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This grain free, lactose free plan includes:

• soup
• roasted chicken [you can do fish, but not ahead of time]
• roasted veggies
• salads
• hard boiled eggs
• valuable links to recipes, dirty food list and a guide on how to eat well on a tight budget.

SCHEDULING TIP: To make life simpler – buy your groceries online and use the pick up service.
Schedule 90 minutes for chopping veggies and doing your roasts.

• In the brain itself, it helps control anxiety and mood.
• In the gut, it increases stomach acidity, gut flow/motility and other digestive enzyme production. Low stomach acid is a major source of gut-related health conditions so an underactive vagus nerve is correlated to the root cause of many health conditions.
• In the heart, it controls heart rate variability, heart rate and blood pressure.
• In the pancreas it controls blood sugar balance and digestive enzymes.
• In the liver it controls bile production and detoxification through hepatic phase 1 and phase 2 conjugation.
• In the gall bladder it controls bile release to help break down fats.
• In the kidneys, it promotes general function including water balance, glucose control and sodium excretion which helps control blood pressure.
• In the bladder it controls voiding of urine.
• In the spleen it helps to reduce inflammation.
• In the sex organs it helps to control fertility and sexual pleasure including orgasms.
• In the mouth and tongue, it helps to control ability to taste and saliva production through salivary gland control.
• In the eyes, it activates tear production through the lacrimal glands.
  
  Vagus nerve stimulation has the potential to help those suffering from various health conditions, including but certainly not limited to anxiety disorders, heart disease, some forms of cancer, poor circulation, leaky gut syndrome, Alzheimer’s, memory and mood disorders, migraine’s and headaches, fibromyalgia, obesity, tinnitus, addiction, autism and autoimmune conditions.

So how can we stimulate this nerve to ensure that this nerve is functioning optimally?

