Announcer: BulletproofRadio.Astateofhighperformance.

DaveAsprey: You'relisteningtoBulletproofRadiowithDaveAsprey.Today'scoolfactofthedayisthatyoureyescanactuallygetataninsideofthem.There'sacompoundinsideyoureyescalledocularmelaninorneuromelanin,andmelaninisthestuffthatgivesyouatanorgivesyoudarkskincomplexionbutinsideyoureyesithasaweirdabilitytoincreaseoxygenlevelsbeyondwhatweusedtothinkwerepossible.Andmelaninisactivatedbylight,whichisoneofthereasonsthatgettinghealthylightintoyoureyesreallymatters,anduntilveryrecentlynoonecouldexplainwhythisstuffwasintheeyeandnoonecouldexplainwhyyoureyehadmoreoxygenthanthecapillariescouldactuallydelivertotheeye.Well,thisiswhy.

Andyou'llreadaboutthisinHeadStrong,mynewbook,wherewetalkaboutmitochondria'causeitturnsoutthatthestuffthatthisocularmelaninmakes,oxygen,isrequiredformitochondriainyoureyestofunctionand,believeitornot,youreyeshavesomeofthemostdensemitochondriainyourentirebody.Sowhowould'vethought?Lightdrivesoxygen,whichdrivesenergy,whichdrivesvision,whichthendrivesfunctionthroughoutyoureyes.

Prettycoolstuff,andthat'swhyyoushouldgotoorderheadstrong.com.Allright.Checkthatout,coolfactofthedayandaplugforthebook,justlikethat,whichissupercool.

Today'sepisodeisparttwowithDr.MarkAtkinson,theheadoftheBulletproofCoachTrainingProgramandMedicalDirectorforBulletproof.Wearetalkingtodayaboutthesecondhalfofthequestionfromyesterday-

MarkAtkinson: Yesweare.

DaveAsprey: ...whichwassugarcravings.

MarkAtkinson: Itwas,yep.

DaveAsprey: ThatwasfromJohn.Andthenwe'regonnatalkaboutJuliafromtheUK,38,shehadaquestion.Shesays,"DearDaveandDr.Mark,I'mtiredallthetime.It'sbeenthiswayfornearlyfouryears.Itaffectseverything.Mood,relationships,self-esteem,libido,workperformance.SawyourGP,theyransomebloodtests,saidnothingwaswrong."Youknowwhat?Whenadoctorrunsbloodtestsandsaysnothing'swrong,andyou'relike,"IfeellikeI'vebeenpoisoned.I'mdying,"thereissomethingwrong.It'syourdoctor.[inaudible00:02:19]

MarkAtkinson: Yeah.Yeah.Youknow,whenIhad[Dallas00:02:23]...Whendoctorssaythatwhattheymeanis,"Ipersonallydonotknowwhatiswrongwithyou."

BPR-DrMark-Apr2017 Page 2 of 22

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

MarkAtkinson: It'snot,"There'snothingwrongwithyou."It's,"There'salotofthingsnotright."Butthey'retalkingabouttheirpersonallimitation,becausethewayyoufeelistrue.It'sreal.There'salwayscauses.Itrequiresinvestigation.Youhavetotakeonthehatofbeingamedicaldetectiveandthat'swhatwe'regonnakindofhelpyouwith.

DaveAsprey: I'dbealittlemorebluntaboutthis.Whenyouhavepersistentsymptomsthatyou,asaemotionallysomewhathealthy,youdon'thavetobeperfectlyhealthyatall,personandyou'relike,"Ihavereliable,repeatablesymptomsthatarereallyaffectingmyqualityoflife,"whenyougointothedoctor'sofficeandthedoctorsays,"There'snothingwrong,"whatyoucantranslatethatto,andallofyoulisteningtothis,ittranslatesto,"Iamabuffoon."That'swhatyourphysicianissayingtoyou.He'ssaying,"Iamabuffoon."Becauseifyouhavesymptomsthereissomethingwrong,andifthelabtestsdon'tpickupthesymptomsit'sprobablythewronglabtestsorthesymptomsarecausedbysomethingelse.

Donotletaphysiciantellyouthatyou'reanutter.Physiciansaretrained.Ifyouhavemorethanafewsymptomsinmedicalschoolthey'lltellyou,what'lltheytellyouDr.Mark?Ifsomeonecomesinwith10symptomswhatarethey?

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,it'ssupposedtobehypochondria,right?

DaveAsprey: Exactly.

MarkAtkinson: Thisisoneofthereasonssomanymoredoctorsaretraininginfunctionalmedicine,integratedmedicine,'causewe'vehadenough.Whenyouhavepeoplecomingtoyousaying,"I'vegotthissymptoms,"andyourconventionalmedicaltrainingdoesnotallowyoutohelpthem,andyourealize,"Wow.80%ofthepeopleIactuallycan'thelp."Whatitmeansisthere'safundamentalerrorinthemedicaleducationprocess.Thisiswhyfunctionalmedicineistakingoff'causeit'ssaying,"There'salwaysreasons."Butwhenadoctorsays,"Idonotknow,"thenyouhavetofindanotherdoctorwhoiswillingtochampionyouanddowhatisrequiredtoworkwithyoutofindouttheunderlyingreasons,'causethere'salwaysreasons.Intheolddaysitwas,"You'reahypochondriac."

Take,forexample,chronicfatiguesyndrome.Iftherewaseveroneclearmessage,listenreallywell,chronicfatiguesyndromeisnothypochondria,it'smitochondria.Ifyoureallygetthatthenit'slike,"Wow.SuddenlyIcanbeempoweredbecausethereissomuchIcandotohelpmyself."

Wehavefireinthebellyaroundthisbecausemillionsofpeoplesufferunnecessarily.Theywereletdownbythemedicalprofession,andtherearemany,manyexceptions.Many,manyexceptionsbutalotofpeoplearelet

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downandthey'relefttojust,kindoflikeinthecaseofJulia,she'shadthisforfouryears.That'salong,longtime.Fourweeksistoolong.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.Andimagineifyouhad10symptoms.BythewayIhad10symptoms.I'vebeendiagnosedwithchronicfatiguesyndromeandfibromyalgiaandallthiscrazystuffanditturnsoutIbelievetheyweremisdiagnoses,Iwaslivinginahousewithtoxicmold.Buthere'sthething:ifyourmitochondriaarenottakingacharge,theycan'tholdthecharge,theycan'tmakeenoughenergyforyou,maybeyou'regonnahavemorethanonesymptom.Infact,youare,bydefinition,gonnahave10symptoms.

MarkAtkinson: [crosstalk00:05:32]

DaveAsprey: Muscleweakness,racingheart,sweating,allsortsofrandomstuffthatseemscrazy.Infact,oneofthedoctorsinMoldy,thedocumentary,andifyouhaven'tseenthismoldymovie.com.Iguaranteeyou,ifyou'rehearingthis,andyoulooktoyourleftoryourright,oneofthosetwopeoplelivesinamoldyhouseandisprobablyhavingsomecognitiveeffectsfromit,orothereffects.

Oneofthepeoplethattouchedmethemostwasaphysician,andshewasmarriedtoaphysician.Hermitochondriagotpoisonedbythestuffinherhouseandherhusbanddidn'treallyfeelverymuch.Becausethey'redoctors,andbecauseshehad10symptoms,shesaid,"Imustbeahypochondriac,butmytemperatureiselevatedbyonedegree.Therefore,I'mnotahypochondriac."Soshebiopsiedeveryorganinherbody.Okay,canyouimagine?Someonestickinglikestrawsintoeveryoneofyourorganstosamplethem?Couldn'tfigureitout.Twoyearsofsuffering,justcompletedebilitation.Herhusband'sgoing,"Iknowsomething'swrongwithyou,it'sjustamystery."

Ifshehadgone,andshewasn'tadoctor,andshewasn'tmarriedtoadoctor,ifshe'dgonetoanormaldoctorshewould'vebasicallyprobablyjustbeendisabled.

