I want...
September 3, 2024 By
Leanne Vogel
February 4, 2025
Povilas
People with cluster headaches, which are migraines, usually they cannot even function those days. We have to, I don’t know, close the curtains and be in a dark room because they cannot watch, read or listen to anything. We have to be in complete silence and as low as contact with outer world. So these people are saying, okay, this is amazing. You know, I get, you know, better in one hour and I can go with my kids and etc.
Leanne Vogel
Hello, my friend and welcome to another episode. Today we’re chatting about another really cool tool that I found.
Leanne Vogel
Last week we chatted about full body.
Leanne Vogel
MRI scans and this week we’re talking about hrv, vagus nerve regulation using pulse technology. So I promise this will be the.
Leanne Vogel
Last tool for a little while.
Leanne Vogel
It just happened to be that both these episodes are ready. I try to space things out a little bit, but this go around, it was just okay. We’re doing MRIs this week and we are doing vagus nerve support the following week. And so today’s episode we’re going to be talking about vagus nerve. Why it’s important, why we need to work on it. Nervous system regulation. Signs that your nervous system is disregulated. What vagus nerve stimulation devices do, why they’re helpful.
Leanne Vogel
Oh, I, I love the vagus nerve. And I can tell you after listening to today’s episode, you are going to appreciate your vagus nerve so much more. If you are dealing with a low HRV and an elevated resting heart rate, if you just can’t build muscle in the gym, if you’re constantly feeling exhausted, you can’t get ahead of your training, you’re having a hard time with cravings and just you feel like you have a mess of your life. I bet you your nervous system is playing a role. This information is especially helpful for individuals who perhaps have gone on root cause protocols. Whether you’re trying to open up drainage or address parasites or mold and your body just reacts so strongly, your nervous system is involved. So I’m really excited to share today’s episode with you. Our episode is with Povalas, who is the CEO and co founder of Pulse.
Leanne Vogel
If you want to learn more about pulsetto, you can go to the link in the show notes where you can use the code leanne to get 20% off. Okay, let’s cut over to our time with Povalas.
Leanne Vogel
Hey, my name is Leanne and I’m fascinated with helping women navigate how to eat, move and care for their bodies. This has taken me on a journey from vegan keto high protein to everything in between. I’m a small town holistic nutritionist turned three time international bestselling author turned functional medicine practitioner offering telemedicine services around the globe to women looking to better their health and stop second guessing themselves. I’m here to teach you how to wade through the wellness noise to get.
Leanne Vogel
To the good stuff that’ll help you achieve your goals.
Leanne Vogel
Whether you’re seeking relief from chronic ailments, striving for peak performance, or simply eager to live a more vibrant life, this.
Leanne Vogel
Podcast is your go to resource for.
Leanne Vogel
Actionable advice and inspiration. Together we’ll uncover the interconnectedness of nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management and mindset, empowering you to make informed choices that support your unique health journey. Think of it as quality time with your bestie mixed with a little med.
Leanne Vogel
School so you’re empowered.
Leanne Vogel
At your next doctor visit, get ready to be challenged and encouraged while you learn about your body and how to care for it healthfully. Join me as we embrace vitality, reclaim our innate potential and discover what it truly means to pursue healthfulness.
Leanne Vogel
Povilas, thank you so much for coming on the show today. I’m so excited to chat with you about vagus nerve and the technology that you’ve created. Thanks for coming on.
Povilas
Thank you very much for having me as a part of your, let’s say, community. Maybe like this. Yeah. So thank you very much.
Leanne Vogel
Yes, of course. So I’d love to start off by just understanding a little bit of your history, what got you started in this work and what lights you up to continue persevering through everything.
Povilas
Yeah. So maybe quickly I can introduce myself. So I’m Povilus, I worked, I’m biomedical engineer by trade. So I was basically from the start trying to develop something that could be beneficial to human society in my opinion. But you know, the journey was quite long. But in general I was working with implantable devices. So implantable vagus nerve stimulators for drug resistant epilepsy and drug resistant depression. So that the main indications for vagus nerve stimulation are these two also work with drug with deep brain stimulators and spinal cord stimulators and organ transplantation.
Povilas
So so you know this was basically the thing that I was working with and how did I, let’s say came up with falsetto company which I’m one of the co founders. So I was searching for a solution because my father became very ill and he was basically degrading over time and I could not find this I could not find and all the good physicians could not find what was happening to him. So you know, I talked with neurosurgeons, neuroscientists and you know, read some scientific papers about vagus nerve simulation and it might help. So we came to this conclusion. So I tried to find a similar device which we created right now fusetto on the market. But at that point I couldn’t find one. It was, I don’t know, five years ago or something like this. So you know, being an engineer, I made my mission to create one.
Povilas
But I was a little bit too late. My father died, passed. So that you know, pursuit of creating vagus nervous stimulators just to try to help him was put into a shelf. But later in some health tech community I found my co founder, Vitalius. So his wife was suffering from cluster headaches. So basically it’s very debilitating condition. So we talked, I found some research that you know, vagus nerve stimulation can benefit to these conditions because there was a company in Ves who created the device, who can basically stimulate vagus nerve and reduce cluster headaches and migraines. So okay, we talked and said okay, I have let’s say like a blueprint and we can build this device and you know, try to go to market and help his wife.
