Experts Warn Against Routine At-Home VNS Use as 28-Person Study Leaves Long-Term Effects Unclear
Updated
Updated · mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com · May 31
Experts Warn Against Routine At-Home VNS Use as 28-Person Study Leaves Long-Term Effects Unclear
3 articles · Updated · mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com · May 31
Commercial non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation devices should not be used routinely at home without medical guidance, experts said, citing limited research in healthy people and no large clinical trials validating over-the-counter claims.
A 28-participant study found a week of daily 30-minute use improved cardiovascular fitness and reduced post-exercise inflammation versus a placebo device, but researchers said that evidence remains too small and short-term to support broad use.
Prescription VNS is already approved for conditions including drug-resistant migraines, tinnitus, epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression, while scientists are still working out exactly how stimulation affects relaxation pathways and inflammation.
The caution comes as social media interest in the vagus nerve surges, often simplifying a system of about 200,000 nerve fibres that helps regulate heart rate, breathing, digestion and the body's stress response.
With insurers now calling wearable VNS devices 'unproven,' why are they still prescribed for conditions like migraines?
Are at-home vagus nerve stimulators a wellness revolution or just an expensive, unproven placebo?
Could AI-powered biofeedback finally make vagus nerve stimulation a truly personalized and effective therapy?