Boundless Life

Click here, or use the 'contact' button in the free Ben Greenfield Fitness app.

Prior to asking your question, do a search in the upper right-hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness!

• Excellent overview of recovery method for achilles tendon issues: Achilles Tendinopathy: An Evidence-Based Overview for the Sports Medicine Professional
• If you go low carb, you better eat that extra steak (or, as I do, supplement with extra amino acids): Low-Carbohydrate Training Increases Protein Requirements of Endurance Athletes
• If you take any type of Ayurvedic herb supplements, you should make sure you know where these are manufactured and if they have been tested...scary stuff: Ayurvedic and herbal medicine-induced liver injury: It is time to wake up and take notice 

Click here to pre-order Ben Greenfield's new book “Boundless” now and to get in on the Boundless Sweepstakes!

Check out Ben on Instagram for epic posts and photos about his morning, day and evening routines, recipes, and much more!

Follow Ben on Twitter for daily news flashes and the latest health, fitness, and anti-aging research.

Join Ben's Facebook page for conversations with listeners and even more useful information, posts, and support!

• January 14, 2020: Bouley Test Kitchen - New York, NY. Join me and Chef David Bouley for a crucial discussion “21 Ways to Become Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize your Body, and Defy Aging.” My presentation will be followed by a wellness-inspired five-course dinner created by Chef David Bouley, accompanied with wine. Each guest will receive a promotional copy of my new book, Boundless. Space is limited, so get your tickets here now.
• April 24 - 26, 2020: Paleo f(x) - Austin, TX. Join me and dozens of health and fitness experts to discover the latest breakthroughs in epigenetics, biohacking, Keto, AIP, nootropics, blood testing, strength conditioning, sleep, stress and much more. Try out delicious new foods, discover new workouts, and even try new gadgets in the biohacking lab. Register here.

View Ben's Calendar Here

-Kion Flex: The ultimate recovery formula, Kion Flex is a bioavailable blend to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility, and bone health. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order at Kion when you use discount code: BGF10.

-Organifi Glow: A plant-based beverage that helps support the body’s natural ability to produce collagen, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and protect the skin from sun exposure and toxins. Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20

-Vuori: Activewear and athletic clothing for ultimate performance. Vuori is built to move and sweat in, yet designed with a West Coast aesthetic that transitions effortlessly into everyday life. Receive 25% off your first order when you use discount code: BEN25

-MVMT Watches: Clean design, minimal and high-quality products. MVMT watches start at just $95 and have sold nearly 2 million watches in over 160 countries. Get 15% off your order PLUS free shipping and free returns when you order through my link.

Carmen from Germany asks: You've talked a lot recently about recovery, and it seems it's all about physical recovery. I want to know about nervous system recovery. My body recovers pretty well from training volume and intensity, but I want to know how would you measure nervous system recovery aside from overall well being and HRV?

In my response, I recommend:

• NatureBeat
• Oura ring
• CNS Tap Test app
• Digital Hand Grip Dynamometer

Dasha from Australia asks: Are there any supplements or peptides I can take that will improve my condition of Achilles Tendonitis I've developed because of running?

In my response, I recommend:

• Kion Flex
• My podcasts about peptides
  • Peptides Unveiled: The Best Peptide Stacks For Anti-Aging, Growth Hormone, Deep Sleep, Hair Loss, Enhanced Cognition
  • The Dark Side Of Peptides: Why You Need To Proceed With Caution When Using These Powerful But Potentially Carcinogenic Molecule
  • The Peptides Podcast: Everything You Need To Know About Anti-Aging, Muscle Gain, Fat Loss & Recovery Peptides
• Vital Proteins Collagen peptides
• Study: Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 accelerates healing of transected rat Achilles tendon and in vitro stimulates tenocytes growth.
• Dr. Seed's Oral BPC-157 (code: BEN)

Matt asks: I hear you talk a lot about cold exposure and sauna use, and how both can be good in the mornings. I was wondering if there is a particular order that works best, or if you should even do them in the same day, and how long you should wait in-between each session. I'm a very active person, I train in Muay Thai jiu-jitsu 5-6 days per week, and am looking for the best possible recovery protocol.

In my response, I recommend:

• Contrast Water Therapy and Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• Clearlight Sauna
• Morozko Forge cold bath

- This week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - click here to leave your review for a chance to win some!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest on today's podcast - Dr. David Sinclair, an acclaimed Harvard Medical School scientist and named as one of Time’s most influential people - just wrote a paradigm-shifting book.

It’s a seemingly undeniable truth that aging is inevitable. But what if everything we’ve been taught to believe about aging is wrong? What if we could choose our lifespan?

In this groundbreaking new book Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To, Dr. Sinclair, leading world authority on genetics and longevity, reveals a bold new theory for why we age. As he writes: “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.”

This eye-opening and provocative work takes us to the frontlines of research that is pushing the boundaries on our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs—many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, aging.

The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes, the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it. Recent experiments in genetic reprogramming suggest that in the near future we may not just be able to feel younger, but actually become younger.

Through a page-turning narrative, Dr. Sinclair invites you into the process of scientific discovery and reveals the emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes—such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, exercising with the right intensity, and eating less meat—that have been shown to help us live younger and healthier for longer.

At once a roadmap for taking charge of our own health destiny and a bold new vision for the future of humankind, Lifespan will forever change the way we think about why we age and what we can do about it.