Povilas
So we created it, it helped, we found the investment and you know, the rest is basically history because we’re, we, we launched on Indiegogo, it’s similar platform like Kickstarter. So you know, in just one month we generated revenue of 200,000. So it was very good, you know, we had influx of money to create product more and you know, to have revenue to buy components, etc. And you know, right now were quite growing fast. So in general that was the upbringing of, you know, Pulsetas as a noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation device.
Leanne Vogel
Congratulations. That’s amazing. I know we were chatting just before we started recording. My mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a couple of years ago and there is this unsettling feeling and I’m sure a lot of listeners can relate when your parents start to get ill and when they’re deteriorating. The drive that I’ve had to research is just next level because I’m like there has to be something like with your background as well, understanding certain components, it’s like there has to be a solution to move forward. And a big piece that I’ve kind of landed on is that vagus nerve support. And when I was visiting her the last time with her Parkinson’s especially, she loses balance and so all of A sudden she’ll be like falling backward and as soon as I touch her neck where the vagus nerve is, it settles her down and she gains her balance. And that is just so fascinating to me.
Leanne Vogel
I’d love to kind of chat a little bit about vagus nerve. If this is a new topic for individuals, they’d never heard of this vagus nerve before. You mentioned it a couple of times in your intro. What is the vagus nerve and what role does it play in the body?
Povilas
So vagus nerve, it’s longest cranial nerve in the body. So basically travels throughout from the brain to all the internal organs and it’s like a highway of information. So basically all the chatter between brain and your all, let’s say bodily functions are happening via vagus nerve. So in general, if something is not working, your brain receives that signal from some organ. And what is the unique thing about simulating vagus nerve? So basically you have two states, fight or flight or rest and digest. So if you are constantly in some stressors and I don’t know, maybe depression, you are constantly in fight or flight mode. And when you are stimulating vagus nerve with our device, placeta, we are activating those fibers which should push you to the rest and digest state. So that is the mechanism.
Povilas
So we basically involuntarily push our body into a relaxation state. In general, a lot of things are happening in the body when you’re stimulating vagus nerve. So there are some natural ways how you can stimulate vagus nerve. So massages, cold showers, humming, breathing exercises, a lot of people. So I would say if I ask, I don’t know, 100 people, how you should live the longest, what you need to do, everybody basically knows it. Well, do some, I don’t know, cardio, some physical activity and do not stress and etc. Usually everybody knows it, but nobody can follow up this kind of, you know, steps. So in general, I would say our device helps, you know, to get a little bit of edge if you are constantly stressed.
Povilas
We stimulate vagus nerve, we activate the parasympathetic vagus nerve fibers and push you into a relaxation state. Yeah.
Leanne Vogel
Okay. Okay. So what you’re saying is the vagus nerve is basically responsible for what state the nervous system is going to be in. Basically sympathetic or parasympathetic. Yeah, and the parasympathetic is the rest and digest. The sympathetic is the threat. Exactly. Okay, okay.
Leanne Vogel
And so on a daily basis, what, why is the vagus nerve getting dysregulated? Like why are there certain stimulus Is it a mindset thing or what’s happening there that it’s getting dysregulated in the first place?
Povilas
So in general, all the above, I would say, is the correct answer. But in general, you know, the body is created to optimize for stress reduction. But at this day and age, you cannot, let’s say, differentiate stress, real stressors from artificial stressors. And this is basically where our human nature comes into, you know, a little bit of fight with the current state of the world. So every social media, you know, checking so it arouses you and it pushes you to fight or flight mode. Okay, Everybody’s having a great time, everybody’s doing better than you. So you constantly are in fight or flight mode because you want to, okay, I need to do better, I need to do more. Why everybody’s getting, you know, better results.
Povilas
So if you’re constantly consuming, I don’t know, let’s say, like very stressful material in general, you should think it like junk food. Because if you eat a lot of junk food, you understand that your body is getting, you know, worse. When you’re consuming a little bit of social media every day, it’s also like consuming junk food to your brain. And you know, vagus nerve stimulation can be like a toothbrush for your brain. So a little bit of hygiene, it will not, you know, alleviate any, let’s say, things that is happening, but it might help you to cope with those stressors.
Leanne Vogel
Okay. I love that image of thinking as social media and those inputs as junk food to your nervous system. And I think too, it’s like once you get in that hole, the hole just gets bigger and bigger and bigger and we run away with our thoughts and our ideas and comparisons. And like you were saying, by analysis.
Povilas
Yeah. So basically you’re just stuck in a moment, which you have to. Basically there is a simple way to get out, but usually it’s very hard because all the social media programs and everything is created that you would get some dopamine hit, which basically like a drug. So you are on drugs which are getting your body in worse state.
Leanne Vogel
Exactly. And so it sounds like they manifest, I guess to kind of take it down to the individual who many of our listeners are women. We’re running around all day, taking the kids to xyz, managing our jobs that just. Just crazy amounts of activity. And a lot of us don’t even know that we’re in fight or flight on a consistent basis. Are there specific signs to know that our nervous system is dysregulated and in that sympathetic state, like things that we should kind of think about to kind of assess our life and determine whether or not we might be in this state.
