Instagram Q & A 6/14/2024

Q: Any reason glycine makes me more irritable instead of sleepy

A:

Yes. A lot of people can have paradoxical reactions to glycine. It's a co-agonist (I believe) of the NMDA receptor. which is a subtype of glutamate receptor. So when glycine levels are elevated it can potentiate the excitatory effects of glutamate on the receptors can cause an increase calcium influx and excitotoxicity. But then again like I mentioned in the last story, people can have reactions like this because of genetic predispositions but there are also other environmental factors that may push someone closer towards excitotoxicity.

Wether it's diet, inflammation, oxidative stress or even other supplements. So it doesn't always mean glycine itself is the problem. There are a lot of other confounding variables. That's important to take away because too many people focus on the nutrient and not the internal and external environmental millue that biased the individuals towards that response.

Q: Any issues with too much TTFD from the B-complex

A: There are issues with too much of anything. You're not going to get any serious complications from using too much TTFD like you would something like B6 and nerve damage. But yes it's entirely possible. There are paradoxical reactions when you don't have enough of the other B-vitamins or magnesium coming it. And people with sulphur sensitivity might feel worse on it. But there's only 100mg in there. When I say it's 'dosed' high, I'm referring primarily to it in comparison to other products that are relatively under-dosed in ALL of the B-vitamins. I'm actually not a huge fan of mega-dosing any one particular vitamin or minerals outside of things that may warrant acute support.

Q: Instances s supplement could be good even if someone has genetic mutation for using it

A:

Yes. It's definitely possible to focus too much on biochemical, molecular or even 'genetic' bottlenecks for using certain supplements, foods, nutrients etc. what is does is provide a roadmap to help you pick better alternatives if they're available though. But there are certainly instances where a theoretical upside could outweighs some minor downsides. There are thousands of genetic mutations that determine how well you utilize virtually everything you put in your body. Many of which aren't known, especially with 'newer' treatments. Ultimately comes down to patient outcomes and results though.

That really needs to be your compass. Particularly with acute care. Everything else is just a tool to get there.

Part 2: For example, I am almost positive that there are mutations (wether it's a dopamine related or serotonin related mutation, or even an an endocannabinoid mutation...I have no idea) for why BPC-157 causes mild, reversible, transient anhedonia in some people. But I don't think most people that have taken it for a serious injury (Especially brain or CNS related trauma) would argue that it wasn't worth it because of that.

Part 3: I keep coming back to this with more ideas and thoughts. I think there is a lot of good underlying physiology here to be extrapolate out on. Mainly surrounding what our goals actually are with supplementation. We should be asking the question 'what mutations does this person have, and how might those impact how we utalize certain foods and supplements'? But we also need to be asking the question 'what systems in the body aren't currently robust enough? What's causing us to over react to certain things even if we do have mutations or inherent limitations surrounding mold detoxification or metabolizing histamine. For example, certain strains of bifido bacteria break down ammonia in the gut. We can use supplements like ornithine for short term support, but we can't realistically address every single mutation we have. We need to become resilient and adaptable. And there are many ways we can correct for inborn errors in metabolism by creating multi- systems resiliency

Q: Thoughts on ray peat philosophy

A:

There are things I agree with. And there are things I disagree with. My main issue with a lot of

'peaters' isn't with the adoption of peats ideas. Or with peat. It's the selective privileging of those ideas over others. I think a lot of narratives (good and bad) surrounding peat and his work exemplify the importance of two preveling themes I try to get at with biomedical research and related to balancing empiricism, rationalism, and 'outcome' centric (or patient centered) medical paradigms.

And that's the essentially the ability to combine clinical research and epidemiological/population based studies with mechanistic extrapolations.

(PUFA and seed oil convo is a good example) Peaters tend to do the latter well but often forget about juxtaposing that with current research findings. Then you get people dumping pounds of sugar into their coffee and really fooling themiseves into believing that's a good idea. A lot of peaters also have a hard time getting down with ideas related to the personalized side of medicine and nutrition that's so critical in chronic and acute care. E.g pro metabolic approach would be legitimately the worst possible dietary strategy for a patient with glioblastoma.

