BioHackHumans: Advancing Human Performance Through Health, Fitness and Nutrition

This weeks podcast is with MMA fighter Omaree Alamo. Omaree is a professional kick boxer, point fighter, jujitsu, and now fighting for the #1 contender spot in Premier FC on November 10. Omaree discusses the sport of fighting, training, cutting weight, and his biohacks for recovery. Omaree aims to claim the championship belt in all major MMA companies from Bellator to the UFC. See the post notes for the transcript of todays show, photos and video's of Omaree Alamo in action!!!   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com   Jim Goetz Chantea Goetz Mike Brandon

The madscientist Jim Goetz, Dr. Mike and Chantea Goetz get together with Scott Lasher of Underground Nutrition in New Jersey. We discuss the fascinating founding of Underground Nutrition by Scott Lasher and Allen Collins as well as its exponential growth in such a short period of time, the dirty tricks of the supplement industry, what consists of a quality supplement, SARMS and steroids v. being considered natural, bro science suggestions for fat loss, muscle growth and human performance. We discuss Underground Nutritions sponsored athletes and their dedication to both their sport and Underground Nutrition. This is a must listen to podcast! Join Jim Goetz, Dr. Mike Brandon, Chantea Goetz and Scott Lasher as we delve into supplements and the supplement industry.   Complete show notes available at the Biohackhumans Website.    biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz (New Jersey) Chantea Goetz  Mike Brandon   Victoria Pajak is the newest Biohackhumans Sponsored Athlete.The madscientist Jim Goetz is at it again. He recently founded the daughter of Polish parents who immigrated to the United States, Victoria Pajak. Her drive and determination was noticed. Her will to succeed is known. Victoria Pajak states she pretty much raised herself. Her parents are extremely hard workers but leaves little time for her and her sister. While her friends are out partying, 18 year old Victoria Pajak is working to make ends meet, studying her coursework to become an exercise science major, or training to become an IFBB professional. She even taught herself to speak English when her parents only spoke Polish so she could adapt and exceed in her schooling.Jim Goetz has had a long history of coaching high caliber athletes in Major League baseball, the National Football League, Major League Soccer, professional boxing, USA Gymnastics, NCAA Division 1 football and recently womens figure bodybuilding in Chantea Goetz. He began coaching Victoria Pajak to exceed her believed potential to go as far as humanly possible in her NPC and hopefully IFBB bikini division potential.Victoria Pajak has a strict regemine in utilizing the concepts of biohacking ones body. She utilizes intermittent fasting to enhance autophagy, daily undulating periodization, blood flow occlusion training, cryotherapy to increase brown adipose tissue (thermogenesis), GenetiSculpt Lipolaser, a mix of HIIT and LSC, and specific supplements at specific times. Victoria Pajak also calls out fellow Biohackhumans team mate Chantea Goetz on her 405 lbs hip thrusters. She states she will beat Chantea Goetz in a gauntlet one on one. After the podcast, Chantea Goetz responded by accepting the challenge stating Victoria Pajak does not stand a chance against her.  Victoria Pajak states she receives treatments in cognitive enhancement and neuromusculoskeletal care from Functionised Integrative Therapeutics (FIT). Their care is advanced and second to none.Victoria Pajak may only be 18 right now but her mind is well beyond her biological age. She will be a force to be reckoned with in the bikini and possibly figure bodybuilding divisions in the years to come. The madscientist Jim Goetz will continue to coach his athletes to exceed their mental potential so they may truly give 100 percent effort and receive their true potential. ​Check out the Official Instagram Page of Victoria Pajak for Updates on her day and career.   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com   Victoria Pajak Instagram: @victoriapajak

One year ago, Biohackhumans launched our Instagram page. A year later, we have over 17,200 followers and growing. @biohackhumans includes an array of different photos and topics ranging from phenomenal recipies of #beautybrainsbrawn Chantea Goetz. Some of these recipes include her biobark, parmersean chicken, chicken crust pizza and her awesome chocolate molten biohacker cake. Pair any of these with a biodynamic red wine such as Maris and you have a phenomenal healthy experience for your mouth, mind and body. All recipies are organic and ketogenic to burn fat and increase cognitive function. Other posts have included random vanity pics for good measure, 10 year old Athena Goetz training and competing in USA gymnastics events and following her other passion, Crossfit. Athena's favorite Crossfit athlete is Katrin Davidsdottir and aspires to compete at the level she does one day sooner than later. Following ones passion is only as good as one is still passionate. The madscientist Jim Goetz enjoys doing crazy workouts such as pushing or pulling a Hummer, rope climbs with his four year old son on his back (Donkey Kong/ Diddy Kong style), jumping on boxes while blind folded, and workouts in the snow...with no clothes on. The @biohackhumans Instagram page also follows Chantea Goetz on her transformation and fitness journey in her going from mom of three, PhD student and business owner to mom of three, PhD student, business owner and NPC figure competitor. Her amazing journey has been so motivational and inspirational to so many. She continues now to train to develop more experience and earn her IFBB pro card. Biohackhumans continues to explore the many methods to functionise the human body from laser, biofeedback/ neurofeedback, transcranial stimulation, supplements and nutrition, brain training, PEMF, and advanced physical training methods. Over the next year we will have on this podcast and feature on our Instagram not just the latest in human performance but from many of the sources of this information. Biohackhumans will also be sponsoring other athletes as they use the latest in biohacking methods to compete. Expect more from Biohackhumans and ensure you subscribe to this podcast and leave an honest 5 star review on iTunes or your Android podcast program. The Biohackhumans podcast is sponsored by Functionised Integrative Therapeutics in Colts Neck, NJ. For the latest and most effective care, visit Functionised Integrative Therapeutics. Get fit with F.I.T. The athletes we sponsor are treated at Functionised Integrative Therapeutics and utilize their performance optimization services.   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Mike Brandon Chantea Goetz This special podcast is a discussion and overview of the book, Biohacking the Brain for Success: Becoming a Champion in All Aspects of Life, which is currently available on Amazon. This book was written years before it was written. Many successful individuals paved the way for us today in the here and now. Techniques, tips and biohacks were used to propel one from unsuccessful to beyond ones wildest dreams successful. Jim Goetz was taking time...years even to put together this conglomorate of thoughts and activities. Together with Chantea Goetz, they compiled a resource that many have found extremely helpful in realizing the success that has often eluded them. "The journey to success is a bumpy and uneven road. It is never straight or clear cut. There are people who seem to be successful at whatever they do while others seem to work hard but never get anywhere in life. This book takes a dynamic new approach to achieving all of your hopes and dreams in that it goes in depth to the inner workings of your central nervous system (your brain) and helps you to reprogram missing aspects keeping you from achieving your life's ambitions. The sky is the limit. This book will break those limits as we BioHack your brain into becoming successful in all aspects of your life".   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Chantea Goetz Jim Goetz Mike Brandon   Whatever it takes…..   Our guest on this weeks show is Chantea Goetz. Chantea is the Director of Cognitive Performance at Functionised Integrative Therapeutics (F.I.T.). Chantea Goetz has a Bachelors of Science in Sports Management from the University of Tampa, Masters Degree in Sport Psychology and currently working on her PhD in applied psychophysiology. To add more to her plate, she not only dedicates much time as a volunteer for various activities but is a mom of three (10, 5, 3).   Chantea has for two decades now been looking at womens fitness magazines in awe of the women in them. She reads their background stories, see how busy their lives are, and historically has left her thoughts as, “what if”?   Over the past year, Chantea has decided to make a bucket list of things she feels she would like to accomplish. Regarding the aspect of fitness, Chantea decided to get herself into shape to do well on stage in an NPC figure competition.   This was no easy task. Like most girls/ women, Chantea has struggled with avoiding nutrition and processed foods and being consistent in the gym. Competing in a figure competition would require her to be advanced in both of these aspects.   If anyone decides to take on a monumental task, they often get running hard out of the gates. They are motivated. They are inspired. They are two weeks away at most from burnout and quitting.   In order to ensure she did everything right, Chantea enrolled the help of world class strength and conditioning coach and chiropractic board certified mad scientist, Jim Goetz.   Jim Goetz has had experience with a wide variety of championship professional athletes. Chanteas program would consist of habit forming activities. It is unrealistic to think someone who has historically worked out off and on for weeks to months then stops for twice the duration would be able to commit 3 hours per day 6 days per week and an active recovery seventh- for an entire year.   The program began as five minutes per day with simple calisthenics only. Nutritionally she eliminated sugar, bread, and pasta. She found convenient replacements that she enjoys daily.   Jim Goetz has utilized top strength and conditioning techniques such as daily undulating periodization, blood flow occlusion training, high intensity interval sessions (WODS), to ensure optimal efficiency of time under tension principles to both increase musculature and burn body fat.   To burn body fat, Chantea remained mostly ketogenic for the duration of the year. This is a new paradigm in the world of body building that most body builders would argue with. However, this nutritional lifestyle not only improved endurance but also helped Chantea to hip thrust 405 lbs the day before competition at the end of peak week (the time when athletes are depleted of calories and water). This hip thruster can be found on the @biohackhumans Instagram page.   Chantea also biohacked her body using intermittent fasting (eating during an 8 hour window) to help increase growth hormone levels to aid in recovery as well as cold treatments (increase brown fat thermogenesis) and body fat laser treatments (at Functionised Integrative Therapeutics). She also employed some of the top clinicians and physiologists around to keep her body functionised.   Chantea literally biohacked her body from mom of three bod to figure model body. Not only did it change her physically but it also changed her mentally as she had to implore many cognitive techniques to remain mindful and lower her stress levels. Time management was also key. To workout twice each day for around three hours total plus eat right throughout the day requires careful strategy, which Chantea was successful with.   Chantea’s supplement regemine consisted of a creatine HCL, krill, taurine, high quality grass fed whey, bovine and exogenous ketones.   Chantea continuously checked in with her coach on progression and mindfulness each and every day. In the end, Chantea stated while it was literally the toughest journey she has had in her life, it was thoroughly enjoyable.   Chantea believes anyone can do what she did. Life always gets in the way if you let it. Full time employment, three young children, a PhD and the other usual unexpected events will get in the way of goals if you let them. With a proper support system in place and clearly defined goals, a step by step plan that one is accountable to on a daily basis- anyone can achieve their goals. An individual will need to develop excellent time management skills but in the end, the only one stopping themselves from achieving their goals is themselves.   It’s not about being perfect each day. It’s about being better than you were the day before. That is progression.   Chantea plans to continue to compete and drive herself to earn an IFBB pro card.   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com   Chantea Goetz Instagram (@biohackhumans) Facebook: (@chanteagoetz) Twitter: (@cgoetz3)

Jim Goetz Mike Brandon Chantea Goetz   This podcast is brought to you by Functionised Integrative Therapeutics. Get pain relief, increase longevity, improve your way of life and become a better you- Get #Functionised !!!! We are joined by the Natural Born fighter, Brent Dail who discusses his career from high school wrestling where he was cut to second place in States (Florida), a college career where he wrestled under Dave Lampe at Colby Community College (same as UFC Champion Daniel Cromier), life in professional wrestling where he got his start under Dory Funk and the WWC where he became Champion against the likes of Conan, Primo Colon, Carlito, Sabu, Ricky Santana and many more. We discuss Brent's interactions with Olympic gold medalist and former WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Brent Dail discusses the professional wrestling industry, locker room and corporate politics and how to have an enjoyable career in professional wrestling. Brent Dail also goes into coaching amateur wrestling and how to improve ones wrestling ability and excel in the sport. We discuss biohacks for the mind and body and this episode is one you will want to tell a friend about!!!   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Dr. Mike Brandon Chantea Goetz   Salt is Both Good and Bad Dr. Mike Brandon   Let me start off with the notion that I love salt and I always have. I was never one to add salt to my foods, but I’m certainly guilty of seeking out high sodium snacks as a preference, especially when I’m tired. I’ve been reprimanded many times for just saying that I like salt and then lectured on how it’ll raise my blood pressure, give me a heart attack, destroy my kidneys, and so on. Yes, I generally eat “healthy”, exercise regularly, but is that enough? How quickly is my salt addiction killing me? Let’s find out.   Firstly let’s point out that salt is an essential mineral, meaning it is critical and required for several life functions. As usual, too much of a good thing flips the switch, but rarely do I hear people saying that they were told to slightly lower their sodium as much as completely remove it from all possible dietary sources, especially if they are hypertensive, which 1 out of 3 of us Americans are. The fun part comes in though when research is scrutinized and we realize that changing the salt levels in our diet for the general population made only a very minor change on blood pressure at 4mmhg/2mmhg. Meaning if your blood pressure is 140/90, limiting salt on average will bring you down to 136/88, which isn’t very different clinically. Then add the fact that low levels of salt have actually been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease, wait, are we confused yet?   So before I go too deep into this topic, lets state that yes, sodium does increase blood pressure, but each time you eat a salt laden meal, it only slightly raises your BP for 2 to 3 hours, and hydration levels will certainly affect this. But a meta-analysis of over 6000 subjects showed that lowering salt intake had no strong correlation to better heart health, but it did present that sodium restriction increased fatality of those with heart failure! There has been conflicting evidence the last few years on this, so lets briefly discuss why.   Many of us eat processed foods daily, and with many of us, its all we eat. Almost all processed foods are very high is salt and sugar (we will be returning to that topic shortly), and very low in potassium.  High sodium diets only minimally affect some people, not everybody, and it’s believed to be from not having enough potassium (K+) to level it out. K+ is heart protective against sodium, as well as it’s Na+’s counter part to proper pH levels and BP control. People who have low K+ levels with high salt, as opposed to equal amounts of both (high, normal, or low) are twice as likely to die from a heart attack.   Even most of our meats are injected with salt solutions, including many brands of organic meat, specifically steak and chicken. Why? Salt absorbs water, and in the food industry, meat is sold by weight. Inject a little extra salt and saline mix into your 2 lbs chicken, and now it’s 3.5 lbs!...that’s unfortunately why   Of course, not all salt is created equal. Table salt found in shakers are stripped of many minerals found in natural salt such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, cobalt, etc, as well as given anti-clumping chemicals to make it easy to sift through; it should be clumpy and crumbly   So If I’m willing to stand here and say that sodium isn’t detrimental against your health, than why have we been told differently so often, and why do certain diets like the DASH diet that cuts salt out work so well to lower BP? Well, there are a few patterns here at BioHacker Nation that we just can’t seem to avoid every week, and they are bioavailability, and lower sugar; this is based around the later.   Added sugars, particularly fructose, has been shown to increase BP significantly higher than salt does, not to mention its correlation with atherosclerosis which is correlated to high BP as well as heart attack rates, inflammation markers, and insulin resistance. The average American eats 150lbs of a sugar a year! Aboriginals eat 6lbs, and that is almost all from honey and fruit, which we cannot claim the same. The DASH diet has been commended with the effect of lowering NA+ to lower BP, but also realize that it takes out the majority of simple sugars and processed foods! Sugar raises blood pressure by 7mmhg/5mmhg!   Another way, more specifically that sugar can make one hypertensive is that insulin stores magnesium. Once insulin resistance occurs, Mg just gets excreted and can no longer be used as a smooth muscle relaxer of our venous system, so blood vessels stay contracted, and BP and HR increases. Fructose then increases uric acid, which inhibits the formation of nitric oxide (NO) which acts in similar ways.   So what if we still want to lower our salt intake, what is there to do other than stop eating processed foods (which will honestly help so many more problems and is very effective here as well)? One simple act that most people don’t do is taste food before adding extra salt. Almost nobody does that! Our taste buds can get desensitized to salt, just like it does to sugar, which is why natural foods may taste so bland to many, but after just 10 days of lowering salt from something like removing processed foods, you’ll start “tasting” the hidden salt much more. You can also use other salts. Himalayan pink salt has gotten a lot of attention, but the major caveat with that is that it isn’t iodinized, and thyroid goiters, fatigue, and metabolic issues can ensue if you don’t get enough iodine, so make sure to eat fish, aquatic plant life, and eggs, as they are great sources.   So does salt increase BP? Mildly, but it does appear to get blamed for the damage of sugar and the hidden extreme amounts in processed foods with little potassium to help off set the duo. If hypertensive, certainly ask your competent health care professional their opinion, but never forget the facts. We do the research, so that you can benefit from it, which I will do by continuing to feed my salt addiction, in moderation of course!   What Causes Hangovers and How to Fix Them Jim Goetz   Hangovers are caused by.... we don't totally know. We have theories but current research does not have a specific underlying modality of a hangover. Crazy! There are three main types of alcohol. These are methyl, isopropyl and ethanol. Only ethyl or ethanol can be consumed by humans. Rubbing alcohol should not be consumed. Most common, the body metabolizes ethanol to acetaldehyde, which metabolizes to acetate. As alcohol is metabolized, it becomes less and less toxic but none the less, still toxic. These toxins produce oxidative stress and an inflammatory response that results in damage and dysregulation of neurons and neuron activity. Another factor of hangovers may lie in congeners. Congeners are the scent and taste of most alcoholic beverages. Us wine snobs like to swirl and sniff and sip to appreciate the true character of the wine (or other alcohol). These enjoyable characteristics are in fact the congeners that may create some of the unwanted after effects of alcohol consumption. Beverages with the greatest conogers are (in descending order): brandy, red wine, rum, whisky, white wine, gin, vodka, beer and then pure ethanol). Factors that do affect hangovers are body weight. For instance, a 100 lb male begins to experience some negative effects of alcohol about 4 drinks in while a 100 lb female is around 3.6 drinks in. These amounts are based on consumption over 75-90 minutes in duraton. Other factors possibly affecting hangovers are dehydration, which affects cognitive function. Another factor is poor sleep. Alcohol may help an individual fall asleep fast but the quality of sleep if quite poor as a result. The last factor affecting hangovers is homeostasis. Our body attempts to remain in homeostasis at all times. Alcohol impairs this. As a result, there are an array of hormonal disruptions that occur and may very well be a reason for hangovers. Remedies The best way to remedy a hangover is not to drink alcohol in the first place. If you do, keep it moderate. If you are going to drink, the following have been shown to possibly help: red ginseng Siberian ginseng Chinese raisin tree prickly pear Korean pear green grape ashibata   One may take NSAIDs for the pain but remember that NSAIDS place a strain on an already strained liver. The "dog in hair method", where you drink with a hangover to alleviate a hangover prolongs the effects of a hangover. It also puts more strain on the body. Don't do it!!! One of the best ways to also alleviate a hangover is to get plenty of sleep. So if you are going to have an adult beverage or two, take heed to the above information. Cheers!   Does Eating Six Small Meals Increase Weight Loss? Jim Goetz   No evidence shows whatsoever that eating small meals throughout the day increases ones metabolism and thus weight loss. Weight loss effects are most likely due to portion control and reduction in gorging and being more aware of what one is consuming.   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Mike Brandon Chantea Goetz   We are broadcasting from Functionised Integrative Therapeutics in Colts Neck, NJ. This team is phenomenal! They provide functional neurology chiropractic, concussion specialists, baseline concussion testing, highly advanced nutrition and body fat loss and experts all human performance advancement methods. Be a better you. Get #functionised. Dark Chocolate and Vision Jim Goetz Keeping it simple, peer reviewed research is showing that cacao at 72% improves blood flow and improves vision for at least 2 hours after consumption. Further testing is needed to determine how long the effects do last. To biohack this- consume a minimum of 72% cacao and work on hand eye coordination. See if this may improve your fine motor skills such as hitting or catching. Chlorophyll The Miracle Cure All Mike Brandon   People take many supplements for many reasons, sometimes they are justified, and sometimes they are just well marketed. Even with supplements that I know have been proven to work, I like asking people why exactly they are taking something. The answers I get range from highly educated to head scratchingly confusing.  I was with a friend at a local supplement store, and she reached for “Liquid Chlorophyll”, so I tossed the question at her and she rattled off a few dozen homeopathic reasons for taking it. I must have zoned out because she starred at me and asked if I think she is wasting her money, and I told her that I'm not sure, but I have a better answer for her now.   First of all, what is it that we are talking about? Chlorophyll is a natural pigment in plants that allows them to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis. It is jam packed full of vitamins and minerals/antioxidants like vitamins a,c,e,k, beta carotene, mg, iron, k+ ca+ and some omega 3’s. Naturally we get it in our diet mostly through dark leafy greens and algae; It is fat soluble. However it is “unstable”, meaning that it degrades easily. Cooking it destroys most of the chlorophyll, as well as freezing produce (destroys about 50% and 30% respectively). So in supplements, it is slightly modified into a water soluble form called chlorophyllin. At the time of this writing, there was no found sources stating if chlorophyllin still has the same mineral content as chlorophyll.   An interesting and potentially clinically relevant note, is that the chlorophyll structure is very similar to our body’s heme, which is what carries our O2 throughout our body in our blood cells. The major difference is that chlorophyll has magnesium in the center of the molecule whereas heme has iron.   So just like most homeopathic remedies, there is a laundry list of conditions and ailments that chlorophyll/chlorophyllin has been used for, but lets hit some of the research to see what they say.   Though it has been heavily researched, it's only been done on a few of the proposed benefits, but lets get the disproven ones out of the way first. One of the major things it is advertised for is a natural deodorant. It supposedly lowers body odor, bad breath, and “fecal odor” by taking supplements orally. For those of you that hope to take plant blood to make you smell better, Im sorry to inform you that it doesn’t appear to work. Granted, these studies were all done using the supplement form and not natural chlorophyll, so with food sources there is still hope because some studies have shown high produce eaters to have less body odor, but they also tend to be smaller, more slender individuals which could also play a factor.   Supplementation may also help suppress hunger. When on a high carb diet, chlorophyill can affect satiety hormones like cholecytokinin, ghrelin, and insulin. This hasn’t been shown effective on low carb, high fat diets however which already give major satiety benefits.   Onto the brighter side, both forms appear to help with cheleating; that is they bind to some heavy metals, toxins, and maybe even some pesticides. It’s possible that chlorophyll doesn’t even get absorbed, that it just releases the vitamins and minerals, then binds to toxins and the body discards it, but this is yet to be known.   A big difference between the two forms is in their potential for cancer prevention. Chlorophyll appears to change tumor DNA to make it more susceptible to chemotherapeutic agents and drugs like hydroxyurea, where chlorophyllin does not. This may be a reason as to why studies that look at high meat diets (that are low in produce) have greatly increased risks for cancer, but that has yet to be fully tested.   It is a great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and may alone give a lot of vegetables their nutritional power. IV chlorophyll helps with chronic pancreatitis, as well as systemic edema, and potentially for joint swelling as well.   It has also been spoken of as a great skin health supplement, and this seems to hold up well. Ointments with chlorophyllin do appear to help with some types of acne, as well as oral supplementation of both chlorophyll and chlorophyllin help with sun protection. Only caveat is that though they were well done studies, there aren’t many and they were all on darker skin tone subjects, so its unsure how well it will help different complexions, but it still good news.   But to wrap up and answer the original question of is it a waste of money on this supplement, I have a wish washy response. Though the supplement form does seem to help with a few of the projected benefits, food form, as almost always, is proven here to be far better, with the highest sources being spinach, sprouts, and parsley. Especially on a specific case note of this individual being vegan, there is the built in assumption that she is probably eating enough produce. However, dosages and bioavailability/absorption hasn’t been effectively studied, and side effects at very high doses are minimal, so it shouldn’t hurt much. To note, there has been no shown side effects from high amounts of chlorophyll, but water soluble chlorophyllin may cause gastric distress, discoloration of the tongue, urine, and feces. So as long as you are okay with potential stomach cramps and funny color excretions, it appears fine.   Gum Prevents Cavities Jim Goetz   I have been extremely fortunate to have zero cavities in my mouth. I attest this to having chewed gum all my life and not just until the sweet is gone. I began chewing Bazooka gum when I was young and I would chew the same piece for days, taking it out only to eat. Chewing increases saliva production, reducing oral bacteria, removing plaque and improving muscles of mastication, which has nothing to do with anti- cavity but aids in complete digestion of food. Added benefits of chewing gum include: decreased anxiety increased alertness decreased appetite   Side effects of long term gum chewing are headaches and TMJ pain. However, in the years I have been a chronic gum chewer, I have yet to experience any of these symptoms. If you enjoy our show, please leave an honest 5 star review and ALWAYS tell two friends to subscribe and listen each week!!!   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim GoetzChantea GoetzMike Brandon   Youtube Biohackhumans Podcast Part 1 Youtube Biohackhumans Podcast Part 2Erections and Sunless Tans with Melanotan 2Jim GoetzSun tans are sexy. There I said it! However, with high levels of radiation and improper anti-oxidant activity in the endocrine system (skin), SNA mutation may occur resulting in skin cancer. Since the dawn of man, men have been dealing with erectile dysfunction. Pills and potions have been utilized. Some are effective. Some are not. Surgeries and other therapies have been developed to either place inserts into the penis or create new vascular tissue to increase erections. The idea of a sun tan and erection sounds like the beginning of a movie one would make sure the kids are long asleep before starting. In this case though, we are discussing science.In the 1960's, scientists were developing a drug to improve erections in men. It was discovered α-MSH caused sexual arousal. A side effect of this was that it also increased melanocyte production and as a result, a tanned complexion.Now for the science stuff...in case you were wondering how it worked:Melanotan 2 acts as a non-selective agonist of the melanocortin receptors, MC1, MC3, MC4, MC5.To the extent that melanotan 2 produces melanogenesis is believed to be caused by activation of the MC1 receptor The clinically documented sexual effects of melanotan 2 are thought to be related to its ability to activate the MC4 receptor (though the MC3 is thought to possibly also be involved but not 100% sure how at the moment of writing this article). Other than 8 hour long raging hard erections, less pleasant side effects include: headache and nausea. Some studies in lab rats state the use of melanotan 2 causes weight loss. This would most likely be for the fact no animal would want to eat when they feel like throwing up.The medical community at this point discourages the use of unlicensed melanotan 2 bought on the internet as there have been a couple (but rare) documented cases of new nevi (moles), and uneven pigmentation. However, in these cases it does appear that any distortions cease to exist after 2 weeks of discontinued use.The idea of melanotan 2 is also to prevent skin cancer by creating more dense and increased amount of melanocytes, thus protecting the body from UV rays.FAQHow much do I need?This question is dependent on your skin type.Skin type and dose of melanotan 2Fair skin- 30mgMedium skin-10-20mgOlive skin- 10mgPLEASE NOTE: Do not take these doses at once. This is potentially dangerous.  Please continue reading to learn how much to take.Taking melanotan 2 requires a 10 day phase of “loading”, which is essentially a higher dose phase to saturate your body in it.Each day of the loading phase, you are required to take 1mg.After the loading phase, you should take anywhere from .25mg (.025mL) to .5mg (.05mL) daily.You should repeat this until you are at your desired tan. If you have a medium or olive complexion, you may not want to do the loading phase and stick to a low dose every other day.Once you are at your desired tan level, you need to continue taking some weekly, in order to maintain your tan. You do this via injecting 1mg once per week.Do I need to continue taking melanotan 2, and how long does the tan last?The tan will last approximately 2-3 months, whereas it would normally (with only exposure to the sun) last about 4 weeks!How do I store Melanotan 2You should store lypholized melanotan 2 in the freezer, in which it will stay good for over a year, but it will last room temperature for 12 weeks before turning bad.If you have already mixed Melanotan 2, it will last for 3-5 weeks in the fridge, but about 2 weeks outside the fridge.***Never freeze mixed peptides!Why Do I Get Bug Bites But You Do Not?Dr. Mike BrandonSummer is here, and with the warm weather, most of us will be going outside to enjoy it in one form or another. We all know, or perhaps are, that one person that when they go outside with a group of people hiking, camping, cookouts, etc, that gets bitten far more than everybody else. Why do some people appear to be a bug buffet and others seemingly are void of all itchy bumps? Or better yet, what can we do to become less attractive of a meal? Good news biohackers, we have both some answers and solutions!It appears that about 1 out of every 5 of us are “bug magnets”. As great of a title as this is, there are very few people who are appreciative of it, and that’s more than understandable. There’s many variables that we are aware of that affect this, some are changeable, some not so much. Let’s start off with the potential bad news of things we can’t change.Our blood type, especially for mosquitoes is a major factor in becoming bitten. Those with the O blood types, are twice as likely to become bitten than A; B types fall roughly in the center, but a little closer to their A type anti-bug counterparts. Most of us (85%) actually secrete a chemical that most insects can pick up via smell to know what our blood type is. So if you are void of this chemical release, even if O type, you have a significantly better chance of avoiding being attacked, but all who release this chemical are more likely to be attacked, no matter the blood type.  So clearly genetics matter, but how much?It seems like whenever science doesn’t know the answer to something, people hastily chalk it up to being genetically related, whether or not there’s any proof for that theory. Multiple sources repeated that genetics can play up to 85% of the variables for being resistant to insect bites, but most deny any reason or genes found that do so. However when taking observational studies of fraternal and identical twins, those with identical genetic makeup were far more similar in how tasty they appear for the bug kingdomAnother factor is simply what we are wearing, and I don’t mean long loose clothing, though it’s recommended. What does seem to matter is the color of clothing. Darker colors appear to have a moderate impact here. In a study of over 7000 participants, black, blue, and red clothing were about 3x more favorable to various species of mosquitoes than white, yellow, and light green apparel.General health can make an impact too. Those that are larger and/or have certain health conditions such as diabetes, kidney/liver damage, certain cancers, or are pregnant (not a health issue, but similar reasons to be listed shortly) also are more likely to be chosen as a host. There are a few reasons for this, with a major one being the amount of CO2 being expelled. Mosquitoes especially are attracted to CO2 concentrations, so those that breathe heavier are going to release more carbon dioxide. This is also expected to be why children get bit less frequently than adults. These people also tend to sweat more, which contains uric and lactic acid, which seems to be an aphrodisiac for the bug’s hunger, and they can sense this from over 150 feet away.This leads to another topic of exercising outdoors. As recently mentioned, our sweat has lactic and uric acid in it, and lactic acid is going to become built up as we exercise, though some people take longer to metabolize these than others. Sweat accumulation also acutely changes the bacterial flora present on our skin, with some places tending to stock more than others, such as our feet/ankles, and shoulder/axilla (arm pit) regions, which also happen to be some of the most common locations for bites. This was shown by using bactericidal soaps against standard and placebos and having the soaped areas lightly bitten compared to their sweaty and placebo counterparts.Lactic acid also appears to be a slightly controllable factor within our diet. Fermented foods such as cheeses, yogurt, soy sauce, and pickled vegetables have some great gut health benefits, but if recently or commonly eaten, it may be making you more magnetized to mosquitoes. Certain medications may have a similar affect as well. The common drugs Tylenol (Acetaminophen) and Metphormin have been shown to increase lactic acid buildup in the body as well.The last variable to talk about today involves saying sober. Those that drink alcohol, as little as just a few sips, attract 2 to 3times the amount of bug visitors. There are theories as to why, but they haven’t held up as much weight, though the ideas of it being the ethanol or increased body temperature (which doesn’t really happen with alcohol anyway) has been mostly debunked. We do sweat more with alcohol and breath heavier, as well as it dilates blood vessels, even those that are superficial to the skin, so those may be the majority of the factors.So in short, genetics may be the scapegoat for now as the major element until proven otherwise, but there are a few simple things we can do to increase our natural bug shield. Wearing light clothing, staying cool and sweat free, practicing basic hygiene all over our body, eating nonfermented foods, and staying in overall good health is a great start. So enjoy the summer sun, and biohack the bugs away   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Chantea Goetz Mike Brandon    PRE SHOW    Thank you to Functionised Integrative Therapeutics in Colts Neck, New Jersey for lending us our studio to record our podcasts.    Make sure to visit My Super Cells to biohack your cells for better health! Be sure to visit both the @biohackhumans and @mysupercells Instagram pages to register for free a drawing to win over $300 of free products from My Super Cells.   DO YOU WANT SUPER CELLS? NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO GET THEM! Cellular health is a hot topic and we have an amazing opportunity for you to win a pack of next generation cellular health products! .Experience powerful health benefits that allow you to naturally improve your performance across all areas of life. The lucky winner will receive: • Molecular Hydrogen - known as the ‘miracle molecule’ and the king of cell health • Liquid Oxygen – bioavailable oxygen that puts fuel in your tank and keeps you feeling young • Complex Minerals – 77 absorbable minerals, trace elements and amino acids that nourish your cells • VYV Alkaline Water Jug – keeps your body alkaline and turns regular water into pH 9.5 • SUPERCELLS Flexfit cap . This prize pack is valued at $307 and will be shipped worldwide. For a valid entry you need to: 1: Follow this page @biohackhumans 2: Follow @mysupercells 3: Tag a friend on both pages *Each tag is a separate entry, therefore the more people you tag, the more opportunities you have to win. . Competition ends on Wednesday 11 July ET. All entries will be entered into an automated draw and our lucky winner will be announced on Instagram within 24 hours. Happy #cellhacking (This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram) A post shared by BioHackerNation (@biohackhumans) on Jul 5, 2018 at 2:57am PDT       Are Eggs Healthy or Dangerous? Jim Goetz There has been a debate for quite some time on the fact of eggs being healthy or not. Some say eggs have high amounts of cholesterol in the yolk and therefore negatively affects your cholesterol levels. However, a plethora of research has shown dietary cholesterol does not significantly effect your total cholesterol levels. Furthermore, increasing research has shown cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease. Those on statins live shorter than those who are not on statins. Those with low cholesterol levels may have an increased incidence of Alzheimers disease and other degenerative neurological and hormonal disorders. The thing about cholesterol is that is forms hormones in the body such as pregnenalone, which converts to cortisol, DHEA, testosterone and a plethora of other hormones. When individuals go on fat free diets and get their cholesterol super low, hormone function is decreased and activities of daily living may change. The egg can be broken down to the egg white and the yolk. The egg white is mostly protein with some B- vitamins. There's also another substance in it called, alvidin. This protein binds the B vitamins, decreasing their bioavailability. The biohack to increase absorption of the B- vitamins (if you are looking for B- vitamins from your egg, is to heat (cook) the egg. The egg yolk (that yellow stuff so many discard), is chock filled with nutrients. The egg yolk contains far less protein than the whites but does in fact have a higher ratio of leucine, the amino acid responsible for protein synthesis in the body and is an essential amino acid. 46% of the yolk is oleic acid (omega- 9 found in olive oil), 38% saturated fat and 16% polyunsaturated fat. The polyunsaturated fat ratios depend greatly on how the chicken was raised. If a chicken is fed grains, the ratio of omega-6 will be far higher. This is pro-inflammatory. If the chicken was pasture fed, the amount of omega-6 will be reduced. Egg yolks also contain catotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin) (improves vision) and they are a huge source of choline (numerous benefits). Some believe that eating eggs causes heart disease. There have been numerous studies finding zero correlation between egg consumption and heart disease. Some observational studies may refute this but randomized controlled trials back this up. Let's go with RCT's based on the heiarchy of good information. It should also be noted that egg consumption does not increase weight gain. That's right! Eating fat does not make you fat!!! It may be prudent to have an ALCAT test done to see if one may have any food sensitivities to eggs or any other food or environmental characteristic that may cause an inflammatory state. If there's no increased white blood cell count with eggs (or any other food), then enjoy as they appear healthy.   Ambidexterity Dr. Mike Brandon Being ambidextrous, that is being able to use both hands with equal mastery, is something many strive for, especially in the world of sports and athletics. Only about 1% of the population is ambidextrous, with right handers dominating the population with about 90% and lefties at about 10% Most people who believe they are ambidextrous, especially if done through training, is actually ambisinistral. These individuals can do many or most tasks proficiently with both hands, but one side is better than the other, and it may switch from right to left depending on the activity. With a quick internet search for why to become ambidextrous, it was surprising to see many sources done showing that there are some notable disadvantages, and there are plenty of professionals who claim its neurologically poor and potentially dangerous to do so, though there’s a major catch. It's been shown many times that those who are BORN ambidextrous have much higher risk of showing signs of disorders like ADHD, dyslexia, perform lower by academic standards, have poorer emotional control/anger management, increased risk for schizophrenia, and other cognitive/social disorders. There have been no studies found checking for those who trained for ambidexterity and correlations to cognitive changes.  It is believed that these complications may occur due to the way our brains process information. Right or left handed individuals tend to have one side more dominant, and the two halves appear to split “brain duties” more. For example, its believed the right side leads with creativity and the left with language and writing.  Those born ambidextrous appear to share these responsibilities more between their left and right brain by bypassing the center structure, the corpus collusum. So its thought that information for many tasks have to switch back and forth from the right and left which leaves room for, let's call it a processing error, which could lead to the signs listed above. Our species and early ancestors appear to have been more ambidextrous than the roughly 1% today. This suggests an evolutionary change to allow our brains to subjugate tasks more efficiently, but probably was involved with the overall growth of our cortex and higher executive centers. This would give the advantage of having the same tasks done in 1 side of the brain so there is less back and forth of information, and less neurons used to create a task, in theory making it faster and easier for us to perform. Interestingly enough, left handers (about 80% of them) have less single sided brain activity, but not to the extend of congenital ambidextrous individuals, and this is a partial theory as to why more creative persons, like musicians, artists, etc, are more likely to be left handed. The big question here is does training yourself to use both sides of your body with equality cause any of the disadvantages that appear with congenital double handiness? Though some people worry about the possibility of it, there were no studies found that attempted to follow someone's brain patterns through ambidextrous training. The larger question is, would it even be possible for us to do so? If you are 30 years old, and have been right hand dominate the whole time, can your left side catch up? Would it take another 30 years?  The potential for cognitive symptoms certainly is a reason for concern on this topic, but from what was researched, I see minimal merit in it at this time. Potentially if children went through ambidextrous training we would know more, since their brains develop and adapt monumentally more and faster than adults and they have had far less time to create neural habits and connections, but then doing a study this way could be deemed unethical if it did result in neurological/cognitive side effects. There are a few simple suggestions to try if you are interested in becoming more abisinistral. Most people suggest simply changing your desk around with the mouse on the other side, begin writing with your off hand, open doors off handed, and really just switching your common movement patterns to increase neuoplasticity for that action. My favorite/most frustrating attempt was trying to cook and eat left handed.  Athletes everywhere from boxers to hockey players learn to use both hands very well at many tasks to improve their game, and I know of a few people who have learned to write exceptionally well with both hands. Is this going to create a problem? I don't think so based off of results I have seen and what I know about the brain, but perhaps Ill be proven wrong once research is pushed more on this topic. But until then, perhaps I'll rebel by making my breakfast left handed only, even if it ends up with my omelet turning into scrambled eggs the first several times.   Fish Oil Jim Goetz Fish oils have long been touted as a fix for cardiovascular heart disease. Take your omega-3's and stave off a heart attack, is what we have been told. Pharmaceutical companies are now trying their best to get a handle on what he general public has been doing now for decades.  But good research studies have failed to show any benefit whatsoever in reducing a cardiovascular event when taking fish oils. Why is this? Perhaps it is due to the fact that serving sizes used in research and supplement bottles is only 500mg to 1g. Perhaps the quality of the fish oil is poor.  New studies being looked at are going to have 4g to 7g as the serving size for the fish oil servings.  World renown strength and conditioning coach Charles Poliquin did a case study on himself using a whopping 40g of fish oils daily. No known negative side effects were found. However, blood work shows indicators of reduced cardiovascular event markers. So perhaps it may very well be the amount of fish oil being consumed that is the kicker here. biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com    

Jim GoetzChantea GoetzDr. Mike BrandonHow Do I Boost My Testosterone?Jim GoetzThere are ways to boost ones testosterone and ways not to. The most common ways individuals (mostly males) look to boost their testosterone; in actuality has no effect on boosting any testosterone but is phenomenal in lowering ones bank account. This is through supplementation. Before taking any supplement, if you are tested in any athletics, ensure you are well within the World Anti- Doping Association (WADA) regulations.If you are a teenager or individual in their 20's, your testosterone levels are already most likely super high. A secretagogue supplement purchased over the counter is not going to raise your levels anymore than they already are. The only thing that can happen if you increase testosterone levels when they are already super high is to shut down your body's own natural production and as a result, make you reliant on exogenous testosterone for the remainder of your life. It sounds fine now but when you are a 40 year old male whose physiology is that of a 90 year old- you may reconsider this as being a good idea.The hype of advertising for these supplements is insane. Know fact versus hype. There are a crapton of supplements on the market that make claims to boost ones testosterone. In reality these overhyped and over marketed supplements are garbage. They have inferior ingredients that fail to stimulate the natural production of testosterone.First lets do a brief overview on total testosterone levels to get a bit of an understanding on what is being looked at to be increased.Tightly bound testosterone- 2/3 of testosterone is bound to sex hormone binding globulin. The human body is incapable of utilizing this.Loosley bound testosterone- 1/3 of testosterone is bound to the protein, albumin. Some of this testosterone is able to be utilized but not all of it.Free testosterone- 1% to 4% of testosterone floats freely in the blood, able to bind to androgen receptors as the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase converts this free testosterone into hihydrotestosterone, which is a very potent androgen.Some nutritional supplements inhibit CYP19A1, which is an aromatase enzyme. An anti- aromatase actually can act as a testosterone booster in men as testosterone is converted to estradiol, which is then converted to estrogen. Yes, the more testosterone men have, the more estrogen they have and this goes for women as well. Now men actually do need estrogen (in lesser amounts than women). So when estradiol is low, testosterone is naturally increased. Therefore, if an individual were to lower their estradiol levels, testosterone will be increased. This is a negative feedback loop of hormones. However, in pre-menopausal women, as ovaries produce the majority of estrogen, aromatase inhibitors are less effective (but not ineffective) than in men.Some supplements that are supposed to increase testosterone act on the testicles. Others act on the hypothalamus in the brain. Those that act on the testicles could effect HPTA stimulation (causing testicular atrophy (or shrinkage). Other supplements acting on the hypothalamus cause symptoms of that some may call adrenal fatigue.The most boring ways to increase testosterone are quality sleep (and I do stress quality), moderate physical activity, and weight management. Individuals who stay up too late to watch a game while they rise early in the morning, work a desk job, have a little belly (dad bods or more) and fail to engage in moderate physical exertion for a minimum of three days per week at 30-45 minutes of actual movement, are destined for low testosterone levels and as a result, a lowered quality of life and perhaps lower life expectancy.Lowered testosterone levels have been attributed to lowered libidos, the development of metabolic syndrome- x, and depression (to name a few symptoms).Middle aged and older men have a natural decline in testosterone by 0.4% to 1.6% per year. Some experience lower than average testosterone levels as young as 30. This is why anti-aging therapies have become so important to increase vitality and longevity in individuals. What's the point of living if ones quality of life sucks?Contrary to popular belief, there is no single one best level of testosterone! Different lab results vary as a wide range of free testosterone levels are used between different labs. An example of this is one male was tested at 360 ng/dL. He is lethargic, depressed and cannot seem to lose an ounce of body fat. Another male was tested at the same testosterone level. This individual is confident, successful, full of energy and looks like an adonis. A few supplements have been shown to increase testosterone. But before they are disclosed, there is a caveat on them. As previously discussed in a podcast, there is a bell curve of optimal levels. Too little of these levels in your body and you will greatly benefit from a supplement. Too high levels of these in your body and the supplement will begin to give adverse effects.The first supplement is vitamin D. Yep, good ol' sunshine. Vitamin D is essential for the development and creation of a multitude of hormones to include testosterone. Enough research has been done to back this up.The second supplement deficiency is zinc. Zinc is lost through sweat so athletes may need to get their levels of zinc checked to see if a supplement may be beneficial to improve testosterone levels. Zinc rich foods include meat, some grains (whole new caveat on how grains are linked to cancer development) and nuts (stick with walnuts and almonds to avoid the excess lectethins or heavy metals).Another supplement is magnesium. In the United States, it is understood most are deficient in this vital mineral. Magnesium both directly and indirectly aids in the conversion of vitamin D into it's active form to be used in the body. Like zinc, magnesium is lost through sweat. A favorite food of this authors that contains a plethora of bioavailable zinc is 100% cacao. If taking a magnesium supplement, one should avoid magnesium oxide, which is only bioavailable at a rate of 4% in humans. Maca is marketed to increase testosterone. However, maca has been shown to increase libido but not testosterone. Be wary that just because one is in the mood more than usual does not mean that one has higher testosterone levels.The same may be said about horny goat weed. A good form may over time improve sexual desire but has no effect on testosterone levels.D- aspartic acid had some prelimiary research showing increased testosterone levels. However, further studies have showed the opposite of it not effecting testosterone levels whatsoever.DHEA is a hormone that converts directly to testosterone. Individuals with low levels of both have shown an increase with DHEA supplementation.Pregnenolone, which is synthesized from cholesterol, provides a building block for many of the steroids present in your body. Athletes may take this hormone to hide their use of anabolic steroids. However, as this does convert directly to DHEA; some studies have shown increased testosterone and estrogen levels in both deficient males and females. Some pure forms of tribulus such as the original Tribestan might actually have increased testosterone. Unfortunately most of the stuff on the market today is garbage. If you can put it on your fingers and simply blow it off like a powder, it's either not tribulus or it's a terrible form. It should be a tar-like consistency made from the root, not the leaves of the plant.   HOW TO DETERMINE HIGH QUALITY TRIBULUS There's a plethora of other ingredients that are thought to increase testosterone. There's not enough human research on some SARMS such as RAD-140 (testabol) When it comes down to it, plenty of rest, adequate nutrition, moderate exercise and a way to decompress stress and testosterone levels will raise up. During your middle aged years, you may consider seeing an anti-aging specialist to ensure your testosterone levels are where they give you the greatest out of life.   How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables to Rid Them of Neurotoxins   Dr. Mike Brandon​Jokes have been made about what clean eating is, and how the simplest answer is that it's when you wash you food before you eat it. All kidding aside, especially when it comes to produce, this is a highly suggested action with the justifications mainly being to remove dirt, pesticides, and bacteria. With one quick internet search, multiple sources will say to lightly rub the produce under cold water for 30 to 60 seconds. What's interesting to me is how to wash your hands for that result, it's suggested to do it vigorously for about double that time. So either we should have our hands more clean than the produce we eat, or there's a fallacy or assumption somewhere here.​Multiple studies on both washing our hands and washing produce show that most of the cleaning aspect of the process is from the friction of rubbing the dirt and grime away more than the soap use. With produce, using most soaps can actually add a small residue layer on the produce, or even have the soap seep into the flesh of the fruit/vegetable, so this practice is discouraged and you are probably better off rubbing vigorously with running water. Naturally this wont work for all produce, as you can only rub berries so hard before it turns into juice.A larger concern over dirt and grime on our food supply is the pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed on them. These are the only toxic substances released intentionally into our environment and they have the sole purpose of killing living things. There are over 15 common pesticides used, and it is almost never just 1. These sprays are very well known to be neurotoxins and have been linked to Parkinson's disease, asthma, cancers, leukemia, thyroid and infertility complications, and autism, to just name a few. These neurotoxins also appear to destroy many of the antioxidants in produce, as seen by the difference in content of organic vs standard produce. The most common reason as to why people switch to organic is to avoid these pesticides, but unfortunately, they are still there, but about 70% less. This can occur due to wind and water runoff from 1 farm to the next, or from the soil itself. These neurotoxins absorb into the soil, and many have a half life of 4 to 5 years. So even if no sprays have been used for 10 years on the soil, they could still be being absorbed into the vegetation.So what can we do to limit the amount of toxins we digest from trying to be healthy by eating our fruits and veges? A study was done comparing the ability of tap water, a Clorox bleach solution (which is the industrial standard to wash produce before going to the stores), and a soak in baking soda for 12 to 15 minutes to remove pesticides. This study looked at 2 common pesticides, thiabendazole and phosmet. Baking soda did appear to clean off the majority of both of these pesticides, especially compared to the other methods which is great news, but it comes with a few catches and precautions. First of all, it did not remove what was absorbed into the peels of the fruit, and assuming, if pesticides go into the peel, its likely going into the flesh as well. Also in this study they took organic fruit and then sprayed it down with thiabendazole and phosmet, which is a decent method to try to replicate a farm, however, if these apples were sprayed in the study a few hours or even days before the cleaning process, how much more is absorbed or harder to remove from produce that was sprayed weeks prior before it even made it to the grocery shelf? Even with the forward movement towards more organic food, there are still a few scary statistics that show the extent of this public health issue. Chlorpyrifos, which are in the same pesticide family as organophosphates and has the same neural damaging mechanism as nerve gases used in the military, is found in the urine of 93% of Americans! It's estimated that only 1 out of every 10 Americans eat enough produce, which can make this a little more alarming that either we are getting them in our bodies from another source, or the little bit that we eat is still being absorbed and metabolized by us. Then DDT, which is a pesticide that was banned in the 1970's, was found in 99% of Americans. It's illegal to use and is still getting into literally almost all of us.So since we are still getting these toxins in our body, what is there being done to help off set this? There's actually quite a few alternatives to pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, etc, but the difficult part is getting the large farms to jump in with it. Smaller farms in the USA, and most farms outside of the country use a few methods which are cost effective and work.Polycutlure is one method that is used quite frequently. Basically how many home gardens have multiple types of produce in 1 area, that's the concept but on a large scale. Instead of having acres of corn, it would be acres of corn, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. Having multiple types of plants together has been shown to both decrease many pests that only target 1 food, as well as increase the overall immunity of plants to deter more pests and make sprays less required.Trip crops, or sacrificial crops, is another method. Think of a child that is staring at a plate of broccoli and a bowl of icecream; most children will go for the ice cream. That's the concept. Putting “ice cream” type crops in the field to attract the pests away from the yielding plants. Examples are:Nasturtiums  distract aphids (black fly, green fly, white fly).French Marigold helps to attract slugs, thrips and nematodes.Radish  attracts flea beetle and root fly.Then there is also Entomopathogenic fungi, which are parasitic to most insects. The spores will attach to the majority of insect kind, and rather rapidly kill them off and has appeared to be effective in drastically lowering the procreation rate of bugs. Obviously going organic and washing our produce effectively is better than not at all, and is recommended, however, the environmental and physiological impacts are still a major concern, but at least there are a few methods we can use to help lower the amount of “-icides” that our body absorbs. biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Dr. Mike Brandon Chantea Goetz   The big announcement is that our BiohackHumans website now has an Insiders Only Section. Be the first to see world class workout programs, high quality recipes, videos, how Dr. Mike Brandon lost 30 lbs in 5 days step by step and m uch much more!!!!    New Theories Behind The Real Cause of Lymes Disease and Possible Natural Treatments Jim Goetz   Since the 1970's in the town of Lymes, Connecticut, individuals have been coming down with a mysterious illness diagnosed as many things. The symptoms are pretty much the same. They include: fatigue, muscle pain, weakness, twitching, spasms, restless leg syndrome, mental fog, joint pain, swelling, and tingling in the extremities. (These symptoms sounds seriously like every night after my three times per day workouts). Because of the grouping of symptoms, health officials believed they needed to find the cause of this new "disease". A few years later, an individual who had these symptoms stated they reported having a tick on them a few weeks prior to the symptoms occurring. Researchers found this specific type of tick to carry the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and "hallejuia" an answer was found (though it was based on mere observation). Lymes has traditionally been treated by using a very large dose full spectrum anti-biotic. Patients often get better at first giving doctors the impression that the drugs are working. This is called a Herxheimer reaction. That is symptoms reverse. Now with this dose of antibiotics, your body is also losing beneficial bacteria that your body needs to function and yes, even think. Unfortunately antibiotics at times casue viruses to strengthen. In this case, this is true.  Recently there has been some speculation that Lymes disease is also caused by other bacteria such as Bartonella or parasites such as Babesia. None of these however or Borrelia actually seem to be responsible for the actual symptoms of Lymes disease. Someone may test positive for one of these bacteria or parasites and have Lymes disease but this again may only be another observational study and the two may have nothing to do with another. This is like someone observing an individual with a cold having eaten a pizza just the day prior and no other foods. Therefore colds must be caused by pizza. This simply is not the truth.  The symptoms of Lymes disease are the same as those who have Epstein-Barr, HHV-6 and it's varous strains. Some also test positive for cytomegalo virus. These are all viruses!!! Exactly!!!!! Lymes disease may actually be a virus that most of us have that is actually triggered by events in life.  All of these items in some way or another lower ones immune response. As a result, a dormant virus can take over. These possible causes include (but not limited to: -mold -mercury based dental mamlgam fillings -mercury in general -emotional events such as the loss of a loved one or traumatic event -bites or stings -virus enabling prescripton medications (see benzodiazepines) -overprescribed medications -recreational drug abuse -overly stressful chronic situations such as finances -lack of sleep -poor nutrition -chemicals in ones environment such as carpets or carpet cleaning products, paint, etc. -runoff -swimming (chlorine is highly toxic in pools as are red algae blooms in the ocean)   Some natural treatments include but are not limited to: -thyme (kills viruses on contact). I often use this in a diffuser and breathe it in the room, especially in fall and winter. I have no proof it works but know I do not get sick often. -lemon balm (kills co-factors of viruses). It's also naturally soothing and used in many good bed time/ relaxation formuals. -zinc (lowers inflammation and may raise immune levels) If you put a zinc losenger in your mouth though and it tastes highly metallic, your zinc levels may already be normal and therefore risk toxicity. -licorice root (impairs viral movement and ability to reproduce) -L-lysine (same as licorice root). However, L-lysine is used during herpes outbreaks as it appears to be directly inverse to L-Arginine, a vasodialator. L- Arginine and foods containing this amino acid are to be avoided during times of outbreaks. -Lomatium root (removes pathogens from the body). -reishi mushrooms (increases lymphocytes, and neutrophils, which are white blood cells responsible for immune function). -silver hydrosol (kills viruses on contact) -astaxanthin (restores neurological function) This is found in krill supplements and Green Vibrance. Both area a staple in the diet of the madscientist himself. -nascent iodine (strengthens the encocrine system)   Swing Away Depression and Anxiety Dr. Mike Brandon Jumping on a trampoline, swinging in the park, running in circles, and rolling down hills may sound like a day's summer schedule for a child, but what about as a way to help combat depression, anxiety, and memory deficits in us all.Our body's vestibular system is what helps us with our balance and equilibrium and allows us to do things like walking and standing upright, standing on one leg, walk across a tight rope etc. The majority of this system is small structures buried within our ears which works with our eyes and specific regions of our brain. It gets strengthened via body and head movements like rolling, jumping, spinning, and so forth. We rarely think about it unless there's an issue like becoming dizzy or losing balance, but clearly this system is important for us. Could you imagine trying to go through a day without being able to walk 10 feet without falling to the side?Science has found however that having a healthy balancing system may also help with stress, anxiety and depression. It appears that having vestibular dysfunction, like dizziness or vertigo, can cause increased anxiety and stress, and even the reverse with having excess stress or anxiety disorders could cause dizziness or vertigo. So clearly they are related, but why does that matter?​ There was a study that took college students and gave them “swing time” every day, meaning they literally went to a park, sat on a swing and swung back and forth for a while. This caused all participants to have a positive change on their emotional state with depression, stress, and anxiety. This led me to think about children and the importance of recess. Its been over the news the past few years when it was shown that increased play time increased academic performance. This could be a big part as to why. Children's brains are still developing, so having kids “just be kids” and run, roll, and jump, is quite important so they have a better chance at staying happy and coping with the stress that inevitably arises in life. Currently, kids don't play as much as they used to due to tv, video games, and similar activities, so their vestibular system which is linked to strong emotional control and satisfaction may not get fully developed. Add to that then how most of us as adults live rather sedentary lives and sit most of the day, so we aren't strengthening our equilibrium and balance systems either. The good news is, that it appears that even as adults we can help ourselves by “just being a kid”. So maybe I wouldn't advice grandpa to go hop on a merry-go-round or start doing flips on the trampoline, but gently rocking in a chair or standing on a wobble board for a while may help his occasional panic attacks or make him smile a bit more. It shouldn't be surprising then that most people enjoy things such as swinging and spinning. Everybody wants to stay young, and though we have yet to biohack a secret for that, there's clearly benefits by following a child's example in this case. So go make yourself a little dizzy, a little happy, and as always, BioHack on!   References:Dalton, S. (2016, May 11). Youth Fitness: Exercise Helps Children Excel in School. Retrieved June 16, 2017, from http://www.healthline.com/health/youth-fitness-exercise-helps-children-excel-school#5Eisenbarth, C. A. (2013). Influence of Optimism on Appraised Stress, Depression, and Anxiety Among College Students. Journal of Psychology Research, 3(6), 295-297. doi:10.17265/2159-5542/2013.06.003 Gurvich C., Maller J. J., Lithgow B., Haghgooie S., Kulkarni J. (2013, in press). Vestibular insights into cognition and psychiatry. Brain Res. [Epub ahead of print]. 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.08.058 Halberstadt A. L., Balaban C. D. (2006). Serotonergic and nonserotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus send collateralized projections to both the vestibular nuclei and the central amygdaloid nucleus. Neuroscience 140, 1067–1077 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.02.053 Mukkadan, J., Rajagopalan, A., Jinu, K., Sailesh, K., Mishra, S., & Reddy, U. (2017). Understanding the links between vestibular and limbic systems regulating emotions. Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine, 8(1), 11. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.198350 Smith, P. F., & Darlington, C. L. (2013). Personality changes in patients with vestibular dysfunction. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00678    biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Chantea Goetz Dr. Michael Brandon   After our usual disclaimers, we discuss the wonderful services offered at Functionised Integrative Therapeutics (F.I.T.). To relieve pain and become healther from a genetic level, visit Functionised Integrative Therapeutics and make an appointment TODAY!!!   Biohacking Flat Feet By Dr. Michael Brandon   In general, people love shoes, and it's evident by the number of pairs that we have in our closets and the price we pay for them. We make our choices of which shoe to buy based on the brand, features they may have, and even simply just how they look. Unfortunately the reasons why we pick out a specific pair, many times are also the exact reasons that we shouldn't be wearing them.   There has been a plethora of research out recently showing the benefits of slipping off the shoes and walking around barefoot, especially outside. Being barefoot regularly improves our gait and foot kinematics, and well as strengthens and prevents damage to all of our joints, not just in the lower extremity. Firstly, it's well known that flat hard surfaces aren't the best for us, and most of us can go all day without ever even touching the ground. We go from our home's floors, to the side walk, pavement, and then more hard floors at work. Let alone the fact that our shoes, are still just hard flat surfaces! The ground isn't flat, and it has a spongy give to it that makes us use the intrinsic muscle of the foot to stabilize as we move.   Then, when we are barefoot, our feet get to feel and be aware of the environment to help with balance and decrease the risk of injuries like ankle sprains; this is called proprioception. It's also been shown that as we age, our feet anatomically and functionally change shape compared to habitual barefooters. Shoes confide our feet into small areas and constrict the movement, especially laterally, of the tarsals and metatarsals.   Most running shoes brag about having a thick sole and heel for comfort, and this as well has been shown to create a negative impact. A big difference in running between barefooters and those who routinely wear shoes, is that when we run, shoe runners have a predominate heel strike, that is landing with their heels, where as barefooters tend to land with their forefoot. The issue here is that with heel striking, there is a 7x increase in the impact on the foot, and that is with the cushioned sole. The thick sole actually promotes heel strike, so though it may be more comfortable, its causing more damage of the lower extremity. Barefooters have a much lighter impact while running with forefoot strike because now the calf and lower leg is used as a shock absorber and uses that to propel us forward as opposed to taking the impact in the inch thick sole, ankle, and mid foot which can damage the medial longitudinal arch and promote a “flat foot” as well as increase the impact of the knee, hips, and low back.   Something interesting is that those who typical don't wear shoes, keep that decreased impact even on hard surfaces. So the myth that hard surfaces are bad, isn't as true as first thought; it all depends on the kinetics of your gait.   Though just walking and running around barefoot can help increase the strength of the foot, there's a quick 5 minute exercise protocal that can be done which has been shown to strengthen the feet, and help to both prevent and heal issues such as ankle sprains, shin splints, and flat feet. Below is a case study that was performed on these 6 foot drills.   Hello Biohacker Nation! Today is all about the foot. Roughly 1 out of 3 of us have at least 1 flat foot and it's believed that it can lower balance ability and increase the likelihood of various injuries like ankle sprains, knee, hip, and back pain.We ran into the lab to see if we could biohack a way to a less flat foot using a few simple drills that was taught to me by Dr. Russ Ebbets, D.C.   They were done every day for 1 month, bare foot in the grass and doing all 6 of them took roughly 4 minutes each day. They are meant to strengthen the foot to rebuild the fallen medial longintudinal arch which is characterisitc of flat feet (also known as Pes Planus).These foot drills consist of simply walking up to 80ft 6 times with slightly different foot positions on each pass.The foot positions are walking: 1) on your heels 2) on your toes 3) on the onside edge of the foot (Inverted) 4) on the inside edge (everted) 5) with toes pointing inward 6) toes pointing outwardHere is a quick sample of what they look like when done while marching in place:   PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AVAILABLE AT BIOHACKHUMANS.COM So what do these results mean?With my case study, both of my feet became slightly less pronated after the drills with the right one having a larger change. The 2 of them equalizing by the end of the study at 24 degrees. Good start, but the evidence on the importance of this mild at best, but there was a change noted. By week 3 I could feel while walking that the right foot was turned in more (less pronated and more supinated), so the measurement change was no large surprise.With the Navicular drop test, the avergae person has the bone drop by about 0.6cm and most literature on the topic agrees that 1cm or more of a drop declares a flat foot. My results show that both feet had a positive change by 0.3 cm and the left foot even dropped below the 1cm mark showing a significant change for both feet.Next, the foot pressure evaluation. What we are looking for is to have no areas of high pressure (dark red) showing that it is evenly distributed across the foot. With a “perfect” foot, weight should be evenly distributed from the heel, to the whole outside edge until it gets to the “knuckles” or balls of the toes with no high pressure areas seen. The post foot drill scan showed a change heavily into that desired weight pattern.So what does all of this mean? Did I fix my flat feet? Not completely, but all signs show that both of my feet noticeably improved, and again, this was only done for 1 month. What if this is done for 3 months straight? 6 months? A full year? If someone is trying to increase their bench press, they never stop after one month, but expect a strength change by then, and that is precisely what these drills have done for my feet.This appears to be a good way to strengthen the foot and rebuild the fallen arch, instead of just constantly wearing orthotics for the rest of one's life.​So final thoughts? These foot drills were fast, easy, free, and work! I liked them before and now that I began to see results in such a short period of time, I think they're a fantastic way to help one's foot health. I plan to continue these drills indefinetly and BioHack my feet literally 1 step at a time “Flat Feet More Common Than You Might Think.” Cbslocal.com, 2013, baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/06/13/flat-feet-more-common-than-you-might-think/.What Are Fallen Arches? (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-are-fallen-arches#1 Winter, Gregor, and About Gregor WinterHi, I run ATG.Follow me on instagram @gregorwinter (and ATG @atginsta). “Russ Ebbets Foot Drills to Fix Flat Feet.” All Things Gym, 17 Feb. 2013, www.allthingsgym.com/russ-ebbets-foot-drills-to-fix-flat-feet/. Zhai, Jun Na, et al. “Effects of Orthotic Insoles on Adults with Flexible Flatfoot under Different Walking Conditions.” Journal of Physical Therapy Science, vol. 28, no. 11, 2016, pp. 3078–3083., doi:10.1589/jpts.28.3078.  Biohacking Crossfit By: Jim Goetz​Having the title, "Fittest on Earth" is straight up awesome!!! Being the best at anything on this planet is awesome! Being the fastest on earth is pretty cool. Being the strongest on earth is also cool. But cross fit is a sport that is a combination of the biggest, fastest and strongest all into one. Cross Fit is a sport that measures pure athletic ability. It is athletic ability at it's most raw state. To be the top baseball player in the world, you have to spend countless hours honing your talent and skills to be able to pick up a ball, react to it's movement and future location and move the bat swift and powerful through that path of the ball. It's a learned skill. Cross fit is simply pure and unadulterated athleticism.What does Cross Fit have to do with BioHacking? Everything!!! As seen in our article on exercise, it's now common knowledge that humans were meant to move. We were hunters and gatherers turned sedentary by our own technology and laze. In order to unlock the utmost in human performance, we must move. Cross fit is movement. Doing it properly will enhance long term ability of movement and health. Doing it improperly will assure injury and poor daily performance.Perhaps the greatest Cross Fit athlete to date has been Rich Froning. He won the Reebok Cross Fit games in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and then retired from the open competition and won the team competition in 2015 and 2016. He could be considered the Babe Ruth of Cross Fit. He says that he does not adhere to any strict nutrition regimen and works out multiple times per day. On the surface, it makes him appear to be some alien or someone on insane amounts of HGH or steroids. While allegations in the sport are rampant, I do not think the latter is entirely the case. How then does he not burnout if he participates in multiple workouts daily?Cross Fit incorporates multiple elements of training from high intensity interval training (HIIT), Olympic lifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, girevoy, calisthenics, strongman elements, swimming, and middle distance runs. It literally incorporates the training elements of all sports and combines them into one. But training for Cross Fit competitions must be done in a manner that allows the competitor to be at their strongest and not fatigued or broken down in any way. ​A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research entitled "Crossfit-based high intensity power training improves maximal aerobic fitness and body composition" followed 54 participants for 10 weeks of CrossFit training. The study said that "...a notable percentage of our subjects (16%) did not complete the training program and return for follow-up testing." The authors said "This may call into question the risk-benefit ratio for such extreme training programs..." This study resulted in a lawsuit by Cross Fit against the NSCA, to which this article and company will not touch with a ten foot pole. The purpose of mentioning this is the idea of overtraining as could easily occur in Cross Fit's WOD (workout of the day) without any variation would appear that burnout could easily happen. Even worse, the disease of rhabdomylosis is present within the sport. This is the breakdown of muscle tissue due to exercise exertion. Remember that most studies show positive benefits of exercise are achieved through moderate exercise. Cross Fit is a tad bit more than moderate. On the positive side, Cross Fit has been proven to lead to dramatic gains in fitness in a very short period of time. So let's take a BioHacker's perspective to this sport to be the fittest you can be and perhaps for one of the few of you, the Fittest on Earth. First, we must avoid injury. Second we must perform to the highest of our ability while training the body to adapt to changes in exercises while simultaneously experiencing gains whereas the result is an increase in athletic strength and conditioning. In order to achieve this we must ensure adequate rest, recovery and proper adaptation to the program we participate in. The human body is extremely resilient in how it adapts. The body will adapt to the stresses put upon it. Repetitive and reasonably intense stimulation strengthens the nerve impulse to the muscles involved, creating greater muscular strength and endurance. However, I did say, "reasonably intense". If the stress is too much and too fast, the body will break down resulting in injury. Another concept to become successful in Cross Fit is practice. Movements such as Olympic lifting, muscle ups, kip up pull ups, rope climbs and the such take coordination and skill. The Hebbian theory is a neuroscience theory that is best summarized by Siegrid Löwel's phrase: "Cells that fire together, wire together." Yes, perfect practice makes perfect. In order to continue to progress while as the same time rest, it's best to follow a technique called, Periodization, as written about by Tudor Bompa. This technique "mixes it up" while allowing an athlete to peak at the right time. As with Cross Fit one may have to peak over the course of a few days; proper implementation of this will allow for success. As there are multiple types of periodization (linear, daily undulating and block), using the right one  or a combination thereof is crucial. This will allow for increases in performance while allowing the body to rest and recover. Working with a highly trained strength and conditioning coach who is fluent in this is suggested. Nutrition is key to recovery as well. Without the right ratio of nutrients, the body cannot properly recover and improve. I will get more into this in what will most likely be future BioHacker Talk entries. If done right, Cross Fit can be a fun and enjoyable way to challenge yourself and achieve new heights of fitness. If done wrong, it can be a miserable way to the hospital. BioHacking is more than simply taking a pill for a specific purpose and hoping for a biophysiological change. BioHacking is habits and ways of doing things differently than you have done before. Following the proper principles and progressing properly along with adequate rest and nutrition are key to your biohacking success. Who knows, perhaps you may be the next one to be recognized as, "Fittest on Earth". ​​#BioHackHumans #BioHacker #edtech #BioHackthePlanet #crossfit #sixpack #fitness #training #playground   References1. Muscle & Fitness magazine Live Chat with CrossFit Games Champ Rich Froning2.  Dehority, Sam. "The Fittest Man on Earth". Men's Fitness. Retrieved 21 April 20173. Smith, MM, Sommer, AJ, Starkoff, BE, and Devor, ST. Crossfit-based high-intensity power training improves maximal aerobic fitness and body composition. J Strength Cond Res 27(11): 3159 –3172, 20134. Robertson, Eric (2013-09-20). "CrossFit's Dirty Little Secret: Everyone has an uncle they'd rather you not meet., A Tale of Rhabdomyolysis, Rhabdomyolysis: As Told By CrossFit?, The Impact of Rhabdomyolysis". Medium. 5. The disease attacking super fit athletes. Stuff6. CrossFit: Can the Popular Extreme Workout Be Dangerous?. ABC News.7. Hebb, D.O. (1949). The Organization of Behavior. New York: Wiley & Sons8. Löwel, S. and Singer, W. (1992) Science 255    biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

Jim Goetz Michael Brandon, DC Chantea Goetz Introduction This episoide is a very special episode as we discuss not only carb cycling and whether this does or does not improve performance and fat loss and how it may be done but also how UFC fighters can drop three weight classes in just five days. As some extreme events have occurred in order to bring you this podcast, we do tell you not to every try or think of trying this on your own. It's pretty dumb and may cause health problems or even death. Dr. Michael Brandon was under direct one on one medical supervision for the duration of his experiement.  Carbohydrate Cycling The keto diet involves getting the majority of your calories from fat, some protein, and very few (5% or less) from carbohydrates. There are modifications to the full keto diet, including carb cycling and overall increased carbohydrates. However, in reality these modifications are not a real and true ketogenic diet. One will not garner the benefits of a ketogenic diet by having days of high carbohydrate intake.  Although most people are in it for the weight loss, science shows keto has a ton of other benefits, like lowering inflammation, imroving cognitive function, and keeping siety in check. While your body is shifting from burning sugar and carbs to burning fat for fuel, you experience a range of symptoms for a few days up to two weeks, called “keto flu.”  While this may be improved by the consumption of exogenous ketones, it should level out.  Based on the extensive research of Dr. Michael Brandon and Jim Goetz (the biohackers), no reliable peer reviewed evidence exists showing any benefit of a carbohydrate infused ketogenic diet. Once high amounts of carbohydrates are introduced back into the body, one no longer operates on ketones but glucose. One will no longer benefit from a keto diet.  If takes up to a week to get into full ketosis. By having varying days of carbohydrates throughout the week, the entire idea of a keto diet is pretty worthless. When it comes to performance, the madsicentist himself noticed a 50 lb decrease in his deadlifts by using carbohydrates for the first time in almost three years.  Websites and so called experts write many articles that appear well reasearched and "smart" when it comes to carb cycling. However, in reality, there is no real research and everything written and stated on other podcasts are purely subjective.  If one decides to life a ketogenic lifestyle; it is a commitment to this lifestyle and truly changing ones physiological responses for life. UFC Weight Cutting There are times when mixed martial artists are injured before a championship fight. In order to ensure the pay per view buys, the UFC (or other MMA promotion) will have another fighter step in. To step in on a championship fight, the fighter must make weight to qualify to earn a belt. As a result, they may have to drop significant amounts of weight in order to accomplish this. Dr. Michael Brandon decided to put this to the test and accomplish a 30 lb weight drop in two weeks. In reality, this weight was actuall dropped in just 5 days. To begin, Dr. Michael Brandon was put through a modified Cross Fit Open 18.2 and 18.2 a baseline workout. He completed the initial workout in 7:52 and did a deadlift (as opposed to the power clean) of 335 lbs. Two hours after the weight cut (as opposed to the next day as done in the UFC and other MMA promotions such as Bellator), Dr. Michael Brandon did the exact same workout in 8:04. While his time was slightly slower, his deadlift was 375. It was interesting of his increased deadlift as Dr. Mike has not practiced deadlifting or even work on any accessory deadlift movements such as bent rows, good mornings, hyperextensions or Romanian Deadlifts.  Read specifically how Dr. Michael Brandon DC completed this extreme weight cut and his thoughts by visiting our website at Biohackhumans.   biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com