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News topic du jour:

The carbohydrate-insulin model: a physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic

1. Child Constipation [9:36]

Katie says:

Hi Robb and Nikki! As always, thank you for all you do.

My 7 year old daughter started complaining of stomach pain a few months ago. She’s always been a good eater and has been gluten free since age 3 (not celiac, but noticed many health benefits for the whole family from cutting it out), eats minimal amounts of processed garbage and her diet is full of high quality protein, healthy fats and real, whole food.

Her stomach pain increased in both severity and frequency over the summer. We cut back on dairy, with moderate success. We had blood tests done—all normal with no apparent food sensitivities or any other blood marker abnormalities. Finally her doctor did imaging that showed significant constipation. I have tended towards constipation my whole life, and my mom has IBS-C, so there’s definitely some familial tendencies.

Her pediatrician suggested miralax to get things going, which we have been doing for the past several days, and she’s certainly pooping now, but still has daily tummy aches. Her pediatrician said daily miralax wouldn’t become habit forming and was perfectly safe for long term use, but this obviously doesn’t seem like the ideal answer.

Do you have any suggestions on what I should try to bring her some relief, both in the short term but also for her digestive system as a whole? Why would a 7 year old who eats a healthy diet develop such severe constipation? How concerned should I be about using something like Miralax and are there better alternatives for keeping things moving?

All my best, Katie

2. Anaerobic Ketolysis? [14:57]

Howdy, Wolfs!

Question…

From what I understand, the body can only metabolize fatty acids aerobically, but it can metabolize glucose both aerobically and anaerobically.

What about ketone bodies? Can the body anaerobically metabolize ketone bodies?

I’ve scoured the internet periodically for probably a couple of years looking for a definitive answer to this nagging question, but I always come up empty handed.

I have no functional reason to ask this question – I’m just a nerdy personal trainer with a penchant for delving deep and an evolutionary biology/ancestral health bent.

3. Fasting and Fast Twitch Muscle [16:37]

Bonni says:

From https://body.io/intermittent-fasting-part-3-go-eat-yourself/

“macroautophagy is transient in nearly all tissues except fast twitch muscle[7, 11]

….. Prolonged fasting triggers autophagy to deteriorate muscle tissue faster than severing the nerve to the muscle[29, 30]. …..  The only thing IF does for autophagy is to drive it into destructive ranges for fast-twitch muscle.”

This is from an old post and the references don’t work anymore – do you have any info to back up or refute the fasting /fast-twitch muscle claim? Would eating fat prohibit the muscle catabolism or would protein be needed?  thanks!

4. Finasteride for baldness? [22:43]

Steven says:

Hi Robb and Nikki,

I recently visited the doctor for a checkup and she noticed that my hair is starting to thin up top. Sad day

She recommended that I get on a medication called Finasteride, and said that if I start taking it now I can likely preserve my luscious locks.

I did some digging online, and the testimonials I have found regarding side effects scare the bejesus out of me.

Do you have any thoughts on this medication? And do you have any recommendations on the diet/lifestyle side of things to help keep my hair?

For context, I am a 32-year-old male athlete (rock climber), and in excellent health. I follow a mostly paleo diet, with a few exceptions here and there. I eat plenty of protein (1 g per lb bodyweight) mostly from grass-fed beef, about 200-300 g of carbs per day to fuel my training and climbing, and plan to start taking more collagen supplements to support tendons, skin, and hopefully hair.

Any thoughts are welcome!

I love the podcast, and what you have done with the Healthy Rebellion. Thank you for all that you do.

5. Which animal is best, re: bone broth [28:59]

Sarah says:

Hey team! LOVE the podcast and all of the work that you do.

I recently moved abroad and suddenly have access to many high-quality, inexpensive animal bones. I’ve been making beef bone broth in the instant pot (GAME CHANGER) and it’s delish! I usually break my fasts with a cup, and I’ve saved the fat for cooking. I accidentally bought lamb bones once, and turns out they made amazing bone broth too. So now I wonder- is bone broth ACTUALLY THAT good for me? Which animal is best? Beef, lamb, chicken, camel (no joke!)? Any suggestions on finding literature on animal nutrient contents?

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Transcript coming soon.

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

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News topic du jour:

Too Good To Check: A Play In Three Acts

1. Immunodeficiency [20:52]

Mary says:

Hi Robb and Nicki!

I love your podcast and have been listening on and off for a few years.  You are the only health based podcast that I still listen to since everyone has gone crazy this past year and I highly value all the work that you are both doing!

So…. my husband has described me as the most sickly health fanatic that he has ever met.  I catch every cold, have frequent sinus, bronchitis, yeast infections, strep, skin rashes, stomach flus, bouts of fatigue and dizziness.  I have tried every diet out there to feel better.  I have your books Wired to Eat and The Paleo Solution, so I am familiar with carb testing and using a glucose meter. If I am active, running (10k plus or hard intervals etc) and lifting weights, I know that fast acting carbs like sugar are needed or my recovery will suffer.  For days.  I use a manual glucose monitor to track this.  Intermitent fasting and keto are both a no go for me as I will have disrupted sleep, poor performance and fasting blood sugar levels under 4mmol/L, and with keto my ldl levels go up. I know everyone is so sick of hearing about covid but it plays into my question.  I had been low carb for years, and in the most recent year eating closer to carnivore with fruit and local raw honey.  I have also had chronic low ferritin for years, even eating steak fried in a cast iron pan once or twice a day and avoiding grains and dairy.  I am a personal trainer and runner and was very fit.  I got covid October 30 to be exact.  It knocked my socks off and I have never been the same.  Energy crashes, days of extreme fatigue and dizzy spells, limited running performance. I have not worked full time since.  I was referred to a post covid pulminary clinic and I am showing slight blockage in my lungs.  They were testing for autoimmune and I surprised them with underimmune, low immunoglobulin IgG. We have recently been in contact with previously unknown family and found out that my 1/2 aunt has primary immunodeficiency.  I am on the wait list to see an immunologist but it could be months before I get seen.  I am at a loss at what to do now.  I have given up on paleo etc mostly out of dispair that anything is going to help.  What was working diet wise (the near carnivore) prior to having covid no longer works.  I did the DNA fit after listening to that episode of your podcast and it has come back recomending moderate carb and protien, no celiac etc.  Besides my Low IgG and ferritin all my bloodwork is great.

Not sure where to go from here, what questions I should be asking Drs, should I redo the carb testing as my body seems to have changed?  Should I join your group for the upcoming reset?

Sorry that this has been so long and rambling!  I would greatly appreciate any insight that you may have.

Thank you,

Mary

2. Is Alzheimer’s preventable? [29:18]

Edrie says:

Hi Robb and Nicki, hope you guys are doing well. Thanks for all that you do, your podcast is something I look forward to every week. I have a subject I’d love your insight on: Alzheimer’s Disease, specifically the prevention of it. My dad was diagnosed about 5-6 years ago (at age 64ish) and we just had to move him to a memory care facility because he needs 24 hour a day care. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying to watch a loved one slip away and now to see all the advanced stage residents, a glimpse of what’s to come. It’s too late to delay or improve my dad’s disease, but I am very interested in not spending my senior years living that way. Aside from maintaining a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and managing stress (which are all things I prioritize), is there anything folks can do to prevent Alzheimer’s? Are there any studies or research that you know of that you could point me toward?

Thank you again,

Edrie

https://www.wndu.com/content/news/The-good-side-of-nicotine-for-Alzheimers-patients-567810531.html#:~:text=%22And%20nicotine%20can%20help%20imitate,improvements%20in%20attention%20and%20memory.

The End of Alzheimer’s Program

3. Ice hockey / sleep [31:47]

Jator says:

I have hockey practice typically 20:45-22:00 3 days a week. This is a requirement and I sleep (obviously) terrible on those nights, also shows objectively on my Oura ring.

Not in a place ready to give up hockey BUT would love your thoughts on how to mitigate the stress response as much as possible to catch a decent night of sleep.

Thank you for considering

Huberman Lab – Science of Muscle Growth, Increasing Strength & Muscular Recovery

4. BPPV [37:22]

Carla says:

I have recurring BPPV. I am wondering if you have any suggestions in terms of diet and exercise that will help with this condition? I have asked my doctor and she says I just have to live with it. I have done the Epley maneuver several times which gives me temporary relief but nothing lasting. I am a 51 yo female and about 30 lbs overweight. Any insight you could provide would be welcome. Thank you for all you do!!

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

5. Imodium [39:56]

Tom says:

I’ve heard you talk about low dose Imodium to help with loose stools.  I take 1/2 of a pill each morning, which is 1/4 of a dose.  Are there any long term side effects to this.  Have recently switched to carnivore due to unresolved issues with Keto.  Did the keto masterclass last year and saw great improvements, thanks for that and the content you put out on the regular.  Tom-Full Time RVer.

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Download a copy of this transcript here (PDF)

Nicki: It’s time to make your health an act of rebellion. We’re tackling personalized nutrition, metabolic flexibility, resilient aging, and answering your diet and lifestyle questions. This is the only show with the bold aim to help one million people liberate themselves from the sick care system. You’re listening to The Healthy Rebellion Radio.

Nicki: The contents of this show are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be considered medical advice. Please consult your licensed and credentialed functional medicine practitioner before embarking on any health, dietary, or fitness change. Warning. When Robb gets passionate, he’s been known to use the occasional expletive. If foul language is not your thing, if it gets your britches in a bunch, well, there’s always Disney+.

Robb: Are we live?

Nicki: We are live. Welcome back to another episode of The Healthy Rebellion Radio. This is episode 87. Hi hubs.

Robb: That’s very magnanimous.

Nicki: Hello. Hello.

Robb: Hello.

Nicki: Gosh, what do we want to kick the show off with today? It’s not so smoky. I mean, like we mentioned last time, fall is upon us, and it’s absolutely gorgeous, and then we’ve had… July was a fairly smoky month, not as bad as much of Nevada and California and Idaho, but then we had this reprieve from the smoke, and then it’s-

Robb: We had a cold front come in, so when the-

Nicki: Yeah, it’s sort of that.

Robb: … air comes down from the Arctic north, then it clears things out. And if it’s coming out of the south, it seems to get some of that jet stream stuff and blow over. But fortunately, it hasn’t been terrible. There was a small fire here at the south, south end of the Flathead Valley, and it definitely smoked stuff up pretty good. But we’ve been, knock on wood, so far pretty lucky.

Nicki: Yep. Yep. Let’s see here. I’m trying to think of any other things I wanted to mention before we jump in.

Robb: We had a fairly lazy Labor Day weekend.

Nicki: Yes.

Robb: Our weekends between… And it’s been awesome. People visiting and doing stuff has been great, and just trying to get squared away for winter because there’s just some stuff that you can’t punt till there’s snow and ice on the ground. So our weekends have been pretty hoppin’ too. We just kind of hunkered in and did-

Nicki: I know, it was lovely.

Robb: … not a whole lot of anything, and it was nice.

Nicki: It was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We were like, “Gosh, this seems like the longest day ever,” because it was-

Robb: We didn’t actually do that much.

Nicki: … fairly lazy, and it was fabulous. So hopefully y’all had a relaxing, enjoyable long weekend as well. We did watch… Squatchy recommended in our last Healthy Rebellion chat, we were talking about Zoe and her love of all things wolf and Husky, and Squatchy had recommended a movie called The Journey of Natty Gann, which is on Disney+. And we watched it, and it was actually quite, quite good. It takes place during The Great Depression, and her father… This is a young gal. I’m guessing she’s maybe 12, 15, somewhere in-

Robb: In real life, she was 14 at the filming of that.

Nicki: Okay.

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: Okay. So anyway, her father finally gets a job. They’re in Chicago, and he finally gets a job in a lumber yard in Seattle, in Washington State. And so he has to leave without saying goodbye, and so it was the story of her making her way as a hobo and hitching rides out West to try to find her father, and she befriends a wolf. And anyway, it was a really good show in and of itself. And then we had talked about with the girls… They don’t go into a lot about The Great Depression. I mean, you see all these people-

Robb: Soup kitchens and-

Nicki: Soup kitchens-

Robb: … work lines, and-

Nicki: … work lines, and all that. But we had kind of prefaced it talking about what happened during The Great Depression and whatnot. And then it was on a walk. We were walking Dutch the day after, and Zoe goes, “Mom, if the banks didn’t give people their money during The Great Depression, how come people still put their money in banks now-“

Robb: And trust the banks.

Nicki: “… and trust the banks?” So it prompted a lot of really-

Robb: … good discussions around modern monetary theory and all kinds of good stuff. I don’t know if our kids are… Clearly we’re loons trying to talk to our kids about basic finances and also macro economic stuff and things that really, for little people like us, we have very little control over, but something that we’ve talked about again and again in The Healthy Rebellion is just understanding that a situation could happen, like if you live in Louisiana and being aware that weeks long power outages could occur, just knowing that’s a possibility removes the shock value of when something happens.

Robb: Doesn’t mean it’s still not hard, but when big events happen, if folks are completely caught off guard, then they could be paralyzed for days, weeks, months just from the shock. And so part of what we try to do with our homeschooling is talk to the kids about cracks in our civilizational structure. And even though everything has motored along pretty well for quite some time, we’ve seen earthquakes and terrorist attacks and different things. This pandemic-

Nicki: Pandemics.

Robb: … really upset some things like supply chains and food issues. We just saw something that both General Motors and Toyota are basically shutting down manufacturing of cars in general. I didn’t read-

Nicki: Oh, I didn’t see that.

Robb: … both the pieces, but because of the chips-

Nicki: Because of the chips-

Robb: … deal.

Nicki: Okay.

Robb: And we talked to a guy that sells cars for a living, and he said that despite there being greater demand for cars than he’s ever seen, this is the worst summer he’s ever had selling cars-

Nicki: His sales this summer are-

Robb: … in 30 years of selling cars.

Nicki: … terrible. He’s sold like nine cars, and normally in a July, he would sell like 30.

Robb: And there just are none. They’re back ordered and everything. So anyway, not to drive this thing off the cliff, but it was an interesting movie, and it provided an opportunity to just discuss some of what was going on historically. And then to Zoe’s credit, Zoe asked really, really good questions, and that was, I thought, a very insightful question. And we talked a little bit about how our grandparents’ generation was still a generation which didn’t really trust banks entirely. My grandmother never had much money, but she would send us out to dig up a Folgers coffee can to get some money out of her garden every once in a while. She trusted her backyard garden, and she had a big ass garden every single year, and she worked that thing until she just physically could not do it. So yeah.

Nicki: Yeah, I found a book on Amazon that I’m going to get for the kids because I think it will be good reading. I believe the title was, They Never Threw Anything Away. And basically a man, the author, interviewed… This book was written in the ’90s, and he interviewed I think 20, 20 something folks that lived through The Great Depression. And so they’re individual accountings of people who lived during that time, so I’m excited to read that to the girls.

Robb: Cool.

Nicki: Anyway, enough about that. What do we have coming up here in The Healthy Rebellion? Our kickoff call for this next 30 day Rebel Reset is this Friday. Actually, that would be today, the day this episode releases, Friday, September 10th. And we’ll do a kickoff call talking about the overview of what’s coming with the seven day carb test, followed by the 30 day reset. The seven day carb test will begin on Monday the 13th, and that’s completely optional. Some folks choose to do it because they’re curious. Some folks did it a year ago and want to do it again and just kind of see if anything’s changed, if their blood glucose response to any foods has improved.

Robb: Improved.

Nicki: But again, that’s optional. And then the actual 30 day reset begins on Monday, September 20th. So if that’s of interest to you and you’re not yet a member of The Healthy Rebellion, you can join us and take part. Just go to Join.TheHealthyRebellion.com. What do you got for us for our news topic?

Robb: So it’s this piece from a guy who goes by the tagline Astral Codex, which he got on our radar maybe about six months ago. Maybe not quite that long, but he had a piece, The Only Thing I Can’t Stand Is Intolerance. And it was something that he wrote in 2014, I want to say. And it was interesting because it was just talking about the cancel culture of that time and intolerance. And I think the guy’s a physician, might be in psychiatry, but a brilliant person and writes on-

Nicki: I didn’t know. Is this the same guy that wrote that tribalism piece?

Robb: Yeah. Yeah.

Nicki: And that was the name of that?

Robb: Yeah. Yeah.

Nicki: Okay. I wasn’t sure if that was what you were referring to. Okay.

Robb: And so this one is titled Too Good To Check: A Play In Three Acts, and it is an unpacking of this recent Rolling Stone piece that suggested that a doctor had said that gunshot victims were lined up outside of a hospital in Oklahoma due to overdoses from Ivermectin, the hospital being-

Nicki: And they called it horse dewormer.

Robb: Horse dewormer, and yeah.

Nicki: It was a pretty sensational headline that the Rolling Stone ran, and then every other outlet ran it too. And of course people shared it like wildfire on all of the medias that are social. And then following that, a hospital in Oklahoma issued a statement saying that the doctor that had provided that information to the Rolling Stone magazine didn’t work. He was sort of a contractor and hadn’t worked in their hospital in two months, and that that particular hospital had no patients that were being seen because of Ivermectin overdoses and whatnot. And so anyway, this article is actually quite good because it is asking you to check your bias in multiple places.

Robb: What’s interesting, and we’ve probably already made a mistake relating what went on here. This guy, Astral Codex, went in and really started doing his own fact checking, which you have to kind of take that with a grain of salt. But what’s really interesting here in this strong case that he makes is, whichever side of this discussion one finds themself, there are media outlets that both support the bias and have made mistakes in this story.

Robb: And so what Rolling Stone did initially was egregious, just horrific journalism. It is why when I hear someone’s a journalist, it literally gives me a rash. And I’ve had this for a long time just with the low carb stuff and the paleo stuff and everything, because in ages gone by when people would want to interview me about the paleo diet, what seemed to pass as journalism was talk to me, as I’m viewed as being one end of an extreme, and then go find somebody who’s vegan, who is ostensibly the other end of the extreme, stick these two opposing viewpoints together, and then somehow that’s a deep analysis of this super complex topic, which it’s just chapped my ass to no end and was ridiculous.

Robb: And my God, what I would do to get back to those good old days of, if it was only at that level. But the real nice takeaway that he had, and I don’t agree with everything that he puts in there, but what he goes through and he talks about some kind of psychiatry level cognitive biases. And I’m blanking on the terms that he uses for them, but he details how both, let’s say people on the left-hand side of this story, on the right-hand side of this story, made pretty significant errors, and then just perpetuated and doubled down and perpetuated and doubled down.

Robb: And this is kind of the state of our world right now. And I was having some discussions with both Nicki and with closer friends of mind. I’m trying to figure out what my role should be in this, because it’s more information than what you can ever really stay on top of, could be a full-time job in and of itself. But a point that Malcolm Kendrick made recently, which he too was tapping out of the COVID commentary, so Bret and Heather are out. He is out-

Nicki: More or less, yeah.

Robb: … more or less.

Nicki: And Malcolm is out because there’s no good data. It’s impossible to know-

Robb: That was the point that he made.

Nicki: … what is going on because the data collection is so flawed.

Robb: Which I think is a feature, not a bug. Which again, in this modern world, people say, “Well, you’re an asshole and you’re a disinformation person.” But I posted a piece that Eric Topol, who… I don’t know how deep we want to get into this, but Topol was very early in protecting some people like Kristian Andersen in supporting that the lab leak hypothesis was balderdash, that it was ridiculous. And then Andersen was outed as having actually communicated to Dr. Fauci that, “Hey, this thing actually doesn’t follow evolutionary predictions, and so it looks like it might actually be tweaked or fiddled to some degree in a lab.”

Robb: And then within days of that, he had all these rather high profile pieces that said, “No, absolutely not. This thing has natural origin.” So there’s just all this stuff in there, but Topol was basically complaining about the shitty state of affairs with data collection. There’s all this information that we can and should be getting, like is somebody vaccinated? Well, right now you’re not really considered vaccinated unless you’ve gone 14 days post getting-

Nicki: Your second vaccination.

Robb: … your second inoculation, but they’re not asking, “Well, have you had one? Have you had two? What was the timing of one and two?” Because that’s all really important stuff for just if there are vaccine consequences, if there is anything lurking in there, and we’re kind of purposefully not looking at that stuff. So this was way more on this topic than what I really expected to mention, but I really recommend reading this piece in particular and this guy.

Nicki: It turns out that Rolling’s, the doctor that is quoted as having said, “We have to turn away patients. We have to turn away gunshot victims because of people overdosing on horse paste,” turns out he didn’t actually say it like that. He made two separate comments-

Robb: Completely separate comments on a radio show.

Nicki: … separate from each other.

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: So basically that he’s seen some cases of Ivermectin. I don’t even know if he said that specifically. And then he said that he had to find a different bed for a gunshot victim. And then somebody in the media, I’m not sure if Rolling Stone acted on this first or if someone else reported it first, put those two things together as if it was happening in a singular hospital, made the gunshot victim more than one, pluralized it, so lots of gunshot victims are unable to find-

Robb: Well, and-

Nicki: And then it just exploded from there.

Robb: It exploded, yeah. Heads of state, all kinds of blue checked media, look at these assholes taking horse paste, and all the rest of it. Maybe Ivermectin’s great. Maybe it’s not. But if somebody is on the side of the fence where they’re at least curious about it, and then there seems to be this remarkable campaign against it, then you’re going to fucking make people really curious and entrenched about it. So I don’t know. It’s worth a read, and it caused me to really pump the brakes on just what I’m doing. And I really do try to not just go whole hog into cognitive biases. There was a time in my career when I was very much bought in on the insulin hypothesis. And then over the course of time, the data really swayed me differently.

Robb: And the funny thing is, I will just about swear to God that the insulin hypothesis works in my body, but it doesn’t seem to work anywhere else. And this is a tough thing for me to come to terms with. And somebody like Elaine Norton would probably rightfully say, “Well, it’s probably providing disproportionate satiety, or there’s some other something. Maybe you eat more protein when you’re eating low carb and all this stuff.”

Robb: So there’s probably something else out there, because I’m probably not that physiologically unique. But I had a lived experience that really made the insulin hypothesis seem legit. That seemed to go forward for a long time. I saw lots of people benefit from just basic low carb intervention, so there wasn’t really a question about that, but then the data really wasn’t supporting this basic idea that insulin was the driver of obesity, and on and on and on.

