Like a highway system, the vagus nerve branches profusely from your brain through your organs to marshal bodily functions, including aspects of the mind such as mood, pleasure and fear
The vagus nerve sprawls from the brain through the body, innervating our organs and managing life support and emotionThe original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.
It is late at night. You are alone and wandering empty streets in search of your parked car when you hear footsteps creeping up from behind. Your heart pounds; your blood pressure skyrockets. Goose bumps appear on your arms, sweat on your palms. Your stomach knots, and your muscles coil, ready to sprint or fight…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Now imagine the same scene, but without any of the body’s innate responses to an external threat. Would you still feel afraid?
Experiences like this reveal the tight integration between brain and body in the creation of mind—the collage of thoughts, perceptions, feelings and personality unique to each of us. The capabilities of the brain alone are astonishing. The supreme organ gives most people a vivid sensory perception of the world. It can preserve memories, enable us to learn and speak, generate emotions and consciousness. But those who might attempt to preserve their mind by uploading its data into a computer miss a critical point: The body is essential to the mind.
How is this crucial brain-body connection orchestrated? The answer involves the very unusual vagus nerve. The longest nerve in the body, it wends its way from the brain throughout the head and trunk, issuing commands to our organs and receiving sensations from them. Much of the bewildering range of functions it regulates, such as mood, learning, sexual arousal and fear, are automatic and operate without conscious control. These complex responses engage a constellation of cerebral circuits that link brain and body. The vagus nerve is, in one way of thinking, the conduit of the mind.
Nerves are typically named for the specific functions they perform. Optic nerves carry signals from the eyes to the brain for vision. Auditory nerves conduct acoustic information for hearing. The best that early anatomists could do with this nerve, however, was to call it the “vagus,” from the Latin for “wandering.” The wandering nerve was apparent to the first anatomists, notably Galen, the Greek polymath who lived until around the year 216. But centuries of study were required to grasp its complex anatomy and function. This effort is ongoing: Research on the vagus nerve is at the forefront of neuroscience today.
The most vigorous current research involves stimulating this nerve with electricity to enhance cognition and memory, and for a smorgasbord of therapies for neurological and psychological disorders, including migraine, tinnitus, obesity, pain, drug addiction and more. But how could stimulating a single nerve potentially have such wide-ranging psychological and cognitive benefits? To understand this, we must understand the vagus nerve itself.
The vagus nerve originates from four clusters of neurons in the brain’s medulla, where the brainstem attaches to the spinal cord. Most nerves in our body branch directly from the spinal cord: They are threaded between the vertebrae in our backbone in a series of lateral bands to carry information into and out of the brain. But not the vagus. The vagus nerve is one of 13 nerves that leave the brain directly through special holes in the skull. From there it sprouts thickets of branches that reach almost everywhere in the head and trunk. The vagus also radiates from two major clusters of outpost neurons, called ganglia, stationed in critical spots in the body. For example, a large cluster of vagal neurons clings like a vine to the carotid artery in your neck. Its nerve fibers follow this network of blood vessels throughout your body to reach vital organs, from the heart and lungs to the gut.
The vagus nerve connects the brainstem to the body’s organs. Mark Belan for Quanta Magazine
As with the brain itself, with its mirrored left and right hemispheres, we have left and right vagus nerve branches, which connect to the two hemispheres. But the organs in our body are not bilaterally symmetrical: The heart is on the left side, and the liver is on the right, for example. The right vagal nerve, then, is longer than the left, and the two sides have distinct functions because of the different organs they entwine. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
It feels particularly apt to compare the vagus nerve to a highway network, with paths diverging, branching off again and again, and sometimes coming back together. Just as roads are given different names, many vagus nerve branches are given distinct names for the destinations they reach. They might run in tandem with the main sections of the vagus for brief intervals before separating again.
All complex body systems require the equivalent of brakes and a gas pedal to maintain control, and the vagus nerve serves these roles for many of our innate responses, nearly all of which occur involuntarily. Signals between the brainstem and the body travel up and down the nerve to twist your gut for digestion, marshal your immune system to keep microbial threats at bay, pace your heart, and dial your blood pressure up and down. The vagus nerve squeezes your bronchial tubes to pipe air into your lungs, triggers your gag reflex and makes you cough.
