Today, according to the WHO, the leading killers of human beings are cancer, heart disease, stroke, neurodegeneration, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and obesity. What do all these conditions have in common? Inflammation is a root cause. It stands to reason then, that the solution to improving life expectancy lies in solving the mystery of inflammation. “In the last 200 years – since the enlightenment and scientific revolution, infection does not kill as many people as inflammation,” says Dr. Tracey. “If solving death from infection added 50 years to human life expectancy, will solving inflammation add another 50? I think yes.”

Living to 130 is a staggering thought. Many of us balk at the idea of living that long, but Dr. Tracey points out how many people in the 19th century would have balked at living to 50. Consider this: if you could live well past 100 without pain and in good health, playing sports and doing hobbies, getting more time with grandkids and great-grandkids, is the idea still so unattractive? If you are 125 years and have no excessive inflammation, you will be healthy.

For the last three decades, Dr. Tracey’s research has been focused on bioelectronic medicine and neuromodulation — like spinal cord stimulation — which may be the keys to eliminating deadly inflammation. Bioelectronic medicine uses electricity to interact with the body’s nervous system — particularly the vagus nerve — which then controls the immune responses responsible for inflammation. The hope is we’ll be able to control the power of our immune system so that it will no longer produce inflammations to work against us.

Dr. Tracey first detected this connection while researching why people die from septic shock. Dr. Tracey discovered that a molecule called TNF, created by our own immune system, could turn deadly if unchecked. TNF is a cytokine, a protein made by our immune system that increases inflammation in the body. When TNF and other cytokines are overproduced in the body, they can kill. Cytokines recently entered the national lexicon when it emerged that Covid causes cytokine storm, a condition where cytokines are overproduced, causing deadly inflammation. Dr. Tracey found these same molecules are responsible for other inflammatory responses throughout the body.

But what controls the amount of cytokines produced in our bodies? Here, another crucial discovery by Dr. Tracey shed light on the question, a discovery that would lead to astonishing advances in bioelectronic medicine. These advances, along with advances in pharmaceuticals, have laid the groundwork to possibly eradicating inflammation.

Tracey and his team discovered that the vagus nerve — the neurological superhighway that runs down your spine, connecting your brain to your vital organs — is integral to the immune system and controls the distribution of TNFs in the body. The vagus nerve functions as the “on/off” switch to release the proteins. By controlling the vagus nerve’s ability to turn off cytokines with an electronic device, Dr. Tracey theorized he could help reduce inflammation in patients. His hypothesis proved correct, and now bioelectronic medicine has been used in a wide range of applications, from treating arthritis to treating Crohn’s disease, and in the future, it could aid in treating diseases like Alzheimer’s and lupus. The results have been incredible.

“Nearly 175,000 people already have vagus nerve implants to treat conditions like epilepsy,” Dr. Tracey said. He also points out that many of the recommendations of the wellness community — regular exercise, meditation — have been found to help regulate the vagus nerve. Dr. Tracey notes you can’t meditate your way out of the long-term effects of Covid-19. But he does see a connection between stimulating the vagus nerve and improving inflammatory conditions. More research will be required, but so far, the results are promising.

We could also see a reduction in medical costs and risk. Many drugs have deadly side effects and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for a patient. Once approved by the FDA in the coming years, vagus nerve implants will probably be had for a one-time cost of $50,000, instead of recurring annual expenses exceeding that amount for the lifetime of the patient. Ultimately, Dr. Tracey envisions a hybrid world in which a combination of pharmaceuticals and bioelectronic medicine significantly solve the problem of inflammation. 

Yet, it could take a while for these innovations to reach everyday medical care. Dr. Tracey notes there’s usually a 20- to 40-year gap between cutting-edge science and implementation. Despite the challenges of pioneering new ideas, Dr. Tracey believes the tipping point is near. The riddle of inflammation could be solved in our lifetimes, opening up vast opportunities of living longer and healthier. Until then, you’ll find Dr. Tracey working diligently on the next big bioelectronic breakthrough.