Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Living with POTS, CFS, or Long COVID can feel like your body has betrayed you. Simple tasks become monumental challenges. Standing up might trigger racing heart rates and dizziness. Basic daily activities may leave you exhausted for days. The cognitive fog can make even routine mental tasks feel impossible. These conditions affect every aspect of life, yet traditional treatments often fall short, treating individual symptoms while missing the bigger picture.

This is where transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) represents a meaningful advancement. Rather than just managing symptoms, tVNS targets the root of these conditions: autonomic nervous system dysfunction and systemic inflammation. This non-invasive therapy works by stimulating the auricular branch of the vagus nerve through the ear, helping to restore balance to your autonomic nervous system.

How tVNS Works

The vagus nerve serves as a vital communication pathway between your brain and body, influencing crucial autonomic functions. When stimulated through the ear, tVNS activates natural regulatory mechanisms that help stabilize your nervous system. This stimulation triggers the release of neurotransmitters and activates specific brain regions involved in autonomic control, effectively "retraining" your nervous system to respond more appropriately to stimuli, exertion, positional changes, and other stressors.

Research has identified three key mechanisms through which tVNS helps patients with POTS, ME/CFS, and Long COVID:

1. Autonomic Balance Restoration
   By enhancing parasympathetic activity and moderating excessive sympathetic response, tVNS helps normalize heart rate variability and reduce orthostatic tachycardia. This rebalancing effect helps your body better maintain stable autonomic function, benefiting all three conditions.
2. Anti-inflammatory Effects
   tVNS naturally reduces systemic inflammation by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. This reduction in inflammation is particularly beneficial for post-viral conditions like ME/CFS and Long COVID, while also helping alleviate multiple symptoms common to all three conditions, from brain fog to fatigue.
3. Neuromodulation Benefits
   Through targeted stimulation, tVNS engages key brain areas involved in autonomic regulation, promoting long-term nervous system stability and helping restore normal autonomic responses. This mechanism appears especially valuable for addressing the complex neurological symptoms present in POTS, ME/CFS, and Long COVID.

Clinical Evidence

Landmark Study for POTS

Clinical research has demonstrated clinically significant results for POTS patients using tVNS. In a double-blind trial, patients receiving tVNS treatment showed significant improvement in their orthostatic tolerance. The average heart rate increase upon standing decreased from 26.4 beats per minute (bpm) to 17.6 bpm—an improvement that translated into real-world symptoms reduction.

Beyond heart rate, patients experienced broader improvements in autonomic function. Heart rate variability—a key marker of autonomic health—showed meaningful increases, indicating better overall nervous system balance. Importantly, these improvements came without the side effects often associated with traditional POTS medications.

The anti-inflammatory effects of tVNS also proved significant for POTS patients. The treatment reduced levels of specific inflammatory markers and autoantibodies known to play a role in POTS, suggesting it helps address not just symptoms but underlying disease mechanisms.

Promising Results for ME/CFS and Long COVID

For patients with ME/CFS and Long COVID, tVNS offers hope where traditional treatments have often fallen short. Clinical studies have shown meaningful improvements in the debilitating fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and post-exertional malaise that characterize these conditions.

In Long COVID studies, 57% of participants reported significant symptom improvement after tVNS treatment. Patients experienced reduced mental fatigue, better cognitive function, and improved energy levels. The therapy's ability to modulate the immune system and reduce inflammation appears particularly beneficial for post-viral conditions like Long COVID.

ME/CFS patients have shown similar positive responses, with studies indicating improvements in both physical and cognitive fatigue. The therapy's effect on autonomic regulation helps address many of the core symptoms of ME/CFS, from sleep disturbances to orthostatic intolerance.

Our Treatment Protocol

1. Comprehensive Initial Assessment
   We begin with a detailed evaluation of your symptoms and autonomic function testing to establish baseline measurements and create your personalized treatment plan.
2. Evidence-Based Home Treatment
   We provide you with your own tVNS device and a customized protocol based on the most successful clinical research parameters. The treatment involves daily one-hour sessions that you can complete comfortably at home. Our team stays connected through regular check-ins to monitor your progress and adjust your protocol as needed.

Insurance and Payment

• Initial appointment: Includes personalized protocol development and electrode placement training
• Monthly fee: $120 ($30 per week) includes:
  • tVNS device rental
  • Regular check-in calls (weekly, fortnightly or monthly, based on your needs)
  • Protocol adjustments and ongoing support
• After three months: Option to purchase the device outright for a small fee
• NDIS funding accepted

Take the Next Step

Join the growing number of patients finding relief through evidence-based tVNS treatment.

1. Complete the application form online
2. Pay the $120 non-refundable deposit to secure a device
3. Device Availability:
   • If available: Device will be reserved for you
   • If waitlisted: Maximum wait time is 2 weeks
4. Once device is ready, our team will contact you to schedule your initial appointment