Its influence goes beyond basic life support: The vagus nerve is critical to generating mind by integrating the brain and body. Choking is terrifying because death could be mere minutes away. That heightened mental state is dependent on signals coming from the body—the inability to breathe or swallow—and the vagus nerve both senses and controls the choking response. If your heart suddenly starts racing, you might experience a panic attack; controlling heart rate is a prime function of the vagus nerve. Many other mental states, sexual arousal for example, depend on the mind-body connection that involves information going to the brain (sensual touching, for example) and out of the brain (to arouse bodily responses). The vagus nerve is that connection. Its length and widespread nature throughout the brain as well as the body allow it to coordinate such diverse bodily functions in a way that independent nerves could not.
The primary function of the vagus nerve is to dampen the body’s responses. After a fear episode, for example, the body’s powerful, life-saving threat response must be terminated to restore resting heartbeat, respiration, blood flow and the rest. So powerful is its influence, the vagus nerve can literally stop the beating heart. Conversely, the vagus nerve can also stimulate bodily responses by releasing the brakes to accelerate.
The calming action of the vagus nerve is the biological basis for new therapies that aim to stimulate the nerve to quell seizures, relieve anxiety disorders, cool the body’s inflammatory response and stanch a migraine attack, among a long list of potential treatments. Unlike deep-brain stimulation, which is used to treat some of the same conditions, vagal nerve stimulation can be accomplished without neurosurgery. It is possible to stimulate the nerve fibers with a mild electrical pulse by surgically inserting electrodes into the chest or, more simply, clipping them to an earlobe. The technique has been used to treat epilepsy and depression for decades, and in 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it to treat mobility issues caused by stroke.
However, some people have taken the vagus nerve’s expansive bodily influence as an invitation to engage in pseudoscience. In some corners of the internet, so-called polyvagal therapy—physical or breathing exercises that some claim reset the vagus nerve—is proposed to address just about any disorder of the mind or body. There’s little to no evidence that these popular remedies are anything but placebos.
The vagus nerve doesn’t need to be a panacea to be remarkable—it’s worth appreciating all on its own. Without the expansive domain and potent impact of the body’s longest nerve, the crucial, highly coordinated link between brain and body would be broken, and many of our core emotions and experiences—fear, pleasure, rapid response to threats, the calming aftermath—would fail.
Have you ever given any thought to what would happen to your body if you continually subjected it to the effects of drinking hot water? When everything is taken into account, we are aware that water is important for the body to keep adequately hydrated and that it accounts for sixty percent of the human adult body (via USGS). Water makes up sixty percent of the human adult body. Who would have thought, though, that the temperature at which you consume it plays a role in the kinds of health benefits you gain from it?
However, drinking water that has been brought to a boil on a frequent basis offers a variety of additional health benefits, which your body may be prevented from taking advantage of if you drink cold water instead of water that has been brought to a boil. People have a propensity, when they think about drinking water, to picture themselves in a position in which they are sipping some water that is really cold while basking in the warmth of the late spring sun or relishing in the virus-like sensation of it after a particularly tough twisting class. This is because people have a tendency to picture themselves in scenarios in which they are partaking in activities that involve extreme temperatures. Drinking warm water first thing in the morning is recommended by medical professionals, as stated by Stella Metsovas, a professional nutritionist, who explains why this is the case. Medical Daily has been provided with this information. In point of fact, and to some degree one is taken aback by this revelation, access to this kind of information has been available for a significant amount of time now. According to Reader’s Digest, both Chinese and Indian physicians encourage drinking this steaming hot beverage first thing in the morning to get the most out of the day due to the many excellent benefits it has on one’s health. This is because traditional Chinese medicine and Indian medicine both believe that drinking this beverage in the morning helps one get the most out of the day.
Therefore, would you be so kind as to elaborate on what you mean by that? If you drink hot water on a regular basis, your body will experience these effects, which are something that may be expected.
In this difficult environment, there is a clear approach for being able to stretch less, and it all starts with establishing a daily appreciation for water. This is the first step in the process. Dietitian Amanda Carlson, who is also a qualified dietitian, is of the opinion that individuals can benefit from keeping an adequate level of hydration in order to experience reduced levels of anxiety. If you don’t give your body the liquids it needs, you’re adding extra weight to it, and your body will react to this by acting erratically.
