There are two brains: the well-known one and "second brain" in the gut. The vagus nerve is the big connection that makes sure the heart beats right and digestion is going according to plan. It is huge in directing the body's ability to "self-heal" - involving immunity to blood sugar to stress regulation. Proper vagal tone means healthy vagus nerve control of heartbeat. Deep breathing actually plays a helpful role in stimulating the vagus nerve right - improving this vagal tone and immunity(1).
"Sickness behavior" is when the immune system goes into a taxing response mode to an infection, etc. causing fatigue, fever, depression, and more. An essentially chronic form is chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). One possible viral of bacterial infection trigger for the condition, hypothesized by an article published in 2013, is one of the vagus nerve(2).
Sources:
1. Ram, Nanditha. "The nervous system, migraine and yoga therapy." Natural.News, Natural News Features, LLC, 19 February 2016, http://www.natural.news/2016-02-19-the-nervous-system-migraine-and-yoga-therapy.html
2. VanElzakker, Michael B. "Chronic fatigue syndrome from vagus nerve infection: a psychoneuroimmunological hypothesis." Med Hypotheses, vol. 81, no. 3, pp. 414-23. GreenMedInfo, http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-vagus-nerve-infection-psychoneuroimmunological-hypoth, Abstract.
"Sickness behavior" is when the immune system goes into a taxing response mode to an infection, etc. causing fatigue, fever, depression, and more. An essentially chronic form is chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). One possible viral of bacterial infection trigger for the condition, hypothesized by an article published in 2013, is one of the vagus nerve(2).
Sources:
1. Ram, Nanditha. "The nervous system, migraine and yoga therapy." Natural.News, Natural News Features, LLC, 19 February 2016, http://www.natural.news/2016-02-19-the-nervous-system-migraine-and-yoga-therapy.html
2. VanElzakker, Michael B. "Chronic fatigue syndrome from vagus nerve infection: a psychoneuroimmunological hypothesis." Med Hypotheses, vol. 81, no. 3, pp. 414-23. GreenMedInfo, http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-vagus-nerve-infection-psychoneuroimmunological-hypoth, Abstract.
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