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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Hello123 on September 17, 2014, at 14:57:14
I've pretty much run out of ideas for treatment. While ECT helped, it didn't help enough to get me back in shape to start doing things like working again. I've read a decent amount about it and I'm not sure i have a whole lot of faith in it. but who knows what it could do fir me. i haven't been alproved. by a doctor at the hospital for me to have it done yet, but i see no reasons why they wouldn't approve it. the hospital that does it is Vanderbilt. the same hospital thay did ECT for me. they're a pretyy advanced hospital.
i don't guess anyone on Babble has had it done, or knows someone who has had it done. I've not really found any personal experiences online with it being done for Depression.
Posted by europerep on September 17, 2014, at 15:43:16
In reply to my next option, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, posted by Hello123 on September 17, 2014, at 14:57:14
Hey there,
I basically don't know anything about stimulative treatment options like ECT or VNS, but is the next step for partially successful ECT switching to a different treatment form? I would think they'd rather "tweak" the "parameters", give you ultra-brief rather than brief, monolateral instead of bilateral, or whatever.
Again, I may be totally wrong about that, but wouldn't it be a good idea to look further into ECT rather than something else?
Posted by Hello123 on September 17, 2014, at 17:03:32
In reply to Re: my next option, Vagus Nerve Stimulation » Hello123, posted by europerep on September 17, 2014, at 15:43:16
I had 14 ECT treatments in all. they started out with Unilateral and then went to Bilateral when there wasn't much benefit from Unilateral. and i believe it was Ultrabrief. but i had 14 treatments in all and my improvement from it had kinda plateaued about halfway through my treatments. therr was just very small, almost negligible improvement from the last few treatments..
Posted by stan_the_man70 on September 25, 2014, at 23:52:40
In reply to Re: my next option, Vagus Nerve Stimulation » Hello123, posted by europerep on September 17, 2014, at 15:43:16
http://life.gaiam.com/article/depressed-just-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve
Depressed? Just Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
It could be the single most important nerve in the body. The vagus nerve stretches from deep within the brainstem all the way into the belly. Literally the mind-body connection, its the cabling behind your "gut instincts." One doctor refers to the vagus nerve as the inner eye.
Just recently the FDA approved a surgically implanted machine that will periodically stimulate the vagus nerve to treat depression. The treatment boasts remarkable success. But don't worry; you probably don't need surgery. Practitioners of yoga may already be enjoying the benefits of vagus nerve stimulation.
The vagus nerve supplies motor and sensory parasympathetic fibers to virtually everything from the neck down to the first third of the transverse colon. Governing things like the heart rate, digestion, sweating and skeletal muscles, it's easy to see how any basic yoga routine can stimulate this pivotal channel between the mind and body.
But it turns out that the vagus nerve is involved with many other, less obvious activities associated with yoga, like chanting and pranayama.
The acts of chanting, both listening and vocalizing, stimulate the vagus nerve through muscle movements in the mouth, like those important to speech and those that work the larynx for breathing. The nerve also connects to vocal chords and receives some sensation from the outer ear; thus the acts of vocalizing and listening can influence it.
But the most refined practice for yogic stimulation of the vagus nerve may be pranayama, the fourth step outlined in the Indian sage Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras." Also known as breath control, the exercises often involve synchronizing chanting, naval gazing and breathing.
Posted by stan_the_man70 on September 26, 2014, at 0:04:07
In reply to my next option, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, posted by Hello123 on September 17, 2014, at 14:57:14
(3:37) The more I feel compassion: the stronger the Vagus Nerve Response. The more I feel pride: the weaker the Vagus Nerve Response.(3:46) And this really astounds me, in that state of having a strong Vagus Nerve Response: I feel common Humanity with many different groups. I'm feeling connected to people of different political persuasions, different ethnic origins...
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(4:24) Another way that we can study the role of the Vagus Nerve in compassion and the meaningful life and social well-being is find people who have really strong Vagus Nerves or high-levels of activation in that bundle of nerves. You can do it in the lab, you could come to my lab and we could give you a profile; and we think of this as a temperament.(4:51) I, as a joke, call these people 'Vagal Superstars.' But that's how people like to think about them and what we find is a really interesting profile.
Vagal Superstars:
-Increased positive emotion.
-More resilient response to bereavement.
-More sympathetic prosocial children.
-Trusted more in interactions with strangers.(5:00) If you have a really, strong Vagal Profile, which you can cultivate through exercise and recent studies suggest meditation, and other practices. If you have strong profile: you have more positive emotion on a daily basis, stronger relationships with peers, better social support networks.