Here are some ways you can exercise and stimulate your vagus nerve

1. Balance your Blood Sugar one meal at time one snack at a time High Blood sugar over time damages the the  vagus nerve, a vital nerve that connects your brain to almost all of the rest of your body and which has been found to regulate the immune system. 
2. Probiotics: Your gut is connected to your brain, and one of the most clear connections is through the Vagus nerve. Within our gut, we have a population of normal and good bacteria and yeast called the Microbiome. These organisms have a direct effect on our brains as a significant percentage of our neurotransmitters including Serotonin, GABA and Dopamine are produced through actions of these bacteria helping to break down our foods. Often times we have less good bacteria and more bad bacteria within this population leading to poor neurochemistry and decreased vagal tone.Probiotics are a good option to help promote the good bacteria and other organisms while helping to crowd out the bad bacteria, parasites and yeast.
3. Fish Oil – Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fish Oils – EPA and DHA are capable of increasing heart rate variability as well as lowering heart rate.
4. Take a Bio-available Vitamin/mineral blend to make sure your body has the nutrient density it needs to build and repair.
5. Take a daily Antioxidants to reduce inflammation at the receptor sites in your body. 
6. L Tryptophan: Serotonin, the mood and happiness neurotransmitter, is capable of activating the vagus nerve. If you have been found to be deficient in serotonin levels, L Tryptophan is a good supplement to help increase them.
7. Perform ths reset:  VAGAL NERVE RESET [to calm your body.]
8. Light Exercise: Mild exercise has been shown to stimulate gut flow and gastric motility (peristalsis) which is mediated by the vagus nerve. This in turn means that mild low level exercise can stimulate the vagus nerve (Reference)
9. Cold Showers: Any acute cold exposure will increase vagus nerve stimulation. Studies have shown that when your body adjusts to cold, your fight or flight (sympathetic) system declines and your rest and digest (parasympathetic) system increases, which is mediated by the vagus nerve. Other options are to dip your face in cold water, drink colder fluids and you can even graduate to using a cryohelmet and cold vest. Cold showers are accessible and highly effective.
10. Singing or chanting: Singing, humming, mantra chanting, hymn singing and upbeat energetic singing all increase heart rate variability (HRV) in slightly different ways. Singing at the top of your lungs (like you mean it) makes you work the muscles at the back of your throat, which helps activate the vagus nerve. The next time someone catches you singing along to the radio while driving your car, tell them you are just exercising and activating your Vagus nerve.
11. Gargling: Gargling with a glass of water each morning will help to contract the muscles in the back of your throat. This in turn helps to activate the Vagus nerve and also stimulates the digestive tract. Keep a glass next to your sink in the washroom as a daily reminder to perform this exercise. You will know you are doing it properly if you gargle to the point of tearing in the eyes (another vagus nerve response). This exercise has been found to be the most readily accessible and easiest to implement in daily life.
12. Yoga: Yoga is a parasympathetic activation exercise that improves digestion, blood flow, lung capacity and function. A 12 week yoga intervention showed significantly improved mood and anxiety levels when compared with a control group that performed simple walking exercises. This study showed that levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter associated with mood and anxiety, were increased in those that performed these exercises. Lower mood and higher anxiety is associated with low GABA levels, while an increase in these levels improves mood and decreases anxiety and stress levels. (Reference)
13. Meditation: There are two different types of meditation that have been shown to increase vagal tone including Loving-Kindness meditation as well as Guided Mindfulness Meditation. These have been measured by heart rate variability (Reference). It has also been shown that the chanting of “Om” stimulates the vagus nerve.
14. Deep Breathing Exercises: Slow and deep breathing also stimulates the vagus nerve. The baroreceptors, or pressure receptors in your neck and heart detect blood pressure and transmit the signal to your brain. This signal then in turn activates the vagus nerve, to help lower blood pressure and heart rate. This results in a lower sympathetic “fight or flight” response, as well as a higher parasympathetic “rest and digest” response. Slow breathing helps to increase the sensitivity of these receptors, increasing vagal activation. Here’s an important tip: Breathe slowly, having your belly rise and fall. This is the intended action of your Diaphragm muscle. Your shoulders and Traps should not be moving much at all with each breath as these actions are controlled by secondary respiratory muscles. The more your belly expands and contracts, the deeper you are breathing.
15. Laughter: Laughter is the best medicine. This can actually be true in the case of increased vagus nerve activity as laughter has been shown to increase heart rate variability in a study comparing a laughter yoga participants (Reference).Laughter has also been found to be beneficial for cognitive function and protects against heart disease. It increases beta endorphins, nitric oxide levels and benefits the vascular system. It has also been shown that people put in humorous situations show a lower cortisol stress level overall.
16. Fasting: Intermittent fasting helps to increase high frequency heart rate variability in animals, which is a marker of vagal tone. When you fast, part of the decrease in metabolism is mediated by the vagus nerve as it detects a decline in blood glucose levels and a decrease of mechanical and chemical stimuli from the gut (Reference).
17. Massages: Pressure massages can activate the vagus nerve. These massages are used to help infants to gain weight by stimulating gut function, which is largely mediated by activating the vagus nerve. Foot Massages can also increase vagus nerve activity, heart rate variability and lower your heart rate and blood pressure, all of which decrease risk of heart disease.
18. . Tongue depressors: Tongue depressors stimulate the gag reflex. These function in a similar mechanism to gargling or singing loudly as they exercise the reflexes that are mediated by the vagus nerve.
19. Acupuncture: Traditional acupuncture treatment as well as auricular acupuncture (of the ear) stimulate vagus nerve activity. The effects of acupuncture are becoming increasingly well known and you can ask most patients who have had this treatment about the calming effect and restful feelings that they have following an acupuncture treatment. I know many of my patients absolutely love it.
20. Tensing stomach muscles: Bearing down as if to make a bowel movement requires your body to be in a rest and digest state. This is why many people feel much more relaxed following a bowel movement. Tensing the core muscles by performing abdominal bracing exercises can help to promote a rest and digest state by activating the vagus nerve.
21. Eating in a relaxed state: Don’t eat breakfast in a rush, lunches at your desk, or dinner in front of the computer. Having a meal in a stressful environment when you are running late, working or not focussing on the meal can have long-lasting and damaging effects. It is important to eat in a relaxed state, in a calm and peaceful environment. Remember – Choose good food, Chew your food well, and Chill. Choose, Chew, Chill.
22. Chewing your food well: The simple act of chewing your food, activates the stomach to release acid, tastebuds to taste the foods well, bile production in the liver and release from the gall bladder, digestive enzyme release from the pancreas and gut motility which are all mediated by the vagus nerve. It is important to sequence your digestion correctly and your body will do this automatically IF you start the process correctly. You must take the time to chew your food to the point that it is soft and mushy in your mouth, before your swallow. Doing this will set the correct sequence of digestion in motion and allow the vagus nerve to perform its functions correctly.