-Dr. Sinclair's website and newsletter

- Book:  Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To

- Chris Masterjohn Methionine Glycine balance database

- Exogenous nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide regulates energy metabolism via hypothalamic Connexin 43 (Roh, 2018)

- Dr. William Davis yogurt recipe

- Aging journal

- Article on Nature about Steven Horvath's study on the "epigenetic clock"

- Jump Start Fertility

- Continuum Biosciences

- Dry Farm Wines

- BGF podcast w/ Todd White of Dry Farm Wines

-Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10. **Take advantage of the HUGE Black Friday deals thru December 2!

-JOOVV: After using the Joovv for close to 2 years, it's the only light therapy device I'd ever recommend. Give it a try: you won't be disappointed. Order using my link and receive a month's supply of Kion Berry Aminos absolutely free.

-Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive a gift card up to $20 when you begin a new membership using my link.

-UNTUCKit: Whether you’re shopping for the perfect holiday gift or just trying to craft a smart, relaxed style of your own, UNTUCKit is the way to go. Receive 20% off your order when you use discount code: GREENFIELD.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The good folks from The Center For Deuterium Depletion in Los Angeles, where I traveled to record this podcast episode. The Center for Deuterium Depletion's mission is to promote deuterium depletion research and therapies to prevent or ameliorate disease, maximize quality of life and/or improve personal performance.

Deuterium is a naturally occurring element. You acquire deuterium through the food you eat, the liquids you drink and the air you breathe.  Your body's ability to deplete deuterium decreases with weight gain, age, illness and lack of quality sleep. Deuterium is a rare type of hydrogen – only 155 out of every million hydrogens are deuterium. Its nucleus contains a proton and a neutron, which makes it twice the mass (weight/size) of regular hydrogen.

My guests on this show believe deuterium in tissue should not exceed 130 ppm (parts per million) and they base this value on the deuterium levels found in a broad number of plants, animals that are grass fed and the food products of grass fed animals - butter, milk, tallow, etc. Unfortunately, many people are now saturated with deuterium and this affecting their mental and physical performance. On today's show, you'll learn exactly why that is, and what you can do about it. My guests on this show are Dr. Anne Cooper and Dr. Que Collins.

• Master’s in Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine (Highest Honors)
• Doctorate of Chiropractic (Honors)
• Charles Gibson Clinic Entrance Award
• Licensed Aesthetician
• Certifications: Clinical Nutrition, Applied Kinesiology, Functional Medicine,  Energetic Medicine, Herbal Medicine

• Ph.D., Clinical Immunology
• M.S., Oncotherapeutics
• M.A., Experimental Pathology
• B.S., Poverty Health Care and Cancer Epidemiology

• A form of hydrogen
• Deuterium has an extra which makes it twice as big and twice as heavy
• Deleterious effects on our mitochondria when present in water
  • Produces ATP; depending on hydrogen ions
  • Deuterium "gums up the machine" due to its size
  • Hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium when deuterium is present
  • We actually make deuterium depleted metabolic water inside our mitochondria

• Clinical tests showing its effects on the mitochondria/metabolism are fairly recent
• Deuterium stops up the electrode transport chain; results in excessive energy within the cells
• Affects cell integrity
• Changes electromotive constant of cells
• Bottom line: Hydrogen holds us together; the size and density of deuterium changes the whole structure inside our cells

• While deuterium is a natural and essential element, its presence has increased in the modernized environment: foods, atmosphere, water
• Climate change has released deuterium previously stored in ice caps
• Ice is dated by measuring the deuterium level (deuterium dating)
• Processed, synthetically made foods increase glyphosate
• GMO foods possess high amounts of deuterium
• Deuterium levels in food will vary based on where it's grown (highest in the equator and in low elevations)

• Lack of sleep, particularly deep REM sleep
  • REM sleep we burn up carbs, go into ketosis
  • Someone on a ketogenic diet doesn't need as much REM sleep as someone who isn't
• Breathing: fast, through the chest vs. diaphragm

• D-Terminator test (condensation from lungs)
• Saliva and urine
• Water sources: well or municipal
• Major water brands typically have high deuterium levels
• Animals that are fed corn and soy will have high deuterium in their meat
• Grains in general are high in deuterium

• It's a short-term biohacking tool
• DDW was originally formulated for cancer patients
  • A cancerous cell is simply a normal cell with a different metabolism
  • Deuterium gets into the DNA and is not allowed to fold
  • Cancer cells can't use the TCA cycle
  • Bottom line: DDW makes cancerous cells dysfunctional and supports healthy cells
• Primary therapies: Air, food, water, sunshine, natural therapies, appropriate exercise, thought processes, support from family and friends

• We breathe in .5 to 1 liter of water while we sleep (especially in humid or tropical climates)
• Mask allows you to drink DDW while you sleep

• Mitochondrial health markers: CRP, HRV, iron, and more
• Modern medicine views it as a sign of disease; it's actually a sign of high deuterium levels

• DDW shouldn't be used as a "crutch"
• It's a holistic approach, of which water is merely a component
• The amount of DDW a person should consume is protocol-specific (cancer patient vs. a wellness warrior)
• DDU: deuterium depletion unit
• Deuterium levels can be dropped in 2 weeks with water alone; takes longer for more comprehensive results

• Distillation tower (capturing steam, freezing, extracting deuterium)
• Became necessary in communist countries where deuterium rich water was used to make bombs

• Green plants are lower in deuterium than fruits
• Algae and spirulina contain high chlorafil amounts
• Roots and underground veggies are very starchy
• Your metabolic response will help determine your needs
• No diet is better than the other, so long as you understand the deuterium load in it and adjust appropriately
• Think "lifestyle" vs. diet, water consumption, etc.

