

If Individuals are experiencing health issues such as fatigue, allergies, anxiety, gut issues, brain fog, or depression, then the vagus nerve is affected. When the vagus nerve isn’t performing at its optimal, we can experience a myriad of health issues. In conjunction with other aspects of your biology, increasing and stimulating the vagus nerve is an important aspect of healing.
The vagus nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system and often referred to as the ‘wandering nerve’. The nerve reaches the brain, gut, heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidney, ureter, spleen, lungs, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, ears and tongue. This communication pathway plays an important role in the regulation of these organs and when it’s not working properly we will experience negative health outcomes.
The vagus nerve can be interrupted and experience miscommunication from an organ to the brain, communication from within the brain, or communication from the brain to other areas of the body like the heart, liver, and gut.
Recent studies have found that the stimulation of the vagus nerve can restore consciousness in individuals in a vegetative state. This is promising for individuals who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, digestive disorders and neuro-developmental disorders (Corazzol et al, 2017).
Other research has found that the vagus nerve plays a large role in the regulation of our metabolism. It has a fine-tuned regulation aiming to preserve energy and prevent weight fluctuations. Along with the Leptin hormone, supporting the vagus nerve will be key to long term successful weight loss (Pavlov and Tracey, 2014).
Healing your gut and stimulating your vagus nerve ultimately supports long term health. Below are a few simple things you can incorporate into your daily life, which help to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Elspeth Haswell-Smith
Founder of Food for Life Coach

References
This is a short clip from a Tuesday q&a session Cyndi does with our Functional Nutrition students, where she went much more in-depth about the specific statistic breakdowns. She also discusses the focus of the new Queensland Chief Health Minister, which you can read more about in her blog `We Have Our Health Priorities All Wrong`
↳ follow the link in our bio
Study the Functional Nutrition Essentials course and change your life and the life of your loved ones. Follow the link in our bio to learn more.
↳ follow the link in our bio
Food is medicine, are you making your life better?
Concerned about issues with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance etc.? You can get your adiponectin levels tested with a blood test.
What does your future hold? Share your future goals with us below!
Have you noticed symptoms of a magnesium deficiency in your body before? Consider how much sugar you`ve been eating and see if that could contribute. PS you could be getting an excess of sugar in any store bought yoghurts, sauces, breads, pastas or ready meals.
The Nutrition Academy`s Functional Nutrition Essentials course dives deep into past and present-day nutrition trends and the implications on our health and wellbeing. In a 100% self-paced online learning environment, you can discover exactly where your food comes from and create holistic change for yourself and others to increase energy and build immunity. Learn more NOW
Over the past few years I’ve spoken with many students, graduates, community members and health professionals who share the same feeling.
They want to make a difference.
They want meaningful work.
They want to build a life that reflects their values.
But often they feel uncertain about where to start or how to move forward.
Beginning Monday 13th April, I will be running an 8-week online course: Manifest Your Future – A 10-Step Transformation & Business Prospects Program. This is an interactive workshop experience where we will actively work together each week to create meaningful change in our lives, our careers, and the communities around us.
Course Details
Duration: Monday 13th April to Monday 1st June (8 weeks)
Webinar Times: 6:00 pm (QLD time)
We will also explore practical topics including:
• The Business of Health
• Product Development
• 7 Steps to Confident Speaking
• Becoming a Local Community Authority
This course is designed to help you strengthen both your personal vision and your professional opportunities in the health industry. Whether you`re a graduate, a current student or you`ve never studied with The Nutrition Academy before, this opportunity is for you.
— Cyndi O`Meara
Learn more about it and register your interest now!
↳ follow the link in our bio
Share with us below a time you achieved a goal and you noticed a difference to who you were rather than just how you lived or how your environment looked.
If you read an ingredient list and see a hydrolysed ingredient, now you know! It`s very commonly found as protein powders and supplements, but can be used to enhance food flavours, too.
How has The Nutrition Academy changed your life? Let us know below.
Vanilla flavour is delicious, and an iconic element of many classic Australian bakes (vanilla slice, anyone?), however as vanilla becomes more expensive and harder to cultivate, many companies are turning to fake (and natural is included in that) vanilla to keep costs low. Do you know how to identify flavour vs flavourings?