Robb: So I certainly don’t get everything right, but we’ve talked about a lot of things early in this. I think it was March 23rd in one of our first podcasts even digging into COVID when I said it’s suspicious that the only solution on the table is a vaccine. It’s troubling, it’s suspicious. And that has never really changed. And even in some of the stuff that we looked at with Israeli data in Israel, they count someone who has had COVID equally to someone who’s been vaccinated within their passport type databases and whatnot. And they make it optional for somebody to get an additional vaccine, but they don’t recommend two vaccines for someone who has had-

Nicki: COVID.

Robb: … COVID already. I am probably going to make one last little post in that. I’m going to talk about that, and that’s going to be my last thing there. But this stuff is worth digging into and thinking about our cognitive biases. And I don’t really know what to do about all this stuff at this point. When you have someone like Malcolm Kendrick tap out because he’s like, “The data is garbage.” And his main point was that he is going to start making mistakes because-

Nicki: Mistakes because the data is not good.

Robb: … he’s leaning on faulty data.

Nicki: Yeah.

Robb: Yeah. Okay. So we did a whole show. We can just wrap this up. We don’t need to take questions, and we’re good.

Nicki: We will move on. We’ll do… Our T-shirt winner this week goes to Sr. JG, Senior JG. Thank you for consistently being a place where conversation can be had and real insight gained.

Robb: Cool.

Nicki: I thought that was pretty cool. Sr. JG, thank you. Send us an email to hello@RobbWolf.com with your T-shirt size and your mailing address, and we’ll send you a Healthy Rebellion Radio T-shirt. And if you would like a Healthy Rebellion Radio T-shirt, you can leave us a review, and if we read your review, then we’ll send you a shirt. The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our salty AF electrolyte company, LMNT. Remember our Give a Salt program.

Nicki: So if you have someone who has made a big difference in your life, who shows up every day in your community in a big way, you can nominate them for the LMNT Give a Salt program. Nominate your local hero or team of heroes, be they coaches, trainers, firefighters. I’m sure there are a lot of firefighters right now who are very deserving of our LMNT Give a Salt program, or anybody who goes above and beyond and deserves a little salty recognition. You can nominate them at DrinkLMNT.com/GiveaSalt. That’s drink L-M-N-T dot com slash Give a Salt.

Robb: Is it Give a Salt?

Nicki: It is. Give a Salt.

Robb: I just wanted to make sure about that.

Nicki: Okay. Question one this week is from Mary on immunodeficiency. “Hi Robb and Nicki. I love your podcast and have been listening on and off for a few years. You are the only health-based podcast that I still listen to since everyone has gone crazy this past year, and I highly value all the work that you both are doing.”

Robb: She’s going to hate this show.

Nicki: “So my husband has described me as the most sickly health fanatic that he has ever met. I catch every cold, have frequent sinus, bronchitis, yeast infections, strep, skin rashes, stomach flus, bouts of fatigue, and dizziness. I have tried every diet out there to feel better. I have your books, Wired To Eat and The Paleo Solution, so I’m familiar with carb testing and using a glucose meter. If I’m active and running 10k plus or hard intervals, et cetera, and lifting weights, I know that fast acting carbs like sugar are needed, or my recovery will suffer for days.”

Nicki: “I use a manual glucose monitor to track this. Intermittent fasting and keto are both a no-go for me, as I will have disrupted sleep, poor performance, and fasting blood sugar levels under four millimolars per liter. And with keto, my LDL levels go up. I know everyone is so sick of hearing about COVID, but it plays into my question. I had been low carb for years, and in the most recent year, eating closer to carnivore with fruit and local raw honey. I have also had chronic low ferritin for years, even eating steak fried in a cast iron pan once or twice a day and avoiding grains and dairy.”

Nicki: “I’m a personal trainer and runner and was very fit. I got COVID on October 30th to be exact, and it knocked my socks off, and I have never been the same. Energy crashes, days of extreme fatigue and dizzy spells, limited running performance. I have not worked full-time since. I was referred to a post-COVID pulmonary clinic, and I am showing slight blockage in my lungs. They were testing for autoimmune, and I surprised them with under immune, low immunoglobulin, IgG. We have recently been in contact with previously unknown family, and I found out that my half aunt has primary immunodeficiency.”

Nicki: “I’m on the wait list to see an immunologist, but it could be months before I get seen, and I’m at a loss at what to do now. I have given up on paleo, mostly out of despair that anything is going to help. What was working diet-wise, the near carnivore, prior to having COVID no longer works. I did the DNAFit after listening to that episode of your podcast, and it has come back recommending moderate carb and protein, no celiac, et cetera.”

Nicki: “And besides my low IgG and ferritin, all my blood work is great. So I’m not sure where to go from here, what questions I should be asking the doctors, and should I redo the carb testing, as my body seems to have changed? Should I join your group for the upcoming reset? Sorry this has been so long and rambling. I would greatly appreciate any insight that you may have.”

Robb: Well, we always love having folks in the reset. And I mean, shameless endorsement, but given, what, like 29 bucks a month, and the resets and the research and the supportive community and someplace that you can post something like this and not get flamed for, how many different things could you get flamed for on the interweb for just posting a question like this? So we would love to have you, but by no means is it necessary. I guess something that… She’s mentioning that things aren’t working, but I don’t know what that means.

Robb: Are there gut issues? Is their blood sugar swings? I will say this, that at various points when my gut has been off, like if I eat something that kind of throws me off, I just generally feel bad. And we have an Imodium question that’s going to pop up here in a little bit, and this is one of the weird things that I’ve noticed, is that if my bowels are functioning and I’m kind of rocking the Bristol stool chart, I feel pretty darn good, and I will feel a shift. I’ll get kind of foggy-headed, lightheaded, and then I’ll get some gut rumblings, and I’ll go poo, and things are on the loose side.

Robb: And it’s just an if A, then B type thing. I don’t know if that’s electrolyte-driven. And I’m kind of rambling at this point. I’m not really sure what she should do at this point. I always cater things to, where are you now, and then what are you trying to do? If there’s a possibility of just some genetic low immunity, then I think generally good diet, smart exercise, good circadian entrainment, everything that helps support that, is going to be really smart.

Robb: And that doesn’t need to be paleo. It doesn’t need to be keto. It can be a lot of different things, but I think as always, where are you now, and then what do you want to do? And then usually we can build some sort of a plan or a bridge in that direction. The fact that she asked about the carb testing makes me think maybe she’s having some blood glucose regulation issues or something like that. And beyond that, I’m just not sure where to go. Again, and maybe someday we do spin up a call-in show so that we can-

Nicki: Can do some back and forth.

Robb: … do some back and forth on this, but it’d be interesting to know what are the challenges currently, other than it sounds like she’s feeling rough. There’s probably some breathing issues.

Nicki: Some long COVID, it sounds like.

Robb: Long COVID, probably some low energy and all that type of stuff. I’m part of a couple of different research groups where folks far smarter than myself share papers and talk about this type of thing, and the two things that have really popped up is that the features of long COVID are a pro-inflammatory state, so all these interleukins and whatnot are elevated in a deleterious way, and low energy production. The ATP production story is compromised. And so on that inflammatory side, getting adequate omega-3s, maybe two grams per day of omega-3s, primarily from fish oil, EPA, DHA, adequate zinc. And then what was the final one? It was Omega-3, zinc, and one other thing.

Nicki: Vitamin D?

Robb: Might have been vitamin D. Vitamin D. Yep. And there were other things like inositol, cysteine, and stuff like that, that help. Turmeric. There’s all these different anti-inflammatory compounds that can modulate these things. But those three things, the vitamin D and omega-3s-

Nicki: Omega-3s.

Robb: … and zinc, there’s definitely good, robust science on that. And then she mentioned that keto and whatnot is not really working for her. Maybe this is a case for putting in some MCT oil, because it can produce some ketone bodies. So we’re getting some carbs so that she can rely on more of that glycolytic pathway so that there’s some substrate there for dealing with that, but then it’s producing some amount of ketones, so maybe we’re kind of goosing the energy production on both sides of that.

Robb: And modestly elevated ketone bodies are anti-inflammatory too. So those would be my things to kind of noodle on in this. Think about, where are you at, where do you want to go, and then also recognize that long COVID seems to be a problem of overactive inflammation and also some problems with energy production. And with all that stuff considered, then we maybe have some options for engineering a process to get through that.

Nicki: And I know it’s probably a big challenge because she’s so used to being so active and lifting weights and running, but if you’re not feeling that, I would do some lower level things. And this is where things like Kinstretch and FRC can keep your joints healthy, keep some stimulus to the tissue without being overly demanding, depending on obviously what you can tolerate and how fatigued you are. But I wouldn’t push it on the exercise side. I would go up to that threshold, but don’t do any burners. And you might not even be able to. You might not be feeling like you can. But definitely keep moving, but keep it in check.

Robb: Yep.

Nicki: Okay. Our next question this week is from Edrie. She wants to know if Alzheimer’s is preventable. “Hi Robb and Nicki. I hope you guys are doing well. Thanks for all that you do. Your podcast is something I look forward to every week. I have a subject I’d love your insight on, Alzheimer’s disease, specifically the prevention of it. My dad was diagnosed about five to six years ago at age 64, and we just had to move him to a memory care facility because he needs 24 hour a day care.”

Nicki: “It’s heartbreaking and terrifying to watch a loved one slip away, and now to see all the advanced stage residents, a glimpse of what’s to come. It’s too late to delay or improve my dad’s disease, but I’m very interested in not spending my senior years living that way. Aside from maintaining a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and managing stress, which are all things I prioritize, is there anything folks can do to prevent Alzheimer’s? Are there any studies or research that you know of that you could point me towards? Thank you again, Edrie.”

Robb: So one thing that’s really easy and shows some remarkable promise in this story is actually nicotine. They’ve been studied in both gums and patches, and I posted a link for the show notes, and it shows benefit even when folks are in the early stages of the disease. And there’s some thought that earlier application could be helpful as well. We definitely kind of see Alzheimer’s… People generally refer to it as type three diabetes. There’s definitely an insulin resistant feature to all this.

Robb: And so Edrie’s talking about smart diet, lifestyle, all that, so really double down on all those types of things. Sleep is maybe as important as anything else in making sure that that’s really good. But one thing that is out there that’s really accessible and could be just used in the background and might actually improve your quality of life right now… I use nicotine mints pretty frequently, and I just feel better with them. I interestingly feel both more focused, but also more calm. It’s not the caffeine stimulating effect that I get from coffee or a caffeinated tea. So that is somewhere that I would do a little bit of poking around.

Nicki: I feel like somebody in the Rebellion just shared a book title that was about Alzheimer’s too. I think it’s a relatively new one.

Robb: There’s a lot out there. Yeah.

Nicki: Okay. I don’t have it off the top of my head, but if I find it, I will include it in the show notes for the show on RobbWolf.com. Let’s see. Our third question is from… I’m going to pronounce this incorrectly.

Robb: Jader (Jator).

Nicki: Jader, Jator, on ice hockey and sleep. He says, “I have hockey practice typically from 8:45 to 10:00 PM three days a week. This is a requirement, and I sleep, obviously, terrible on those nights, and it also shows objectively on my Oura Ring. I’m not in a place where I’m ready to give up hockey, but I would love your thoughts on how to mitigate the stress response as much as possible to catch a decent night of sleep.”

Robb: I read this earlier and I had some thoughts on it, and then I just remembered a Huberman Lab episode, which I’m going to try to pull up here. But he just covered a piece on… hmm… Okay, I’ll dig it up and put it in the show notes, but it was a recent Huberman Lab piece that actually looked at how to optimize muscular strength and hypertrophy. But part of what he talked about with that, and he’s maybe talked about this elsewhere, it sounds like he probably has, but the physiological PSI, so two deep inhales through the nose, one deep exhale out of the mouth. Yeah. And really trying, deeper even than that on the inhale is what I got, and to begin doing those intermittently after a session.

Robb: This starts getting you into a parasympathetic state. So I think any type of box breathing, this physiological PSI, sounds like the Huberman Lab has dug into this stuff pretty deeply, so I would do some poking around in that. Also, one of the big challenges that people face doing exercise that late is our body temperature has to drop for us to be able to go into a deep state of sleep, really to sleep at all. And so this could be a case for a cold bath, cold shower.

Robb: Doesn’t need to be bone-chilling, because if you just do something that is mildly cool, even if it feels modestly warm when you first get in, so long as it’s below body temperature, you will get cold eventually. This is why people get shipwrecked in the Caribbean, they will die of hypothermia even though the water temperature is 86. You were trying to heat the whole ocean, and you will lose that thing. And so the cold bath or the cold shower doesn’t have to be jarringly cold.

Robb: It just needs to be colder than your body temperature, and it needs to be long enough to bring your body temperature down. And then I would look at something like Doc Parsley, Sleep Remedy. Maybe in addition to that, some small dose melatonin, like a half a milligram or something like that on top of the Sleep Remedy. I think all of those things can go quite a good distance towards improving sleep.

Nicki: And you might even try some mouth taping.

Robb: Might try some mouth taping also. So physiological PSI, mouth taping-

Nicki: Cold shower.

Robb: … cold shower and/or bath. The bath is honestly going to work better because you cover the whole body at once. And by cold, it doesn’t necessarily need to be bone-chilling so that now you’ve got a super elevated heart rate trying to go to bed. Just needs to be cooler than your body temperature. And you need to feel cold by the time you’re done with that, and then you go curl in bed and the usual stuff, blue blockers and all that type of jive, to help you with the wind down.

Nicki: Yep. Hopefully that helps. Okay. We’re ready for our Healthy Rebellion Radio trivia. Our Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor drink, LMNT, is giving a box of LMNT electrolytes to three lucky winners selected at random who answer the following question correctly. So Robb, recently, or on our nearly daily walks with the dog, we discovered a new to us type of berry that Google and iNaturalist tell us is… Oh no, I’m screwing this up. I don’t want to say what the berry is, but I did learn that Native Americans used it to treat the common cold and that people in Russia and Eastern Europe eat it to treat high cholesterol and high blood pressure. And so the question this week is, what is the berry?

Robb: It is the coveted chokeberry, which-

Nicki: Chokeberry.

Robb: … apparently is a big, big staple in the big, big bear called the grizzly-

Nicki: The grizzly. The grizzlies like them too.

Robb: … that is endemic to this area.

Nicki: Yes.

Robb: So chokeberries.

Nicki: And actually, they taste okay. They’re a little astringent or tangy.

Robb: They are loaded with anthocyanidin, so all that stuff-

Nicki: And antioxidants, yeah.

Robb: … that we like about blueberries, they are off the charts, loaded with them.

Nicki: But they have a really big seed, so it’s not like a blueberry.

Robb: It’s about 50% seed.

Nicki: It looks like a blueberry. Yeah. It looks sort of like a blueberry, but then half of it is seed. So I don’t know, I’m thinking of collecting some and then somehow-

Robb: Trying to plant them?

Nicki: … get the seeds out-

Robb: Oh.

Nicki: … and then making some sort of a jam thing.

Robb: Jam, jelly confection?

Nicki: Yeah. So anyway, the answer to this week’s trivia is the chokeberry. To play, go to RobbWolf.com/trivia and enter your answer, and we’ll randomly select three people with the correct answer to win a box of electrolytes from LMNT. The cutoff to answer this week’s trivia and be eligible to win is Thursday, September 16th at midnight, and winners will be notified via email as well as on Instagram. And this is open to residents of the US only.

Nicki: Okay. Carla has a question about benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, BPPV. She says, “I have recurring BPPV, and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions in terms of diet and exercise that will help with this condition. I’ve asked my doctor and she says I just have to live with it. I’ve done the Epley maneuver several times, which gives me temporary relief, but nothing lasting. I’m a 51-year-old female and about 30 pounds overweight. Any insight you could provide would be awesome. Thank you for all you do.”

Robb: It’s interesting. Digging around on this, there’s some linkage to autoimmunity, there’s some linkage to insulin resistance, and there’s also some literature that suggests electrolyte imbalances. Inadequate sodium may be an issue here. And the Epley maneuver is interesting because some people have noticed doing handstand work actually improves it because you’re flipping yourself upside dow, and your body, the valves in our venous side of our circulatory system, they work the muscular contraction and whatnot to return blood from distally to closer to the body.

Robb: When you get flipped upside down, they don’t really work so well, so there’s some other compensatory mechanisms that get trained to get comfortable with being upside down. And it’s more like some physical therapy journals and stuff like that that talk about inversion being a potential benefit here. Again, there definitely seems to be at least some suggestion around possible insulin resistance.

Robb: And Carla mentioned that she’s overweight, so this is one of those scenarios where I might recommend making sure that you’re at that five grams of sodium per day level. But if Carla is overweight and/or hypertensive, then maybe that’s not the best route to go down. So there’s a couple of different things to play with on that, looking at metabolic health, playing around with that Epley maneuver type stuff even more, and maybe the electrolyte side. But there’s a lot of moving parts on that, so it can be tough to pin down.

Nicki: And just paying attention to your blood sugar. The more you can regulate your blood glucose levels-

Robb: For sure.

Nicki: … I think the more that will help too. And we are starting our reset here today, or September 20th, if you don’t want to do the seven day carb test, so if you’d like to join us on that, we would love to have you. And our last question this week is from Tom on Imodium. Tom says, “I’ve heard you talk about low dose Imodium to help with loose stools. I take one half of a pill each morning, which is a quarter of a dose. Are there any long-term side effects to this? I recently switched to carnivore due to unresolved issues with keto. I did the keto masterclass last year and saw great improvements, so thanks for that and the content you put out on the regular. From Tom, a full-time RVer.”

Robb: Nice. Tom, when you read the package insert around Immodium, it says, if you have any type of symptoms of loose stools longer than a week, to discontinue use and go see your doctor. But that generally is trying to cover the idea that folks may have some sort of an infection. That’s my sense out of this. What has been lost in all of that is that for years, chronic use of Immodium has been recommended for a variety of IBS related issues. So it is in the literature. It’s been used for IBS type problems.

Robb: Personally, I’ve been using it for like six years, at least if maybe not a little bit longer than that. Which one person doing it doesn’t really mean all that much, but I think you find the minimum effective dose, you play to getting improved clinical outcomes and just feeling better, which the first question that we had, I think it was the first one, I mentioned that if I poo well, then I tend to feel generally good. And if I have some GI problems, then I get some kind of neurological problems there.

Robb: So the long and short is, I don’t really see any type of long-term issues when you dig into the literature on this. Imodium has become really difficult to find in the form that we used to be able to buy a 200 count bottle for like six bucks, but Imodium is a type of opiate, but it generally can’t go through the gut and be physiologically active and give people an opiate type high. People will do some kitchen chemistry to try to tweak that, and really high dose Imodium can cause people to have respiratory distress or to quit breathing, so you get absolutely no high out of it. You just die.

Robb: And I think they had like six people do this over the course of the past couple years, and so the FDA, like it does with a lot of things, just jumped on this with both feet, and now you can only buy a blister pack of like six caplets, and that itself is like eight or $10, so the price has gone up a hundred fold because of all this. And again, I’m rambling, but the long and short is, if you really dig around on the literature with this, doesn’t seem to be any issues with long-term use.

Robb: I assume that he’s probably done some investigating, like does he potentially have a gut parasite or any other like really, like C. diff or something like that that could be causing the underlying problems. I think it’s worthwhile to go check on those things just to make sure we’re not covering up an underlying problem. But again, using myself as an example, I’ve done the screening for parasites, ova and parasite screens.

Robb: I’ve done innumerable gut microbiome tests, and everything looks pretty good. I got a little bit out of range on this, and you might want a little bit more there, but not really anything that would warrant this response that if I eat a giant green salad, that I am running to the bathroom afterwards. So that stuff, at a minimum, I ruled out I don’t have C. diff, I don’t have any of these other really gnarly things. And so what I’ve found is just using the Imodium to deal with whatever those symptoms are, that seems to be a net win.

Nicki: Cool.

Robb: Cool.

Nicki: Any other words before we wrap up this show?

Robb: I had a lot of words on the front, so I’ll keep them skinny on the back.

Nicki: Keep the words skinny on the back. Okay.

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: Well, thanks everybody for joining us. Remember to check out our show sponsor, LMNT. You can grab some salty goodness at DrinkLMNT.com slash R-O-B-B. That’s Drink L-M-N-T dot com slash Robb. And remember to nominate your salty heroes for the LMNT Give a Salt program at Drink L-M-N-T dot com slash Give a Salt.

Robb: Cool.

Nicki: We will see you next week.

Robb: Bye everybody.

Nicki: Bye.

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

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The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

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News topic du jour:

Energy compensation and adiposity in humans

1. High Ferritin Levels and Resistance Training [11:44]

Keith says:

So I am a 48 YO male. 5-11 200 15-16 bf I follow a higher red meat diet 180-200g of protien and 80-100 g of fat a then 80-100g unprocessed carbs.

I had some blood work done and my ferritin came back 803. Which is concerning

My iron was 98 TIBC 286 and transferrin saturation is 34. Hemoglobin 12.9 and hematocrit is 38.4.

My PA thinks I have anemia. I have no symptoms of fatigue but she is referring me to a hematologist.

Would heavy resistance training have any affect on ferritin levels? searching the innerwebs I saw a few mentions of inflammation from heavy resistance training causing elevated levels and one should take 48-72 off from heavy training before blood tests.

Any thoughts on resting then retesting my ferritin?

2. Electrolytes Before or After Workout? [14:15]

David says:

Dear Robb,

I’m writing from hot, humid Singapore.  I’m 54 years old and work out in the cooler early mornings before work.  60-75 min workouts of running, sprinting and/or bodyweight workouts.

I’m a big fan of LMNT Citrus Salt and find that I perform and recover better using it.  My normal routine is to drink one stick immediately upon waking, then get after it.

I always end my workouts drenched in sweat.  Is it better to wait until after my workout to replace my lost electrolytes?  I would consume one before/one after – except that importing LMNT into Singapore is expensive!

I appreciate any insight, Robb.  I love your work, dude.

