Bad at Making Decisions? There’s a Scientific Reason for That, Says New Study

March 21, 2018 by Team Asprey

Whether it’s what to order at a restaurant or if you should take a new job, some people are better than others at making decisions — and now a new study demonstrates why. University of Illinois researchers found[ref url=”https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hbm.24032″] that people make decisions differently, according to individual variations in their brain’s neural pathways. One person may be skilled at problem-solving based on healthy neural connections while another person may struggle to make the same decision. The good news is that regardless of how your brain is wired you can improve your ability to make decisions.

Individuals make decisions differently, says study

By analyzing 304 people, researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (BIAST) in Illinois investigated whether individual differences in brain connectivity were associated with decision-making. They used functional MRIs to assess brain connectivity, as well as a comprehensive decision-making assessment called the Adult Decision-Making Competence test to measure six well-established facets of decision-making, including “resistance to framing” and “risk perception.” Findings revealed people make different decisions based upon their individual brain circuitry, specifically in the brain regions associated with executive (reasoning and problem-solving), social (memory and attention), and perceptual (ability to process visual and spatial information) processes.

“People often take different approaches to decision-making. They might apply different strategies, consider different elements of the problem or assign value to the options differently,” says study lead and BIAST psychology professor Aron Barbey. “Our research suggests that neurobiological differences appear to be important when accounting for one’s susceptibility to biases in judgment and for understanding their competence in decision-making.”

The researchers also analyzed the executive, social, and perceptual brain regions to understand their individual contributions to overall “functional brain connectivity” — the interconnected relationship between different parts of the brain that work together toward a specific purpose. “Research indicates that the brain is functionally organized according to intrinsic connectivity networks, which are known to play a central role in specific facets of intelligence. For example, the fronto-parietal network regulates executive functions, the ventral attention network supports attention, and the limbic network underlies emotional and social processing,” says BIAST postdoctoral researcher Tanveer Talukdar.

Furthermore, the researchers found that individual differences in brain connectivity matched differences in brain region engagement. For example, “resistance to framing” (whether individuals’ choices are susceptible to unrelated details in a problem) is associated with the ventral attention network. Researchers think this network helps participants maintain attention to the key aspects of a particular problem, rather than becoming distracted by irrelevant details.

Lifestyle interventions influence decision-making ability

Researchers say further study is necessary to understand how these individual differences in functional brain connectivity are influenced by learning and experience. Next, the researchers intend to investigate how your ability to make decisions can be improved by specific lifestyle interventions like cognitive training, brain stimulation, fitness training, and nutrition. “Decision-making competence is known to be influenced by lifestyle factors, such as social engagement, diet and physical activity,” says Talukdar. “Now we can design interventions that take into account an individual’s functional brain connectivity and the respects in which people differ in their approach to decision-making.”

If you’re consistently making bad decisions, or having trouble even reaching a decision, you reinforce those specific neural pathways, so that you’re conditioned to approach all decision-making the same way, moving forward. But as the researchers point out, lifestyle interventions like diet, cognitive training, and exercise can help rewire your brain circuitry.

Beat decision fatigue and rewire brain circuitry

So what is the secret sauce to making better decisions? Conquer decision fatigue first. Decision fatigue is a well-documented psychological term that refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions after a long session of decision making[ref url=”http://www.pnas.org/content/108/17/6889″]. In other words, if you spend all day making decisions that tax you, by the end of the day, you’ll have a harder time making sound choices. That’s why it’s so hard to stick with a new exercise or diet regimen. You’re challenging yourself to make good choices all day and eventually willpower starts to degrade. To improve your chances of success, minimize the number of decisions you have to make that might pull you off track. Sleep in your gym clothes, meal prep for the week, make fitness dates with friends and put them in your calendar. They sound like small, inconsequential things, but they keep you from having to decide later on what you’ll have for lunch, or whether you’ll go to the gym. That way, you can use your decision reserves to focus on those decisions that truly matter.

While you’re teaching yourself to make better decisions, use this guide on how to strengthen your willpower muscle. Remember: the brain functions like a muscle. The more good decisions you make, the more you reinforce positive brain circuitry.

