In this episode, I show you how you can determine whether your genetics are contributing to your sensitivity to blue light, poor sleep, and poor daytime alertness, and what you can do about it. Specifically, I look at the research showing that variations in the gene for the vitamin A-dependent protein melanopsin underlie sensitivity to blue light and teach you how to figure out your own genetics for this protein using a 23andMe account (they don't have a health report for it, but the hack around that is easy).

In this episode, I answer a listener's question about whether I am worried about my phosphorus intake and whether a high phosphorus intake is ok as long as it is balanced by calcium. I describe the biochemistry and physiology of the system that regulates calcium and phosphorus, their distribution in foods, how to determine the right balance in the diet, and how to use parathyroid hormone (PTH) as a blood measurement to assess whether the dietary balance is working for an individual.

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/009-balancing-calcium-and-phosphorus

Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.

In this episode, I answer a listener's question about whether I am worried about my phosphorus intake and whether a high phosphorus intake is ok as long as it is balanced by calcium. I describe the biochemistry and physiology of the system that regulates calcium and phosphorus, their distribution in foods, how to determine the right balance in the diet, and how to use parathyroid hormone (PTH) as a blood measurement to assess whether the dietary balance is working for an individual.

In this short episode, I describe how voodoo flossing my computer-damaged wrists has made a tremendous difference in my ability to tolerate weight lifting (especially Olympic lifting) without wrist pain. I use a protocol from Kinetics Sports Rehab that I modify slightly to make my own, which builds on a concept developed by Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit and MobilityWOD. I don't think you need to lift weights to benefit from this (though I think you should lift weights). I think this is something that has the potential to provide great benefit to anyone who uses a computer a lot. Since it only takes 1-2 minutes per day per wrist, it's worth a shot!

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/008-the-two-minute-hack-every-computer

Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.

In this short episode, I describe how voodoo flossing my computer-damaged wrists has made a tremendous difference in my ability to tolerate weight lifting (especially Olympic lifting) without wrist pain. I use a protocol from Kinetics Sports Rehab that I modify slightly to make my own, which builds on a concept developed by Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit and MobilityWOD. I don't think you need to lift weights to benefit from this (though I think you should lift weights). I think this is something that has the potential to provide great benefit to anyone who uses a computer a lot. Since it only takes 1-2 minutes per day per wrist, it's worth a shot!

In this episode I describe why a set of two yoga blocks has beenone of my best low-cost investments in the last year, playing avariety of unexpected roles around my apartment, and allowing me tomake major strides in increasing the diversity of positions I canwork in to get a healthier level of hip mobility. A standing deskis not enough, and yoga blocks allow me to rest in a squattingposition or sit with greater external rotation in my hips, therebygently challenging the range of motion that sitting so much hastaken its toll on over the years.

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/007-the-many-uses-of-yoga-blocks

Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.

In this episode I describe why a set of two yoga blocks has beenone of my best low-cost investments in the last year, playing avariety of unexpected roles around my apartment, and allowing me tomake major strides in increasing the diversity of positions I canwork in to get a healthier level of hip mobility. A standing deskis not enough, and yoga blocks allow me to rest in a squattingposition or sit with greater external rotation in my hips, therebygently challenging the range of motion that sitting so much hastaken its toll on over the years.

In this episode, I respond to a listener's question aboutwhether glycation is a good argument against a high-carbohydratediet. I agree that we should avoid refined carbs and emptycalories, but in this episode I describe why "glycation" is reallya misnomer and why carbohydrate is actually likely to protectagainst glycation. Glycation can be driven by the metabolism ofprotein, carbohydrate, and fat. Insulin protects against glycationfrom all three sources, and insulin signaling is strongest aftereating carbohydrate. In fact, glycation may actually serveimportant physiological roles under conditions of low insulinsignaling, so it is important not to view it as an intrinsically"bad" process. Although there are many unknowns, the evidence, evenif relatively weak, suggests that restricting carbohydrate is morelikely to increase glycation rather than decrease it.

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/006-why-glycation-is-a-bad-reason

Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.

In this episode, I respond to a listener's question aboutwhether glycation is a good argument against a high-carbohydratediet. I agree that we should avoid refined carbs and emptycalories, but in this episode I describe why "glycation" is reallya misnomer and why carbohydrate is actually likely to protectagainst glycation. Glycation can be driven by the metabolism ofprotein, carbohydrate, and fat. Insulin protects against glycationfrom all three sources, and insulin signaling is strongest aftereating carbohydrate. In fact, glycation may actually serveimportant physiological roles under conditions of low insulinsignaling, so it is important not to view it as an intrinsically"bad" process. Although there are many unknowns, the evidence, evenif relatively weak, suggests that restricting carbohydrate is morelikely to increase glycation rather than decrease it.

In this episode I describe how I have designed my evening and morning routines to maximize my quality sleep and productivity. I include the roles of blue-light deprivation using f.lux, iOS 9.3 Nightshift, blue-blocking amber fits-over glasses and lights from lowbluelights.com. I also include the roles of list-making, television, movies, video games, paperback fiction, making the bed, morning walks, and low-decision, high-nutrition, time-saving breakfasts.

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/005-my-evening-and-morning-routines

Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.