Archives for 2019

Eczema and Diet: How to Fight Eczema in the Gut With Food

January 7, 2019 by Team Asprey

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Eczema — or atopic dermatitis — is a skin condition marked by itchy, inflamed, skin and affects more than 30 million Americans. Though its causes aren’t known, it is linked to asthma, hay fever, and food allergies.
Eczema also seems to be connected to the intestinal microbiome, and research indicates that prebiotics (fiber-rich food that feeds our gut bacteria) might be helpful in preventing and alleviating eczema.
Other nutrients that help eczema include anti-inflammatory fatty acids, micronutrients that support immune function, and phytochemicals.
Conversely, fast food and processed food have been linked to increasing both the prevalence and severity of eczema symptoms.

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If you’re one of the estimated 31.6 million Americans suffering from eczema, chances are just hearing the word eczema is enough to make your skin crawl. The term is a bit of a catch-all to describe a number of skin conditions marked by itchy, red, inflamed skin.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17498413″]

There are a few variations of eczema, including contact dermatitis, which happens as a result of coming in contact with an allergan or other irritant; dyshidrotic eczema, which affects the hands and feet and appears as itchy blisters; and seborrheic dermatitis, a chronic form of eczema that shows up on the scalp, nose, or other oily parts of the skin.

But when people talk about eczema, typically they’re specifically talking about atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, which affects an estimated 18 million adults in the U.S.

Atopic dermatitis tends to strike young and rarely starts in adulthood (so if you’re currently eczema-free, you’re probably in the clear). About 90 percent of eczema-sufferers will experience their first bout with eczema before they blow out the candles at their fifth birthday party.[ref url=”https://nationaleczema.org”]

While doctors and researchers are still trying to pinpoint the exact causes of atopic dermatitis, there are a few likely suspects. For one, there’s a link between eczema and other allergies. About half of the people who have severe eczema also have asthma, and about two-thirds of eczema-sufferers also have hay fever. There seems to be a strong hereditary component as well. Kids with one or more parent that has atopic dermatitis, asthma, or hay fever are more likely to develop eczema.

Certain environmental factors can trigger eczema flare-ups, such as stress, certain fabrics or detergents, or dry skin — as well as what you put into your body. Though not fully understood yet, there’s a definite connection between eczema and food, too, as about 30 to 40 percent of babies and children with atopic dermatitis have food allergies.

Eczema and diet explained

“Eczema is more common in Westernized nations, which is a clue that diet might be involved,” says Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., author of Super Immunity. “Since eczema is a disease that involves both immune function dysregulation and skin inflammation, the pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory properties of foods, plus nutrients affecting the immune system can affect this condition.”

Research lends more support to the eczema-gut link. “Some differences in microbiome profiles and diversity have been noted between patients with eczema and healthy controls, though it’s not clear if there is a specific microbiome profile associated with eczema,” Fuhrman adds. One study showed a connection between antibiotic use in the first year and the development of eczema around age 6 or 7.[ref url=”https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(09)01253-6/fulltext”]This implicates the microbiome by suggesting that eczema may be linked to the disruption of normal gut microbiota by antibiotics.

The immune system factors into the eczema-gut relationship as well. “Many of the body’s immune cells are located in the gut, and the microbiome is deeply intertwined with immune function,” Fuhrman says. “There is also some evidence for a ‘gut-skin axis’ in which substances produced by the microbiome modulate inflammation and itch in the skin.”[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6021588/”]

Eczema and prebiotics

So if a happy gut can lead to happier skin, what should you be putting in your gut to get some relief from eczema? Prebiotics might be a potent ally. Prebiotics are high-fiber foods, like asparagus or artichokes, that fuel your gut biome, which in turn keeps your intestinal cells healthy.

Research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that adding prebiotics to the diets of formula-fed infants reduced the incidence of eczema in the babies’ first six months.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2066015/”] A study published four years later produced similar results showing a link between prebiotics and atopic dermatitis prevention among infants.[ref url=”https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(10)01136-X/fulltext”]

“The best way to keep your gut bacteria healthy is with your diet: to consume prebiotics,” Fuhrman says.

Why not just take a probiotic? Taking a probiotic supplement isn’t necessary for most people, unless you’ve recently taken an antibiotic or have a gastrointestinal condition that warrants probiotic therapy, says Fuhrman. (Prebiotics feed good bacteria, while probiotics are good bacteria.)

“Plus, it’s important to understand that the microbes from a probiotic supplement won’t successfully populate your gut unless they have sustenance, meaning the fiber that will enable them to adhere to the villi lining the gut.”

Translation: you can put all the good bacteria into your belly, but if they have nothing to eat, by way of prebiotic foods, they’ll die off immediately — a shame for your gut and your wallet.

Eating to alleviate eczema

In addition to prebiotics, there are other nutrients that may help atopic dermatitis. A healthy, whole-foods diet in general seems to be one way to avoid eczema. “A study across 53 countries showed that eczema prevalence was lower in nations with greater per capita intake of vegetables, plant protein, fish, and provitamin A carotenoids, such as alpha- and beta-carotene,”[ref url=”http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/17/3/436.long”] Fuhrman explains.

