#824: Dr. Kevin Tracey — Stimulating The Vagus Nerve to Tame Inflammation, Alleviate Depression, Treat Autoimmune Disorders (e.g., Rheumatoid Arthritis), and Much More

Kevin J. Tracey, MD is president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, a pioneer of vagus nerve research and author of the recent book, The Great Nerve: The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness Its Healing Reflexes.

This episode is brought to you by:

Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.)

AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D plus 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription purchase.)

Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (Start earning 4.00% APY on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, you can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms apply. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Tim’s intro: why he dismissed vagus-nerve hype

06:34 What the vagus nerve actually is, plus common myths

11:31 Breaking news: FDA approval for SetPoint’s RA implant + Kelly Owens’s turnaround

21:11 Inflammation 101: when healing turns harmful

31:37 Bioelectronic medicine: from lab insight to real devices

55:26 TNF, IL-1, and IL-6: immune drivers and what VNS modulates

56:06 Exercise & recovery: vagal signals, IL-6, and adaptation

56:30 Cold exposure & breathwork: sympathetic spike, parasympathetic payoff

59:04 Chronic inflammation today: prevalence, diagnostics, and uncertainty

59:53 Autoimmunity: genes, environment, infections

01:01:08 Stress hormones, personality traits, and metabolic fallout

01:05:41 VNS tech landscape: implants, focused ultrasound, and what’s just TENS

01:11:14 Ear maps, revisited: the real science behind auricular stimulation

01:27:52 Ulf Andersson: auricular TENS, famotidine, and a depression turnaround

01:36:48 Depression & inflammation: where VNS helps (and where it doesn’t)

01:41:38 Body-brain loop: how inflammation signals ride the vagus nerve

01:42:56 Why VNS can lift mood: a working theory

01:43:22 Ulf’s setup: electrode placement and twice-daily routine

01:44:37 Acupuncture, fertility, and plausible vagal links

01:47:23 Chronic pain through an inflammation lens

01:48:34 Neural “engrams”: how the brain can store inflammatory memories

02:02:35 Cervical TENS vs. true VNS: mechanisms and open questions

02:12:15 On stage with the Dalai Lama: blue energy and two vagus nerves

02:16:55 Closing thoughts: self-care vs. medical devices, and what’s next

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for T