nootropics Archives - Fusion Health and Wellness

What is a Bio-hack? Plus 3 Simple Hacks You Can Use Today

What is a bio-hack? For one thing, it’s a buzzword and one with no real clear cut definition. But for our purposes, a bio-hack is any method, technique or substance that one can use and apply that improves efficiency and a given output.

The concept of bio-hacking is all about adjusting and tweaking your own biochemistry, biomechanics or your outlooks and beliefs, in order to greatly improve a given outcome, whether it be enhanced focus, greater fat burning, faster learning, less anxiety, or any combination of things.

Bio-hacking can range from the very simple to the outrageously complex; from everything from swallowing a pill to hooking electrodes up to your brain in order achieve certain mental states; even using a bright light to beat depression and entrain circadian rhythms.

Here are some of my personal favorite forms of bio-hacking that you can start using right now to improve your performance.

Hack Focus with Caffeine + L-Theanine

This is hands down the easiest and most bang-for-your-buck bio-hack you can use, and one that has great potential to enhance your focus. It’s also the easiest way to get into the field of nootropics, or cognitive-enhancing substances.

We’re all familiar with that glorious little molecule called caffeine – it’s the world’s most used drug, helping us suffer through otherwise intolerable morning meetings, and improves both cognitive and physical performance.

The common protocol for many people is that they will sit down to work on their given project and slam 3 shots of espresso before hand to give them the energy to do so. What so often happens, however, is that 3 hours later, they’ve done a hell of a lot of texting, cruising through Facebook, and calling their Aunt Trisha, but have accomplished very little actual work. They had the energy, they had their materials right in front of them, but.. What happened?

This is where L-Theanine comes in. It’s an amino acid that is only found in the leaves of Camellia Sinensis, the plant that we get green and black tea from. Green tea has high levels of L-theanine, and it is what’s responsible for that calming, focusing effect from a good quality cup.

L-Theanine on it’s own is able to enhance focus, reduce anxiety and alleviate stress, and also has anti-depressant effects. A 2009 study concluded that L-theanine facilitated “longer-lasting processes responsible for sustaining attention across the timeframe of a difficult task”.

The real magic comes when L-theanine is paired with caffeine, however. The combination has neuro-protective effects, improves cognitive performance and increases alertness, and enhances the ability to switch between tasks and ignore distraction. It also enhances the activity of Alpha brainwaves, which correlate to a relaxed state with enhanced creativity.

A 2008 study states “In addition to improving RVIP (Rapid Visual Information Processing) accuracy and ‘mental fatigue’ ratings, the combination also led to faster simple reaction time, faster numeric working memory reaction time and improved sentence verification accuracy.” Groovy.

Most dosages use a 2:1 L-theanine to caffeine ratio – so 200 mg L-theanine to every 100 mg caffeine. You can buy caffeine + L-theanine in an encapsulated form that already come in this ratio off of Amazon, or buy straight L-theanine to mix with your caffeine of choice – I simply put some right in my morning coffee.

Build more muscle, become smarter and live longer using Saunas

Who would have thought that sitting in a hot box a few times a week could have such wide and varied benefits?

Use of “hyperthermic conditioning” contributes a wide array of benefits to those willing to sit in a sauna for 20-30 minutes a few times a week.

A big shout out to Dr. Rhonda Patrick for bringing a lot of this information into the limelight.

Benefits include –

enhanced muscle growth;
a strong release of Human Growth Hormone, a muscle-building, fat-burning, anti-aging hormone (a 16-fold increase in one study!);
improvements in insulin-sensitivity and glucose utilization (prevents fat gain and helps ward off diabetes);
improves resistance to stress by releasing heat shock proteins (this also just sounds cool);
increases longevity;
increases brain levels of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that promotes alertness, focus and attention;
helps to increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that promotes neurogenesis, enhances learning, and helps ameliorate depression.

Most gyms and health clubs have saunas that you can use, if that’s within your price range. And remember, more is not necessarily better. Make sure you are in good health before doing so, and drink plenty of mineral water before, during and after to rehydrate.

Hack motivation by optimizing Dopamine

Lovely, beautiful dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter most involved in feelings of pleasure, energy, drive and motivation. That buzz you get from a cup of coffee? Mainly from a combination of dopamine and norepinephrine. The feelings of pleasure involved in eating a nice meal when hungry, or engaging in sex? More dopamine. The sense of exhilaration and accomplishment when you finish a big project or hike a mountain? Dopamine, my friend.

The most over-used photo when it comes to neurons firing — The most over-used photo on the web when it comes to neurons firing

The unfortunate thing is, much of todays world is constructed to hack into your dopaminergic system, with the intent of being addictive. Facebook. Tv. Social media. Texting. Overly-palatable foods. Coffee, sugar, nicotine. All of these provide hits of dopamine.

And like moths to a flame, we are drawn repeatedly to things that give us any hit of dopamine we can get. Unfortunately, over time, the brain begins to rewire itself, a process called neuroplasticity – dopamine receptors desensitize, meaning we need more frequent and stronger hits of dopamine. Ultimately this leads to a brain that is dependent upon fast-paced and overly-stimulating experiences, leaving very little will power or drive to get the actual important things done.

Don’t believe me? Try going 3 days without any social media. Count how many times you unconsciously check your phone throughout the day. Eat a diet of plain foods with little to no salt or seasoning, and see how you suffer. Give up sugar, coffee, nicotine and/or alcohol for 2 weeks. Tell me if you aren’t just slightly irked after a few hours of any of the above.

So whats the fix? Reclaim your will power by reclaiming your brain.

First, cut back on any and all repetitive, highly-stimulating and meaningless input. This means overly-palatable junk foods, incessant web browsing, social media, constant texting, excessive coffee and alcohol, or games like Candy Crush or swiping through Tinder. Stop gossiping so much. Try to limit social media to ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the evening, and thats it. Give up social media for an entire day, then the next week, for two. These are very minor tweaks, but ones that if held to over time, provide huge benefits.

Second, actively train your focus, attention and motivation. There are many ways to do so –

Set goals each day, and just get them done. Do the worst ones first. Best of all, you’ll get a hit of dopamine each time you complete and cross that goal off your list. This will train your brain to seek its rewards by getting productive stuff done, not from seeing how many likes you got on that post about cats. Read up on decision fatigue – the more often you have to choose between two things, whether it’s what clothes you’re going to wear or how you’re going to spend your time, the more you drain your willpower.
Practice meditation – one study’s results suggest that “meditation produces long-term increases in the efficiency of the executive attentional network“. This means being able to direct your attention where you want it to go – towards being a boss and getting stuff done. Remember the concept of neuroplasticity – “neurons that fire together, wire together”. This will change the wiring of your brain for the better, and will make accomplishing goals second nature.
Embrace the Indian concept of Tapas – one of the branches in the traditional system of Raja (Royal) Yoga is that of the Niyamas, which are beneficial habits, behaviors and observances – one of which is the concept of Tapas. As I’ve posted before, Tapas is the friction and heat created by spiritual practices that burn away negative qualities of the mind. I’m all for spiritual enlightenment, but you can use the concept of Tapas to improve your motivation as well – long story short, learn to embrace and even welcome the uncomfortable into your life. Your muscles won’t grow unless you stress them. You won’t learn a new language without being completely confused at first. You’ll never get a date without overcoming those butterflies in your stomach. Eleanor Roosevelt was quoted as saying, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I’d like to modify that to, “Do one thing every day that gets you out of your comfort zone,” and preferably towards something productive. Feel that uncomfortableness and just plow through it.

Finally, there are always a few supplements that can help out as well.

The first is an herb called gynostemma, and comes with a multitude of benefits – being a superb antioxidant, an immune booster, a strong adaptogen and a regenerator of dopaminergic neurons. I enjoy it in tea form, though it is available encapsulated as well.
Inositol is able to actually increase dopamine receptors within certain areas of the brain – the more receptors available, the more effective dopamine is, the more you’re able to get done and experience pleasure. I would go ahead and buy bulk powder, as it has a pleasantly sweet taste.
Lastly, supplementing with the precursor to dopamine itself will improve motivation – stick to DL-Phenylalanine, which is also a precursor to endorphins (natural feel-good molecules), and which should provide a nice boost in mood and motivation.

In Conclusion, bio-hacking is a relatively simple concept, one of hacking into your own biology in order to achieve a given result. There are plenty more options out there, suited to a huge variety of needs and goals. And as always, feel free to contact me to learn more ways to enhance cognition, de-stress, burn fat faster and beat depression and anxiety.

Increasing Shen – How to Enhance Learning, Beat Depression, and Chill Out

Within Traditional Chinese Medicine lies a fundamental and unique concept, that of the Three Treasures. The Three Treasures lay at the foundation of how TCM works – build up your Jing energy for a long life and strong resilience; improve your Qi so as to have plenty of day to day energy; and enhance and build up your Shen energy, that faculty of mind that leads to wisdom, peace and tranquility.

We already discussed one of them, Jing, in some detail, but what I want to focus on today is Shen, that faculty of your higher mind. Shen can be defined in many ways, but is commonly described as being the seat of the higher mind, your spirit, consciousness, and the domain of thought, memory and emotion. To have strong Shen is to be mentally quick, happy, joyful, and content, and to not be forgetful, lethargic, depressed, angry or anxious.

What I find really interesting about things like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, the equivalent Indian system of healthcare, is how they are able to understand all the effects a substance is having on the body, without ever being able to isolate certain compounds or measure acute changes within a person’s biochemistry.

Luckily for us today, we are able to accomplish this and measure all the minutia within a substance and the subsequent changes occurring in our body. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

Reishi Mushroom

Reishi is the star of the show when it comes to Shen substances, and in fact is the number 1 ranked herb out of 365 medicinal substances within TCM. First described over 2,400 years ago, it was said of Reishi that “if eaten customarily, it makes your body light and young, lengthens your life and turns you into one like the immortal who never dies.”

Of red Reishi, it was said that “it is good for the Qi (functional activities) of the heart including mental activities, it tonifies the Spleen, increases wisdom, improves memory so that you won’t forget, long-term consumption will lighten your body, you will never become old, it lengthens years, it has spiritual power, and it develops Shen so that you become a ‘spirit-being’ like the immortals.”

That’s some lofty descriptions of a mushroom, I’d say.

So I dug deeper. On PubMed alone, there are 1,195 studies on Ganoderma Lucidum, and that’s just one strain of reishi mushroom. And while it has proven benefits on everything from the liver, to the immune system to allergies, we’re here to focus on its possible Shen-enhancing effects.

Reishi mushroom has BDNF- and NGF-like effects within the brain. Both BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and NGF (nerve-growth factor) promote the growth of new brain cells, enhance synaptic connections between existing neurons, and serve to protect neurons from damage. Both BDNF and NGF enhance learning and memory. Further, many studies show a link between low levels of BDNF and depression.

So from Reishi’s BDNF- and NGF-like effects alone, it’s able to help with depression, memory, and learning, as well as help prevent damage to the brain from stress, drugs or alcohol, and help ward off cognitive decline as we age. Not bad.

A simple hot-water extract of reishi exhibited anti-depressant effects in mice, as well as helped to prevent freezing up in the face of fear, and pretreatment of a hot water extract proved to be neuroprotective.

All in all, I’d say reishi mushroom fits the bill of a Shen-enhancing substance, and remember, this is all in addition to proven anti-cancer, anti-allergy, liver-protective and immune-enhancing benefits. I’ve used plenty of reishi products over the years – I suggest getting a liquid dual-extracted tincture, so that you get both the water- and the alcohol-soluble components, as they all have different functions in the body. You can also get a powdered extract that contains reishi mushroom spores – these spores have the same effects as the alcohol-soluble constituents, but are hundreds of times more potent.

When it comes to Reishi supplements, you really get what you pay for. Dragon Herbs carries some really interesting Reishi products, all of which are also concentrated to be even more potent –

they have a dual-extracted Purple Reishi, as the purple variety is said to have the most Shen energy;
a dual liquid extract of 22 different varieties of reishi, which I promise you can not find anywhere else;
a Wild Reishi dual-extracted tincture – this is cool because wild herbs are almost always more potent than those grown by humans, but are much more difficult to collect;
as well as an extremely potent bottle of Reishi Spore Oil – if anyone really likes my website, feel free to buy me some of this, as it is not cheap.

Count the Reishis — A Chinese painting honoring Reishi mushroom

Polygala

Polygala is another premier Shen-enhancing herb. It has sometimes traditionally been called the “Will Strengthener“, helping both spiritual practitioners and common folk alike increase their will power. What biological effects this herb would have to have upon the body to increase will power, alas, I do not know.

It’s also traditionally been said to be able to connect the sexual energy of the reproductive system with that of loving, altruistic energy of the heart. As such, polygala has been used as one of the premier Shen-enhancing herbs used throughout the ages. Does it hold up to Western scientific scrutiny?

One 2009 study concluded that treatment with polygala led to improved memory and learning, and even ameliorated some of the deleterious effects of the amnesia-producing drug scopolamine. The authors noted that “the expression of BDNF was also greatly enhanced in the hippocampus.”

A 2014 study found strong anti-depressant effects, noting that the main constituent studied, Yuanzhi-1, had a stronger affinity to dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine receptors in the brain than a commonly prescribed pharmaceutical anti-depressant. This means it improves depression through 3 distinct pathways more effectively than a drug approved by the FDA, without side effects.

Do you often have trouble finding motivation to get things done, even if they are activities that should excite you? Another 2014 study found that polygala administration not only had “rapid-onset anti-depressant” effects, but also that it helped reverse anhedonia, the scientific term for having a lack of motivation for, and lack of pleasure in, common every day activities.

Polygala is neuroprotective; enhances memory; attenuates beta-amyloid plaque build up (one of the main factors in Alzheimer’s disease) and promotes neurite growth; and also improves synaptic transmission, or the ability of cells within the brain to communicate effectively.

Polygala is a bit harder to find than reishi mushroom, but don’t despair – Dragon Herbs offers a very nice product I’ve used in the past called Will Power. Polygala is the main herb used, but the product also has a number of other Shen-enhancing herbs.

If you’re looking for straight polygala, you can buy 100 grams of a 5:1 extract here, which is the product I’m currently using. I gotta say, things have been looking bright since I started taking it.

In conclusion, it seems those ancient Chinese sages were on to something when it comes to “Shen” substances that improve emotions and enhance the intellect. There are plenty of other Shen herbs out there as well – pearl and dragon bone, which have Shen-grounding effects, albizzia flower, which is one of the most uplifting herbs I’ve ever used, spirit poria, and more – I’ll try to have more info up soon about some of these herbs.

For now, get your hands on some reishi and polygala, and let me know what you think in the comments below. And don’t forget to contact me if you’re interested in learning how to take a multi-targeted approach to beating depression and anxiety, or how to enhance learning, memory and mental acuity.

Hangover Prevention 101

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, and with it comes for many folks an abundance of booze. Don’t be bedridden your first day of the new year – practice some damage control with this hangover prevention guide.

Note – this is NOT a green light or go-ahead to consume huge amounts of booze, or an excuse to consume booze regularly. Nothing in here prevents you from getting drunk, nor does it prevent or treat alcoholism – if you have a problem, go see a doctor. Above all else, drink responsibly – don’t drink and drive.

Look at this guide in two ways – there’s the “basic hangover prevention” protocol which entails only the first two steps, food/hydration and using antioxidants. This is the bare minimum and will work wonders for those who don’t drink too much, too often – if that’s you, then that’s all you need.

It will also work wonders in preventing hangovers for those who drink more heavily, but those who do should definitely consider some extra supplements to help combat the long term damage alcohol does to the body and brain.

Part 1 – The Night Of

1. Eat a good meal prior, and hydrate frequently

I remember vividly one night in Montreal a few summers back. It was the last night on a two week trip I took with my dad, complete with hiking Mt. Washington, seeing the Bay of Fundy, and experiencing some insane live music in Montreal.

We went out to celebrate – we managed to score a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town, Au Pied de Cochon, where we ate lavishly.

A dish of bone marrow topped with caviar - my $40 appetizer. — A dish of bone marrow topped with caviar – my $40 appetizer.

With britches loosened, I then did what any warm-blooded 20-something would do on his last night in a foreign city – try his hardest to get very drunk.

Something very odd happened that night, however. Despite trying to get drunk, and taking no antioxidants or other prophylactics, I simply never made it passed tipsy. Pretty tipsy, mind you, but never drunk, and when I awoke the next morning, I was simply a bit sleepy. And granted, this wasn’t just youth on my side – I’d had more than my fair share of vicious hangovers at this age.

Two things contributed to this – one, I ate a huge amount of food for dinner, and being French food, it was rich and high in fat.

Two, as my dad had reminded me ever since I reached the legal drinking age, I drank one glass of water per alcoholic drink – mainly because he was physically there to remind me.

Lesson learned – eat a big, rich meal, and drink a ton of water, at least one glass per alcoholic beverage, to help ward off a hangover.

Bonus tip – drink clear liquors. Clear liquors contain the least amount of congeners, by products of the fermentation process that worsen hangover symptoms.

2. Use quality antioxidants

One of the most effective ways to prevent hangovers is to prevent the actual damage done to your body from drinking alcohol. The best way to do this? Antioxidants, specifically ones that protect your liver and brain, the two organs that receive the brunt of the damage. It’s important to choose antioxidants that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier, a highly selective barrier made up of brain cells that only allow certain nutrients into the brain.

Astaxanthin is an extremely powerful antioxidant that is proven to cross the blood-brain barrier, and in one study was able to prevent damage done to the brains of rats by up to 40%. I personally use 4 mg of astaxanthin per 2-3 drinks. 12 mg pills are also available for the bacchanalians out there.

I personally also add 400 mg of Coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) per 2-3 drinks as well, another powerful antioxidant that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. If tight on cash or just plain lazy, stick to astaxanthin.

Out of all the antioxidants I’ve tried, these are the only two that reliably spare me from head-splitting migraines the day after.

For the liver, I highly suggest using N-Acetyl Cysteine and a high quality Milk Thistle extract, prior to drinking. Both are dirt cheap and work wonders to prevent damage done to the liver from excess alcohol consumption, as well as speed up the rate at which the body is able to breakdown alcohol.

This product contains both N-Acetyl Cysteine and milk thistle, as well as some other liver-protecting goodies, for just 20 dollars.

LifeExtension offers an all-in-one product that contains both antioxidants and liver supporting substances. This is a great pick for anyone who imbibes just occasionally, but for the regular weekend warriors out there, it’s both more economical and more effective to stock up on the items listed above.

You can opt to finish the night off with 200 to 400 mg of L-theanine, a calming and neuroprotective amino acid derived from green tea that not only helps your body to break down alcohol more quickly, but helps to deepen your sleep, allowing you to recover better from your binge. This is critical as alcohol worsens the deepest stage of sleep, REM sleep, in which dreams occur, memories are formed and learning is solidified.

3. Replenish what you’ve lost

Alcohol is one hell of a draining substance, and depletes your body of numerous essential vitamins and minerals.

The easiest way to replenish what you’ve lost from boozing is to at least pop some high-octane multivitamins. Add probiotics and a greens drink if you have the money.

A multivitamin such as LifeExtensions Two Per Day capsules is a quick and easy way to replenish most vitamins and minerals that are depleted from excessive drinking. Consume 2-3 pills before, during or after drinking.

For additional support, I would add a quality greens powder the same night after drinking. My top picks are Vitamineral Green and Green Vibrance – both are insanely nutrient-dense green powders, and both pack huge doses of probiotics. However, both are also expensive, and rightfully so.

For those on a budget (myself included), take 6-12 tablets of chlorella, which is both a strong detoxifier and packed with nutrients and antioxidants, along with 1-2 probiotic capsules. Both products are quite affordable and help to further replenish nutrients and probiotics that are depleted or killed off by excessive alcohol intake. Consume with coconut water – see part two.

4. Additional support

Adaptogens are any number of substances that help to normalize the functions of the body, increase energy and prevent stress. Would they be any help in keeping you sharp the day after a few libations?

Turns out Siberian ginseng is able to prevent hangover symptoms. According to this study, the authors concluded that “… PEA (Siberian ginseng) may have potential to reduce the severity of the alcohol hangover by inhibiting the alcohol-induced hypoglycemia and inflammatory response.”

Here is a strong and very affordable Siberian ginseng extract – each 400 mg pill is the equivalent to 11 grams of the un-extracted, raw herb – all for just $14.

Red Chinese ginseng is also able to help prevent hangovers and reduce damage from alcohol. This study concluded that ginseng “showed positive effects on hangover symptoms. Considering the reduction of plasma alcohol levels, expiratory concentrations, and hangover severity, we conclude that red ginseng relieves the symptoms of alcohol hangover.”

Unfortunately, with Chinese ginseng you get what you pay for, and cheap versions found at CVS or Walmart aren’t going to do much. I personally use either Dragon Herbs’ Ginseng Sublime, or if money is tight, their more affordable but still high quality House Ginseng. Again, these items aren’t necessary, but do help.

Part 2 – The Morning After

1. Hydration in the form of coconut water

Lots of electrolytes are lost when you drink. Alcohol also slows the production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), which causes you to lose water through urination – the real reason behind the whole “breaking the seal” concept.

When you stop drinking, your body goes on to over-produce ADH in a rebound-type effect. This causes water retention, leading to puffy hands, feet and face, as well as a headache as your blood pressure increases. Your body also over-produces a hormone called vasopressin, which causes your body to retain sodium and lose potassium.

Drinking coconut water, which is extremely high in potassium, helps to lower blood pressure, rehydrate and prevent the excessive retention of water. I’m a huge fan of dehydrated coconut water – it’s cheaper, lighter and takes up less space, while providing all the benefits of liquid coconut water. Consume at least two tablespoons worth in a big glass of water.

Add two to three teaspoons of Natural Calm magnesium citrate to further replenish lost minerals and electrolytes, and reduce the inflammation caused by alcohol.

2. Caffeine

Lets face it, a cup of joe is just what the doctor ordered after a long night. Combine with L-theanine for less jittery side-effects and enhanced focus.

3. Nootropics

Nootropics (new-trope-icks) are a class of substances that act to increase cognitive function, and are commonly referred to as “smart drugs” – they’re great for students, for desk jockeys, for musicians, athletes, busy moms, hell, just about everyone. CEO’s of million dollar companies and Silicon Valley startups rely heavily on nootropics, as do professional level gamers. I’ve personally noticed a huge improvement in performance, focus and productivity, as well as improvements in mood and a decrease in stress from perfecting my nootropic use.

However, they’re also a tricky bunch – what works great for one person may not do much for another. There’s a great variety of nootropics out there as well, each one aimed at enhancing a specific area of cognitive function – memory, motivation, creativity, reaction time, energy, etc.

For this reason, your best bet is to contact me so you can quickly sort through which ones would be right for you, and avoid spending money on those that many in the community consider to be duds.

4. Optional – more antioxidants, liver cleansers and multivitamins

It depends on how much you drank and how bad you feel, but it never hurts to double up on antioxidants and vitamins, especially if you drunkenly forgot the night before. More greens powder or chlorella helps as well.

Party on, Garth!

So remember – at it’s most basic, you can simply eat a good dinner, stay hydrated, and take some antioxidants before and during drinking. This alone does wonders.