MarkAtkinson: Andputonantidepressants.

DaveAsprey: Yeah."It'sallinyourhead."Andso,Julia,nevertakeit.Ifadoctorsaystheydon'tknowthat'srespect-worthy."Idon'tknowbutIacknowledgeaproblem."Andiftheyinsteadsay,"Theproblemisyou,"yeah,theproblemisme,'causeI'mnotpayingyourass.That'swhatyoutelladoctorlikethatandyougetoutthere.

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,exactly.Ifadoctorsayshedoesn'tknowhe'sjustthewrongdoctorforyouandyouhavetofindsomeone.Thisiswhyfunctionalmedicinetraineddoctors,integratedmedicinedoctors,arewhereyouwanttogobecausetheyreallyget...Andyougottalooktothebiology,thepsychology,theenvironment,andifyoujustsystematicallyworkaroundthoseyou'regonnafindoutthecombinationoffactors,thegeneticsensitivities,theenvironmentalfactors,the

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dietarythings,thegut-relatedthings,thehormones,allthesethingsandthey'llworkwithyoutofindthembutfouryearsiswaytoolong,soI'mreallyupformakingawholebunchofsuggestionsforyou,'causeItellyouwhat.There'sawholebunchofpeoplelisteningtothiswhohavealsobeenexperiencingalotoffatigueandtirednessandvaguesymptomstheycan'tgettheirheadsaround,andhavenormalizeditandthey'vegotusedtoitbutthey'relivingatafractionofpotential.

DaveAsprey: Theythinkit'sjustapersonalweaknessormoralfailingorjusthowlifeis-

MarkAtkinson: It'snot.It'snot.

DaveAsprey: ...it'snotthat,andsoagooddoctorwhosays,"Idon'tknow,let'sfigureitout.Let'splaydetective."Whatwe'lldointhisepisodeis,wearenotgoingtobeabletogetfeedbackfromyou,Julia,andwe'renotgonnabeabletoaskJohnabouthissugarcravings,butwe'regonnatellyouwheretolookaseducateddetectives.We'lljustknockoffthoselow-hangingfruitandseewhathappens.

Thisissuchaneasyone,actually.Youwanttostart?

MarkAtkinson: OneofthethingsIjustloveisbeingabletosharesimplethingsthatyoucandothatwillmakeabigdifference.Andtherearesomecore,common,guidingprinciplesthatwillenricheveryone'slifeandeveryone'shealthandeveryone'senergy,andsowhensomeonecomestomewithfatiguethere'sacoupleofbasicthingsweneedtoexclude.Thesearejustgiven.You'vegottoexcludeanemia.

DaveAsprey: Yep.Forwomenespecially.

MarkAtkinson: Forwomenespecially.Whatyourironlevelis.B12.Folate.AnemiaaffectsoverthreeandahalfmillionAmericans,onepointfivebillionpeopleworldwide.Soyougottaknowwhatyourredcellcountis.Diabetesisanotherbigone.400millionpeopleworldwidewithdiabetes.Bloodsugarlevelsgoup.Youneedtohaveafastingglucose.Justkindofcheckthat.

DaveAsprey: Thesearethingsthat,Iwouldhope,whenshewenttoanormalGP,thattheyshouldknockoff.

MarkAtkinson: Exactly.I'mhopingandassumingthatwas...Buttherewillbealotofpeoplelisteningtothisandthiswillberelevanttoyou.Because,like,ifyou'retiredallthetime,you'rethirsty,you'repassingurine,yougottinglinginyourextremities,poorwoundhealing,youmayhavediabetes,particularlyifyou'recarryingextraweight.Soyou'lllookatthat.Ifyou'relosing,youknow,heavyperiods.Ifyou'reB12deficientyoumaybeanemic.

Theotherbigthingisthyroidfunction,right?Imeanit'slike,wow.Theyreckonabout20millionpeopleinAmericawithhypothyroidism.

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DaveAsprey: Ithinkit'smuchlargerthanthat.

MarkAtkinson: Youknowwhat?Itcouldabsolutelybealot.IthinkwhenyoutakeintoaccountwhatIcall"functional"hypothyroidismit'sgonnabealotmore.Andwhetherthey've-

DaveAsprey: Likehalf.

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,exactly.Half.Andbasicallythedealisthyroidglandsitsinthemidlinethelowerpartofyourneckandithelpstocontrolmetabolism,therateatwhichyouconvertthefoodyoueatintoenergy.It'sthemastercontrolofmetabolism.

NowthemostcommoncauseofhypothyroidismisanautoimmuneresponsecalledHashimoto'sDisease.Thethyroidbecomesinflamedandaffectstheproductionofthyroid.Sowhathappensissomeonereadsaboutthesymptomsofthyroid,theygotothedoctorandsay,"IthinkImayhaveathyroidproblem.Canyoudoathyroidtest?"AndthedoctorwilldoaTSH,whichisnotasensitivewayofpickinguphypothyroidism.Here'stheproblem:theTSHcomesbacknormalaccordingtotheparametersthatthey'reusingandtheysaytotheindividual,"You'renothypothyroid."Buttheyabsolutelycouldbe.

DaveAsprey: It'salie.

MarkAtkinson: It'salie'causeifyouhavethesymptoms,ifyou'retiredallthetime,youhaveproblemswithforgetfulness,weightgain,constipation,dryskin,whatyouneedtobedoingisideallygettingyourFreeT3doneandsomethingelsecalledReverseT3.Thisishugelyimportantbecauseifyouareexperiencingahighlevelofstressthethyroxinehormonecanconvertintowhat'scalledReverseT3,whichblockstheeffectofactivethyroid.

SoReverseT3islikeahibernationhormone.Itkindofshutsthesystemdownwhenyou'reunderstresstoconserveenergy.Soyoucanhavethyroidteststhat,accordingtostandardcriteria,looknormalbuthaveahighReverseT3,whichprobablyhasn'tbeenmeasuredandyouhavewhat'scalledafunctionalcellularlevelhypothyroidism.

DaveAsprey: Whenyou'rehypothyroid,inotherwordsyoudon'thaveenoughthyroidhormone,thyroidcontrolstheamountofenergyyourmitochondriamake.Andlet'ssee,Julia,you'vegotproblemswithmood,thatwouldbewhat'sgoingonwithenergyinthebrain.Yourproblemwithrelationships,what'sgoingonwithenergyintheprefrontalcortextohelpyoumanagetheemotionalstuffthat'scomingupfromtheanxietythatyou'reprobablyfeeling'causeyoudon'thaveenoughenergy.Selfesteem,wellyoufeelweakallthetime.Libido?Gee.Doyouhaveenoughenergytohavesex?No.Peoplewhodon'thaveenoughenergydon'twannahavesexbecause,godforbid,yougetpregnant,right?Thesearenotconsciousthingsyou'redoing,thesearebuiltintothewiringof

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yourbodytokeepyoualiveandkeepthespeciesalive.And,ofcourse,yourworkperformance.

Soifwe'relookingatanenergyproblem,thatdescribesalloftheseandthesinglebiggestthingyoucandoonanenergyproblemifyouhaveathyroidproblemisfixit.Andifyou'rehypoglycemiceverytimeyourbloodsugarcrashes,andespeciallyifyoudon'thaveketonespresent,that'sonereasonBulletproofCoffeeislike,"Woohoo!Ketones."Ifyoudon'thavethosepresent,assoonasyourbloodsugarcrashesguesswhathappens?Anemergencysignalhappens,whichisstress.Andwhenstresshappens,ReverseT3happenssoyouenduponthishorriblecyclewhereyou'restuckonthis.

Thatwouldbethenumberonethingislookatyourthyroid.IgottamentionmyfriendIzabellaWentzwhojustdidabigdocumentaryaboutHashimoto's.It'stotallyworthlookingatthyroidpharmacist.comifyou'remoreinterestedinthiskindofstuff.

Whatelsecouldthisbe?

