Mastering Nutrition

How Lactate Alkalinizes Your Muscles Sep 06, 2024

For a long time, most people believed that when we exercise, our muscles make lactic acid, this acidifies the muscles, and the acidity contributes to contractile failure, fatigue, and delayed-onset muscle soreness. Some people still believe this.

You may have heard the argument against it from well-known figures like Andy Galpin, or, if you’re deep into the science, you may have read the work of George Brooks.

In this lesson, we are going to cover the biochemistry of lactate production. We will see that we never make lactic acid, ever. We make lactate. Making lactate is fundamentally alkalinizing.

We will take a look at the presentation of glycolysis in the Berg and Lehninger biochemistry textbooks to see that, on the one hand, they give us everything we need to know to understand that the human body never makes lactic acid, but, on the other hand, they really do not equip us well to understand where acidity does comes from during exercise. This is because they do not consider acid-base balance important enough to completely present the proton balances of the chemical reactions.

Finally, we will cover what does cause muscular fatigue, take a look at the research on lactate supplements, and come to some conclusions about the best way to manage acidity during exercise to maximize performance.

This is part of a larger course on the biochemistry of how we derive energy from food and use it to fuel our wellness, performance, and longevity. Take the full course here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/masterclass-with-masterjohn-energy

To see the slides, watch this lesson on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrpbLllsSHQ

To obtain the written version with timestamped slides for better studying, see here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/how-lactate-alkalinizes-your-muscles

This lesson is free for one week. After that it will be reserved for Masterpass members. You can learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

You can subscribe to the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

2:52 How textbooks present glycolysis

3:36 What is acidity?

4:32 The acidfying and alkalinizing phases of glycolysis

7:09 Glycolysis: A brief review

10:08 The Principles

29:33 The Reactions -- and Where the Textbooks Go Wrong

38:59 Human beings do not make lactic acid

42:13 Lactate transport is even more alkalinizing to muscle

47:44 Robert Robergs Fights an Uphill Battle in Clarifying the Sources of Acidity and the Alkalinizing Effect of Lactate

1:01:08 What causes fatigue?

1:05:15 Does CO2 contribute to acidity?

1:13:45 Where is Glycolysis Getting Backed Up?

1:23:10 Conclusiuons: What's realy going on with exercise-induced acidosis.

1:26:34 Lactate supplements

1:30:53 How to use this information in training for optimal performance.

D-Lactate: Groundbreaking Research No One Is Talking About Jul 31, 2024

D-lactate is commonly stated to be exclusively a microbial metabolite.

This is found in assumptions within the medical literature for decades even when it was long-known to be false.

While D-lactate is indeed made by bacteria, D-lactate is also inarguably and irrefutably produced by human enzymes.

In this podcast, moreover, I will argue the following:

Microbial contribution to D-lactate in humans under normal circumstances is negligible.

I coin the term “the D-lactate shuttle” to describe a role for D-lactate that should eventually make its way into biochemistry textbooks alongside the malate-aspartate shuttle and the glycerol phosphate shuttle.

The D-lactate shuttle operates alongside these other shuttles to balance the priorities of conserving cytosolic NAD+, reducing cytosolic acidity, bypassing complex I, or generating ATP. It is uniquely useful as a shuttle when there is an absolute deficit of niacin or NAD(H).

D-lactate is an important contributor to gluconeogenesis that could account for up to 11% of it and rival an individual amino acid.

While D-lactate concentrations in human plasma are infinitesimal, when the downstream metabolism of D-lactate and L-lactate are blocked by genetic disorders, the concentrations of the two forms are similar in plasma. This contrasts wildly with the common claim that flux through D-lactate is “minuscule.” Most likely D-lactate is produced in considerable quantities in liver and kidney but is rarely secreted into plasma because doing so would risk neurotoxicity.

D-lactate should be taken seriously for its potential role in Parkinson’s and in neurological problems generally, for its role in diabetes, and for its extremely underappreciated roles in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the respiratory chain.

Oxalate powerfully impairs D-lactate clearance, so D-lactate should be investigated as a potential link between oxalate and autism, and oxalate-lowering strategies should be seen as a way to improve D-lactate clearance and reduce its potential role in diabetes and neurological disorders.

See the sections on riboflavin, zinc manganese, and glutathione in Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, as well as Does CoQ10 Deserve a Spot on Your Longevity Plan? and the How to Detox Manganese guide for managing the relevant nutrients.