Sincerely,

David

LMNT Homebrew Guide https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0052/6434/3074/files/9_Simple_Electrolyte_Homebrew_Recipes_-_Elemental_Labs.pdf

3. Post Covid Hair Loss & Food Aversions [16:46]

Shannon says:

Hello Rob & Nikki! I had covid at the beginning of April 2021. I had a very easy time with it, likely thanks to 10 years of being careful about my diet & taking a preventative approach to my health (thanks to info from you guys & many others in the paleo/keto space). I had a slight fever on & off for about 10 days, a migraine (which isn’t uncommon for me), & fatigue. My appetite was suppressed for many days & when it came back I wasn’t craving the foods I should be eating. In fact, my favorite foods which are steaks & beef, still aren’t as appealing as they used to be. Meat in general, I am not craving but I do make myself eat it. I take quality supplements, that contain zinc. Do you have another suggestions for how to repair my taste buds? I also have started to lose some hair. Apparently this is common 3-4 months after covid. I am praying it stops soon. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Your work has definitely helped me get through the “pandemic” & I rock my HRR t shirt on many of my walks! Thanks for all you do!

-Shannon

4. How To Get Young Kids To Try New Foods [23:58]

Scott says:

Robb,

I’ve been following you for years, since about 2009. The amount of knowledge you have is impressive and I never get tired of listening to you, although i do miss the good ole days with Greg Everett. I never adopted the paleo diet because I have never had any health issues but I am now looking for some advice. My 4 year son is showing asthma like symptoms and I think it is due to his diet. We have tried to get him to eat healthier but he always gags when he tries something new. Do you have any book suggestions or advice for me to help my son eat new foods?  I understand you’re a busy guy so I don’t expect a response. I just had to ask you because I really value your opinion/experience. Thanks for all you do.

Scott

5. Methane Mitigation [30:17]

Nicholas says:

Dear Robb Wolf,

I recently read Sacred Cow and found it absolutely brilliant. I am trying to deepen my understanding of regenerative agricultural practises with a view to one day starting my own farm.

I have a question regarding cattle feed additives for methane mitigation.

On a recent MeatRx podcast, Shawn Baker asked Dr. Frank Mitloehner about his work on feed additives and whether they are required in regenerative systems.

Dr. Mitloehner says “grazing animals are currently the greatest challenge with respect to enteric methane because they are not as accessible. […] Some thoughts are to include some active ingredients into the salt lick or into the water that the animals drink. Vaccination is another possibility.”

Here is a link to his full answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K31OZHUtvEg&t=2880s

Do you agree with Dr. Mitloehner that these kinds of additives are necessary? I was under the impression (from your work and his) that enteric methane was not something to worry about when animals are well managed in concert with the surround ecosystem. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Thank you so much in advance for your time!

Kind regards,

Nicholas Harley

P.S. Sacred Cow has changed my life and the lives of many of my friends and family. Thank you!

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Transcript:

Coming very soon…

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Make your health an act of rebellion. Join The Healthy Rebellion

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

News topic du jour:

leaky vaccines, super-spreads, and variant acceleration

1. Can I ignore this study? [19:10]
Kat says:

Hi Robb and Nicki,

Your podcast is still one of my favourite podcasts

I did post my question on the Healthy Rebellion and had some helpful thoughts from other members but I wondered if it might be an interesting one to discuss on the podcast:

Context: I eat a reasonably high fat meat based diet due to Sjogrens Syndrome having majorly affected my gut. Before I figured out what I could tolerate I lost a lot of weight and was actually warned my heart was under strain and beating too slowly, and I could die if I caught the normal flu. Now I have the weight back on and my heart is back to normal.

So when I read things like this I sort of worry, and then talk myself out of worrying after remembering that mouse models aren’t always translatable and so many studies have limitations in other ways.

Any way, here’s a discussion of the study. I haven’t been able to get access to the full journal article.

https://medicalgroup.ucdavis.edu/health-news/newsroom/study-explains-why-food-high-in-saturated-fat-may-lead-to-plaque-build-up-in-arteries/2021/08

Thanks

2. Thoughts and Feedback on IF [21:58]
John says:

I’m a long time listener and just wanted to give some feed back and thoughts on my own experiences.

Recently you mentioned the mistakes many are making with doing intermittent fasting or one meal a day with muscle loss etc.

I can say from my own experiences as a 49 year old man I tried it and it was magical at first but then I did lose muscle and strength and have gone back to a lower carb paleo/ancestral diet and feel much better. Strength, muscle tone, energy, libido, etc..

I think maybe the intermittent fasting thing has become or taken over from the CR or calorie restriction group with many or all of the usual side effects.

Obviously fasting and intermittent fasting are great tools especially if some one is over weight or diabetic but we can look at fasting in religions and see that there are probably reasons its only certain times of the year.

I don’t know just wanted to hear your thoughts and say you as usual were right on.

A recent Harvard study show exercise and not fasting is probably the key to health and longevity.

Who would have thought that eating real food and moving was healthy?

https://highintensityhealth.com/exercise-better-than-fasting-calorie-restriction-for-aging-longevity/

https://highintensityhealth.libsyn.com/exercise-is-better-than-fasting-calorie-restriction-for-aging-longevity-harvard-scientists-say

3. LMHR [26:52]
Patrick says:

I’m a 42 year old male personal trainer in Texas. I’m 5’8″, about 170 pounds and stay at around 5-8% body fat. I’ve been in pretty much the same shape for about a decade. About 3 years ago I learned about Dave Feldman’s work after being denied life insurance for having high cholesterol. Initially I was worried since my total cholesterol had always been around 200, LDL 130 and HDL 80 with low triglycerides. But suddenly my total cholesterol had jumped to 380, LDL to 280 and HDL to 98 still with low triglycerides around 70. The only change to my diet had been to completely cut out all processed sugar and other processed carbs. Up to that point I’d been eating a pretty low carb diet but would still occasionally indulge in ice cream or something my wife baked. But after reading Nina Teicholz, Wired to Eat, Gary Taubes, etc, I wanted to see what a year with absolutely no cheating would feel like. About 4 months into this experiment I saw my cholesterol had skyrocketed and learned that I was an LMHR. This of course sent me on a journey down the cholesterol rabbit hole which as you know leads to dozens of other tunnels. Anyway its really interesting that literally the only change I made was cutting junk out completely and this was the result. Btw I’ve had 2 NMR tests, both had my particle number above 3000. My IR score was 25. They showed that have about 75% large type A LDL which are not associated with atherosclerosis. I’ve checked my insulin, homocysteine, hsCRP, LPa, and other markers all which have remained optimal. I lift, sprint, row and run. I eat lots of beef and lamb, low carb veggies and fruit. Conventional medicine says I’m at much higher risk for heart disease. Because I cut out sugar? Should we not paying more attention to LDL size or is it possible in an otherwise healthy individual, high LDL may not matter?

4. High Blood Pressure From Salt Consumption? [34:56]
Rusty says:

My diet, exercise, and the like all need work, but I’m wondering, generally, is there a scientific way of determining if high blood pressure is from salt consumption?  I know you’re kind of on the supplemental end of the electrolytes, and it makes total sense for folks out there, in ketosis, and sweating… it’s something I intend on doing more of.

Is there a way of actually knowing how much salt you’re holding onto, so you know you need to supplement or cut back?

5. Electrolytes & Long haul flights [39:04]
Karyn says:

Hello! I’m lucky enough to be traveling soon and have 2 x 15 hour flights with a 4 hour break between. I plan to stay low carb for the duration of the trip by bringing my own food, but I’m wondering how long haul flights might affect my electrolyte requirements? I currently feel best with an average of 3 LMNT packs per day – should I just maintain that or might I need more or less? Thanks so much, Karyn

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Transcript:

Download a copy of this transcript here (PDF)

Nicki: It’s time to make your health an act of rebellion. We’re tackling personalized nutrition, metabolic flexibility, resilient aging and answering your diet and lifestyle questions. This is the only show with the bold aim to help one million people liberate themselves from the sick care system. You’re listening to The Healthy Rebellion Radio. The contents of this show are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be considered medical advice. Please consult your licensed and credentialed functional medicine practitioner, before embarking on any health dietary or fitness changes. Warning, when Robb gets passionate, he’s been known to use the occasional expert. If found language is not your thing, that gets your britches in a bunch. Well, there’s always Disney+.

Robb: How are you doing?

Nicki: I’m good, how are you doing?

Robb: Good. Welcome back, everybody. So we missed you last week.

Nicki: Yes.

Robb: Got a little wrapped up with life and things?

Nicki: Yeah, I couldn’t quite pull it off in time, so apologies for that. We were just chit chatting about what age the children need to be to watch.

Robb: So I Married An Axe Murderer.

Nicki: So I Married An Axe Murderer. And it’s been years since I’ve seen it, but it was a movie that I watched many times in high school. One of my friends Heather and I, we just found it hilarious and would watch it.

Robb: It is one of the rare points of agreement in us thinking that something was hilarious.

Nicki: Yeah, most of the things that I like Robb doesn’t like and most of the things that he finds hilarious I don’t.

Robb: Look at me like I’m an idiot, even more so than normal.

Nicki: But I don’t remember there being any, there’s nothing lewd. There’s the only curse word I can think of.

Robb: Well, gouged out the bitches ocular cavities.

Nicki: Yeah, this made to the cafeteria. But that’s the only like, curse word I remember and I’m sure there’s probably more, but I think it could be appropriate.

Robb: Well, we’ll see.

Nicki: I don’t know. Well maybe we should pose that question in The Healthy Rebellion and see what-

Robb: Maybe that should be accurate.

Nicki: And see what other people say. Let’s see here, just some highlights of what’s going on in The Healthy Rebellion community. We did have our mindset kickoff call for our week long mindset workshop with Coach Cinnamon Prime yesterday, and that’s going on this whole week. And I just got to say it was amazing. We had a fabulous turnout. And if you’re not familiar with Coach Prime, if you haven’t worked with her personally or if you’re not a member of The Healthy Rebellion community, she has done a couple of videos for us. And so most of our members are familiar with her and her approach.

Nicki: But she’s just one of these unique people that I feel like has the ability to kind of bridge the gap and meet people where they are. She is just who she is and she shines. And she showed up yesterday for that call, and it was just amazing. And we had some very brave and courageous rebels on the call that were sharing when she asked for people to share. And we talked a lot about where we come up with our ideas for what it means to be successful and where in our childhood that stems from.

Nicki: People shared a lot of personal things, and she went back and forth with them and dug deeper and probed and it was a really cool experience and I just want to acknowledge her for her awesomeness, and just acknowledge all of the rebels that were on that call yesterday for showing up and participating in that. And I’m really excited to see, she has daily homework for everybody throughout this week, and then a wrap up call next Monday. So I’m just really excited to see what comes from this.

Robb: Well, and it’s maybe worth mentioning that nobody who has not reached their health or fitness goals or whatever, it’s never for lack of a workout. It is never for need of protein carb fat ratio. It is always some other deeper thing, and this applies to a bunch of other stuff too. Particularly, I have done a lot of work in growing our business and having grown up in a pretty poor by Western white standards, pretty poor upbringing. When the USDA Food delivery deal provided the block of cheese and the thing of powdered milk, it was kind of a big deal.

Robb: So for relative purposes at a pretty austere start and the tactics and techniques for dealing with that situation are not always super adaptive to going forward in life. And so, I’ve had to do a lot of work to unravel some of the challenges there. And what we find is a lot of people in the diet and lifestyle thing and also a lot of other stuff, there’s just baggage, there’s stories that we tell ourselves and someone like Cinnamon is able to go in, and really what she does a lot of, is ask questions. It’s not like she dictates a whole lot of stuff to people when she asks a lot of questions.

Nicki: And she said over and over, she’s like, “I wish if this was like a 10 step to success, but none of that does work.” We are all unique individuals with unique pasts and unique circumstances of our lives, and one of the things that our brain wants to do is, project our past into our future. And so you get stuck if you have these loops of stories that you tell yourself. And so she really broke through some of that stuff, and these daily worksheets that we’re going to be doing are designed to help us see that and break through because our future does not have to be dictated by what we’ve done or failed to do in the past. So, anyway.

Robb: It’s good stuff, very good stuff.

Nicki: Super good stuff, so I just want to highlight that. Real quick too, our next Rebel Reset starts on Monday, September 20th. We’ll do the seven day carb test prior to that the week before and we’ll kick everything off on Friday, September 10th. So if you haven’t yet participated in one of our Rebel Resets, and you’d like to get in on that, just join The Healthy Rebellion, that’s at join. The Healthy Rebellion.com.

Robb: So quick news topic. Did you work today, the title is a substack peace, leaky vaccine super spreaders and variant acceleration. I don’t even know that I’m going to say that much about this. It’s one of the most interesting and honestly, scary pieces that I’ve read thus far in our ever changing and never going away COVID experience, and I won’t give away too much with it. I would just powerfully encourage people to check this thing out, it will be in the show notes. You can probably find it by searching leaky vaccine, super spreads and variant acceleration. The main point that I would make is that there is a narrative around what we should be doing, and we should be doing these things for very specific reasons. And there are hypotheses afoot that paint this narrative as 180 degrees wrong. And if it-

Nicki: And there have people that have been screaming about this from the rooftops-

Robb: A long time.

Nicki: Since the very beginning, but with our current culture and era of censoring anything that doesn’t fit, I hate saying the narrative because I feel like it’s overused, but it is, the narrative. There’s like one line of thought that is acceptable and very accomplished people like Nobel Peace Prize winners and people that have worked on vaccines their whole life and have worked for the Global Alliance for Vaccines.

Nicki: And so like there are people that have been raising the flag that this could be a potential, potentiallity. But they’ve been relegated to, “Oh, that’s never going to happen. Those people are quacks or whatever.” And I guess the crazy thing for me is why? Why can’t we have this conversation? And I guess some people will push back and say, “Well, we’re in the middle of this pandemic, we don’t have time for nuanced discussions about things. We’ve just got to act.” But what if the action makes things worse? I don’t know. Again, I-

Robb: That really is the thing. I guess, we will talk about this a little bit. There have been some predictions put forward from let’s say, our gatekeepers that have not panned out. And they have not panned out time and again, and as things have gone along, and I’m not excited about this. If this pandemic wasn’t happening, then we’d be talking about the diabesity pandemic or some other health related thing like that’s what we do. We have not turned our platform into the fear porn deal where we’re trying to spin people up and turn it into a cottage industry.

Robb: And I really hope that what this piece and similar pieces like this, some of the work that Robert Malone has said recently, I hope they’re wrong, because if they’re right, we’re super screwed. And we’re super screwed because the situation is being made ever worse. And the only thing that we’re being given, is doubled down on the singular solution that we’ve been provided since the beginning and it will go badly if this stuff is even remotely on point. So I would just encourage people to read this, think about it. This piece that I’ve linked to, I’ve read it twice now, and it’s a lot. The person writing it, I’m not sure who it is they have their online handle.

Nicki: It’s a pseudo name.

Robb: But they’re pretty damn smart, so.

Nicki: I guess I just want to piggyback on that and just say, we’re living in a very stressful time with regard to this topic, and we have a lot of people in The Healthy Rebellion that have shared that they’re at risk of losing a job if they don’t choose to get the vaccine, which it’s not really a choice, you’re given an ultimatum, essentially. And people that are making the choice to get it, even though they would rather not because they can’t afford to lose their job. And so I would just say like, I think we’re more divided as a nation than we’ve ever been. I think everybody feels that, like intimately feels that in their bones, but let’s try to show some grace and compassion.

Nicki: We don’t know where other people are coming from. I meant to read, I wanted to read this some, let me find it really, really quickly. I shared it in The Healthy Rebellion a week or two ago, but it’s the drummer for The Outcast. Hopefully, I can find this quickly. What is his name, Pete? Anyway, and if I can’t find it, I’ll just give you a high level summary. He has had a history of illness as a child and his doctor highly recommends against him getting vaccinated. And so the band has decided that it’s not safe for him to tour with them anymore, and so he’s having to step down from the band.

Nicki: And it was just one of the most eloquent, compassionate, articulate, well presented message about how we all need to just understand that not everybody is coming from the same place. It’s not for everybody, just a choice of “Oh, just get it,” their health situation might be such that they cannot get it. And anyway, I’m not going to be able to find it without having a long pause here. Actually, let’s just go ahead and pause it because I really want to read this. I’m going to pause real quick and come back. Okay, I think we’re back. I just thank you guys for being patient, I wanted to read this.

Nicki: So this is Pete Parada. And he says, “I’ve got some unfortunate and difficult news to share. I know many of my close friends and family would have preferred to hear this privately first, and I apologize for the public nature of my disclosure, but I don’t know how to have this conversation multiple times. Given my personal medical history and the side effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get a shot at this time. I caught the virus over a year ago, it was mild for me, so I’m confident I’d be able to handle it again. But I’m not so certain I’d survive another post vaccination round of Guillain-Barre syndrome, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime.

Nicki: Fortunately for me, and my family was hoping to keep me around a bit longer, the risks far outweigh the benefits. Since I’m unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate, it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around in the studio and on tour. I mention this because you won’t be seeing me at these upcoming shows. I also want to share my story so that anyone else experiencing the agony and isolation of getting left behind right now, knows they are not entirely alone.

Nicki: I have no negative feelings toward my band. They’re doing what they believe is best for them while I am doing the same. Wishing the entire Offspring family all the best as they get back at it. I’m heartbroken not to be seeing my road community, and I will miss connecting with the fans more than I can express in words. While my reason for not getting this jab is medical, I want to make sure I’m not carving out a space that is only big enough for me. I need to state unequivocally that I support, informed consent which necessitates choice, unburdened by coercion.

Nicki: I do not find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power, governments, corporations, organizations, employers, to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power. There are countless folks like me for whom these shots carry a greater risk than the virus. Most of us don’t publicly share a private decision we made in careful consideration with our doctors, we know it’s not an easy conversation to unfold. If it looks like half the population is having a shockingly different reaction to these jabs than was expected, it’s probably because of their life experiences have actually been shockingly different, and their reasons range from a conscientious risk benefit analysis to the financial inability to take time off of work, lack of health care in the event of potential side effects to an understandable distrust in a system that has never prioritized the health or well being of their communities.

Nicki: I hope we can learn to make room for all the perspectives and fears that are happening currently. Let’s avoid the unfortunate tendency to dominate, dehumanize and shout down at each other. The hesitant population is not a monolithic group, all voices deserve to be heard. In the meantime, I’m in the midst of launching a project and releasing some music with my daughter. So please stay tuned for all of that. I deeply appreciate your understanding and support as my family and I find a new way forward. Sending love to everyone who has been impacted by this pandemic and all the ways lives have been lost and altered.” So, I don’t know. I felt that that was just super powerful for me and I just feel like it bears-

Robb: Some thought.

Nicki: Some thought. Okay, we can move on from that topic now, unless you have anything else to add.

Robb: Nope, nope.

Nicki: Nope?

Robb: Nope.

Nicki: Okay. All right, let’s go ahead and read our t-shirt review winner this week. This goes to MV414. “Everything’s great, just please make the audio consistent. Hey, guys, all I want you to change is to make both mics be the same volume. Robb’s is usually low and Nicki’s is high, so I have to adjust my volume every time you guys talk. As much as I like active listening during my drive to school, please add something or other to make the audio levels consistent. Six listeners can’t be wrong.”

Nicki: MV414, I just wanted to read this because I know that we’ve had this feedback a few times, and we are actively working on it. I think we had it dialed in for a little bit, but then we switched to standing. And I have a tendency to move my head around while I talk. And so my levels tend to not be as consistent as Robb’s and we’ve tried headphone mics, but those-

Robb: They sucked. Yeah.

Nicki: They’re giving me a headache and pinching on my ears, but we are going to be getting some boom mics that we can move and keep with our mouth.

Robb: I will upgrade the setup so that we have two feeds going in and then each feed will be separately modulated and tinkered with.

Nicki: Yeah, right now it just comes out as a single feed, so it’s not as easy to regulate. We don’t have two tracks that we can regulate right now. So anyway, we just wanted to acknowledge that I know that the audio is not perfect and thank you for bearing with us. And MV414, you get a t-shirt. So send us an email to Hello at Robb Wolf.com with your t-shirt size and your mailing address and we will send you The Healthy Rebellion Radio t-shirt. And The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsored by our Salty AF Electrolyte company LMNT, zero sugar hydration for all of your active or non-active, but in a hot environment needs.

Nicki: I just wanted to remind everybody of the LMNT give us all program. If you have someone who’s made a big difference in your life, someone who shows up everyday in your community in a big way, you can nominate them to get some LMNT electrolytes. These can be coaches, trainers, firefighters anyone who goes above and beyond and deserves a little salty recognition. So you can nominate your local hero or a team of heroes at drinklmnt.com/Give A Salt, that’s drink L-M-N-T/Give A Salt. Okay, you ready?

Robb: That was very perky. Yes I am.

Nicki: I’m doing perky today. Okay, we our first question this week is from Kat, she wants to know if she can ignore this study. “Hi, Robb and Nikki, your podcast is still one of my favorite podcasts. I did post my question on The Healthy Rebellion and had some helpful thoughts from other members, but I wondered if it might be an interesting one to discuss on the podcast context. I eat a reasonably high fat, meat based diet due to Sjogren’s syndrome having majorly affected my gut.

Nicki: Before I figured out what I could tolerate, I lost a lot of weight and was actually warned my heart was under strain and beating too slowly, and I could die if I caught the normal flu. Now I have the weight back on and my heart is back to normal. So when I read things like this study, I sort of worry and then I talked myself out of worrying after remembering that mouse models aren’t always translatable and so many studies have limitations in other ways. Anyway, here’s a discussion of the study, I haven’t been able to get access to the full journal article.” And she links to a medical group like a UC Davis study on. The study explains why food in high saturated fat may lead to plaque buildup in the arteries.

Robb: Yeah. I mean, honestly, she broke down some of this when we look at mouse models really hard to extrapolate to humans. And then, above and beyond this, I think one of the difficulties in this whole cardiovascular disease, saturated fat story, is that some people seem to get a really dramatic increase in lipoproteins and cholesterol from eating saturated fat in general, some people seem to respond particularly poorly or powerfully to dairy fat. And so I think that this is, for some people doing a little bit of mono unsaturated fat versus the purely saturated fat, or the tendency towards higher saturated fat may be beneficial.

Robb: And that, I don’t know if that said in underwhelming response, but I think that this is part of the weirdness that we’ve seen in this, part of the weirdness we’ve also talked about and why we recommend the Precision Health Reports, is just the standard lipid panels don’t really tell you what’s going on, or the very incomplete picture, the LPIR score in the ability to factor in things like age, ethnicity, gender, and whatnot, like those things all end up playing a really important piece in determining overall risk profile. So there’s a lot more to the story. Interestingly, I’m at a spot now that a piece like this, I wouldn’t totally dismiss it out of hand, but there’s a lot of context to it. It doesn’t necessarily apply the same way to all people.

