As one of the main nerves in our system, the vagus nerve has the potential to address several complicated health issues. 

The vagus nerve, also known as the vagal nerves, is one of 12 cranial nerves in the body, and is responsible for digestion, heart rate and breathing. 

On Show Me the Science, Professor Luke O’Neill explained the vagus nerve has become “very trendy over the past three or four years” as we discover more about its potential to keep us healthy. 

“[The vagus nerve] allegedly has all kinds of benefits,” he said. “It can decrease depression, they can treat obesity, it can treat alcoholism and suppress inflammation. 

“It's called the electrical superhighway of your body... it connects the brain to your abdomen, to your stomach – all kinds of tissues connect to the vagus nerve.” 

Triggering the vagus nerve can affect these tissues can boost its connection to these organs, and there’s “lots of ways” to do this, according to Prof O’Neill. 

“If you plunge into freezing cold water, or splash cold water on to your face even, that can stimulate it,” he said. 

“If you can control your breathing, that can stimulate it.” 

Epilepsy

Prof O’Neill explained 40 years, scientists first began stimulating the vagus nerve by zapping it and discovered it has a clinical use for people with epilepsy. 

“It turns out that if you stimulate the vagus nerve, you could decrease the incidents of epilepsy if you're suffering from that condition,” he said. 

“And there were reports of people who had anxiety or depression feeling better because of the stimulation. 

“In other words, something as simple as zapping a nerve in your neck could improve your mood or maybe a treatment for depression. 

“Of course, it may just have an effect on the epilepsy and that improves mood.” 

Arthritis and Crohn's disease

Inflammation scientist Kevin Treacy became interested in how the vagus nerve could treat septic shock, joint movement and Crohn’s disease. 

“There’s one particular thing called TNF, doing mischief in things like rheumatoid arthritis and probably in sepsis as well. 

“Kevin was using the stimulation of the vagus nerve to limit TNF, and his papers on this show stimulating the vagus nerve using electrical currents can lower TNF in the body. 

“This seems like sort of magic.” 

Obesity

Scientists have also found earlobes can be used to stimulate the vagus nerve and reap the benefits. 

“They zap [the earlobe] into the main highway [in the brain], and somehow it was affecting obesity,” Prof O’Neill. 

“The vagus nerve can go to your stomach, detect what you’re eating, it might regulate your appetite in the brain. 

"Lo and behold, this method of stimulating the vagus nerve was connecting into the stomach, and then that was affecting appetite, and people began to lose weight.” 

Prof O’Neill said there is much more study needed into the benefits of the vagus nerve. 

“But still, there was some evidence,” he said.