According to Healthline, consuming hot water reduces the activity of your focus sensory system, which is responsible for determining how your brain reacts when it is subjected to pressure. According to the American Psychological Association, not getting enough water can cause confusion in the central nervous system, which can trigger a vicious loop that never comes to an end. It is actually easier to become dehydrated when you are under pressure, as your pulse will be higher than normal, and you will be breathing more actively than usual, says Renee Melton, MS, RD, LD, who is the head of nutrition at Sensei. This is because your pulse will be higher when you are under strain. WebMD received this information from another source. Therefore, if you truly want to get rid of the problem the next time it comes up, you might want to consider the alternative of continuously drinking hot water.
Regularly consuming water that has been heated to a boil has the ability to reduce the amount of physical pain and suffering that individual is experiencing.
Shaving may be a time-consuming and occasionally painful activity. If you’re seeking an easy way to remove face and body hair, Coca-Cola could be the answer. Here’s how to use this famous soft drink to remove hair without discomfort and why it works.
Why Coca-Cola?
Coca-Cola includes a combination of ingredients that can weaken hair follicles and facilitate hair removal. The carbonation and acidity in Coca-Cola combine to break down hair, making it easier to remove…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
How to Use Coca-Cola for Hair Removal
Ingredients:
1 can of Coca-Cola
Cotton pads
A small bowl
For illustrative purposes only.
Instructions:
1. Prepare the Solution:
Pour a can of Coca-Cola into a small basin.
2. Application:
Soak a cotton pad with Coca-Cola.
Apply the moistened cotton pad to the region with excess hair. Make sure the area is completely covered.
3. Let it Sit:
Allow the Coca-Cola to settle on your skin for approximately 15-20 minutes. This allows the carbonation and acidity to gradually damage the hair follicles.
Depending on the thickness of the hair, you may need to repeat this step several times. With regular application, you should see a reduction in hair growth.
For illustrative purposes only.
Benefits of Using Coca-Cola for Hair Removal
1. Pain-Free:
Compared to traditional methods like waxing or plucking, utilizing Coca-Cola is painless and gentle on the skin.
2. Cost-Effective:
Coca-Cola is inexpensive and widely available, making it an affordable option for hair removal.
3. Convenient:
This method may be done at home quickly and easily, with no special equipment or expert services required.
4. Decreases Hair Growth:
Hair follicle weakening over time might result in lower hair growth, making upkeep easier.
Conclusion
Using Coca-Cola for hair removal may seem unorthodox, but it is a painless and cost-effective alternative to typical techniques. With consistent usage, you can get smoother, hair-free skin without the inconvenience of shaving or the discomfort of waxing. Give it a shot and see the startling results for yourself!
Are you tired of dealing with skin imperfections like wrinkles, blemishes, melasma, moles, and warts? Look no further! We have a natural and effective solution for you – banana peels combined with baking soda.
Why Banana Peels and Baking Soda?
Banana Peels: These peels are not just food waste! They are actually packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can nourish and revitalize your skin.
Scrape the inner white part of the banana peel with a spoon and collect about 2 tablespoons of the material.
In a small bowl, mix the banana peel paste with the baking soda until a smooth paste forms.
Application
Thoroughly clean and dry the area of skin where you intend to apply the mixture.
Apply the paste directly to the areas affected by wrinkles, blemishes, melasma, moles, or warts.
Leave the mixture on for about 15-20 minutes.
Rinse Off
Wash off the paste with lukewarm water. Be gentle to your skin while washing to avoid any irritation.
Moisturize
After drying your skin, apply a gentle moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and protected.
Tips for Best Results
Frequency of Use: To see significant improvements, use this treatment two to three times a week. Consistent application is key!
Patch Test: Before applying the mixture broadly, always perform a patch test on a small area of skin, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Sun Protection: Protect your skin from the sun, especially after using this treatment, as the skin may be more sensitive to UV rays.
Precautions
If you have moles or warts, it’s important to have them checked by a healthcare provider before trying any home treatments.
Baking soda can be drying and may irritate sensitive skin. If you experience any redness, itching, or discomfort, discontinue use and consult with a dermatologist.