Q: Thoughts on magnesium bicarbonate

A: It's really not my favorite anymore. It will decrease stomach acid. I've had a lot of people who've used it in the past complain that it gave them issues. I don't think it's entirely bad, but you definitely need to avoid before and after meals. If anything maybe use it at night 3-4 hours after you've eaten your last meal of the day

Q: What to do if Candida keeps returning

A:

First, it's important to understand that Candida itself is not bad. It's a product of your internal and external environment. You can think of Candida (and even some commonly labeled

'pathogenic' microbes, parasites etc ) as simply performing a 'clean up' function similar to if you left bread on the floor and had an ant infestation. You can't only focus on constantly killing and poisoning the ants (or spraying around you house). They're going to keep coming back until you stop dropping bread on the floor. Similarly, Candida will proliferate when there's excess heavy metals and or other toxins that it's trying to sequester. I'm not against 'kill' protocols like some people. I think they can be beneficial early on. But there’s a reason I also talk about the importance of repopulating the micrbiome and things like mineral balancing as well. Opt for the least toxic supplements when 'killing' (avoid prescription anti-fungals unless absolutely necessary and take the slow approach) and then get as healthy as you can. Check out the fungal protocol on patreon

Q: Joe dispenza and quantum field. Or is it placebo mostly

A:

Even physicists who study QF theory don't fully understand it.

I'm not the not saying any of it exists outside the realm of possibility. I find a lot of the ideas pertaining to morphogenic fields and related topics super interested. But the truth is that a majority of the results seen in practices like his ARE placebo based. This shouldn't discourage anyone from it though. If anything it's pretty amazing that the biology of it can be understood, researched and then applied through a paradigm that DOESNT require the belief in anything 'mystical'.

Q: BPC healed gut but no tendons? Thoughts

A:

It's possible. Something important to remember is that you don't get to pick and choose what does what and why In your body. You may think you're taking BPC because you read it heals tendons. But where resources and nutrients are allocated isn't up to you. It's determined by your body and where it feels it needs to prioritize it's biological and adaptive resources.

This is a common 'thinking error' a lot of people make with supplements. It's easy to read about something doing XYZ and think it's always going to just do ABC when it may also do XYZ

Q: Issues with too much Vitamin A?

A: Yes. But again, other systems at play that feed into that. Thyroid being one. Liver obviously. I'm not a 'eat liver everyday' proponent. But I'm also not siloed into the 'avoid egg yolks and all high vitamin A containing foods at all cost! camp either. I think that's absolutely ridiculous

Q: How deeper of an understanding of Biochem is necessary to work with people

A:

What I think is more important than that is understanding the global thought processes involved in filtering that knowledge into 1.

Actionable solutions and 2. Theoretical frameworks for taking the steps necessary to see those outcomes. Really two people on two opposite ends of spectrum it feels. Those who don't give a shit about Biochem and or 'mechanisms' and those who hyper-focus on it to a fault. Like I said before, sometimes you can know too much (getting lost in the weeds of complex bio) and forget about scale. I know too many people that scare themselves away from trying things simply because they watched a video saying [insert some nutrient or supplement] is bad because of [insert some narrow focus, mechanistic focus or some overly specific qualifying condition or area of contraindication]. It's definitely one of those instances where I tend to be a side a bit more with the 'evidence based' bro's when it comes to more of an outcome-centric decision making model. All that to say...I don't man lol. It depends

Q: What exactly does Jack Kruse get wrong besides the supplement bashing?

A:

Virtually everything related to diet and health. He's a fundamentalist who takes the idea that 'everything is physics' way too far.

Ultimately just ends up stripping everything of value because he genuinely believes you can just sit in the sun, sleep on a magnetico sleep pad and fix all your problems lol. Oh and don't forget moving to El Salvador or any country closer to the equator many of the perspectives he's been responsible for popularizing around things like light, water and magnetism are extremely important. I don't want to downplay that.

