Your Vagus Nerve, arguably the most important nerve in your body, can be negatively impacted (either down-regulated or up-regulated) by infection, stress, or trauma. The good news is that there are specific testing and treatment strategies that you can learn and implement immediately to optimize the healing and function of this important nerve. Learn the functional anatomy, self-tests, and self-treatment for the Vagus Nerve in this self-paced online course, guided by Dr. Jessie.

WHAT IS THE VAGUS NERVE? The vagus nerve is one of the most profoundly influential nerve complexes in the human body. It is both a cranial and peripheral nerve - a unique feature that links its function intimately between the brain & emotional states to digestion as well as the viscera throughout the body. The vagus is actually two nerves on each side of the body with many, many branches.

The field of Physical Therapy is vast, and this can lead to confusion and even misinformation about what a Physical Therapist can do as your healthcare provider. GENERALISTS & SPECIALISTS In the modern healthcare world, though Physical Therapists (PTs) graduate as what we call "generalists"—meaning they are able to treat a vast array of movement dysfunctions in all settings—many physical therapists specialize in a sub-population or a particular setting, taking additional trainings (beyond the yearly requirements to maintain licensure). When you think of a PT, you may consider someone who worked with your family member during a hospitalization; you might picture someone helping a person recover from a stroke; you may imagine an athlete learning to optimize her movement for better sport performance; you may think of someone assisting an individual with mobility in a nursing home. PTs encompass all of these roles—and many more. DIRECT ACCESS As of 2015, patient/clients in all 50 states have direct access to physical therapists, meaning people are able to see PTs as their primary care providers; direct access allows patients to seek evaluation and treatment from a licensed physical therapist without a prescription or referral from a physician. Some states have arbitrary and unnecessary restrictions (i.e. time restraints, visit limitations, previous diagnosis requirements and others). Fortunately in Colorado, there is Unrestricted Patient Access ; however, in some states there are provisions that limit patient access to PTs. Here at The Healing Collective Functional & Integrative Medicine, you do not need a doctor's referral in order to seek Physical Therapy services. EDUCATION & CREDENTIALING  As of 2016, all Physical Therapy programs in the US were required to become Doctorate-level

