Why I put a needle in my neck
My NeuroReset Experience at Extension Health with Jonathan Kuo MD, and introducing The Seal
When I led partnerships at Equinox, I built the scoring system we used to vet health and wellness companies. For every yes, we passed on hundreds. The goal? Cut through noise and find what actually works.
Now I’ve created my own version - simpler and shaped by what’s worked for me.
I call it The Seal (1–5 rating).
Each service gets judged on four things:
Is it safe, and is the science solid?
Did it work?
Is it accessible - by price, invasiveness, or ease?
And most importantly: Would I do it again?
Welcome to the series where I test wellness world claims - so you don’t have to.
Below is my first review (with scoring system in yellow on top and TDLR at the end of this e-mail)
SERVICE TESTED: NEURO RESET
Jonathan Kuo MD looked at me with his signature mix of confidence and mischief and said:
“Come, I will help you relax.”
And - like an idiot or a genius - I said yes.
Next thing you know, I’m lying flat while a needle is inserted into my neck.
A step mentioned exactly nowhere in the vague pitch that promised to “reset my nervous system.”
But by then, I was committed.
Why was I doing this? Gut health, mostly.
After years of playing diagnostic ping-pong, from SIBO to “maybe it’s just stress”, I was DONE.
I had tried the diets, the antibiotics, the specialists across the U.S. and Europe.
I didn’t look sick. But I felt broken.
Bloated, foggy, fatigued, and stuck in a body that felt like it was constantly misfiring.
So when someone said, “Maybe it’s your nervous system,” I listened.
NeuroReset is a quick treatment that involves an ultrasound-guided injection into the neck that targets your autonomic nervous system.
It’s designed to jolt your body into deep parasympathetic calm by temporarily blocking signals fired to the brain’s fear center, essentially forcing your stress switch to flip off, even if your mind hasn’t caught up.
And wow, did it flip.
Aside from one very droopy, watery eye that required some awkward explanations at dinner (“I’m not crying, I just had a nerve injection”), I felt… amazing.
In my usual fashion, I ignored all post-procedure recommendations and went straight to an early seafood and champagne dinner at Penny’s (forever obsessed), then boarded a red-eye to Europe. Do not recommend doing that!
And yet - I slept like a baby.
My gut? Silent. No bloating. No pain. Just peace.
I even texted Dr. Kuo from the airport (screenshot below)
The post-reset clarity lasted almost two full weeks. HRV up. Stress markers down.
My Oura was even shocked how relaxed i was and kept nudging me to “reflect on what I did that day.”
Did it solve my gut forever? No.
But something shifted.
I stopped obsessively chasing specialists and started chasing calm.
For the first time, I knew where to look.
OK, BUT HOW DOES IT ACTUALLY WORK?
The vagus nerve is the main communication line between your brain and gut.
If that line is stuck in fight-or-flight mode, because of stress, trauma, or illness, it keeps your digestion dysregulated, your inflammation high, and your healing stuck.
NeuroReset targets the stellate ganglion, a nerve cluster in the neck that acts like a command center for your autonomic nervous system.
By injecting a local anesthetic into that spot under ultrasound, it temporarily blocks chronic stress signals and lets your nervous system reboot.
In simpler terms:
If your body’s been acting like there’s a bear in the room (even when you’re just answering emails), this tells your system: the coast is clear.
Potential outcomes?
✔ Better digestion + motility (though this is not why most people do it)
✔ Nervous system calm you can actually feel
✔ Lowered anxiety
✔ Enhanced gut-brain signaling
IS IT SAFE?
Yes. Dr. Kuo has done this procedure thousands of times. I felt safe.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes, but it’s $1500. And if you’re treating anxiety, you’ll likely need more than one.
You can also pair it with ketamine IV therapy (I didn’t).
Would I do it again? Yes.
Is it a monthly routine? No.
But when I feel like I’ve drifted too far from baseline, I like things that shock the system—in a good way.
This one worked.
TDLR
Thank you for sharing! I need to get this done asap!
Super insightful, Julia! This cuts through the biohacking theatrics with actual discernment.
The Seal methodology is sharp, loving this.
Do you think nervous system work is becoming a new marker of modern intelligence — or is it still too quiet to compete with the louder tools of self-optimization?