Povilas
So several things. You know, of course there are some physical parameters. If you are constantly agitated, you are getting road reach, usually these kind of factors can be very good indicator that you are in fight or flight mode. But in general, I would say like we have created Vegas stimulation device and we say, okay, you can impact what you can measure. So usually we say our customers have Apple Watch, our ring, Whoops app, you name it. All the tracking devices are good in our opinion. So if you measure your heart rate variability, if it is low, usually it is correlation, direct correlation to bad sleep, high stress, high anxiety, also resting heart rate, if it is high. So okay, you know what is high? If you have your baseline, you know, your baseline, you can do some breathing exercises and see if it is increasing, decreasing.
Povilas
So I would say those two metrics are very good. Resting heart rate and heart rate variability. Stimulating vagus nerve, increases heart rate, variability decreases resting heart rate. These two metrics are correlated to stress. So if you are impacting, you get the benefit. You can measure it and say, okay, this is helping me. I can do this more. And I can, I don’t know, expand my lifespan.
Povilas
Basically because, you know, redlining your body, you know, for several, I don’t know, days, it’s good for, for one week, one month, it’s basically way to burn out and basically, you know, destroying your budget.
Leanne Vogel
Yes, completely. I couldn’t agree with you more. I purchased an aura ring which I wear every day. And I originally purchased it to be a step counter, but it’s actually a horrible step counter. But through that I was like, oh man, I just spent, I think I dropped maybe $400 on this stupid thing. I better learn how I can use it. And a big, big piece that I’ve learned is that interrelationship between the HRV and the resting heart rate. So what you’re saying is the lower the resting heart rate and the higher the hrv, the more we’re in that parasympathetic sympathetic state.
Leanne Vogel
And the inverse is true. If our resting heart rate is elevated and our HRV is low, it’s a good sign that we’re in that sympathetic. And I can see that when I’m traveling, when I’m hitting a deadline. And also too, a big thing for women to pay attention to is the changes throughout our cycle. I do notice that the closer I get to my period, around days 23 to 28. The HRV is going to drop, the resting heart rate is going to elevate, and that’s when we really need to prioritize sleep and the vagus nerve supports because our body is just under that pressure and so we can get more into that sympathetic state. So I, I love using those tools. And what you’re saying is that that is a good indication of whether or not your vagus nerve, like what state your vagus nerve is in? Basically, yeah.
Povilas
Because you know, you can always do some, I don’t know, there are some natural ways, like doing gag reflex checking if it is present. This also might indicate if your vagus nerve is, let’s say, working properly. But in general, I would say, I don’t know, 80% of people have right now some tracker and you can rely on that tracker and try to optimize. Because I do a lot of things with a tracker. I try to notice patterns when I’m getting sick. I’m also noticing patterns when I over train, you know, and there are some additional tools which you can use. But in general, just having those two metrics and trying to improve on them is very good. You know, target.
Povilas
And we know that with our device we can improve those metrics. And that is, you know, the most beneficial thing. Because when people are improving heart rate variability, usually they’re basically advocating for our device. So the more devices we sell, the more upsell we get. So that is the main issue.
Leanne Vogel
Okay, yeah. And for those that might not understand, we’ve talked about hrv. You just mentioned heart rate variability, which is hrv. Can we talk a little bit about what the HRV is and how that kind of ties in with the vagus nerve? Because what you’re saying is if your HRV is good, your vagus nerve is probably good, and the two were kind of related in that way. Can you talk a little bit about what HRV is exactly? For those that might not know.
Povilas
So it’s a little bit hard to speak because HRV has, I don’t know, I think 12 parameters. And every wearable tracker measures it a little bit differently. But in general it’s a variability between heart beats, how flexible basically your beats can be from let’s say 200 milliseconds to 800 milliseconds. And this is the basically your bodily, your heart ability to adapt to current situation. So basically the higher the rate, the better your heart. And this is one of the key things, you know, I can maybe explain a little bit deeper, but in general there are so many different topics with which we can go from here. And I do not know if it is, you know, it might be a little bit too scientific because there are, I don’t know, SS and the metrics and other metrics which basically you cannot measure with scientific equipment. And this basically becomes overload of the data.
Leanne Vogel
Exactly. I think just for the purpose of what I really want individuals to understand who are listening is that the nervous system truly controls how we live our lives. Like, when I meet with a client and they’re telling me they’re dealing with constipation, they maybe have vision issues or panic attacks, they’re dealing with chronic stress, irritability, moodiness, they’re anxious all the time. A lot of the times when our vagus nerve isn’t operating well and we’re in that sympathetic state, we’re dealing with memory issues. And even to the point of, you know, when you’re set on two different choices and you’re just having such a hard time making a simple decision and you end up using poor judgment, like your brain is just not working well, you’re dealing with digestive issues. Like, these are common issues that women come to me all the time with. And oftentimes I’m saying, like, this is a nervous system issue and we can’t out supplement this problem. We need to look at the root of it.
Leanne Vogel
And so I’d really like to drive that home of like, the nervous system is so key and not enough people are talking about it. And what you’re telling me is that the HRV is a really good tool in understanding where our nervous system is at and how we can see our progression through supporting that vagus nerve. Right. Like, if we’re supporting it well, the HRV is likely going to respond accordingly.