Decide to focus on the larger goal and minimize distractions

Eager for more inspiration? Listen to this Bulletproof Radio podcast with Michael Fishman, a leading advisor on marketing, positioning, and strategy for health, wellness, and personal development businesses. At minute 9:45, Fishman discusses willpower as it relates specifically to food choices and sugar cravings. “Willpower is a mental capability, but the research seems to show that willpower exists in limited quantities. I knew that it [weight loss] wasn’t about willpower but about having a commitment. I made that commitment, and it was much more about getting across the goal line in the month of May. I just had my eyes on the prize,” explained Fishman. Like Fishman who admits humans have finite willpower reserves, you too can minimize distracting decisions and free up your mind to focus on the larger goal.

The Future is Now, and it is Awesome – Jason Silva – #476

March 20, 2018 by Dave Asprey

What are we all going to do with ourselves when technology takes over?

Futurist and Emmy nominated host of National Geographic’s BrainGames Jason Silva sits down with Dave for an incredibly fascinating chat about where technology can take us.

Jason also takes the opportunity to ask Dave about all sorts of Biohacks. From his take on cannabis and smart drugs, to neurohacking and even how depressing it is to look at boring Buildings!

Plus all about his upcoming live tour. Your special code is JASONLIVE for 15% off.

To quote Jason, “We’re the canvas. We’re the work of art, and rage against the dying of the light.”

This episode of Bulletproof Radio is a wild ride. Enjoy!

Listen to the episode on itunes

Enjoy the show!

Follow Along with the Transcript

The Future is Now, and it is Awesome – Jason Silva – #476

Show Notes

When Jason is “In the Zone.”
On going into a flow state. “But, the hack does leverage inducing a flow state, so it’s figuring out how to get outside of my own way. And so you trust the 10,000 hours in terms of all the reading, all the thinking I have been doing, all the notes I have been taking, and that’s all happening sub-consciously all the time. I just do that by default, but then, when the moment comes that I’m in the beach and with my camera guy, the only real preparation that took place is to make sure that I rested well the night before, and that I have the camera guy around. The actual delivery, that’s the magic that I have to trust. If I take care of all the other variables and all the other triggers, then once I’m in a flow state, it’s going to be meaty.”
How Jason frames his encounters. “but ultimately what I have to remind myself, before I get on stage, is why am I here. What do I care about? Why is this significant to me, and that gives me the psychological permission slip that frames the encounter in a way that I feel, okay, I’m here to tell the truth. I’m here to talk about why this is significant to me. What do I believe?”
“It’s amazing how reverting to honesty and authenticity just clears the way for flow.”
The word psychedelic means to manifest mind. What is the manifestation of the mind, more literally than an iPhone for example?
On not being afraid of disruption. “If all digital technologies are subject to these same exponential growth curves, then what becomes possible is unbounded in any way. It’s beyond our intuition, because our intuition is still linear.”
Dave on Technology: “But, what do you do when you have off-loaded all this stuff? What’s left in there, and what are we going to do with that?”
“They won’t just be amplifications of human capacity. They’ll replace human capacity. And so it raises the philosophical question of what are we going do with ourselves? Because if people don’t have a purpose, if people don’t have a noble aim, they get depressed. They get anxious. I mean, the existential reality of our condition becomes a real burden when you can’t distract yourself with some kind of job that gives you, or fulfills you, with meaning.”
“I’m really into this idea of the unknown unknown. I don’t know that I want what I don’t know about yet.” –Jason
Are we already in virtual reality? “And whatever religion or nationality you are is also virtual reality, and the virtual reality, once you invest yourself in it, becomes real. It bleeds into the real, and so, he says, we already do that, again, with religion, with identity.”
“Also, this idea of the relationship between flow states and your geographical surroundings … that’s huge for me. I remember reading this article called The Psychological Impact of Boring Buildings. It’s all about how bad design, whether is colors, shapes … bad design creates anxiety, adds stress, spikes cortisol. But, the inverse is also true. Good design uplifts mood. Good design boosts cognition.”
“I would urge you to expose yourselves to different cultures. For some reason, I feel really creative when I’m enveloped in another virtual reality, like when I’m in Amsterdam, when I’m in Copenhagen … Just seeing ordinary people go about their day in a different country is fascinating to me.” Jason on travel.
Go check out “Headstrong” and “The Bulletproof Diet” on Amazon and leave a review!
If you like today’s episode, check us out on Apple Podcasts at Bulletproof.com/iTunes and leave us a 5-star, positive review

Low Sperm Count? Study Says It’s a Sign of Bigger Health Problems

March 19, 2018 by Team Asprey

According to the largest study[ref url=”https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180318144836.htm”] to date analyzing semen quality, a man’s sperm count is a marker of his general health. The study of 5,177 male partners of infertile couples evaluated semen quality and reproductive function and found a direct correlation between low sperm count and diabetes, heart disease, and stroke risk in these men.