To take it up one more notch, add a high quality multivitamin and coconut water to rehydrate. Astaxanthin, NAC/milk thistle plus a quality multi will run you 20 to 30 bucks for multiple month’s worth of supply.

Everything beyond that is very helpful, but not necessary if you’re not regularly consuming multiple drinks per night.

5 Simple Tips to Stay Trim During the Holidays

Let’s admit it – the holidays are a terrible time for weight loss, between all the parties, the rich dinners and the holiday treats.

Lucky for you, there are some simple strategies you can use to help keep some of the extra pounds off this holiday season.

1. Workout before a big meal or party

Do you ever feel guilty after eating a ton of junk food at a holiday party, or after a big holiday meal? The truth is, you don’t have to. In fact, strategic gorging on food, even somewhat unhealthy food, can help you build muscle and lose weight.

The best way to do this is by eating healthy during the rest of the week, and when the day of the party arrives, make sure to get a strenuous workout in right before the party. This makes muscle tissue more sensitive to the hormone insulin, while simultaneously making fat cells less sensitive to insulin. This means that the food you consume immediately after a strenuous workout is preferentially used to build and repair muscle tissue, and less likely to be stored away as fat.

Bonus tip – consume a casein protein shake with chia seeds right after the workout and prior to the party. Casein is a type of protein that is very slow digesting, helping to curb hunger. Chia seeds absorb moisture and expand in the stomach, also helping to create a feeling of fullness. The net result is less food consumed at the party without feeling like you’re depriving yourself. If you’re a vegan or sensitive to dairy products, use a quality hemp protein powder.

2. Drink Smart

Choose your holiday libations wisely. The higher in sugar your alcoholic drink is, the more likely you are to put on the weight.

Worst offenders – spiked eggnog, beer, sweet wines and sugary mixed drinks.

White Russians are unadvisable as well. — White Russians would be unadvisable as well.

Middle of the road – Dry white and red wines, and low sugar cocktails (think a martini)

Best bets – clear liquors with soda water and a lime/lemon. Think a vodka and soda, gin and soda, etc. Straight liquors, liquors on the rocks, as well as watered down liquors are great options too, such as a bourbon and water or a bourbon neat.

Bonus Tip – Use a good antioxidant to help prevent hangovers. My favorites for this purpose are astaxanthin and CoQ-10, 4 mg and 400 mg per every 2-3 drinks, respectively. Both of these are powerful antioxidants that make it to the brain to help mitigate some of the damage caused by alcohol consumption.

You can also use L-Theanine at the end of the night to speed up the rate the body breaks down alcohol, and promote a deeper sleep. And remember to hydrate!

3. Keep your stress levels down

I personally find holiday shopping to be the bane of my existence. Holiday shopping can be pretty stressful, and unfortunately all that extra stress leads to weight gain.

Excess stress makes you gain weight due to a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol has many necessary functions within the body – however, when your body releases cortisol in excess in response to stress, your body begins to store extra fat, especially around the midsection.

Good thing there are a few ways to help keep excess cortisol in check.

Ashwagandha – Ashwagandha is one of the best ways to reduce stress and lower cortisol, and it’s easy as just popping a few pills. This 2012 study showed that

“Ashwagandha root extract exhibited a significant reduction in scores on all the stress-assessment scales on Day 60, relative to the placebo group. The serum cortisol levels were substantially reduced in the Ashwagandha group, relative to the placebo group.”

Ashwagandha also increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps protect brain cells, helps the brain make new connections between neurons (leading to faster learning and better memory retention), and is also a potent anti-depressant. Add to this the fact ashwagandha improves thyroid functioning, which is one of the main endocrine glands in charge of your metabolism, and is an aphrodisiac, and you have one hell of an herb. This patented, full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha is only $14.

Yoga has been proven time and again to be a very effective way to reduce stress. This study shows that it was more effective than medication in both reducing cortisol and in its antidepressant effects – and it’s free.

Phosphatidylserine is another natural supplement that is proven to reduce cortisol, though is a bit more expensive than ashwagandha.

4. Don’t eat or drink 2-3 hours before bed time

Did you know that you can burn fat while you sleep? Keep your dinner light, low in carbs and make sure to have it 2-3 hours before your normal bedtime.

Leptin is a hunger-suppressing, fat-burning hormone that is naturally released sometime around sunset. However, leptin won’t be released if there is insulin in the bloodstream, and insulin is released in response to food intake, especially carbs. This is why dinner should be light, early and low in carbs, to make sure insulin has cleared the bloodstream in time for leptin to be released.

Insulin also hampers the release of another fat-burning hormone called adiponectin, released soon after sunset. Then around midnight, leptin enters a region of the brain that signals for the body to start burning fat for energy and to increase thyroid output – but only if insulin hasn’t been hanging around.

Bonus tip – keep breakfast low in carbs too. Cortisol is highest in the morning, which acts like a natural caffeine to help us wake up. But don’t forget that cortisol is also a powerful fat-storing hormone as well.

Because cortisol increases fat storage, it’s best to make your breakfast low in carbs, instead having a healthy mix of protein, low-carb, high-fiber veggies/fruits, and with a small to moderate amount of fat.

Think an omelet with onions, mushrooms and peppers, a smoothie with berries, chia seeds, protein powder and unsweetened almond milk, or even a breakfast salad.

5. Lose weight with just 4 minutes per day

Anything that promises weight loss within such a short period of time is usually a massive red flag that it’s a complete marketing gimmick. For once, this appears to not be the case.

Tabata training is method of high intensity interval training (HIIT) that is completed in just four minutes.

How can only a four minute workout improve fitness and help you lose weight? To sum it up in one sentence – It’s a bitch.

Tabata involves eight rounds of 20 seconds of all-out effort exercise with 10 seconds rest. The key word here is all-out effort – if at the end of the eight rounds you feel you could do more, you weren’t going hard enough.