Povilas
Yeah. So I can maybe explain a little bit more, let’s say, like when I do some, I don’t training. Preparing for some exhibit, not, not exhibition, but some competition. So I do, I don’t know, everyday training. And sometimes I know that I am overtrained. So how do I test myself? So there is a possibility to test your central nervous system easily in the morning. So there is an app, let’s say like CNS Tap. So you can do.
Povilas
Tap on a cell phone screen for 10 seconds with one hand and other hand. So basically, if you are overtrained, you can check this and understand, okay, this day I will not be able to do, let’s say, competitive lifts because I can be prone to injury. And this test is basically for Parkinson’s disease or for Tremors to check the dexterity of your fingers. And if your fingers are not working perfectly, it should be indication that your central nervous system is overdrive and it’s over, let’s say stressed.
Leanne Vogel
That’s fascinating. You’re saying that this is an app that you can download or.
Povilas
Yeah, this is an app, I don’t know, two, two euros or something like this, two dollars. But just tapping on a screen for 10 seconds with one hand and other hand, then you can check your central nervous system. So basically I also like I have my baseline 67 taps per 10 seconds with one hand and 63 with other hand. And if I see the drop 20% I know that I will not be able, I will not train that day and I will take more rest that day because I know that I will get injured. And you know, this happened for me a lot time, lots of time. So I have additional things that I’m measuring right now. But this very good, let’s say correlation. Doing this test first thing in the morning when you wake up so you know your central nervous system basically current state.
Leanne Vogel
That is amazing. I have never heard of this. I just looked it up on the app store and it’s called CNS Tech. Okay, that is fantastic. I am absolutely going to download this and play around with it because my husband often says I’m a walking lab and I can, I can really interpret things. Like even before I upload my aura data, I’m like, yeah, my sleep score is probably around 84 and I don’t feel like I got enough XYZ. And so you start to feel it. Do you find that too as you, as you’re doing the CNS tap, do you already know before you do that test kind of where you’re going to sit? Like has it helped you kind of tap into your body a little bit better?
Povilas
So in general, you know, you get basically, I don’t know. So maybe in the brain you have some correlation when you do this. More or less, I don’t know, 20, 50 times. You do not need to do the test. But this is basically cross checking if something is bad. But I understand my body quite well because I do CNS steps and also I do a grip study trying to, there’s a tool to check your grip strength. So basically this is my cross checking tool and usually they are interlocked. If I do not have a grip strength, usually I do not have dexterity in my fingers.
Povilas
So you know, I lay off everything because you have prone to injury, prone to getting sick and etcetera. So basically you are overtrained or over, I don’t know, exhausted or overstressed? Yeah.
Leanne Vogel
I want to share something that’s truly transformed my daily routine and overall well being. Timeline Nutrition’s Mito Pure Supplement I’ve been taking it for about a year now and I can honestly say it’s been a game changer. I first heard about Mitopure through a trusted friend who raved about its benefits and I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you, I am so.
Leanne Vogel
Glad that I did.
Leanne Vogel
The energy boost I get is incredible. Not only do I sleep better, but I can also push harder in the gym and recover faster. There was a point where I unintentionally ran out of Mitopure and I was without it for about 45 days. The difference was undeniable. I felt more fatigued, my workout suffered and my overall energy levels just weren’t the same. For me, taking Mitopure is all about investing in my long term health and muscle strength. I want to be able to hike, run, lift, play even into my 90s and Mitopure helps make that possible. Now here are a few things you should know about Mitopure and why it’s so effective.
Leanne Vogel
Timeline the company behind Mitopure is a Swiss based life science company and a global leader in Urolithin A research. They spent 10 years developing this product. Urolithin A is a powerful postbiotic that you can’t get from your diet alone. Mitopure is the first product to offer a Precise dose of Urolithin 8 Upgrade your mitochondrial function, increase cellular health and improve muscle strength and endurance. Think of Mitopure as a little pac man in your cells, chomping up damaged mitochondria that make you feel old and tired and recycling them into new healthy ones. Whether you prefer the convenient soft gels or the berry powder that you can mix into your yogurt or smoothie, Mitopure has a form that fits your lifestyle. And the best part? Timeline is offering 10% off your first order of Mitopure. Just go to timeline.com KDP that’s T I M E L I N.com KDP for 10% off your first order and.
Leanne Vogel
So many women listening move their bodies in some capacity. And I know that I’ve received many messages of individuals who push hard at the gym, end up injuring themselves and they’re out for a bunch of weeks and then they get better and then they go to the gym and they injure themselves and they’re out for a Bunch of weeks. Would you say that primarily this is usually a nervous system problem or do you think that that’s too wide scope? Like is that too big of a claim?
Povilas
So I myself see some correlation between stress and pushing to the gym as hard as possible. If I have high stress levels, usually I cannot go hard in the gym and usually I lay off because basically you are pushing the same your body from if you are very stressed and you are also stressing your central nervous system. So basically you are pushing yourself even further into the place where it’s very hard to, you know, to leave. So in general, if you have very stressful day, okay, it’s good to go to the gym, but not to over train because next day it will be even harder. So in general I would say cross check because your body’s as a whole should be functionally functioning well. So if you are over training also, you know, stressors might give some recovery scores. You know, your recovery scores will worsen if you are stressed. So it’s intertwined and correlated.