- Center for Deuterium Depletion website

- Click here to purchase a D-Terminator DDW test to test your own deuterium levels

- Click here to buy D-Water Test

-The Kion Recovery Bundle: The Recovery Bundle at Kion includes all the things I take when I'm training super hard, or really sore, or battling a nagging injury. It includes Kion Flex, Kion Aminos, and LivingFuel SuperEssentials Fish Oil. BGF listeners, get a 10% discount off your order when you use discount code: "BGF10"

-Organifi Glow: A plant-based beverage that helps support the body’s natural ability to produce collagen, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and protect the skin from sun exposure and toxins. Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: "BENG20"

-Vuori: Activewear and athletic clothing for ultimate performance. Vuori is built to move and sweat in, yet designed with a West Coast aesthetic that transitions effortlessly into everyday life. Receive 25% off your first order when you use discount code: "BEN25"

-MVMT Watches: Clean design, minimal and high quality products. MVMT watches start at just $95 and have sold nearly 2 million watches in over 160 countries. Get 15% off your order PLUS free shipping and free returns when you order through my link.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But since then, plenty has happened, especially based on Mira's advanced osteoporosis diagnosis that she went through when she was 30. Mira and Jayson decided to write a book on this (more details here: 7 Ways To Stop Bone Loss In Its Tracks & Build Unbreakable Bone Density).

An osteoporosis diagnosis can feel like a debilitating life sentence—one that leaves you feeling stuck with a future of prescription drugs that only might keep the condition from worsening. Mira Calton, CN and Jayson Calton, PhD have discovered a better way to prevent and even reverse the disease through the power of micronutrient therapy. The secret to building strong bones lies in the right combination of micronutrients— the vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and amino acids in the foods we eat and supplements we take.

In their new book Rebuild Your Bones, the Caltons reveal how our dietary, lifestyle, and even supplementation routines may be depleting these essential micronutrients, and share the 40 healing habits scientifically proven to build stronger bones. They also provide an easy-to-follow plan to reverse these effects, including recipes and meal plans, exercise advice, and supplement recommendations. If you’re looking for a pharmaceutical-free way to restore your bone health, look no further—this is the definitive guide to safely and naturally stave off osteoporosis and reclaim your health.

• Diagnosed w/ advanced osteoporosis at age 30; had bone density of an 80 year old person
• Working from couch, delegating tasks to staff
• Met Jayson; had reversed osteoporosis within 2 years
• 40 "healing habits", all clinically proven in their own right, involving diet, lifestyle and supplementation

• Osteoporosis and osteopenia are viewed as "irreversible" diseases
• They are lifestyle diseases
• Bisphosphonates: drugs used to treat bone density issues
  • 10 year window max for being on these drugs
  • Many are 18-24 months (black box restriction)
  • Many have not even been tested on animals, yet are prescribed to humans
  • Implications include: cancer, punishing effects on the body
  • Quantity over quality: denser bones, but of poor quality; ineffective in preventing fractures
  • They deplete calcium, CoQ10, Vitamin C levels
• Unintended negative consequences of RANK-Ligand inhibitors (RANK-L):
  • Work similarly to how Omega 3 work in the body (reverse-engineered)
  • They bind to receptors in the immune system
  • Cause low levels of magnesium

• Wheat contains oxalic acid, phytic acid,
• Contains lectins and trypsin inhibitors
• Gluten contributes to leaky gut
• Amylopectin A:
  • Causes the body to over-secrete lectin (lets us know when we're full)
  • Inhibits bone density as a result

• Soak, sprout, ferment are good approaches
• Lectins are difficult to eradicate
• Steer clear of wheat and lectins while rebuilding your bones; occasional consumption
• Slowly reintroduce them, using aforementioned methods (soak, sprout, ferment)

• Caffeine has been shown to deplete micronutrients such as calcium and iron (but can be offset w/ dairy)
• Copious amounts must be consumed in order to have any negative effects
• The benefits outweigh the negatives
• Antioxidants are a plus
• Turns off body's ability to produce osteoblasts, which creates osteocalcin
• Organic coffee is recommended

• The notion that acid will "leak" calcium from your bones is a myth
• Antacids create more stomach acid
• Beware of info you find on the Internet
• Acid based foods help the body absorb more calcium
• Bone is 50% protein-body volume; you need protein to rebuild bones

• Omega 6 is essential fat; causes inflammation in the body (which isn't a bad thing)
• Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory
• "It's what our ancestors would have eaten in their diet. However..."
• Omega 6 and 3 do not offset each other; they're competing to absorb in the body
• First step to reducing inflammation: drive down Omega 6 to 4:1 ratio to Omega 3
• Many foods we regard as "healthy" are disproportionate in Omega 6 content
• First step: cut down on Omega 6 consumption
• EPA and DHA compete for absorption similar to Omega 3/6
• Ideal time to take calcium: right before exercise

• 93% of Americans are deficient in at least one micronutrient
• Most conditions are "long-latency condition" diseases
• Focus on diet and lifestyle before supplementation; but you can't fulfill micronutrient needs through diet alone
• MV is a "shotgun" approach to supplementation
• MV's are not effective because they compete w/ minerals for receptor sites in the GI tract
• ABC'S of optimal supplementation:
  • Absorption
  • Beneficial quantities and forms
  • Competition between micronutrients
  • Synergy between micronutrients
• Research study on commercial MV's:
  • More than half did not disintegrate within set time limit
  • "Bed pan pills"
  • Known to stop up septic systems
• Powdered MV's are best consumed when washed down w/ water
• AM and PM version of MV

• Most MV's do not contain Vitamin K2
• Many MV's have lost their potency by the time they reach the store shelf
• DL tocopherol is used in many MV's
• Each form of a vitamin is equally important
• Best form of calcium: Calcium potassium phosphate form (closest to bone structure)
• Most forms of Vitamin K2 is incompatible w/ calcium

- Book: Rebuild Your Bones: The 12-Week Osteoporosis Protocol 

- Calton Nutrition website

- Spectracell Micronutrient Analysis

-Book: Rich Food, Poor Food

-Kion Flex: The ultimate recovery formula, Kion Flex is a bioavailable blend to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility, and bone health. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order at Kion when you use discount code: BGF10.

