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.
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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
*
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