MarkAtkinson: Notnecessaryforyou,Julia,unless,Imean,youdon'tmentionaboutyourbodymassindex.Forsomepeople,though,whoarequiteoverweightareallycommoncauseofongoingfatigueisactuallysleepapnea.Affects18millionAmericanssoifyouwakeupinthemorning,yougotadrythroat,you'refeelingtired,yougotkindofbrainfog,youwakeupdreaminginthenightandyou'regaspingforbreath,youmayhavesleepapnea.Notalotofpeopleknowaboutit.Whatitmeansisthatbasicallyyougetdeprivedofoxygenduringthenighttime,thebreathingstopshundredsoftimesthroughoutthenight,thatcanbeaproblem.Soifyou'retiredallthetimeoranycauseofongoingsleepdeprivationcouldbeanissue.

Stress,ofcourse,issuchabigoneandsoyou'veprobablyheardoftheterm"adrenalfatigue."Thesedaysweliketothinkofitmoreintermsof,it'snotsomuchabouttheadrenalasit'smoreaboutongoing,chronicstressthataffectswhat'scalledtheHPAAxis.TheHPAAxisishypothalamus,pituitary,andadrenals.Basicallytheyworktogethertoregulateourstressresponse.Theycontrolallthesystemsofthebodyandwhenthere'schronicstressthefeedbackmechanismsbreakdown.Sowhathappensisthebodystaysinchronicstress.Overtimethatcausesadrenalfatigue.

Sowhensomeone'sflatliningwithcortisoland[inaudible00:14:49]andadrenalfatiguethere'snoenergy.There'snomotivation.There'sdepressionthere.Thehormonesshutdown,andyouknowwhenIlookatthosesymptoms,Julia,yourlowmood,relationship,selfesteem,libido,youhaveametabolismthatisshutdown.Sotheansweristoresuscitateyourmitochondriatobringmoreenergyintoyourbody.Whattendstohappeniswhenyoufeellowinenergypeoplecanstarthavingsugarandrefinedcarbohydratestogivethemalittleenergyboost,andthat'sexactlythewrongkindoffoodthatyouwannabetaking.

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DaveAsprey: Morecornsyrup,moreMSG,andstufflikethat?

MarkAtkinson: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Andmargarine?

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,you'rekindoftryingtooverstimulateyourbodytofeelsomesenseofaliveness,right?Whatpeopleseekisaliveness.

DaveAsprey: Iwastryingtopushyourbuttonsandyoutotallymissedit.Iwasrecommendingtheworstfoodsyoucouldpossiblyhave.You'relike,"Yeah."I'mlike,"Mark!"

MarkAtkinson: Iwasignoringit.Butitis.It'slike,that'swhathappens,sowhenwefeelreallybadweturntoalcohol.

DaveAsprey: Thereyougo.That'sabigone.

MarkAtkinson: Weturntodrugs.Idon'tknowifyou'reonanymedicationsbut,youknow-

DaveAsprey: She'sonbloodpressuremeds.Thatcouldcauseallthisaswell.

MarkAtkinson: That'sthething.Soifyou'reonbloodpressuremedsandyourheartmeds,thatkindofshutsdownyourmetabolism.Somanymedicationsareactuallyatoxintomitochondrialfunctionaswell.Soitsetsupanegativeviciouscycle,right?

DaveAsprey: Absolutely.

MarkAtkinson: Andsowegetsleepdeprived,themitochondriastartshuttingdown,wefeelmoredepressedandthenwhenwefeellowandkindoflowinmoodthenwedon'tengagewiththethingsthatmattermost.Sowe'llloseourpassion.Weloseourengagementwithlife.Wefeeldisconnectedinourrelationships.Wefeelmoreisolated,andthatjustperpetuatesit.

WhatIseeandhearinyou,Julia,isyou'veenteredthisnegativekindofcycle,thiskindofblackhole.There'salotofpeoplelisteningtothiswhowillresonatewithsomeofwhatyou'reexperiencingbuthere'sthegoodnews:there'sawayoutofit.Anditjuststartssystematicallywithtakingchargeofyournutrition,takingchargeofyoursleepandsupplements,startingtoreengagewithwhatmattersmosttoyou,yourpassions,etc.

Maybewecantalkalittlebitabouthowtobringthemitochondriabackonline.

DaveAsprey: Wecan,butthere'stwomorelow-hangingfruitthatIthinkmightworthmentioninghere.Justforpeoplelistening,we'reansweringJulia'squestionbuttheideahereisthismayapplytoyouorthepeoplearoundyou.

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Oneisshe'sgottagetafullsexhormonepanelfromherdoctorbecausewhenIseelibidoandselfesteemandrelationshipsandmood,thatcanbeestrogen/progesteroneimbalances.Youcouldbecompletelyoutoftestosterone,you're38.

MarkAtkinson: Testosteroneparticularly,right?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.Whenwomenrunoutoftestosteronenoonelikesit.Theguysaroundthemdon'tlikeitandthewomendon'tlikeit.It'sareallyimportantsexhormone.Youdon'tneedasmuchasMarkorme'causewe'remenbutifthat'sgoneyourselfesteem,yourworkperformance,yourlibido,allofthatwilljustbetrashed.

Let'sjust,I'llbekindofbluntaboutit,ifyourlibidoisnotsogoodyourrelationshipsprobablyaren'tgonnabethatgood,too,becausesexisapartofhealthyrelationships.Well,atleasthealthyhomerelationships.Yourworkrelationshipsarehopefullydifferentbuthey.Whateverworksforyou.

Theimportantthinghereisunderstandenergymechanicsfromthyroidandthenunderstandthesexhormoneshereandseeifthoseareinvolved.YoumightalsoaskforsomeinflammationmarkersandthisissomethingthatmostGPswon'trununlessyouask,butifyoucangetyourC-reactiveprotein,yourhomocysteine,andsomethingcalledLp-PLA2,thosearethethreebigmarkersthattellyouifyou'reinflamed.Andguesswhat?Ifyouhaveinflammationyouhavemitochondrialdysfunction.It'sexactlythatway.Mitochondriastopworking,inflammationhappens.Ifanyofthoseareelevatedyouneedtofigureoutwhattherootcauseofthoseare.

TheotherthingIwouldaskforthisgroupofsymptomslikethisisareyoulivinginaplacethatsmellslikesocks?Aretherewaterspotsontheceiling?Hastherebeenrecentwaterdamageinyourcar?Inyouroffice?Inyourschoolorathome?Doyoufeelnoticeablyworsewhenyou'reinoneofthoselocations?Ifyougoonvacationforaweekoryou'resomewhereelseforaweekdoyoumagicallyfeelbetter?

MarkAtkinson: Exactly.

DaveAsprey: Ifso,yourbodyisrespondingtosomethingintheenvironmentaroundyouandthesinglemostlikelythinginthatcasewouldbemolddamage.Waterdamageinyourhouse.I'mnottalkingaboutdrinkingmoldinyourcoffeeoreatingmold,thosecanbeproblemsforyouandthey'llbemoreofaproblemifyou'reinamoldybuilding.MoldybuildingsarepresentforatleasthalfofbuildingsintheUnitedStates.You'reintheUK,thenumber'sprobablyhigherthere'causeitrainsallthetimeintheUK.

MarkAtkinson: Theinflammationthingisjustmassivebecause,andyou'reabsolutelyright.Doinginflammatorymarkers'causeifthere's,like,anautoimmunedisease,if

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youhavelupus,rheumatoidarthritis,andevenif,youknow,you're38butifsomeone'slisteningtothiswho'sintheir60sor70ssometimeshaveachronicdiseaselikecancerorchronicbronchitisoranychronicdiseasecanleadtofatigueovertime.Ifyou'veexperiencedchronicstressandinflammationyourhormoneswillbeoutofbalance.That'salmostagiven.