-Powerdot: Relieve your pain, Recover faster from workouts, build muscle and endurance to help you accelerate past those training plateaus and feel great doing it. Get 20% off your order when you use discount code: BEN

-Four Sigmatic: I’ve been using Four Sigmatic products for awhile now and I’m impressed by the efficacies of their mushroom products. I use them. I like them. I support the mission! Receive 15% off your Four Sigmatic purchase when you use discount code: BENGREENFIELD

-Zip Recruiter: As your qualified candidates roll in, we make it easy to screen & rate them, allowing you to make the best hiring decisions for your business. Try it for free when you use my link.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest on today's show, Dr. Patrick Hanaway is one of the world's top authorities in the realm of functional medicine.

He is a board-certified family physician with a medical degree from Washington University and residency training at the University of New Mexico.

He is a past President of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine and co-founded Family to Family: Your Home for Whole Family Health with his wife in Asheville, NC.

As an initiated Marakame (Shaman) by the Huichol people in the Sierra Madres of central Mexico, he incorporates these healing approaches in his clinical practice.

From 2002-2012, he was the Chief Medical Officer at Genova Diagnostics, followed by the Director of Medical Education for the Institute for Functional Medicine as well as the Medical Director at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.

He just last week published a keystone JAMA article on the improved outcomes of patient care with an integrative functional medicine approach, and in 2017, he won the Linus Pauling Award. Teaching around the world on ‘Good Medicine,’ he brings his full presence to teaching clinicians about healing, with an emphasis on therapeutic relationships, connection, community, and wholeness.

• Disillusioned with medical practice in early 1980's
• Books by Jeffrey Bland
• Focus on root cause of disease and why disease occurs
• Other ancestral means of treating disease (Ayurveda, Chinese, Tibetan, etc.)
• Understand the synthesis between various methods of healing/treating disease; incorporate outside means as necessary
• Understand the story, gather information on the patient; emotional shifts are key

• Huichol people in the Sierra Madre region never indoctrinated with the practices of the church
• Living tradition thousands of years old
• Had series of dreams after connecting with Huichol; went to sacred spot to make offerings
• Began working with Huichol people intermittently; initiated as a healer 8 years into the practice
• "The way of listening" and perceiving emotional/spiritual issues is used for understanding the big picture of a patient's condition

• Functional medicine is an "operating system"
• Listen to the person's story: precursors, genetics, heritage, emotional triggers, etc.
• Focus on diet and lifestyle
• Initial visit is 2 hrs. to gather info
• Insurance pays for quantity, not quality; not always conducive to functional medicine
• -JAMA Network Article on Functional Health

• Understand a patient's nutrition: B vitamins, antioxidants
• GiEffects 3 Day Stool Panel by Genova Diagnostics
• Onegevity (Use discount code: BEN20 to receive $20 off your own test.)
• Metagenomics

• The jury is still out as to which is the best test
• It's not possible to get comprehensive results with just one test.
• Onegevity is the best on the market, according to Dr. Hanaway

• Microbiome and inflammation score is high: fish oils, turmeric
• Comprehensive analysis; how does the problematic area fit in with the rest of the body
• Psychobiotics
• Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria–Gut–Brain Signals

• Relationship between permeability in the gut and brain permeability
• TBI changes intestinal permeability - increased risk of infection
• Address gut permeability first and foremost
• Gut blood barrier and blood brain barrier can be addressed simultaneously
• Look at prebiotics and foods rather than probiotics (which are tourists)
• Diet changes the gut microbiome within only 1-2 days
• Fecal microbial transplant is a powerful tool, when used with caution

• Focus on fermented foods (work within people's tastes)
• Acacia root
• Bioflavinoids
• Allow beneficial bacteria to grow in the gut
• Pomegranate peel extract (produces urolithin A in the gut)
• Urolithin A Is a Dietary Microbiota-Derived Human Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Antagonist (PubMed)

• Nutreval Test
• 23andMe
• Intellix DNA
• Look for tools that are validated, not those that are created just to sell a product
• Heavy metal tests
• MyHeritage DNA Panel
• FoundMyFitness genetic tools
• Health Nucleus genome sequencing
• DUTCH Test

• Autoimmune disease and cognitive impairment are hot button issues (Dale Bredesen)
• Focus on the community of the microbiome, not the individual microbes in the gut

-The Jordan Harbinger Show

- Click here to visit OnegevityHealth.com for the testing we discuss in this episode. Use discount code: BEN20 to receive $20 off your own test.

- JAMA Network Article on Functional Health

- How To Get 6 Gigabytes Of Data From Your Gut: The Fascinating Future Of Stool, Blood, Saliva & Urine Testing (From The Comfort Of Your Own Home).

- Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria–Gut–Brain Signals

- A Review of Traumatic Brain Injury and the Gut Microbiome: Insights into Novel Mechanisms of Secondary Brain Injury and Promising Targets for Neuroprotection

- My article about Dr. William Davis's coconut yogurt recipe

- Beneficial Effects of Pomegranate Peel Extract and Probiotics on Pre-adipocyte Differentiation

- Urolithin A Is a Dietary Microbiota-Derived Human Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Antagonist

- Nutreval Test

- GiEffects 3 Day Stool Panel

- DUTCH Test

- MyHeritage DNA Panel

- FoundMyFitness genetic tools

- BiscuitHead Biscuits & Gravy In Asheville

- Kettle & Fire Bone Broth

- Thomas Cowan's Vegetable Powders

- Gutbio by Onegevity Health

- Pomegranate peel extract

-Kion Flex: The ultimate recovery formula, Kion Flex is a bioavailable blend to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility, and bone health. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order at Kion when you use discount code: BGF10.

-JOOVV: After using the Joovv for close to 2 years, it's the only light therapy device I'd ever recommend. Give it a try: you won't be disappointed. Order using my link and receive a month's supply of Kion Berry Aminos absolutely free.

-Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive 25% off your order when you use my link!

-MVMT Watches: Clean design, minimal and high quality products. MVMT watches start at just $95 and have sold nearly 2 million watches in over 160 countries. Get 15% off your order PLUS free shipping and free returns when you order through my link.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ryan Lee (my guest on this podcast) and I go way back.

The man is probably responsible for initiating and teaching me just about everything I know in the realm of online marketing and success in the fitness industry.

Over a decade ago, I began to delve into his teachings and websites, and it was through him that I learned how to create information products, e-books, virtual coaching and a host of other profit-generating and information-scaling tools I still utilize to this day.

Ryan himself is an exercise physiologist and the founder of Rewind bars. He’s also the author of The Millionaire Workout, Passion to Profits, was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, and called “the world’s #1 lifestyle entrepreneur” by Entrepreneur.

Several years ago, Ryan was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder (psoriatic arthritis), and ignored the advice of his MD to go on chemo, while instead focused on coming up with a psoriatic arthritis diet plan, and simplifying his life, relationships, business, and more. We delve into that story on today's show.

• First job (1994): recreational therapist in a children's rehab hospital; was a personal trainer during non-work hours
• Internet marketing career began in 1998; writing articles and GIF's on a website
• Sold training programs to readers -- Craig Valentine assisted
• Began selling his knowledge to other health enthusiasts to grow their businesses (including Ben Greenfield)

• It's much easier to establish an online presence today... and to claim to be a "fitness coach" with little to no real experience
• Measure an individual by how many people they've helped in real life, not on vanity metrics on social media
• Double-edged sword: "Real Dealers" can help many more people than the old days

• Had started a supplement company - Pro Grade Nutrition (affiliate based company)
• Top affiliate formed his company, and took his friends with him
• Mother passed; print magazine failed
• Began eating more; exercising less
• Began having severe joint pain; no idea about the cause
• Book: Toxic by Neil Nathan
• Rheumatologist diagnosed an autoimmune disease (psoriatic arthritis); prescribed chemo as treatment
• Excess stress directly contributes to leaky gut, autoimmune issues

• Sought out informed docs who could help; Brian Kurtz
• Psoriatic Arthritis Diet: Naturopathic doctor recommended removing gluten, dairy and cane sugar
• Elimination diet (see above); within 2 days, noticeable results
• Began eating gluten, dairy, sugar slowly; stress levels were erratic; eventually was diagnosed with high blood pressure
• Simplification deep dive:
  • Focus on morning routine
  • Began eating bars (every bar on the planet)
• Ryan's special salad recipe:
  • Greens (spinach, arugula)
  • Can of sardines w/ olive oil
  • Use bok choy if concerned about oxalate issues in the spinach
• Fell off the wagon because the psoriatic arthritis diet plan was too strict; eat clean and healthy at least 80% of the time
• Short-term pescatarian diet was very efficacious
• Book: Ultrasimple Diet by Mark Hyman
• Tests for Lyme, mold, mycotoxins came back negative

• Quit traveling to speak at conferences and events
• Reduced business activities; focused on one company
• Recommitting to family
• Simplify fitness
• Sit in silence w/ deep breathing
• Book: Principles by Ray Dalio

• Chakras w/ nerve endings on the feet
• Place tennis ball underneath occipital point in the neck while laying down
• Rumble Roller Beastie Ball
• Book: Marma Therapy by Ernst Schrott

• Entrepreneurs pride themselves on the hustle and grind, much to their detriment
• Recovery is essential; listen to your body
• Teach kids hard work, but also rest and recovery
• iPhone red light trick
• Safe in the bedroom closet for electronics

• Focused primarily on the energy bar company
• "Sneaky greens"

- Ryan's REWIND bars (use 20% code GREENFIELD) 

- Ryan's book The Millionaire Workout

- Ryan's book Passion to Profits

- Book: Toxic by Neil Nathan

- Book: Ultrasimple Diet by Mark Hyman

- Stress as a trigger of autoimmune disease.

- The UltraSimple Diet: Kick-Start Your Metabolism and Safely Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 7 Day

- The Darker Side Of Hypermobility

- Reflexology

- Rumble Roller Beastie Ball

- Book: Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio

- Book: Marma Therapy by Ernst Schrott

-Kion Flex: The ultimate recovery formula, Kion Flex is a bioavailable blend to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility, and bone health. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order at Kion when you use discount code: BGF10.

-Organifi Red Juice: Enjoy all the benefits of the 11 superfoods and their micronutrients that help increase resting metabolism, support cardiovascular health, and remove toxins to turn back the hands of time! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20.

-ButcherBox: Delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door on a monthly basis. All their products are humanely raised and NEVER given antibiotics or hormones. For 2 lbs of 100% grass-fed beef and 2 lbs of pure bacon for FREE, PLUS $20 off your first box enter promo code: BEN20 at checkout.

