Source Material for next Decoding Academia
Added 2023-09-16 11:37:05 +0000 UTCThis is going to be something of a Decoding Academia / Decoding Guru crossover as we will be playing clips and discussing features of the presentation, etc. However, the topic of conversation between Attia and Huberman is a 'journal club' discussing two papers and giving advice on "how to read scientific papers".
In many respects, this is a bit like a bizarro orld (better produced) decoding academia with two people who have academic expertise but rather different approaches and personalities than Matt and I.
If you want a preview of what I thought, see this thread: https://x.com/C_Kavanagh/status/1701852380638466159
The papers are linked in the descriptions on YouTube.
Enjoy!
P.S. We will also release this episode on the main feed but probably a week or two later.
Comments
My issue with 90% of the Huberman 'protocols' is the unstated major premise that humans are 99.9995% ideal, with that 0.0005% 'pug in download' all that is needed to boost up to the next level and live that additional 25 years with a ripped bod, perfect teeth, and irrepressible sex drive. It's exactly the same major premise that appears in so many spiritual practices (gnostic, yogic, etc) where humans are 'almost there'.... it just requires 30 years meditating in an ashram, or accepting Jesus, or practising 10 years of jiujitsu, chanting a bespoke sacred mantra, an all meat diet, etc, etc, etc, etc. I feel the roots of this impulse come from an understanding that we are temporal and physically and mentally bare the culmination of our micro choices, but the premise that within this truth lies the opportunity to 'ascend the very process itself' seems to be where cognisance shifts into imagination.
Ymirsdreams
2023-09-17 20:07:34 +0000 UTCThese optimizer/anti-aging types really want there to be these Fountain of Youth things that will improve or extend their lives. So my sense is they start far from a place of scientific neutrality--the research to them is more about confirming what they want to believe about their pet elixir. The null hypothesis--that something like metformin doesn't have major health benefits for all--is less entertained. (Have only half-listened to half their podcast to so my take could be wrong.)
Daniel
2023-09-17 19:01:01 +0000 UTCIt sounds like you've been through the ringer, Emma. Yes, visual disturbances should have been a huge red flag. I too wish you the best with your surgery. Your and Artemis's experiences explain why the health optimization stuff is so frustrating to me. I wish that all that intellectural energy, expertise, and resources could be put towards helping people who have real medical problems that are not being dealt with at a price that is reasonable and humane. But doing that kind of work is not "sexy" compared to body enhancing supplements and so forth.
Linda Sears
2023-09-17 18:20:49 +0000 UTCAh, CFS, the go to for doctors whose female patients who have the audacity to keep coming back when 'tea and a lie down' surprisingly does nothing for their physical symptoms! Emma, that is horrific, I'm so sorry that the medical profession failed you so badly. That is truly appalling and my blood boils at the total lack of care you received. I don't have a medical degree and even I know someone with those symptoms should be sent to a neurologist or have an MRI before CFS is diagnosed. So many stories of doctors mysteriously becoming incompetent the moment a woman demands an explanation for her pain... Best wishes for your surgery next month and may you only have excellent medical care going forward.
Artemis Green
2023-09-17 15:08:57 +0000 UTCSo sorry to hear that Artemis. I hard relate :-( Agree, when the doctors won't listen where else can you turn but to complementary/alternative medicine? Although I do actually think there is some merit in some of this stuff, but obviously it is inferior to just getting proper mainstream medical care. I have a few friends with Endo and they have also just had terrible, terrible experiences with doctors. In my case I spent 6+ years being told I was just a hypochondriac and/or just had CFS. Even though I went to the doctors dozens of times complaining about an array of symptoms including severe headaches and visual disturbances. Turns out I have a frickin giant brain tumour! I just found out last month. The clue, if anyone had listened to anything I said, should have been the constant headaches and visual disturbances. I am getting it removed next month but the neurosurgeon commented it was 'lucky' they found in when they did, cause if it got any bigger i would have started to go blind!
Emma
2023-09-17 11:20:26 +0000 UTCTotally agree Emma. 12+ years of banging on doctors' doors about debilitating period pain - 'some women just find pain harder to tolerate than others', 'just hormones', 'pre-menstrual dysphoria' etc. No I have endometriosis, and because they ignored me so long I am now in dire need of surgery which could possibly have been avoided. Now, I find that medicine has not really bothered to study endo properly despite it being more prevalent than diabetes. I am Team Science-Based Medicine all the way and yet I did try acupuncture and dietary changes because what else do you do when doctors don't give two hoots about your debilitating chronic pain? I did find those things helped though I recognise both the lack of evidence and the probable role of placebo, esp in regard to acupuncture.
Artemis Green
2023-09-17 10:43:22 +0000 UTC1000% I feel angry when I hear your story, Emma, and the stories of far-too-many feminine people in the medical system. I also get irate at grifters who prey on those harmed by those deficiencies. There is so much that remains to be discovered when it comes to human health ( maybe longevity is like Kim Stanley Robinson's 2312, where being literally both sex confers lifetimes that far exceed 100 yrs), and I've recently been digging into RCCx theory regarding a constellation of chronic pain and fatigue conditions that occur together fairly often but which doctors may write off as "psychological."
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 23:41:12 +0000 UTCI'm so torn on the anti aging stuff. On one hand it does seem to be a lot of rich gross right wingers who i definitely dont want sticking around longer! And there also seems to be a lot of grifters preying on a lot of anxious orthorexic types. But I also think some of it is real I had the annoying, but sadly not uncommon, experience of struggling through years of really bad health with no help from the mainstream medical establishment until this year and who previously branded me just a hysterical female! Turns out I actually do have a medical condition which is totally treatable. And in that long period of living with an undiagnosed illness I did get a lot of help from these longevity hacks. Particularly NMN and fasting and having a really low GI diet. But i mean obvs there's the placebo effect. And this stuff was only available to me as I am relatively ok off. I would much prefer that mainstream medicine worked better for both genders and health was not tied to money.
Emma
2023-09-16 22:51:35 +0000 UTCThanks. I would assume they were identical since fraternal twins are no different than siblings. And, yes, having a privileged life seems to makes one want to prolong it.
Linda Sears
2023-09-16 21:21:57 +0000 UTCThe amount of time people can devote to, and how much interest they have in, anti-aging is directly related to their level of privilege, I imagine.
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 20:59:56 +0000 UTCOne twin had diabetes and took metformin and the other twin had neither. I too was wondering if they were identical or fraternal, which I don't believe was mentioned.
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 20:58:21 +0000 UTCI found this full of fascinating information. The anti-aging and body fascist bias is evident, and I look forward to y'all decoding it.
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 20:56:56 +0000 UTCCan someone explain the discordant twins? Are they identical twins, one who is taking the metformin and the other is not, regardless of whether they are both diabetic or not? Or is one diabetic and the other one not? I didn't catch which it was and had difficulty seeing the data tables. I had a hard time with this one, most likely because I'm not the target audience. Getting through one day is enough; living long is just too much work, honestly.
Linda Sears
2023-09-16 19:36:46 +0000 UTCDid Dr. Attias prescribe himself metformin?
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 19:02:05 +0000 UTCMaybe the body fascism is more fascist than we realize?
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 18:56:52 +0000 UTCHuberman's dad is from Argentina? With a German sounding name? 🤔
ROU Sentient Lichen
2023-09-16 18:40:37 +0000 UTC
