belly creating a restful inner calm.
Practice this for ten minutes in a silent area where you can concentrate
and focus. Take note of how your body
feels before the breathing practice and then again after the practice. Also, take note of how your body feels one
week and then again one month after practicing this breathing. As you become comfortable with the breathing,
start to think about how you can incorporate the moves into your daily
routine. Good options include a yoga DVD,
you-tube yoga classes or grabbing a mat and finding a class in your
community. Once you become comfortable
with a handful of moves, you can do them anywhere.
Other attempts to stimulate the vagus nerve may include
immersing your face in cold water. I do
this as soon as I am finished exercising especially if it intense or outside in
the heat. It instantly calms my nerves
and reduces my heart rate at a much quicker pace. Also, letting your mouth fill with saliva and
leaving your tongue to soak in it. I
have not tried this approach. If you
cannot produce enough saliva (which I cannot), fill your mouth with warm water
and hold for a few deep breathes through the nose.
Again, stimulating this nerve should bring you both present
and continued relief and assist in the reduction of mast cell degranulation if
done regularly. I have found my favorite
YouTube resource is Yoga with Adrienne.
She is Awesome!!!!!!
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