Povilas
So it’s, it’s really hard. But I would say check your body and check your vital, you know, some biomarkers on which you can understand your body because that is how you will not get injured in the gym.
Leanne Vogel
Yes, exactly. A really fascinating piece that I learned while I was researching Parkinson’s, which is a neurodegenerative disease for those who aren’t sure, is that the first, one of the first signs of Parkinson’s that will show up years before anything else is the lack of taste. And what I found interesting is that the vagus nerve is responsible for taste buds. And the vagus nerve is also responsible for much of the degeneration and imbalance issues as it relates to Parkinson’s. And so I started researching how to regulate the vagus nerve with your tongue, which took me down this whole path. Have you, have you looked at the tongue and the relationship that it has.
Povilas
To the vagus nerve at all with tongue? I would say I, I do not have a lot of information about this. This is fascinating. I will have to double check it because you know, beta serve goes to, to the stomach, to the all. So basically it’s also very connected to gut issues and etc. So you know, it’s like usually when you say mind, gut or brain gut connection, usually you’re talking also about vagus nerve, the butterflies that you feel during, I don’t know, falling in love. It’s also vagus nerve activation in some cases. But I would say when you’re Stimulating vagus nerve. You can, there is some data that you can increase the satiety sensation.
Povilas
So basically you will get full faster. This is very good. And you also excrete acetylcholine in the spleen, which helps to reduce the inflammation. So if you have very, I don’t know, bad food, which inflames your body, which can cause some degenerative diseases in the long run if you’re constantly, let’s say inflamed. So it might help to reduce probability of getting some degenerative diseases. Of course you have to cross check it, but there might be a huge potential here. There is not such a huge data on Tang. I do not know about this, but I will have to check it.
Leanne Vogel
Yeah, it’s super fascinating. In fact, how I got really interested in regulating my vagus nerve was I follow this physical therapist on Instagram and she shows you how to hold your tongue with like a piece of fabric, so like not with your actual fingers and move your tongue around in your mouth. Like hold your tongue and then move it side to side, up and down, like however you want to move it. And it will instantly, instantly put me into a rest and digest. Like it’s almost like the whole body just relaxes. And I was like, wait a minute, this is, this is fascinating stuff. I’m wondering if you have other activities. You talked about humming, I know singing will do it.
Leanne Vogel
You talked about cold plunges. Are there things that individuals could do like today that cost no money at all to understanding that connection of their hrv? So they’re like, wait a minute, I probably need to work on this. Maybe I do need a stimulating device or maybe I need to look at this further. Just something to kind of give them a taste of what it’s like to have that regulation.
Povilas
So fastest way I would say is breathing exercises, let’s say like box breathing. And if you have wearable devices and you can measure heart rate variability, you can instantly see the changes. So breathing exercises basically are lowest effort, highest reward in my opinion. Solution. Cold showers are very, let’s say for some people, might be very uncomfortable. For me it’s. I don’t know, it’s gratifying usually because when you do cold shower later, you get the sensation of warmth and good sensation of course, activates vagus nerve. So in general this is very good tool.
Povilas
But usually not a lot of people can handle it at first. But you can do, let’s say, put your hands in a cold water, put your feet in the cold water to hold for One to two minutes and you still get some additional, you know, benefits from it. But yeah, of course you can join the choir in church or etc. You can sing and you see that it’s also boost your, I don’t know, you feel more lively and etc. So these things are working perfectly and I would say if you have mental capacity to do them, try to do them. It will benefit you in the long run. And if you can measure it, it will also show, will show you that you are getting a little bit healthier. And if you see those, let’s say biomarkers increasing, you can try, even go further, let’s say buy like a pulsetto device which has some additional benefits because we have, let’s say in the app, also meditation techniques, breathing exercises while you’re stimulating externally, but you’re also doing like say breathing exercises.
Povilas
So you combining several things into one and getting even better results. So you know, these are things that I would say, you know, are a good starting point. And you can also, you know, try our device and if it’s not working, you can return it. No question that, that’s awesome.
Leanne Vogel
And I’m so glad that you mentioned the singing part. I know when I’m at church, those Sundays are my days where my ring is always so happy. Like I, I’m in a rested state the whole time and my ring is always like this. This was a very good day for you. It was a very good day. Really high hrv, really low resting heart rate. And so what’s happening with the pulsetto device when we’re wearing it? Is it. Are you vibrating the vagus nerve? Are you shocking it? Like what, what are we doing? What are we doing with it?
Povilas
So it feels like a tingling sensation on your neck. And a lot of people say, okay, it’s vibrating. It’s not vibrating, it’s sending electrical impulses directly to your vagus nervous. So in general you can say vagus nerve, it is one nerve, but in general it’s afferent, afferent mixed fibers. And it has more than 160,000 fibers which are going to various organs and et cetera. So we are activating only fibers which are going from the body to the brain. So we are activating those fibers which should be activated when you’re in rest and digest state. So basically brute forcing your body into relaxation state because you might, let’s say imagine that your nerve is like a wire and if there is no electricity, there is no signal.
