Osteopathic approach targeting the vagus nerve and the neuroendocrine immune system with Pascal Grolaux DO

Main purposes of the course – Module1:

1. Learning the basic of neuroendocrine-immune system bi-directional communication with the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in case of e.g., autoimmune diseases, chronic pain syndrome, mental health.
2. Discovering the osteopathic centers in relation to the neuroendocrine-immune system.
3. Understanding how to perform osteopathic manipulative treatment specifically targeting the ANS and the immune system.
4. Understanding how osteopathic manipulative treatment via relevant and appropriate techniques acts on these systems.

Module 1 objectives:

1. Understanding the principles of neuroendocrine-immunology and inflammation.
2. Understanding ANS anti-inflammatory reflexes and common causes of diseases with the central role of the vagus nerve
3. Understanding the gut-brain and heart-brain axis. Introduction to the gut-lung and lung-brain axis.
4. Understanding the functions and roles of brain structures of the autonomic central network as well as the limbic system linked with pain, mental health, and inflammation.
5. Set up a targeted evidence-based osteopathic manipulative treatment with specific techniques to modulate the neuroendocrine-immune and ANS.

Day 1:

• Theory: Review of neuroanatomy of the ANS, the vagus nerve, the autonomic central network, and the limbic system. Inflammatory reflexes and common causes of diseases.

Day 2:

• Theory: heart-brain and gut-brain axis. Introduction to the gut-lung and lung-brain axis. The osteopathic centers linked with the ANS and neuroendocrine-immune centers.
• Practice: applied osteopathic treatment targeting the ANS and neuroendocrine-immune reflexes (group of two).

Day 3:

• Practice: osteopathic manipulative treatment on the ANS and the neuroendocrine-immune centers (group of two)

Purposes of the course – Module 2:

1. Learning what the V, VII, IX and X nerve have in common and why. Treating one affects the other one.
2. Understanding the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) function and how inflammation enters and spread into the brain: a key element in mental health.
3. Understanding other mechanisms to promotes inflammation into the brain and the critical roles of key hormones in neurotransmission.
4. Reviewing evidence-based osteopathic treatment (general and specific) to target the vagus nerve and the neuroendocrine-immune system.
5. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance as standard indicators in psychopathology and general pathology.

Module 2 objectives:

1. Understanding that targeting other cranial nerves will affect the vagus nerve, the central autonomic network, and the anti-inflammatory reflexes.
2. Understanding how inflammation cross the BBB and develop into the brain.
3. Understanding the gateway reflexes and how manipulative treatment can have an influence on them.

3. Understanding the role of key hormones in neurotransmission, like sex hormones, digestive hormones, and histamine.
4. Performing HRV analysis based on short-term ECG and interpreting it.
5. Set up a targeted manual osteopathic treatment on the neuroendocrine-immune system and the ANS, and verifying objectively via HRV analysis, its physiological effects.

Day 1:

• Theory: What do V, VII, IX nerves have in common with the vagus nerve?
• The blood brain barrier and how inflammation spread into the brain in relation with chronic pain syndrome, mental health disorders and auto-immune diseases.

Day 2:

• The Gateway reflexes.
• The Neuro-hormones and their roles in neurotransmission.
• Practice: applied osteopathic manipulative treatment targeting the ANS and neuroendocrine-immune axis (group of two).

Day 3:

• Heart rate variability analysis, exercises (group of two).
• Applied osteopathic treatment targeting the ANS and neuroendocrine-immune axis (group of two).