EP 1431
1431. The Wild New Theory of Cancer (It’s GOOD For You?)
Host Dave Asprey sits down with Patrick Coles, a chemical engineer, biochemist, and physicist who serves as Chief Scientist at Normal Computing and previously led the near-term quantum computing group at Los Alamos National Lab, why toxins, not genetics, appear to be the common thread behind nearly every chronic disease, Patrick’s Toxin Sequestration Theory, which reframes cancer tumors not as malignant accidents but as tissue the body builds on purpose to sequester and store toxins away from healthy tissue, why cancer cells actively pull in toxins like deuterium, oxalates, heavy metals, and seed oils rather than being damaged by them accidentally, the medical research showing oxalate levels up to ten times higher inside breast tumor tissue compared to normal tissue, why chemotherapy ranked as the most tissue-damaging toxin when Patrick asked AI to compare it against cigarette smoke, alcohol, and microplastics, what happens inside the body when chemo bursts open a tumor and releases its stored toxic load back into circulation, how the body’s toxin storage works as a tiered hierarchy, starting with the liver, kidneys, and fat tissue, escalating to moles, cysts, and lipomas, and finally to tumors themselves, the phenomenon of spontaneous tumor regression, where patients who lower their toxic burden through diet and lifestyle have documented tumor shrinkage or disappearance without conventional treatment, and how circadian rhythm, light exposure, and sleep timing affect the body’s ability to excrete toxins. Essential listening for anyone serious about biohacking, functional medicine, mitochondrial health, longevity, and rethinking one of the most misunderstood diseases in modern medicine.
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In this Episode of The Human Upgrade™...
Cancer might not be the enemy your doctor says it is. What if tumors are actually your body’s emergency detox system, built on purpose to protect you from something far more dangerous?
Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR
Host Dave Asprey sits down with Patrick Coles, Ph.D., Chief Scientist at Normal Computing, where he develops novel computing hardware for AI applications. Previously a Staff Scientist at Los Alamos National Lab, Coles led their near-term quantum computing group and made significant contributions to quantum computing theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley and a Master of Philosophy in Biochemistry from Cambridge, and he’s currently developing a new theory for cancer and chronic disease, the subject of this conversation. His rare combination of hard physics and deep biochemistry gives him a radically different lens on one of medicine’s most misunderstood diseases.
Coles lays out his Toxin Sequestration Theory, a framework that reframes cancer tumors not as malignant accidents but as intentional storage vaults the body builds to sequester toxins, heavy metals, seed oils, mold, and excess glucose, away from healthy tissue and mitochondria. He and Dave connect the dots between this theory and chronic disease, biohacking fundamentals, and why chemotherapy itself behaves as a toxin that can backfire. They dig into oxalates, deuterium, linoleic acid, circadian biology, and the detox protocols that support the body’s natural ability to shrink these toxic reservoirs.
This conversation challenges the mainstream genetic theory of cancer, explores the metabolic theory popularized by Thomas Seyfried, and lands on a radical, functional medicine-aligned framework for anyone serious about longevity, anti-aging, and human performance. Dave and Coles also break down how sleep optimization, fasting, ketosis, and a carnivore approach to nutrition support the body’s detox hierarchy, from fat tissue and the liver to moles, cysts, and eventually tumors themselves.
This is essential listening for anyone serious about biohacking, functional medicine, mitochondria health, brain optimization, nootropics, and taking full control of their metabolism and longevity.
You’ll Learn:
- Why toxins may be the root cause of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism, and most chronic disease
- How Toxin Sequestration Theory reinterprets tumors as the body’s backup detox organs
- Why chemotherapy ranks among the most tissue-damaging toxins, and what happens when a tumor bursts
- The role of oxalates, deuterium, heavy metals, and seed oils in cancer cell hoarding
- Why moles, cysts, lipomas, and nodules may be minor versions of the same detox response
- How circadian rhythm, sleep, and light exposure affect the body’s toxin excretion cycles
- What spontaneous tumor regression reveals about lowering your toxic burden
- Why tracking tumor progression matters no matter which treatment path you choose
Keywords: toxin sequestration theory, cancer theory, Patrick Coles, quantum computing scientist, thermodynamic computing, Normal Computing, Los Alamos National Lab, chemotherapy toxicity, oxalates cancer, deuterium toxin, Stephanie Seneff, heavy metal detox, mycotoxins tumors, seed oils cancer, linoleic acid, oleic acid oxidation, lipid peroxidation, glucose toxicity, mitochondria downregulation, genetic theory of cancer, metabolic theory of cancer, Thomas Seyfried, spontaneous tumor regression, backup detox organ, circadian rhythm cancer, mold toxins, forever chemicals, microplastics, bile flow, activated charcoal binders, cholestyramine
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"When people die of cancer, they die of toxic overload, not of the tumor.”
Patrick Coles
00:00 – Trailer
A quick preview of the episode’s biggest claims and hooks before the full conversation begins.
00:58 – Introducing Patrick Coles
Dave introduces Patrick’s background in chemical engineering, biochemistry, quantum computing, and his time at Los Alamos National Lab.
04:08 – Toxin Sequestration Theory
Patrick lays out the core idea that toxins, not genetics, are the common thread behind most chronic disease.
06:26 – Defining a Toxin
Patrick and Dave break down what actually qualifies as a toxin and why dose determines toxicity.
14:13 – Cancer as Backup Detox Organ
Patrick reframes tumors as tissue the body builds on purpose to sequester and store toxins.
15:01 – History of the Theory
Patrick traces the roots of this idea back through traditional Chinese medicine and modern researchers like Stephanie Seneff and Tom Cowan.
16:30 – Deuterium and Oxalates
Patrick explains how specific toxins like deuterium and oxalates get hoarded inside tumor tissue.
21:31 – Cancer Theories Compared
Dave and Patrick compare toxin sequestration theory against the genetic and metabolic theories of cancer.
28:06 – Chemotherapy and Toxic Overload
Patrick explains why chemotherapy ranks as one of the most tissue-damaging toxins and what happens when it bursts a tumor open.
37:23 – Tiered Toxin Storage System
Patrick describes the body’s hierarchy of toxin storage, from fat and organs to skin growths to tumors.
45:17 – Diet, Light, and Circadian Rhythm
Dave connects circadian biology, light exposure, and diet timing to the body’s ability to clear toxins.
50:39 – Detox Protocols and Binders
Patrick and Dave discuss binders, bile flow, and detox strategies that support the body’s natural toxin clearance.
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