Using Your Nervous System to Enhance Your Immune System

Controlling the Immune System

• 10–20 years ago, the idea of the mind controlling the immune system was not widely accepted
• Now, there are many peer-​​reviewed studies on how the nervous system can control the activation of the immune system

Acupuncture and Inflammation

• Recent study in Nature from Chufu Ma’s Lab at Harvard Medical School
• Explored how acupuncture can reduce inflammation in the body
• Stimulating the body in particular ways at particular sites can liberate certain cells and molecules that enhance the immune system and combat infections
• Fascia, the tissue surrounding muscles, plays a role in this process
• Stimulating fascia in a particular location leads to a pathway to the adrenal medulla, which can release chemicals that have a potent anti-​​inflammatory effect

Healing with the Mind

• The nervous system acts as a set of highways between different tissues in the body
• It can call the immune system into action, releasing molecules that reduce inflammation and lead to faster healing

Foundations of Health

• Adequate sleep, sunshine, exercise, and good nutrition are essential for overall health
• Consistent sleep schedule and getting sunshine in the morning and evening help regulate the body’s internal clock
• 150–180 minutes of zone 2 cardio per week is recommended for exercise
• Good nutrition involves avoiding processed foods and finding a balanced diet that works for the individual
  Leveraging the Nervous System for Immune System Enhancement

Immune System 101

• Three main layers of defense for health: 
  1. Physical barrier: skin 
     • Primary barrier to keep harmful things out
     • Openings: eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth
     • Mucus lining in nose, mouth, and digestive system acts as a filter and trap for bacteria and viruses
  2. Innate immune system 
     • Rapid response when something enters the body that isn’t recognized
     • Involves release of cells like white blood cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and natural killer cells
     • Complement proteins in blood mark invaders for being engulfed and eaten
     • Damaged cells release alarm signals called cytokines (e.g. interleukin 1, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha)
  3. Adaptive immune system 
     • Produces antibodies against bacteria, viruses, parasites, and physical intruders
     • Shows up at the site of invasion or infection, called by various cues including cytokines

Understanding Inflammation

• Inflammation is a physical and chemical response
• Markers of inflammation measured in blood include interleukin 1, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha
• Interleukin means “to communicate” — cells are shouting “help me”
• Complement proteins tag invaders with an “eat me” signal
• Killer cells and white blood cells work to kill off invaders
  Adaptive Immune System
• Creates a memory of prior infections to combat future infections 
• Leukocytes (white blood cells) are derived from stem cells
• Hemopoietic stem cells give rise to red and white blood cells
• Antibodies created in the form of IgM and IgG 
  • IgM: first adaptive immune response, indicates recent infection
  • IgG: more stable form of antibody, comes up later

Maintaining Defense Systems

• Keep mucus lining in good shape 
  • Maintain a healthy microbiome (bacteria that live along mucous pathways)
• Nasal breathing
  • Better filter for viruses and bacteria than mouth breathing
• Avoid touching eyes 
  • Primary entry point for bacteria and viruses
• Enhance gut microbiota 
  • Ingest 2–4 servings of low sugar fermented foods per day
  • Reduces activity of certain cytokines (inflammatory response)
    Enhancing Immune System Function
• Three ways to enhance immune system function: 
  1. Consume fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles (low sugar sources)
  2. Get good sleep, nutrition, and social connection
  3. Understand and manage sickness behavior

Sickness Behavior

• A suite of responses that occur when feeling sick 
  • Slowing of usual activity levels (lethargy)
  • Loss of grooming and self-care
  • Loss of appetite
• Sickness behavior is a motivated state designed to accomplish certain things: 
  • Slow blood circulation to increase lymphatic system activity
  • Reduce the probability of infecting others
  • Activate a desire for care and support or a desire for isolation (varies by individual)
• Sickness behavior shares similarities with major depression: 
  • Both involve increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha)
  • Understanding these similarities can point to interventions for preventing illness or recovering more quickly