Anti-inflammatory fatty acids

Another rule of thumb when it comes to eating to alleviate eczema symptoms: Integrate nutrients that have anti-inflammatory effects. “Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) during pregnancy has been linked to a lower risk of eczema in several studies,[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537898/”] likely due to the anti-inflammatory nature of these fats,” Fuhrman says. Additional research suggests that consuming omega-3-rich fish at an early age may ward off eczema in infants.[ref url=”https://adc.bmj.com/content/94/1/11″] Fuhrman recommends taking a DHA/EPA supplement and also consuming omega-3-rich foods daily.

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Immune-boosting micronutrients

The immune system relies on several micronutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, and vitamin D, to function properly, and deficiencies can compromise its function. “Vitamin C and provitamin A carotenoids are abundant in colorful vegetables and fruits, and zinc is found in nuts,” Fuhrman says. “I recommend supplementing with vitamin D and zinc,” he says. Because the body can’t store it, you need to replenish each day.

Anti-inflammatory phytochemicals

Phytochemicals found in plants help keep your immune system ticking while keeping inflammation at bay. “Dietary compounds from cruciferous vegetables play very large role in intestinal immune function, maintaining appropriate amounts of immune cells called intraepithelial lymphocytes, and protecting intestinal epithelial cells from damage,”[ref url=”https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(11)01200-1″] Fuhrman says. (Just make sure to cook cruciferous vegetables before eating them to keep them Bulletproof.)

Flavonoids found in berries, green tea, and a host of other foods provide a line of defense as well. “These compounds alter cell signaling pathways leading to reduced inflammation and activation of the body’s natural antioxidant system,” according to Fuhrman. “A high-fiber nutritarian diet is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients that helps regulate immune function and I have seen this help improve and resolve eczema for over 30 years,” he says.

Food and eczema flare-ups

On the flip side, while what you eat may positively impact eczema, it can also exacerbate it. The most obvious culprit? Fast food and processed foods. In fact, a study on allergic diseases in children found that fast food consumption was linked to both prevalence and severity of eczema symptoms. What’s more, this finding was consistent across different regions across the globe.[ref url=”https://thorax.bmj.com/content/68/4/351.long”]

“There are several reasons why fast foods and processed foods may exacerbate eczema symptoms,” Fuhrman says. For starters, there’s the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that are formed during baking and frying and produced in the body when blood glucose is high,[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/”] according to Fuhrman. These can lead to oxidative stress and inflammation. Then there are the negative effects of bad fats. “The large amounts of animal products and vegetable oils can shift the balance toward higher omega-6 versus omega-3 fatty acid intake,” he says.

And of course, the literal gut punch delivered by carbs found in fast and processed foods.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4896489/”]“The lack of fiber in refined carbohydrates harms the gut microbiome,” Fuhrman says. “These are also nutrient-poor, calorie-rich foods that crowd healthful, nutrient-rich foods out of the diet, leading to micronutrient insufficiencies, low phytochemical intake, and weight gain. In adults and children, being overweight or obese increases the risk of eczema. Excess fat is pro-inflammatory.”[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3648822/”]

Unexpected Ways to Build Resilience in 7 Days

January 4, 2019 by Dave Asprey

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One of the most powerful hacks for happiness could be giving up some of the comforts in your life. Forgoing little luxuries every day rewires the mitochondria in your brain.
Giving up small comforts also fosters gratitude for the little things in your life that you probably don’t even notice.
Here are some exercises to help you build resilience and make you tougher. These include taking a cold shower, getting rejected on purpose, and fasting.
If you felt particularly good after one, consider adding it to your daily routine.

[/tldr]

We live in one of the plushest times in human history. You have ready access to more material comforts than you could possibly use. There’s unlimited food, entertainment, distraction, and stimulation, and you can get all of it without leaving your memory foam bed.

And yet, somehow, people are more unhappy than ever before. The percentage of Americans on antidepressants has doubled in the last 15 years, and 40 percent say they are more depressed than previous years.

One of the most powerful hacks for happiness, ironically, could be giving up some of the comforts in your life.

Why resilience makes you tougher (and happier)

I write about building resilience in my book “Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life.” Forgoing little luxuries every day rewires the mitochondria in your brain. Your mitochondria are responsible for telling you when they think your body is about to die – they are the early threat detectors, but they’re dumb. So when they spot a threat that isn’t really a threat, whether it’s a cold shower or social rejection, or any discomfort or fear, they convince you not to do it. You buy into its lies.

When you have enough energy to summon your willpower, you do it anyway. And eventually, when you keep doing it, the threat detector mitochondria reset their alarms. The cold shower that felt like it would kill you 3 days ago is now no big deal. Killing it on stage in front of 10,000 people is no longer a life-or-death, knuckle-clenching experience.

Giving up small comforts also fosters gratitude for the little things in your life that you probably don’t even notice. That cold shower in the morning will make you grateful for the luxury of hot water in a way you’ve never been before. You become thankful for what you have, instead of unhappy because of what you don’t have.

So this week, here are some exercises to help you build resilience, or toughness, by showing your body – and your mitochondria – what you’re really made of. See if you can make it all the way through.

1. Take a cold shower

Skip the hot water when you shower this morning. Go as cold as you can for at least a couple minutes.

Cold water hits that sweet spot of uncomfortable but bearable. You’ll have to overcome the little mental hurdle of “it’s morning and I haven’t had my Bulletproof Coffee and I don’t want to do this,” but as soon as the water actually hits you and you stand for a second, you’ll realize it’s not as bad as your mind was making it out to be.

