Chronic low-grade inflammation is implicated in virtually every modern disease: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, depression, and autoimmune conditions. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway — discovered by Kevin Tracey in 2000 — demonstrated that the vagus nerve can directly suppress inflammatory cytokine production. Breathing exercises that stimulate the vagus nerve activate this anti-inflammatory pathway, providing a non-pharmacological approach to managing chronic inflammation.
The anti-inflammatory breathing protocol: coherence breathing (inhale 5, exhale 5) for 10-20 minutes daily. This duration and rate maximizes vagal stimulation, which activates the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. The vagus nerve signals the spleen to produce acetylcholine, which binds to receptors on immune cells and suppresses production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6). The effect is measurable: regular slow breathing practitioners show lower inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, IL-6) in blood tests.
Important context: the anti-inflammatory effects of breathing exercises are modest compared to pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories. They're most relevant for: (1) chronic low-grade inflammation (where medication is impractical for daily long-term use), (2) complement to medical treatment for inflammatory conditions, and (3) prevention (maintaining a low inflammatory baseline). Breathing exercises won't replace methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis, but they may reduce the inflammatory load that drives disease progression alongside medical treatment.