Nicki: Okay. Next question is from John. He has some thoughts and feedback on intermittent fasting. And then he says, it’s not really a question. John says, “I’m a longtime listener, and just wanted to give some feedback and thoughts on my own experiences. Recently, you mentioned the mistakes many are making with doing intermittent fasting or one meal a day with muscle loss, et cetera. I can say from my own experiences as a 49 year old man that I tried it and it was magical at first, but then I did lose muscle and strength, and have gone back to a lower carb paleo/ancestral diet and feel much better, strength, muscle tone, energy, libido, et cetera.

Nicki: I think maybe the intermittent fasting thing has become or taken over from the caloric restriction or calorie restriction group with many or all of the usual side effects. Obviously, fasting and intermittent fasting are great tools, especially if someone is overweight or diabetic, but we can look at fasting and religions and see that there are probably reasons its only certain times of the year. I don’t know. Just wanted to hear your thoughts and say you as usual, we’re right on. A recent Harvard study shows exercise and not fasting is probably the key to health and longevity. Who would have thought that eating real food and moving was healthy?”

Robb: Yeah. And, man, I don’t know what to say in response to this other than I was as geeked out and excited about the idea of calorie restriction and intermittent fasting being this perfect innermediary between the overfed and the underfed state, and maybe we could garner some huge benefits out of it. When I wrote my first piece for the performance menu back in 2005. And I think I’ve mentioned by 2006, I deeply horribly regretted releasing that thing because it went out into a group of people doing CrossFit, who were already type A over the top.

Nicki: More is better.

Robb: More is better.

Nicki: More than more is even better.

Robb: Yeah, and you just saw folks with horrible overreaching, overtraining syndrome. These people were already exercising at a level that is way, way above ancestral norms. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But you can only stack so many stressors into a person before we start seeing really significant problems. The funny thing, it’s cool some of the people in this scene like Peter Attia who have been really geeked out on the fasting calorie restriction topic and longevity. They have definitely, seemingly pumped the brakes on some of their recommendations, and I think some of their thinking in this space.

Robb: What we really see is eating less crap food, which is what is representative of virtually all of the fasting and calorie restriction studies done in animals, is probably a good thing. They’re just simply taking them to a spot where they’re not over eating, but some of these studies have fed animals close to an ancestral diet. And when they do that, the calorie restriction and fasting shortens the life, it doesn’t enhance it. And once you get to a spot where you’re eating adequate protein, you find a way of eating that you’re not overtly overeating, I just don’t know that there’s really any upside.

Robb: Maybe once a quarter, you do a three day fasts or something like that. Great, but I just don’t know that there’s much more to be had, particularly relative to, are you strength training two to four days a week following something like the basis program or power athlete or something that is athletic and dynamic, and it has a lot of change and variability to it. Those things I think we can take to the bank with regards to good health span, getting out in the sun, having engaging community, learning languages, picking up a musical instrument. Those things benefit us now, and then they might also benefit us later.

Robb: But finally, I think there’s a little bit of cracks in the dam around this notion that really gnarly calorie restriction or onerous fasting interventions are going to somehow provide both healthspan and improve lifespan, it just doesn’t really seem to be the case. I know those things are popular, they’re sexy, you can spin them into all kinds of interesting, different saleable sound bites and whatnot, but I just don’t think they’re going to deliver in the long haul.

Nicki: Okay. Next up is a question from Patrick on lean mass hyper responders. He says, “I’m a 42 year old personal male trainer in Texas, 5 feet 8, about 170 pounds, and stay at around five to 8% body fat. I’ve been in pretty much the same shape for about a decade. About three years ago, I learned about Dave Feldman’s work after being denied life insurance for having high cholesterol. Initially, I was worried since my total cholesterol had always been around 200, LDL at 130 and HDL at 80 with low triglycerides, but suddenly my total cholesterol had jumped to 380, LDL to 280 and HDL to 98, still with low triglycerides around 70.

Nicki: The only change to my diet had been to completely cut out all processed sugar and other processed carbs. Up to that point, I had been eating a pretty low carb diet, but would still occasionally indulge in ice cream or something my wife baked, but after reading Nina Teicholz’s Wired to Eat, Gary Taubes, et cetera, I wanted to see what a year with absolutely no cheating would feel like. About four months into this experiment, I saw my cholesterol had skyrocketed and learned that I was a lean mass hyper responder. This, of course, sent me on a journey down the cholesterol rabbit hole, which as you know, leads to dozens of other tunnels.

Nicki: Anyway, it’s really interesting that literally the only change I made was cutting junk out completely, and this was the result. By the way, I’ve had two NMR tests, both had my particle number above 3,000. My insulin resistance score was 25. They showed that I have about 75%, large type A LDL, which are not associated with atherosclerosis. I’ve checked my insulin, homocysteine, hsCRP, LP little A and other markers all which have remained optimal. I lift, sprint, row and run. I eat lots of beef and lamb, low carb veggies and fruit. Conventional medicine says I’m at much higher risk for heart disease, because I cut out sugar, should we not be paying more attention to LDL size or is it possible and then otherwise, healthy individual high LDL may not matter?”

Robb: Oh, man. We’ve dug into this a lie, and I think Bill Cromwell would be of the opinion that there is still a risk profile here. Malcolm Kendrick might say that there’s not because he’s very much in that vascular endothelial damage model, is the way that this stuff gets going. I really don’t know. I do have a sense that even just for something as painful seemingly as ticking the box of your life insurance, it sounds like just adding in a little bit more carbs would probably solve this. And if you wanted to add some of the ice cream and stuff back in that, seems totally reasonable or if you wanted to do higher quality food.

Robb: But there is a reality that some people who dip into ketosis, that whole enzymatic system that’s involved with cholesterol synthesis and in ketone production, it can have a feedback loop to it so that the elevated ketone levels will feed into a dramatic elevation in cholesterol. There’s some thought also that these lean mass hyper responders, at least some of the people, may be effectively a subclinical hypo-thyroid situation. So they need a little bit more insulin, a little bit more thyroid activity to be able to pull those lipoproteins down.

Robb: I don’t know what the real story is here. I don’t know if we’re ever really going to know what the real story is here. This is a situation where you could do something like CIMT or a coronary calcium score. The coronary calcium score is frustrating for Dr. Cromwell in that, it only picks up calcified, atherogenic progression, whereas somebody could be riddled with soft plaques, and it won’t show up on that. And this is where the CIMT, the carotid intima-media thickness is valuable. Also, the problem with that, is it is much more subjective to the person applying.

Robb: And so you really need somebody who’s quite good at it, there’s a little bit of art involved with that, which the coronary calcium score is much more objective, but it doesn’t tell us the whole picture, but you can do some scanning and imaging to just try to get a baseline around all that. But I think also, there’s a case to be made for just tinkering diet a little bit in a little bit more monounsaturated fat, maybe a little bit more carbs. And we may see these numbers plummet, which, if the end of the day, is that the most important thing from a cardiovascular disease perspective.

Robb: I’m not totally sure yet, like Bill Cromwell would say an emphatic yes. Malcolm Kendrick might say no or maybe, and I’m just not sure. But just for being able to tick the medical boxes that you don’t look like you’ve got crazy lipoproteins, then I think that there are easily applied things that you could do that, do the follow up work and see what happens when you tinker the diet in that direction.

Nicki: Yeah, sometimes you have to play the game to get the numbers in order in life. Obviously, it’s important to have life insurance, so that might be something you want to do. Okay, it’s time for The Healthy Rebellion Radio trivia. Our Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT, is giving a box of LMNT electrolytes to three lucky winners selected at random who answer the following question correctly. And we have my dad and his wife visiting for the week. Dad is not building or doing any projects this time, so he’s actually on vacation and enjoying his time with his grandkids and will probably go up to glacier and actually have a good time instead of having him sweat and work himself to-

Robb: Near exhaustion.

Nicki: Near exhaustion. But anyway, he got up to go to the bathroom at like 3:00 in the morning and my dog has, the best thing about Dutch is, well, there’s a lot of good things about Dutch. But the best thing about Dutch is that he has the most expressive tail of any dog I think in existence, so much so that and he likes to show his affection and appreciation, and he loves my dad. So dad got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of night. And when he came out of the bathroom, Dutch saw him and so his tail just started like pumping so hard against whatever he is against, that pretty much the whole house woke up, and then he was like, “Oh, I’m going to go upstairs and sleep with grandpa.”

Nicki: So then you hear, he’s 105 pounds like lumbering up the steps and the master bedroom, our bedroom is like right next to the stairs. So Robb, your trivia question this morning is, what time did you wake up this morning because I was able to fall back asleep. You got up, and I think you’ve been up for hours.

Robb: I woke up in the fours, put it that way.

Nicki: The early fours.

Robb: The early fours.

Nicki: Okay, you heard all that commotion at 3:00 though and then you finally-

Robb: And then that was it.

Nicki: And then you finally got out of bed in the fours. So the answer to today’s trivia is-

Robb: In the fours.

Nicki: In the fours. To play go to Robb Wolf.com/Trivia and enter your answer and we’ll randomly select three people with the correct answer to win a box of electrolytes from LMNT. The cut off to answer this week’s trivia and be eligible to win is Thursday, September 2nd, at midnight. Winners will be notified via email and we’ll announce the winners on Instagram as well. This is open to residents of the US only. You’re ready for your fourth question of the week.

Robb: We got to get this thing through.

Nicki: Okay.

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: This one’s from Rusty. He’s wondering about high blood pressure from salt consumption. He says, “My diet, exercise and the like, all need work. But I’m wondering generally, is there a scientific way of determining if high blood pressure is from salt consumption? I know you’re on the supplemental end of the electrolytes, and it makes total sense for the folks out there in ketosis and sweating. It’s something I intend on doing more of, but is there a way of actually knowing how much salt you’re holding on to, so you know, you need to supplement or cut back?” So clearly, he has high blood pressure, and he’s wondering if there’s any way for him to tell if it’s from salt or not?

Robb: Yeah. Oh, God, this is kind of a tough one to answer in a way. Diagnostically, looking at sodium potassium levels, don’t really tell you that much. Like transiently, we might see low sodium or low potassium, or vice versa. Or we might see sodium levels that look okay, but dietarily, we’ve been too low in sodium, and we’ve been pulling sodium out of the bones, which also demineralizes the calcium because you pull calcium out at the same time. So just diagnostically, it’s a little bit difficult to really get our arms around. It’s worth mentioning that like the DASH diet interventions and whatnot, have looked at low sodium intake, as it relates to hypertension, and it really doesn’t move the number all that much it.

Robb: It’ll bring it down a little bit, and there are some people who are sodium sensitive hyper responders, where if they get a decent exposure to sodium, they will see it’s transient. It’ll normalize over the course of an hour or two, but they get a really remarkable increase in their blood pressure. But I would still maintain that the bulk of this is being driven by metabolic issues. And so, if we have insulin resistance, then we tend to see elevated insulin, elevated aldosterone, aldosterone tends to retain sodium.

Robb: And so I would make the case that some diet and lifestyle change needs to occur first, that that’s really going to be the primary driver, you could experiment with just a super low sodium diet. But lots and lots of people do that, and they don’t really see the shift in their blood pressure. It is worth mentioning that, even on that exercise side and whatnot, people who are insulin resistant and retaining sodium, they probably don’t see the same signs and symptoms of low sodium like somebody does who is metabolically healthy, but not getting enough sodium, like they’re probably less likely to cramp, they’re probably not getting fatigue and lethargy, lightheadedness from the low sodium because their body is already retaining more salt and fluid as a consequence.

Robb: So, and that’s why if somebody has blood pressure problems, I’d say you probably don’t need something like LMNT, you probably need to clean up your diet and modify your lifestyle. And then ironically, you may need to add some additional sodium in on the backside of that, but to really concisely answer the question, there’s not easy diagnostic stuff you’ve got to do, you just need to tinker and I guess the two things to tinker, he says “My diet, exercise and lifestyle all need work,” that’s the place to jump in. That’s the place that I would start and maybe buy a blood pressure cuff off of online or local pharmacy or whatever, and monitor that daily or every other day. Joe Russo in the rebellion had some little bit elevated blood pressure and got a home blood pressure cuff and did some tinkering and it looks fantastic now.

Nicki: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Okay, final question is from Karen on electrolytes and long haul flights. She says, “Hello, I’m lucky enough to be traveling soon and have two, 15 hour flights with a four hour break in between. I plan to stay low carb for the duration of the trip by bringing my own food, but I’m wondering how long haul flights might affect my electrolyte requirements. I currently feel best with an average of three element packs per day. Should I just maintain that or might I need more or less?”

Robb: Well, so it’s pretty well understood that folks get dehydrated on flights. I think they pressurize the cabin to what would be equivalent to like 9,000 feet elevation or something like that. But it’s a dry air environment that definitely pulls the liquid out of people, so there’s a tendency to dehydrate and I think that there would be a case to be made for staying on top of that. But the problem that I have, I just hate getting up and down going pee while on a flight. Maybe I should do more of that so that I don’t get deep vein thrombosis and all that type of stuff.

Robb: But the trade off that I see here is, what I tend to do if I’m on a flight, and these are long ass flights, but I will tend to start hydrating near the end of the flight in anticipation of getting off and being able to go to the bathroom that has shot me in the foot a time or two when the plane gets stuck on the-

Nicki: Tarmac and you’re-

Robb: The tarmac and I’m almost blacking out.

Nicki: Worst thing, and nobody can get up.

Robb: Yeah, because nobody can get up and everything. So that would be the one consideration with that’s the dueling banjos that I see like, you probably do want to address your hydration, but then the need to just get up and pee becomes pretty onerous.

Nicki: Do you think just sticking with three is probably fine.

Robb: Three is probably fine, particularly throughout the duration of that.

Nicki: Just stick With that. Let us know though. Let us know how you feel, and congrats. Hopefully you get to go visit some people that you’ve been missing over the last couple of years.

Robb: Indeed.

Nicki: And have some fun. We all need a little more fun in our lives right now.

Robb: We do, we do.

Nicki: Yes, yes. I think that is a wrap for this week’s episode, folks. Be kind to those out there that you know and love, and get outside before winter hits and get as much sun as you can. Get some fresh air, get some exercise. Pick your vitamin D, and we’ll be back next week.

Robb: We’ll see you next week.

Nicki: Yeah. Later, everyone.

Robb: Bye, everybody.

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News topic du jour:

https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1751-7915.13889?fbclid=IwAR0GfglfrZ5ULeKd-Rt_zIyZDvSjdK5QL3I5tNH0vrMLwTVVr1P88EKQ8ts

1. How to Heal Your Gut after C. Diff [19:51]

Kristen says:

Hello,

I’m not sure if I’m sending my question to the right place – sorry! I’ve been a follower of Robb’s since 2012 when I first read The Paleo Solution. Loved it! My family and I have been paleo ever since. Love the Citrus Salt LMNT packets and wear my LMNT Founders shirt all the time. As soon as I finish up law school and have a little more in my bank account, I’ll sign up for the healthy rebellion!

My question is about healing your gut after C. Diff. My mom was diagnosed in April and was on what the doctor called “sledgehammer” types of antibiotics through July. She just got the “all clear” from the infection, however, all of the symptoms remain. It is debilitating and she is miserable. Nothing stays in, and I doubt she’s absorbing much nutrients. The medical professionals were fantastic at diagnosing and treating, but they haven’t provided any guidance on how to heal her gut. What do you recommend? I’ve recently started her on beef organ supplements (liver, tripe, spleen, and colostrum), but I’m not sure what else to do. Any ideas would be great! Thank you.

Digestive Health with REAL Food-Agalee Jacobs

Healthy Gut, Healthy You-Dr Ruscio

2. Fasted Exercise Effect On Lipid Panel [23:07]

Mary says:

What effect might cardio exercise have on a lipid panel?  I was curious to find out how microalbumin would be affected by HIIT the day before (8:30 a.m.) and cardio the morning of (6:00 a.m.).  My PCP had told me years ago exercise would raise it, so I haven’t done any strenuous exercise within 48 hours of lab testing.  Since this test was done by my functional medical doctor and not my PCP, I decided to do the experiment since I wouldn’t be pressured to start taking an ACE inhibitor again (I’ve been medication-free for over a year, choosing a functional medical/lifestyle approach to solve the root cause).  Lab tests were done at 7:45 a.m.  To my surprise, microalbumin was the lowest it’s ever been, and wouldn’t even be measured by my PCP.  However, my lipid panel was thrown off, raising triglycerides (from 38 to 88) and LDL (91 to 134).  Interestingly HDL went down from 100 to 87.  I’m not that worried about my results, as my ratios are still good, but I’m wondering if the exercise could have caused these changes.  I am concerned that my PCP would want me back on a statin.

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3. Lactose intolerance [29:07]

Clint says:

Hey guys!

I’ll keep this brief (ha!) – I’ve been a long time listener and I think you’ve answered 5 of my submitted questions over the years, so thanks for that! This question pertains to lactose intolerance. I developed lactose intolerance sometime in the first two years of college. When it first hit me, I would use the lactase pills so that I could eat pizza and ice cream. As the years went by and I read Cordain’s book and yours, I kicked out dairy altogether. I tried ice cream a handful of times after a few years of grain and gluten free eating but even the lactase pill wouldn’t cut it. Fast forward to 2020- for no other reason than curiosity I went full carnivore. I did this for 2-3 months and felt great (other than high intensity exercise being cut way back- I prefer glucose for high intensity work). During my carnivore days I brought back low fat yogurt, cheese, and some milk. To my utter surprise I had no dairy digestive issues. After my carnivore experiment I reintroduced starchy veggies, fruit, and some soaked oats. Just a week off of carnivore, my lactose intolerance came right back. My question is if you’ve heard of anything like this and if you have any guess as to the mechanisms involved? Healed gut allowing proper dairy absorption? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys!

4. Blood fat and bad bugs in my microbiome [34:06]

Scotti says:

Hi! I recently participated in a two week blood sugar/blood fat and microbiome test with Zoe.  I’m a 50 year old female. My blood sugar is amazing for my age but my blood fat is quite terrible meaning that fat stays in my blood for a very long time after eating. In addition my microbiome is filled with bad bugs associated with visceral fat. This surprised me as I eat mainly paleo and avoid processed foods and take probiotics regularly. Do you have any suggestions for what to do to get the bad bugs out and the good bugs in? I exercise regularly and have been fit most of my life. Having changed nothing my body fat composition has increased significantly in the last two years. Yes am in menopause so some of that is to be expected but I am always looking to stay as strong and fit as possible. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

5. Ancestral eating/ancestry [39:54]

Meghan says:

Hi!

I’ve been following your podcast for several years, including bingeing most of the Paleo Solution Podcast episodes.  I absolutely love your work and podcasts, they have been vital in shifting my relationship with food back to a place of focus on health instead of weight.

I have a question(and I hope it makes sense) : do you think one’s receptivity to certain foods is linked to the ways that our particular ancestors ate? Like people from areas with more tropical fruits might be less sensitive to those sugars than someone of primarily Northern European heritage that thrives on very low carb/keto like myself? Would some indigenous populations in the US be more likely to tolerate corn and beans in a healthy way than someone from an area that didn’t have those foods until recent history?

I’ve been trying to do some digging on this and haven’t ever found specifics on one’s particular genetics playing a role and would love to hear your perspective.

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Transcript:

Download a copy of this transcript here (PDF)

Nicki: It’s time to make your health an act of rebellion. We’re tackling personalized nutrition, metabolic flexibility, resilient aging, and answering your diet and lifestyle questions. This is the only show with the bold aim to help one million people liberate themselves from their sick care system. You’re listening to the Healthy Rebellion Radio. The contents of this show are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be considered medical advice. Please consult your licensed and credentialed functional medicine practitioner before embarking on any health, dietary, or fitness change. Warning, when Robb gets passionate, he’s been known to use the occasional expletive. If foul language is not your thing, if it gets your britches in a bunch. Well, there’s always Disney+.

Robb: I think we’re rolling.

Nicki: We are. Welcome back to another episode of the Healthy Rebellion Radio. This is episode 84, not 1984, just 84. We were having a heated discussion prior to pushing record about my inability to project. So I’m working on that this episode.

Robb: You’re just a soft-spoken, kind, considerate individual.

Nicki: What you said was that I am a mumbler. And so you can’t tell-

Robb: Herr Wolf.

Nicki: …. it kind of got to me.

Robb: Well, and I had a German instructor in college. Who Herr Wolf you are mumbler. Mumblers are perverts Herr Wolf. No mumbling in this class.

Nicki: Really?

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: Did everybody laugh at you?

Robb: Every laughed at me. I laughed at me. This was a time when people actually laughed.

Nicki: This is true.

Robb: And they didn’t actually freak out.

Nicki: And you could actually joke with people.

Robb: And as an instructor, you could joke with them and have a good time and actually have this indirect way of teasing people, which ironically really builds rapport because there’s this shared intimacy of being exposed enough to allow and accept somebody to teach you. But now we’re just prickly fucking porcupines that feel lonely and need to be medicated and all the rest of that because it’s impossible to tease one another because you’re being racist or horrible or whatever. Wow. That was a fast intro too.

Nicki: Yeah. And you’re projecting far more than me. So I need to double up. I feel like I’m yelling, but.

Robb: I’ll just dial it down.

Nicki: We shall make it through this episode folks.

Robb: Like be the last time.

Nicki: It just might be. Let’s see. What do we have to share with you all today? Let’s see, I’m going to share some upcoming events inside the Healthy Rebellion Community. We have our moderator, Jack Ruston of Rustons Boneyard is doing a cooking class. Actually, today is Wednesday, August. What is today? August 11th. And that’s happening tomorrow on the 12th. And he’s making, oh my gosh, the pictures for this look so good. Pork shoulder sandwiches with protein sparing rolls and the members of the Healthy Rebellion can watch live. They’ve already been notified of that tomorrow, or watch the recording at their leisure. And those of you who aren’t members, if you join you will have access to that past cooking demo as well.

Nicki: It’s going to be a good one. I’m excited for that. We have weekly group meditations happening on Wednesdays. That’s led by our rebel, Matt Otto, get in on those. Those have been very popular and those are… He did a couple of them just to feel it out and we’re now doing them weekly. And then I’m super excited to share I think I mentioned this before a couple months ago that we had some exciting stuff happening with mindset, coach Cinnamon Prime. She’s going to be leading us all through a week-long workshop on success and accomplishment and working through beliefs that we have that hold us back from getting where we want to be. So that’s going to be really, really great. If you haven’t been exposed to Cinnamon and her work, I know many of the people who are in the Healthy Rebellion have before because she’s done a couple of things with us in there.

