Long Covid Podcast 203 - Carissa Conrad - Your New Best Friend: The Vagus Nerve
10 snips
Feb 4, 2026 Carissa Conrad, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and coach focused on long COVID and chronic fatigue recovery. She discusses the vagus nerve’s role across heart, gut, immune and inflammation. Conversations cover sympathetic overdrive, non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation methods, paced breathing and humming, timing and safety, practical setups, and avoiding common mistakes while rebuilding nervous-system resilience.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
How Vagus Stimulation Changed My Recovery
- Carissa developed long COVID in May 2022 and found vagus nerve stimulation via a TENS unit was the turning point in her recovery.
- As a physical therapist she researched TENS parameters herself and credits stimulation with significant functional gains.
Vagus Nerve Is The Parasympathetic Superhighway
- The vagus nerve carries about 75% of parasympathetic fibers and controls core automatic functions like heart rate, digestion, and immune modulation.
- Carissa explains vagus activity links to the HPA axis and cytokine release, so vagal tone influences inflammation and systemic health.
Low Vagal Tone Explains Chronic Sympathetic Overdrive
- Many people have low baseline vagal tone from genetics or childhood experiences and live chronically in sympathetic overdrive.
- Increasing vagal activity (breathing, humming, cold exposure, stimulation) shifts physiology toward healing and improved system function.