What would this look like in the gym? Hop on a stationary bike, and spend a few minutes getting warmed up. After five minutes or so, go all-out sprinting on the bike for 20 seconds. Then pedal lightly for 10 seconds, followed by another all-out sprint for 20 seconds, and then 10 seconds of light pedaling. That’s one minute, and two rounds.

At this point, if you’re new to this type of training, take a minute’s rest. Then do another two rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, followed by another minute’s rest. Complete only 8 rounds, for a total of four minutes of active exercise.

If you’re in really good shape or have already been doing this protocol for a few weeks, feel free to try to go the whole four minutes without any minute long breaks.
As you can tell from the graph above from the original study, the group that did 6 weeks of hour long endurance training hardly improved in anaerobic capacity, while the Tabata interval training group improved drastically – with only 4 minutes of active work each day.

I don’t suggest Tabata training to be your only method of exercise, but during the busy holiday season, it’s a great way to squeeze in a workout when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

Looking for other ways to lose weight?

Contact me.

Quick and Dirty Tips

My latest blog post is taking a while, so here are four quick tips to read in the meantime. Enjoy!

1. Coconut oil for weight loss, improved cognition, and boosted immunity – While coconut oil has definitely started to verge on becoming a fad, there are quite a few reasons to add it to your diet.

In place of other fats, coconut oil may aid weight-loss – 60% of the fat found in coconut oil are medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs. These shorter fatty acids bypass normal digestion and are absorbed straight into the bloodstream through the liver, where the body preferentially burns them as energy instead of storing them away as body fat.

The MCTs in coconut oil are readily converted to ketones, small molecules that the body can use for energy, just like it would for sugar. This provides an immediate supply of energy not only for muscles, but for the brain as well. While normal folk may enjoy a nice boost of clear headed energy from coconut oil, it’s especially important for those with Alzheimer’s disease, during which brain cells can become resistant to burning glucose, leading researchers to believe that some forms of Alzheimer’s disease to be a type of diabetes. However, these glucose-resistant brain cells have no problem utilizing ketones as a fuel source.

Finally, coconut oil is nature’s richest source of lauric acid, comprising nearly 50% of it by weight. Inside the body, lauric acid is converted to monolaurin, a powerful little compound with antiviral, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal and anti fungal properties, with many infections being unable to develop a resistance to it. Coconut oil also contains capric and caprylic acids, two more anti-fungal compounds.

My suggestion? Spend 20 bucks on a few months supply of coconut oil and use it in place of other fat sources. Concentrated MCT oil is also available.

2. Avoid Carbs in the Morning – Cortisol, a catabolic, fat-storing hormone, is highest in the morning.

This is actually a good thing, as it acts as a natural caffeine, waking you up and preparing you for the day. But because cortisol increases fat storage, it’s best to make your breakfast low in carbs, instead having a healthy mix of protein, low-carb, high-fiber veggies/fruits, with a small to moderate amount of fat.

Think an omelet with onions, mushrooms and peppers, a smoothie with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, chia seeds, protein powder and unsweetened almond milk, or even a breakfast salad.

3. Keep cortisol low to reduce stress, lower body fat and have more energy – Let’s get some things straight about cortisol – it is an absolutely essential hormone, responsible for proper energy levels, feelings of alertness, and even helps regulate blood sugar. The problem, as with all things health related, is the balance of cortisol. Too little and you’ll be plagued with fatigue; too much, and you’ll be constantly stressed, unable to put on muscle and unable to prevent fat gain, the dreaded skinny-fat.

Fortunately, as long as you haven’t dug yourself into adrenal fatigue, there are easy ways to lower cortisol to keep it right in that optimum range.

According to this study, yoga is an easy and effective intervention to reduce cortisol to a normal range –

The findings support that yoga may act at the level of the hypothalamus by its ‘anti-stress’ effects (reducing the cortisol), to bring about relief in depression.

Further, considering the fact yoga results in an almost 30% increase in GABA, our main calming neurotransmitter, you’re getting a one-two punch in reducing stress levels.

One of my most favorite herbs, ashwagandha, has a strong cortisol-lowering effect as well. According to a 2008 study, ashwagandha “significantly improved scores on a standardized measurement of stress intensity… Moreover, at the end of the study period subjects that received 500 mg of ashwagandha daily had cortisol levels nearly 30% lower than subjects who took a placebo, and their DHEA-s levels were significantly higher as well.”

DHEA is a mood-boosting, muscle-building, fat-reducing hormone that starts to decline each year starting in the early 30s, at roughly 2% a year. Any increase you can get in DHEA is a good thing.

You can also use phosphotidylserine, a phospholipid naturally present in milk and soybeans. This study states –

Pretreatment with both 50 and 75 mg BC-PS (phosphatidylserine) significantly blunted the ACTH and cortisol responses to physical stress.

You can buy 120 capsules at 100 mg each here.

4. Meditation lengthens life, improves cognitive processing speed, improves neuroplasticity, and delays the aging of the brain.

It’s incredible how certain single activities have such a multitude of benefits – exercise, yoga, looking before you cross the road. You can now officially add meditation to that list.

Meditation protects telomeres, which are the end caps on your DNA. Longer telomeres are positively associated with prolonged life, meaning anything that protects telomeres will likely lengthen your life. Meditation prevents the shortening of telomeres, thus likely lengthening your life.

Recent research at UCLA shows that meditation helps not only strengthen connections between existing neurons, but increases something called gyrification. This is the amount and thickness of folds in the pre-frontal cortex – more folds, more surface area, and an increase in memory and information processing speed.

As the study states, “there seems to be a positive correlation between cortical gyrification and intelligence (Luders et al., 2008)”, meaning an increase in gyrification (through meditation or other means) should increase intelligence as well.

A 2009 study concludes that,

meditation may reduce stress-induced cortisol secretion and this could have neuroprotective effects potentially via elevating levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)… In one cross-sectional study, meditation practitioners were found to have a lower age-related decline in thickness of specific cortical regions.