Nicki: And her stuff is just amazing. And she’s kicking that off on Monday, August 23rd. And again, that is a part of your Healthy Rebellion membership. And let’s see, finally, our 30-day rebel reset our fall one. So the last one of 2021 is right around the corner in September. We’re going to kick that one off with the seven-day carb test on September 10th. So lots of good stuff coming up inside the Healthy Rebellion Community. If you’re not yet a member, you can come and join us. Just go to join.thehealthyrebellion.com.

Robb: Awesome.

Nicki: That’s it.

Robb: Amazing.

Nicki: Anything you want to share?

Robb: Nothing.

Nicki: No. Do you have a news topic?

Robb: Yeah, of course.

Nicki: Oh, you do. Okay.

Robb: I don’t drop the ball, wife.

Nicki: Well, you didn’t put it in the document.

Robb: Well, that was one oversight.

Nicki: So you dropped a ball.

Robb: Ish, ish. I actually had something though, but I covered for you later where the-

Nicki: I know you did the trivia. Okay.

Robb: Yeah, I did the trivia, and yeah.

Nicki: I’ll give you a gold star. Gold star for you.

Robb: This thing is just an interesting paper. It’s from a micro biotechnology clinical evidence that the pandemic from 1889 to 1891 commonly called the Russian flu might have been an earlier Coronavirus pandemic. And it’s just an interesting medical detective story if nothing else. And it had some interesting insights for our modern situation. And I guess one interesting thing is that they and we, I guess all managed to get through that despite the severity of it. So perhaps there is light at the end of some tunnel, and maybe it’s not an onrushing train.

Nicki: Oh, we are on a roll today. Yeah, I was thinking a good news topic. Not that this one isn’t good, but I was thinking.

Robb: Well, Robb, if you’re news topic, didn’t suck balls, then an alternative that doesn’t suck balls would be.

Nicki: Well, you were sharing last night when we were sitting out on the porch about that was it in MedPage the Vinay Prasad piece?

Robb: Oh, yeah.

Nicki: And I didn’t read it, but you were sharing that he had said that so much of what is happening, if we didn’t have social media, which we’ve talked a lot about social media and I think everybody’s aware that it’s toxic and there’s lots of inherent problems despite some great benefits and early on there were many, many benefits, but it seems like the platform, actually, we were talking about…

Robb: So he made two really salient peak points. And Vinay Prasad has been interesting in that he’s very Orthodox mainstream on like, “Hey vaccines, are going to save lives. The risk-reward deal is pretty clear.” which I don’t entirely agree with, but he makes his case, but he has been really outspoken on the censorship and the divisiveness. And he’s actually one of the people that one of just a few days ago he did a piece. It was basically like, “We will end up in civil war if we keep this shit going.” Which I’m now at a point that I’m like “Is that really what the goal is?” Are the powers that we just because it feels like agitating for a fight like as a kid, I didn’t get in many fights, but there were a couple of kids that would annoy the piss out of me.

Robb: And I was crafty enough that I could get them annoyed enough to take the first swing at me. And then I was justified in doing what I felt like I needed to do. And this whole thing feels like a baited trap, waiting for people to push back against censorship and being marginalized as second-class citizens. And then, “Oh, well, you guys are extremists. And so now we’re really going to jump on you with both feet.” If that is the game plan, that is fucking nuts because the potential for that to go sideways is so remarkably huge. And that’s off the main-

Nicki: Yeah. And his point was-

Robb: But the main point is-

Nicki: …. that social media is dividing us like nothing else has ever before.

Robb: And he made a first point which was that trying to police facts via social media is a fool’s errand. It’s never going to work, the only situation in which there could be some control over that is a completely authoritarian state. And the funny thing is that he made this very robust and concise case around this, just basically that it is fucking dumb to think that you are going to be able to police thinking and good information and bad information at all, to say nothing of, if you could the results are going to be horrible. And a goddamn MD-PhD commented after the saying and was basically like, “Well, anybody that’s disseminating false information should be this and that and the other.” And Vinay made the point, he’s like, it becomes immediately oblique what is and is not accepted doctoring.

Nicki: And who has the authority or the magic wand to say, “I bless your information as truth and your information.”

Robb: Is false. But yes. But even, yeah, there is absolutely the question. So currently we have pimple face tech geeks that are apparently making decisions around what is and is not factual. And Vinay pointed out, he recently released, so I’ll put this one in the show notes for today too because what the hell we might as well just go big on this because it is actually interesting. And I think actually germane to things. And so he made this just concise case that the policing of thought and what constitutes valid versus invalid information is a disastrous process.

Robb: And it’s only empowering the social media giants. And so that was his first part of the thesis. The second part of this thesis is that shit needs to go. And it’s funny we had a delivery yesterday and the Federal Express guy just said, he’s like, and it was just out of nowhere, but he’s like, “I really wish social media would just go away. I just wish it would disappear.” And I’m like, “I agree with you.” And honestly, if we looked at so much of what was going on right now, and there was no Facebook, and no Twitter, and no Instagram, and it was just blogs like what we had-

Nicki: Blogs like what we had back in 2006, or whenever it was just blogs and people found their way to-

Robb: And you broke up Google such that there wasn’t a monopoly on search. And like what they did with the telephone companies and legitimately did that, the likelihood of us going to war with China, or Russia, or with ourselves and the power for bad actors to do bad things would be shockingly curtailed. And it’s a brilliant point that he made. Is that your goddamn dog? Come on, Dutch, join the party. Folks, Dutch has entered the office.

Nicki: Sorry. I could hear him-

Robb: Thumping his tail against.

Nicki: …. scratching at the door and knew that that would either continue incessantly during the remainder of this show, or I can let him in and he can lay down here in the background and, yeah.

Robb: Okay. So I will have a link to that. I think it’s a very good reasonable piece. And again, I just have to reiterate this thing, this person who at least claims to be an MD-PhD and I have no reason to doubt them, he read this goddamn thing and then immediately just said, “Well, anybody saying the wrong thing should be drawn and quartered.” And it’s just people are dumb, or they’re so wrapped up in some other-

Nicki: They’re wrapped up in this tribal, in their belief.

Robb: They’re so wrapped up in the tribalism, yeah.

Nicki: Their belief system about this particular topic that they cannot see that this same scenario can apply to any number of different situations and scenarios in which they might be on the opposite side of the censorship debate. And then, where are we?

Robb: We’re fucked. And that’s what I think we’re trying to avoid. And do we, maybe we just make the whole show around this and we just fucking scuttled the questions because I’m not, let’s just do that. Let’s talk a little bit more about.

Nicki: The only, since were just riffing here, the only negative to that would be our five clips that we do on social would be all about this sociopolitical stuff and potentially.

Robb: Okay. We’ll get cancered around that.

Nicki: Canceled?

Robb: Yeah, cancered. We’ll get cancered around that. Okay. Fine. I was just going to throw something out there really quick, Bret and Heather really taken a beating right now on social. And what was my point to that? I think that they have the right of things. One, I think that their risk assessment and general assessment of the lay of the land is accurate. Maybe we’re both wrong, but the case that they are absolutely making is that we should be able to have the discussion such that if we are wrong, then we’re exposed as wrong and we move forward from there. And the flip side of this is that they should shut the fuck up and be silenced. And we don’t even have the discussion about some of the nuanced points they’re making.

Robb: And it still, I meet people who are reasonably successful and seemingly pretty smart. And they seem to consistently side on the this shit should be censored stuff that somebody somewhere, some strong person should be making the decisions around what is acceptable and what’s unacceptable, what’s truth, and what’s falsehood. And that God, how much history do you have to ignore to really warm up and be okay with that? This is why I banned both of the brothers because they were both and this was two years ago, but they had a hard-on for shutting down the people that they felt like were uncredible or disseminating misinformation. And I think it’s just laziness.

Robb: There’s some of these folks that are so lazy and just want to parrot the party line of here’s the orthodoxy of medicine. And I’ll just regurgitate the orthodoxy of medicine. And because I’m jacked that gives me credibility, but I never need to have an original thought or formulate a complex position on anything. I’ll just regurgitate the same bullshit that’s been fed to me and not be creative at all. And I see that again and again, and maybe I’m full of shit myself and I’ve totally gone totally off the rails. Nikki’s like, “Cut, cut.”

Nicki: No, I’m sure folks can sense that you’re feeling a little riled up these days.

Robb: I guess I am. And in some ways the funny thing is I care less, and less, and less, and that’s the ironic thing where I’m like, “If it all fucking burns down. Okay. It all burns down.” You can only push and try and have idiots, the platform defame go after your businesses, threatened to go after your family and all the rest of that toll. You’re like, “Okay, we’re good. You guys have a party there and I’ll be out in the boonies. And I have interlocking grids of fire and backup generators it’ll all be good, at least for a while.” So did I really say that out loud? Yes, I did.

Nicki: Moving on. Let’s see here…

Robb: This way to the cafeteria.

Nicki: Yes, yes, yes. That was such a good line of a movie if you guys have not seen. So I Married an Axe Murderer with Mike Myers. It’s fabulous. It’s very old. It was one of my favorite movies in high school there.

Robb: Just let me navigate, there’s no enough room on the desk.

Nicki: Okay, reaching for the mouse and he’s keeping it. Okay. So it’s time for our Healthy Rebellion Radio T-shirt review winner. This one goes to Me Marj. She says, “I can’t say enough about how eye-opening and educating this podcast is. I’ve learned so much from listening to Robb, his wife, and all the amazing information they share and provide. I’m 61, and healthier, stronger, weigh less, and more alert and in tune than I was in my twenties. And it’s really cool. I love, love, love LMNT and can’t live without it now. I walk my dog a mile each morning as a warmup and then speed walk by myself for another three miles. I do a little weight lifting just to keep my muscles in check. Thank you for all you do, and making it fun to listen to, keep up the good work, Marjorie.

Robb: Very cool.

Nicki: Which is a really cool. Marjorie, thank you so much. Send us an email to hello@robbwolf.com with your T-shirt size and your mailing address. And we’ll send you a healthy rebellion radio T-shirt. And as you all know, the healthy rebellion radio is sponsored by our salty AF electrolyte company, LMNT. And it’s funny because just last week or three days ago, Sagan asked me because I was wearing a shirt that says salty AF on it. And she says, “Mom, what does AF mean?” And we were at dinner, right?”

Robb: I said as fudge.

Nicki: And we’re like, “As fudge.” And then we went into how it’s an expression and she’s heard the F-word before and we’ve talked about it. And that it’s just a popular expression today to say that they’re really, really the thing like AF, fit AF. Anyway, that’s a tangent, but anyway I wanted to share today. I know I’ve mentioned it before in the podcast. But I wanted to mention the LMNT Give a Salt Program. So we all have people in our lives who are doing extraordinary things that are the lone bright spot in a seemingly dark world. Somebody on the front lines, teacher, a mentor, a coach, somebody who always goes the extra mile in your community, and at LMNT we have a program called Give a Salt where you can nominate your hero or team of heroes. And we will send them some LMNT to help them power through and keep doing the amazing work that they’re doing. So I wanted to bring that up again. If you have people in your life that you feel are deserving of some salt, you can nominate them at drinklmnt.com/giveasalt. That’s drinklmnt.com/giveasalt.

Robb: I like it. And there’ve been a lot of really cool folks participating in this. So yeah, definitely take advantage of it.

Nicki: Okay. You ready for questions?

Robb: Let’s do this.

Nicki: Okay. So our first one is from Christine on healing the gut after C. diff. She says, “Hi, I’ve been a follower of Robb since 2012 when I first read the Paleo Solution and loved it. My family and I have been paleo ever since. I love the citrus salt LMNT packets and wear my LMNT founder shirt all the time. And as soon as I finish up law school and have a little more in my bank account, I will sign up for the healthy rebellion. My question is about healing your gut after C. diff. My mom was diagnosed in April and it was on what the doctor called sledgehammer types of antibiotics through July. She just got the all clear from the infection. However, all of the symptoms remain. It is debilitating and she’s miserable. Nothing stays in. And I doubt she’s absorbing many nutrients. Medical professionals were fantastic at diagnosing and treating, but they haven’t provided any guidance on how to heal her gut. What do you recommend? I’ve recently started her on beef organ supplements, liver, tripe, spleen, and colostrum, but I’m not sure what else to do. Any ideas would be great.”

Robb: Man. It’s tough. Bouncing back from C. diff is no joke and it can be a years-long or even just continuing to be a lifelong process afterwards. To some degree you have to just strap into the notion that there’s going to probably be some change relative to what she was before. And you just keep motoring forward from that, be prepared for that. Things can get better. Things will get better, but the going back to the old normal is highly unlikely which seems to be a practical representation of our world. Two really great books, Digestive Health with REAL Food by Aglaee Jacobs and then Healthy Gut Healthy You with Dr. Ruscio. Some people report great benefit from things like carnivores. Some People just need kind of keto. I would be wide open to whatever it is that that works best.

Robb: I would pay super close attention to the things that do and do not work. And this is an area where carnivoreish type eating really had shined. So I would be open to that. I’ve seen some people really benefit from the three-pronged approach that Dr. Ruscio uses on the probiotic front. I’ve seen other people, myself included either have little or no effect positive or negative or it doesn’t really work well for them. So I would be open to different probiotic options. And then I would tinker incessantly with that. But I also would not be surprised if it isn’t the thing that kicks it all over.

Nicki: It seems like keeping a pretty detailed log of what she’s eating and then the effects. How she feels, gas, bloating, stool, consistency, all of that. Just so you can detect any patterns and obviously if you do if she does do the carnivore thing, that’s very simple, but keeping things very, very simple, not doing complex meals with multiple different greens.

Robb: At least straight out of the gate.

Nicki: in the beginning.

Robb: Yeah. For sure.

Nicki: Okay. Mary has a question on fasted exercise and how it affects the lipid panel. She says, “What effect might cardio exercise have on a lipid panel? I was curious to find out how Microalbumin would be affected by high-intensity interval training the day before at 8:30 AM and cardio the morning of 6:00 AM. My primary care physician had told me years ago that exercise would raise it. So I haven’t done any strenuous exercise within 48 hours of lab testing. Since this test was done by my functional medical doctor and not my PCP I decided to do the experiment since I wouldn’t be pressured to start taking an ACE inhibitor.

Nicki: Again, I’ve been medication-free for over a year, choosing a functional medical lifestyle approach to solve the root cause. Lab tests were done at 7:45 AM. To my surprise, Microalbumin was the lowest it’s ever been and wouldn’t even be measured by my primary care physician. However, my lipid panel was thrown off raising triglycerides from 38 to 88 and LDL from 91 to 134. Interestingly, HDL went down from a hundred to 87. Not that worried about my results as my ratios are still good, but I’m wondering if the exercise could have caused these changes. I’m concerned that my primary care physician would want me back on a statin.”

Robb: Man, where to go with this. So one thing, and this is one… I’m thinking like 50 things here. One, the standard liquid panel, just kind of dog shit. So I’m like get the precision health reports panel. The rest of the stuff is just casting around it. It really doesn’t tell you all that much relative to what it could be hiding. So it’s like folks, “Get an LDL particle count at a minimum, at least sneak that into the rest of the testing or worst case scenario an ApoB.” So just that as one thing. The other thing with this, and this is where the biohacker quantified self seen makes me a little crazy is that there is a certain baked-in-the-cake variability with lab testing regardless of whatever else you’ve done. I don’t know what the very… If we’re really being somewhat scientific about this we would’ve taken three different samples at the same time or taken the single sample of blood that she had, parceled it out into three or six different vials, and then tested it three to six different times.

Robb: And then average that to really see what was going on here because if there was a 10% variation, I guess the triglycerides from 38 to 88 is a fairly robust change. The LDL though, 91 to 134. It’s not really that much in the same deal with HDL going from 100 to 87. That’s a rounding error actually in lab stuff. If it’s a 10% variability on the HDL could have been completely an artifact of the testing and then people start freaking out and going down these different rabbit holes. All that said, when we exercise, we do liberate fats, and glucose, and triglycerides into our system because it’s part of what’s fueling us. So that can change things a little bit. Also, just there’s a certain variability day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month on what our lipoproteins look like.

Robb: So maybe it was the exercise. Maybe it was just variability in the testing. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. Maybe the triglycerides went up from 38 to 88, largely due to the influence of exercise. And then maybe the HDL went down mainly because there was a 10% variability in the test and have they tested it 10 times, it would have come back more around that hundred level. And whether it’s 100 or 87, that’s a super high HDL anyway, although we’re looking at cholesterol, not lipoproteins again. So it’s a little bit of a surrogate, but yeah, I mean and again, this is where this type of testing is just frustrating for me because it doesn’t really tell us what’s going on. So I beg the question, why do folks do it?

Nicki: Well, it’s probably because it’s what their doctors prescribe and what’s covered by insurance.

Robb: Then come out of pocket and-

Nicki: Right. If you really want to know.

Robb: …. it’s 100, 150 bucks to do the-

Nicki: We’ll include a link to the precision health reports cardiometabolic panel in the show notes folks. And you can, if you’re not familiar with it, you can read about it but it gives you just the whole picture like what Robb’s been talking about LDLP and your risk of developing heart disease.

Robb: It gives your LPIR score, your lipoprotein insulin resistance score. And based off of that, your family history and a bunch of other factors that all get algorithmically sorted. It gives you a 8 to 10-year cardiovascular disease risk profile, and also a-

Nicki: Diabetes.

Robb: …. diabetes risk profile. So instead of guessing and I know I sound like I’m a dick. Mary is going to be like, “God, what a jerk.” But it’s-

Nicki: He woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Mary, so.

Robb: Woke up in the nightmare that is our current world. But I’ve been beating this drum a long time and telling folks, “Hey, you got to do this other stuff.” And the sad thing is I feel like it’s just wasting money and people get anxious and they’re confused. And even with this thing, then it’s like, “Well, okay, we can go back and we can recheck it.” But it’s not really… There’s so much more error here than signal I don’t even really know what to do with it most of the time. So, yeah.

Nicki: Okay. Moving on.

Robb: Nicki’s like shut up and move along, dude.

Nicki: We have a question from Clint. And he says, “Hey guys this question pertains to lactose intolerance. I developed lactose intolerance sometime in the first two years of college, when it first hit me I would use the lactase pills so that I could eat pizza and ice cream. As the years went by and I read Cordain’s book and yours, I kicked out dairy altogether. I tried ice cream, a handful of times after a few years of grain and gluten-free eating, but even the lactase pill, wouldn’t cut it. Fast forward to 2020 and for no other reason than curiosity, I went full carnivore.

Nicki: I did this for two to three months and felt great other than high intensity exercise being cut way back because I prefer glucose for high-intensity work. During my carnivore days, I brought back low-fat yogurt, cheese, and some milk and to my utter surprise, I had no dairy digestive issues. After my carnivore experiment, I reintroduced starchy veggies, fruit, and some soaked oats. Just a week off of carnivore, my lactose intolerance came right back. So my question is if you’ve heard of anything like this, and if you have any guess as to the mechanisms involved, healed gut allowing proper dairy absorption any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.”

Robb: So I don’t spend a ton of time on the carnivore forums and whatnot. We have a lot of people that eat carnivores or the carnivoreish within the Healthy Rebellion, but I’m not super well steeped in that stuff. The best that I can offer here is my personal experience, which is historically if I’ve had anything other than goat or sheep dairy, I have a tendency to get acne. And since shifting more carnivore, I can eat dairy with damn near reckless abandon and not get acne at all. And I’ve got a little pimple under my chin here right now, and it’s because I’ve been eating more fruit and the dairy and but it’s still fractional compared to what it’s been in the past. I don’t know what the deal is with that.

Robb: Previously was just eating low carb, keto was like broccoli, and kale, and spinach. It wasn’t oats. And, but it was vegetable matter. And I don’t know what the deal was with that, but carnivoreish my stools are better. My digestion is better. Things are generally better. And then things that are on the dodgy side like dairy when I’m eating more mixed diets seem to be no problem at all. And in fact, I seem to thrive on them. So it’s really interesting and I’m not entirely sure what the mechanism is there. Mine is definitely a protein-related issue. And so it makes a little bit more sense. I mean, the lactose thing.

Robb: Maybe you still could be producing lactase at that epithelial border, but it’s damaged enough by vegetable matter that you’re not producing it. And then you do when your carnivore or like that. Total guess, there is in fact not a randomized controlled trial on that but it’s the only thing I can think of, but this is one of those interesting pieces of just observational understanding that like okay, for whatever reason you wanted to include dairy or you can recognize that there are these differences they’re based around the inclusion of vegetable matter and how it’s going to play out for you.

Nicki: Okay. It’s time for the Healthy Rebellion Radio trivia. I don’t know. Our Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor Drink LMNT is giving a box of LMNT electrolytes to three lucky winners selected at random who answered the following question correctly. So Robb, which is it heat death of the universe or expand and contract?

Robb: Part of me would really like the expand and contract idea because there’s some possibility that this has all happened before and it will all happen again. But I’m pretty much on the heat death of the universe side of things.

Nicki: Okay.

Robb: Just going to get chilly and chillier.

Nicki: Awesome.

Robb: This is what happens when you leave the trivia to me. Yeah.

Nicki: When I leave the trivia to you. Yes, okay, folks. The answer to this week’s trivia is heat death of the universe.

Robb: Yes, it is. It’s really the answer to everything, but.

Nicki: No, I thought 42 was.

Robb: That too.

Nicki: Okay. To play go to robbwolf.com/trivia and enter your answer and we’ll randomly select three people with the correct answer to win a box of LMNT electrolytes. Cutoff to answer this week’s trivia and be eligible to win is Thursday, August 19th, midnight winners will be notified via email and we’ll announce the winners on Instagram as well. This is open to residents of the US only. Our next question is from Scotty. She says, “Hi. I recently participated in a two-week blood sugar/blood fat and microbiome test with ZOE.” And ZOE is a company that offers these tests. I think it’s a relatively new one. “I’m a 50-year-old female. My blood sugar is amazing for my age but my blood fat is quite terrible.

Nicki: Meaning that fat stays in my blood for a very long time after eating. In addition, my microbiome is filled with bad bugs associated with visceral fat. This surprised me because I eat mainly paleo and avoid processed foods and take probiotics regularly. Do you have any suggestions for what to do to get the bad bugs out and the good bugs in? I regularly exercise and have been fit for most of my life. Having changed nothing my body fat composition has increased significantly in the last two years. Yes, I’m in menopause. So some of that is to be expected but I’m always looking to stay as strong and fit as possible. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.”

Robb: So I’m not familiar with this company and I don’t know what they are doing to… I really wish Scotty had shared the specifics when I hear bad bugs and bad fats, it’s just so nebulous. I don’t know what to make of it. And I was poking around the website on this. And what am I thinking here? On the microbiome side, this is one of my frustrations with this type of stuff is that folks who have like I still have some significant gut issues. And every time my guts been sequenced, it looks pretty damn good. I’ve got a little bit of too much of this and not quite enough of that, but I mean, it’s really minor. And my compared to most people, my guts are pretty fucked up. I’m pretty limited in what I can eat.

Robb: There are lots of people that have way more goofy of profiles and eat much more broadly and suffer fewer effects. So I’m just so suspicious about what the ultimate effect is of changing this stuff. If you tweak things, you can take a probiotic of some kind or do some fermentable fiber and things improve. That’s great, but it seems to be remarkably individually driven. The notion that the fat stays in the blood too long post-meal, but the blood sugar is fine is perplexing. So, Scotty, I would lift some weights and maybe find somebody who does bioidentical hormones to address the menopause deal, and then I would probably not check those ZOE stuff again, or do check it after doing those things. And just see if that stuff is modified.

Nicki: Or look into the precision health nutrition, the precision health blood reports as well, if that’s-

Robb: Yeah. It’s going to be remarkably different than what she’s fishing around here. But I was one of the earliest people beating the drum around the importance of the microbiome, and we know it’s critically important, but beyond that, we had an earlier question and I recommended Aglaee Jacob’s book and Dr. Ruscio’s book, and it’s mainly a sorting process. You tinker one, you do this, then you do that, you do this, then you do that. There’s not some hard-fast rule if you’ve got this profile and you follow these steps are people out there that claim that? And I think it’s absolute bullshit. And there’s just so much we don’t know. And so much individual variation. I think we have some general trends, but the main trend is if your gut shows pathology either funky stools or a ton of gas, or neurological symptoms after eating or whatever the deal is, then we need to probably tinker with some variables. But then what you do to tinker those variables, one person may do fantastic with a bunch of fermentable fiber and the next person will be absolutely ruined by that. And that’s…

Nicki: I also find it interesting that she seems surprised that this test came back with the results that it did with regard to her microbiome because she doesn’t appear to be experiencing any GI discomfort.

Robb: Yeah, I think what she’s trying to connect here is that she’s gained fat in the past couple of years. And it’s because this microbiome is more associated with obesity. And there are some interesting studies where they take the microbiome out of an obese mouse, put it a lean mouse, and the lean mouse becomes obese. They take the lean mouse’s microbiome, put it in the obese mouse. Doesn’t really get lean. It improves a little bit, but not much. It’s kind of a one-way street. So there is some interesting stuff around that, but again, we’ve seen folks that have super screwed up gut biome, and they’re able to lean out just fine. They just have to find the right air-fuel mixture. And it will say like on that, that hormonal front, if hormones are off particularly in that perimenopausal state and the way that a female hormone replacement is handled is so ham-handed and ridiculous in general, it’s appalling, but.

Nicki: You might want to look into finding a practitioner that can order you a DUTCH test and do the interpretation because that can shed a lot of light on what’s going on, hormonally for women.

Robb: Yep.

Nicki: Okay.

Robb: Last one.

Nicki: Last question for today from Megan. “Hi, I’ve been following your podcast for several years, including binging most of the Paleo Solution podcast episodes, absolutely love your work and podcasts. They’ve been vital in shifting my relationship with food back to a place of focus on health instead of weight. I have a question and I hope it makes sense. Do you think one’s receptivity to certain foods is linked to the way that our particular ancestors ate? People from areas with more tropical fruits might be less sensitive to those sugars than someone of primarily Northern European heritage that thrives on very low carb, keto like myself. Would some indigenous populations in the US be more likely to tolerate corn and beans in a healthy way than someone from an area that didn’t have those foods until recent history? I’ve been trying to do some digging on this and haven’t ever found specifics on one’s particular genetics playing a role and would love to hear your perspective.

Robb: I think that there’s a bit to this, but it’s not that deep and the reality is that human should be pretty flexible in whatever dietary practices they have. The one big consistency that we see is that folks going from a pre-westernized diet into a westernized diet things go sideways. There do seem to be some minor adaptations, but so much so like, oh gosh, I’m trying to think. Some of the folks that eat a lot of taro also consume clay, it’s geofudgy and it’s because the clay actually ends up binding to some of the cyanide that’s in the taro root, and soaking, fermenting, sprouting of grains and legumes really minimizes to a huge degree the toxicity, the anti-nutrients they’re still there. This is why these folks also developed using lye on corn because it would release some of the B vitamins in there or prevent the blocking of some of the B vitamins.

Robb: But pellagra was another disease endemic to places that consumed a lot of corn but didn’t have this further technological way of dealing with it. So a lot of the foods that we’ve been exposed to, we have had cultural and technological ways of addressing the deficiencies, the toxicities, and whatnot. And we haven’t had to develop specific morphological or genetic adaptations to what our culture and technology has been able to adapt. It’s such a rapid pace that we didn’t really need the same selection pressures weren’t there with the genetic side. I think that across the spectrum, some folks from different parts of the world may do better or worse on carbohydrate levels. There’s certainly some variation. Ironically the places that have a lot of wheat in cultivation seem to have high concentrations of celiac gene frequency, but where wheat, but this is interesting.

Robb: I’ve never thought about a correlate with this with regards to rice and some other things, but the tendency towards celiac disease is an overreaction to gliadin proteins in wheat which is just an unfortunate bystander, but the folks that have the celiac genes tend to also be better at clearing gut born pathogens because they tended to live in larger groups, urban areas within this neolithic setting. So they were getting exposed to when infectious agents much, much more consistently than their hunter-gatherer counterparts.

Robb: And so the celiac gene adaptation was likely a mitigating factor in living in dirty closed environments around other humans and animals that was different than their hunter-gatherer counterparts. It just happened that the downside was that one of the primary staples they were eating happened to be toxic in that circumstance like drew a short straw on that case. I remember when Kurt Harris used to be around the scene, he talked about how if all of Mesopotamia maybe had had corn and rice instead of wheat that health may have turned out much more different than what it did because of the damaging influence of wheat and gluten and all that.

Nicki: Interesting. All right. I think that is a wrap for this week. Folks, remember to check out and should support our show sponsor LMNT and nominate your community heroes, the people that do the most for your community. You can do that at drinklmnt.com/giveasaltdrinklmnt.com/giveasalt.

Robb: Cool.

Nicki: All right, folks.

Robb: Thank you, wife. Thanks for dealing with my crankiness.

Nicki: Have a fabulous weekend, everyone, and we will be back next week.

Robb: Bye, everybody.

Nicki: Bye.

Where you can find us:

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News topic du jour:

After being dismissed by doctors, mom of child with Down syndrome makes a discovery

1. DNA Testing For Ideal Diet/Exercise [12:01]

Trevor says:

Dear Robb and Nicki,

I really enjoy your podcast. I’ve gone from only listening when the topic looked interesting to listening to every episode because there’s always something good or interesting. I appreciate your alls’ free thinking mindset and news topics. I’ve also bought a big ol’ box of LMNT and really like the Watermelon flavor.

My question is about DNA testing. Do you think there’s any value to having this done to determine ideal diet, exercise, and overall lifestyle cues? Or is trial and error a better route? If you think testing is valuable, is there a company you can recommend?

Thanks,

Trevor

2. Body Composition Scales [20:21]

Danny says:

Are any of the scales on the market that claim to measure your body composition worth looking into or are they all pretty much bullshit

3. Nitrates/Nitrites [24:44]

Mackenzie says:

I’ve been thinking about my Nitrate/Nitrite consumption lately. The ideas around Nitrate/Nitrite seems to be a bit confusing because it’s present in natural foods but also added to processed foods. I eat a fair bit of Kimchi, some deli meat, condiments like Sriracha – in addition to loving things like beets, spinach, celery..etc. I don’t appear to have any adverse reactions to Nitrate/Nitrite consumption, so with that said, would it be better for my overall health to cut out those more processed foods?

Thanks!

4. Calcium Intake [29:04]

Megan says:

Hi Robb and Nicki, I love your show! I had a question regarding getting adequate calcium when not eating dairy. I eat a whole food diet, no processed foods (no gluten, dairy, soy, or corn). I eat lots of grass fed beef, organic chicken thighs, wild shrimp, and wild scallops. I do not eat sardines or fish bones though. Is it possible to get enough calcium when not consuming dairy products or fish bones? Thanks for your time! Megan

5. What is “Normal” Blood Pressure? [33:02]

Amy says:

Hey Guys!

So I went to donate blood today and was refused because my blood pressure was too low. Eek! I usually run about 90-something over 60-something, which I realize is already pretty low. Today, I was 88/55, as measured by a machine and not manually by the lab tech. (Don’t know if that makes it more or less accurate.) So it was what we might call “freakishly low,” but the thing is, I FELT FINE. Physical energy was good, mental outlook was all right — no issues. Nothing about how I felt all day would suggest that my BP was “too low.” (I went to donate around 12pm.)

So my question is, for a mostly low-carbing, very fit 35-year-old woman, what is a “normal” blood pressure, and more important, is BP another parameter we should add to blood glucose, HbA1C, triglycerides, and other markers whose “normal” ranges are based on the sedentary, sick, and inflamed masses and therefore reflect what’s *common* more than what’s normal/optimal?

(I’m reminded of how Robb’s wife’s ob/gyn was surprised at what a relatively “easy” pregnancy she had. Well, yeah, compared to all the walking, talking chronic disease bags he/she normally sees, Nikki’s health was off the charts. *Of course* she had a better time of it.)

I do realize that when it comes to BP, there *is* such a thing as too low, but I’m wondering what that is, as long as someone feels no adverse effects. (Kind of like glucose…I’ve tested and seen myself in the mid-to-high 60s and felt FINE. Yay, fat adaptation.)

Hunter-gatherers as models in public health

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Transcript:

Download a copy of this transcript here (PDF)

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Make your health an act of rebellion. Join The Healthy Rebellion

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

News topic du jour:

“Original antigenic sin”: A potential threat beyond the development of booster vaccination against novel SARS-CoV-2 variants

“A phenomenon called “original antigenic sin” (OAS) was firstly proposed by Francis 6 in 1960. This phenomenon occurs in the second exposure of the immune system to a similar pathogen to which it has previously been exposed. In this situation, the immune system progresses to the memory response, generating cross-reactive antibodies that may not be effective against the new pathogen. 7 In addition, it has been speculated that overproduction of memory B cells could compromise the activation of naïve B cells capable of producing efficient and novel antibodies. 8 In this way, OAS can trigger immune evasion of the emerging variants in those who had been affected by or vaccinated against former versions of the pathogen. In the context of coronaviruses, cross-neutralization is a rare event, but cross-reactivity in antibody binding to spike protein is common in SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. 9 Furthermore, some degrees of cross-reactivity have also been demonstrated between seasonal coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2. 10 Aydillo et al 11 reported a strong back-boosting of antibodies in SARS-CoV-2–infected patients previously infected with human β-coronaviruses. Interestingly, a negative correlation was observed between pre-exposure to human β-coronaviruses and induction of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, mentioning the reduction of de novo humoral immune response and occurrence of OAS in patients with pre-existing immunity against related coronaviruses. 11

The impact of OAS in developing vaccines is of paramount interest. The hypothesis of antigenic distance was proposed to explain how the efficacy of vaccines could be influenced by the difference or relatedness of prior vaccinations. This hypothesis is substantially evident in the case of dengue fever-related vaccine research. Once an individual is immunized against a dengue virus variant, the booster shot for the second variant is unlikely to be successful because it triggers only the original neutralizing antibodies rather than effective antibodies for the new variant. 12”

1. A2 Milk for Kids [20:08]

Nate says:

Hi Robb, my wife is wondering if A2 would be better for our son than nut milks. I couldn’t find anything on your site about A2 milk, but searching online have found that it lacks A1.

We give our kid nut milks for calcium, but have been reading that nut milks are estrogenic, so are looking for other calcium sources.

I read the paleo solution 12 years ago and know how you treated dairy in the book. My gut feeling is that A2 milk is from cows where A1 has been bread out, but it is still dairy and should be avoided.

Any thoughts on A2 milk and if it is better than regular dairy?

Thank you.

-Nate

Milk proteins and human health: A1/A2 milk hypothesis

2. Lean Mass Hyper Responder with Type 1 Diabetes [22:59]

Alex says:

Hi Robb,

Thanks for your podcast with Bill Cromwell and specifically for the deep dive into LMHR. Actually I wish the dive was even deeper, hence the discussion and questions below

I am a 50 year old male. Have been following low carb (progressively from low carb to mostly keto to mostly red meat with occasional vegetables and berries) for the last 6 years. I developed Type 1 Diabetes when I was 33 after 13 years on SAD and 20 years on the Soviet Union diet (whatever that was). I am pretty active: kettlebells a couple of times a week, tennis a couple of times a week and soccer a couple of times a week.

To play back on your frequently asked question: “How do you look, how do you feel, how do you perform?”:

– I look great (5’ 11’’, 165 lbs), very lean, toned muscles

– I feel great

– I play soccer with a number of 20 year olds and I’m able to outlast many of them in terms of my energy and fitness. I didn’t get into sports until my late 20s.

What I’m describing is not different at all from other LMHRs who seem to be actually feeling and performing even better. Ok, fine — looking better too!

So clearly LMHR is a phenotype, which on the surface seems to be selecting for great health and athletic performance at the expense of our ability to survive during ice age, since we can’t store enough fat to save our lives! At the same time, we all have high LDL — a dubious metric that the Pharma industry is obsessed over because of the correlation it has with the health of a completely different phenotype. Is it even desirable for LMHRs to have a low LDL?

Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t take you, Bill Cromwell or Peter Attia seriously. I do and, hence, I’m concerned. So is there another evolutionary trade-off? Is the payoff for our excellent health and performance is that we will all die early from the heart disease?

Assuming that high LDL is definitely bad for us, what sort of changes in lifestyle, nutrition or medication would you recommend? For me personally (keep in mind that I have T1D), my average HbA1c went from 6.7 to low 5.7 and my average LDL went from 149 to 361 after switching to low carb. Is it possible to achieve both low A1c and LDL?

Thanks again for all your and Nicki’s work!

-Alex

3. Fucoxantin and CLA for Fat Loss? [32:02]

Christina say:

Hi Robb and Nikki! I’ve been a fan and have followed since 2011. Started my health journey with your book, Rob, Paleo Solutions! It changed my life forever! Now I’m a science nerd.. lol.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on CLA supplements used for inhibiting fat storage and also for helping to rid the fat in the cells? It seems to be a craze with certain companies selling it with a ton of testimonials that this stuff really works. I’m very skeptical.

Also, how about Fucoxanthin? Does it help with brown fat creation within the body?

How beneficial are these 2 types of supplements when it comes to aiding your body in fat loss?

Thanks so much for all you do… I would not be where I am TODAY, without you!

Fucoxantin: a treasure from the sea

4. Bile reflux, Gallbladder, Woe [40:16]

Phoenix says:

Dear Robb and Nicki,

I’ve been a listener and reader ever since holy cats days in college, 10 years ago. Three years ago I needed gallbladder surgery. I had very few side effects, as I eat pretty healthy. But, I was also struggling with alcohol and in a difficult relationship. Both got the boot around seven months ago, but due to personal stuff with the breakup, I was under a huge amount of stress. Suddenly, I had bile reflux. It’s a frigging nightmare. I now take sucralfate and a bile binder but they are horrible to time well because I need a small snack when I wake up or else I’m queasy. Red meat and pork often set me off with heartburn. I used to eat tons of veggies but too many of those hurt my stomach now. I know I need more protein. It feels like one extra bite is the difference between puking at 3am and being ok. I’m 5’5″ and an out-of-shape 150 lbs. I feel like a tick, with a chonky belly and skinny limbs. I just had bloodwork done and my white cell count and platelets are low (2.4 and 50). My cholesterol is on the higher side, but my glucose and A1C are normal.

I don’t know what to do. Plus, my emotional trigger for sobering up was my ex’s drunken behavior. No more ex, and I’m trying to find healthy outlets for my ADD/depression-tending mind so I don’t hit the bottle. Are there any recommendations you might have for physically rebuilding?

Thank you, from a longtime fan,

Phoenix

5. Post-Diverticulitis Recovery Diet [48:05]

Sarah says:

Hi Robb & Nicki,

My husband ended up in hospital last June with what eventually turned out to be diverticulitis. This came completely out of the blue as he’d always had a pretty stellar gut beforehand. After he was discharged he did not have the recovery we expected and eventually ended up on a second round of antibiotics and a liquid diet again.

The standard recommendation after diverticulitis is to gradually increase fibre content and a diet low in fibre is cited as the cause of it. This was definitely not the case for my husband as he was eating a lot of fibre before his hospital admission. After some dietary experiments, we have since realised that he can now only tolerate a very small amount of it or he ends up in pain. His current diet consists of white rice for carbs, traditional home-cooked dishes minus the vegetables (he’s from South-East Asia), plus beef and fish. Unfortunately, he still hasn’t managed to regain all of the weight and muscle that he lost. For some context, he’s in his early 40s, about 5’10” and weighs about 143 lbs. He’s very active, works out regularly and has a decent amount of muscle on his upper body.

Do you have any recommendations on the most suitable diet for him to follow (he also can’t tolerate dairy) and is there anything he should definitely avoid? He’s tried some weight gain powders recently but they seem to cause him pain as does some forms of physical exercise and movement. Is there any way that he can fully recover from this?

Many thanks,

Sarah

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Download a copy of this transcript here (PDF)

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Make your health an act of rebellion. Join The Healthy Rebellion

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

News topic du jour:

A metabolomics comparison of plant‑based meat and grass‑fed meat indicates large nutritional differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93100-3.epdf?fbclid=IwAR0L6X7m4F2JlDHx1Z5QO3e6fp8aSjU19LBhD2u_PMKe5NIJmfDdtLCIf6I

1. Low Iron Diet [15:15]

Shawn says:

Hey Robb and Nicki,

About 18 months ago I found out I have hemochromatosis. I’ve been getting blood letting since and have my iron under 50 now. My question is about diet. Obviously my doctor doesn’t want me eating alot of red meat, organ meat, or high iron seafoods. Am I going to start getting deficient in vitamins and nutrients (B12 etc.) Is there anything I can do diet wise to try and replace the vitamins and nutrients? Can you do a carnivore or Paleo diet without eating alot of red meat? Any thoughts would be appreciated. I’m confused as the best way to optimize my specific dietary needs. Thank you so much for the podcast and everything you two do.

Shawn

2. Using Milk for Calorie Surplus to Gain Weight [19:01]

Andy says:

Hi Robb and Nicki,

I’m a new Healthy Rebellion member and love it. I’m 42, 5’6″ and weigh 140. Followed Robb since 5+ years of crossfit in my mid-30s. I have maybe 5 pounds of fat I could lose around my waste. Eat low carb and zero sugar…mostly meat/eggs, fruit and nuts. No “comorbidities”. I don’t have a big appetite and my body defaults to 135-140 lbs. My parents are also really small.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of strength/muscle mass and aging. My dad has dropped probably 20 lbs and all of his muscle from early 60s to mid 70s. He’s not physically active. Over the next few years I would like to get my weight up to a lean 155-160 and maintain at that weight as long as possible. If I starting aging at 135 lbs then I’m going to be in trouble.

I’ve begun a Starting Strength style linear progression with the basic barbell lifts. Lift 3x per week and add weight to the bar each time. I have a real hard time eating enough meat to maintain the calorie surplus it’s going to take to gain the weight. I don’t want to do it via carbs (rice/pasta/etc). I digest whole milk fine.

What are your thoughts on drinking 24-32 oz of milk per day to gain weight? Does pasteurized vs raw matter? Thoughts on long-term consumption? I’ll probably have to keep it up to keep the weight on.  Any other suggestions to add 300-500 calories to my diet besides “suck it up” and eat more?

Thanks.

Andy

3. Will Soy Based Bath Cleaner Affect My Backsquat? [23:17]

Kie says:

Hi Robb and Nicki,

Your podcast is great, it’s changed the way I live my life for the better. Quick question if I may. My wife wants to switch to a soy based bath cleaner because it’s good for the environment. Are the Xenoestrogens and Phytoestrogens leeched into my bathwater from this product going to affect my backsquat progress?

Thanks!

Kie (Tokyo, Japan)

http://www.iherb.com/Bio-Kleen-Soy-Cream-Cleaner-Kitchen-and-Bath-32-fl-oz-946-ml/23967

4. Saw Palmetto Supplement – Hoax Or Real Deal? [26:56]

Jared says:

Hey Robb,

I understand you get a lot of questions thrown your way, and often times most of my questions are answered from listening to the podcast or doing a little digging. But, every once in a while I get a question that causes me to ponder, “I wonder what Robb’s opinion is?” A friend asked me if I know anything about Saw Palmetto, as he noticed it in a supplement called Ageless Male. I didn’t know anything, but did some Googling and noticed that it’s touted for its prostate and hormonal benefits (including testosterone support and improved muscle strength). Seems just as effective as deer antler velvet to me. Anyway, what feedback could you provide as to how beneficial this could be for my aging 50 year old friend? Anything is greatly appreciated.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11337315/

5. A Kids Audiobook Series, PMR & Keto, and Mouthwash [29:23]

Tamara says:

Hi there,

Nikki, you mentioned some audio book series you’re listening to with your girls. What were they again?

Also, is there any information on how keto or carnivore can help PMR?

One last super random question, what do you guys think about mouth wash? Yay or Nay?

Thanks for all of your help.

Tammy Schmidt

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Transcript coming very soon…

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Hey folks!

So a bunch of my favorite companies have launched some revolutionary new products recently. I wanted to share the new things they’re doing as well as pass on some of the amazing discounts that they were kind enough to share with my subscribers… 

We’re celebrating a little mid-year Christmas in July!

