Show notes
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In today’s episode, Dr. Carrie Jones is joined by Dr. Navaz Habib, Author, Educator, and Founder of Health Upgraded. They discuss the functions of your vagus nerve, the difference between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and vagus tone exercises that help stimulate your vagus nerve to manage and reduce stress.
Key Takeaways:
What Is the Autonomic Nervous System?
The autonomic nervous system is essentially the brain's control of everything happening within our body that we don't consciously need to think about, like digestion or heartbeat. The autonomic nervous system is broken down into two parts. One is the sympathetic nervous system, known as the fight or flight system. And the other one is the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the rest, digest, and recovery system. Most of the parasympathetic nervous system is run through the vagus nerve.
What Is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve splits into two distinctive nerves, one on each side of our body, and they come out from our brainstem. The vagus nerve controls involuntary or unconscious body functions such as digestion, recovery, heart rate, and the immune system.
Signs of Vagus Nerve Issues:
The most significant sign of a vagus nerve problem is uncontrolled inflammation of any system or part of your body. That is because the system controlled through the vagus nerve, in addition to the parasympathetic, is called the colonic anti-inflammatory pathway, which is essentially a reflex to control inflammation.
Vagal Tone Exercises:
Exercises like aggressive gargling, diaphragmatic breathing, humming, singing, and cryotherapy help increase vagal tone and stimulate your vagus nerve.
Dr. Navaz Habib is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified in functional medicine, functional range conditioning, and acupuncture. Using a functional medicine approach, he helps people uncover and address health vulnerabilities that negatively affect their energy, focus, and productivity. Dr. Habib is also the author of the book "Activate Your Vagus Nerve" and a Health And Wellness Consultant at electroCore.