Using Your Nervous System to Enhance Your Immune System
from Huberman Lab
by Scicomm Media
Published: Mon Nov 01 2021
Show Notes
This episode teaches you a lot about the immune system, immune-brain interactions and offers 12 potential tools for enhancing immune system function. I discuss how our immune system works and science-supported tools we can use to enhance our immune system.
I discuss the innate and adaptive immune systems and our various microbiomes-- not just in our gut but also in our nose, eyes and mouth and how to keep them healthy. And I review how specific patterns of breathing and foods maintain a healthy mucosal barrier that is crucial for fighting infections. I discuss how certain neurochemicals called catecholamines enhance our immune system function and how to use specific breathing protocols, types and timing of heat and cold exposure, and, if appropriate, supplementation to activate catecholamines. I also discuss the role and use of serotonin for the sake of accessing the specific types of sleep for recovering from illness, and I discuss how to increase glymphatic "washout" of brain debris during sleep. I also review fever, the vagus nerve and the use of atypical yet highly effective compounds for rhinitis (nasal inflammation).
Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab
Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman
Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman
Timestamps
The Mind & Immune System, New Findings: Acupuncture & Fascia
Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up
Foundational Tools & Practices for a Healthy Immune System
Immune System Basics: Skin/Mucous, Innate & Adaptive Immune System
Killer Cells, Complement Proteins (“Eat Me!” Signals), Cytokines (“Help Me!” Signals)
The Adaptive Immune System: Antibodies
Tool 1: Nasal Microbiome and “Scrubbing” Bacteria & Viruses; Nasal Breathing
Tools 2 & 3: (Not) Touching Your Eyes; Gut Microbiome & Fermented Foods
Some Interleukins Are Anti-Inflammatory
Sickness Behavior
Some People Seek Care When Sick, Others Want to be Alone
Sickness Behavior & Depression: Cytokines
Reduced Appetites When Sick: Protein, Iron, Libido
Vagus-Nerve Stimulation: Fever, Photophobia, Sleepiness
Humoral (Blood-Borne) Factors, & Choroid Change Your Brain State
Tools 4, 5: Reducing Sickness: Glymphatic Clearance, Pre-Sleep Serotonin, 5HTP
Tool 6: Hot Showers, Saunas, Baths & Cortisol, Heat-Cold Contrast
Feed a Fever & Starve a Cold (?), Adrenaline
Tool 7: Activating Your Immune System w/Cyclic-Hyperventilation, Alkalinity
Brain Chemicals & Cyclic-Hyperventilation; Catecholamines, Dopamine
Mindsets & Immune Function; Yes, You Can Worry Yourself Sick
Tool 8: Healthy Mindsets, Hope, Dopamine; Tool 9: Tyrosine; Tool 10: Cold Exposure
Once You’re Already Sick: Accelerating Recovery; Tool 11: Spirulina, Rhinitis
Histamines, Mast Cells
Tool 12: Acupuncture: Mechanism for How It Reduces Inflammation; Fascia, Rolfing
Mechanistic Science & Ancient Practices
Synthesis, Ways to Support Us (Zero-Cost), Sponsors, Supplements, Social Media