Low sperm count is associated with metabolic symptoms leading to diabetes, heart disease, and strokes

Specifically, researchers observed that men with low sperm counts (less than 39 million per ejaculate) are 20 percent more likely than men with normal sperm counts to have greater body fat — larger waistlines and higher body mass indices (BMI) — higher blood pressure, higher “bad” LDL cholesterol, and lower “good” HDL cholesterol. The men with lower sperm counts showed more signs of metabolic syndrome – this cluster of symptoms that puts these men at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Men with low sperm counts also showed signs of insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. Finally, men with low sperm counts are 12 times more at risk for hypogonadism or low testosterone levels, which is linked to osteoporosis or low bone mass, among other symptoms.

“Our study clearly shows that low sperm count by itself is associated with metabolic alterations, cardiovascular risk and low bone mass,” says the study’s lead investigator and associate professor of endocrinology of Italy’s University of Brescia, Alberto Ferlin, M.D., Ph.D. “Infertile men are likely to have important co-existing health problems or risk factors that can impair quality of life and shorten their lives.”

Mitochondrial health is key to fertility

In his Bulletproof Radio podcast interview with Dr. Walter Crinnion, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in environmental toxins, Dave points out that fertility is a basic sign of how resilient your body is. “If you’re at the age when you should be fertile and you’re not, something is really wrong, and you’re probably not going to live as long as you should,” he says. It all comes down to the mitochondrial strength of your semen. Mitochondria are the battery packs of your cells that power all biochemical functions. “If your swimmers aren’t swimming, the odds are that your heart isn’t pumping the way it could be. Your brain isn’t thinking the way it could be, and it all comes down to these little mitochondria,” Dave explains. If they aren’t vibrant and healthy, chances are their distress will show up in other parts of your body – your heart and brain – as well.

So how do you fix damaged mitochondria? According to Dr. Crinnion, the first step is to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins, like mold, pollution, pesticides, and chemicals found in processed foods, plastics, and personal care products. “Over 80% of the toxicants rolling around in our bloodstream are non-persistent. If you stop having them come in your nose or in your mouth or on your skin, they’re not going to get there. Give them two weeks, three weeks, you don’t have anymore.” Listen to the podcast for more mitochondria hacks that will help your chances of fertility and keep you healthy overall.

Eat meat and high-quality fats to increase sperm count

Fortunately, there are many practical steps you can take to boost your sperm count. A four-year study[ref url=”http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(14)01556-8/fulltext”] found that a meat-based diet is beneficial for male fertility. Specifically, the study found that vegetarians and vegans had an average of 51 million sperm per milliliter, compared to 70 million sperm per milliliter amongst the meat-eaters studied. That amounts to nearly 30 percent fewer sperm in those who don’t consume meat.

Whether you’re a vegetarian or carnivore, what’s most important is that you’re getting enough good fat. Good fat is essential to your body making testosterone — read here to learn how your body makes testosterone from cholesterol. Good fat sources are low-mercury fatty fish, grass-fed butter, and meat. Even ice cream made this way is a good-fat, vegetarian-friendly option.

Supplement with maca to improve sperm motility

Maca is a root that grows in the Andes Mountains. One study found that both 1.5g and 3g daily doses of maca increased sperm count and sperm motility – that is to say, sperms’ ability to move freely through a woman’s reproductive system[ref url=”https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4771/6c730d8185443208a1ae365ab6539cb1793d.pdf”].

Aim for gelatinized (cooked) maca, as raw maca contains anti-nutrients and extra starches. Also, some maca gets moldy, which can affect cognition. If you feel like you lose mental clarity after taking it, try switching brands. Our recommended brand is Gaia MacaBoost (It’s paired with ginger and cacao, which makes it taste far less pungent than pure maca powder.)