In light of Covid-19 and the statewide Stay-In-Place ordinances, you may be wondering how in the world you might still benefit from Physical Therapy in the form of a Telehealth visit. DUAL VIDEO FOR INTERACTIVE CARE We are fortunate to live in a time where technology makes it possible for us to interact in realtime with video! Our Charm patient portal offers two-way video telemedicine visits through the HIPAA-compliant Zoom platform. This means we see can each other live, and I (Dr. Jessie) can perform postural assessments, functional movement screens, and even measure your joint range of motion -- all through the computer screen. While for a functional manual therapist it is not the most ideal situation (I really prefer to be able to assess joint motion and tissue restriction and treat using my hands), there are still many, many ways your physical therapist can serve you in a telehealth visit. Here are some of those ways. SKILLED AT-HOME EXERCISE PROGRAM Using an interactive Home Exercise Program platform, I (Dr. Jessie) can prescribe you a home program that you can access from your computer or smartphone (or print it out if you prefer the old fashioned way!). The platform makes it possible for us to cater your workout specifically to you by adding personalized notes and instruction. Your program is complete with video/audio that you can watch in realtime as you do your workout. If you'd like to see an example of the type of program you might receive, click here and enter access code NF2P2YC8. This is the home program platform similar to what you would receive. Your home program can address Low back pain Neck pain Shoulder pain Hip pain Knee pain Deconditioning Weight loss Stress management Chronic pain Tendinitis Headache Migraine Range of motion restrictions Hypermobility & ligament laxity and so many more conditions! FREQUENCY MEDICINE FOR PAIN RELIEF One of the most recent additions to our offerings at The Healing Collective is our ability to prescribe patients their own Frequency Specific Microcurrent home unit. Similar to a TENS unit, an FSM device is a pre-programmed handheld unit that gets programmed with your individualized, patient-specific pain prescription. It uses pulsed positive or alternative DC current in millionths of an ampere (µA) that is for most people subsensory (they do not feel the current) to deliver micro-current to affected tissues. It is an exceptional way to improve pain, reduce inflammation, and improve quality of life. This is a unique offering through The Healing Collective, as we are now able to perform a complete assessment via telehealth and prescribe you a unit based on your symptoms and signs—all without you ever needing to leave your home. Frequency specific microcurrent treatment really makes it possible for us to treat many chronic conditions that do not respond to conventional therapy. Read more about FSM here . FSM is especially effective at treating Diabetic neruopathy CRPS and Fibromyalgia Concussion Chronic pain Ligament laxity Nerve pain Sciatica Burners and Stingers Thoracic outlet syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome Back & neck pain: discogenic, facet-generated, muscular and so much more! EDUCATION You don't know what you don't know, and a telehealth visit is a perfect opportunity for you to learn about topics ranging from whether to use ice or heat on that painful shoulder to how to prevent falls in your home to what exercises to avoid (and what to do) if you have low back pain to what are the most effective ways for you to manage stress or sleep ... Pain is a fascinating subject, and there is emerging science that may surprise you about the best strategies to help you with your pain. As a collaborator in a Functional Medicine clinic, I (Dr. Jessie) work alongside your primary care provider to make sure your movement and lifestyle program matches your supplements, diet, and overall plan of care. There is so much to learn in this wide world! MEDICAL THERAPEUTIC YOGA Yoga is the most complete, well-rounded approach to wellness that I ever encountered, and the research is pouring in in support of yoga as an evidence-based intervention for myriad conditions. No matter your level of experience or lack thereof, there is always something that these ancient practices--now backed by modern science--have to offer. Yoga teaches an empowered approach to really taking your health into your own hands, and for people who are looking to be active participants in their healing journey, yoga provides a complete roadmap. From our Zoom platform, I (Dr. Jessie) can assess your movement patterns, identify imbalances, and prescribe specific sequences, breathing practices, meditation, lifestyle interventions, mantra, and mindfulness practices that will help you find wholeness and harmony in your body, mind and spirit. I bring over 11 years of multifaceted experience in the field of therapeutic yoga to your one-on-one session. My experience includes advanced trainings through the ShambhavAnanda School of Yoga , Smart Safe Yoga , and the ProYogaTherapy Institute , as well as work conducting a randomized-controlled trial on the effects of Yoga Breathing on Chronic Low Back Pain as a part of her Doctoral program in physical therapy. Whether you are brand new to yoga and seek gentle, nurturing guidance or if you are a seasoned practitioner looking to refine and go deeper in your practice, this is the option for you. WHAT ARE MORE BENEFITS OF TELEHEALTH? Get treatment that is relevant in your home setting -- so your therapist knows what you have to work with in your environment Prevention of readmission to a hospital setting: home safety evals and mobility screens Post - hospital discharge checkups and safety screens Advanced intake of a patient history: we can spend the time on a telehealth visit taking your history and establishing a solid plan of care before your in-person visit Wellness and preventative services help you avoid hospitalizations and optimize your function Post-surgical monitoring Post-surgical rehabilitation Wellness promotion through skilled assessment and intervention Q and A to prevent hospital readmissions and future injuries HOW DO I LEARN MORE? Schedule a free 15-minute consult with Dr. Jessie by calling the Healing Collective. Or, if you are ready to schedule your Initial Evaluation, contact us so we can send you your patient intake forms. 720-572-5236 — BE WELL —

There are a number of ways you can help optimize your FSM treatments of abdominopelvic adhesions. Here are two to get you started at home. (1) Dr. Jessie demonstrates self-visceral mobilization using a Courgeous(R) ball (available at https://bit.ly/CorgBall ) for concurrent use with the Frequency Specific Microcurrent visceral programs tailored to her patients.

We are so excited to announce an all-new, handmade option that will help you to be mobile and keep the furniture from getting totally soaked while doing FSM treatments at home or in the clinic! Featuring 100% organic bamboo on one side and neoprene for moisture control on the other side, these straps offer circumferential coverage to the neck, wrists, thighs, ankles, waist, etc so that you can wear your wraps during exercise or otherwise! Custom-made right here in Niwot, CO, USA by Diane Zimmermann of Pathways Neurofitness to our exacting specifications.

Article provided by Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP complements of Functional Medicine University.

After ten weeks, comparative study research participants who were asked to keep weekly gratitude journals measured with higher optimism, exercised more, reported fewer physical maladies, felt better about their lives and had fewer visits to their doctors, according to a study by psychologists Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough. This is in comparison with groups who either journaled their irritations or simply journaled with no instruction. Participants who kept gratitude lists were also more likely to have made progress toward important academic, interpersonal and health goals over a two-month period ( Emmons & McCullough 2003 ). Young adults who participated in daily self-guided gratitude exercises had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on hassles or "downward social comparison" (ways participants thought they were better off than others). These participants in the gratitude exercises were also more likely to have reported having helped someone or offered emotional support to another person.