In this episode, I describe the science of how and why pain arises in the body and brain, and how we can actively control our experience of pain. I discuss inflammation, stress, acupuncture, limb damage and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I review protocols that leverage the lymphatic and nervous system to accelerate pain relief and healing in a variety of situations. Other topics discussed include how heat versus cold impacts neurons and wounds, red-light, sunlight, stem cells and more. 

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab

Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction/Avenues for Support  

00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up  

00:04:58 Deliberate Unlearning  

00:06:43 Pain, Injury and Regeneration  

00:09:17 A System of Touch (Somatosensation)  

00:11:42 Pain and Injury are Dissociable  

00:15:19 Objective versus Subjective Control of Experience  

00:16:15 Plasticity of Perception  

00:16:41 Lack of Pain Is Self-Destructive; So Is Excessive Pain  

00:18:42 Homoculous, Ratonculous, Dogunculus  

00:19:05 “Sensitivity” explained  

00:21:30 Inflammation  

00:22:24 Phantom Limb Pain  

00:24:00 Top-down Relief of Pain by Vision  

00:26:41 From Deaf to Hearing Sounds  

00:28:10 Pain Is In The Mind & Body  

00:29:44 Recovering Movement Faster After Injury  

00:35:00 Don’t Over Compensate  

00:37:34 Concussion, TBI & Brain Ageing  

00:40:49 The Brain’s Sewage Treatment System: Glymphatic Clearance  

00:43:05 Body Position & Angle During Sleep  

00:44:30 Types of Exercise For Restoring & Maintaining Brain Health  

00:47:33 Ambulance Cells in The Brain  

00:49:20 True Pain Control by Belief and Context  

00:51:45 Romantic Love and Pain  

00:55:05 Dopaminergic Control of Pain  

00:57:15 Acupuncture: Rigorous Scientific Assessment  

01:07:32 Vagus Activation and Autonomic Control of Pain  

01:08:30 Inflammation, Turmeric, Lead and DHT  

01:11:40 Adrenalin: Wim Hof, Tummo, “Super-Oxygenation” Breathing  

01:14:53 Protocols For Accelerating Tissue Repair & Managing Pain  

01:17:55 Ice Is Not Always Nice (For Pain and Injury): Sludging, Fascia, Etc.  

01:22:02 Chronic and/or Whole Body Pain; Red-Light Therapy, Sunlight  

01:26:10 Glymphatics and Sleep  

01:26:29 Stem Cells, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP): Shams, Shoulds and Should Nots  

01:31:38 Young Blood: Actual Science  

01:35:44 Synthesis, Support & Resources

Disclaimer & Disclosures