Youcansee,whenitcomestofatigue,youcan'tjusttakesomekindofrandomsupplementandhopingthatit'sgonnahappen.Youhavetodealwiththerootcauseswhilsttakingtherightsupplements.Youdobothatthesametime,andthat'sthekindofrealkeytothisbutitdoesrequiredetectivework.

DaveAsprey: Allright.Ithinkwereally...Oh,actuallylet'stalkaboutbringingsomeofthemitochondrialthingsbackonline.SomeofthetechniquesfromHeadStrongwouldbereallyhelpfulhere.

Allright.Numberone,let'sfixyoursleep.

MarkAtkinson: That'swhereitstarts.

DaveAsprey: Seemsreallygood.Numberone,blackoutyourroom.Mostcitiesnowhavereplacedtheirstreetlights,whichstreetlightshavealwaysbeenbadforus,therealreasonwecreatedstreetlights100yearsagowhenwefirststartedmakingpower,nooneneededmuchpowerlateatnightandtheyneededtoburnitoffsothey'relike,"Let'sputupsomelightsinthestreets.It'llsomehowbegood."Andthenwelostourconnectionwithdarkness.Buthere'sthedeal.Youmaynotlikedarkverymuchbecauseyoucan'tseebutyourbody,themitochondria,theseancientbacteriathatbecamethebatteriesinyourcells,theyrequiredarknesssotheycancommunicatewitheachother.

Thatmeansthatifyoucloseyoureyes,youdon'thavetocoveryoureyes,itdoesn'treallymatterasmuchasifyouactuallyhavephysicaldarknesswhereyousleep.Thismeansinvestinareallygoodpairofblackoutcurtainsand,whenIsayblackoutcurtains,itdoesn'tmeanlightblockingcurtains,itmeansnolightcomesaroundtheedgesofthecurtains.Youactuallyneedtobelikeinacavewhenyousleep.ThatmeanseveryLEDlightinyourroomistapedoveror,betteryet,unpluggedsoyouhavelesselectromagneticfrequenciesinterferingwithyou.Thatcanmakeahugedifferenceinthequalityofyoursleep.Justtruedarknesscandothat.

YoumightconsidertheTrueDarkglassesthatarementionedinHeadStrongaswell,whichcouldreallyimprovesleepqualitybecausetheyblockallthespectrumoflightthatyourbodyinterpretsasbeingdaytime,soyoucanstillseebutyourbrainbasicallythinksit'spitchblackandthat'skindofaneathack.ThosearetheTrueDarkglasses,they'reonbiohacked.com.

Let'ssee,forsleep,coolingthetemperatureofyourroomcanmakeabigdifference.Youmayneedanairfilterinyourroomifyou'rehavingproblems

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withcoughingandsneezing.Youmaywannalookatyourbeddingsurface.Ifyourbed'stoosoft,tooharditcanmakeahugedifferenceaswell.There'ssomethingontheBulletproofwebsitecalledasleepinductionmatwhereyoulayonthismatthat'smadewithspeciallittlespikes,theydon'tactuallypenetrateyourskinbutit'skindofprickly.Youlayonitandyourbodygoes,"I'mgonnadie!"becauseoftheselittlepricklesandyoujustlaythereandgo,"NoI'mnot."Afteraminuteortwoofdiscomfortallofasuddenyourbodyjustsays,"Oh,IguessIwon't,"andthenahugewaveofendorphinscomesandyoujustkindofmelt.

MarkAtkinson: Yourelax,yeah.

DaveAsprey: Onceyourelaxlikethatyoujusttossthematoffyourbedbutyougotosleepfasterandmoredeeplybecauseyou'vebasicallytriggeredthiswaveofendorphins.It'saneatwaytogetyourselfintoadeepersleepfaster.

Allright,sothere'sthelightandsleepthing.Whatdoyouthink?

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,there's[inaudible00:23:19]youknow,soifyou'vegotabusymind,sobeingabletorelaxthebody,youknowthesleepinductionmat'sgreat'causeitdoes.Itjustrelaxesyou.Butalsojustsomesimplebreathingexercises,somekindofyogameditationeven.Makingsureyou'renotoverstimulatingyourselfatnighttime.Idon'tknowifyoudrinkcaffeinebutifyou,particularlyifyou'recaffeinesensitive,notdrinkingafteroneortwopmintheafternoon.Justhavingarelaxingbedtimeroutine,andgettingtobedatthesametime,wakingupatthesametimeaswellsoyourbodygetsusedtothat.

Magnesiumatnighttimeandduringthedayisreallyimportant.Melatonin,youcanlookatthingslikepassionflowerandvalerian.Youdon'tmentionaboutanxietybutifanxietyisthere,certainlyjournalingintheevening,gettingthingsgoingaroundyourheadoutintoajournalisreallyimportant.Nothavingstimulatingconversationskindoflateatnighttime.Stayingawayfromscreenslateatnighttimeisreallyimportant.

DaveAsprey: ListeningtoseveralepisodesofBulletproofRadioeverynightbeforebed.

MarkAtkinson: Asyourritual.

DaveAsprey: Justkidding.

MarkAtkinson: Andifyoudowakeupduringthenight,sometimesthatcanbedueto,particularlybecauseyou'veprobablygotsomeadrenalfatiguethere,itcouldbetolowsugarlevelssooneofthethingsthatDavewritesaboutandI'vetriedmyselfandIreallylikeit,istakingatablespoonofrawhoneyatnighttime.Forsomepeopleitactuallyworksreallywell'causeitjustkindofgivesthemasupplyofglycogenthatjustreleasesglucosethroughthenighttimesotheydon'twakeup.

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Sometimes,Idon'tknow,yousaiditaffectsyourmoodsoIdon'tknowifyou'reexperiencingdepression.Sometimespeoplewhoexperiencedepressioncanwakeupthree,fourinthemorning.Sothere'salotofthingsyoucandoforyoursleep.

DaveAsprey: Weshouldpausethereforasecond.Depressionisnotamoralfailing.Depressionisinflammationinthebrain.Itissimplyabiologicalhardwareproblemandalotofpeoplesay,"Oh,ifI'mdepressedit'sjustme.IguessIshouldjust,youknow,Ishouldhaveabettermood."Screwthatnoise,no.Fixthehardware,thedepressionwilllift.That'showitworks.

MarkAtkinson: Andactuallyyouknow,fatigueisoneofthesubjectsthatI'mjustgettingloadsofmorecausesforfatiguecomingoutand,ofcourse,onerelatedtobraininflammationisgutinflammation,gutdysbiosis,ifyougotfermentinggoingoninyourgut,yougotsmallintestinalbacterialovergrowth-

DaveAsprey: Parasites,yeah.

MarkAtkinson: ...yougotparasites,yougotyeastovergrowth,there'sfoodallergies,foodsensitivities,leakygutsyndrome,allofthesecanprofoundlyinfluenceyourenergy,yourmood,everything.

DaveAsprey: Wealsomissedtheothertworeallybigcauses.Allright,Julia.Istheresomeoneelseinbedwithyou?Becauseifso,ifthatpersonsnores,thatcouldexplainallofyoursymptoms.Like,seriously.

Theotherthingisyou're38,areyoubyanychanceanewmom?'Causethatwouldalsoexplainallthesethings.

MarkAtkinson: Exactly,yeah.

DaveAsprey: Thosecouldbethe-

MarkAtkinson: There'ssomanyreasons.Yeah.Andit'shardbecausewhenyou'retiredandyourbrain'sofflineit'sreallyhardtothinkofallthesethings.'Causeyougetbrainfogandit'sreallyhardtodo.That'swhysometimesyouneedtofindsomeonetoworkwithyou'causewhenyouworkwithatherapistoradoctororyoujusthaveagoodfriendoranadvocateforyou,you'reborrowingtheirperspectiveandtheirbrainuntilyoucangetyoursbackonline.Whenyou'reinthemiddleofitit'sreallyhardtogetyourheadaroundthis.