15% off regenerative agriculture bone broth, fast-acting CBD elixirs bundles, and BOGO natural deodorants just to name a few… scroll down to check them all out…

Wellnesse

What goes on your skin goes in your body. Wellnesse was created by my friend and the mastermind behind hundreds of non-toxic, DIY recipes from her blog Wellness Mama —Katie Wells. Together with product formulation experts, Katie created toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and hand sanitizer that are GMO-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and highly effective.

Click here to get 10% off Wellnesse sitewide with my code ROBBXMAS10

Dry Farm Wines

Sparkling wine is a crisp, bright drink with a great celebratory vibe. Great for the hot summer days! 

The problem? Most is full of sugar. But now, our favorite wine company, Dry Farm Wines carries natural, sugar-free, organic sparkling wine.

It’s only available until July 25th so get yours (plus a free sparkling wine stopper) now

Beekeepers Naturals

‘Tis (always) the season for immune support. 

That’s why Beekeeper’s Naturals—a health company inspired by the bees—wants you to take 20% off their summer store with code ROBB. They have remedies that support immunity, boost mental clarity, and help you stay cool, calm, and collected in the dog days of summer.

Click here to shop Beekeeper’s Naturals at 20% with my code ROBB

BLUblox

BLUblox are my favorite evidence backed blue light glasses company. Nicki, the kids, and I swear by their Sleep+ glasses before bed. But they also make glasses for daytime computer use, a 100% black out sleep mask (great for the late summer sunsets!), and even a Hive red light therapy device… all backed by the latest science.

They’re offering 25% off sitewide with my code CHRISTMAS before the end of July, this discount is exclusive to my subscribers.

Click here to try BLUblox this July for 25% off with code CHRISTMAS

Serenity Kids

Serenity Kids was already revolutionizing the kid’s food arena… and now they just launched A2 Whole Milk Toddler Formula.

Tired of the JUNK in formula, a team of moms created a formula with no corn syrup, industrial seed oils, gluten, soy, or synthetic folic acid and instead use the best quality ingredients we could find. They started with ethically sourced Whole A2 Milk from cows raised on regenerative pastures and added in all the essential non-GMO ingredients for your growing little one including healthy carbs & fats, HMOs & Nucleotides, and DHA & ARA.  

Click here to get the new Toddler Formula for 25% off with my code ROBB25

Primally Pure

Clean, natural skincare! In the spirit of Christmas in July, Primally Pure is helping you and your loved ones detox your bathroom with a ‘buy one, GIVE one’ sale. 

We’re currently in Week 2, which is BOGO on face toner. But mark your calendar for the upcoming promos as well:

• Week Two: Buy one, Give One Everything Spray (2 oz) with code SWAP2
• Week Three: Buy one, Give One Cleansing Oils (2 oz) with code SWAP3
• Week Four: Buy one, Give One Deodorants (1.7 oz) with code SWAP4

Click here to get BOGO natural skincare or if you want another product, use code THR for 10% off

Chilipad

Stay cool in the summer heat AND save $$$ on AC! You probably know that sleep temperature is vital for deep sleep. So instead of lowering the AC in the whole house, just cool your body by sleeping on ChiliSleep‘s cooling mattress pad.

No more night sweats, no more tossing and turning.

Click to get your own Cube Sleep System with Chilipad® Cool Mesh for 22% off with code: WOLF22

Kettle & Fire Bone Broth

Our favorite bone broth company Kettle & Fire just did something BIG…

2 NEW Bone Broths, made with bones sourced from regenerative farms.

Like their classic bone broths they contain collagen, glycine, & other nutrients preserved thanks to their “low and slow” simmer process. But this version is sourced only from regenerative farms, which are better for the environment, animals, and your nutrition.

And until July 31st you can support the regenerative movement AND get 15% with code KFREGEN

Click here to get your regenerative ag bone broth 15% off

Paleovalley

We <3 Paleovalley Beef Sticks. They are just the best protein snack for on the go. No sugar, probiotics, and made of grass fed beef. Perfect to throw in the kids backpacks for all their summer activities! 

If you haven’t tried these beef sticks yet, we HIGHLY recommend them. Click here for Beef Sticks – 15% off applied at checkout

Also, people always ask my thoughts on protein powders. And while I’ll always prefer for you to chew whole foods, the Paleovalley Bone Broth Protein Powder is the one I’d choose in a pinch. Bone broth is a good source of collagen and can boost metabolism, support gut health and digestion, grow healthy skin and nails, support joints, and more. Click here for Bone Broth Protein Powder – 15% off applied at checkout

Doc Parsley’s Sleep Remedy

Sleep Remedy is a non-pharmaceutical formulation that is intended to act as the catalyst in enhancing and replenishing the naturally occurring nutrients required for sleep. It is the most effective, natural product on the market. Think of it as a jumpstart to your most optimal sleep cycle that won’t leave you feeling groggy the next morning. 

If nothing else is working, this Christmas in July deal is the perfect time to stock up on your #1 sleep support.

Click here to get Sleep Remedy for 10% off with my code JULYXMAS-ROBB

LMNT Recharge

LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix designed to support active hydration and a healthy lifestyle during the summer heat. It has enough sodium, potassium, and magnesium to get you feeling and performing your best. Plus there’s ZERO sugar, artificial ingredients, or other junk you don’t want.

For a limited time, you can get a free LMNT Sample Pack (just pay $5 shipping for US customers).

And with 8 delicious flavors, you’re guaranteed to find one your taste buds will love. Try the Watermelon Salt. Classic flavor combo.

Click here to get your free LMNT Sample Pack

Ziva

Most meditation apps only teach you mindfulness. At Ziva, mindfulness is just the beginning. zivaONLINE is a 15 day meditation training that teaches you the Ziva Technique, a deep healing practice of mindfulness, meditation and manifesting.

Nicki and I tried Ziva two years ago and it has profoundly changed our lives. We could not recommend anything more.

Click here to try zivaONLINE for free

Ojai Energetics

Ojai Energetics has cracked the code on making full-spectrum, water-soluble CBD oil without synthetic ingredients. Their Full Spectrum Hemp Elixir is made using only certified organic, regeneratively grown plants, and their innovative water soluble technology makes it 20X more absorbable so you feel the benefits FAST—within 30 seconds instead of waiting 30 minutes or more.

If you buy 3+ bottles, you get a FREE CBD Sport Gel to support muscles and joints.

Click here to check out Ojai Energetics CBD products

Probiotics

[waiting on image]

Got gut issues? Who doesn’t, huh? My friend Dr. Ruscio is the gut king and he created his own line of probiotics. Science heavily supports the use of three strains of probiotics to best optimize and support gut health. They can help:

• Increase the health and diversity of your gut’s bacterial community.*
• Fight pathogens (harmful bugs) and their toxins.*
• Supports the health of the gut lining.* 
• Promotes a healthy immune and inflammatory response.*
• May help to improve absorption of nutrients from food.*

Click here to get 5% off individual bottles or bundle with code probiotics5

Hope you found a fun new company, something to make you a healthier you, or were able to stock up on your favorite product at a discount!

Make your health an act of rebellion. Join The Healthy Rebellion

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

News topic du jour:

When it comes to carbon capture, tree invasions can do more harm than good

• Trees are a logical solution to climate change, but allowing or encouraging trees to move into areas where they don’t typically grow, such as tundras and grasslands, can actually do more harm than good.
• Invasive trees may capture less carbon than the treeless ecosystem they overrun due to soil disturbance, increased risk of fires, and changes in light absorption, a recent review paper shows.
• These results have implications for policies and initiatives, particularly in places where carbon credits have been used to discourage the removal of invasive, non-native trees.

1. Thin Stools [26:11]

Tracey says:

Hi Robb and Nicki-

I hope you and the girls are both well. I’m somewhat of a new listener, having tuned in at some point during the covid closure and am now a faithful listener. Thank you for sharing your kindness and wisdom each week.

I have a streak of celiac issues on my fathers side of the family and suspect that I have at least a sensitivity myself. I am 32 years old, and on/off the gluten free wagon. I struggle with the planning aspect and maybe more so struggle with speaking up about my intolerance in social and shared family meal settings.

I apologize if this information can be found elsewhere but I do have a lingering but embarrassing question to ask. I find that the girth of my stools vary greatly and I’m wondering if gluten is the culprit. My suspicion is that when I consume gluten, somehow my stool becomes thin (maybe the diameter of a nickel or quarter) and quite long. Other times my stool is not thin and is quite regular. I don’t know if this is a simple yes, x causes y scenario, or if it is a confirmation bias where I am looking to be correct in finding the cause when I may need to be concerned about something else.

Sorry to be the one to bring up poo! It has been concerning me and I am relieved to have found a place for this question!

Thank you,

Tracey

https://www.continence.org.au/bristol-stool-chart

2. Long-term Propecia use? [29:51]
Brendan says:
Robb & Nicki,

You guys are das bomb.

I have been taking propecia (or the generic equivalent) for about 8 years for male pattern baldness. It hasn’t brought my hair back, but it seems to have slowed the progression of my hair loss to a near stop.

I eat a paleo diet, do crossfit usually twice a week, and get adequate sleep. I don’t have any health issues.

I’m wondering whether you are aware of any long-term health concerns from using propecia. My doctor doesn’t have any concerns, but I wonder. I would hate to be doing long-term harm to myself, just for the vanity of keeping my hair. On the other hand, I have a funky-looking head, so the shaved head look is probably not for me.

Thanks very much.

Brendan

Finasteride side effects: https://www.healthline.com/health/finasteride-oral-tablet

3. Berberine [32:53]
Lee says:
Hi Robb,

Love the podcast, long time listener first time question.

I’ve recently come across a supplement called berberine. The research suggests its good for clearing blood glucose by making you more insulin sensitive. Some studies go as far as to say its comparable to metformin.

My question is, given I’m on a paleo lifestyle, does berberine have a place in my diet? I’m thinking it could help clear some glucose when levels rise due to a higher protein meal and even when having sweet potatoes and bananas post training?

thanks

Lee

Metformin and berberine, two versatile drugs in treatment of common metabolic diseases

4. Pitting edema [41:01]
Adam says:
Hi Robb and Nicki,

I love the show, books, keto masterclass and now the rebellion online. Keep up the great work.

I was just wondering what the best way to tackle pitting edema?

Here’s the background. I’m a decently lean 36 year old male that has been eating a low carb diet for 3 years with several years of paleo before that. No underlying health conditions. No meds. Protein is on point with 170-210 g per day. I weigh 195-200lbs. I use sodium in my water (I just order lmnt after the release of grapefruit). I lift weights 3-4x per week, HIRT 1x per week, sauna 3x per week and walk a minimum of 10k per day. Edema seems worsen in the heat. Sock marks remain in my lower legs for over an hour at times. I have it in my arms as well. I have a couple varicose veins.

Any insight would be great! Thank you. Keep up the awesome work.

Management of hyponatremia

5. Nicotine and caffeine [45:38]
Darwin says:
I recently heard you mention a protocol that you developed for the Naval Special Warfare using caffeine and nicotine as a stimulant stack for alertness. Could you go a little deeper, or link a summary if not the protocol. I’m a night pharmacist working 7 on 7 off at a hospital then a few days on my off week. I’m 53 and not bouncing back like I did when I started this foolishness 23 years ago.

Thanks,

Darwin S.

50mg caffeine every 2 hrs, shift to 1-2mg nicotine within 3 hrs of sleep period.

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Coming very soon…

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Salty Talk is a special edition of Healthy Rebellion Radio. Each week on Salty Talk Robb will do a deep dive into current health and performance news, mixed with an occasional Salty conversation with movers and shakers in the world of research, performance, health, and longevity.
For the full the video presentation of this episode and to be a part of the conversation, join us in The Healthy Rebellion online community.

WARNING: These episodes may get “salty” with the occasional expletive.

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

Show Notes:

When would you consider using medication (statin and/or PCSK9 inhibitor)? [12:39]

How much are results affected by recent behavior? [27:48]

What trends can we expect with dietary changes, such as switching to keto? [34:12]

What’s the best way to share Precision Health results with your doctor? [48:29]

What do you think of lean mass hyper-responders? [1:02:44]

How big a risk is high particle number by itself, and what’s best way to reduce that number? [1:12:56]

What do you think of the the homeoviscous adaptation to dietary lipids (HADL) model paper? [1:28:55]

What’s the difference between the Diabetic Risk Report and Cardiometabolic Risk Report [1:34:41]

What if you’re stuck with basic conventional lipid testing? [1:40:20]

Will there be an option to upload your own data to generate reports for those in other countries that can’t get a blood draw order directly? [1:47:46]

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Download a transcript of this episode here (PDF)

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Make your health an act of rebellion. Join The Healthy Rebellion

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

News topic du jour:

https://www.q13fox.com/news/fallen-seattle-officer-was-a-real-life-wonder-woman?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerefolin

1.  Benefit to a Smaller IF Window? [19:19]

Max says:

Dearest Robb & Nicki,

I’ve been making my way through the podcast archive and to my recollection have yet to come across the answer to this quandary. I’ve been practicing intermittent fasting for about 5 months now, sometimes ketogenic with minimal fat intake in the morning, sometimes full-on starvation mode. Generally I break my fast between 2-3 in the afternoon and get my last bite of the day in by 8:30 or so. I recall hearing John Berardi talk about his period of IF experimentation and mentioning that sometimes he would limit his food intake window to as little as two hours or one heaping, Spartan-esque meal.

Do either of you have an opinion regarding the potential benefit or detriment of such a small eating window? When I’ve tried to limit myself to cramming in 90-95% of my unfasted calorie intake, which is 100% of my protein/carb intake, into a single meal or two small meals in just a couple of hours, I find myself really having to shovel it in. Either feeling too full to take in the amount of calories that I feel I need, especially if it’s a particularly active day or week. Logic leads me to believe I shouldn’t trade a smaller window of eating for packing my stomach so full of quality grub that I don’t feel like moving afterwards. I may have just answered my own question.

Thanks for all of the effort you guys put into sharing positive tips and information with the portion of us willing to listen. Cheers!

-Max

2. Juicing – GERD – Electrolytes [26:18]

Cynthia says:

Hi Robb & Nikki.

I love your podcast and the work you do. It is refreshing to listen to someone who really tries to give unbiased information.

I have 2 questions (if only one is allowed please pick either one. Thank you :))

1. Should LMNT be drunk with meals? My thinking is that it may counteract stomach acid and exacerbate GERD. I do have reflux, so I am trying to not make it worse.

2. Have you watched “Super Juice Me” (it is a 2014 documentary where 8 people with 22 combined diseases get remarkably better with 28 days of juicing)?

According to many people in the paleo/carnivore community drinking that amount of carbs/sugar/fructose would make you sick, yet people got better, not worse.

I am trying to bounce my ideas with someone smarter and more knowledgeable than me.

So if some people get better with fruit and vegetable juices only, and other people get better with a carnivore diet, do you see a reason why combining both approaches would be detrimental? For example, having a fresh-pressed fruit juice (or even a couple of oranges) with my steak.

Thank you.

3. Roasted Unmalted Barley [32:56]

Irvin says:

Hi Robb & the Wolf Team

I like the sound of your statements, and arguments, please keep it going.

I am experimenting with Paleo/Primal/Bulletproof experience whilst unemployed (n=1), and I am loving it; however, I have a question regarding my love of Guinness as a drink (I live in Europe). I am interested to know the effects of ‘Roasting’ on unmalted barley (Main ingredient for Guinness)? I have read that it chars the sugars, and is high on the ‘Lovibond Scale’,but what does this mean in ‘laymans’ terms as compared to barley for beer per se, is it better than normal beer for consumption?

I know that the beer is my choice, as opposed to wine for the better Paleo affect, I am just trying to challenge the ‘low beer’ scenario with drinking Guinness, as it is not the same as the light coloured beers, and I can’t find the solution so, I am basically asking you guys for help

Whilst I am taking the liberty, would or, does toasting bread change its properties as a starch, or sugar significantly for the body?

Thanking you in advance

……..Irvin……..

4. Digestion Issues [41:46]

Tom says:

Hi Robb, love the podcast and thoughtful answers,

I’ve always had digestion issues with gas and diarrhea and spent around 10 years of my adult life eating SAD with a lot of fast food. My wife and I lost a lot following ketogains and I got into single digit BF levels. The digestion issues didn’t go away and out of an experiment on myself I shifted to a very low fat (40-60g/day) high carb (200-400g depending on activity from rice, potatoes, oats, and sourdough bread) diet while keeping my protein up between 1.2 and 1.5g/lb bodyweight. I don’t notice a ton of difference in training, A1C is 5.1, fasting glucose always 85-96 if this makes a difference (never diagnosed with diabetes to be clear). The biggest change is that my digestion issues have gone away, but I miss the ribeyes and bacon I used to have. Is there something I should look at to be able to digest fat more effectively, or just accept that it’s what my body seems to prefer? I really like the low carb community, but I feel like an outsider with the high carb intake.

Thanks

5. Give Up on the Chin-Up? [45:58]

Nicolle says:

Have you ever witness a female who could not do a chin-up make it her goal to get one and succeed? How long did it take her? How did she do it? For me, this is the holy grail of body weight exercises and the last one I have to master.  I’ve been trying (with the help of resistance bands, negatives and my trainer) for over a year now and I just don’t feel like i’m going to get there.  What strategies do you use?I I’m 5’8″, 135 lbs and I can do 20 push-ups so I started with that.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Nicolle

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Coming very soon…

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

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Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Salty Talk is a special edition of Healthy Rebellion Radio. Each week on Salty Talk Robb will do a deep dive into current health and performance news, mixed with an occasional Salty conversation with movers and shakers in the world of research, performance, health, and longevity.
For the full the video presentation of this episode and to be a part of the conversation, join us in The Healthy Rebellion online community.

WARNING: These episodes may get “salty” with the occasional expletive.

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Show Notes:

1. Rx required for N-AC

Kelly says:

Hi Robb and Nicki,

Long time listener, first time question asker! I recently read an article by Dr. Mercola:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2021/05/15/nac-banned.aspx

regarding the requirement that one may soon need a prescription for the amino acid trifecta N-Acetyl Cysteine. I have been taking this for a while just for general wellness but now I’m pretty bummed that I have to get a prescription, fill it at the pharmacy, and probably pay more for it now. I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether the juice is worth the squeeze? And of course I always love hearing some salty talk about why this is happening now when it was available OTC for almost 60 years. I guess those pharma guys and gals need more money?

Thank you both for your level-headed, realistic and applicable-to-real-life-people health guidance. Your work is appreciated.

NAC: A Natural Product So Powerful It Is Used in Hospitals
https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/nac-a-natural-product-so-powerful-it-is-used-in-hospitals

Reduction in Ephedra Poisonings after FDA Ban
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmc1502505
“The number of calls to poison centers related to ephedra poisonings peaked at 10,326 in 2002 and steadily declined to 180 by the end of 2013 (Figure 1). Exposures resulting in major effects also peaked in 2002, numbering 108. Beginning in 2008, there have been 3 or fewer reports of exposures with major effects per year. The number of deaths peaked at 7 in 2004, and there have been no reported ephedra-related deaths since 2008.”

Acetaminophen and the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group: lowering the risks of hepatic failure
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15239078/
Acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers (>100,000/year) and accounts for more than 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure each year….By enabling self-diagnosis and treatment of minor aches and pains, its benefits are said by the Food and Drug Administration to outweigh its risks. It still must be asked: Is this amount of injury and death really acceptable for an over-the-counter pain reliever?”

Over-the-Counter Pain Medication Market will Exhibit a Steady 4.0% CAGR through 2028: Future Market Insights
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/02/20/1738355/0/en/Over-the-Counter-Pain-Medication-Market-will-Exhibit-a-Steady-4-0-CAGR-through-2028-Future-Market-Insights.html
“The OTC (over-the-counter) pain medication market surpassed US$ 18 billion in 2018, with growth influenced by changing perceptions on generic pharmaceutical drugs, according to a recent study published by Future Market Insights (FMI). The study opines that market revenue will rev up at an improved rate of 3.7% to exceed US$ 19.3 billion in 2019. FMI analyzes various aspects of market growth influencing the OTC pain medication market….As acetaminophen is considered as a safer pain medication than other pain relievers, its demand will continue to remain high in the upcoming years, opines the FMI study.”

Use of N-acetylcysteine in clinical toxicology
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1928204/
“The major use of N-acetylcysteine in clinical toxicology is in the treatment of acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdosage. The hepatorenal toxicity of acetaminophen is mediated by a reactive metabolite normally detoxified by reduced glutathione. If glutathione is depleted, covalent binding to macromolecules and/or oxidation of thiol enzymes can lead to cell death.”

N-Acetylcysteine Improves Liver Function in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3270338/
Non-alcoholic fatty liver change is a common disease of the liver in which oxidative stress plays a basic role. Studies are largely focused on protecting the liver by means of anti-oxidative material. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of N- acetylcysteine in the process of liver injury….NAC resulted in a significant decrease of serum alanine aminotransfrase after three months, compared to vitamin C. This effect was independent of the grade of steatosis in the initial diagnosis.

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000–2017
https://health.mil/News/Articles/2019/01/01/NAFLD
“During 2000–2017, a total of 19,069 active component service members received incident diagnoses of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)”

Incidence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children: 2009–2018
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/146/6/e20200771/tab-figures-data

N-acetylcysteine overdose after acetaminophen poisoning
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4354467/

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Where you can find us:

Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

Keto Masterclass

The keto diet is one of the most effective ways to shed fat and improve your health. Keto Masterclass helps you start keto right, step-by-step, so that you can be successful long-term.

Learn More

Don’t forget, Wired to Eat is now available!

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, iBooks

Make your health an act of rebellion. Join The Healthy Rebellion

Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Submit your questions for the podcast here

News topic du jour:

US immunologist who had emailed Fauci that Coronavirus ‘looks engineered’ deletes Twitter account after his lies were exposed

1. What Crashes Testosterone? [23:45]

Charlie says:

Recently got a blood test showing very low testosterone – about a third of what it’s been in the past few years.  And I’ve been mopey and getting pudgier lately.  Before I freak out and go to the doctor for shots, I want to figure out what I might’ve done to crash my T.  Maybe you’ll have some ideas from experience with athletes…

In December I was on a vaguely paleo-like low calorie diet in solidarity with family.  Starving through Christmas – not recommended!  Didn’t even lose any body fat.  Sucktastic.

New Years:  Awesome late night party with lots of booze.