This means two things. First, because of a decrease in cortisol and an increase in BDNF, meditation is neuroprotective, protecting the brain against damage and stress, while at the same time increasing neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to form new connections between existing neurons.

Second, meditation prevents the age-related decline in grey matter, literally preventing the aging of the brain.

Not to mention meditation lowers stress, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces pain and leads to a general increase in happiness and quality of living. Stay tuned for future articles on meditation and yoga, I’ll be getting pretty in depth with these topics.

Interested in how to utilize these concepts to get the most out of life? Contact me for a free initial consultation.

Fine Tuning Your Biochemistry to Suit Your Needs

What do 90% of Americans do first thing when they wake up in the morning? They get out of bed, go downstairs and reach for some coffee or tea. Why? It gives them energy, motivation, focus and transforms them from grumpy, sleepy zombies into happy little worker bees, buzzing about. This is because of caffeine’s effect on their biochemistry.

Caffeine blocks adenosine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter that causes sleepiness. Caffeine also causes dopamine to be released, which is responsible for the increase in attention, motivation and improved mood, as well as norepinephrine to be released, which makes you alert and energized. Norepinephrine is also why you’ll find yourself on the john half an hour after your first cup.

Photo fred The Oatmeal and DBG Technologies — Photo cred The Oatmeal and DBG Technologies

Caffeine is just one substance that you can use to alter your biochemistry in a favorable fashion. I’d love to help you learn how to do just that, but first you have to agree that you understand that this is just a website, that I’m not a doctor, and that anything you decide to do because of this article should be checked out with your primary care physician first, especially if you’re on prescription meds or have depression, anxiety or any other mental illness. There are no cures presented here, just ways to help you get the most out of life.

Let’s get on with it.

First, we need to understand a few terms and concepts. A neurotransmitter is a molecule used for communication between neurons in your brain and nervous system, and can be either excitatory, inhibitory, or both.

Excitatory neurotransmitters include

dopamine
epinephrine (adrenalin)
norepinephrine
acetylcholine
PEA
glutamate

Inhibitory neurotransmitters include

GABA
serotonin
melatonin
glycine

Your mood, outlook and energy levels are strongly correlated to the exact ratio and proportions of the neurotransmitters that are active in your brain at any given moment. This means that if you can tweak the levels of your neurotransmitters, you can positively steer your mood and outlook as you see fit.

Don’t overdo it, though. The body is always trying to maintain homeostasis, and increasing one neurotransmitter too much leads to its receptors becoming de-sensitized, and eventually even a loss in those receptors – this is how addiction and withdrawal forms.

Increasing dopamine – Results in increased drive and motivation, increased pleasure gotten out of most activities, and improves mood and confidence. You’ll remember this feeling as the first cup of coffee of the day, having sex, eating delicious food, or engaging in any rewarding activity

Beautiful, beautiful dopamine. My favorite neurotransmitter. This is responsible for the buzz or high coming from caffeine, cocaine, adderall and other ADHD meds, as well as the more subtle “high” to be achieved from completing rewarding tasks. Go hike a mountain, and when you reach the summit, drink deep from the springs of dopamine.

There are two methods you want to utilize to enhance dopamine, the first of which is making use of long term supplements and strategies to resensitize and increase dopamine receptors. This will have the net effect of causing you to be more motivated, energetic, confident and focused, as well as receiving more pleasure out of most actives, without having to take any substance. It will also enhance the effects of short-term dopaminergics, making them more effective.

You can simply have a few cups of gynostemma tea, an adaptogenic herb from China, to resensitize your dopamine neurons. Inositol works as well, but I find it easier to simply drink a few cups of tea. On top of this, cut back on activities that deplete dopamine – things like constantly texting, checking Facebook and other social media, drinking too much alcohol or coffee, or any other semi-addictive behavior.

Both intense physical exercise as well as fasting are perhaps the strongest methods to re-sensitize the brain to dopamine, and act as a “reboot” for the brain in general. If you aren’t getting regular exercise we need to sit down and have a serious talk, and I strongly advise fasting at least a full day once a month.

Remember, these are long term strategies, and while you may notice benefits within a week or two, it’s ideally something you’d continue to do throughout life.

You can also use occasional supplements to increase the body’s production of dopamine, in much the same way you can use coffee as a morning or mid-afternoon pick me up. L-Tyrosine has been my go-to dopaminergic substance, as it is easily converted into dopamine within the body.

You can also use DL-Phenylalanine, as some of the Phenylalanine will be converted into L-Tyrosine and thus dopamine, and some of it will be converted into PEA, a feel-good neurotransmitter that some have dubbed the “love chemical”. You can also get hefty doses of PEA and the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (ananda = bliss in Sanskrit), from cacao, either in powder form or in a very dark chocolate bar. Both are very potent mood-boosting compounds.

Further, dopamine can be converted into epinephrine and norepinephrine, two more neurotransmitters that increase energy and alertness.

Have a serious coffee addiction? Try cutting the amount of coffee you consume in half, and use a bit of L-Tyrosine or Phenylalanine for a synergistic energy boost. Both work well any time you need a pick-me-up or need the extra focus and attention. Use anywhere from 100 to 1000 mg, at once or split evenly in 3 doses throughout the day. Take note that those on prescription MAOIs, those with hypertension or those with Phenylketonuria should not take tyrosine or phenylalanine.

GABA – An increase in GABA results in feeling relaxed and at ease. Prescription anti-anxiety meds act on GABA receptors in the brain. That relaxing feeling you get after drinking a nice glass of wine is due to alcohol releasing GABA within the brain.

GABA, which stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid, is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter within the brain. GABA produces a nice relaxed feeling, and is involved in decreasing stress and calming the brain enough to fall asleep.

Increasing GABA is especially useful for those who are stressed or suffer from anxiety. Instead of taking pharmaceutical drugs, why not just try to increase the body’s own production of GABA?

According to this study, performing one hour of yoga resulted in an average of 27% increase in GABA levels, which is huge.

