Jeremy’s Story
In early July of 2022, I contracted a moderate case of COVID that lasted roughly two weeks and was left with a significant amount of fatigue. By the end of the third week I had developed heart palpitations so intense that I ended up in the ER thinking something was gravely wrong. I was cleared by the doctor and sent home. What followed was roughly four months of severe fatigue, heart palpitations, significant sleep issues including many sleepless nights, severe anxiety, GI issues, joint pain, nausea, bradycardia, tightness in the chest and vision issues. In short, the life that I knew came to a screeching halt.
The fear of contracting a condition that has only begun to be understood by the medical community was nothing short of disheartening. And, so with an absolute lack of playbook to work from, I began to search for answers online. My research led me to begin to suspect that I was dealing with some form of dysautonomia created by the virus directly acting on my vagus nerve, which is a key player in our body’s autonomic nervous system. I proceeded to try various self-help exercises geared towards “activating” my vagus nerve, not the least of which was (and still is) cold water therapy. While I did have some success with these approaches it wasn’t until a third relapse of my symptoms that I decided to finally heed a friend’s advice and reach out to JJPT. To my great relief I cam to learn that Gregg and his team were having success alleviating long hauler’s symptoms by means of manual therapy on the vagus nerve.
Upon meeting Gregg for the first time I knew I was in empathetic hands. But, it wasn’t until after the first session that I knew I was in highly talented hands as well. Gregg took time to hear my story and then began work on my neck and chest. He then gave me a number of exercises to do at home and sent me on my way. I left the clinic and went to my truck and proceeded to cry uncontrollably for close to five minutes. As a western male let me tell you, I hadn’t cried in well over a decade. It was clear that Gregg had managed to affect a release in my nervous system and activate the parasympathetic response in a big way. The tightness in my chest had also been released.
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My heart palpitations are essentially non-existent, I am sleeping again, my anxiety has calmed dramatically and most importantly, I have the energy to be the dad that my two little girls deserve!
Live-Changing Impact of Vagus Nerve Treatment
Gregg had me then work with a colleague [Fellow in Training] Vilma Wong for a few sessions targeting various branches of the vagus nerve along with a number of organs that had been problematic. It seemed that at each session they were able to cut off another head of the proverbial hydra. I have since been to six sessions and can say that the transformation has been significant. My heart palpitations are essentially non-existent, I am sleeping again, my anxiety has calmed dramatically and most importantly, I have the energy to be the dad that my two little girls deserve! Gregg and Vilma and the team at JJPT gave me my life back and I cannot than them enough.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with Long COVID, I urge you to call them today. My story is one of many that Gregg and his team now have under their belt. They are working hard to spread their knowledge to a vast network of physical therapists around the country so reach out to see if someone near you can help! You will be glad you did. Again, I cannot thank the JJPT family enough for the life they have given back to me!
Let’s Use Movement as a Medicine
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