Feeling tempted by social media tips to “reset” your vagus nerve, fix your anxiety and banish inflammation? In this episode, Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dig into the science behind vagus nerve stimulation.
With neurosurgeon and researcher Kevin Tracey, they explore how this a modern wellness obsession came about, what FDA‑approved implants can really do for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and why most DIY hacks may be running ahead of the evidence.
Produced by Emily Bird
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Find out more about The Vagus Nerve at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2388223-unravelling-the-secrets-of-the-vagus-nerve-will-revolutionise-medicine/
Sources:
The Great Nerve book by Kevin Tracey
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470370/the-great-nerve-by-tracey-dr-kevin/978140597850
Linda Watkins paper:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7746479/
Kevin’s original paper triggering the discovery of inflammation and vagus nerve: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9361344/
Testing the inflammation-vagus nerve theory:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10839541/
Earlobe experiment:
https://jasontsukahara.com/publications/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil.pdf
Small human study recording non invasive vagus stimulation and brain response
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28648089/
POTS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37999672/
