Advancing continuing medical education (CME) for auricular vagus nerve stimulation...

Integration of both device- and direct-care approaches within the overall management of
patients, can address many clinical needs: effectiveness of multidisciplinary team meetings,
options for conservative treatment, means for treatment optimization, and advancement of
holistic and integrative approaches from intake through rehabilitation.

Beyond the narrowly defined parameters of FDA-approved biomedical devices, there is a need for interdisciplinary medical aVNS training for both device- and direct-care approaches. The curriculum concept will be presented in a poster session at the North American Neuromodulation Society annual conference on January 31, 2025, at 5:00-6:30 pm (#NANS2025).

Why an aVNS Curriculum?

Supporting Continuum of Care
Supporting Interdisciplinary Consensus
Write your awesome label here.
Supporting Provider Perspectives
READ MORE (external link to journal article)
Supporting Central Role of Vagus Nerve
Write your awesome label here.

CONtinuum of care

Advanced Practice Providers and allied health professionals are essential to the delivery of person-centered care across the lifecycle of care. Both non- and minimally-invasive auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ni/mi aVNS) support this lifecycle of care with effectiveness in pain, motor rehabilitation, anxiety, hypertension, depression, post-traumatic states, addiction, sleep disorders, and inflammatory conditions. 

interdisciplinary consensus

There is no continuing medical education (CME) to offer aVNS training, with interdisciplinary consensus, worldwide.
A multidisciplinary team (research, neurology, medical, pain management, neurofunctional acupuncture, nursing, pediatric, manual therapy, psychiatry, and continuing education) was
created in response to leading voices at several neuromodulation societies, calling for inclusive, interdisciplinary CME curricula to fill the void.

PROVIDER PERSPECTIVES

Auricular methods show potential to strengthen the profession of nursing — a profession often challenged with burnout. Beyond offering another tool in the toolbox, it is easy to integrate auricular in concert with other methods, to adjust to and meet patients’ needs, and increase professional self-confidence with a complement to ordinary care — all while using auricular stimulation to help influence the subjective experience of patients to gain control over their symptoms.

CENTRAL ROLE OF VAGUS NERVE

Healthy sympathetic-parasympathetic balance supports, and even considered necessary, for healing. Vagal stimulation can positively and safely affect biological and behavioral paths to stop the spiral of key complaints associated with many chronic health conditions. The vagus nerve plays a central role within the frameworks (theoretical and mechanisms of action) of health and pain. For example, the pain-sleep-anxiety spiral; unified behavioral and polyvagal theories for understanding pain; and relationships to inflammation and the gut biome/gut-brain axis.

person-centered care | increasing access to neuromodulation | the vagal healthcare paradigm | expanding neuromodulation in the continuum of care

About the Project

Related Educational Resources

Write your awesome label here.

Auricular Neuromodulation Eases Preparation for EMDR and Other Mental Health Interventions

Ensuring a sense of security for the effective and safe administration of mental health interventions (such as EMDR) can be a challenge in patients coping with the dysregulation of trauma. Auricular neuromodulation offers easy and rapid means to bypass defense mechanisms.
Write your awesome label here.

A New Healthcare Paradigm: The President of the World Institute of Pain (WIP) on Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Pain

As presented on Pain Talks, Dr. Peter Staats, discusses vagal nerve stimulation in terms of neuroanatomy, mechanisms of action, approaches, and clinical data.
Write your awesome label here.

Auricular Trauma Protocol for Physicians

The Helms Medical Institute (HMI) offers courses in auricular stimulation for emotional trauma. See the external links to HMI for medical papers on...
Dr. Kajsa Landgren, PhD, RN, presents at the NADA UK Conference

National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) Protocol for Nursing

Addiction, and the associated pain-sleep-anxiety spiral, are being treated with auricular stimulation.
Write your awesome label here.

Comprehensive training by the Canadian Institute of Auricular Medicine (CIAM)

Endorsed by the German Academy for Acupuncture and recognized as a Professional Development Provider (PDA) by  NCCAOM, MTWPAM, CPA (Deutsche Akademie für Akupunktur/DAA )
Write your awesome label here.

The Harvard Asia Center Presents Social Historical Context on Auricular Stimulation 

Eana Meng, a historian of medicine and physician-in-training, traces the lesser known histories of the use of auricular stimulation by American activists (including those in the Black revolutionary movement).
Coming soon... the most comprehensive compilation of medical professionals offering training and treatment in auricular- and resonance-based fields of clinical practice — all to apply the neural portal of the ear for improved patient outcomes.
PRIVACY POLICY, TERMS & CONDITIONS, and GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONALISM

Future-proof 

Access

Connect with

Policies

Thank you!
integrateauricular.com and contents copyright ©2019 IntegrateAuricular | Disclaimer: Content presented by IntegrateAuricular.com (website, training, or any other) is provided for educational purposes and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. IntegrateAuricular reserves the right to make any changes (content, programming, policy, etc.) at any time and without notice. Users waive the right to any claims against IntegrateAuricular related to the application and/or the practice of Auricular Medicine or related methods presented. It is to be understood that to drive a field forward, many educational aspects may be theoretical and/or based on clinical observations. Any statements regarding intended outcomes should be understood to have limitations. Proper application of the methods presented on IntegrateAuricular is the sole responsibility of the user, for which IntegrateAuricular cannot reasonably assume liability.