Procedures Increasing the Activity of the Parasympathetic Nervous System

In some types of tumors (e.g., stomach and prostate), acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter released from parasympathetic nerve endings, has a stimulatory effect on tumor formation and progression. The use of procedures that increase the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system should therefore be considered for these types of tumors. However, there is a spectrum of tumors in which the sympathetic nervous system predominantly stimulates tumor development and progression. In these types of tumors, it seems appropriate to reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The procedures used to do this often alter the ratio of sympathetic to parasympathetic activity in favor of the parasympathetic nervous system. These procedures include several psychotherapeutic approaches but also techniques that can be practiced independently by cancer patients. These include various breathing exercises, yoga, autogenic training, HRV biofeedback, electrical stimulation of the nervus vagus, and other procedures that increase the activity of the nervus vagus.