How to Enhance Your Immune System - Dr Andrew Huberman with Dr Roger Seheult

My guest is Dr. Roger Seheult, M.D., a board-certified physician in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases, critical care, and sleep medicine at Loma Linda University. We discuss the powerful benefits of light therapy, including infrared light, red light, and sunlight, for improving mitochondrial function in all the body’s organs. We also explore ways to reduce the risk of influenza, colds, and other illnesses that affect the lungs, sinuses, and gut.

The NEWSTART Pillars of Health

Dr. Seheult uses the acronym NEWSTART, coined by Dr. Neil Nedley, to detail the fundamental pillars for improving general health and maintaining a healthy immune system:

• N: Nutrition, emphasizing natural, non-processed foods.
• E: Exercise, specifically mild-to-moderate physical activity, which helps reduce inflammation. Excessive, elite athletic training must be managed carefully to avoid illness.
• W: Water, covering both internal hydration (which affects sodium concentration and mortality risk) and external use (hydrotherapy, cold plunge, sauna), which can boost the innate immune system and interferon secretion.
• S: Sunlight, focusing on the effects of long-wavelength light (infrared) penetrating the skin to support mitochondrial function.
• T: Temperance, meaning avoiding toxins that would make you sick, such as smoking.
• A: Air, focusing not only on keeping bad things out (fresh air) but also on the positive qualities of air, such as phytoncides released during "forest bathing".
• R: Rest, including good sleep habits (7-8 hours per night) that support the immune system by managing cortisol and beta receptors.
• T: Trust, which includes trust in a higher power and Community, providing non-tangible ways to relieve stress.

The Powerful Impact of Sunlight and Red Light Therapy

• Sunlight is viewed as a primordial and arguably the best source of red light and near-infrared light.
• Infrared Penetration: Infrared light, due to its long wavelength and low energy, can penetrate deeply through clothing and skin, up to 8 cm, scattering throughout the human body. This penetration is why you can still feel the sun’s heat even when wearing clothes.
• Mitochondrial Function and Melatonin: Infrared light is critical because it enhances the efficiency of mitochondria. It stimulates mitochondria to produce melatonin on site in concentrations 20 times higher than that secreted by the pineal gland. This melatonin acts as an extremely powerful intracellular antioxidant, combating reactive oxygen species (free radicals) that cause mitochondrial dysfunction and aging.
• Mitochondrial Theory of Aging: Mitochondria's ATP output drops by about 70% after age 40, which is implicated at the root of nearly every chronic disease (e.g., heart disease, hypertension, dementia). Red light therapy and sunlight may help prevent this decrease in efficiency.
• Evidence of Benefit:
  • A study showed that exposing subjects' backs to red light (670 nm) lowered their blood glucose concentrations and increased carbon dioxide exhalation, suggesting the mitochondria were working more efficiently and using up more energy.
  • Sunlight strongly protects against influenza. Studies showed that countries further north experienced their COVID-19 surge dates correlating perfectly with latitude and the shortest days of the year, similar to flu seasons peaking 1–3 weeks after the shortest day.
  • Swedish women with higher sun exposure had lower all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cancer mortality over 20 years. The benefit was so large that avid smokers who got adequate sunlight had the same mortality as non-smokers who avoided the sun.
  • Living in green spaces (where leaves highly reflect infrared light) is linked to reduced diabetes, hypertension, and mortality. A study in Louisville, Kentucky, showed that planting trees reduced inflammation (hsCRP levels) by 13% in residents.
• Recommendations: Getting 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight exposure daily (even on cloudy days) is key, as the benefits reach a point of diminishing marginal utility after that time. If concerned about UV exposure, one can wear a hat and long sleeves while still getting beneficial infrared light.

The Dangers of Artificial Light and Indoor Living

• Light Mismatch: We now live in an environment with dim days and bright nights, which is terrible for metabolic health.
• Darkness at Night: Getting a completely dark environment is crucial for sleep restoration and melatonin secretion. Even 15 seconds of artificial light exposure at night can significantly suppress melatonin production. Light hitting the back of the retina can still suppress melatonin even if the eyes are closed.
• Indoor Light Quality: Modern LED lights are energy-efficient because they primarily broadcast in a narrow range of short wavelengths (blue/green) and filter out red and infrared light, which are crucial for mitochondrial health. The historical shift from incandescent bulbs (which are full spectrum, warmer light) to LEDs, combined with low-E glass windows filtering infrared light, has deprived humans of beneficial long-wavelength light.
• American Behavior: Americans spend 93% of their time indoors (86% inside a building, 6–7% inside a vehicle), leading to a massive disruption in natural light interaction.

Water, Heat, and the Immune System

• Hydration: Internal water use is important for kidney function and flushing toxins. Sodium concentration in the blood is regulated more by water intake than salt intake, and high sodium concentration is associated with higher mortality.
• Fever and Interferon: The innate immune system's greatest tool against viruses is interferon, a molecule effective against multiple viral strains. Increasing core body temperature to 39°C (102.2°F) can cause a 10-fold increase in interferon secretion. At 38°C (100.4°F), signaling in the nucleus for interferon regulators dramatically increases.
• Hydrotherapy: External heat, such as hot baths, saunas, hot showers, or hot fermentations (hot towels), is an effective way to deliver energy to the body, elevate core temperature, and activate the immune system. Historically, sanitariums that used hydrotherapy for influenza patients saw only one-sixth the rate of patients developing pneumonia compared to Army hospitals.
• Cold Exposure: Following heat with cold (as in Russian banyas or Scandinavian saunas) causes peripheral vasoconstriction, leading to demargination (release) of white blood cells into circulation and preventing the loss of the internally generated heat.