One of the best ways to relieve anxiety is by using ashwagandha, one of my favorite Ayurvedic herbs. It’s been found to a be a potent GABA-mimetic, mimicking the effects of GABA without actually changing brain levels of the neurotransmitter. Perhaps even more beneficial is it’s rejuvenating effect on the brain –

Ashwagandha, its constituents and the metabolites of its constituents promote the growth of nerves after taking it for 7 days… It has anxiolytic effect [relieves anxiety] and improves energy levels and mitochondrial health.

Ashwagandha also has a unique ability to lower the stress hormone cortisol. A 2008 double blind, placebo controlled study showed that, “Over a 60-day period, doses ranging from 125 mg to 500 mg daily of a patented ashwagandha extract (Sensoril®) significantly improved scores on a standardized measurement of stress intensity, and also favorably modulated several biomarkers… Moreover, at the end of the study period subjects that received 500 mg of ashwagandha daily had cortisol levels nearly 30% lower than subjects who took a placebo, and their DHEA-s levels were significantly higher as well.”

I recommend this ashwagandha product, which contains 250 mg of the patented ashwagandha extract Sensoril used in the study above. It’s 10 bucks, you have no excuse.

Another excellent choice for reducing anxiety and inducing a sense of calm is L-Theanine, a rare amino-acid like compound found only in green tea.

The most cliched picture of green tea I could find. — The most cliche picture of green tea I could find

Straight from the LEF website, L-Theanine, “has traditionally been used to enhance relaxation and improve concentration and learning ability (Vuong 2011; Wakabayashi 2011; Nathan 2006).

L-theanine is chemically related to the neurotransmitter glutamate, and binds to glutamate receptors in the brain (Cho 2008). Unlike glutamate, however, which can cause a state called excitotoxicity that can destroy nerve cells, L-theanine protects brain cells against excitotoxicity, calming the nerve networks in the brain (Kakuda 2002; Nagasawa 2004; Di 2010).

L-theanine reduces evidence of anxiety and depression in several different animal models of stress (Yin 2011; Heese 2009). In one animal model, L-theanine led to decreases in nearly all frequencies of brainwave activity, indicating a state of calmness and relaxation (Dimpfel 2007).

In one study, healthy subjects took a soft drink containing green tea enriched with L-theanine while their brainwave power was measured (Dimpfel 2007). Power was initially reduced in all frequencies and areas during the first hour, indicating relaxation. Later changes indicated both an increase in mental performance and a higher degree of relaxation. In this case, L-theanine seemed to produce desirable increases in attention, accompanied by durable relaxation—that means subjects could concentrate better without being distracted by anxiety.

A third trial concluded that L-theanine plays a general role in sustaining attention during a long-term difficult task (Gomez-Ramirez 2009).”

L-Theanine has such wide-ranging and strong effects because it increases brain levels of GABA, Dopamine and Serotonin, as well as having affinities for a few other receptors involved in attention and cognition.

As I commented on in my post about A Few Effective Biohacks, combining L-Theanine with caffeine is a powerful brain boosting combo – all the benefits of increased attention, mood and energy from the caffeine, as well as the neuroprotective and zen-like focus from L-Theanine. Some people recommend a dosage of 2:1 L-theanine to caffeine ratio, but I get better effects from a 1:1 ratio. You can play around with the doses and see what works best for you.

You can supplement with straight L-Theanine, or you can consume matcha green tea, which has high levels of L-Theanine, more caffeine than regular green tea, as well substantially more EGCG, the potent anti-cancer, fat-burning antioxidant.

Serotonin – Serotonin is responsible for feelings of relaxation, as well helping to curb hunger, improve mood and help with sleeping patterns. You know that warm, happy, comfortable feeling you get after eating a large bowl of ice cream or anything sugary? That’s serotonin.

I’m personally not a big fan of trying to increase serotonin. While I like dopamine’s mood- and energy-boosting effects, and GABA is useful for focus or relaxing, serotonin makes me feel dopey and lazy. Everyone’s different however, and many people do benefit from a little boost in serotonin, so I don’t want to leave it out.

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter targeted by most anti-depressants, but considering up to 50% of people don’t respond to these anti-depressants, I wouldn’t be quick to claim serotonin is the “happiness” neurotransmitter. That said, if you’re on anti-depressants or taking any MAOIs, don’t try to supplement with any extra serotonin, and nobody should take huge doses of serotonin supplements (or any other supplements) as it can lead to serotonin syndrome.

The reason sugar leads to a serotonin buzz is because the insulin released from consuming sugar sweeps most other amino acids out of the blood stream, but leaves behind tryptophan. Tryptophan then makes its way to the brain unimpeded by other amino acids, where it is first converted in 5-HTP, and then into 5-HT, or serotonin.

While you can supplement with 5-HTP, I suggest you don’t as there is concern about it affecting the heart, and instead simply eat more carbs or supplement with tryptophan.

Acetylcholine – While being a very important neurotransmitter, acetylcholine doesn’t have much of a “feeling” or affect your mood. It is extremely important for memory and learning, however, and may be involved in creativity.

This is the neurotransmitter you want to focus on if you have a lot of studying to do, if you’re trying to learn something quick, or if you just have bad memory. Many people who use nootropics, or cognitive enhancers, have at least one supplement that tries to increase levels of acetylcholine within the brain.

To increase acetylcholine, you can simply consume more choline – the best food sources are liver (just eat it), eggs, grass-fed milk and cheese products, peanuts and cruciferous veggies. You can also supplement with choline – Alpha GPC is a highly bioavailable source of choline, or you can use Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR), which can increase levels of acetylcholine by donating its acetyl group. ALCAR has a whole host of other benefits as well, including being a potent neural antioxidant, helping the mitochondria to burn fat for energy, and is a strong cognitive enhancer in its own right.

In conclusion, many people are unaware that you can tweak your biochemistry to get an edge in life, or just to help you unwind or handle stressful events calmly. This knowledge can make a huge difference in your life and your ability to get things done.