Your state of digestion, rest and recovery are all mediated by the vagus nerve. Following these exercises and habits will not only make you feel better, it will allow you to experience the world in a relaxed, calm and enjoyable state. Happy gargling!

Further reading:
VAGUS NERVE DISORDER
GUT/BRAIN CONNECTION AND VAGAL STIMULATION: 

Identify your level of commitment to making a change. The commitment to change goes through several stages. If you understand the stage you are in, there are strategies to move you to the next stage.

• The “Uh, Whatever” stage.  At this stage, you haven’t yet decided to make a change. Perhaps you were told by a  doctor or nagged by a significant other to do something about your health, but you are not convinced that this is what you want to do, NOW!  As they say, “the advice goes in one ear, and out the other.”

Strategy to move you to the next stage: If the doctor’s advice is ringing in your ears loud enough to inspire an ‘openness’ to change, make a list of the reasons why you should live a healthy lifestyle and a list of the reasons why you should not. Unless the ‘reasons to change’ stir you more than your ‘reasons NOT to change’, you are unlikely to move to the next stage.

• The “Well-maybe” stage.  This stage is similar to the previous stage, but it hits closer to the bone. At this stage you are thinking seriously about making a change, but wondering whether it’s worth the pain. If the future pleasure of having a fit body and healthy lifestyle  is not perceived as greater than the present pain of the weight loss process, change is unlikely to occur.

Strategy to move you to the next stage: Identify the pain. Let’s say you think it will be too painful to give up your sugary dessert in the evenings. You could put together an action plan where you can ‘have your cake and eat it too’, so to speak. Purchase a recipe book with healthy sugar-free desserts and choose a couple that will satisfy your palate without doing much damage. The key is  to ‘do something.’ and revise as you go. Moving in the right direction, will reinforce moving in the right direction

• The “I’m ready to roll, now what do I do?” stage. This is the time to research options for reaching your goals. Gather your tools and begin to implement a plan. You can construct a self-directed action plan, but it is helpful to find a coach or a support group to guide and reinforce your commitment. If you need a personalized system and encouraging voice, go here.

Strategy to move you to the next stage: Outline the basic actions you need to take to  reach your weight loss goal. Invest in the tools and coaching you need to help you get and stay on track with the plan. Beware. Do not get stuck in the ‘research’ mode seeking the perfect option for you. Research is a handy tool for procrastination. It is a painless way to make you ‘feel productive’ without actually producing anything. Choose a sensible action plan and move forward.. If down the road you need to make revisions, do so.

• The “oops, I blew it.” stage… Throughout the process of change there will be moments of messing up. Falling off the wagon, whatever you want to call it. Your ability to learn from the relapses and get back on track will be the determining factor in your ongoing success. It is also important to forgive yourself and recognize, no one is perfect.

Strategy to recovery from a relapse: Think through what caused you to stumble. Perhaps you had developed the habit of coming home after work, opening a bag of chips and a soda as you sink into the sofa to watch TV. When you come home from work you begin to salivate in anticipation of chips and a soda. You feel irresistibly drawn to the sofa. Develop a pleasant alternative. For example, when you arrive home have a health-oriented magazine by the sofa and sit and read as you savor a healthy snack. It will take an act of will for the first few days, but eventually you will rewire your response to walking in the door.

• The “Wow. I’m doing it!” stage: As you reach each goal, your self-confidence will increase. The new habits are beginning to form. It still takes conscious effort, but you are becoming more habituated to the healthy lifestyle that will lead to your ultimate goal: weight loss.

Strategy to move you to the next stage: Continue to solidify an environment that supports your goal. Have the good stuff in the kitchen and the bad stuff in the dumpster. Buy a few pairs of sweats  so you always have a clean pair for exercising. Reward yourself for sticking to your plan.

• The “This is who I am and this is what I do.” stage: The lifestyle has formed. Your inner coach is keeping you on track. You are not dependent on the guidance or encouragement of an outside source to maintain your new habits. You know what to do, and you are doing it.

Strategy to keep you on track: Celebrate your success, but anticipate your vulnerabilities and develop an action plan for overcoming them.  The key to an ongoing lifestyle change is to have ‘grace in the journey.” No one is perfect. But, don’t use grace as an excuse for ongoing indulgence. Get back on track quickly. If you need support of a coach or support group to get you back on track, go for it.

SUGGESTED READING TO DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS OF CHANGE. Changing for Good by James Prochaska, the author studies individuals who successfully broke a bad habit and identified what sets them apart from those who were unsuccessful.