-UNTUCKit: Whether you’re shopping for the perfect holiday gift or just trying to craft a smart, relaxed style of your own, UNTUCKit is the way to go. Receive 20% off your order when you use discount code: GREENFIELD.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• Click here to pre-order Ben Greenfield's new book "Boundless" now and to get in on the Boundless Sweepstakes
• MTHFR mutations cluster in regions and populations where ancestor's diet was rich in folate
• AMY1 gene (salivary amylase) digests starch and carbs
• Lactase persistence gene helps determine lactose tolerance
• Your Ancestor's Diet by Dr. Michael Smith
• The Jungle Effect by Dr. Daphne Miller
• 100 Million Years of Food by Stephen Lee

• 1 in 5 people throughout the developed world are living with an autoimmune disease
• Autoimmune issues can be underlying causes of other diseases
• 80% of Dr. Smith's patients get relief or healing engaging in this protocol

• 25 years treating patients with Autoimmune disease, and/or PTSD, and/or addiction; crossover of these is significant
• Focused on all 3 of those elements
• Treating the whole person, not just the diagnosis
• Clinical, functional medicine; sometimes breath work
• Somatic mindfulness: acupuncture, breath work, etc.
• Qi Gong, ayahuasca trips
• Dr. Smith has Crohn's disease, complex PTSD, and previous addiction - perfect case study for his own work

• Immune system (police force) views your tissues, cells, etc. are invaders and need to be destroyed (or cause inflammation)
• Described as a "self-allergy"
• The "house" illustration to describe autoimmunity
  • The police investigate an incident near your home (they're the T cells)
  • Newscaster (V cells) identify markers for your body
  • Ambulance (phagocytes) clean up dead cells, debris, etc.
  • Fire hydrants (anandamide system) and firemen (adaptive immunity)
  • Snipers (killer cells)
  • MCH1 regulates specific protein pathways in the cells
• Martial law is the best metaphor to describe autoimmunity

• List of "No's": Grains, beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants)
• Focus on ancestral eating (thousands of years) rather than just the last 100 years
• Seasonal component of the diet
  • Mono diets throughout the year are a relatively new idea
• Grains, beans, nuts, seeds are all plant embryos; eventually reproduce an entire plant
• More difficult for humans to digest "baby" plants than the mature plants
  • The chemicals inside them are created to defeat the digestive enzymes
• Eggs and dairy contain enzymes that compromise intestinal permeability

• Nutrition
  • It's more about good food (solving a problem)
  • Like dating; it's all about what you bring to the table
• Metabolic resilience and physical fitness
  • Fasting and keto diets are helpful
  • Get mitochondria moving, nerves functioning properly
• Mindset and mindfulness
  • Mindset sans mindfulness is a misnomer
  • Mindfulness is what sets up the mindset
• Support (supplements and shamans)
  • People in "blue zones" have good social connection and support
  • Shamans, ayahuasca circles, microdosing w/ LSD, etc. is more and more popular

• Rest and reset
  • 1-2 weeks is ideal
  • Anti-inflammatory diet (ice age diet)
  • Raw fish, ceviche, raw veggies (in moderation), stews and broths, sea vegetables
  • Lots of water
  • Hibernation (lots of sleep)
  • Low level intensity exercise
  • Meditation, qi gong, sensory deprivation tanks, breath work
  • Epigenetic resets
• Rebuilding body, brain, mitochondria
  • 1-2 months
  • Nutrient-dense keto diet
  • Nose to tail, connective tissue, intermittent fasting
  • Resistance starch
  • Circuit training to rebuild mitochondria and metabolism
• Restore
  • Begin adding nuts, seeds, pseudo grains, legumes, see how things go
  • Hormonal and neurotransmitter reserve
  • Cold showers
  • HIIT training
• Rebalance
  • Homesteader diet
  • Get in the best shape of your life
  • Four fundamental needs as beings:
    • Coherence
    • Adaptability
    • Autonomy
    • Belonging

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the button at the bottom of the page (or go to SpeakPipe), or use the Contact button in the free Ben Greenfield Fitness app. (Here are a few hints on how to get your question featured on the show.)

• You do NOT need to train to failure to maximize muscle hypertrophy.
• How a ketogenic diet can potentially enhance muscle hypertrophy, or at least, stave off muscle loss.
• Coffee induces autophagy in vivo.
• Dr. Mercola’s “autophagy tea” to take before nightly fast to also limit mTor activation and increase autophagy:
  • 1 tsp Pau d’ Arco powdered tea
  • ½ tsp hydroxycitrate and garcinia (HCA/Garcinia powder)
  • ½ tsp quercetin powder
  • ½ tsp glycine powder
  • ½ teaspoon chamomile powder
  • Lakanto monk fruit sweetener to taste
• Sure, plants can be poisonous, but our ancestors knew what to do about that (more than silly cowboys).

--Check out Ben on Instagram for epic posts and photos about his morning, day and evening routines, recipes and much more!

--Follow Ben on Twitter for daily news flashes and research.

--Join Ben's free Facebook page for conversations with listeners and even more useful information, posts and support!

--Click here to get updates on Ben's new book: Boundless or pre-order it on Amazon!

-Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. Get 10% off your order of Kion Aminos, and everything at the Kion site when you use discount code "BGF10" at checkout.

-JOOVV: After using the Joovv for close to 2 years, it's the only light therapy device I'd ever recommend. Give it a try: you won't be disappointed. Order using my link and receive a nice bonus gift with your order!

