EP 1368
1368. Inside the Mind of the Mad Scientist Rewriting Aging
In this episode of The Human Upgrade, Host Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Theodore Achacoso, founding pioneer of Health Optimization Medicine and Practice, and Boomer Anderson, CEO of Smarter Not Harder and Troscriptions, for a wide-ranging conversation on aging as a cellular and metabolic process rather than a disease. They explore how the Cell Danger Response reshapes mitochondrial energy, inflammation, and repair, why chronic stress, travel, toxins, and circadian disruption push cells into long-term survival mode, and how restoring cellular balance changes resilience and longevity. The discussion covers methylene blue as an electron recycler, LDL cholesterol and detoxification, fasting and ketosis as metabolic signals for repair versus growth, sleep optimization and light exposure during travel, and the role of supplements, nootropics, and neuroplasticity in a Smarter Not Harder framework for sustainable human performance and anti-aging.
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In this Episode of The Human Upgrade™...
Your body does not fail all at once. Aging starts when cells quietly shift into survival mode and never come back out. In this episode, you go inside the thinking of a true medical outlier to understand how stress, travel, toxins, and metabolic overload reprogram cells, shut down energy, and accelerate aging, and how restoring mitochondrial function can reverse that trajectory from the inside out.
Host Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Theodore Achacoso and Boomer Anderson, leaders in Health Optimization Medicine and Practice. Dr. Achacoso is a physician-scientist and the founding pioneer of Health Optimization Medicine, known for his work on cellular networks, metabolomics, and mitochondrial function. Boomer Anderson is the CEO of Smarter Not Harder and Troscriptions, where he focuses on translating complex biology into practical tools for human performance and longevity.
Together, they unpack how cells respond to perceived threats through the Cell Danger Response, why mitochondria control energy, inflammation, and repair, and why chasing disease labels misses the real drivers of aging. The discussion covers methylene blue as an electron recycler, why LDL cholesterol plays a role in detoxification and immune signaling, how fasting and ketosis shift metabolism between repair and growth, and why sleep optimization, circadian rhythm, and light exposure matter even more when you travel. They also explore neuroplasticity, consciousness, nootropics, supplements, and why health optimization works best when you restore balance instead of forcing outcomes.
You’ll Learn:
- What the Cell Danger Response is and how it reshapes aging and performance
- How mitochondria sense stress before symptoms appear
- Why cellular energy controls resilience, sleep, and longevity
- How methylene blue supports mitochondrial electron flow
- Why fasting and ketosis shift metabolism between repair and growth
- How travel, light, and circadian disruption affect aging
- Why very low LDL can impair detoxification and immune signaling
- How supplements and nootropics fit into a Smarter Not Harder strategy
- Why real anti-aging starts at the cellular level, not with disease labels
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Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.
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Keywords: cell danger response podcast, mitochondria aging, mitochondrial dysfunction aging, health optimization medicine, dr ted achacoso, boomer anderson, troscriptions, troscriptions methylene blue, methylene blue mitochondria, methylene blue biohacking, cellular aging podcast, anti aging mitochondria, metabolic stress aging, fasting ketosis metabolism, mitochondrial energy production, neuroplasticity mitochondria, sleep optimization aging, functional medicine mitochondria, smarter not harder biohacking, dave asprey mitochondria
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“Stop looking at the root causes of disease. Look at the root causes of health. When you optimize the cell and give it what it actually needs, whatever happens to the disease is just a beneficial side effect.”
Ted Achacoso
0:00 – Trailer
A fast-paced preview teasing the episode’s focus on cellular aging, mitochondria, and unconventional thinking around health optimization.
1:25 – Introduction & Guest Background
Dave introduces Dr. Theodore Achacoso and Boomer Anderson and frames the conversation around aging, energy, and systems-level health.
3:11 – Health Optimization Medicine Origins
Ted explains why he created Health Optimization Medicine and why optimizing health is fundamentally different from treating disease.
4:26 – Root Causes of Health vs Disease
The group contrasts symptom-focused medicine with identifying the underlying biological conditions that create resilience.
6:15 – Biohacking & Self-Experimentation
Why end-to-one self-experimentation matters and how biohacking gave people permission to test responsibly.
8:19 – Medicinal Plants & Nootropics
Ted discusses his background in pharmacology and psychoactive compounds and how plant medicines inform modern nootropics.
10:35 – Health Optimization Timeline
Why real health optimization takes months, not days, and what people misunderstand about biological repair.
11:25 – Travel & Jet Lag Solutions
How frequent travel stresses mitochondria and which light and timing strategies actually help mitigate jet lag.
13:42 – Cell Danger Response
A clear breakdown of what the Cell Danger Response is and why cells shut down energy when they perceive threat.
17:38 – Metabolites & Cellular Health
How specific metabolites signal growth, repair, inflammation, and seasonal metabolic states inside the cell.
18:57 – LDL & Lipopolysaccharides
Why LDL cholesterol plays a role in binding bacterial toxins and what happens when LDL gets too low.
20:42 – Cellular Model & First Principles
Ted outlines a simple, first-principles model of the body centered on cells, energy flow, and networks.
22:55 – Consciousness & Mitochondria
A discussion on whether consciousness is emergent or inherent and how mitochondria may influence awareness.
25:46 – Nanotechnology Research
Ted shares stories from early nanotechnology and AI-related research and why some work was shut down.
27:44 – Open Source & Autonomy
Parallels between biohacking and open-source software and why owning your biology matters.
28:55 – Giving Back & Service
Why responsibility, service, and early support of innovators matter more than late-stage philanthropy.
31:17 – Blue Cannatine Development
How methylene blue, nicotine, and CBD were combined to solve jet lag and performance challenges.
34:48 – Methylene Blue Products
Why methylene blue acts as an electron recycler and how different dosing formats evolved.
36:22 – Metformin Discussion
The tradeoffs of metformin, its effects on mitochondria, and why cycling may matter.
37:29 – Mitochondrial Aging Theory
How mitochondrial DNA mutations accumulate with age and reduce energy production over time.
38:00 – Dosing & Cordycepin
Ted explains cordycepin, why he uses it for sleep and recovery, and how it fits into his routine.
41:25 – Closing & Discount Code
Final reflections on health optimization and a listener discount for Troscriptions.
Enjoy the show!
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