Iron Intake and Sickness Behavior

• Theory: Reduced appetite for protein-​​rich foods when sick is an attempt to reduce iron intake 
  • Many bacteria and infections thrive when levels of iron in the blood are high
  • Recommended iron intake: 8 mg/​​day for men, 18–27 mg/​​day for women (depending on pregnancy, lactation, menstruation)
  • High iron levels (over 45 mg/​​day) can be toxic to the system
  • Iron is attached to hemoglobin in red blood cells and is also found in muscle
    Iron and Appetite
• Iron serves important health-​​promoting roles 
• Reducing appetite reduces iron intake, which can limit the capacity of infections to travel within the body
• Loss of appetite is common during sickness and major depression

Sickness Behavior and Major Depression

• Both have core features in common, such as loss of appetite and libido
• Important to understand how being sick influences our thoughts, perceptions, and appetite

Vagus Nerve and Sickness Behavior

• Vagus nerve connects the body and brain, signaling to engage in sickness behavior
• 10^th cranial nerve, branches out to organs like lungs, heart, and gut
• Fast pathway for infection signals to reach the brain

Photophobia and Sickness

• Bright lights become aversive during sickness
• Pathway from the eye to the thalamus, then to the meninges, creates photophobia and headaches

Rest and Sickness

• Hypothalamic area (super optic nucleus) promotes the desire to sleep during sickness
• Multiple pathways signal to avoid light, reduce behavior, and heat up the body

Slow Pathway: Humoral Factors

• Inflammatory cytokines increase in circulation and communicate with the brain
• Enter the brain through choroid tissue, which releases and responds to cytokines
• Inflammation affects memory and cognition, making it difficult to focus on tasks

Enhancing Immune System Function

• Hydrate and sleep to support the immune system
• Actively engage the nervous system to deploy a more robust response during the early phase of infection
• Focus on rest and sleep specifically for their role in enhancing the immune system
  Sleep and the Immune System 
• Sleep associated with early stages of infection 
  • Elevated levels of serotonin in the brain
  • Serotonin and related pathways can enhance immune system function
• Emerging data on supplementing precursors to serotonin (e.g., 5‑HTP) or consuming foods high in tryptophan 
  • May enhance serotonin levels and improve immune response
• Glymphatic system: clears debris from the brain, especially during deep sleep 
  • Active during sleep and deep relaxation
  • Important for recovery from infection, head injury, and possibly psychological trauma
  • Increasing glymphatic system activity may lead to faster recovery from illness and injury

Increasing Glymphatic System Activity

• Elevate feet during sleep or relaxation 
  • Head below legs for increased glymphatic washout
• Deep relaxation techniques (e.g., self-​​hypnosis, meditation) 
  • Reverie app for guided relaxation
• Supplementing with 5‑HTP (check with a doctor first) 
  • 300–500 mg taken 30–60 minutes before sleep
  • May help access sleep states that repair immune system-​​related inflammation

Sauna and Immune System

• Study: Effect of a single Finnish sauna session on white blood cell profile and cortisol levels 
  • 15-​​minute sauna session increased white blood cell profiles and adjusted cortisol levels beneficially for combating infection
  • Heating up the body can help combat infection, similar to fever response
    Effects of Sauna on Immune System
• Increase in body heat can help combat infections 
• Caution: Do not use sauna if already running a fever, as it can dangerously raise body temperature and kill neurons
• Sauna can be replaced with hot baths or showers if not available

Feed a Fever, Starve a Cold

• Feeding a fever can increase body temperature, making it harder for viruses and bacteria to survive
• Starving a cold is not well-​​understood, but fasting can increase adrenaline, which affects the immune system

Breathing Techniques to Boost Immune System

• Study: Voluntary Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System and Attenuation of the Innate Immune Response in Humans
• Subjects exposed to endotoxin (E. Coli) and performed cyclic hyperventilation (similar to Wim Hof breathing)
• Results: Increased anti-​​inflammatory cytokine levels and decreased pro-​​inflammatory cytokine levels in intervention group
• Conclusion: Activating the sympathetic nervous system through specific breathing techniques can enhance the immune response and help combat infections