But he's so deep down his own rabbithole that he can't NOT filter everything through that paradigm. Listen to any of his comments in regards to building muscle and strength and you'll quickly come to the same conclusion. More than anything I think he just wants to be the guy that has that off the wall 'esoteric' sort of answer for everything.

It's largely an ego thing as well

Q: Best way to raise haemoglobin levels for someone with severe anemia? Are iron tablets any good?

A:

I would try supplement with Shilajit instead of iron and eating red meat (I like venison because it's low saturated fat) 2-3x a week.

You can find mitolife Shilajit (panacea) in the bio. It's part of the 'big 3' supplements I think most people can benefit from taking. Avoid iron chelating foods with it like coffee. Avoid tumeric and Currcumin as well. I have a list of iron chelating compounds abs foods up on the patreon for anemic people to avoid when taking Shilajit (it'll cancel out a lot of the benefits)

Q: How much fitness knowledge is really necessary to see progress and be good trainer

A: To clarify more on this, I'm not saying that acquiring in depth knowledge related to fitness (like anatomy, biomechanics, principles and application of strength training) are unless. Far from it. A lot of my perspectives on fitness and nutrition come directly from having done this. What I'm saying is that it's ultimately capped. But there is no cap on what can be explored with gene and cell therapy or even just run of the mill 'wellnes' stuff. Someone could discover or invent something (drug plarform, 'biohack' etc( that could entirely change the landscape of human health and performance in the blink of an eye. But getting super granular with how you do an anchored bicep curl absolutely never will lol. It's an extrapolation on extremes to demonstrate a point. Not that there's no inherent value to be found in the nitty gritty aspects of fitness.

Q: Any way to reverse receding gums? Thoughts on jaw development

A:

I've actually spoken with a few biological dentists who have said that they've seen some partial regrowth with cold lasers (red light). There are some stem cell procedures you can have done as well.

You'd have to be very consistent with it and have a lot of other factors in place.

You can stimulate osteoblast formation with chewing mastic gum and other forms of jaw training to provide a better/ strong anchor for the tooth. But the chewing is an important piece. Bio-avaliable K2, magnesium, calcium and sillica can help tremendously with bones and teeth. I would also check out some of the other things in the oral health protocol on patreon. Even if you can't totally reverse all the damage you can absolutely stop it from getting worse.

Q: Is it possible to help perimenopause sxs w/o HRT? Activity suggest-Wghts v cardio

A: Absolutely. Hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause and menopause can impact all kinds of enzymes responsible for breaking down things like histamine. And a lot of issues really stem from that. Estrogen can enhance histamine and when progesterone decreases with menopause it may exacerbate histamine related issues as well. Comensal bacteria in the gut play a large roll in histamine breakdown. So there's lots of progress that can be made on the gut frontier. Getting rid of Candida (yeast) overgrowth is big one. Intenstinal permiababily and dysbiosis can greatly impact the severity of things like hot flashes for example. Thegut microbiota can affect the enterohepatic circulation of hormones like estrogen. So it's really a big cornerstone here. I have a lot of clients that feel a lot better on the Just Thrive probiotic. Some of the strains like HU58 can also help breakdown histamine and ammonia which can exerbate bloating and brain fog. Lifting weights for sure. Zone 2 cardio as well. You need both.

Q: Any recs for quitting long term weed use? Merit to excessive sweating via exercise or sauna?

A:

I'm not sure exactly what you mean.

As in mitigating the damage done or managing addictive behavior? Check out some of Bob Beck's work with cranial electrical stimulation (Sota Biotuner) for balancing neurotransmitter. Particularly dopamine. There's hundreds of good case reports on that and substance abuse/addiction. Neurofeedback can also help. Emoxypine (Russian nootropic) has been used successfully for alcholics and there's some small studies using it for other addictive behaviors. It ultimately requires a lifestyle overhaul though.