-Vuori: Activewear and athletic clothing for ultimate performance. Vuori is built to move and sweat in, yet designed with a West Coast aesthetic that transitions effortlessly into everyday life. Receive 25% off your first order when you use discount code: "BEN25"

-Magic Spoon:A brand new company that has reimagined all your favorite childhood breakfast cereals. Low carb, keto-friendly, ZERO sugar, and tastes just like you remember. For free shipping on your order at Magic Spoon, use discount code: BENGREENFIELD

-Four Sigmatic: I’ve been using Four Sigmatic products for awhile now and I’m impressed by the efficacies of their mushroom products. I use them. I like them. I support the mission! Receive 15% off your Four Sigmatic purchase when you use discount code: BENGREENFIELD

Noah asks: I'm 17 years old and I'm really interested in earthing and grounding. I love to walk barefoot on the grass, but a lot of my neighbors use pesticides for their lawns. I was wondering if I should be concerned about these pesticides getting into my skin or other negative effects on my health. (audio quality is very poor on this q if you're looking to cut one)

In my response, I recommend:

• Earthrunners
• Erthe grounding strap
• My podcast with Clint Ober on grounding/earthing
• Dermal Exposure Associated with Occupational End Use of Pesticides and the Role of Protective Measures

Marcy asks: I take my HRV every morning, and I use two different apps to do so: Elite HRV, and SweetBeat HRV. Oftentimes, one of the apps will say that I should take a recovery day, while the other app will say that everything is fine and I can workout as normal. Either way, they're not at all synced with their results. Is there something I should be doing, like new baselines with both of the apps? Any insight would be appreciated.

In my response, I recommend:

• NatureBeat HRV
• My latest article on HRV
• Oura Ring

Jay asks: I have a bit of a misunderstanding I was hoping you could clear up for me. In your recent podcast with Angelo Keely, you discussed sirtuin-activating compounds. In the same podcast, you also mentioned the Plant Paradox diet and mentioned that sometimes you will put clients on this depending on what they have going on. It was my understanding that sirtuin-activating compounds actually come from natural plant mechanisms that you might be avoiding in the Plant Paradox diet. I was wondering what you might think about this conflict of ideas or perhaps I'm just misunderstanding something?

In my response, I recommend:

• My new book Boundless

- This week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - click here to leave your review for a chance to win some!

------------------------------------------

Prior to asking your question, do a search in the upper right-hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness!

-----------------------------------------------------

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Thomas Cowan's new book Cancer & The New Biology Of Water is a groundbreaking look at the role of water in living organisms that ultimately brings us closer to answering the riddle of the etiology of, and therapy and treatment for, cancer.

When President Nixon launched the War on Cancer with the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971 and the allocation of billions of research dollars, it was amidst a flurry of promises that a cure was within reach. The research establishment was trumpeting the discovery of oncogenes, the genes that supposedly cause cancer. As soon as we identified them and treated cancer patients accordingly, cancer would become a thing of the past.

Fifty years later it’s clear that the War on Cancer has failed―despite what the cancer industry wants us to believe. New diagnoses have continued to climb; one in three people in the United States can now expect to battle cancer during their lifetime.

For the majority of common cancers, the search for oncogenes has not changed the treatment: We’re still treating with the same old triad of removing (surgery), burning out (radiation), or poisoning (chemotherapy).

In Cancer & The New Biology Of Water, Dr. Cowan argues that this failure was inevitable because the oncogene theory is incorrect―or at least incomplete―and based on a flawed concept of biology in which DNA controls our cellular function and therefore our health.

Instead, Dr. Cowan tells us, the somatic mutations seen in cancer cells are the result of a cellular deterioration that has little to do with oncogenes, DNA, or even the nucleus. The root cause is metabolic dysfunction that deteriorates the structured water that forms the basis of cytoplasmic―and therefore, cellular―health.

Despite mainstream medicine’s failure to bring an end to suffering or deliver on its promises, it remains illegal for physicians to prescribe anything other than the “standard of care” for their cancer patients―no matter how dangerous and ineffective that standard may be―and despite the fact that gentler, more effective, and more promising treatments exist.

While Dr. Cowan acknowledges that all of these treatments need more research, Cancer and the New Biology of Water is an impassioned plea from a long-time physician that these promising treatments merit our attention and research dollars and that patients have the right to information, options, and medical freedom in matters of their own life and death. Dr. Cowan, MD, is a veteran family physician who has studied and written about many subjects in medicine, including nutrition, homeopathy, anthroposophical medicine, and herbal medicine.

He is the author of Human Heart, Cosmic Heart: A Doctor’s Quest to Understand, Treat, and Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and the new book Vaccines, Autoimmunity, and the Changing Nature of Childhood Illness from Chelsea Green Publishing. He is also a founding board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and a frequent lecturer throughout the US and Canada. He's also the same doctor I mentioned in this Joe Rogan episode when I talked about how your “heart is not a pump”.

He also produces some of the most fantastic vegetable powders in existence, which I use every day: Dr. Thomas Cowan's vegetable powders.

My previous episodes with Dr. Cowan include:

- Why Your Heart Is Not A Pump (& What Most Doctors Don’t Know About The True Cause Of Heart Disease).

- How (& Why) To Eat More Vegetables, Why A Plant Is Like An Upside-Down Human, Little-Known Superfood Plants & More!

- The Shocking Story Of Vaccines, The Toxicity Of Ultrasounds, Why You Shouldn’t Play With Your Child & Much More With Dr. Thomas Cowan

He also published the fascinating article on my website entitled:

- The Insulin Of The Heart: A Little-Known Seed Extract That May Be The Future Panacea For Heart Disease.

