Dr. Tom Ingegno, a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, explains why he resists reducing acupuncture to "stimulating the vagus nerve," and makes the case for treating the nervous system as one interconnected network rather than a single switch. He also shares the concept of Yang Sheng, or "nourishing life," and the small, sustainable practices he recommends over elaborate wellness routines.

Dr. Rita Gupta explains how neuroplastic pain and a hypervigilant nervous system connect to vagal tone, and shares the nervous system regulation techniques she recommends most.

Nervous system regulation isn't about pushing a button, says lifestyle medicine physician Dr. Carina Hopen. It's about flexibility: the ability to activate when life demands it, and to find your way back afterward. In this interview, she talks about why sleep matters more than any single technique, what to do when meditation doesn't work for you, and where tools like Alpha-Stim and acupuncture actually fit.

Reproductive psychiatrists Dr. Jessica Benson and Dr. Morgan Lewis explain why postpartum and perimenopausal mood changes usually aren't about abnormal hormone levels, but about how sensitive your nervous system is to the shift itself, and what actually helps.

Eva Selhub, MD, has spent nearly three decades studying how stress physiology, neuroscience, and relationships shape human health and performance. As a physician, an executive advisor, and a resilience expert, her perspective is a useful counterweight to some of the more reductive claims circulating about the vagus nerve. For Dr. Selhub, regulation is never about one nerve or one hack, but about the flexibility of an entire interconnected system.

A GI therapist explains what she wishes more people understood: that a stomachache isn't just in your head, it's a conversation between your gut and your nervous system. Katie Davis, LCSW, walks through the vagus nerve's role in disorders like IBS, and shares one simple breathing practice to start with today.

Integrative psychiatrist Dr. Amy O'Donnell explains how the vagus nerve connects the mind and body, shares daily practices like the dive reflex and diaphragmatic breathing, and discusses how nervous system regulation supports safely tapering off psychiatric medication.

Dr. Fortino spends his days at the intersection of metabolic medicine and the gut-brain connection, so I sought his perspective on how gut health, appetite regulation, and the vagus nerve actually fit together.