Povilas
So we push that signal and activate those fibers. So there Is a signal. So you get the connection and we push your body and let’s say start the cycle for the body to get to rest and digest state. So it’s electricity. And you know why we say it works? Because nothing travels faster through our body than electricity. So if you get shocked, if you take, let’s say, wires, you feel it instantly. So basically it’s not that sensation, but it feels like vibration, but you feel it instantly. So some people feel lightheadedness after, I don’t know, two minutes, but we recommend it four minutes in the morning, four minutes in the evening, and some people after two minutes.
Povilas
Okay, I feel like maybe I was very tense, very controlling and et cetera.
Leanne Vogel
Why is that lightheadedness happening? Is that a good sign or what’s happening there with that?
Povilas
In general, I would say that from the people which I talked, who got some exhibitions or exposes who tried it, usually they were very controlling and very meticulous about their work day and everything has to be how they planned. But in general, I would say those people are very tense all the time. And in some cases, I would say maybe we have to find a way how to relax during the daytime because they do not switch between two states. But during the day, you have to switch between two states because you’re basically aligning your body. But when you are trying, you know, everybody try to optimize their day routine. Email. But this is not natural. You have to, I don’t know, to get a little bit breaks during the day also as well.
Leanne Vogel
My husband is very good at reminding me that I’m the type of person and I learned from my mother in this way. And because she now has Parkinson’s, I look at some of the activities that she’s had from. Since I knew her, like from the very beginning of time, like just very scheduled. And I don’t leave any gaps in my day. And it’s just go, go, go, go, go, go, go. No time, no breaks, got to keep going. Like, it’s just not. I am that person.
Leanne Vogel
I’ve really tried to create space. Like, Even if it’s 10 minutes before my next client, going outside, taking a breath, putting my feet in water, and just chilling out just for a couple of moments. And it’s incredible. Just those. Just a little bit of breath, just a little bit of space makes a really, really big difference. What have you seen when it comes to success stories? If you’re going to these exhibits and chat like, do you get messages from individuals about their progress and success and what is that like, so that is.
Povilas
Very, you know, the best part, you know, when you get, I don’t know, success stories, people are okay. Usually people who have debilitating conditions have the best success stories. Let’s say like people with cluster headaches, which are migraines, usually they cannot even function. Those days we have to, I don’t know, close the curtains and be in a dark room because they cannot watch, read or listen to anything. We have to be in complete silence and as low as contact with outer world. So these people are saying, okay, this is amazing. You know, I get, you know, better in one hour and I can go with my kids and et cetera. You know, there are some stories which are basically.
Povilas
One mother said to me, she bought the device, okay, it is working for her. And she said, can it be that it can. Can it be that I do not have road rage anymore? And I said, yeah, this is possible because you are lowering the stress levels. Because she was basically saying my even children were looking me, you know, a little bit sideways when I was shouting in a traffic jam to other cars. And she said, this is completely gone. I became less unstable person, you know, these kind of things. Also things that some clinics in Lithuania started to use our device before going to MRI machines because some people have claustrophobia and they’re saying, okay, we have to sedate them usually. But we tried pulse device before, you know, 20 minutes stimulating vagus nerve and say, okay, they were calm enough to do this MRI machine scans.
Povilas
And that was very interesting for us. We have a lot of patient organizations who are contacting us, trying to some specific conditions because they read some papers but they do not have a device to try. So we had Bactere disease, which is like rheumatoid arthritis. So we have very stiff joints after we wake up. So we have to do some stretching exercises for three hours before we can get out of bed. So a lot of those patients thought that we reduced from three hours to one hour. Basically. Maybe it is because vagus nerve stimulation reduces the inflammation.
Povilas
So, you know, a lot of stories, a lot of, you know, positive feedback. And this is basically, you know, we have a document where we have, let’s say, clear success stories and trying to, you know, remind ourselves that, you know, to step back a little bit and see how much we can improve some people’s lives and not to forget, you know, that you have to push, sell and build and iterate and etc. So this is, you know, our as co founders problem that we are, you know, sometimes forget but we created this document just to reflect on that.
Leanne Vogel
Electrolytes facilitate hundreds of functions in the body, including the conduction of nerve impulses, hormonal regulation, nutrient absorption and fluid balance. Nearly every one of my clients that I work with, one on one, have an imbalance of electrolytes in some way from symptoms of headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, sleeplessness or seen right there in their blood work. Much of this is improved with proper electrolyte supplementation. I consume at least one packet of electrolytes daily and not just any electrolyte element because it doesn’t have sugar fillers, coloring, artificial anything, and has the effective electrolyte ratio that so many other brands do not do.
Leanne Vogel
Right?
Leanne Vogel
1,000 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, 60 milligrams of magnesium. Right now, Element is offering my listeners a free sample pack with any element purchase. Be sure to try the new element sparkling, a bold 16 ounce can of sparkling electrolyte water. It’s my favorite right now. Get yours@drinklmnt.com KDP this deal is only available through my link. All orders made come with a no questions asked refund policy. Try it totally risk free and if you don’t like it, they will give you your money back, no questions asked. Go to drinklmnt.comkdp for your free sample pack with any order.
