May 6, 2019

Ben Greenfield: Mimicking Ancestral Living with Biohacking – Wise Traditions

Check out the Wise Traditions Episode Page & Show Notes

Key Takeaways

• We all need more sunlight
  • At least get more near-infrared/infrared light (via something like an infrared sauna or a photobiomodulation panel)
• There are a ton of benefits associated with just walking around barefoot in the grass
• Drink more spring water
  • You can find a spring near you here
  • If you’re not close to a spring, try adding
    hydrogen tablets to your water
• There are too many benefits of cold exposure not to throw it into your routine

Products Mentioned

• Supplements which can help minimize the effects of radiation exposure while traveling:
  • Astaxanthin (some fish oils have it)
  • A full-spectrum antioxidant
  • A vitamin C powder like this one from American Nutriceuticals
  • TianChi Chinese Adaptogenic Herb Complex
  • Glutathione or any kind of sulfur-based supplement, like NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
    • These help ramp up your own antioxidant defenses
  • Spirulina and cholerella (both are good for mitigating oxidative damage)
  • Ketone salts or the HVMN etone ester
    • These can activate pathways which limit inflammation
• If you don’t have access to high-quality, pasture-raised beef liver, consider supplementing with desiccated liver capsules
• Devices which mimic sunlight exposure:
  • Joovv photobiomodulation panels (near-infrared and red light)
  • A SaunaSpace near-infrared sauna or Clearlight infrared sauna
  • ReTimer Light Therapy Glasses or the Valkee Human Charger (UVA and UVB light)
• Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) devices give off frequencies similar to those given off by the Earth
  • There are PEMF mats you can sleep on 
• If you don’t have access to spring water, consider adding hydrogen tablets to the water you’re drinking
  • You can also buy a hydrogen water generator

Intro

• Host – Hilda Gore (@holistichilda)
• Ben Greenfield is a health and fitness blogger
  • He hosts the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast
  • Ben is the author of Beyond Training and The Low Carb Athlete
• For more Ben, check out the Podcast Notes from his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience

Using Biohacking to Mimic Ancestral Living

• Humans need a good amount of near- and far-infrared light from the sun (as well as UVA + UVB spectrum light from the sun) – but the problem is, most of us spend all day indoors
  • Biohacks:
    • To compromise, use a photobiomodulation panel (like those form Joovv) which emit near-infrared and red light that simulate the spectrum you’d get from the sun
    • You could also use an infrared-sauna (SaunaSpace or Clearlight are well-known brands)
    • To get more ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) light, you can use ReTimer Light Therapy Glasses or the Valkee Human Charger (it’s an in-ear light therapy device)
      • Both of these can be used to better regulate your circadian rhythm when you travel (in simple terms – using these devices mimics exposure to the sun)
  • Real-life hack:
    • Just get some damn sun
• Our ancestors probably walked outside barefoot a TON, constantly exposing themselves to the frequencies emitted by Earth
  • Biohacks:
    • To mimic this, the biohacking community developed earthing/grounding devices (pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) devices)
      • These emit the same natural frequencies that the Earth gives off
      • There are PEMF mats you can sleep on (like a BioBalance PEMF Mat)
  • Real-life hack:
    • Walk around barefoot in the grass
• Our ancestors probably drank a lot of spring water
  • You can find natural springs close to you here
  • Spring water is charged with hydrogen and tends to have a crystalline structure not seen with water from the tap
  • Biohacks:
    • You can buy a structured water generator or buy hydrogen tablets in your water
    • You can also buy a hydrogen water generator
• People long ago were probably frequently exposed to changes in temperature
  • Bioahacks:
    • Using the sauna to mimic mid-day sun/heat exposure
    • Using cryotherapy for cold exposure

Supplements and Food

• If you don’t have access to high-quality, pasture-raised beef liver, consider supplementing with desiccated liver capsules
  • For more on liver’s nutritional benefits, check out these Podcast Notes
• Ben only takes a probiotic when he travels
  • When he’s home, he eats a ton of kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled ginger, and other fermented foods

Travel Biohacks

• When you travel in an airplane, you’re exposed to a ton of radiation – how can you mitigate your exposure?
  • Keep the shutter closed on your airplane window 
  • Try not to use the plane’s Wi-Fi
• Supplements which can help minimize the effects of radiation:
  • Astaxanthin (some fish oils have it)
  • A full-spectrum antioxidant
  • A vitamin C powder like this one from American Nutriceuticals
  • TianChi Chinese Adaptogenic Herb Complex
  • Glutathione or any kind of sulfur-based supplement, like NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
    • These help ramp up your own antioxidant defenses
• Cool Tech:
  • There are scalar energy devices which emit a frequency that seems to be protective against EMF radiation, which you’re exposed to while traveling
    • (like those from Blueshield – you can put them in your pocket or purse)
• Other things Ben does while traveling:
  • He almost never eats on planes
  • If it’s a long-haul international flight – he’ll eat a small amount (like a handful of Macadamia nuts with beef jerky and spirulina/cholerella which are good for mitigating oxidative damage)
  • He supplements with ketone salts or a ketone ester (this HVMN ketone ester has high praise from the podcast community)
    • These can activate pathways that limit inflammation which can occur during travel

The End Game – Why does Ben do what he does?

• To increase his healthspan and lifespan
  • “I just want to be around as long as I can to make the biggest impact on the planet”
• BUT – he draws a line
  • He doesn’t fast as much as he probably should (he doesn’t enjoy it)

Ben’s Favorite Biohack

• “Not a day goes by that I’m not doing some form of cold exposure”
  • There are a TON of benefits:
    • Increased nitrous oxide production
    • Increased heart rate variability and vagus nerve tone
    • Increased stress resilience
    • Conversion of white adipose tissue to brown fat
    • Decreased inflammation
  • Ben’s cold exposure routine consists of:
    • Ice baths
    • Hot/cold contrast showers (20 seconds of cold and 10 seconds hot for 10 rounds)
    • Using the cold pool behind his house
  • Cold exposure products:
    • Cool Fat Burner makes ice packs/vests you can wear

Wrapping Up

• Check out Ben’s new book coming out in January 2020 titled SuperHumanRx
  • Ben says it’s already 600 pages
• Ben’s parting advice:
  • Get outside every day
  • Lay down in your backyard with your shirt off (or at least walk barefoot)
  • Drink pure, clean water from a spring (or use hydrogen water tablets + a structured water generator)
  • Get more near-infrared/infrared light (via something like an infrared sauna or a photobiomodulation panel)

Random

• Ben coaches about 10 people full-time (mostly business executives and high-level athletes)
• Check out Ben’s Lifebook
  • For background, check out this podcast
  • “It’s kind of like me…in a book”
  • “It’s everything I stand for and everything I believe in”

These notes were edited by RoRoPa Editing Services