Unraveling the Wonders of the Vagus Nerve: Your Body’s Built-in Stress Reliever

Could the vagus nerve be your answer to better relaxation, digestion and decreased inflammation?

The vagus nerve forms the primary pathway in our gut-brain axis. If you never thought about your gut and brain communicating, it helps to make sense of this by thinking back to a time when you felt butterflies in your stomach or when you had a gut feeling about something related to thoughts you were having. Research has shown that not only does our brain affect our gut, but our gut also affects our brain, as messages travel in both directions via the vagus nerve. This exciting discovery is changing the way the medical field is thinking about mental health as research suggests some individuals experiencing anxiety and/or depression could be related to intestinal distress. Most of us probably think that serotonin (one of our happy hormones) is found in the brain but interestingly, 95% of our supply is manufactured in the gut!

So, what does the vagus nerve and the gut-brain axis have to do with lymphatic drainage?

The vagus nerve plays a role in our immunity, and the lymphatic system is a central part of our immune system. Our gut, and the microbes that inhabit it, help control what is passed into the body and what is excreted. When our immune system is overactivated, or we're experiencing chronic stress, or we're facing symptoms of an auto-immune condition, we will oftentimes experience inflammation as well as poor digestion. By stimulating the vagus nerve and promoting lymphatic drainage, we help our body enter a more relaxed state which opens our vessels, promoting optimal flow and drainage of our circulatory and lymphatic systems. Additionally, since 70% of our immune system is found in the lymphatics of our gut, gut health is essential to a healthy and flowing lymphatic system. This is why almost all FGL’s lymphatic drainage sessions (excluding prenatal ones) target our deep abdominal lymphatics.

These days, it’s not uncommon for our vagus nerve and lymphatic system to become overwhelmed. We’re eating quickly in front of our computers, we’re sitting for long periods of time commuting or at work, we’re staying up late scrolling through social media or watching TV, and/or we’re eating out more than cooking. OR we’re trying to do all the right things but we’re still experiencing symptoms because there are toxins and environmental stressors where we wouldn’t expect them and let’s not forget the stress we feel when trying to do all the right things because “greenwashing” is making us feel like our actions are still not enough and there’s no one we can trust.

That’s a lot of information, where do I start?

At the end of the day, small changes that add happiness to our daily routine will always outweigh major, costly, stressful changes. Just going outside to breathe fresh air or watching a comedy routine for a good laugh is a perfect place to start.