At least one of a plurality of gastrointestinal disorders is treated by
stimulating an enteric nervous system of a patient to enhance a
functional tone of the enteric nervous system. A treatment includes
electrically stimulating a vagus nerve of the patient at a stimulation
site proximal to at least one site of vagal innervation of a
gastrointestinal organ. The electrical stimulation includes applying a
stimulation signal at the stimulation site. An optional proximal
electrical blocking signal is applied to the vagus nerve at a proximal
blocking site proximal to the stimulation site. The proximal blocking
signal is selected to at least partially block nerve impulses at the
proximal blocking site.