The vagus nerve is a part of the body that most of us have never read about. However, this is certainly something that people with epilepsy should be aware of about. When you or someone you care about has epilepsy, you should know about the vagus nerve and exactly how it pertains to this condition.
Exactly What Is The Vagus Nerve?
To higher recognize how this nerve relates to epilepsy, you need to know what it is. The vagus nerve is accountable for sending information in the neck, chest, and stomach on the brain and back again. This nerve are usually in charge of important bodily processes for example speech, breathing, regulation of the heartbeat and regulating the stomach movements.
Exactly How The Vagus Nerve Pertains To Epilepsy
From the nineteenth century, research discovered that an epileptic seizure can be stopped if the vagus nerve is activated. This activation can be accomplished by applying pressure to the carotid artery inside the neck. Further research was done about this topic and it was discovered that electrical stimulus to the vagus nerve deceased the frequency of seizures in animals. According to this research, clinical studies were approved to evaluate this on humans. It had been in 1997 the FDA approved the use of vagus nerve stimulation as an intervention for partial and intractable focal epilepsy in people more than 12.
Exactly What Is VNS Therapy?
While VNS therapy continues to be approved for use, it is essential to determine what this is certainly and the way it works. This therapy requires a device to become placed within the skin close to the left side collarbone. An electrode which happens to be attached to a generator will also need to be linked to the vagus nerve around the left side in the neck.
These devices from the chest is going to be preprogrammed to stimulate the vagus nerve. The settings of your generator is going to be adjusted by a nurse or doctor which is taught to offer this particular therapy. If a seizure does happen, a magnet could be used to trigger electrical stimulation to prevent the seizure.
How Well Can This Therapy Work?
It is essential to keep in mind that vagus stimulation will not likely have immediate results, but after a couple of months of therapy, results will be seen. Around 25 to 30% of individuals who use VNS therapy have been a decline in their seizures after several months of treatment. After a while, seizure control will improve and right after a year or 2 of therapy, approximately 45% of individuals notice a lowering of their seizures by a minimum of half.
It is essential to note that only only a few people can easily live completely seizure free when working with VNS therapy. There are also some individuals that do not see any difference using this type of therapy. VNS is just not considered a replacement for traditional seizure medication and you will need to continue taking the medication while using the this therapy. However, lots of people who use this therapy find that they can lose the dose of the medication and suffer fewer negative effects from your medication.