Cold exposure has major biological benefits, too. It increases your metabolism, elevates feel-good neurotransmitters, makes your mitochondria more efficient, promotes collagen synthesis, and upgrades your body in about a half-dozen other cool ways.

Learn more here about the benefits of extreme temperatures

Quick mental tip: If you’re standing under icy water thinking about how much you want to get out, you won’t make it. Instead, focus on the sensation of cold, or of the water hitting your skin. Stand tall instead of shying away. This is where resilience comes in: accept that you’re uncomfortable, and recognize that it’s going to be okay. It forces you out of your protesting mind and into the present moment. In this way, a cold shower becomes meditative as well as good for your biology.

Stick it out for 2-3 minutes. Congratulations! You’ve completed day one of the resilience challenge.

2. Do a digital detox

The average person consumes 174 newspapers’ worth of information every day.[ref url=”https://rss.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2012.00584.x”] Distraction is always at your fingertips. Feeling lonely? Pull up Facebook. Bored? Read the news. Awkward silence in an elevator? Check Instagram.

Social media is designed to be as stimulating as possible, and when your brain gets used to that level of instant gratification, something like a beautiful sunset or a quiet moment becomes meaningless. No surprise that using social media has strong ties to depression and anxiety. Real life can’t compete with the endless, artificially intense stimulation of technology. Ditching that quick hit of dopamine lets you get back in touch with the simple pleasures of life, which builds happiness and gratitude.

Don’t fill the little moments of your day with social media, news, TV, video games, or politics. Delete all your social media and news apps from your phone for the next 24 hours. You can always download them again. You can also use a free website blocker like SelfControl to keep you off Facebook and news sites while you’re at your computer. Pay attention to when you reach for a distraction, and notice how you feel when you don’t get it. It might be more uncomfortable than you expect. Embrace that discomfort for today.

3. Get rejected on purpose

Try out rejection therapy — when you ask for things you think you won’t get, expecting to hear “no.” I write more about this technique in “Game Changers.” You’ll quickly learn that being rejected isn’t such a big deal. You’ll survive the “no’s,” and you’ll only get tougher the more you hear them. So actively seek out rejection today. Here are some examples of ways to get rejected: Strike up a conversation with a stranger, or ask for a discount the next time you buy something. The results may surprise you, and you’ll likely be rejected less frequently than expected. You’ll realize that people want to help others when given the chance. Humans are awesome.

4. Meditate

A major part of resilience is accepting life as it comes. You can’t choose how things will play out, but you can choose how you respond to them. Meditation helps.

Imagine an ocean. The waves on the surface are the ups and downs of daily life. Meditation lets you dive below the surface. The waves are still there, but they don’t affect you anymore. You’re operating from a place that’s always still.

Life will always have ups and downs. Some will be small, like getting cut off in traffic or being being late to a meeting, and some will be large, like the death of a family member or the loss of a job. Meditation cultivates an inner stillness that lets you stay strong through the bad, and enjoy the good as it comes. Meditation also builds gratitude, happiness, relaxation, humility, mental clarity, and empathy. It puts you in a place where you’re appreciating the positive parts of your life, big and small, so much that you see the challenges far less.

You may be thinking, “I’m not good at meditation. I try to clear my mind but I can’t.” That’s fine. Sit still, close your eyes, and let thoughts come as they will. Simply notice them when they come up. If you start to get frustrated, step back and notice your frustration. Whatever happens, accept it and watch it. You’ll find you get caught up in it less and less.

Here’s a complete guide to meditation, along with a more scientific breakdown of its benefits. Meditate for 20 minutes today.

5. Fast

Go without food today. Stick to black coffee, tea, and water with sea salt in it. We’re used to constant access to food, which makes us take it for granted. Skip it for a day, and a simple breakfast will make you happier than you thought possible. Break your fast tomorrow morning with a delicious Bulletproof breakfast. Steak, eggs, bacon, avocado, coffee — whatever you choose, it’ll seem like the best thing you’ve ever eaten.

Plus, fasting stimulates fat burning, boosts human growth hormone to help you put on muscle, gently stresses your mitochondria so they become more efficient, and replaces old or damaged cells with new ones.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17374948″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26374764″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22386777″]

For the resilience benefits, you want to be hungry today. To get the biological upgrades of fasting without the hunger, though, consider adding Bulletproof intermittent Fasting to your daily routine.

6. Walk everywhere

Or bike, if walking isn’t feasible. Extended, low-intensity movement circulates lymph, bringing nutrients to your cells and removing metabolic waste. It also loosens up your muscles, curbs inflammation, strengthens your joints, and decreases stress. Your body is built to move.

Plus, walking or biking will make you appreciate your car (or even public transportation) on a whole new level. When you’ve been walking everywhere, you won’t get frustrated when you’re caught at a red light – you’ll be thankful you’re in a car.

7. Practice gratitude

Sit down before bed tonight and write out three things you’re grateful for. It’s easy to get caught up in looking ahead, striving for the next thing. Take a moment tonight to appreciate what you have. Gratitude builds mental resilience – when you’re in a positive mindset, stressors and challenges become far easier to handle.