Leanne Vogel
So one of the reasons on my Instagram I have a client results highlight and every time a client says like, my life has changed and all these things have happened, I put it on Instagram. Yes. So other people can read it. But like mostly for myself because there are days where you’re just in the weeds with your company and you really need that boost. I’m just like, what am I focused on? What’s happening? Because truly you do get in the weeds with when you’re developing something. And yeah, I think that that’s a great way to stay focused on why you got started to remember what kind of drives you forward. If I just go on Amazon and I type in like vagus nerve stimulator, I’m going to get, you know, products that range from like $14, there’s one on here for $14, all the way up to 200. Can you tell me like, what, what is going on with the landscape of vagus nerve stimulators? And like some of these, the reviews are terrible.
Leanne Vogel
So that should tell you just one thing off the bat. But what makes your device different than those other devices and why? What are the differences between them?
Povilas
Okay, so you know, I do not know specifically on devices you can find right now on Amazon because you know, I’m in different locations sometimes, you know, different things can pop up. But in general, usually those vagus nerve stimulation devices do not stimulate vagus nerve or they are some, I don’t know, massage tools or etc. So I would say several things. You know, our devices, the one on the market which is bilateral, so stimulating vagus nerve from both sides so you get effect faster. So it’s also wearable and so you put it on your neck and basically you can read your emails while stimulating. So you do not need to allocate the time, specific time. So like for meditation you need to set specific time to stimulate for, to. To meditate for 20 minutes or do breathing exercises.
Povilas
So you know, we designed it basically for ourselves so we can, you know, use it while we are working sometimes. But compared to our devices on the market, you know, I would say, you know, there are some devices in the market which from ours are good also, you know, there are some devices which can stimulate vagus nerve in the air region. We have some drawbacks but in general our main selling point is that we are constantly iterating on the application side. So you might not know, but we are trying to optimize the signal which are sent to your vagus nerve. So just to get your better results to you, we’re trying to also iterate, as I mentioned, meditation, breathing exercises, affirmations, everything that could boost. And we are only one on the market which has an application with a wearable device. So you know that you will get the updates and etc and we are I would say right now most competitive price compared to others because there are some devices which are very good devices but they cost €600amonth or 600 because we have like a prescription or subscription. So we are doing quite, I would say aggressive marketing because we know that the more we sell, the more recommendations we get.
Povilas
So in just one year we are I would say number one device on the market already excluding implantable devices because we are tackling completely different topics. So we know that the more people trying our device, the more, you know, they are switching from competitors. So that is our, you know, main, main things. But there are some devices on the market which are similar to let’s say TENS devices, if you know those muscle simulators. So if you read those labels, usually they say that you cannot put them on your neck or your heart because they do not take responsibility what can happen. And you know, we designed our device Only in the neck region, and that’s it. So we know that it’s safe, we know what we’re targeting, we know what kind of electrical signal we’re sending. So, you know, one device on application, you know, maybe multiple conditions, but just trying to optimize via, you know, big snap.
Povilas
I hope I answered your question.
Leanne Vogel
Yeah, you did.
Leanne Vogel
I think.
Leanne Vogel
I think the key thing, you know, as a consumer, when I listen to podcast episodes, I’m going to do my research, I’m going to go online, I’m going to see what else is available. And I just. I wanted people to kind of be primed for that so that they could understand kind of what the differences are. I would love to spend the rest of our time kind of talking about the practical applications of wearing the pulsetto when to use. You talked about there being an app now. The first time I tried my pulsetto, I have to say I was a little bit confused because it. It’s not as tight as I thought it would be, and it kind of just like rests gently on the neck. And I kept thinking like, is it.
Leanne Vogel
In the right place?
Leanne Vogel
Should it be further back than it is and it’s kind of kind of dangling, you know, is my neck too small? Can you talk about just the wearing of the device and where it should be kind of sitting as it. More of a practical application thing?
Povilas
Yeah. So basically you can wear it between, I would say I’m pointing with the fingers here and up to here, but you can push it, place it basically directly on your neck, I don’t know, sides. And you would activate vagus nerve. So, you know, we’re creating electrical signal which creates enough of electrical loop that would cover those fibers. So I know that problem that you’re talking, maybe it’s a little bit too loose. We will fix this problem next month just for the application. You know, there are some people who have, let’s say very lean next, which is, you know, positive. But.
Povilas
But I. We noticed that there are some people who say, okay, it’s a little bit too big. So we’re tackling this issue right now, and it will be basically obsolete.
Leanne Vogel
Okay. Okay. Because when I pushed it back to where I think the vagus nerve was, it was a really intense feeling. Is that how it should feel or not really?
Povilas
Basically, there are nine intensity levels, and the intensity level are not to hurt you, but basically to check if you’re in the right application. So when you’re placed here or here and you increase your intensity and feel the lip pull or you see in the mirror, it’s in the right place. You can lower the intensity. It will still activate your vagus nerve. But it’s just to check if it is in the right place. We know that there are some professional athletes who usually like, I don’t know, pain. They put it on a level nine and they endure it. Helps them to relax somehow.
Povilas
But the intensity is just to check if you’re in the right place. Because in level five, as a level nine, you will have activation. But it’s just, you know, if I’m in the right place. Okay, you increase intensity. See the, let’s say physical changes in your body. You’re in the right place. You can lower the intensity. It will be still good enough, still activates vagus nerve.
Povilas
So the more energy you push, the better signal you will not get.