Dose: 3-5 grams (1-2 tablespoons)

How to take: With a fat source (maca is fat-soluble)

The Science Behind PEMF Therapy and How It Can Fix Your Pain

March 19, 2018 by Dave Asprey

Mitochondria, the battery packs of your cells, and how strong they are affects everything you do. What if you could charge up your mitochondria directly — in a sense, plug them in? PEMF therapy comes pretty close.
PEMF therapy uses bursts of low-level electromagnetic radiation to heal damaged tissues and bone, to relieve injury-related pain, and even to stimulate organs.
It’s a safe level of EMFs. The therapeutic frequency of PEMFs look a lot like the frequencies you encounter in nature, so your body knows how to deal with it. Most PEMF treatments and maintenance will fall in the 5-30 Hz range, which is less than you get from a thunderstorm.
Research has demonstrated that PEMF healed bones faster, helped regenerate parts of the liver that had been removed, reduced pain from arthritis and more.

At Bulletproof, there’s a lot of talk about mitochondria, the battery packs of your cells. How many mitochondria you have and how strong they are affect everything you do — from performing better to living longer. There are ways to boost your mitochondria through diet and lifestyle. But what if you could charge up your mitochondria directly — in a sense, plug them in?

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy comes pretty close. All by transferring energy, PEMF has been used to improve functions like:

Rate of injury healing
Immune function
Sleep
Depression
Physical energy
Bone healing and density
Circulation

But does it work? Read on to find out the mechanism behind PEMF benefits, whether it’s harmful like the EMFs you hear about, and whether it can help you.

What is PEMF therapy?

PEMF therapy uses bursts of low-level electromagnetic radiation to heal damaged tissues and bone, to relieve injury-related pain, and even to stimulate organs.

The idea is that pulses at low frequencies will pass through the skin and penetrate deep into muscle, bones, tendons, and even organs to activate the cell’s energy and encourage its natural repair mechanisms.

PEMF is catching on as a non-invasive way to approach injuries, chronic pain, and even chronic conditions like depression and diabetes.

Wait, are EMFs dangerous?

You may have heard that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that come from things like wireless routers, microwaves, and airplanes disrupt your biology. EMFs can alter your DNA[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00420-003-0446-5 “][ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167488904002228 “][ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0928468009000145 “][ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047637403001258 “] and reconfigure your genes,[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0928468009000169 “][ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383571805000914”] which can leave your cells not really knowing what to do. That can result in a lot of havoc, ranging from being tired all the time or ending up with DNA damage and cancer.[ref url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bem.10162/full”]

PEMF therapy isn’t the same thing. Frequency and duration make all the difference.

EMFs fall on a wide spectrum — everything from x-rays and satellites to your wireless headphones emit EMFs at different frequencies. High-frequency EMFs, like X-rays that register frequencies in the hundred quintillion Hz range (yes, that’s a number and it’s big) are the most disruptive to your body. That’s because they are ionizing — which means they have enough energy to break electrons off of atoms, which charges them. This changes the way your cells work.

Even non-ionizing EMFs in the middle frequency (example: microwaves register around ten billion Hz) range can cause changes in your DNA and disrupt your circadian rhythm.

The therapeutic frequency of PEMFs look a lot like the frequencies you encounter in nature, so your body knows how to deal with it. Most PEMF treatments and maintenance will fall in the 5-30 Hz range, which is less than you get from a thunderstorm.

What’s more is that, PEMF treatment is pulsed and brief, so you don’t have extended exposure like you would sitting under a cell phone tower all day. Most PEMF treatments last 10-20 minutes and deliver short bursts the whole time, instead of constant exposure. So, you can get all of the benefits of PEMF without the negative effects that come with man-made EMF sources like electronics.

Why PEMF therapy works

The idea behind it is that the energy pulses penetrate and stimulate cells at the injury site, and everywhere around it.

In an episode of the Bulletproof Radio podcast, PEMF expert Dr. Gary Ryan, known as “The Energy Doctor,” explains, “Based on a lot of research that was done at Yale, it is apparent that just about any pathology in the body is preceded by a drop in cell charge. Now we have technology that will reach down to the level of a cell that has lost charge and, due to the high intensity of the pulse, bring that pulse back to normal or a more normal situation, which allows it to replicate and produce a more normal cell.”

So, introducing a low-level electromagnetic field into the body can bring those charges back up and restore healthy electrochemical exchanges.

PEMFs stimulate every level of the body. You apply mats, pads, rings or paddles externally, and the electromagnetic pulses of energy penetrate the body at the cellular level. Your body then uses that energy to heal itself through its natural healing mechanisms. Depending on the extent of the issue, PEMFs can address a slight imbalance quickly, like a pulled muscle, or it can work to bring about a more substantial change over time, like restoring a sluggish organ system.

