Deep Resilience: Pain and Acupuncture
Pain Chapter 3.25.2022 for sharing “The easiest pain to bear is someone else’s.” Francois de la Rochefoucauld. We might be inclined to think that pain is unlike any of the other conditions discussed in Deep Resilience and not subject to the laws of Dr. One. Pain is real! Pain is urgent and serious! But even…
Read MoreDeep Resilience: Inflammation
This Inflammation 4.15.2022 for sharing really gave me problems. How to explain how acupuncture and other non-invasive interventions can affect something as serious and all pervasive as Inflammation? Inflammation is linked to all the big killers, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many other conditions. I try to show the links, but I couldn’t do it…
Read MoreINS Barcelona 2022 HRV as Biomarker for Effective Clinical TAVNS
This is the abstract for my contribution to the International Neuromodulation Society World Congress in Barcelona May 21 to May 26th 2022. The post with a link to the actual poster is here. HEART RATE VARIABILITY AS BIOMARKER FOR EFFECTIVE CLINICAL TRANSCUTANEOUS AURICULAR VAGAL NERVE STIMULATION: DIFFERENTIATING VAGAL VERSUS SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY This case…
Read MoreAndrew Huberman: Toolkit for sleep
I have heard Dr. Huberman on a few podcasts. This particular segment is about sleep, an evergreen topic on this blog. He stresses the roles of light (when to get it and how) and temperature. He is not a fan of melatonin. I will most likely stop recommending that patients take it. What he says…
Read MoreDoes transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (TAVNS) affect vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV)?
I wish I could say that I vehemently disagree with the conclusion of this literature review that TAVNS does not affect HRV. As mentioned in this post, it is perhaps because it requires repeated attempts. My studies in the clinic do not show decisive affect from TAVNS. It is possible that I am asking the…
Read MoreTranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation augments postprandial inhibition of ghrelin
I will be watching this ghrelin research carefully. I’m a bit skeptical of this research that promises effortless weight loss. On the other hand, I do believe that there are some powerful homeostatic mechanisms at play when the autonomic nervous system is stimulated. As of now, the effects are muted but with the correct stimulation…
Read MoreExercises for Back Pain
This article is from the New York Times. Back pain is so common that anything we can do to control it is well worth the time and effort. “If holding a regular plank is uncomfortable, start with your knees on the ground, then progress to balancing on your toes. Dr. Shah also suggested squats, push-ups and bridges. To build…
Read MoreThe significance of “A neuroanatomical basis for electroacupuncture to drive the vagal-adrenal axis
This article is emphasizing the significance of this recent Nature article. It is hard to overstate how groundbreaking the original article was. We need better, more sophisticated ways to stimulate acupuncture points in order to get the maximum anti-inflammatory and parasympathetic effect. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35128863/ Su YS, Li YM, Jing XH, Wang YQ, Han SP, Pan WX,…
Read MoreElectroacupuncture Ameliorates Acute Pancreatitis: A Role for the Vagus Nerve-Mediated Cholinergic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway
Still working on my Inflammation Chapter. It is still a hot mess, but I may as well keep introduction this opaque term α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR). It comes up again and again and we all might as well familiarize ourselves with it. It is actually exciting because acupuncture binds this receptor which leads to a…
Read MoreMatthew Walker: Science of Sleep Podcast episode
I have reported on Walker’s work here. For those who like to listen, rather than read a podcast with hose Shane Parrish from the Knowledge Project with Dr. Walker can be found here. I learned that Walker is an advisor for the Oura ring which I discussed here. Renowned sleep scientist Matthew Walker discusses everything…
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