A new survey is now recruiting: "An international survey of experiences and attitudes towards Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."
There are anecdotal reports that Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) is being used for symptom management by people with ME, but there has been very little formal research exploring the use and experiences of this approach.
tVNS involves stimulation of the vagus nerve via electrodes applied to part of the ear, with the theory that this will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and address symptoms of autonomic dysfunction.
The survey was initiated by Dawn Wiley, founder of the Facebook Group “A Vagus Adventure AVA” and Andrea Parker, an Occupational Therapist in South Australia. Both Dawn and Andrea use tVNS as part of the management of their ME and linked up with Physio for ME's Dr Nicola Clague-Baker to develop the survey through her position at the University of Liverpool.
The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of people with ME who have tried tVNS.
To find out more, you can access the participant information sheet here.
Physios for ME are thrilled to support another survey led by patient experts, just like the survey from last year on Heart Rate Monitoring
We are happy to help other people with ME develop their own research ideas. If you’d like to discuss this, please get in touch.