When we are stressed, the Vagus Nerve relays epinephrine (adrenaline) into the bloodstream, which triggers the fight/flight stress response. According to the Harvard Medical School's Health Publication, 'Yoga for Anxiety and Depression,' there are many benefits to self-stimulation of the Vagus Nerve through various activities such as deep breathing exercises, mediation and Yoga.-Studies Suggest that this Practice [Yoga] Modulates the Stress Response:
"Since the 1970s, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques have been studied as possible treatments for depression and anxiety. One such practice, yoga, has received less attention in the medical literature, though it has become increasingly popular in recent decades. One national survey estimated, for example, that about 7.5% of U.S. adults had tried yoga at least once, and that nearly 4% practiced yoga in the previous year...
Available reviews of a wide range of yoga practices suggest they can reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends."
-Taming the Stress Response:
"By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body's ability to respond to stress more flexibly...
A small but intriguing study further characterizes the effect of yoga on the stress response. In 2008, researchers at the University of Utah presented preliminary results from a study of varied participants' responses to pain. They note that people who have a poorly regulated response to stress are also more sensitive to pain."''
-Improved Mood and Functioning:
"Questions remain about exactly how yoga works to improve mood, but preliminary evidence suggests its benefit is similar to that of exercise and relaxation techniques...
One uncontrolled, descriptive 2005 study examined the effects of a single yoga class for inpatients at a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital. The 113 participants included patients with bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia. After the class, average levels of tension, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, and fatigue dropped significantly, as measured by the Profile of Mood States, a standard 65-item questionnaire that participants answered on their own before and after the class. Patients who chose to participate in additional classes experienced similar short-term positive effects."
-Cautions and Encouragement:
"Although many forms of yoga practice are safe, some are strenuous and may not be appropriate for everyone. In particular, elderly patients or those with mobility problems may want to check first with a clinician before choosing yoga as a treatment option...
But for many patients dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress, yoga may be a very appealing way to better manage symptoms. Indeed, the scientific study of yoga demonstrates that mental and physical health are not just closely allied, but are essentially equivalent. The evidence is growing that yoga practice is a relatively low-risk, high-yield approach to improving overall health."
Harvard Medical School. 'Yoga for Anxiety and Depression.' Harvard Health Publications - April 2009. Website.
References.
Posted by stan_the_man70 on September 26, 2014, at 0:17:24
In reply to my next option, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, posted by Hello123 on September 17, 2014, at 14:57:14
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4986/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-the-Vagus-Nerve.html
What You Need to Know About the Vagus Nerve
The vagus is one of the larger more important nerves in the human body. One key role that it plays is as the reset button to counteract when our alarm system has been set off resulting in the infamous fight, flight or freeze response as some type of threat has been perceived. The vagus nerve basically tells the body and brain: It is safe now. The threat is gone. All bodily functions can return to normal now.
The mechanisms probably worked great in the Neanderthal days when a saber tooth tiger might be looming on the horizon or outside the cave. What we may have now with an epidemic of high anxiety is a malfunctioning, overly-sensitive alarm system just like the car down the block that seems to blare at the slightest vibration.
Threats now setting off our alarm systems include possible job performance issues, paying bills, fears of romantic rejection, or even fears that people might see through our outer persona. Meanwhile, our calming system, the vagus nerve, may be underactive, almost having forgotten how to function. What can result is a worst case scenario where the alarm system (anxiety) is always on. The scary part is that we can get used to that while it wreaks havoc upon our bodies.
There is hope, however, in our good friend the vagus nerve. While we have to work on our alarm system not always going off, we can also work on stimulating our vagus nerve so that our body can remember how its calming system is supposed to work.
The most effective, natural method for stimulating the vagus nerve is deep, belly breath breathing that you typically associate with yoga and meditation. And think about it, air is the very first thing we need for survival, before water and food. Additionally, in yoga class you are turning your alarm systems off, often closing your eyes, trusting your instructor and letting yourself be vulnerable. Your valiant instructor will handle any saber tooth tiger that attempts to enter this safe, nurturing domain while you stimulate this precious nerve.
So when you are in yoga class or otherwise practicing these wise and slow breathing methods, you are working to re-balance what for many in our modern culture is an out-of-whack system. For those suffering from high anxiety, a conscious effort to implement this re-balancing act is imperative.
Research on the vagus nerve continues. It will likely hold key information on the mind-body connection. The nerve is bi-directional, meaning it sends messages from the brain to the body and vice versa. However, 80% of its capacity is directed towards channeling information from the body to the brain. Its how the body talks to the brain.
Also note that the vagus nerve is the vagabond nerve that wanders around and surrounds our heart and core area. It is heart-centered and noted as the nerve of intuition and the nerve of compassion. When we feel safe, without threat or anxiety, these abilities and inclinations are free to expand. Not such a bad thing. Viva...or uh, long live the vagus nerve!
This is the end of the thread.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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