Control Pain & Heal Faster with Your Brain

About this video

Huberman explains how to control pain and heal faster with the brain, covering somatosensation, plasticity, acupuncture, inflammation, and stress. In the middle slice, Huberman discusses the glymphatic system and brain debris washout, and describes a form of exercise he says improves its function, while stressing he never suggests exercising against a physician’s advice or in ways that aggravate an injury. Huberman describes data on 30 to 45 minutes of low-level cardio, such as fast walking, jogging, or cycling, done three times a week or more, of a Zone 2 type that is not designed to produce massive fitness gains, as beneficial for washout of debris from the brain, including in traumatic brain injury communities in his account. He frames aging as a nonlinear, step-like process for brain markers, making such exercise about brain longevity as much as fitness. Huberman closes by distinguishing perception from tissue damage, arguing that people do have control over their experience of pain and that this does not always require drugs.

Key takeaways

• Huberman distinguishes the perception of pain from actual tissue damage.
• Huberman describes low-level Zone 2 cardio as supporting glymphatic washout of brain debris in his account.
• Huberman stresses never to exercise against a physician’s advice after brain injury.
• Huberman frames brain aging as a nonlinear, step-like process.
• Huberman argues that pain can be modulated without necessarily using drugs.

Episode details: published March 1, 2021 · 493.3K views · 1:37:58 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The science and protocols described are Andrew Huberman’s, presented for education — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before changing your own health practices.

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