What science says about PEMF therapy

The mechanism sounds pretty convincing, but PEMF research under controlled conditions will uncover whether or not PEMF is effective. Here’s what scientists were able to demonstrate about PEMF therapy so far:

PEMF measurably reduced pain and swelling following plastic surgery[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19371845″]
A sizeable body of research shows that PEMF helps slow-healing tibial fractures fuse[ref url=”https://josr-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1749-799X-7-24 “][ref url=”https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/abs/10.1302/0301-620x.72b3.2187877?journalCode=bjj&”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2140080/”]
A small study demonstrated that PEMF therapy reduces pain from chronic pain conditions and fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670735/”]
Animal studies show the potential of PEMF therapy in regenerating nerve fibers in the spinal cord and peripheral nerves, which is promising for the future of regenerative medicine[ref url=”https://www.nature.com/articles/sc19762″]
In cell cultures, PEMF treatment seemed to activate lysozyme, which is a major step in the bone regeneration process.[ref url=”http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/7094473″]
Treatment with PEMF improved osteoarthritis by keeping cartilage from breaking down[ref url=”http://www.oarsijournal.com/article/S1063-4584(03)00083-9/abstract”]
PEMF impacted the growth of bone cells in cell cultures, which formed bone tissue in lab tests[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12111759″][ref url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jor.20862/full “][ref url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jor.1100180417/full”]
In a small study, people with rotator cuff injuries went through PEMF therapy, and all participants had either reduced or eliminated symptoms.[ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673684922190″]
Just one month of PEMF treatment improved pain and functional performance in arthritis patients[ref url=”https://ozonoterapia.ozotec.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Estudo-sobre-Magnetismo-Trock-1993.pdf”]
PEMF therapy helped regenerate the liver faster in rats who had part of the liver removed[ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368379109031404 “][ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368379709009836”]

Where to get PEMF treatments

You can get PEMF therapy one of two ways: you can go to a professional, usually a physical therapist or chiropractor, or you can get PEMF equipment to use at home.

Currently, insurance doesn’t cover the cost of PEMF therapy, so prepare to pay $30-60 per session. If extended therapy is needed, usually the clinic will offer session packages that will save you some money over the course of your treatment. If you’re in the Santa Monica, California area, you can hit up Bulletproof Labs for PEMF treatments.

Or, you can get your own equipment. PEMF devices aren’t classified as regulated medical devices, so you don’t need to be a doctor or a chiropractor to buy a PEMF device. If you can afford it, you can get a PEMF mat, pad, or ring. Affording it is the tricky part. The cheapest PEMF mats go for $1,300 or more, and the prices go up from there. As with anything, you get what you pay for, and higher-quality devices run into five figures.

It’s completely reasonable to pay a couple hundred dollars for a series of sessions to treat a sore shoulder that’s been bugging you for decades, or to help a recent injury along.

PEMF therapy is one of those things you have to experiment with yourself to see if you notice improvements. A one-off treatment may not do much, but a full course might surprise you. With scientific backing and no side effects, it’s worth a chat with your chiropractor about PEMF therapy.

How Selegiline Protects Your Brain and Keeps You Young

March 16, 2018 by Dave Asprey

Everyone is looking for that magic pill to make you run faster, jump higher, think faster, and live longer. That may not exist for now, but there’s one prescription drug that people swear by to increase lifespan and brain functioning, even though it’s minimally researched and not widely prescribed: selegiline.
There are billions of brain cells in the brain, and they communicate with each other through neurotransmitters.
One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine, the reward and pleasure brain chemical. An enzyme called MAO-B makes sure you don’t have too much, but MAO-B starts to rise after age 45 which tanks your dopamine.
Selegiline slows down MAO-B so it breaks down less dopamine. It also protects surrounding brain cells, strengthens them, and helps you make new brain cells.

Is selegiline the answer to keeping you young?

Everyone is looking for that magic pill to make you run faster, jump higher, think faster, and live longer. That may not exist for now, but there’s one prescription drug that people swear by to increase lifespan and brain functioning, even though it’s minimally researched and not widely prescribed. You’ll read about the smart drug in a minute, but first, a little on how everything works together in the brain, so that you can understand the action of selegiline. Read on to find out how a smart drug (aka nootropic) called selegiline might strengthen your brain and make you live longer.