Iknowwe'rekindofsharingalotofstuffhereandthiscouldbequiteoverwhelmingforyou,whichiswhyit'sreallyimportantyoufindyourselfafunctionalmedicinetraineddoctortokindofworkwithbecausethisischallengingstufftodealwith.

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DaveAsprey: Letmewalklistenersthroughhowthiscametobeforme.Iwasexperiencingtheseproblemsandmore.Iwasobese,Ihadmoodproblems,Ihadrelationshipproblems,Ihadselfesteemproblems,Ihadlibidoproblems,thisarthritisinmyknees,stretchmarks,andjustworkperformance.IwasactuallydoingwellinmycareerbutIactuallywasn'tanywherenearwhatIwascapableofandIwasactuallystressed'causeIfeltlikeIwasn'tdoingverywell.SomeofthatmighthavebeenjustselfcriticismbutsomeofitwasIcouldn'trememberwhathappenedinmeetings.SometimesIjustcouldn'tbringwhatIknewIhad.Itbroughtaboutthisfeelingofalmosthelplessness,whereit'slike,"Wow.Iknowtheanswertothisit'sjustgone.Itwon'tcomewhenItrytobringit."

SoIwenttothedoctorandthedoctorbasicallysaidsomethinglikewhatyouheard,Julia,whichis,"Maybeyoushouldtryandlosesomeweight.Maybeit'syourbloodsugar."Itwasn't,therewasonlyclichés.Isaid,"Youknow,thisguyisnotgonnadoitforme,"andIdidfirehimwhenhebasicallysaiditwasallinmyhead.

IspentfouryearsstudyingeverynightuntilIwouldfallasleepatmydesktolearningaboutwhat'sgoingoninmybody.EverysinglenightI'djustsitthereuntilIwouldlikekindofpassout,whichmaybewasn'tsogoodforme.Maybethesleepwould'vebeenbetter.ButIalsostartedtakingsmartdrugsandthat'swhyIknowwhatIknownow,becausebeinganengineerandageekandnotunderstandingthatthebrainemergesfromthebiology.Youhackthebrainlastandthebiologyfirst.ButIstartedoutinthewrongorderbecausethatwaswhatoccurredtome.

Thesmartdrugsgavemetheenergy.TheyletmybraincomebackonlineenoughtosolvethisproblemandIspenthundredsofthousandsofdollarsbecauseeverynightafterIstudiedIwouldjustorderwhateverIstudiedandI'dhaveaboxofnewsupplementsorsomenewcrazydevicebecauseIwasdesperate,right?Iwasfortunate,numberone,ImadesixmilliondollarswhenIwas26soIcoulddothis.Iwasunfortunate,IlostitwhenIwas28soI'vebeenlivingoffmysalarylikeeveryoneelseformostofthelast20yearsbutIdidhavethistimethatreallyhelpedmegetacceleratedthere.

Youshouldnothavetospendfouryearsandhundredsofthousandsofdollarshackingthis.Ishouldn'thave,either.Theproblemwastherewasnoinformationlikewehavetoday.Itjustwasn'tputtogetheragain,oritwasn'tputtogetherthewayitisnowandthewaywe'restillputtingittogether.Andthereweren'treallyfunctionalmedicinedoctorsbackthen.

MarkAtkinson: Notatthattime,no.

DaveAsprey: Soyoucangotoadetective,afunctionalmedicinedoctor,whowillhelpyouinthreemonthsandmaybesixmonths.That'sabouthowlongittakestocomeoutofsomethinglikethiswherethingswillberadicallydifferent.Andyoucantakechargeandyoucandoalotofthestuffyourself,butifit'sbeenfouryears

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andyou'redoingthis,theproblemIthinkhereisyousawyourGP.YourGP'snotaspecialistintroubleshootingthesystemofthehumanbody.That'sapreciousknowledgebase.

Anditmaycostyoutogoseeaspecialistlikethis.It'llcostyoualotlesstouseaspecialistthanitwilltodowhatIdid,whichwasfouryearsofeffort,andactuallyit'sbeenalmost20yearsnow,butinthebeginningitwasfouryearsofreallyfocusbeforeIevensawadoctoragain,andI'mgratefulthatwhenIfinallydidgobacktoadoctorafterthatfirstdoctorkindofbrokemytrustinthemedicalsystem,Iwentbacktoafunctionalmedicinepractitionerbeforetheyevenhadanameforthat.Anditwasprobably'causeIwassmartenoughtolookaroundforsomeone.

Ihadcalledtheofficeandwaskindofhostile,Iwaskindofajerk,actually.AndIwalkedin,I'mlike,"Look.IhaveoneoftheseseventhingsandI'vereadmedicaltextbooksoneachofthemsoIwantthislabtestfromthiscompany,andIwantthistreatmentplanifthat'sthat,"andthisdoctorlookedatmeandshe'slike,"CanIatleast,like,choosetheorder?"I'mlike,"Okay."Thenwewereofftotheraces.

So,foryou,you'llsavethousandsandthousandsofpounds,ordollars,Iguessyou'reintheUKsowecansaypounds,andyou'llsavehundredsofhoursand,moreimportantly,you'llsavecountlesseffortandenergythatyouwouldspendunravelingallthisyourselfbyhavingsomeonedothis.Samething,youwannagofixyourBMW?Youmightbeableto,it'seasiertotakeittothemechanic.YouneedtofindagoodmechanicandaGPisn'tamechanic.AGPismorelikeabodyshop."Yougotadentinthefender?Letmepullthatoutforyou."Youneedsomeonewho'sgonnagointhereandfigureoutwhyitshakesandrattlesanddoesn'taccelerateright.

MarkAtkinson: Yeah.It'sprobablythesinglemostimportantthingyoucandorightnowistofindthatfunctionalmedicinedoctor.Youcanjustcallthemup,kindofjustgetasenseofarethey,dotheyhaveenergyforyou?Aretheywillingtostepupandworkwithyousoyoufeellikethey'repartofyourteam?'Causethat'swhatyou'redoing.Youwannabuildateamofpeoplearoundyouwhowantthebestforyou.You'vegottagetthetesting,though.Youhavetolookforyourhormones,yourinflammatorymarkers,yourredcell,you'lllookatallthatstuff.Butthenwe'vegottostartlookingatthebasics.Westartedwithsleepnowwe'regonnalookatnutritionanddietbecausethatisagamechangerforalotofpeoplebecausesomanypeoplearedependentonsugarandrefinedcarbohydratesandtheyeatkindofdamagedoilsandtheprocessedfoodsandthatjustexacerbatestheproblem.

So,asyoustartincreasingyourintakeofhealthyfat,youeatkindofmorevegetables,youreduceyourconsumptionofsugar.OneofthepreviousquestionswasaroundsugarsensitivityandIfindalotofthepeoplewhodon'tfeelgood,thewaytheyselfmedicate,oneofthemanyways,isthroughsugar

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consumptionandthereisnoquickerway,particularlyifyou'resugarsensitive,tofeellowinyourselfthantohavesugar.Itis,forsomepeople,ifyoucomeoffrefinedsugar,evenjustforthree,fourdaysthisfogcanliftanditcanbeagamechanger.

Inmyexperienceabouttwothirdsofpeoplewhostopsugarwill,afteracoupleofdays,say,"ThatwasoneofthemostimportantthingsIdid.Ihadnoideathatmeeatingsugarandcookiesandicecreams,allthatkindofstuff,wasaffectingthewaythatIfeltmyself."Sosugarandhealthyfat,makingadietarychange,isreallyimportant.

DaveAsprey: There'salso,trysomeorganicfood.Ifyou'reeatingsugaronaregularbasisyou'reprobablygettinggeneticallymodifiedsugarbeets,whicharesprayedwithglyphosate.

MarkAtkinson: That'saproblem.

