"Mindfulness" and the "Vagus Nerve"

So today . . . let's finish this topic and talk about how else "mindful" thinking can help our health.

Okay . . . so as I said the other day . . . a big plus to "mindful" thinking . . . is its ability to reduce "inflammatory biomarkers" in the brain

You see . . . when you feel stressed out . . . the body triggers the "release" of the hormone called "cortisol" which is the "stress hormone" . . . which in turn . . . causes wide-spread "inflammation" and "increased" pain in already irritated "joints" and "muscles".

So by practicing "mindfulness" . . . the shift of "focus" to something quiet and calm like your breathing . . . can "reduce" inflammation and its pain.

And what about the "immune system"???

Well . . . as we spoke before . . . "mindfulness" has the ability to "increase" our white blood cells . . . and as we know . . . our white blood cells help fight off infections, "viruses' and "bacteria".

And with that . . . this practice can "boost" the activity of hundreds of genes known to be directly involved in regulating "immune response".

Okay . . . so one last point for today . . . what about the "vagus nerve"

Well . . . we've spoken about this very important cranial nerve to optimal health many times before . . .

But in relatability to "mindfulness" . . . it can "optimize" the functional connectivity of the default mode network . . . which lowers "inflammation" and "improves" the brain's ability to manage "stress" and "anxiety".

The "vagus" nerve also when "stimulated" . . . can dramatically "reduce" the severity of "depression".