One study found a daily gratitude journal made participants 15 percent more optimistic and improved their sleep quality by 25 percent.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12585811″] It also made them 10 percent happier, which is the same boost to happiness you’d get from doubling your income.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23231724″] Doubling your income takes a lot of time and effort. Gratitude takes 5 minutes each night.

Appreciate the good in your day. Maybe it’s something big, like a promotion at work, or maybe it’s as simple as taking a hot shower this morning, instead of freezing like you did on Monday. Whatever it is, there’s always something to be grateful for. If journaling isn’t your style, here are 10 other ways to practice gratitude.

8. Be mindful

Pay full attention to whatever you’re doing in the moment today. Stay with the present moment. When you’re making coffee this morning, notice every detail – the smell of the coffee beans, the sound as you grind them, the way the steam dissipates into the air. If you’re walking up the stairs, notice every step, how you breathe, the feel of your shoes hitting the floor, and so on. Instead of running on autopilot or trying to multitask, be entirely committed to what you’re doing, right now.

This may sound a little out there, but it’s actually a powerful mental biohack. When you focus on the present, stress and doubt don’t have room to creep in. You’re deeply in touch with the world around you, and you enter a flow state where you’re acting, not thinking. You become effortlessly better at everything you do.

If you catch yourself losing your mindfulness, focus in on something around you. It can be your breathing, the way the light hits the window next to you, the breeze outside, the sound of your keyboard as you type — anything. Noticing details will bring you back to mindfulness. This is a simple and powerful hack to shift your mental state. See how much of today you can spend in the present moment, and see how it changes your performance.

This challenge helps you cultivate resilience in the face of life’s challenges and gratitude for the world around you. Each of these biohacks will help you build a stronger body and mind. If you felt particularly good after doing one, consider adding it to your daily routine.

Easy At-Home Tests Every Biohacker Needs (and Can Do Right Now)

January 4, 2019 by Dave Asprey

[tldr]

Biohacking means paying close attention to how you feel, so that you know which habits make you stronger and which ones make you weak.
Part of biohacking is testing to get a sense of what your body is doing.
There are tests that only doctors and labs can perform, and there are free tests you can do in your kitchen.
Here are things you can test on yourself for free or super cheap, in the comfort of your own home.

[/tldr]

I’m a professional biohacker, and I’m my own ongoing biology experiment. Around the web, there are plenty of pictures of me using expensive machines and getting specialized medical treatments to hack my biology so I can live to 180.

You don’t have to have thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment in your garage, or electrodes stuck to your scalp all the time, to be a biohacker. Biohacking means paying close attention to how you feel so that you know what makes you stronger and what makes you weak.

Part of biohacking is testing to get a sense of what your body is doing. When I first decided to figure out what was making me fat and tired all the time, I measured everything, which made a huge difference. I knew what to focus on first, what to save for later, and what was working well. Testing was such a game changer that I talk about it a lot in my new book, Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life.

As with anything else, you have a range to work with. There are tests that only doctors and labs can perform, and there are free tests you can do in your kitchen. Here are things you can test on yourself for free or super cheap, in the comfort of your own home.

[readmore title=”Try these tests right now from home”]

Nothing in this article can diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. These are for informational purposes only, and if you have any health concerns, seek the guidance of a qualified health professional.

Iodine patch test

Your thyroid needs iodine to function. Around a century ago, the government started adding iodine to table salt to counter goiter — enlarged thyroid from iodine deficiency. After that, iodine deficiency and related problems became a thing of the past.

With more and more people steering clear of processed foods, we’re seeing more and more iodine deficiency. If you’re eating Bulletproof foods or at least paying attention to the quality of your food, chances are, you’re not eating iodized salt or foods enriched with iodine, like sliced bread.

That’s not a good reason to trade your Himalayan pink salt for high sodium table salt — there are other ways to get iodine. It is a reason that people and even doctors think that iodine deficiency isn’t an issue anymore.

How to test yourself for iodine deficiency

There’s an easy way to find out if you’re getting enough iodine. All you have to do is paint a two-inch square of 2% iodine tincture or solution (the orange one, not the clear liquid) on your forearm and let it dry. It will stain clothing, so make sure it’s dry before you do things.

Keep an eye on it every hour or so for the next 24 hours. If it’s still there after 24 hours, you have enough iodine. If it’s gone or fades to a faint yellow before the 24-hour mark, you’ll need to go to the doctor and get tested for iodine deficiency.

The reason this test works is because iodine can be absorbed through the skin. If your body needs iodine, it will absorb into the skin much more quickly than it would if you had adequate levels.

Here are Courtney’s results over a span of eight hours. She has a lab-confirmed iodine deficiency and just started supplementing with iodine pills, but took a week off before this test…for science!

The iodine didn’t change the color of her skin — the sun went down by the 3rd photo so the lighting changed. But you can see, the patch is gone.

Taking your temperature to check thyroid function

Whether you’re deficient in iodine or not, it’s a good idea to check up on your thyroid function. Your thyroid hormones have a direct effect on your cells’ ability to produce energy, and when your cells don’t have enough energy to do what they need to do, a few degrees of warmth are the first to go. Because of this, your core temperature is a reliable indicator of how your thyroid is doing.

Here’s how to test your thyroid

Mercury and basal thermometers will be most accurate, but use what you have.

As soon as you wake up, take your temperature in your armpit. Your sleeve will throw off the reading, so make sure there’s nothing between the thermometer and your skin. Lie still while you take your temperature — movement can throw off the reading quite a bit.

