What is the Vagus Nerve?

The Vagus Nerve is one of the longest, most intricate, and most important nerves in the entire body. It’s long been given the nickname “wandering nerve” because it originates from the brainstem and upper neck area and makes its way all the way down into the thorax to regulate and control vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion. 

That’s why for a long time, the Vagus Nerve was also referred to as the “rest and digest” nerve because we’ve long since known the crucial role it plays in those functions. 

The Vagus Nerve is also known as the 10th cranial nerve, or cranial nerve X. What makes this nerve so unique is that it is primarily parasympathetic in its function, meaning it’s essential in helping our nervous system can slow down, relax, regulate, focus, sleep, and so forth. 

Additionally, the Vagus Nerve is almost entirely sensory in nature, meaning it functions like a big set of satellites constantly reporting to the brain and central nervous system what is happening in both our internal and external environments. 

Due to its location and function, we know that the Vagus Nerve, therefore, is easily injured via birth trauma and is the #1 player in a chronic condition called dysautonomia, which will be discussed later on with other Vagus Nerve Disorders. 

WHY IS VAGUS NERVE HEALTH IMPORTANT?

But today, we now know the Vagus Nerve does so much more! The Vagus Nerve is vitally responsible for the following functions: 

• Sensory – from the eyes, ears, throat, tongue, heart, lungs, and abdomen 

• Motor – provides movement functions for the muscles in the neck and throat responsible for swallowing and speech 

• Parasympathetic – responsible for digestive motility, respiration, and heart rate functioning 

• Immune – helps regulate and reduce inflammation 

• Social + Emotional – helps regulate our social and emotional regulation

There is not a single aspect of what the Vagus Nerve does that is not vital to a child’s health, but we really want to draw your focus to those last three (3) bullet points as they are the elements of vagus nerve function that not even most medical neurologists and traditional doctors are aware of, yet we know that those are the things that truly the vast majority of kids struggle with.

As the Vagus Nerve becomes more popular and prominent in the adult space with helping to manage our stress and mental performance with things like meditation and deep breathing, it’s much more important to recognize the role the Vagus Nerve can play in nearly every single aspect of pediatric and childhood health! 

More than 1 in 4 children in the US have a chronic health condition, and many experts consider that math to be lighter and lower than what is happening today. 

What’s worse is that so many pediatricians continue to dismiss common childhood challenges such as colic, ear infections, and constipation as “normal” and things that kids will “grow out of” over time.  But as this “Perfect Storm” article will take you through, that is not likely the case. 

So, in summary, whether your child is struggling with digestive issues, speech disorders or apraxia, immune challenges, sensory integration disorder, ADHD, anxiety, autism, and especially seizures… make sure that their Vagus Nerve is being stimulated and functioning at its optimal level is perhaps the most critical aspect of their healing plan to figure out. 

HOW TO CARE FOR THE VAGUS NERVE WITH NEUROLOGICALLY-FOCUSED CHIROPRACTIC CARE

It is an exciting time in healthcare and online communities because knowledge and information about how powerful and vital the Vagus Nerve is are showing up everywhere! 

But one thing missing from all the incredible articles, such as this one from Cleveland Clinic, when discussing how to stimulate your Vagus Nerve with things like meditation, massage, and deep breathing… is how potent and effective a neurologically-focused chiropractic adjustment can be for the Vagus Nerve! 

Most kids who ultimately make their way into a Pediatric Chiropractic office, they had already tried everything – medications, diet changes, detoxes, supplements, essential oils, talk therapy, breathing, meditation, you name it. 

So while nothing we’ll ever write and share on this platform will dismiss excellent life-saving interventions or traditional medicine or the incredible health benefits of things like nutrition and natural health interventions… we will continue to make the case that the real missing piece of healthcare is activating and stimulating the Vagus Nerve with neurologically-focused chiropractic adjustments. 

To get the full understanding of the role the Vagus Nerve plays in health challenges of all sorts, watch this less than 10 minute video of Dr. Rachel digging into its role on all the functions mentioned above!

HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD (OR YOURSELF) DRUG-FREE HELP

The first step you want to take is getting your child (or yourself) booked for a set of the INSiGHT Neurological Scans, and simply find out if subluxation and dysautonomia are the issues. 

These scans only take 15-30 minutes to complete, and are packed full of incredible information that you won’t find anywhere else! 

At Sprout Family Chiropractic our docs utilizes this incredible technology as a part of our 3-Step Clinical Process to assess the health and function of the Vagus Nerve and the autonomic nervous system as a whole. 

To schedule your child’s appointment with us, you can book their first appointment online here. If you aren’t in the San Diego area and are searching for a neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractor, head over to the PX Docs Directory right away and reach out to your local practice through the PX Docs website! 

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