Control Pain & Heal Faster with Your Brain | Huberman Lab Podcast #9

Inflammation

Inflammation plays a crucial role in the body's healing process, contrary to the common belief that it is inherently harmful. Andrew Huberman emphasizes that while chronic inflammation can be detrimental, acute inflammation is essential for recovery as it triggers the body's repair mechanisms 1. He highlights the importance of understanding inflammation's positive aspects, noting that it calls cells to the injury site to clear out damage and facilitate healing 2.

Inflammation is the tissue repair response. And we are going to talk about subjective and objective ways to modulate inflammation after tissue injury.

--- Andrew Huberman

Huberman also cautions against the indiscriminate use of anti-inflammatory substances like turmeric, which may have unintended side effects, such as contamination with lead or hormonal disruptions 2.

   

Heat vs Cold

The debate between heat and cold therapy for injury recovery reveals surprising insights. Andrew Huberman explains that while ice is traditionally used to numb pain, it may actually impede healing by causing tissue sludging and restricting necessary cellular movement 3. In contrast, heat therapy is shown to enhance fluid circulation and tissue viscosity, promoting more effective recovery 3.

Heat, provided it's not damaging levels of heat, would be more beneficial for wound healing and for reducing pain in the short and long run than would be cold or ice.

--- Andrew Huberman

For chronic pain, Huberman discusses emerging therapies like red light therapy, which may offer benefits by mimicking natural sunlight exposure, although more research is needed to confirm its efficacy 4.