The Serenity in Nervana: What It Is and How To Get it. September Analyst: Mike Feibus. in association with

Transcription

1 The Serenity in Nervana: What It Is and How To Get it September 2016 Analyst: Mike Feibus in association with

2 Introduction... 2 Background... 3 Context... 4 Conclusions... 6

3 Nervana is a wellness device that promotes feelings of relaxation, contentment and serenity by stimulating the vagus nerve. There is ample and growing evidence that what leads to the pleasant feelings is that the stimulation triggers the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Harmful, addictive drugs like heroin, cocaine and painkillers like Percocet also facilitate heightened levels of feel-good neurotransmitters. So does that mean Nervana gets you high? Science would say no: the processes are very different. And as a result, so are the effects. Drugs directly impact functions that alter neurotransmitter concentrations in the brain s reward system, while Nervana merely influences the levels through an intermediary. That s a critical distinction that leads to very different experiences. In limited testing at FeibusTech Labs, the vast majority of the 17 subjects we observed stated that they felt a calm, peaceful sensation similar to what many experienced after healthful activities like meditation and yoga. Not one of the subjects tested described experiencing a euphoric high more commonly associated with drugs or alcohol. That said, it would be a mistake to assume it s not possible to get high from Nervana. For one thing, no two people are exactly alike physiologically, which is why different people react differently to the same stimuli. To complicate matters, many people have different definitions for what it means to get high in the first place. The purpose of this brief is to describe the differences between a Nervana session and getting high on drugs. As well, we will share the findings from our limited study of 17 subjects experience with Nervana

4 The Science of Getting High Generally speaking, drugs artificially overstimulate the brain s reward system. Different drugs do it in different ways. Most target neurotransmitters, which are the messengers of the central nervous system. Neurotransmitters pass along messages by attaching to neurons, which then destroy or recycle the neurotransmitters once they ve handed the good feelings on to more neurons. Marijuana, heroin and synthetic opioids like oxycodone have molecular structures similar to some feel-good neurotransmitters. As a result, neurons treat them as if they were naturally-produced messages. But just like the structures, the messages are similar but not identical. And so the feel-good sensation is distinct from what some might call a natural high. Other drugs induce a feeling of euphoria by disturbing the central nervous system s natural balance of neurotransmitters. Amphetamines, for example, cause an abnormally high level of dopamine to be produced. Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, or MDMA, cause high levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine production. Cocaine gets you high by preventing neurons from flushing neurotransmitters after they pass on the pleasurable messages. Of course, drugs aren t dangerous because they get you high. Rather, they re dangerous because their effects aren t limited to how they impact the brain s pleasure center. Heroin, for example, mutes the body s breathing reflex. Cocaine restricts arteries, which increases the risk for heart attack. And most drugs have toxic side effects that stress the liver as it tries to flush them from the body. High doses of MDMA can affect the body s ability to regulate temperature. This can lead to a spike in body temperature that can occasionally result in liver, kidney, or heart failure or even death. Unlike drugs, VNS devices like Nervana don t have any direct contact with the brain. And there s nothing toxic for the liver to cleanse. Instead, VNS promotes messages to the brain, via the vagus nerve, that stimulate the production of feel-good neurotransmitters. As a result, messages are pristine. And they ebb and flow naturally. Nervana promotes higher levels of feel-good neurotransmitters in much the same way as healthful, enjoyable activities like massage or yoga. In fact, there are many health-oriented communities that explore different ways of stimulating the vagus nerve because of the potential for both psychological and physiological benefits. Some of the options they cite include exercise, deep breathing, fish oil, acupuncture and Tai Chi. (For a more detailed discussion of VNS, please refer to our Research Brief entitled Vagus Nerve Stimulation: The Secret to Nervana.) - 3 -

5 FeibusTech Study Results Through much of August 2016, FeibusTech conducted a test of 17 subjects aged 18 to 80. Nine members of the test group were male, eight female. We observed the subjects through 20- minute sessions of VNS via one of two Nervana devices over a period of up to one week. We interviewed the subjects about their experience after each session. The most common feelings experienced were calm and focus, reported by 12 and eight subjects, respectively. No subjects reported feeling euphoric, or high. Only four of the 17 subjects reported feeling any sensation on the first try. Respondents submitted to Nervana sessions for consecutive days until they reported feeling at least one effect. The median number of sessions before subjects reported noticing an effect was three. One subject, a 76-year-old female, quit the study after four sessions without having felt an effect

6 The chart above suggests a correlation between age and how many times sessions it takes for subject to begin feeling the effects of Nervana. As well, the data suggests a correlation between sex and the number of sessions: On average, it took the women in our study between one and two sessions to feel an effect, while it took the men four times. Note that the sample size of our cursory study is too small for the correlations to be statistically significant

7 It is logical to conclude that Nervana will not get you high the way drugs and alcohol do, because they impact the body in very different ways. Nervana is one of many ways to stimulate the vagus nerve to promote feelings of calm, focus and contentment. Others include meditation, deep breathing even enjoying the company of friends and family. The vagus nerve is a critical component of the body s natural mechanism to decompress and recover from life s stresses, and regular stimulation is thought to bring about many healthful results. Drugs don t interact with the vagus nerve. Rather than influence levels of feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain through an intermediary, drugs directly alter those levels. As a result, the sensations are very different. And, needless to say, so are the aftereffects on the body

8 FeibusTech P.O. Box Scottsdale, AZ Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved - 7 -