10/28/2025
🔹 How Acupuncture May Influence the Vagus Nerve
1. Neurochemical effects
• Acupuncture stimulates sensory nerve fibers in the skin and muscles.
• These signals travel into the spinal cord and brainstem—where the vagus nerve originates—triggering the release of neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, serotonin, and GABA, which calm the nervous system.
2. Parasympathetic activation
• Studies show acupuncture can increase vagal tone and decrease sympathetic “fight-or-flight” activity.
• This shift improves digestion, lowers heart rate, and reduces stress hormones (like cortisol).
3. Anti-inflammatory pathway
• The vagus nerve controls the “cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.”
• By stimulating vagus-related reflexes, acupuncture can help regulate immune responses and lower inflammation.
4. Specific acupuncture points
• Points around the ear (auricular acupuncture) directly target branches of the auricular vagus nerve.
• Other points along meridians (like ST36, CV17, PC6) are also used for calming, digestive, and heart-regulating effects.
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🔹 What “Reset” Means Clinically
When practitioners say acupuncture “resets” the vagus nerve, they mean:
• Calming an overactive stress response
• Enhancing parasympathetic function (slowing heart rate, improving gut motility)
• Helping the body return to balance between “fight-or-flight” and “rest-and-digest”
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🔹 Potential Benefits of Acupuncture for Vagus Regulation
• Anxiety and stress reduction
• Better digestion and relief from nausea, IBS, or reflux
• Reduced inflammation and pain sensitivity
• Improved sleep
• Regulation of heart rate variability (a marker of vagal tone)
