Alternative Treatments For Depression: Nothing Quite Like Vagus Nerve Stimulations
Although Vagus Nerve Stimulation or VNS is not really surgery of the brain it is still an alternative treatment for depression that has an effect on the functioning of the brain since it (VNS) uses certain kinds of distinct stimulation of the nerve that has in fact, very aptly been named Vagus which actually stimulates different parts of your brain that affect your mood. Of course, Vagus Nerve Stimulation is unlike another depression treatment known as Electro-Convulsive Therapy or ECT in which the whole of the brain has to be stimulated and which may even cause patients to convulse.
Use Other Drugs Simultaneously
The beauty of this (VNS) alternative treatments for depression is that patients are not aware of the stimulations because the Vegas nerve are devoid of any kind of nerves that transmit pain signals and VNS is also not known to interfere with any drugs that the patient may be taking and so a patient that is taking VNS is able to continue taking their other medications without having to be concerned about experiencing side effects or adverse drug interactions.
Recently, the Neurological Advisory Panel of the FDA gave its nod to use of Vagus Nerve Stimulator as an alternative treatment for depression for treating continuous depression. It would thus pay to look a little closer at the history of this (VNS) alternative treatment for depression because it would help in understanding its many benefits and so, it can then be used to get maximum benefits.
In fact, Vagus Nerve Stimulation was originally tried out in treating patients of epilepsy and it was first tried on humans in the year 1988 and in fact, it only got the nod from FDA some nine years later in 1997. To be sure, this alternative treatment for depression has been tried out on more than it is believed, twenty-two thousand people and more importantly, its use has been found to be effective and beneficial to patients and it is also safe to use.
Though, VNS was originally not meant to be a chronic depression treatment, once its benefits in improving the mood in users was noticed, it has since become the main treatment method for those suffering from chronic cases of depression.
Another notable aspect to using this alternative treatment for depression is that there are virtually no side effects to be concerned about and its efficacy has been proven, and in fact its effects increase as it is used over a longer period of time. No doubt, VNS which is an excellent alternative treatment for depression was originally used for treating patients suffering from epilepsy though as a side benefit it was noted that patients using VNS showed signs of improved moods, and after further research it was established that VNS could be a safe as well as tolerable and effective means of treating continuing depression bouts and that is why it is being so widely used today.