DaveAsprey: Glyphosateisamitochondrialtoxin.Weliketosay,oh,thisglyphosatestuffthatshouldnotbesprayedinourenvironmentatall,itistoxicforallkindsoflife.Weliketosayitdoesn'taffectusbecauseitaffectsthisonebacterialpathway.Newsflash:10%ofyourbodyweightismitochondria.Theseareancientbacteriaandtheyareaffectedbyglyphosateand,also,glyphosatereplacessomeofthemoleculesincollageninyourbodyanddisruptstheelectricalflowofelectronsonthefasciaofyourmuscles.It'snotokaytodothat.

Soifyou'reeatingsugarit'sonething,ifit'sorganic.It'sanotherthingifyou'reeatingsugarorcornsyrupthatarecontaminatedwithchemicalsthatdirectlyaffectyourabilitytomakeenergy.Soyougottanoteatthatcrap.Samethinggoesifyou'reeatingindustrialmeat.You'rebetterofftobeavegetarianthanyouaretoeatthesefeedlotanimals.It'ssimplynotokaytodothat.Soeatlessmeatbuteathigherqualitymeat.Itneedstobegrass-fedoritneedstobewild-caughtorit'snotfoodandthenyoudon'teatit.

MarkAtkinson: Yeah.Oneofthemostimportantthingsthatyoucandothatwillmakesuchabigdifferencetothewayyoufeelistoprovideyourbodywithanalternativefuelsupply.Traditionallymostpeopleuseglucoseallthetime.Theybecomeglucosedependent.OneofthewaystohackthatisactuallytotakesomethinglikeBrainOctane,whichprovidesyouwithasourceofketonesandmitochondriaandparticularlythebrainlovesketones.

DaveAsprey: It'sinterestingwhathappenswhenwelookathowwe'reoriginallysetuptowork.Youburnsugarandthen,ifyougointooneofthesestarvationthingswhereyouonlyeatproteinyoucanconvertproteintosugar.Thisisoneofthereasonsthathighproteindietsareterribleforyou.Infact,theypromotecancer.Protein'sabadfuelsourceanditjustgoestosugaranywaybutthere'sabigmetabolicburdenfromthat.

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Thenyoucouldgoonahighfat/lowcarbdiet,goonAtkins,orfastforfourdays,andtheseareallprettyintenseintermsoftheamountoftimeandenergyandjustlifestylechangeittakes,we'retalkinglessthan50andsometimeslessthan15gramsofcarbohydratesinordertogointonutritionalketosis.Thisisagreatstate.IntheBulletproofDiet,andyoushouldhavereaditbynowifyou'relisteningtoepisode360somethingit'sabsolutelyexplainsthisstuffforyou,therearereasonstogointonutritionalketosisbutyoudon'thavetostaythereallthetime.

Oneofthemostimportantthingsthat'schangedmybrainisthisideathatsomeofthecellsinyourbodypreferglucose,particularlyinthebrain,they'recalledglialcells.Thesearethe,basicallytheimmunesysteminthebrain.Andthentheneuronsinyourbrain,theywantketones,butwe'rewiredtoeitherbeasugarburnerorbeafatburnerandthisiswhymostreligionsandspiritualpracticeshaveaperiodoffastinginvolved.Soyoucangetsomeketonestowakeuptheneurons.WhenyouuseBrainOctane,whichprovidesexogenousketonesinyourBulletproofCoffee,that'spartoftherecipeforitandithasbeenforaverylongtime.TheBrainOctaneallowsyoutohaveketonespresentevenifyouhadsomecarbohydrates.

Youshouldn'tbeeatingloadsofsugar.Youshouldn'tbeeatingloadsofcarbs,butyoucanhaveaservingortwoofcarbohydratesandstillhave,now,inyourbrain,energyfromfatthatnormallywould'verequiredfastingorarestrictivedietandenergyfromcarbohydratesthatarecleancarbsfromtheBulletproofRoadmap.Andthen,allofasudden,you'relike,"Wait.I'mrunningontwopowersourceshere,whichlowersanxiety,"becauseyouhaveananxietyaboutrunningoutofsugarandsugarcrashesallthetime.Sonowyoursugar'sbouncingupanddown,maybe,maybenot,butyou'vegotastablelevelofketonesbackingitup.

MarkAtkinson: Anditreducescravingsandthat'sthegamechanger,somanypeoplespentthemajorityoftheirlifeatthemercyofcravings.AndsotheyintroduceBrainOctaneandthenwithinadayortwo,ormaybethreedays-

DaveAsprey: Orahalfhour.

MarkAtkinson: ...orahalfhour,cravingsgo.

DaveAsprey: OneofmymostprofoundstorieswasafriendfromtheUK.She'saclient,worksforabiginvestmentbank,andshehadjustthishorribleproblemwherenofoodinherhouse'causehercravingsweresointenseandshefeltreallyguiltyaboutthecravings.Soshe'dhavetorundownstairstogoacrossthestreettoaTescoinordertopickupasnack,atleastthatwasher,likeherspeedbumptosnacking.Intheofficeshewouldjusteatcandyalldaylong.

ShehasBulletproofCoffeewithBrainOctaneandshecallsmethatfirstmorning,actuallyatnoon,andgoes,"Ican'tbelievethisbutIwentallmorning

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andIdidn'teatanycandy."Andshewaslike,"Whathappenedtome?"'Causeitwasn't,normallyshe'dhavethisinnerdialoguelike,"Oh,I'mnotgonnadothis,"andtheneverydayshe'dhavethecandyandshe'dbelike,"Justone."Buttheinnerdialoguedidn'thappen.Itwassortoflikeshenoticedshedidn'teatcandyinsteadofshechosenottoeatcandy.

MarkAtkinson: Itcanbesopainfulwhenyoulivewiththatinnerconflict.Yougotthis,"Ishouldn'teatsugar,"butthenyougiveintosugarandit'ssuchabigdistractionfromlivinglife.Ideallywhereyouwanttogettoaplaceiswhereyourdiet,yournutrition,thesupplementsyoutake,freeupcapacityforyoutojustengagewithalifethatgetexcitedabout.That'skindofwherewe'removingtowards.

We'vegotthenutritionchanges,we'retalkingaboutsleep,obviouslythere'sexerciseaswellandIdon'tknowifyou'reexercisingatall.Youdoneedsomeexercisebutalotofpeoplewilldowaytoomuchchroniccardioexercise,whichisamajorsourceofstresstothebodyaswell.

DaveAsprey: IwasactuallyjusttalkingwithDr.Mercolayesterday,recordinganotherepisodeofthis,andintheepisodehe'ssaying,"Well,Dave,yeah.UnfortunatelyformeIspent20yearsdoingchroniccardiobeforeIlearned,beforeIknewbetter."I'mfortunatethatbecauseIweighed300poundsandIhaveascrewinmykneeandIhadarthritissinceIwas14inmyknees,althoughit'sgonenow,I'mprettybendy.Ineverdidmuchchroniccardio.Icouldcycle.Iusedtodoalotofcyclingasateenager,like20,30milesadayIwasactuallyaroadracer.Averybad,overweightroadracerbutIdiddothat.Ithinkitactuallyhelpedmetonotbedoingthatmuchchroniccardio.

EvenwhenIwentintomy,"I'mgonnaloseweightwithexercisenomatterwhat,"andIexercisedanhourandahalfaday,sixdaysaweek,halfcardio,halfweights,thecardiowasonatreadmillatinclinewithabackpackonbutitwasn'trunning.Itwaswalking.There'saverybigdifferencebetweenwalkingandrunning.

InHeadStrong,bytheway,orderheadstrong.com,youknowyou'regonnawanttoreadthisbook'causeit'sfullofstuffyouhaven'tseenbefore,butinthebook20minutewalkadayand,here'sabonuspointforyou,too,Julia.Sinceyou'reintheUKyou'renotgettingenoughsunlightbecauseit'sgrayandit'srelativelyfarnorth.Sowhenyougooutsidetowalkfor20minutesaday,just20minutes.We'renottalkingaboutspeedwalking,we'renottalkingaboutanythingaggressive,takeoffyoursunglassesandgetasmuchlightinyoureyesasyoucan.Ifit'ssunnyandit'ssummerexposeyourarms.Wearsomeshorts.Getalittlebitofsunlight.That'sactuallyalsogoingtohelpwiththelibidoandthemood,particularly.

