Expiratory-gated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) does not Further Augment Heart Rate Variability During Slow Breathing at 0.1 Hz
This study is relevant because of the RAVANs technology that synchronizes TAVNS with expiration. In these authors study they use 100Hz which may nor may not be optimal, just as tragus and cavum concha may not be optimal. But nonetheless, they saw now difference in HRV. TAVNS is running up against real problems in showing…
Read MoreHRV and Photobiomodulation for Vagal and Sympathetic ANS modulation
If nothing else, I aim to improve my patients’ autonomic balance by increasing their vagal activity. Stimulating the vagus nerve indirectly to increase parasympathetic activity and decreasing sympathetic activity. Acupuncture can increase vagal activity as well as transcutaneous auricular vagal stimulation. I am extremely excited by this study. Not only does it validate my approach of…
Read MorePodcast ZDoggMd and Rita Redberg: When Less is More
Readers of my blog might know that I have been so impressed with Rita Redberg, MD from UCSF. She has the courage to stand up to industry pressure and tell the truth about various very important topics. Some of these are the use of statins, overtesting for disease, the use of bisphosponates for bone density. …
Read MoreMedical Device Makers Spend Millions to loosen Regulations
This is an older article and back up for some of the writing I’m doing. It’s a good summary of the pressures to take these devices to market.
Read MoreNewsletter: Eat Your Way to Long Life or Pills?
Click here for the latest newsletter I have my first video featured… You have to start somewhere! Please click on the photo for my first attempt. Very, um, diy…
Read MoreEffects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on the resting state of major depressive disorder
This study investigated the mechanism underlying the immediate effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on major depressive disorder (MDD). The study involved 58 MDD patients and 54 healthy controls who underwent taVNS treatment. They were looking at which brain areas were affected. . Their findings suggest that taVNS has an immediate modulatory effect…
Read MoreRita Redberg and Risks of Statins. Time to Curb Your Enthusiasm
I admire Dr. Redberg very much. She speaks truth to the “powers that be” pushing medications and imaging technologies and scantily researched medical interventions. (If you click on the photo it will take you to a great discussion on a podcast by ZDoggMD entitled “When Less is More in Health Care”). I’ve linked to her…
Read MoreThe Case For Saunas! Role of Heat shock proteins in cardiac and neuroprotection
As a sort of periodic public service announcement I like to plug saunas. We all know exercise is good for us, but part of the reason why is that we produce heat shock proteins when we exercise. Not all of us can exercise as much or as intensely as we would aspire to, so as…
Read MoreWine: Healthy for you or not?
Keeping in mind that there is no minimal recommended daily dose of alcohol, where the safest risk/benefit calculation is to not drink at all, people do like to drink! So with that in mind… I bring this up because in my writing project I mention this theoretical health advantage of fruits and vegetables as well…
Read MoreChronic Pain and Heart Rate Variability in a Cross-Sectional Occupational Sample: Evidence for Impaired Vagal Control
In this article, the researchers measure Heart Rate Variability as a function of pain levels in 647 subjects. They found that parasympathetic activity was lower in patients with chronic pain. This is not at all surprising, but we can wonder if we improve HRV we can also improve patients pain. Again, autonomic balance influences so…
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