Viva Las Vagus (Nerve), by Bruce Schaefer, LMT

We might think that all our major nerves branch outwardly from our spinal cord. Thirty-one pairs of our major nerves do. However, we have twelve more pairs of nerves (the cranial nerves) that emerge from the base of our brain and travel through various openings in our skulls (at the locations of our eyes, nose, inner ears, the brain stem, and the spinal cord). One of these cranial nerves, called "the vagus nerve," has a critical role in many vital processes within our bodies. Recent discoveries have shown the vagus nerve has an even more profound effect than once thought; and we can influence this nerve by ourselves to help with certain inflammatory conditions.

The Vagus Nerve -- An Ordinary Nerve

Almost all the cranial nerves provide sensory and/or motor function to different areas and organs within the head and neck. The vagus nerve has sensory functions of touch, pain, temperature, body part positioning and movement in the neck and throat. In addition, it has motor functions of swallowing, coughing, and voice production. However, the vagus nerve's power and influence goes far beyond this area!

The Vagus Nerve -- A Pervasive Nerve

Extending into your heart, the vagus nerve monitors your blood pressure, watches for changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood (which in turn regulates your breathing), and sends impulses to cardiac muscle. The vagus nerve detects sensations from your visceral organs within your thorax and abdomen. It sends impulses to the smooth muscle in your airways, stomach, small intestine, and most of your large intestine. The vagus nerve also sends impulses to the glands in your gastrointestinal tract. As you can see, this particular cranial nerve is vital to many of our internal processes. But wait, there's more.

An Extraordinary Nerve

Dr. Kevin Tracey, a neurosurgeon and the director of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, has found that the vagus nerve communicates with the immune system and dictates our body's inflammatory response to autoimmune diseases and infection. Dr. Tracey's research found that stimulating the vagus nerve can slow down abnormal immune system responses such as the release of toxic inflammatory markers.

In an article in the Southern Medical Journal, Dr. Adam Rindfleisch states that the vagus nerve stimulation prevents the release of TNF (tumor necrosis factor), a chemical messenger that is involved in the inflammatory response. TNF blocker drugs have been found to be helpful in the management of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Rindfleisch states, "Learning a simple abdominal breathing exercise stimulates relaxation in part by its vagal nerve influence." Dr. Rindfleisch recommends abdominal breath work as a safer (more cost-effective) alternative to TNF blocker drugs. Along with Dr. Rindfleisch, a number of healthcare professionals are now recommending abdominal breathing exercises to help reduce inflammation.

Harness the Power -- Stimulate That Vagus Nerve!

Remember that the vagus nerve detects sensations from your visceral organs within your thorax and abdomen? So let's give our vagus nerve some stimulation with a very easy, very effective abdominal breathing exercise I learned from Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Namita Gandhi. This exercise is called "Breathing with Belly Weights." What I find appealing about this breathing exercise is that you don't have to think about what you're doing or worry if you're doing it correctly (which ends up countering the relaxation aspect).

To breathe with belly weights, get a pillow (or two) and a five-pound bag of rice or beans (or anything with similar weight and some flexibility). Lie down on your back with a pillow under your head and a pillow under your knees (get comfortable). Place the bag of flexible weight on your navel. Now, just relax and breathe. Breathe at a normal, relaxing rate. Don't think and don't hyperventilate. Your body will soon compensate for this weight on your abdomen and start drawing your breaths more toward your abdomen (gently filling your lower lungs). This allows you to do correct abdominal breathing without having to think about it! Continue breathing with belly weight for 10 to 15 minutes. That's it. If you find it difficult to breathe or are uncomfortable, use less weight for now. As you do this breathing exercise more often, you can slowly add more weight if you like. The important thing is to keep it comfortable and to know that the amount of weight you can easily handle may vary day to day.

In addition to stimulating the vagus nerve, breathing with belly weights can induce relaxation, strengthen your core, improve oxygenation, increase blood flow, and massage abdominal cavity organs.

For those of you who want to supplement your abdominal breath work (or who don't have any bags of rice or beans), massage therapy also increases vagal nerve activity.

Worth Considering

As you know, vagal nerve stimulation can prevent or reduce the release of TNF (tumor necrosis factor). Chronic inflammatory conditions linked to high levels of TNF production include rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, glomerulonephritis, sarcoidosis, and Behcet's disease.

I feel breathing with belly weights may also be a helpful supplemental approach for other autoimmune conditions involving inflammation, if for no other reason than reducing stress (as stress is known to exacerbate inflammatory symptoms in many autoimmune diseases).