How to Enhance Your Immune System | Dr. Roger Seheult

Dr. Seheult uses NEW START (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest, Trust) as a mental model to keep patients’ immune systems robust. Nutrition: largely unprocessed, whole foods. Exercise: mild–moderate, J-shaped curve (too little and too much both raise inflammation). Water: adequate intake plus external water via sauna, hot/cold exposure. Sunlight: daily exposure for skin and eyes. Temperance: avoiding toxins (smoking, vaping, heavy alcohol, etc.). Air: fresh, clean air plus immune-supportive forest volatiles (phytoncides). Rest: 7–8 hours of quality sleep. Trust: community and, for many, faith/spiritual grounding to lower stress and anxiety.

Only ~38% of solar energy is visible light; ~52% is infrared, which deeply penetrates skin and tissue (up to centimeters) and scatters through the body. That infrared exposure stimulates mitochondrial efficiency and drives massive local melatonin production inside mitochondria, which quenches reactive oxygen species and supports the ‘cooling system’ of the cell. Epidemiologic data in Europe and Sweden show that higher sun exposure is associated with lower all-cause, cardiovascular, and even cancer mortality, in a dose–response fashion. Even modest daily outdoor exposure (15–20 minutes) in daylight, especially in winter, appears to benefit insulin sensitivity, triglycerides, and flu risk.

Modern life has created ‘dark days and bright nights’: we spend ~93% of time indoors under blue-heavy, infrared-poor LEDs, behind low-E glass that blocks IR, and then are exposed to screens and overhead lighting at night. This pattern disrupts melatonin, glucose regulation, and mitochondrial function. Practical fixes: get outside daily for at least ~15–20 minutes, even on cloudy days, ideally during lunch if mornings are impossible. Use outdoor light for circadian setting and mitochondrial support, then dim and ‘lower’ lights (lamps vs. ceiling lights) at night, avoid direct screen light, and use darkness/eye masks to protect sleep. Candlelight and fireplaces are low-lux, red/orange dominant and relatively circadian-friendly.

Raising core temperature is not just a symptom—it is a tool. In vitro and animal data show that at ~38–39°C (100.4–102.2°F), interferon production and key JAK/STAT immune signaling jump dramatically, enhancing broad antiviral defense irrespective of virus strain. Traditional hydrotherapy—20 minutes of body heating (hot bath, sauna, or hot towel ‘fomentations’ to sweating), followed by very brief cold exposure and rubbing—likely works by: upregulating interferon and transcription at higher temperature; demarginating white blood cells into circulation during vasoconstriction; and ‘locking in’ heat by peripheral vasoconstriction. These approaches were used effectively in early 20th-century influenza sanitariums and still show promise as low-cost, adjunctive treatments.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a glutathione precursor and mucolytic used clinically for Tylenol overdose and some lung conditions. A double-blind, placebo-controlled winter trial using 600 mg twice daily for several months did not reduce influenza infections but sharply reduced symptom severity: runny nose and sore throat markedly decreased, with an absolute risk reduction on the order of 50% (number needed to treat ≈ 2). Mechanistically, NAC supports redox balance and may disrupt disulfide bonds in von Willebrand factor polymers and mucus, potentially reducing clotting risk in viral pneumonias and thinning secretions. Many people use 600–900 mg 2x/day episodically (e.g., during illness season or early in a cold); long-term continuous high dosing lacks robust safety data, so periodic use is prudent.

Long COVID (symptoms ≥12 weeks) is heterogeneous, but emerging data show impaired beta-oxidation and mitochondrial metabolism in many patients. SARS-CoV-2’s binding to ACE2 removes an important antioxidant pathway (angiotensin II → angiotensin 1–7), worsening oxidative stress in already fragile mitochondria (e.g., in obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dementia). Clinically, some ‘unexplained’ long-COVID dyspnea improves when patients: (1) do early-time-restricted eating (no food after ~5:30 pm) to enhance autophagy and mitochondrial turnover, and (2) deliberately increase daily sunlight/infrared exposure. These are low-risk interventions that, combined with rule-outs for emboli, heart failure, and lung fibrosis, can be powerful adjuncts in recovery plans.

In acute illness you cannot control bed availability or room assignments, but you can strongly influence care quality by demonstrating informed engagement. Families or patients who ask specific, informed questions about lab trends, imaging results, treatment rationales, and next steps tend to put clinicians ‘on their game’ and get more thorough explanation and attention. Being courteous but clearly medically literate—e.g., understanding basics of CBCs, metabolic panels, and disease-specific questions—often matters more than status. Conversely, hostility toward staff backfires. Dr. Seheult even creates patient-facing educational content (e.g., on MedCram) precisely so families can advocate effectively and constructively.