Beware this common medical device scam: There is no way to know

They’ve got some nerve!Vagus nerve stimulators are making waves as a potential way to relax, sleep better and improve gut health.But an expert on the vagus nerve warns that noninvasive VNS devices may not deliver as promised.“There is no evidence that using these devices to deliver electricity into the ear or skin of the neck is actually stimulating the vagus nerve,” Dr.Kevin J.

Tracey, president and CEO of Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, told The Post.Tracey — who wrote the new book, “The Great Nerve,” and is often called the “founding father” of bioelectronic medicine — cuts through the noise of vagus nerve therapy to distinguish the beneficial from the buzz.The vagus nerve is a complex network of over 200,000 fibers that acts as an information superhighway between the brain and major organs.It’s a paired structure — think two thumbs or two kidneys — with one on each side of your brainstem at about the level of your ears, descending through the neck and chest to reach the heart, lungs and gastrointestinal tract.It regulates essential bodily functions like heart rate, breathing and digestion.“The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and the longest nerve in your body,” Tracey said.“It is also the only nerve that would cause death if cut on both sides.”Deep breathing, gargling, humming, singing and cold water immersion are commonly suggested ways to stimulate the nerve, but Tracey cautions that “the scientific understanding and proof for most of these suggestions are lacking.”“Humming might stimulate a few hundred fibers connected to your voice box, but these aren’t the same fibers that go to your heart or regulate inflammation,” he added.Tracey does support implantable VNS devices that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for the treatment of epilepsy, depression and stroke rehabilitation.A pulse generator, similar to a pacemaker, is implanted in the chest, and a wire conne...