Vagal Stimulation for Autoimmune Disease

Since I have auto immune, even though it’s better controlled now, sounds like I need to catch up on the vagus nerve.

I figured it was just false hope and false hype when you started hearing about it eight years ago, apparently there’s something to it with some people. More homework.

There are lots of ways to stimulate and tone the vagus nerve out there that don't rely on devices or surgical implants, fortunately. By coincidence, I just went through a multi-hour training module about a dozen or more vagal stimulation tools through the Primal Trust program. Reading this article the next day was quite reassuring. You're right, Astro, that this has been talked about for many years in alternative medicine circles, and it's nice to see some data and studies to back it up. (Perhaps there are others, but this one just happened onto my radar.) I'm mostly excited about this validation personally because it might inspire loved ones with autoimmune disease to try more avenues to address their conditions.

DCD - I'll be curious what you think of Primal Trust! I have been increasingly impressed as I move through the modules and take advantage of the various features beyond just the modules themselves. I'm interested in comparing it with DNRS and other programs I've tried, and I'd be curious how it compares to what you have done as well.

A word of caution based on what you said about your current symptom constellation: In module 3, you're shown lots of vagal stimulation tools at once, and it's suggested that you try them along with the video. I did this, and the next day was floored by what seemed to be a stomach bug - vomiting, diarrhea, and fever for about 36 hours. I asked around the Primal Trust forum and others have had a similar experience overdoing it with the vagal exercises at first! I was surprised, given that I just tried each exercise one time, and I do similar stuff on my own anyway and have for years. Of course it's technically possible that I had an actual stomach bug, but I take a crazy number of precautions and it's highly unlikely. So when they say to pace yourself, really just go through that module slowly, just in case!

just wanted to add a note to this post - with a recent paper that may shed some light on mechanisms involved in the effects of things like vagus nerve stimulation - or indeed other mind body techniques

that the following article found that phycological stress reduces the activity of the mucous producing cells in the gut

why is this significant - well, because all chronically sick people are chronically stressed, and because it is this same mucous lining in the gut that forms both the food and habitat for many beneficial species of gut bacteria to grow on - eg akermansia

when this habitat is compromised lots of undesirable things happen - such as:
( i am paraphrasing previous reading here - but i think its all pretty well established now )

1, good bacteria cannot colonise the surface of the gut lining (without actually touching it - due to mucous layer) as a result they are not there to outcompete the less desirable gut bacteria
2, instead, other more aggressive or opportunistic bacteria tend to colonise the space
3, these tend to drive inflammation and gut hyperpermeability
4, gut hyperpermeability ( AKA Leaky Gut) leads to food particles, molecules, gut bacteria and bacterial fragments entering the blood supply
5, these excessive foreign objects in the blood cause systemic symptoms - not just gut ones - things like fatigue, inflammation, brain fog, immune system disturbance etc etc
6, in fact its now known that leaky gut is a pre-requisite for developing any auto-immune disease

i thought this was interesting as many people with Lyme have these types of issues going on - are sensitive to various foods - have lots of gut issues - or get tired after meals - and or have auto-immune disease

but until now we haven't had good mechanistic explanations for what might be at the root of it - or what to do about it

we also see people benefit from various mind body techniques - but without real evidenced based explanations for how of why these may be helping

in the paper they researchers showed that stimulating the vagus nerve restored the mucous producing cells functions
so this is at least one mechanism that could help explain how things like electrical nerve stimulation - or more widely - mind body techniques more broadly might be working.

Source: PsyPost - Psychology News
https://www.psypost.org/scientists-uncover-brain-gut-connection-that-impairs-immune-defenses-during-psychological-stress/

i think it underlines the need for a multifaceted treatment approach - to try to restore various aspects of the patients immune function - rather than try to address the problem with antimicrobials alone - as ultimately its the immune system that has to take over at some point - and is often the determinant of who gets well and who stays sick