Tag: Autonomic Nervous System
Improvement in HRV, Autonomic Balance Over Time? Vi.Le edition RMSSD
This data is from a patient we’ve looked at before. One overriding goal of this HRV project (looking at stress levels and autonomic balance in conjunction with acupuncture) is to explore and document stress levels over time with consistent treatment. Of course correlation doesn’t mean causation, but it is something that is of tremendous interest…
Read MoreTAVNS Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation and HRV: Clinic data Ly.Ma edition
My ongoing work to use HRV (heart rate variability) to document improved autonomic activity (stress levels) has as one of its foci the use of TAVNS and if there appears to be improved stress levels with its use. Even though there are studies showing that TAVNS activated autonomic centers in the brain, I have not…
Read MoreAnatomo-Physiologic Basis for Auricular Stimulation
Everyone seems to see the potential for auricular stimulation in lieu of more invasive vagal nerve stimulation. These articles abound. I am still collecting data comparing auricular electrostimulation in conjunction with acupuncture compared to acupuncture alone. So far, I don’t see enhanced vagal activity or stress reduction. As in all aspects of medicine, it’s very…
Read MoreAcupuncture modulates stress response by the mTOR signaling pathway in a rat post-traumatic stress disorder model.
In this study, single needle acupuncture in mice was as effective as fluoxetine in controlling anxiety. These mouse studies are brutal. They make the mice swim for long periods of time which then sets them up for PTSD. Brutal… I need to get up to date about the MTOR pathway. It seems to be everywhere…
Read MoreUsing HRV to Predict Success with Implanted Vagal Nerve Stimulators for Drug Resistent Epilepsy
This article achieves something that has always been on the back burner of my HRV project. That is, can we tell something about people’s likelihood to respond to treatment before we treat them, by analyzing their HRV? In my earliest research, I saw a correlation with patients’ stress response (LF/HF) on the treatment table with…
Read MoreHeart Rate Variability in Fibromyalgia Patients
I have treated fibromyalgia patients over the years, and the condition is of intense interest in the Acupuncture Research Community. This article indicates that autonomic dysfunction plays a part in the disease. Front Physiol. 2018 Aug 17;9:1118. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01118. eCollection 2018. Multifractal Analysis Reveals Decreased Non-linearity and Stronger Anticorrelations in Heart Period Fluctuations of Fibromyalgia…
Read MoreNeurophysiologic effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) via electrical stimulation of the tragus: A concurrent taVNS/fMRI study and review.
This study looks at taVNS (auricular stim) and the effects on fMRI. They compare tragus stim with lobe stim. The tragus has some reflection of the auricular brancy of the vagus nerve, but from my studies not as much as in the cymba concha. But it is useful to see these specific controlled studies. Brain…
Read MorePolyvagal Theory and Auricular Acupuncture
Polyvagal theory Oleson Medical Acupuncture This is from a recent issue of Medical Acupuncture and discusses the importance of the vagus nerve in auricular acupuncture. My research, such as it is, is focussed on the stress response and the role of the autonomic nervous system in acupuncture . Until recently, both Western medicine and traditional…
Read MoreShape Magazine: Why You Should Try Acupuncture Even if You Don’t Need Pain Relief
Lovely article from Shape Magazine about acupuncture that actually gets to the nitty gritty of mechanisms. (Link broken) But I loved this part best “Acupuncture also has a dramatic effect on your nervous system, calming you down so your body can rejuvenate faster, Dr. Audette says. When a needle is inserted, it stimulates small nerves…
Read MoreVagally mediated heart rate variability in headache patients–a systematic review and meta-analysis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Cephalalgia. 2016 Mar;36(3):265-78. doi: 10.1177/0333102415583989. Epub 2015 May 11. Vagally mediated heart rate variability in headache patients–a systematic review and meta-analysis. Koenig J1, Williams DP1, Kemp AH2, Thayer JF3. Author information 1 Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, USA. 2 University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil School of…
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