MarkAtkinson: Yeah.ThemajorityofpeopleareallvitaminDinsufficient,thatmeanstheyjusthaveinsufficientlevelsofvitaminDforgoodhealth.Inordertofeelgood,haveahealthy,functioningimmunesystemandhealthyhormonesit'sreally...And

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I'msureyourfunctionalmedicinedoctor,ifyouworkwithone,willcheckyourvitaminDlevelsaswellasyourironlevelsandmaybewecantalkabitaboutsupplementsbecausetherearejustsomekeysupplementsthatwillhelpalotofpeople.Thecaveatisyou'redealingwiththeunderlyingcauseatthesametime.

DaveAsprey: We'vegotthetop10ontheBulletproofwebsite,whichisdefinitelyaplacetogo.Bulletprooftop10supplementsandweactuallyjustlaunchedsomeofthesupplementswhereyoucangetthingslikethemethylfolate,whatwementionedearlier,theB12,thingslikethat.Butthere'ssome,theseactuallyaren'tonesthatBulletproofmakes,thatwouldapplybothforJuliaandforJohn,whohadthesugarcravings.

Thetwobigones,actuallythree,thatI'mthinkingof,andyoumayhavesomeotherideas.Numberoneischromiumpolynicotinate.Thisisaformofchromiumandchromiumcanhelpyoucontrolbloodsugarswings.Soifyouhavelessswingsofbloodsugaryouhavelesscravings.Now,whenyoutakechromiumtakeitwithameal,forsure.

Thesecondthingiscalledvanadylsulfate.V-A-N-A-D-Y-L.Andwe'llputalltheseintheshownotesanyway,soyoucandownloadthoseonthewebsite.Vanadylsulfateactslikeinsulininthebody,soifyoutakeitwithamealthatcontainssomecarbsorcontainsareasonableamountofproteinitcanreallyhelpyoukeepyourbloodsugarstable,butifyoutakeitwithalowcarb/highfatmealitactuallycancauseabloodsugarcrash'causeit'saprettypowerfulvitamin.

Theotherthingthatcanmakeadifferenceiscinnamon.Agood,qualitycinnamoncanhelpyoucontrolyourbloodsugar,too.Theproblemiscinnamondoesn'ttastethatgoodonsteak,sorry.

MarkAtkinson: Allthosearegood.Justasanasidethere'sasub-populationofpeoplewhoexperiencedepressionwhosedepressionsymptomswillgowhentheytakehighdosechromium.Adoseofabout800thousandmicrogramsperday.Particularlyifyou'reinsulinresistant,youknow,diabetes,pre-diabetes,allofthosewillhelp.

Theotherbigonesaremagnesiumissuchanimportantone,andparticularlyformitochondrialissuesmagnesiummalate,[inaudible00:42:57]glycinate,threeandallofthosearereallyhelpful.N-acetylcysteine,alpha-lipoicacid,omega-3fattyacids,vitaminDwillhelpimproveinsulinsensitivityaswell.Analternativetometformin,isberberine,that'sreallygoodforbringingdownraisedbloodsugarlevels.Ifyoudoworkwithafunctionalmedicinedoctorthey'lltailoryoursupplementsaccordingtoyourresults,butallofthosearegonnahelp,particularlywithsugarcravings,particularlywithstabilizingthebloodsugarlevels,whichissoimportant.

Themagnesium,particularly,hugelyimportantforenergyproduction.

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DaveAsprey: It'sfunny,there'saboutseveralthousanddifferentenzymaticreactionsinthebodythatusemagnesiumandit's,Ibelieve,numberoneornumbertwoonthetop10listofBulletproofsupplements.Asyousaid,differentformsofmagnesiumareimportant.What'snewinHeadStrong,andoneofthereasonsIthinkyoushouldreadthis,isthatintheBulletproofDietIrecommendmagnesiumforsleep.It'swell-knowntocauserelaxation.There'sanargumentthatIstartedintheBulletproofDietandI,Ithink,finishinHeadStrongabouthowimportantmitochondrialfunctionduringsleepis.Like,"Yourbodydoesn'tdomuchduringsleep,"it'slike,"No!Yourmitochondriamaketheirchemical,they'repartlychemicalfactoriesandthey'repartlybatteriessothey'remakingenergyand,insomecases,makingsubstancesyouneedwhileyousleep."

There'sacaseforthis.Itcausesrelaxation,reducesrestlessleg,andthingslikethat.Reducesmusclecrampsifthosewakeyouupatnight.Butitturnsoutthatthere'sacircadianrhythmtomagnesium.

MarkAtkinson: Thereisindeed.

DaveAsprey: Andthetimewhenyourbodyhasthemostmagnesiumpresentisactuallynoon.SowhatI'vedoneinHeadStrongisIchangemyrecommendationsfortimingofmagnesiumand,whenyoureadHeadStrong,you'lllearnhowtodivideyourintakeofmagnesiumbetweenmorningandnight'causeitactuallymatters.

MarkAtkinson: Yes.Spreadingadoseofmagnesiumisreallythekey'causeyourmagnesiumhelpstorecycleATP,itconvertsADPtoATP.Youneeditforenergy,youneeditforrelaxationaswell'causethere'salotofinternalmaintenancegoesonatnighttime,right?Somagnesiumisareally,reallyimportantone.

Whataboutsomeofthesupplementsfordirectlysupportingmitochondrialfunction?

DaveAsprey: Oneofthebigonesispolyphenolsandwe'vegotaformofpolyphenolmixcalled[polyphenominal00:45:20]that'scomingoutwiththebook,andthisisareally,it'saimportantthingandpolyphenolsarethecoloredcompoundsthathaveantioxidantactivitybutalsohavedirectmitochondrialstimulatingactivitythatarefoundinbrightlycoloredvegetables,plantsandthingslikethat.Itturnsoutthatyourmitochondriaaresensitivetolight.Thesecompoundsalsomodulatewhatlightcando,andtheyhavemultipleeffectsinmitochondriasogettingyourvegetablesisn'tjustaboutgettingfiber.

MarkAtkinson: [crosstalk00:45:52]isn'tit?

DaveAsprey: It'saboutgettingthesecompounds.Andhere'stheweirdthing.Ifyoursoilisunhealthy,iftheplantsarestressed,theycanactuallyhavemorepolyphenolsbutifthey'restressed'causetheydon'thaveenoughnutrientsinthesoilortheyhavepoorqualitylightorthey'reputtingwaterwiththewrongstuffiniton

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themyouendupwithplantsthatareweakandthoseplantshavenotalotofflavorandyoudon'tgetenoughpolyphenols.

So,whensomeonesays,"Oh,here'sspinachthat'sorganicandgrownonsoilthatwastreatedwithcowpoopfromgrass-fedcows,"that'sgoingtohaveahigherpolyphenolcontentthanthespinachthatcamefromthisorganic,vegangardenthatneverhadanimalsaspartofitsagriculture,'causethesoilgetsdepleted,thesoilgetsweak.Wereallyhavetomanagethewholesystemoffood.Everythingthathappensinyourmindwhenyou'rethinkingstartedoutinthesoilandit'sacycle,andIhatetotellyou,whenyoudieyou'regonnagointothesoilandthenplantsaregonnaeatyouandthenvegansaregonnaeatthoseplants.It'sdisgusting.

MarkAtkinson: Quitealotofpeopleknowthatthenutritionalcontentoffruitsandvegetableshasdeclinedmassivelyoverthelast50years,butwhattheydon'tknowisthatthepolyphenolcounthasgonedownsubstantiallyaswell.Actuallyweneedalotofpolyphenolseachdaytobeatourbest.