Dr. Cowan's other excellent books include:

•  Vaccines, Autoimmunity, and the Changing Nature of Childhood Illness
• Human Heart, Cosmic Heart: A Doctor’s Quest to Understand, Treat, and Prevent Cardiovascular Disease.

• President Nixon announced "War on Cancer" in 1971; promised it would be gone within 10 years
• Early 1990's, German statistician Ulrich Abel announces 2.9% of stage 3&4 cancer patients see improvement with chemo
• Early 2000's, Australian government commissions a study for all stages; Concluded that 2.3-2.4% show improvement
• Decreased quality of life; marginally longer life expectancy in chemo patients

• Any study not involving life expectancy is called a "surrogate study"
• Reduction in size can result in a compromised immune system which perpetuates the need for chemo

• "Oncogene" or "somatic mutation" theory came to light in 1971
  • Mutation in a somatic chromosome, which drives the cancer
• Actual results: everyone has different somatic mutations
• Biotech industry is based on finding problematic mutations, which are impossible to decipher
• After 40 years of war on cancer, over 95% of treatment has nothing to do with the oncogene theory
• Oncogenes are not the root cause of cancer when you get right down to it
• Mutations are a consequence of an improperly functioning cell, not the cause of it
• When you transfer the nuclei from a cancerous cell to a healthy cell, the healthy cell will not become cancerous; however, if you transfer the cytoplasm from a cancerous cell, the healthy cell will develop cancer

• All cancers feel different (rock like) compared to other tissue
• Cells have a charge around them, and when two similarly charged cells come together, they keep their distance
• Strength of the charge determines the density of the tissue (why different organs have different textures)
• Halo of charges come from sodium/potassium gradient
• Always start with the charge: walk barefoot, swim in the ocean, sunlight, expose to heat and cold, mineral water
• Sodium/potassium pump is a myth
• "The contents of the cytoplasm are structured water"

• It's gel-like, not the forms we usually think
• It's a mesh that binds to the potassium in the cell, excludes the sodium, and maintains the sodium/potassium gradient
• Structured water forms similar to Jello
• ATP molecule acts as the heat that activates the gel (energy currency)
• Watery matrix the DNA resides in is what determines which part of the DNA will be expressed
• The DNA is an expression of an "idea" or a creator, and the "idea" is the water

• Cells lose charge, clump together, form a tumor
• Aneuploidy: the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell
• Reversing the loss of charge, restoring the cell would be a more efficacious treatment for cancer than radiation, surgery, chemo, etc.
• Cytoplasm is akin to the birth of Jesus Christ
• Lourdes healing water (in France)

• "The problem with cancer is the problem of sodium/potassium"
• Created a juicer that extracts cytoplasm from fruits and veggies
• Gerson's protocol was based on increasing potassium, reducing sodium
• Rene Quinton's sea water (natural way of structuring water)
• BGF Podcast w/ Robert Slovak
• Quinton is a mineral-rich water put through a vortex

• Mistletoe is the most used, most successful natural treatment
• To be injected subcutaneously
• Mistletoe is not currently available in the U.S.

• Deuterium (D2O) interferes with ability of mitochondria to generate ATP, and has different physical chemical properties from water
• Dr. Cowan is disappointed w/ the current state of deuterium-depleted water manufacturers
• "If you have cancer, or might get cancer, you should drink deuterium-depleted water."

• Oral Birkmayer NADH
• NADH is better than NAD

- Book: Cancer & The New Biology Of Water

- Dr. Thomas Cowan's vegetable powders

- Study: A historically significant study that at once disproves the membrane (pump) theory and confirms that nano-protoplasm is the ultimate physical basis of life--yet so simple and low-cost that it could easily be repeated in many high school biology classrooms worldwide.

- Quinton water from Quicksilver Scientific (use code GREENFIELD10)

- Quinton water from Dr. Slovak's Water And Wellness website (use code GREENFIELD for a 10% discount)

- Source Energetix DDW salivary test

- Cellion Birkmayer NADH

- Quicksilver Melatonin (use code GREENFIELD10)

- Japanese Donabe Clay Pot

- BGF Podcast w/ Robert Slovak

- Bone broth recipe:

• Ghee
• Turmeric powder
• Onions, carrots, greens sautéed in ghee/turmeric mixture
• Add bone broth
• Add tsp of sea vegetable powder, burdock powder, ashitaba powder

- Ben's previous podcasts and episodes about cancer:

• Why You’ve Been Lied To About Cancer And What You Can Do About It - podcast with Dr. David Minkoff
• How To Cure Yourself Of Cancer: An Epic Interview With A Man Who Defied Conventional Medicine & Cured Himself Of Prostate Cancer - podcast with Eric Remensperger
• Can Plant-Rich Keto Cure Cancer, Clearing Up Collagen Confusion, Peanut Butter Flavored Bone Broth - podcast with Dr. Joshua Axe

-Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.

-Organifi Gold: A new take on an ancient secret: Pain-soothing herbs, incredible antioxidants, and phytonutrients all in one delicious, soothing “Golden Milk” nighttime tea! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20.

-Thrive Market: Organic brands you love, for less. Your favorite organic food and products. Fast and free shipping to your doorstep. Receive 25% off your order when you use my link!

-Harry's Razors: Try the shaving company that’s fixing shaving. Get a $13 value trial set that comes with everything you need for a close, comfortable shave when you go to harrys.com/greenfield

-Policy Genius: Whether you’re an insurance expert or a newbie, Policygenius created a website that makes it easy for you to compare quotes, get advice, and get covered.

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dr. Thomas Cowan or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.