Biohacking & HealthSpan

Hi everyone! Nurse extraordinaire here! Long time no talk. Have just come back from Thailand and have to say the plane journey was interesting. And I totally agree with Dave Asprey when he says the food on planes is toxic! Corn flakes for breakfast? Pasta meals that look like medical experiments? Not to mention the dehydration! We all know that long plane flights suck fluid from our bodies and predisposes us to dehydration. But the cabin pressure also is relatively hypoxic, which makes us drowsy on planes. It’s a natural thing…although I think it may also help to calm us down as well….when you are low on oxygen, you are not as likely to “play up” so to speak.

The original Bulletproof Coffee recipe is 1-2 tablespoons of unsalted grass-fed butter, 1-2 tablespoons of Brain Octane or XCT oil and 1-2 cups (250-500ml) of hot coffee brewed with low-toxin beans using a metal filter (like Aeropress or a French press).

 

I just measured my beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) levels at 7.6 -- way higher than anything I’ve ever seen before. But maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, ketones like BHB go up when you burn a lot of fat, and for the last six days I’ve been eating nothing but saturated fat, in the form of butter and MCT oil. I’ve been doing the Bulletproof Rapid Fat Loss Protocol. Partly because my weight loss efforts had been flat-lining for the last few months, but mainly because I was curious. Here’s how it went, and what I learned.

First, the good news. In the last six days I’ve lost 4.5 kg and my body fat percentage has dropped about 2%. I’m still a few kilos outside the healthy weight range for my height, and about 12 kilos over my ideal weight, but my confidence that I can get there eventually has been restored.

 

Of all the bio-hacks I have experimented with, breathing techniques has been the most phenomenal for me. Race weekends are very stressful and require extremely high levels of focus and intensity, so it is essential to take some time out to assess my coherence. Becoming present in the moment allows me to be better in control of the situation, stay focused, energised, and calms my nerves.

I’m Steve Hord. #Biohacker for life. Whether I’m BASE jumping from Europe’s awe inspiring walls, working as a #FIFO (Fly In- Fly Out) electrician in the hot, dry and secluded Pilbara region of outback Western Australia or Wellness coaching- I demand optimal performance.

In 2010 I had a bout with depression and anxiety. On top of that I still had acne from my teenage years, low testosterone and elevated blood pressure, even though I was physically fit and following the standard western diet (God bless the food pyramid haha!). Although my body looked pretty good- I certainly didn’t feel it! After one particularly low evening, I decided enough was enough and took matters into my own hands. I found natural bodybuilding as my saving grace. It taught me that if you want something you have to visualise it and put all your focus and energy on it. If you do that, and your intentions are pure, you will be unstoppable in this human experience.

Aleksandra Cabarkapa is a clinical scientist embarking on research into the effects of toxins on health. In this post, she explains the need to mitigate the effects of our daily exposure to a cocktail of toxins and offers some simple everyday tips that can help with detoxification.

Only a few hundred of the existing 80,000 chemicals we have available to industry today have been tested for safety. The exact consequences of these chemicals on human health is still being scientifically investigated. However, we do know that some toxins accumulate in the body over time and emerging research [1]indicates a strong correlation between toxin exposure and chronic disease.

As a nurse educator and ICU nurse, I remain surprised at how long it is taking my fellow medical colleagues to catch on. There are small pockets of acceptance of the need for healthy fats and less sugar. However, on the floor at work, where the rubber meets the road, we still feed our patients what I believe is toxic food.

I am often amazed to think our hospital kitchens provide very little in the way of a decent diet for our patients when they need it most.

If you get sick and need to go to hospital, I totally understand. But the best thing for you is to get out as soon as you can. Why? To get yourself some decent food with high quality fat and protein that makes you heal. You can’t heal in a hospital that feeds you poorly. So I am going to keep you all posted on how I am going to try to change my student nurses’ thinking on the current food pyramid and how we have got it so wrong for so long.

With the silly season upon us, it’s important to take care not only of ourselves but also of our family, friends and colleagues. So let’s enjoy the festive cheer this year with a few simple tips for how to stay healthy, happy and safe:

Staying Healthy: A recipe to avoid hangovers and kick start your day if you are feeling a bit fatigued from so many late nights and over indulgences. (Note: this is not a prescription that allows you to go out and overindulge and drink to excess, but simply suggestions to enable you to keep a fully functional mind, body and soul over the next few weeks and a healthy kick start into the new year.)