Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
A Breakthrough in Holistic Healing
At Mitchell Medical Group, we believe in treating the root cause of illness, not just the symptoms. One of the most fascinating and transformative areas of medicine we focus on is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). It’s not science fiction. It’s science doing what it was always meant to do: help the body heal itself.
The vagus nerve is fundamental to our health and vitality – it can regulate your body’s vital systems and heal a wide variety of medical conditions without drugs. And devices such as Apollo® Wearable, vagus nerve stimulator, are the first step in stimulating your vagus nerve to heal your body.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve coordinates critical bodily functions from the precise heartbeat we need to exercise to the balance of appetite and digestion. It sends billions of electrical signals every second between your brain and your most important organs.
The vagus nerve is known as Cranial Nerve X (10). With 200,000 nerve fibers branching throughout the body, it’s the ultimate multitasker. It runs from the brainstem down both sides of the neck and sends signals to vital organs – heart, lungs, liver, spleen, gut, and beyond. In fact, the word “vagus” comes from Latin, meaning “to wander.”
And wander it does. Everywhere. It’s essential for survival. Cut both sides of the vagus nerve? Life stops.
But despite its essential role in life, it hasn’t received a lot of scientific investigation and research – until recently.
Why Stimulate the Vagus Nerve?
For decades, mainstream medicine ignored what holistic practitioners sensed all along: the nervous system and immune system are deeply connected. Dr. Dean Mitchell has explored this nexus on his podcast, The Smartest Doctor in the Room, featuring pioneers like Dr. Kevin Tracey, Dr. Dave Rabin, and Dr. Peter Staats – leaders ushering in the era of bioelectric medicine.
When we stimulate the vagus nerve, we tap into the body’s own ability to self-regulate, to reduce inflammation, balance the nervous system, and even shift mood.
Conditions that VNS may help with include:
- Autoimmune conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Sjogren’s)
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Long COVID and post-viral syndrome
- Mold toxicity
- Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)
- Anxiety and depression
- Migraines
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- PTSD
- Insomnia and sleep disturbances
Many of these conditions are treated at Mitchell Medical Group. And for patients who struggle with multiple, overlapping issues – say, MCAS plus chronic fatigue or long-COVID with anxiety, calming the autonomic nervous system can be a game changer.
The Science Behind It
Vagus nerve stimulation isn’t guesswork. It’s rooted in decades of rigorous science. Dr. Kevin Tracey, a neurosurgeon and author of The Great Nerve, demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce inflammatory cytokines – tiny chemical messengers that fuel autoimmunity. In fact, his early research showed that implantable VNS devices could help reverse rheumatoid arthritis.
But implants aren’t the only option anymore.
Meet Apollo Neuro: The Next Generation of Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Imagine if your body had a built-in reset button. That’s what the Apollo Neuro feels like.
Developed by neuroscientists and originally tested on military veterans with PTSD, Apollo Neuro is a groundbreaking wearable that helps you:
- Fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer
- Calm your anxiety and relax deeply
- Improve your focus, memory, and attention span
- Recover faster after workouts
- Regain emotional balance after trauma or chronic illness
How It Works
Apollo Neuro gently delivers low-frequency vibration patterns that signal safety to your brain. This helps deactivate “fight or flight” and activate “rest and digest” functions, stimulating the vagus nerve naturally through touch.
Unlike fitness trackers that just monitor your stress, Apollo Neuro actively reduces it.
- Drug-free and non-invasive
- Controlled via the Apollo app with modes for Sleep, Focus, Social & Open, Clear & Focused, and more
- Wear it on your wrist, ankle, or clipped to your clothing
Why We Recommend VNS at Mitchell Medical Group
Because we treat the whole person. Not just their labs, not just their symptoms. The vagus nerve is the body’s built-in reset button. For patients living with chronic inflammation, stress, or trauma-related illness, activating that reset can be life-altering.
Many of our patients are highly sensitive. They’ve been on medication after medication, seen specialist after specialist. What they need isn’t more suppression. They need regulation.
Vagus nerve stimulation is part of that solution.
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Telehealth New Patient Meeting
You can meet with Dr. Mitchell from anywhere in the country. He personally takes your full medical history — the step he considers most important in understanding a complex case — and you speak with him directly. There is no medical assistant or trainee taking your history and relaying it back to him.
What happens next depends on where you live. If you are in New York State, a virtual visit works the same way an office visit does. If you are outside New York, state licensing rules shape what Dr. Mitchell can provide directly: your consultation is educational, and he will review your history, explain how he thinks about cases like yours, and can speak with your local physician to guide the plan. Many out-of-state patients then travel to our Manhattan or Rockville Centre office for treatment.
These telehealth visits are intended for educational and informational purposes only. My goal is to help provide you with these resources to work with your local healthcare provider to get the best care possible.
Call our office today at 212-397-0157 to schedule your meeting or request an appointment online.