Brain cells, neurotransmitters and dopamine

There are billions of brain cells in the brain, and they communicate with each other through neurotransmitters. One type of neurotransmitter is dopamine.

Dopamine is a brain chemical that is involved in emotions, pleasure sensations and the brain’s reward and motivation mechanisms. Dopamine also helps you control movement, which is why dopamine deficiency leads to Parkinson’s Disease.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9457173″]

So, you want to load up on dopamine, right?

Not exactly — you want just the right amount. Too much dopamine can lead to psychosis, euphoria, aggression, paranoia, and other things you don’t want. Luckily, the amazing human brain has a mechanism in place to keep your dopamine in check. You naturally produce an enzyme called monoamine oxidase B, or MAO-B, that eats up extra dopamine.

What does MAO-B do

MAO-B is an enzyme that hangs around the membranes of your mitochondria (your cells’ battery packs) in the brain. MAO-B eats up neurotransmitters, including dopamine.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17447416″] [ref url=”https://doi.org/10.1021%2Fjm031087c”]

Okay, so you want to make sure you have a ton of MAO-B, then?

Nope. Again, you want just the right amount. If you don’t have enough MAO-B, your dopamine climbs and you could have some severe effects, like detaching from reality. Too much MAO-B and your dopamine tanks, which can make you feel unmotivated, unable to feel pleasure, withdrawn, emotionally flat, you may have problems with libido or concentration…the list goes on and on.

On top of that, MAO-B puts surrounding cells in harm’s way simply by doing its thing. The enzymatic destruction of neurotransmitters releases free radicals, which subject surrounding cells to oxidative stress and destruction. That’s a problem if you like having as many working brain cells as you can.

As with everything, balance is key.

Unless you’re dealing with neurological or psychological issues, the MAO-B checks-and-balances system serves you well until about age 45. Around then, your MAO-B levels start to rise year over year, which means dopamine starts to break down faster than you replenish it. After years of steady decline, dopamine levels are severely low in the elderly.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6428148 “][ref url=”null”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15247489″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9390776″]

Hack your brain with selegiline

People are starting to hack their dopamine breakdown with selegiline, also known as deprenyl. Selegiline blocks the enzymatic activity of MAO-B, which slows the breakdown of neurotransmitters, including dopamine.

Since Parkinson’s disease has a lot to do with how your dopamine is working, doctors prescribe selegiline in pill form to treat early-stage Parkinson’s disease, specifically for the movement problems that arise. Typically, doctors will prescribe dopamine precursors alongside it.

Together, they do double-duty to increase the available dopamine — first, by making extra dopamine, and second, by blocking the enzyme that destroys dopamine.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1686954″]

There’s also a selegiline patch (EMSAM) that doctors prescribe to treat major depression, and it doesn’t affect sexual function like other antidepressants do.[ref url=”http://www.jad-journal.com/article/S0165-0327(13)00507-7/fulltext”]

Selegiline protects nerves

Helping MAO-B chill out is only part of the program. Selegiline increases neurotrophic factors, compounds that strengthen existing neurons and support the growth of new neurons. It also increases superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant that breaks down harmful substances in cells to help avoid tissue damage that leads to hardening of the arteries, heart attack, stroke and other inflammatory conditions.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12194501″] Both of these selegiline benefits have nothing to do with its effects on MAO-B.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7931225 “][ref url=”https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11546706_Neuroprotective_actions_of_selegiline “][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11813232 “][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8030852/”]

Selegiline for longevity

Selegiline could make you live longer. A handful of animal studies in the 1980s and 1990s showed measurable increases in the lifespan of rats after supplementing with selegiline.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8030852/ “][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3147347 “][ref url=”ttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8030851 “][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2118586″] One study showed that giving rats selegiline not only made them live longer but also restored some behaviors that are typical of younger rats, particularly mating behaviors.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3147347”] These results make sense, because you cannot live once dopamine drops too low.

People without neurodegenerative disorders may benefit from low doses of selegiline to prevent excessive MAO-B, and resulting drops in dopamine, especially after age 45. The maintenance dose to prevent MAO-B toxicity is much lower than the dose prescribed for Parkinson’s or depression — instead of administering selegiline daily, you might take a lower dose only a few times per week.

