The Healing Circuit: How Your Vagus Nerve Calms Inflammation With Dr. Kevin Tracey

In this episode my guest is Dr. Kevin J. Tracey and we are discussing one of the most fascinating and revolutionary discoveries in modern medicine — the link between the vagus nerve, the inflammatory reflex, and the body’s innate ability to heal. For years, inflammation has been seen as a silent driver behind chronic illness — from autoimmune disease and depression to heart disease and neurodegeneration. But what if the body already has a built-in mechanism to control it? Dr. Tracey is the president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, a pioneer of vagus nerve research and author of The Great Nerve. A leader in the scientific fields of inflammation and neuroscience, his lab studies vagus nerve stimulation and bioelectronic medicine. His contributions include first identifying the therapeutic action of monoclonal anti-TNF antibodies and discovering the specific reflex control of immunity by the nervous system, called the “inflammatory reflex.” These discoveries launched the new scientific field called bioelectronic medicine, which investigates the therapeutic applications of vagus nerve stimulation to cure disease. Dr. Tracey, a neurosurgeon, pursued studies of inflammation after the mysterious death of a toddler from sepsis who was in his care. His lab has since revealed molecular mechanisms of inflammation and identified the use of vagus nerve stimulation to treat it. An inventor on more than 120 U.S. patents and the author of more than 450 scientific publications, he is among the most highly cited scientists in the world. He co-founded the Global Sepsis Alliance, is the author of Fatal Sequence (Dana Press) and is a national and international lecturer. Learning Points: • What is the vagus nerve? • What is the link between the vagus nerve, the inflammatory reflex, and the body’s innate ability to heal? • What is bioelectronic medicine? Social Media: • X: https://x.com/KevinJTraceyMD • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjtraceymd • Website: https://feinstein.northwell.edu/