T test about a week into January.  Previously I’d been tested at 8:30am, but this time it was 11:45.  Testosterone level changes throughout the day, right?  How much does it typically vary?  Same lab provider as last year.

Are any of those plausible testosterone crashers?  What other newbie mistakes do people make to make themselves less manly in the hormone department?

2. Tight Posterior Chain After Flag Football [28:23]

Max says:

Hi Robb and Nicky,

I play flag football once a week in the warmer months, and I’ve noticed that after I play, for 3-4 days afterward, my posterior chain, but especially my hamstrings, are very tight – so much so that I can’t do my usual gymnastic bodies stretching routines very well. And it’s a bit of a positive feedback loop where because I am not able to stretch out as effectively each week, I’m getting a bit tighter every week. During the game itself I feel great (side note, used to need some carbs on game day to feel explosive since I usually eat keto, but since you started talking about electrolytes, I just supplement with LMNT and don’t need the carbs, which is great).

Do you have any advice on things to try to get my body more flag football ready? I’m 5’10 150lbs, 29 years old, eaten paleo for 10+ years, keto for last year or so.

3. Fasting & Eating Windows [31:42]

Klaus says:

Hi Robb and Nicki,

Wanted to start off by thanking you for all the amazing content you put out every week. I’ve been following you since you did JRE.

A little backstory on me: I am 22y/o, 5’7, 172 lbs (16% body fat), been active since I was a little kid playing competitive sports (BJJ the past 2.5 yrs). I eat pretty low carb (very fat adapted) , but eat carbs around training time which is mainly at night (carbs at night has improved my sleep massively).

Anyways, I’ve been trying to get to 10-12% BF but have been struggling with it, lately (past 6mo) I’ve introduced eating whiting a window but it hasn’t worked for me as I somedays get home late from BJJ and feel like I have to eat. This has led me to have different eating windows the days I train. Would you say there is an negative impact if I have different eating windows from day to day, or would I still benefit from a 16 hr fast everyday regardless of the time I start and end eating? Is there another approach I can use to lean down besides this one?

Thanks for your time,

Klaus.

4. My Achy Body [38:26]

Keslie says:

Hello Robb and Nicki,

I just recently started listening to your podcast and I am loving it, thank you for doing what you do. Your generally.. somewhat.. neutral stance on things is a great middle ground to the extremes we hear all of the time. About my achy body… I am a 33 year old CrossFit hasbeen, I competed on a team in 2013 and 2015 and have since opened my own affiliate. As an ex-athlete I know how demanding a full on CrossFit routine can be on the body so at our gym we tend to lay back, enjoy the ride and take our time. This is important for you to know that when I say I “do CrossFit a couple of times a week” it doesn’t mean I DO CROSSFIT… I listen to my body, modify what I need to and do what I can. I am also 4 month postpartum with my first baby. Since having him my achy joints I have always lived with have seemed to get worse and worse to the point where they wake me up in the night more than my baby does. When I stand from sitting for any amount of time I have to limp for 10-20 steps so that my ankles and hips can catch up… I look as if I am 75+ when I get up off the ground! I eat a whole foods diet and enjoy “foods” like Rebel ice cream 2-3 times a week. The food I eat that comes in a package is usually things like sprouted flax breads some nut butters, maybe some lunch meat or chicken apple sausage. I don’t pay much attention to how much I eat since I am exclusively breastfeeding and want to make sure I am not restricting at all. I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. My meat comes from a local grass fed grass finished farm, my eggs come from my backyard chickens.. I’d say overall I choose the foods that are best for me and my babies development. So… what’s causing this achy body of mine??? My movement isn’t too much… maybe too little?? I really just started getting back into “working out” since having my little one. An occasional hike, spin class or CrosssFit day is what I do on a not so regular basis. Am I missing some nutrient?? Should I stretch more… what gives? I feel like I focus on my nutrition to keep me healthy and happy, but my body is acting otherwise. Any advice??????? Thanks again for what you do, more people need to hear this shit!

5. Having A Hard Time Getting In My Last Sleep Cycle. [53:48]

Alex says:

Healthy Rebel Leaders,

I keep waking up between 6 and 7 am after only sleeping 6.5 to 7 hours. I got to bed around 10:30pm-midnight, have no problems with sleep latency and sleeping throughout the night. I am familiar with many sleep protocols thanks to yourselves, Shawn Stevenson and others. This seems to be more common during the spring/summer months. I do have blackout curtains and keep the room cold. I’m 45 and I’m wondering if it has something to do with age, hormones, blood sugar dropping or if I should just try to go to bed earlier? I lose my edge and extra boost of physical/mental energy if I don’t get around 8 hours of sleep.

Sponsor:

The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT.
Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes

Transcript:

Download a copy of this transcript here (PDF)

Nicki: It’s time to make your health an act of rebellion. We’re tackling personalized nutrition, metabolic flexibility, resilient aging, and answering your diet and lifestyle questions. This is the only show with a bold aim to help one million people liberate themselves from the sick-care system. You’re listening to The Healthy Rebellion Radio. The contents of this show are for entertainment and educational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be considered medical advice. Please consult your licensed and credentialed functional medicine practitioner before embarking on any health, dietary, or fitness change. Warning. When Robb gets passionate, he’s been known to use the occasional expletive. If foul language is not your thing, if it gets your britches in a bunch, well, there’s always Disney+.

Robb: Howdy, wife.

Nicki: Hubs.

Robb: How are you doing?

Nicki: I’m pretty good.

Robb: Ponytail is a little tight today.

Nicki: My ponytail is a little tight. I’ve been running around with my dad. He is up visiting from Reno and helping us build a little patio in the backyard. As I’m sure many people are experiencing in this post-COVID world, when you go to a hardware store or any type of place to get building supplies of any sort, they’re kind of hard to come by.

Robb: They are. And they’re expensive.

Nicki: They’re expensive and… Yeah, I feel bad for anybody building a house right now. We were trying to purchase pavers for this patio project and a woman came in and she’s in the middle of a… Her house is being built and she needs some stone for the front facing of it. And the guy was like, “Yeah, you’re liking at 10 to 12 weeks on the early side.” It’s crazy. Normally, a construction project takes a lot of time, but when you add in all of these individual components that each might have a lead time or a delay of weeks to months, how do you get anything done?

Robb: And when this thing needs to go in before that thing and… That can bugger those projects under the best of circumstances.

Nicki: It’s been an educational experience.

Robb: Fantastic.

Nicki: Yeah, so. That’s all. That’s why my ponytail is tight today. I’m a little harried.

Robb: I still can’t remember what movie that was. It was like Sandra Bullock or something.

Nicki: You say it to me all the time.

Robb: Yeah, I know.

Nicki: I didn’t even know it was from a movie. But whenever-

Robb: We watched it together.

Nicki: … I’m a little… What’s the word? Whenever I’m little pinched or harried or-

Robb: Harried is good.

Nicki: Harried. Robb’s like, “Why is your ponytail so tight? Loosen up that ponytail!” You even said to me when I had short hair and couldn’t wear a ponytail.

Robb: When a ponytail was but a theory.

Nicki: When I didn’t even have ponytails. Yep. Anyway, sorry we missed y’all last week. Again, Dad’s been in town and we’ve… Well, as Robb… If you’re on our email list, you probably got the email from Robb and also we’ve talked about this inside The Healthy Rebellion. That most recent… Well, actually, it’s not the most recent now.

Robb: Second back now maybe.

Nicki: I think it’s Dark House Podcast episode number 82. Kind of really had your head spinning.

Robb: It had my ponytail pretty tight.

Nicki: Your ponytail was.

Robb: You’ve really got to mine tight. So, yeah. We had some pretty phenomenal feedback and the story of COVID continues to evolve and the backstories and potential treatments and shenanigans. That’s actually our news topic du jour for today here in just a moment, but did you want to mention some of the other goodies we have cooking?

Nicki: I do. I just wanted to give some highlights for what’s coming up inside The Healthy Rebellion community. This week, we just kicked off our seven-day breath work challenge hosted by one of our rebels, Ashe Higgs. So, super excited for this. By the time-

Robb: Ash is kind of a renaissance man.

Nicki: He is.

Robb: Breath work, grip work. All kinds of stuff.

Nicki: He led our cold shower challenge earlier this year. Always good stuff with him. This Sunday, June 13th, one of our rebels, Matt Otto, will be leading us through a group guided meditation. He has a phenomenal background in meditation, so he offered to do this for our members. So excited for that. And then, next week on Monday, we’re starting our next book club. This one is going to be The Natural Navigator by Tristan Gooley and our rebel, Colin Walke, will be leading us through this one. And that one is really cool because it’s about learning to read the signs that nature provides to navigate.

Robb: And this is not like Madame Ruby, show up at fortune teller. This is actually like… Zoe was checking out something similar to this and I was looking at my weather app. I’m like, “Oh, it’s probably going to rain tomorrow.” And she was like, “Well, yeah, Dad. Of course. Those clouds were this serrated pattern and that means rain coming.” And I’m like, “Well, okay.”

Nicki: There’s a lot in the natural environment, a lot of clues that nature provides, that let us know not only directional things, but what’s happening weather pattern wise and all this stuff that most of us, all of us, damn near all of us, have completely lost any knowledge of this. Unless you are outdoors and working outside as a survival expert or in the military and doing-

Robb: Land ops or something like that.

Nicki: Land ops and stuff. So, yeah. Anyway. Super excited for this next book club. Again, all of these events are free with your Healthy Rebellion membership. We also have a lot of really fun stuff coming up later in the summer, too, which we will share in coming episodes. Let’s see. What else did I want to share? We did just wrap up our spring Rebel Reset and we had a lot of wonderful success stories and people sharing transformation stories and whatnot. I just picked one out that I wanted to share because I feel like the mindset component for any… for all of us when we are doing any kind of challenge or working towards body composition shift or anything like this, the mindset piece ends up being the thing that-

Robb: Makes or breaks.

Nicki: … kind of makes or breaks it. Yeah. Can kind of be the thing that hamstrings us. So, Sarah posted inside our Rebel Reset spring group and I just wanted to share this with y’all. She said, “So, when I started this reset, I thought it was my body comp that needed the most change. And don’t get me wrong. That did need attention. But the further along I got, the more I realized it was my mindset that needed the most work. I have done elimination diets before, so I’m no stranger to the protocol, but journaling with the workbook every day, I found that regardless of how awesome I was really doing, my brain was constantly telling me that I was screwing it all up. Even if a check-in indicated clear progress in the right direction, it was like some part of me refused to believe that I was really doing it. Really being successful.

Nicki: In the end, I’m happy with my results. I still have a long way to go to meet my big goals, but I’m seven pounds lighter and two inches smaller around my waist, plus 2.25 inches smaller around my hips. Everything fits better, including my tight pants, and the best part is I don’t just look I lost weight. I look firmer. I hesitate to say more muscular LOL as I’m really a long way from that, but even my mother-in-law noticed and commented on that. I have a lot of work to do on the other pillars, movement, community, and especially sleep, and I’m looking forward to the summer off from teaching to work on those.” She says, “I’m most grateful, though, for the mental work I have done this past 30 days. Teaching myself to be kind to myself is definitely a journey, but I feel like I’m taking steps down the right path. So, even though doing a hardcore reset during the last month of a very stressful and hectic school year seemed like a crazy thing to do, I am so glad I did.”

Robb: I don’t… Maybe I do want to belabor this a little bit. It’s interesting in that what we’ve put together here is kind of the condensation of working with people for 20 years. Like, we didn’t… There’s not a randomized controlled study that shows that this type of shit works. That this community-driven reset with an elimination thing and find your… It’s been these different challenges people face. When I first started off in this, it was like low-carb… the lower the carb, the better. For everybody, forever, for all time. And that worked for some people and it failed other folks. And so eventually, 10 years in, the seven-day carb test pops up and becomes part of this. And then it was like, man, people really need accountability. Well, what about some type of journaling.

Robb: So, this thing’s kind of evolved over time and I guess it’s kind of giving us a little bit of props on that. It’s not the only option out there in the world, but I’m just kind of tripping on the efficacy as this goes forward. And now that we have a bigger team, like Jess and Squatchy and Elizabeth and everybody, and the community itself provide input on where the failure points are on this thing and we can plug those little leaks. If we change the mindset on people, like fuck. What can’t they do? They’re off and running. And then people mainly stick around for the community, which is also very, very cool. A little accountability, but definitely the community and just having that like-minded group of people. But it’s pretty cool.

Nicki: Mm-hmm (affirmative). For sure. Our next Rebel Reset is coming up in September, so if-

Robb: You have some time to gear up for that.

Nicki: … that’s something that you want to do, that’s coming up.

Robb: And as you’ve said and to shamelessly promote, we have a ton of different week-long resets like this breath work and doing-

Nicki: I will dangle out there, too… Sarah and Grayson from Basis Health and Performance New York. They recently relocated to New York. But they will be leading us through another strength program here coming up in just a few weeks. Again, exclusive to the Healthy Rebellion community. Okay, let’s move on to our news topic. What do you have for us today?

Robb: It is a piece from Opinion India. OpIndia, which is interesting that you are only seeing stories like this from outside the United States and/or from, quote, right-wing media. But the title is US immunologist who had emailed Dr. Fauci that coronavirus “looked engineered” deletes Twitter account after his lies were exposed. This guy, Kristian Andersen, who is a researcher at the Scripps Institute, seems like a pretty decorated researcher. Seems like a legit scientist and everything. Early in this story around lab leak versus natural origin, he did some very hard lines in the sand, basically dismissing any possibility that this was of lab origin. Had a piece published in Nature to that effect. One of his co-authors was supposed to debate Bret Weinstein in an upcoming podcast that they were going to do and the guy just backed out. As this is recording, all this shit is kind of playing out. It was interesting. When the Freedom of Information Act request came out and people starting sifting through these mountains of emails, one of the emails that went to Dr. Fauci was from this Christian Anderson and basically suggesting that it looked like some… not a huge amount, but a very important section of the viral genome appeared to be modified.

Nicki: Potentially engineered, I think was the way he worded it.

Robb: And was not consistent with evolutionary processes, which I think is… This is the thing that Bret and Heather beat the… Fuck. I’ve got to give Bret some-

Nicki: I remember first reading this guy’s name… I probably had seen it earlier in the year in discussions of lab leak versus natural origin. But that Nicholas Wade piece quoted him. As him saying there’s absolutely no way this could have come from a lab.

Robb: Dismissing the-

Nicki: Dismissing the furin cleavage site and all of that. And then the funniest thing is when that Freedom of Act… When that email came out and it’s from him to Fauci talking about that it potentially looks like it could’ve been engineered, you went to his Twitter account and he said something like-

Robb: He said, “Wow. In a twist of the story, I’m now being heralded as a…”

Nicki: A hero.

Robb: “… a hero in this,” which I couldn’t make-

Nicki: Which was like… Robb read that to me and I’m like… This guy must be crazy. How would you feel like you’re a hero when you’re basically being-

Robb: And I said, “Please help me. I’m just a state-schooled bachelor’s degree, but how does this in any way make you a hero?” And that got deleted. Now, it looks like he pulled down his account. There was some discussion that maybe he had put something back up and now he’s trying to re-enter the fray, but he had initially deleted a number of the tweets that were specific to these claims that there was no… This is something that, again… Just to back this up, he wrote and emailed to Dr. Fauci saying that there was the potential that this had been engineered and then, subsequent to that, published a piece in Nature and-

Nicki: Saying there’s no way it could ever possibly come from a lab.

Robb: There’s clearly some sort of duplicity going on here. If that’s not duplicitous, I really don’t know what is. So, don’t know what the final story is on this, but these crazy conspiracy theories appear to be gaining some momentum.

Nicki: Well, not momentum. It’s actually looking like it’s not such a conspiracy theory after all.

Robb: Yes.

Nicki: I mean, momentum in a conspiracy theory makes me think that it’s still a conspiracy theory that a lot of people are buying into.

Robb: There’s still a shit load of people who think that the lab origin thing… And now it’s getting… It’s been fascinating to see… Now, it’s just becoming a story of, well, of course, they’ve changed their mind. That’s what science is. And this isn’t how this has been played at all. Again, just to give big props to Bret and Heather and I think we’ve done a half-decent job of this, which is here’s what our understanding is. Here’s the other understanding. It looks like this is probably the more robust thing, but here’s this other piece. If it were to gain some prominence, then here’s some things that we might see. There was none of that from him and from a host of people like that.

Nicki: As Bret and Heather have said repeatedly, when you do science, you lay all the hypotheses out on the table. And in the beginning, this wasn’t even… You could not even entertain this hypothesis without being canceled or labeled a kook. So, in the beginning-

Robb: Do we go down a little bit of the why of that?

Nicki: Do you want to?

Robb: Sure. Why not? So, the why on that is because President… then President Trump said that this was a lab origin. Now, there were a bunch of other things that got attached to that. That it’s a bio-weapon. That it was done purposefully. There was a bunch of other stuff. Like, each one of these claims needs another layer of support. But the fundamental thing… Even within big trenches of the media, they have said it was our responsibility to dismiss this because, gee, whiz, look at the source that it’s coming from. My only point to that… And this is something that… If you dig back… If somebody were to dig back through the totality of my Twitter interactions with people, you will never once see me, when I’m debating people, ask them, “What are your credentials?” I’ve never done that once. I don’t give two shits what the person’s credentials are. Sometimes it’s nice for a little bit of context, but I’m always mainly interested in what’s your position on a particular topic.

Robb: When we’re just dealing with information… One of the sharpest people I know in the world on biochemistry and metabolism is a guy, Mike Julian, whose main line of work is HVAC engineering type stuff. He has no formal education in any of this nutrition and metabolism stuff and that guy can tie me in knots on this. It’s just one of these straw man ridiculous things that people use to dismiss these things and… What the heck was my point to that? Thinking through-

Nicki: Well, it was dismissed because Orange Man-

Robb: Because Orange Man suggested it.

Nicki: … suggested that was a potential source and so then it couldn’t be that.

Robb: So, my pointer to that is if people consider themselves to be open-minded, progressive, whatever, you got to be really careful with dismissing something out of hand from any source. Certainly you can… There have been things from Alex Jones and stuff like that that I’m like, oh, that’s interesting but Alex is kind of crazy, so I don’t know. I don’t know if this is just a personality type difference of what, but I definitely have opinions on different things. Like, oh, this doesn’t really make sense.

Robb: At the very beginning of the pandemic, when people in, quote, the ancestral health community that were saying that COVID was broadcast by 5G, I was just like, oh, this is bullshit. But what I did instead of attacking… What I did is I looked at does this mechanistically make sense at all from a scientific perspective and I tackled it first from can you get a viral infection from 5G and unpack that. And then I went further and made the case that, from my understanding and from my dig into the physics and electromagnetic spectrum and everything, I don’t even see how this stuff is problematic at all. We have had internal discussions around this, where you’ve been more concerned about routers and stuff like that and I’m like, “I just don’t see the problem here.” I reserve the right to amend my position if other data comes later. But it’s bullshit to backtrack on this and say, “Well, because the source was questionable, we had to automatically question it.” No, you don’t. That’s simple-minded thinking.

Nicki: If you think it through and it’s a viable hypothesis, then that hypothesis deserves to be on the table with the rest of them.

Robb: Done.

Nicki: Let’s see. It’s time for our t-shirt review winner of this week. It goes to Water544 music note, music note, music note, emoji. I guess. She says, “Nothing but great. Superb health and wellness information without being dogmatic. I’m also glad that they continue to express opinions beyond that. It’s still America, after all. Keep up the great work. PS: LMNT mango chili is amazing.”

Robb: It is pretty darn good.

Nicki: It is. Let’s see here. Water544, thank you for your review. Send us an email to hello@robbwolf.com with your t-shirt size and your mailing address and we’ll send you a Healthy Rebellion Radio t-shirt. The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our salty AF electrolyte company, LMNT. Today, I wanted to read an email that we received recently from one of our Healthy Rebellion Radio podcast listeners and also an LMNT customer. This is from Tamara. Tamara says, “Hi there. After many months of hearing you guys talk about the importance of electrolytes and how none of the products really have a meaningful amount, I finally broke down when you offered your sample pack. I’ve been a competitive athlete, runner… mountain bike and cyclocross racing and I feel like I’m pretty knowledgeable about nutrition. However, I’ve just not given enough credence to electrolytes. Since I mostly follow a low-carb lifestyle, I heard you. Okay, now to my feedback about your product. Holy cats! It’s freaking amazing!” That tells me that she’s been a follower of yours for-

Robb: For a while.

Nicki: … a long time. Because you haven’t said holy cats in like several years.

Robb: There hasn’t been anything holy cats worthy for a long time.

Nicki: Well, Tamara was around back in the early holy cats days. She says, “Our first sampling was before a ride and, afterwards, both me and my hubs were commenting on how great we felt. It was my second ride after COVID. Fortunately, a very mild case, but it still kicked my butt. And I was shocked at how good my legs were. We’ve tried all the flavors and love them all. I tell everyone about this stuff and share it with friends. I know you’ve heard it all before, but this stuff really is the best and I regret not buying it sooner. Thank you so much to all of you for creating this product and for being a guiding light for health, sensibility, and civility. Best of health to you.”

Robb: Thank you.

Nicki: That’s pretty darn cool. Thank you, Tamara. I also am going to… I’m going to let the cat out of the bag on our newest LMNT flavor.

Robb: I hope you know what you’re doing here.

Nicki: You don’t think I should?

Robb: I don’t know. Go for it. I mean-

Nicki: It officially releases on June-

Robb: We’re co-founders, so they can’t totally fire us.

Nicki: It officially releases on June 15th.

Robb: When does this go live?

Nicki: And this episode goes live on the 11th. So, they’re getting a four-day sneak preview of the flavor.

Robb: Okay. Fine by me.

Nicki: Yeah, it’s like a perk to being a listener.

Robb: Okay.

Nicki: All right. I’m going to let you know that this is my favorite flavor out of all the ones that we currently had. Have. We did chat about this in one of our Healthy Rebellion community chats. The one gal… They were guessing and I was giving a couple of hints. The girl that guessed, she goes, “I sure hope it’s not that flavor because that’s my least favorite flavor. I hate things that are flavored this flavor.” So, anyway. We’ll see if-

Robb: It happened so fast. I don’t even think anybody else noticed, but…

Nicki: All right. It’s great. It’s great by itself. It’s great with vodka. It is grapefruit.