Achieve Wellness with Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Transform your health with affordable VNS solutions for stress and anxiety.
Achieve Optimal Wellness with Bradford Vagus Connection
Transform Your Health with Bradford Vagus Connection
Potential health benefits of VNS:
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) decreases stress-related signals in the brain’s emotion-regulating areas (J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2007;114(11):1485-93).
- VNS does not conflict with other treatments.
- Published clinical research (see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ for references) suggests VNS benefits in treating many illnesses affected by stress-response, including:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Major Depression
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraine & Cluster Headaches
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease)
- Cognitive Impairment
- Obesity
The Bradford Vagus ConnectionTM electrode, connected to a commercial TENS unit, is a simpler and easier solution for VNS than custom-built VNS electronic units:
- Cost-Effective: Commercial TENS units are available at low cost online at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/);
- TENS units are easily programmable for VNS mode, pulse width, pulse frequency, duration and intensity, according to the optimal signal parameters determined by published medical VNS studies, and they do not require a cell phone app for control;
- Commercial TENS units should have rectangular-shaped pulses, which are similar to the “spike” shape of the natural electrical pulses produced by nerve cells, and not a synthetic “sign-wave” shape like household electrical current;
- Commercial TENS units are safe & non-prescription, and have no periodic subscription-renewal charges for long-term use;
- Vagus nerve stimulation is more effective and simpler on the neck than on the ear (Auton Neurosci. 2022 Dec:243:103038); the ear has a smaller branch of the vagus nerve adjacent to some other small nerves there. Ear electrodes are more difficult to place correctly for good results, and they also need frequent replacement.
VNS connection instructions:
You should be in a relaxed position to start; don’t do VNS if you’re tired or irritable. Connect the VNS neck electrode to the signal wires of a suitable TENS signal generator. (TENS units typically have 2 channels, but you need only one for VNS.)
Program the TENS unit settings for VNS (typical settings, or as directed):
- Normal mode (continuous signal with fixed frequency & amplitude).
- Pulse width: 200 µs (microseconds).
- Pulse frequency: 10-30 Hz. (Some studies suggest changing the frequency within this range once a week.)
- Duration: Start at 1 or 2 minutes twice daily, maximum 10 minutes twice daily. (More-sensitive people may need to start slower and work up gradually as tolerated.)
- Plug the TENS unit lead-wire connectors into the electrode connectors.
Electrode position: Find your neck pulse, using fingertips on the front of the neck, just to the left of your trachea (windpipe). This pulse is the place to hold the electrode, in a vertical position parallel to the trachea. (Don’t use the right side of the neck.)
- Intensity: To start a session, gradually turn the intensity up until you barely feel muscle twitching there, and leave it just below that threshold intensity. (Vagus nerve cells are more easily triggered than muscle cells.)
Important precaution: When disconnecting the wires, hold both connectors; don’t pull on the wires. (Pulling apart by the wires can damage the electrode’s internal connections.)
Avoid water-contact on the electrode and the TENS unit.
Contraindications for VNS include implanted pacemakers or defibrillat
ors, bradycardia (excessively slow heart rate), and congestive heart failure.
How does VNS work?
The autonomic nervous system regulates automatic body functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion, urinary and genital function, inflammation, and emotional balance. Its sympathetic branch supports emergency response (“fight-or-flight”), which is balanced by its parasympathetic branch (“rest and digest” and biological cleanup and maintenance). The parasympathetic branch also manages social interactions and coordinates feelings of safety. When either branch is elevated, it suppresses the other one, to prioritize either emergency response or maintenance.
In Chronic Stress Response, the sympathetic nervous system remains stuck in the “on”-position, which keeps the parasympathetic nervous system turned off, weakening its function like an un-exercised muscle. The most important connection in the parasympathetic system is the Vagus Nerve, which is accessible close to the skin in the neck & external ear. Stimulating the Vagus nerve “exercises” the parasympathetic system (like a muscle), so it can regain its influence and turn the sympathetic system off (except in emergency response). Vagus nerve activity can be influenced by breathing, meditation, and yoga, but the simplest method is by direct vagus nerve stimulation on the neck or ear. This has been shown to help balance chronic stress & inflammation throughout the body, that contribute to many chronic health problems.
About TENS unit signal generators:
Commercial TENS units (electrical signal generators) are available at low cost on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/), and have been used since 1974 by athletic trainers, physical therapists and chiropractors to treat musculoskeletal pain. They typically have 2 channels, to treat both sides of the body. Each channel has a pair of wires connecting to 2 adhesive gel pads to apply electrical signals to the skin in appropriate locations. These gel pads are typically about 2 inches size, and can be used several times before replacement. However, they are much too big for stimulating the vagus nerve effectively.
TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) units are easily programmable to the kind of electrical signals needed for Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), so a specially designed VNS electronic signal generator is no longer needed. Attaching this small durable Bradford Vagus Connection electrode to a commercial TENS unit is an easier solution for VNS. (The vagus nerve is easy to access because it is close to the skin on the anterior of the neck and on the external ear.)