How to get selegiline

Selegiline is a prescription medication, so you’ll need to get it from your doctor. MDs may not readily prescribe selegiline to protect your brain or increase your motivation. If you don’t have Parkinson’s or major depression, your doctor will most likely consider it off-label use.

You might have better luck talking to a functional or integrative medicine doctor about it — they may be more likely to acknowledge the protective and preventive benefits of selegiline. It’ll vary from doctor to doctor, and most insurance companies will deny claims for drugs without the proper diagnosis to go with it. So, if you doctor goes for it, be prepared to pay for selegiline out-of-pocket.

The downsides of selegiline

Selegiline interacts with other psychoactive medications and some over-the-counter medicines like dextromethorphan (an ingredient in some cough suppressants).[ref url=”https://doi.org/10.2165%2F00002018-199819010-00002″] Your prescribing doctor or pharmacist can check your meds for interactions so you don’t get yourself into trouble.

There are physical and mental side effects to oral selegiline, like nausea, sleep disturbances, impaired movement control, changes in heart rate, confusion, and more. A lot of the side effects are because of extra dopamine, which your doctor can remedy by scaling back on L-DOPA and other dopamine precursors that doctors prescribe alongside selegiline.[ref url=”https://www.drugs.com/international/selegiline.html”] If you’re starting with good dopamine levels and supplementing with selegiline, you might notice the effects of too much dopamine.

Side effects for the patch form aren’t as severe. Users report irritation at the site of application, sleep disturbances, and digestive troubles, among other more mild side effects.[ref url=”http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2014/021336s005s010,021708s000lbl.pdf”] Manufacturers of the selegiline patch warn of an increased risk of suicide, as do all antidepressant medications.[ref url=”https://doi.org/10.1056%2FNEJMp078015″]

People who use low-dose selegiline for longevity notice positive changes in motivation, energy, concentration, and more. If that’s you, enjoy the benefits! If you try it and you notice problems with attention, anxiety, sleep, or other negative effects, it might not be for you. Keep your prescribing physician apprised of any side effects, and monitor your behavior closely.

And when you start any new supplement or smart drug, consider whether it’s worth popping pills if you eat garbage, if you spend a lot of time on the couch, and have an unhealthy, stress-filled lifestyle. The most basic recipe for living a long time is to stop doing the things that make you weak, then add in the things that help you operate at max power.

The Healing Power of Oxygen-Dr. Paul Harch #475

March 15, 2018 by Dave Asprey

You’re going to love today’s episode, because we go deep, so to speak, on something called hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

This is something that has broad applicability to almost anything that you might want to do, e.g., be more resilient, perform better, recover faster or recover from almost any disease you can think of, regardless of whether it’s short-term or long-term.

Dave Asprey chats with Dr. Paul Harch, one of the world’s top medical professionals in the field in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

To quote Dave, Dr. Harch is a “total oxygen bad ass.”

Enjoy the show!

Follow along with the Transcript

The Healing Power of Oxygen-Dr. Paul Harch #475

Links/Resources for Dr. Paul Harch

HBOT.com

http://oxygenetherapy.com

Show Notes

“It changed my life, and specifically the powerful results I saw clinically with patients in the way it changed their lives, just left me no choice. I couldn’t walk away from it. You go through life, and you watch pitchers come across the plate, and when this finally came, it was so powerful that I had to take a swing, and I did. It’s been very rewarding.” Dr. Harch on Oxygen Therapy.
“People don’t realize it, but it affects the brain.”
On aging. “For if we look at what normal aging is, which is a DNA based process, and we now know how hyperbaric oxygen works, which is through gene expression and suppression, it makes all the sense in the world. That this can be done as an ongoing process, not only to combat our every day toxins, wounding, exposures and so on, but just potentially the process of aging.”
“There’s kind of two forms of hyperbaric treatment. One is, just pressure and the other one is, pressure plus breathing oxygen or pressure with oxygenated air.”
What happens if you’re just playing with pressure on the body? I have a piece of gear at Bulletproof labs in Santa Monica in one of my house that lets me decrease pressure on the body, to go up to 22,000 feet elevation. Then come down to sea level and sort of rapidly cycle through different pressure things, which triggers nitric oxide and all. -Dave on his personal biohacks.
What if you don’t breathe pure oxygen, what if you’re just under compressed air, is that enough?
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Follow Along with the Transcript

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Follow along with the Transcript

Links/Resources for Dr. Paul Harch

Show Notes

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
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