Read the written version for live links and references: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/d-lactate-groundbreaking-research

Handling Creatine Side Effects Jul 12, 2024

In this podcast we cover elevated creatinine, insomnia, cramps constipation, water retention, hair loss, irritation and anger, lightheadedness during lifting, bloating, aggravation of restless leg syndrome, irritation of asthma, bloody noses, anxiety, headaches, heart palpitations, twitching, and fast or slow heartbeat.

The full podcast and article can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/handling-creatine-side-effects

Your Cells Are Starving For Creatine Jul 12, 2024

Creatine is like your second mitochondria. Or, the mitochondria’s chief of staff. Or its co-pilot.

Your mitochondria make ATP so you can see clearly, hear accurately, digest your food, power your brain, show off your your shiny skin, lift heavy things, and perform your best at the challenges you face. They do that all with the help of creatine.

Creatine is responsible for spreading the impact of mitochondrial ATP production into the general area of the cell known as the cytosol, and into every organelle outside the mitochondria.

While it is more important in cells with high ATP requirements, variable ATP requirements, and long distances between mitochondria and the source of ATP utilization, it is still incredibly important in every cell.

There is no point in optimizing your mitochondria if you don’t also optimize your creatine.

Many people may believe that the high muscle creatine stores that athletes achieve with creatine supplements are “unnatural” and something not achievable until creatine supplements were available.

Here, I argue that nothing could be further from the truth. Every muscle fiber wants to be exactly as rich in creatine as achieved with creatine supplementation.

All of your cells want to be rich in creatine. Your brain is dying to be this rich in creatine. Your muscles are starving to be this rich in creatine.

It is completely natural to be this rich in creatine, yet most of us in the modern era who don’t supplement just aren’t that optimized.

The creatine we require to be optimized is likely etched deep into our beings by our ancestral consumption of one to two pounds of meat per day. When red and rare, one pound can give the dose that saturates tissue stores. When white and well done, two pounds may be required.

But can we synthesize enough creatine ourselves when all the precursors in place?

Here we examine that question.

But first, a brief review of creatine’s lesser known benefits.

This is educational in nature and not medical or dietetic advice.

The article version has live links, graphs, and references:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/your-cells-are-starving-for-creatine

Handling Creatine Side Effects will be released as a podcast tomorrow but is available as a written article right now:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/handling-creatine-side-effects

Is Whole Food Vitamin C Really Different? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #330 Dec 18, 2023

Question: Is whole food vitamin C superior to natural because it is part of a tyrosinase complex?

Short Answer: Vitamin C is nearly ubiquitously distributed in plant tissues, and is never bound to any enzyme as a structural complex. Vitamin C promotes absorption of iron from plant foods, inhibits copper absorption, and de-loads copper from ceruloplasmin, which may play a role in distributing copper to tissues. Vitamin C is not capable of destroying ceruloplasmin. These functions follow directly from vitamin C as an electron donor and there is no evidence whatsoever that whole food vitamin C behaves differently in these respects than synthetic vitamin C. However, daily needs in most contexts are 2-400 milligrams of vitamin C per day, which is below the dose shown to potentially cause problems with copper. Getting this from whole foods or whole food supplements is better than using synthetic vitamin C because it avoids GMO corn and Chinese synthetics and provides a host of other beneficial constituents alongside the vitamin C.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful?
What's the Deal With Seed Oils?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else?
What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios?
Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen?
If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox?
Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4?
What to do about low alkaline phosphatase?
If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals?
Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly.
Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+?
How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter?
Is monounsaturated fat the best fat?
Manganese followup.
Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test?
What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low?
NAD infusions, yay or nay?
Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine?
Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick?
Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger?
Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl?
How much eating out is too much?
When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

What's the Deal With Seed Oils? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #329 Dec 04, 2023

