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Huberman Lab Clips - 8 Pillars for Building Your Immune System | Dr. Roger Seheult & Dr. Andrew Huberman

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Author: Huberman Lab Clips
Categories: Health Fitness Nutrition
Tags: health, fitness, nutrition
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 16:48 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Build a healthy immune system by following the eight NEWSTART pillars, a mnemonic from Dr. Neil Nedley that covers nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest, and trust. Dr. Roger Seheult and Dr. Andrew Huberman present these as the foundation for avoiding infections like colds and flu, rather than relying on any single product or fix.

Key Points

  • The eight NEWSTART pillars, in order: (1) Nutrition, (2) Exercise, (3) Water, (4) Sunlight, (5) Temperance, (6) Air, (7) Rest, (8) Trust.
  • Exercise helps at mild to moderate levels, since inflammation falls once you start moving, but elite athletic training can leave people more vulnerable to illness on performance days.
  • Both internal water and external water (sauna and cold plunge) are discussed as potentially supporting the immune system through the innate immune system and interferon.
  • Air quality matters in two ways: keeping harmful substances out and benefiting from phytoncides, chemicals released by trees that affect innate immunity (linked to forest bathing research in Japan).
  • Good sleep is linked to stronger immune function, including antibody response after vaccination and fewer illnesses per year, with 7 to 8 hours of nightly sleep cited as beneficial.

Details Worth Noting

Concrete instructions:

  • Eat as natural a diet as possible and avoid processed foods.

  • Exercise at a mild to moderate level for health rather than for building muscle, and avoid pushing into intense training right before a key performance.

  • Get outside into sunlight regularly.

  • Avoid taking toxins into your body and stay away from things that would make you sick.

  • Seek fresh air and time in nature.

  • Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep per night.

  • Build trust and social support, whether through faith, a higher power, or community.

  • Dr. Roger Seheult says Dr. Neil Nedley, a physician he knows near Stanford at a place called Weimar University, coined the NEWSTART mnemonic.

  • Dr. Seheult says there is a history and data going back over 100 years on sauna and cold plunge use for immune support.

  • Dr. Seheult says there is interesting research on sunlight in relation to influenza, COVID, and other natural diseases.

  • Dr. Seheult mentions that the sleep-immune link involves cortisol, beta receptors, and other factors.

  • The speaker describes the exercise relationship as J-shaped, with inflammation dropping as moderate activity begins but requiring care at high levels.

Bottom Line

Supporting immune health is less about a single intervention and more about consistently addressing the eight NEWSTART areas together, starting with the basics of nutrition, movement, sleep, and sunlight.