Does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Work For Medical Conditions Also?

Surgical Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy (Cyberonics) was FDA cleared in 1997. Since then, much has been learned.

Kevin Tracey, MD, a surgeon and scientist in Long Island, New York has used this surgically implanted neuro-pacemaker for other conditions beyond epilepsy, and investigated the remarkable health benefits of vagal nerve stimulation. In 2003 he and colleagues published the landmark paper "The Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway: A Missing Link in Neuroimmunomodulation" In March of 2015, Scientific American devoted an entire special issue to this topic, with superb illustrations and text in plain language. Most of what he discusses also applies to tVNS but without the cost and complications of surgery.