DaveAsprey: InHeadStrongItalkabouttheamountofpolyphenolsyouneedandthevarietyyouneed.Ifyouaredrinkingcoffee,whichIhighlyrecommend,youmightbegettingahalfagramtoagramofpolyphenolsaday.It'sthenumberonesourceofpolyphenolsinyourdiet.Theotherhighpolyphenolfoodsare:spicesandherbs,andtea,andtosomeextentwinebutit'sreallynotthathighinpolyphenols.

Here'sthefunnythingwhenyouthinkaboutthis.Throughouthistory,weestablishedthesetraderoutes.Theveryfirsttraderouteswereforsalt.Thesalttraders,right?Nowsaltisvitaltoyourfunction.Bytheway,forbothJuliaandJohn,youguysshouldhaveateaspoonofHimalayanseasaltinwaterwhenyoufirstwakeuptohelpyouradrenalfunction.It'sahugething.

Peopleunderstressneedmoresalt.Saltwillnotcausehighbloodpressureunlessyou'reoneofthe2-5%ofpeoplewhoaresaltsensitivehypertensives.Alackofmagnesium,alackofpotassiummightcausehighbloodpressure,butit'snotaproblemwithtoomuchsalt.

Sosaltwasthefirstthing.Thenextthingthatwetradedwasspice.Whywerespicessoprecious?Wasitbecausewehadtohaveourfoodtastegood?No.It'sbecauseourmitochondriaarescreamingforpolyphenolsbecausetheyneedthemtofunction.Sowhatdidwedo?Wetooktheveryhighestpolyphenolthings,thingslikeoregano,thingslikecinnamon,thesepreciousherbsandspicesandtheywouldpackthemup,themostpolyphenoldensefoods,andwehadwarsoverthese.Peoplediedonmountainpassescarryingafewkilosofthesethingsforthousandsofyearsbecausetheyweresoindemand.That'showimportantpolyphenolsareforus.

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Andthenweevolvedtotea,right?LiketheBritishIndyTeaandSpiceCompany,Ijustbutcheredtheirname,Iforget.I'mnotthatbigofastudentofthenamesofcompaniesfrom200yearsago.Butalotofthedominationoftheworldwasaroundspices,tea,andhighpolyphenolfoodsandthenweswitchedtosugarrelativelyrecently.Thisisjustasign,whenyouseeemergentsocietyformingbehaviorslikethat,thoseallstartatthetiniestlevelanditbecomesemergentbehaviorsthataredrivenbywhatwe'remadeoutof.

ThatthingIopenedwithaboutneuromelanin,doyouknowwhatmelanin'smadeoutof?Mostpeopledon't.

MarkAtkinson: Oh,Ithinktyrosine'smaybeoneofthem.

DaveAsprey: Idon'tknowif,tyrosinemightbeinthere,actually.Idon'tknowwhatthebridgesaremadeoutofoffthetopofmyheadbutallmelaninisiscross-linkedpolyphenols.Somelanin'sapreciouscompoundinyourbrainandinyoureyesandinyourskinbut...Andit'sinvolvedinenergymetabolism.Inordertomakeenergyyougottahavethisstuff.

Guesswhatcoffeeisrichin?Somethingcalledmelanoids,whicharepartiallycross-linkedpolyphenols.That'soneofthereasonscoffee'sblack.AndthisiswhyIbelievethatcoffeeisfarmorethanasourceofcaffeine.EverytimepeopleequatecoffeeandcaffeineI'mlike,"Comeon,guys.They'redifferentcompounds.Coffee'sasuperfoodinandofitself."

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,andthiswayyoucanjustsaycoffee'sapolyphenoldrink.

DaveAsprey: Itis.

MarkAtkinson: That'sonewaytodescribeit.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.Likegreenjuice/coffee.Nah.Givemethecoffee.Givemetheblackjuice.

I'mthinkingweansweredalotofquestions,gavepeoplealotoffoodforthoughthere.

MarkAtkinson: Yeah,wehave,yeah.

DaveAsprey: Andsomebeveragesforthoughtaswell.TheonethingIwilladdtothisconversation,inHeadStrongtherearesomerecipesandoneofthesimplethingsyoucandoisstopbeingsuchawusswithyourspices.Whenyou'recookingathometakethelittlejaroforeganoorthymeorrosemaryorwhateveryou'regonnado,andwhenyouwould'vejustputalittlesprinkle,no.Justkeepgoing.Justaddmoreofthattoyourfoodandyou'llbeamazedatwhataconsistentdoseofthosethingsdoes.

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Coffee'sthenumberonesourceofpolyphenolsinyourdietandit'sthenumberonesourcebecauseyoucandrinkfivecupsadayifyouwantto,ifyou'renotcaffeinesensitive.Idotwocupsofnormal.IdoonecupofBulletproofinthemorning.IdoaBulletproofblackatlunch'causeIputBrainOctaneonmyfoodatlunch,usually.AndthenIhavethreemorecupsofdecafBulletproof.Themold-freepartofthecoffee'simportantbecausecoffeethathasmoldtoxinsinit,moldtoxinsaremitotoxins.Theykillyourmitochondriaoratleastlowertheirperformance.

SoI'mdoingthistoupmypolyphenolcounteveryday,butonaounceperouncebasis,fennelseedsandanyoftheflavorfulherbskickcoffee'sassupanddown.It'sjustnotpossibletoeattwoouncesoforegano.You'renotgonnalikehowyoufeelifyoudothat,anyway.SoI'mputtingeverysourceIcanget,includingthePolyphenominalsupplement,intomydiet'causemygoalistogetatleasttwogramsofpolyphenolsaday.Ibelieveit'sfundamentaltogettingyourmitochondriaatfullcharge.

MarkAtkinson: It'ssuchagoodhabittostartaddingspices'causenotalotofpeopleusethem,right?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

MarkAtkinson: AndIthink,goingbacktosimplethingslikesaltinthemorningformostpeople,andifyou'relisteningtothisandyousay,"Well,mydiet'sprettyhealthy,"youprobablyneedsaltbecauseyou'renotgettingsaltfromalotoftheplaces.Anditcanmakesuchabigdifferencetopeoplewithongoingadrenalfatigueaswell.

Ithink,inanutshell,whatwe'resayingisdealwiththerootcause,findyourselftoafunctionalmedicinedoctortoworkwithwhocandotheinvestigations.Startlookingatyoursleep,yournutrition,addinthesupplementsandthenthatfreesupyourenergyandcapacitytothengetonwithlife.Toputenergyintoyourrelationships,energyintomeaningfulwork,andthenyoupulloutofthisdarkholebackintolifeagain.

DaveAsprey: Wellsaid.Onthatnote,ifyoulikedthisepisodeofBulletproofRadio,thethingyoucandothatsaysthanksisjustshareitwithafriendonFacebookandleaveareviewoffivestarsandthenheadonovertoorderheadstrong.comandyoucanbuyHeadStrongfromwhateveryourfavoriteonlinebookselleris.You'regoingtoseeHeadStrong,verylikely,atairports.You'regoingtoseeitatthelargestbooksellers,onthefronttableatBarnes&Noble,sothisisaverybig,verymeaningfulbookthat'smeanttochangepeople'slives.

ThereisstuffinhereyouhaveneverreadontheBulletproofwebsiteandthatyou'veneverreadinanotherbook.I'vereadthousandsofstudiestopullthisstufftogetherandIrealizeI'vecomeupwithkindofaunifyingtheoryforwhysomanyofthebiohacksthatI'vedonehaveworkedandwhypeoplewhoexperiencewhatIexperiencedwithJuliaandJohnonthisepisodehave

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experienced,somanydifferentthingsthatseemunrelatedarerelated.Mitochondriaaretheunitingelementandyoucanhavecontrolofthose.

Sodoyourselfandmeafavor,orderHeadStrongnow.Justgotoorderheadstrong.com.It'lljusttakeyouaminute.There'satwoweekprogramthattellsyouexactlywhattodotogetstartedonthisandyouwillfeelthedifference.

ThanksDr.Mark.

MarkAtkinson: Mypleasure.

DaveAsprey: Seeyounexttime.