Leanne Vogel
Okay. Okay, that’s really good. That’s really good. Because I did notice the lip thing and I was like, oh, that was really intense. So what you’re saying is keep it in that location, just lower the intensity and keep it in that area. And that’s kind of what I’ve been doing. So I’m glad. Let’s move on to, like you mentioned before, a couple minutes in the morning, a couple minutes at night.
Leanne Vogel
We talked about just nervous system dysregulation as a caution for working out. Question. Could you then use the pulsetto device before a workout? Is that a crazy idea?
Povilas
So, okay, let’s start from the beginning. So I would say four minutes in the morning, four minutes in the evening. It’s very good baseline. Usually when you see the effects, you can use it more. So with our device, you cannot overuse it because we’re implantable device. You can use up to 12 hours a day and you still do not get some nerve damage or nerve scarring tissue. So in general, with our device, you can use it for, even for a couple of hours, but it’s not necessary. But if you see the improvement, you can use it more.
Povilas
More that what we see from the data. So people who have, who are responders, usually from two times a day, usually they switch, I don’t know, to four times a day when they have stressors, when we feel exhausted. Because from stress you can be exhausted. They try to optimize themselves. So talking about the exercise, we have professional athletes who are using our device. So we are using in two ways before competition, ramping down a little bit because we are getting overhyped and they do not perform very well when you’re overhyped. And people who are overhyped after the competition so they cannot go to sleep. So we noticed this.
Povilas
So people are using, you know, to go better, you know, earlier to bed. This is our main, let’s say demographic. People who have sleep issues have the best results. And as a side effect, I can show you interesting information. We noticed retrospectively that people who are using the device before going to bed, let’s say like 60% see vivid dreams. And we do not know why currently, but we have very, I don’t know, you know, theories. Yeah, yeah, and theories. Basically I talked with neurologists and neuroscientists.
Povilas
They told me, okay, this is very interesting. We need to do a clinical trial and try to understand because, you know, you have to connect person to EEG machine and this is quite costly. So we’re trying to get the funding for this because it’s very interesting why it is happening. But you know, there are some things from implantable devices, it can desynchronize your, let’s say brain waves and it might change something in your brain wave, brain wave patterns after, before, just before your awakening. So it might be that it is pushing you into REM sleep, something like this. Also it might be that you get, let’s say blood flow in the brain and it might be that you are getting more quality of sleep. So we know that you’re getting more quality of sleep. So getting a little bit of deep sleep and REM sleep.
Povilas
But why 60% of our people, our customers who are using getting vivid dreams? We do not know right now. And this is quite interesting topic on which we are trying to tackle right now.
Leanne Vogel
That is so fun. Oh my goodness. We could probably chat forever about all of these integrations and what you see for the future. I will be sure to include a link to direct individuals to pulsetto to learn more. Where can people connect with you and learn more and yeah, so there is.
Povilas
A website toolset of the tech or you can also message me directly on LinkedIn. I would say it’s the easiest way. You know, I would, I don’t know, maybe. Eliana, check the show notes. Show notes because it will be hard to spell right now. But if you have direct questions, you can always try to, you know, reach directly to me. Overlas at wholesette. I will usually, you know, have dedicated time to talk to customers to see what’s happening, you know, and to get a feedback because, you know, you have so much layers right now.
Povilas
You have customer support, etc, but you, you want to always have a pulse. But what is working what is not. And you know, this is very important to me personally because you know, in general it’s all about the people and you need to not to forget this thing. Yeah.
Leanne Vogel
Yes, exactly. I will be sure to include all of that in the show notes so people can connect and look more at the device. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. This is such a blast. I hope individuals learn a whole bunch about their nervous system. Thanks again.
Povilas
Thank you very much for having it. It was a pleasure.
Leanne Vogel
I hope you enjoyed our time with Povilas. He’s made such a significant stride in the field of neuromodulation and I hope that our conversation today was just that deep dive that you needed to appreciate your nervous system again. You can find out more about Pulseto by going to the link in the show notes pulseto and use the discount code leanne for 20% off your whole order. Okay, I’ll see you back here next week for another episode.
Leanne Vogel
Thanks for listening to the Helpful Pursuit Podcast. Join us next Tuesday for another episode of the show. If you’re looking for free resources, there are a couple places you can go. The first to my blog, healthfulpursuit.com where you’re going to find loads of recipes. The second is a free parasite protocol that I’ve put together for you that outlines symptoms, testing and resources to determine whether or not you have a parasite, plus a full protocol to follow to eradicate them from your life if you need to. That’s available at helpfulpursuit.com/ parasites and last but certainly not least, a full list of blood work markers to ask your doctor for so that you can get a full picture of your health. You can grab that free resource by going to healthfulpursuit.com labs. The helpful pursuit Podcast, including show notes and links, provides information in respect to healthy living recipes, nutrition and diet and is intended for informational purposes only.
Leanne Vogel
The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor is it to be construed as such. We cannot guarantee that the information provided on the Healthful Pursuit Podcast reflects the most up to date medical research. Information is provided without any representation or warranties of any kind. Please consult a qualified health practitioner with any questions you may have regarding your.
Hi! I'm Leanne (RHN FBCS)
a Functional Medicine Practitioner, host of the Healthful Pursuit Podcast, and best-selling author of The Keto Diet & Keto for Women. I want to live in a world where every woman has access to knowledge to better her health.