Wim Hof Breathing Technique

• Cyclic hyperventilation: repeated deep breaths in and out, followed by breath retention
• Similar to Tummo breathing in the science and physiology community
• Can help activate the sympathetic nervous system and enhance immune response
  Wim Hof Breathing Method and Immune System 
• Involves 20–30 deep inhales and exhales through the mouth, followed by exhaling all air and holding breath 
• Repeated for several rounds
• Increases adrenaline release, reduces inflammation, and enhances immune system function
• Useful tool for combating early symptoms of illness or infection
• Both hyperventilation and breath retention are important for the full effect
• Caution: Do not practice near water or while driving

Effects of Cyclic Hyperventilation and Retention

• Blood oxygenation drops
• Alkalinity of the body increases (pH goes from 7.4 to 7.6)
• Release of epinephrine (adrenaline) is thought to cause reduction in inflammation

Mindset and Immune System

• Stress can be beneficial in the short term, activating the immune system to combat infections
• Stress is a neurochemical state involving the release of catecholamines (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine)
• Activation of the dopamine reward system can lead to significant reduction in tumor size in cancers
• Mindset can impact the immune system through specific biological pathways and protocols
  Psychogenic Fever and Corticolimbic Pathway
• Psychogenic fever: worrying oneself sick 
• Corticolimbic pathway: connects thinking, emotion, and prior history to basic physiological processes
• Study by Katoka: psychological stress can activate this pathway and create fever
• Thinking controls our physiology (e.g., thinking about something exciting or terrifying can increase heart rate)

Dopamine System and Healing

• Sense of hope (thinking about a positive future) can activate the dopamine system
• Activation of dopamine system can:
• Reduce tumor size
• Accelerate wound healing
• Improve recovery from illness
• Increasing dopamine levels can be done through:
• Pharmacological means (e.g., l‑tyrosine, Mucuna pruriens)
• Behavioral means (e.g., cold water exposure, cyclic hyperventilation)
• Note: Consult a doctor before trying any supplements or treatments

Symptom Relief for Illness

• Over-​​the-​​counter medications often focus on the epinephrine system
• Can cause dehydration, interfere with sleep, and cause lightheadedness/​​jitteriness
• Alternative option: Spirulina (a form of algae)
• Studies show spirulina can reduce allergic rhinitis (congestion and inflammation of the nose)
• Can be a more natural option for symptom relief
  Spirulina and Rhinitis
• Study on humans (both sexes) with 129 subjects and 65 subjects 
• Randomized trial, double-blind
• Significant decreases in nasal obstruction, improved ability to smell, improved sleep, reduced daily working cytokine, reduced inflammatory cytokines, and reduced nasal itching
• Spirulina taken in 2‑gram doses
• Inhibits the formation and/​​or activity of histaminergic mast cells

Mast Cells

• Little packets of histamine
• Involved in immune response to injury or irritant
• Release histaminergic contents, causing swelling and inflammation
• Send out cytokine signals to recruit innate immune system cells
• Antihistamines reduce histamines in mast cells

Spirulina and Seasonal Allergies

• Used effectively to treat seasonal allergies
• On par with major prescription and over-​​the-​​counter drugs
• Caution for people with PKU (phenylketonuria) — sensitive to phenylalanine

Electroacupuncture and Vagal Adrenal Axis

• Study published in Nature by Chufu Mah’s Lab at Harvard Medical School
• Electroacupuncture can increase inflammation by releasing inflammatory cytokines
• Can also stimulate the vagal adrenal reflex and reduce inflammation
• Activation of deep fascial tissue causes a chain of neural reactions leading to the release of norepinephrine, adrenaline, and dopamine, which lowers inflammation

Convergence of Ancient Practices and Modern Science

• Exciting when practices like acupuncture and breathwork converge with mechanistic science
• Validates ancient practices and may lead to insurance coverage
• Allows for better communication between practitioners and scientists
• Can lead to the development of new, more effective protocols and practices
  Explorations in Health and Medicine
• Tax dollars funding research for better treatments in immunological and neurological diseases 
• Convergence of immune system and nervous system
• Exciting advancements in health, medicine, science, and ancient practices

Immune System and Nervous System

• Discussed protocols to tap into the relationship between the nervous system and immune system
• Aim to avoid or shorten the course of illnesses, injuries, or inflammation