Write down your temperature for four to six consecutive mornings in a row. If you’re consistently under 97.4 degrees F, you want to open up a discussion with your doctor about potential hypothyroidism, and get a full panel of tests. A lot of doctors test TSH only, so make sure you request the tests listed in this article.

Tanna’s temperature was exactly the same every morning, so her thyroid is most likely doing what it’s supposed to do.

Candida spit test

A lot of people have imbalances in their microbiome, the ecosystem of microorganisms that lives in your gut and helps you digest your food and fight infections. Candida albicans is one of the more common yeasts that has a tendency to take over and cause problems.

You can take a blood test to get your levels. There’s also a quick at-home test you can do that lets you know whether it’s time to open up a conversation with your doctor about yeast overgrowth.

When you go to bed, set out a clear glass of water, preferably next to your bed.
When first wake up in the morning, before you brush your teeth or eat or drink anything, collect some saliva in your mouth and spit it into the water. Start a timer.
At the three-minute mark, what do you see? If your blob of saliva developed stringy things, if it’s now at the bottom of the cup, or if your water is cloudy throughout, there’s a good chance you have an issue to address.

It’s not a 100% accurate test, but giving your gut bacteria some love is always a good idea. Here’s how to get in balance or stay there if your gut is in good shape.

Mia’s sample has no strings, it floats, and the water is clear.

Poor man’s tilt test for POTS

If you’ve had some unexplained dizziness, nausea, racing heart, or other symptoms on this list, you might want to look into postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS.

POTS is complex, but in short it’s the body’s inability to maintain blood pressure. You feel it most when you go from stillness to movement, and especially when going from lying down to standing up. Your heart rate kicks up to get the blood pumping.

How to do a poor man’s tilt test for POTS

Lie down. Relax and be still without talking or fidgeting. Have someone else take your pulse for you.
After you’ve been still for 5-10 minutes, count your pulse for 15 seconds, and multiply that by 4 to calculate your beats per minute.
Stand up. Be perfectly still, and be especially careful not to move your legs. Moving your legs affects your blood flow.
Check your heart rate again. Take your pulse at 3, 5 and 10 minutes standing.
Compare. If your heart rate rises by 30 beats per minute and returns to the rate you got when you were lying down, that’s not POTS. If your heart rate stays elevated by 30 beats per minute or continues to rise, and if you feel symptoms (lightheadedness, nausea, dizziness) while standing, bring your results to your doctor and ask to do a formal test for POTS.

Don’t be surprised if your general practitioner hasn’t heard of POTS or dismisses your symptoms. Knowledge around it is still developing. Ask for a referral to a specialist, usually a neurologist or an autonomic specialist, who can do a proper Tilt Table Test.

Even if your heart rate stays where it should, but you have symptoms, you can have the doctor do a more accurate test in the office to be sure.

Rebecca’s heart rate didn’t spike, and she didn’t feel symptoms upon standing.

Burp test for stomach acid

Stomach acid declines as you age, and certain conditions like thyroid dysfunction can affect your stomach acid levels. Your stomach acid might actually be low when you think it’s high, because both conditions can feel like heartburn.

This isn’t a replacement for a real diagnosis, but the burp test can give you an idea of what you’re working with. Do this first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything.

Mix ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in 4 oz of water. Get your timer ready.
Drink it all and immediately start the clock.
See how much time passes until you burp.
Stop timing after five minutes.

People who make enough stomach acid generally burp within two to three minutes. If you went past that without burping, it’s time to open up the conversation with your doctor or nutritionist about low stomach acid. A doctor might follow up with a test involving an electronic pill that detects stomach acidity, or with a test involving removing stomach contents with a gastric tube and testing acidity that way.

It took a while for Betsy to burp, so she’s going to have a little bit of apple cider vinegar with meals and request some testing at her doctor’s office.

It’s your birthright to know what’s happening in your body. Medical doctors aren’t the gatekeepers of information about you. If these experiments spark your curiosity and you want to get a more valid test in the lab, ask your doctor to order it for you. If you get a “no,” try a new doctor or find out how to order tests online. It’s your body and you have a right to know how it’s working so that you can give it what it needs.

Is Your Diet Full of Heavy Metals? Here’s Why You Should Get Tested

January 3, 2019 by Dave Asprey

[tldr]

Heavy metals are everywhere. Your diet is one big source of heavy metal poisoning.
That’s bad news for your mitochondrial function. If you’re dealing with fatigue, autoimmune issues, thyroid problems, or adrenal issues, heavy metal toxicity may be to blame.
A hair mineral analysis or toxic metal test will tell you how much metal you have in your system.
My heavy metal detox tips include going in the sauna, taking activated coconut charcoal and glutathione supplements, and switching to low-mercury fish like sockeye salmon and trout — always wild-caught.

[/tldr]

Bad news first: Heavy metals are everywhere. They’re in the products you use, the air you breathe, and the food you eat. These metals are toxic, and even though your body naturally eliminates them, they can build up over time and make you sick. The good news is that certain heavy metal detox protocols really work, and they can help you feel more energized, focused, and awesome. I should know — I’ve dealt with heavy metal poisoning myself.

Over a decade ago, I used to have a nice lunchtime routine of eating sushi and then doing yoga. That might sound great, but as I write in my book “Head Strong,” I noticed that my balance wasn’t very good on those days. When I skipped the sushi, my balance improved. Because I’m a biohacker, I decided to test this. I took a mercury-binding medication with the sushi, and the problem disappeared.

Why? The mercury in the sushi was messing with my mitochondria, which affected my performance. Don’t let this happen to you. Here’s what you should know about heavy metals in your food — and what you can do about it.

Heavy metals in food: Why they matter

First, a primer on heavy metals: They occur both naturally and as a result of human activity. Some of the most common and damaging heavy metals include arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. You wouldn’t willingly eat metal for lunch, but some foods, like brown rice and leafy green vegetables, are higher in heavy metals than others. These food crops absorb heavy metals from the water, air, and soil as they grow.[ref url=”https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319948.htm”]

“Everyone has some level of heavy metal in their body and they really are part of the underlying root cause of diseases,” says Wendy Myers, a functional diagnostic nutritionist, on this episode of the Bulletproof Radio podcast. Some people are more sensitive than others, which means they have no problem eating mercury-packed tuna rolls all day. According to Myers, if you’re dealing with fatigue, recurrent headaches, autoimmune disease, thyroid issues, or adrenal fatigue, these problems are caused in part by heavy metals.

How does a little bit of lead cause so much damage? Heavy metals hurt your performance and make you feel like crap. They mess with thyroid and adrenal function, interfere with insulin sensitivity, and suppress your immune system.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569681/”] [ref url=”http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/65/1/164″] [ref url=”https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0123742″] [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21473381″] [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12369510″] [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21473381″] They also inhibit mitochondrial function. You might remember your middle school science teacher telling you that mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. Heavy metals impair their energy production, accelerate mitochondrial death, and increase membrane permeability, which allows all the junk to pass through the cells’ protective barrier and wreck shop. [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18501399 “] [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3349094/”]

This is a big problem because your mitochondria drive all your tissue functions. When they aren’t working at maximum capacity, you get mitochondrial dysfunction — one of the main characteristics of aging and disease. Unless you want to deal with aging-related problems like fatigue, excess fat, and brain fog, you’ll want to keep your mitochondria happy. Learn more about why mitochondria are the key to slowing down aging.

The most common foods with heavy metals

You might not even realize how many heavy metals are in your diet, especially since small amounts of certain metals are pretty much unavoidable. For example, you probably consume between 5-10 mcg of lead daily from seafood and vegetables that foods grow in high-lead soil.

With that said, you can make conscious choices to reduce your overall heavy metal exposure. Here’s a quick overview of the most common foods that will weigh you down (because of metal — get it?):

Fish: Unfortunately, all fish have some level of mercury. Farmed seafood is particularly bad because it’s high in heavy metals, pesticides, toxins, pathogens, and environmental contaminants. Limit your consumption of fish that are especially high in mercury, like tuna, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, and swordfish.[ref url=”https://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/oee/mercury/safefish.html”] Instead, eat anchovies, haddock, Petrale sole, sardines, sockeye salmon, summer flounder, tilapia, and trout, which have lower mercury levels. Always opt for wild-caught fish — it has a better nutrient profile, and it’s better for the planet. Learn more about why wild-caught seafood is the smarter choice.
Brown rice: Brown rice contains up to 80% more arsenic than white rice.[ref url=”https://nationalceliac.org/blog/i-have-read-that-there-is-arsenic-in-brown-rice-what-about-brown-rice-flour-as-a-celiac-brown-rice-and-or-brown-rice-flour-are-consumed-daily-advice-or-any-recommendations/”] Rice takes up arsenic from soil and water more readily than other grains.[ref url=”https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm280202.htm”] Arsenic is concentrated in the thin outer layer that gives brown rice its color.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5502079/”] Eat white rice instead — it’s an easily digestible carbohydrate with less arsenic and more flavor. Learn more about why white rice is better.
Leafy green vegetables: Eat your veggies — but not too much. Leafy green vegetables love cadmium, a heavy metal also found in grains.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18676869″] [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17152224″] [ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651315002420″] Reduce your exposure by only eating organic.[ref url=”https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/are-organically-grown-foods-safer-and-more-healthful-than-conventionally-grown-foods/1CE9BCAEC1DA8A7469F54B46878CD591″] Balance your diet with other vegetables in the green zone of the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap, like broccoli, olives, and zucchini.
Unfiltered water: About 30% of plumbing infrastructure in the U.S. contains lead piping, lead service lines, or lead plumbing components, which leaches into your water.[ref url=”https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-03/documents/occtmarch2016.pdf”] Switching to filtered water is one of the simplest ways to reduce heavy metal exposure. Learn more about tap vs. filtered water.

Heavy metal detox tips

Heavy metal exposure is unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean your hands are tied. You have the power to help your body detox the bad stuff, power up your mitochondria, and take your life back.

My most important tip: Test yourself before you wreck yourself. Heavy metal testing — either a provocation test with a chelation agent or a hair mineral analysis — will give you a baseline so you know exactly how much metal you have in your system. You can request these tests from a functional medicine doctor.

Here’s what you can do while you’re waiting for your results.

Sweat it out: Sweating helps your body get rid of toxins.[ref url=”https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/184745/#B30″] Take an infrared sauna — they don’t get as hot, so you can sweat longer. (Just make sure you drink lots of fluids and take salt to replenish the electrolytes your body loses through sweat).
Take glutathione: This powerful antioxidant supports liver enzymes that break down heavy metals. It also supports your immune system and protects your cells.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882944/”]
Exercise: Fat tissue naturally holds onto toxins. When you burn fat, you break down fatty tissue and release those toxins. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one way to kick-start fat burning (and get your sweat on) — but as I say in “Head Strong,” mobilizing these toxins isn’t necessarily a good thing if your body can’t get rid of them. If you feel brain fog after your workout, take a supplement like activated charcoal. Charcoal attaches to toxins so you can more easily flush them out of your system.
Take chlorella: This is a type of algae that works well for detoxing from heavy metal exposure. I often take about 25 tablets when I eat sushi because it helps counteract mercury.

If you’re serious about detoxing, check out this full list of detox methods that really work to cleanse your body and brain. Toxins are a part of daily life. When I reduced my exposure to heavy metals, I felt more balanced — both mentally and physically (thanks, yoga). You don’t have to deal with chronic fatigue and brain fog. When you reduce your exposure to toxins and help your body get rid of the stuff that brings you down, you’ll feel great and perform better. Who wouldn’t want that?

Create the Person You Want To Be – Brendon Burchard #555

January 3, 2019 by Dave Asprey

Brendon Burchard has been on Bulletproof Radio before but because the previous interviews with him ended up being the basis of the second law in the book, Game Changers, it seemed appropriate to have him on the podcast again.

For those of you who may not have heard Brendon’s previous two podcast episodes: He’s the founder of the High-Performance Academy, host of “The Brendon Show,” and is the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestsellers The Motivation Manifesto: 9 Declarations to Claim Your Personal Power, The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive, and The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice.

Brendon Burchard’s educational work has helped people around the globe achieve the results they are looking for in the areas of business, marketing, and personal development. His programs, such as Experts Academy and World’s Greatest Speaker Training, have helped thousands of people.

Enjoy the show!

Follow Along with the Transcript

Create the Person You Want To Be – Brendon Burchard #555

Links/Resources

Website: brendon.com
Facebook: facebook.com/brendonburchardfan
Twitter: @BrendonBurchard
Instagram: @brendonburchard
YouTube: youtube.com/BrendonBurchard

Bulletproof Radio #190, January 2015: “Confidence, Drive, & Power”
Bulletproof Radio #262, November 2015: “Hacking High Performers & Productivity Tricks”

Show Notes

The confidence-competence loop 00:04:00
Put someone in a place of transition or chaos, self-doubt increases 00:06:50
Most people’s lives aren’t aligned 00:12:40
Everyone has “stuff” they need to get over 00:10:30
What you need to do if you want to be high performing 00:15:15
What three words would you love to be described with 00:22:50
Every time I walk through a door… 00:23:50
If you feel hurt or surprised by rejection, it’s a failure of yours 00:28:30
A great story about an Olympic sprinter 00:30:15
20% of people enacted bully type behaviour in the last 60 days 00:36:40
How Brendon used books to get out of his own head 00:49:30
Mind altering is easy to achieve when you live clean 00:51:00

Go check out “Game Changers“, “Headstrong” and “The Bulletproof Diet” on Amazon and consider leaving a review!

If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at Bulletproof.com/iTunes and leave us a 5-star rating and a creative review.

Is Kratom the Answer to the Opioid Epidemic?

January 3, 2019 by Dave Asprey

[tldr]

Kratom is a controversial herb native to Southeast Asia. It seems to have performance-enhancing effects, and a lot of anecdotal reports say it helps manage chronic pain and is a good alternative to opioids like oxycontin and percocet.
However, kratom is potentially addictive, can trigger withdrawal symptoms, and may stress your liver if you take it every day. Kratom is also illegal in some states (although at the time of this article, it is federally legal) and is under review by the FDA and DEA.
There isn’t a lot of research on kratom, and while it has potential benefits, there are also serious potential downsides. You should be careful taking it, and should use it at your own risk.

[/tldr]

Performance enhancers are often controversial. They come in many packages: nootropics that upgrade your brain, muscle builders that enhance your hormone production, delicious coffee drinks that give you more energy — the list goes on. This article is going to talk about a compound that’s been drawing a lot of attention lately: kratom.

A growing collection of biohackers say that kratom boosts mood and gives them energy, and a number of people say kratom helps them manage chronic pain and stay off addictive opiates like oxycontin and percocet. However, the FDA recently released a statement on kratom saying there’s no evidence that kratom is useful, and that they’re concerned about it being addictive and potentially fatal.

Is kratom a performance-boosting supplement or a dangerous drug? Let’s take a clear look at the research on kratom, its possible benefits, side effects and dangers of taking kratom, and kratom dosage.

What is kratom?

Kratom is an evergreen tree (Mitragyna speciosa) native to Southeast Asia. It’s related to coffee, and has been popular for decades in Thailand, where workers either chew its leaves or brew it into a tea and drink it to improve their productivity. Kratom is the most commonly used drug in Thailand,[ref url=”http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-profiles/kratom#control”] despite being illegal there.

In 2016, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced its intention to make kratom a schedule I substance in the U.S. (alongside heroin and cocaine), but eventually withdrew its plan and agreed to research kratom further, after a number of senators and a petition of over 140,000 people protested, saying kratom has valuable medical use, particularly when it comes to pain management.[ref url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/09/30/dea-defies-senators-appeal-to-reconsider-unprecedented-kratom-ban/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.66d530525b62″]

At the time of this article’s publication, kratom is federally legal to possess and use in the United States, although it’s illegal in the following states:

Alabama
Arkansas
Indiana
Tennessee
Vermont
Wisconsin
District of Columbia
Sarasota County, Florida

If you’re outside these states/districts, keep in mind that kratom is in a legal gray area and could become federally illegal soon.

The benefits of kratom

Kratom has been a staple herb in Southeast Asian countries for more than a hundred years, where people use it for:[ref url=”https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781482225198″]

Mood enhancement
Increased energy
Pain relief

Kratom is unusual because it activates opioid receptors in your brain, but kratom is not an opiate, and it’s far, far less potent than opiates like morphine, oxycontin, and heroin.[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-015-1279-y”] Unlike opiates, kratom also influences your serotonin, adrenaline, and dopamine pathways,[ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763412002023?via%3Dihub”] which could explain why people report more energy and improved mood from lower doses of kratom, and relaxed mental clarity at higher doses.

A great number of people report that kratom helps them manage chronic pain and keeps them from taking addictive opiates like oxycontin.[ref url=”http://www.eurekaselect.com/87838/article”][ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00414-015-1279-y”][ref url=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/09/30/dea-defies-senators-appeal-to-reconsider-unprecedented-kratom-ban/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.66d530525b62″] Research in mice has found that kratom is an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25262913″] However, there’s no good research in humans yet.

The downsides to kratom

The FDA and DEA’s main evidence for banning kratom was that it caused 44 deaths in the last five years, and that it’s potentially fatal to the average user.

It turns out those statistics aren’t quite honest; 43 of those 44 deaths were kratom mixed with other drugs, usually stronger opioids like heroin or oxycontin.[ref url=”https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm595622.htm”] The FDA further cited nine deaths in Sweden. They didn’t mention that all nine deaths were from a much more powerful, synthetic variant of kratom called Krypton; none of the deaths were from actual kratom.[ref url=”https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+7901″][ref url=”https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/9ba5da_54f08e1805c34c108ad7199481507d88.pdf”]

That means of 53 kratom-related deaths, 52 involved either heavy-duty opiates or a powerful synthetic variant of kratom. And considering many opiate addicts use kratom to try to deal with opiate withdrawal and get clean, it makes sense that a lot of deaths would be from a mix of kratom and stronger opioids.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18259963″] Kratom by itself doesn’t appear to be nearly as lethal as one might think at first glance.

That said, kratom is not without risk. It seems to have addictive potential — mice given kratom for more than five days in a row suffer physical withdrawal symptoms similar to opiate withdrawal, but milder.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16169018″] Kratom also impairs learning and memory in mice,[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25262913″] and a few case studies (studies of single people) found liver damage from chronic kratom use.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28708700″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25418457″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21528385″]

Kratom dosage and how to take

Kratom is unusual — it has what would seem to be contradictory effects depending on the dose you take.

Lower doses of kratom act like a stimulant, giving you focus and increased capacity to work.

Higher doses of kratom act like a relaxant, easing anxiety and boosting mood.

You can brew kratom as a tea, mix kratom powder into food or drinks, or chew the raw leaves. There’s no research on safe doses of kratom, but the typical dose ranges for pure ground kratom leaf are:

1-5 grams — stimulant effects
5-10 grams — relaxation, pain relief
10+ grams — nausea, diarrhea, and anxiety, followed by deep euphoria (like a strong opioid; avoid doses this high)

It’s up to you to decide whether you want to experiment with kratom. If you do, be careful. It has the potential to be addictive, there are no studies establishing clear dosage, and taking it every day may harm your liver.

If there’s truth to the anecdotal reports that kratom is an effective substitute for opioids, it certainly seems to be better than getting hooked on oxycontin or other pain pills. But if you’re thinking about taking kratom for its energy-boosting or anxiety-reducing effects, you may be better off trying a few nootropics or building stronger mitochondria.

Biohack at your own risk, and always make sure you do your research. These compounds are powerful.

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Archives for 2019

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Eczema and prebiotics

Eating to alleviate eczema

Anti-inflammatory fatty acids

Immune-boosting micronutrients

Anti-inflammatory phytochemicals

Food and eczema flare-ups

Why resilience makes you tougher (and happier)

1. Take a cold shower

2. Do a digital detox

3. Get rejected on purpose

4. Meditate

5. Fast

6. Walk everywhere

7. Practice gratitude

8. Be mindful

Iodine patch test

How to test yourself for iodine deficiency

Taking your temperature to check thyroid function

Here’s how to test your thyroid

Candida spit test

Poor man’s tilt test for POTS

How to do a poor man’s tilt test for POTS

Burp test for stomach acid

Heavy metals in food: Why they matter

The most common foods with heavy metals

Heavy metal detox tips

Follow Along with the Transcript

Links/Resources

Show Notes

What is kratom?

The benefits of kratom

The downsides to kratom

Kratom dosage and how to take

Get on “The Inside Track” with Dave

See What Trouble Dave’s Getting Into on Social

Start hacking your way to better than standard performance and results.

Get on
“The Inside Track”
with Dave