Pharmaceutical and Supplemental Interventions

• Flu Shot: Every medical intervention has risks and benefits. The flu shot gives the immune system advanced notice of an antigen, which does not prevent infection but significantly diminishes the severity of symptoms. It is generally recommended for the immunocompromised and those with high exposure risk (e.g., ICU doctors).
• NAC (N-acetylcysteine): NAC is a glutathione precursor used to prevent liver failure in Tylenol overdose. It acts as a mucolytic, breaking the disulfide bonds (SS bonds) that cause mucus to be thick, helping with congestion (e.g., in cystic fibrosis). In a study, 600 mg of NAC twice daily did not reduce the rate of influenza infection but significantly reduced the severity of symptoms (especially runny nose and sore throat) by about 50%. NAC's chemical action of breaking SS bonds may also help prevent the polymerization of Von Willebrand Factor, which can cause white clots seen in severe COVID and influenza infections.
• Vitamin D3 K2 and Zinc: Vitamin D3 K2 is often supplemented, and zinc supplementation (around 40 mg elemental zinc) is associated with immune system benefits, acting as a co-factor for certain immune enzymes.
• Aspirin Warning: During the 1918 Spanish flu, aspirin was used excessively to suppress fever and pain, but this was associated with a high mortality rate; the philosophy of blocking fever is often medically questionable.

Infection and Long COVID

• Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Long COVID: For many people suffering from long COVID (symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks), the root issue is mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically downregulation in the metabolism of fatty acids (beta oxidation).
• Long COVID Treatment: A regimen involving strict intermittent fasting (not eating after 5:30 p.m.) and increased sun exposure helped one patient, after ruling out other causes like heart or lung scarring, dramatically reduce his shortness of breath and eliminate gastric issues after only one month.
• A2 Receptor and Clotting: The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor, which is normally responsible for converting pro-oxidants into antioxidants. This binding creates a severe oxidative imbalance, leading to cell damage, Von Willebrand Factor release, and white clot formation in the pulmonary circulation (pulmonary embolism and hypoxia).
• Smell Training: Loss of taste and smell (due to damage to the supporting nurse cells of olfactory neurons, not the neurons themselves) can be reversed through smell training protocols, which use a variety of odors to encourage neural activity and regeneration.

The Role of Beliefs and Trust

• People who have a network, community, and faith possess a strength that helps them through difficult times.
• Studies show that people who practice unconditional forgiveness (forgiving regardless of whether the offender apologizes) report lower anxiety, less somatic complaints, and a greater sense of well-being compared to those who forgive conditionally. This unconditional forgiveness is strongly associated with the feeling of having been forgiven by a higher power.

Hospital Care and Personal Advocacy

• The importance of light in hospitals is severely understated, despite data showing that patients next to windows have less ICU psychosis and are discharged faster. The financial structure of some hospitals may incentivize longer stays, potentially contributing to the lack of light therapy implementation.
• The most important thing a person or family member can do to ensure better care in a hospital is to communicate their familiarity with the patient's disease by asking intelligent, specific questions (e.g., "When are you going to start to do this?"). This puts the medical staff on alert and ensures they are highly prepared for rounds.
• Yelling or insulting staff is counterproductive; the goal is to show intelligence and engagement.

Chapters

00:00:00 Dr. Roger Seheult
00:02:16 Avoiding Sickness, Immune System, Tool: Pillars of Health, NEWSTART
00:08:03 Sponsors: Joovv & Eight Sleep
00:10:46 Sunlight, Mitochondria, Tool: Infrared Light & Melatonin
00:19:09 Melatonin Antioxidant, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)/Free Radicals
00:26:38 Infrared Light, Green Spaces, Health & Mortality
00:31:35 Infrared Light, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Disease
00:38:46 Sunlight & Cancer Risk?, Tools: UV Light, Clothing & Sunlight Exposure
00:41:01 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT
00:43:32 Sunlight, Incidence of Influenza
00:48:41 Tools: Sunlight Exposure Duration, Winter Months
00:55:18 Infrared Lamps?, Winter Sunlight Exposure; Obesity & Metabolic Dysfunction
00:59:48 Cloudy Days; Sunlight, Primitive Therapy, Hospitals
01:11:33 Sponsor: Function
01:13:21 Artificial Lights, Hospitals & Light Therapy?, ICU Psychosis
01:22:16 Sleep & Darkness, Tools: Eye Mask, Bathroom Navigation; Meals & Light
01:28:27 Influenza, Flu Shots, Swiss Cheese Model; Flu Shot Risks?
01:38:13 Masks?, Flu; Handwashing
01:42:16 Sponsor: Our Place
01:43:57 Water, Sodium; Innate Immune System, Fever & Hydrotherapy
01:53:46 Fever, Heat Hydrotherapy, Interferon & Immune System
01:58:25 Cold Hydrotherapy, Vasoconstriction & White Blood Cells
02:09:56 N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), Glutathione, White Clots, Flu
02:19:28 Tool: NAC Dose & Regimen; Mucous, Flu Symptoms
02:25:25 Zinc Supplementation, Copper; Exogenous Interferon
02:28:40 Eucalyptus Oil, Inhalation
02:32:22 Air, Smoking, Vaping, Nicotine Gum
02:36:49 Fresh Air, Forest Bathing, Tool: Go Outdoors
02:40:09 Nature vs Inside Environments, Dark Days/Bright Nights Problem
02:52:38 Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Intermittent Fasting, Sunlight
03:00:43 Smell Loss Recovery
03:05:04 Mold Toxicity, Lungs, Germ vs Terrain Theory, Immunocompromised
03:11:46 Trust, Spirituality, Community, Faith; Forgiveness
03:19:46 Hospital Admission, Tool: Asking Questions
03:25:42 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter