Summary: 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