Question: What Is the Real Issue With Seed Oils? Short Answer: The main issue with seed oils is that they present an oxidative liability. They do not acutely cause oxidative stress, but their polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are more vulnerable than any other macronutrient to oxidative damage. Oxidative stress can increase because of nutrient deficiencies, toxins, infections, other sources of inflammation, alcohol, or smoking, and it will inevitably increase as a function of aging. As oxidative stress increases, more PUFAs in the tissues mean more damage. At least 0.6 milligrams of vitamin E should be gotten per gram of PUFA in the diet, but vitamin E cannot fully protect against PUFA, so their intake should be moderated to the very low levels needed, as obtained by eating fatty fish once or twice a week, eating eggs daily, and eating 4-8 ounces of liver per week. Additional secondary problems with them include residual solvents and heat damage prior to intake, but the main issue is that we do not want to increase our tissue PUFA content more than needed.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful?
Is Whole Food Vitamin C Really Different?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else?
What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios?
Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen?
If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox?
Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4?
What to do about low alkaline phosphatase?
If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals?
Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly.
Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+?
How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter?
Is monounsaturated fat the best fat?
Manganese followup.
Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test?
What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low?
NAD infusions, yay or nay?
Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine?
Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick?
Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger?
Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl?
How much eating out is too much?
When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Is Hair Mineral Testing Useful? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #328 Nov 20, 2023

Question: How useful is hair trace mineral analysis (HTMA) for nutritional testing?

Short Answer: Hair trace mineral analysis is included as an optional add-on in the comprehensive nutritional screening from Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, because it can capture data for some ultra-trace minerals for which there are no better-validated tests, and it might capture a pattern that might not be picked up as quickly with blood work, such as a mineral transport issue. However, its utility is limited by the fact that hair mineral content is not well validated as a test for any specific mineral, is generally anti-validated when there is enough science on a mineral (such as zinc, where hair zinc does not go down in deficiency), and should not be used as a central piece of data without corroboration from other more well-validated tests, which exist for most of the nutrients.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

What's the Deal With Seed Oils?
Is Whole Food Vitamin C Really Different?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else?
What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios?
Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen?
If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox?
Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4?
What to do about low alkaline phosphatase?
If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals?
Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly.
Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+?
How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter?
Is monounsaturated fat the best fat?
Manganese followup.
Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test?
What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low?
NAD infusions, yay or nay?
Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine?
Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick?
Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger?
Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl?
How much eating out is too much?
When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55 Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Secrets to Superior Cognitive Performance (Without Drugs) Nov 17, 2023

Nutrition is far more powerful than drugs to improve cognitive performance.

We start by looking at cocaine, Adderall, and Ritalin, and show why these drugs cannot possibly hold a candle to nutrition.

Optimal nutrition can definitely optimize the function of dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, histamine, creatine, and the methylation system, and in doing so can simultaneously optimize focus, motivation, sustained attention, and mental flexibility, and methylation, all while eliminating anxiety, depression, and distraction.

Yet, popular nutritional cognitive stacks in the nootropic space do not have convincing evidence behind them, and this is probably a result of them trying to do too many things in one capsule.

This presentation covers the low-hanging fruit of nutrition for brain power, supplements that help, the importance of individual nutritional optimization, and the central power of finding one's genetic "health super-unlock."

For my simple protocol to optimize methylation, see here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

For more detail on finding your own personal genetic health super-unlock, see here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-longevity

Vitamin C, Whole Food Vs. Synthetic: Does It Matter? Nov 16, 2023

Debunking the myth that vitamin C in plants is found in a special "tyrosinase complex."

For the written article with references, see here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/vitamin-c-whole-food-vs-synthetic

For issues of vitamin C dosing and balancing with other nutrients, see these two links:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-powerful-duo-how-glutathione

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/balancing-vitamin-c-and-glutathione-d6f

Fact-Checking Gary Brecka on Rogan: A Deep Dive into MTHFR and Methylation Nov 14, 2023

Watch or listen to the full critique here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMPvCiOkEtQ

Cancer, IV Drips, and the Glutathione Vitamin C Connection Nov 06, 2023

Is high-dose vitamin C good for you?

High-dose intravenous vitamin C can selectively kill cancer cells in live patients and can save sepsis patients from dying, but it acts as a pro-oxidant in cancer and an antioxidant in sepsis.

So what does it do in the rest of us?

Oral doses of 2000 milligrams raise oxalate levels in most people, and as little as 400 milligrams raises oxalate in some people.

This seems to be the most sensitive indicator of a delicate imbalance with glutathione and other factors needed to recycle vitamin C. Such a balance actually needs to be avoided when killing cancer yet is critical to maintaining health in every other context.

Given that vitamin C is important to immunity and general health, how do we take advantage of these benefits without upsetting the delicate balance with glutathione and the propensity to generate oxalate?

That is the topic of this podcast.

This podcast is a preview of a video only available to Masterpass members.

Get evergreen access to the video and podcast, as well as the written article with references, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/balancing-vitamin-c-and-glutathione-d6f

How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #327 Nov 06, 2023

Question: How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity? Short Answer: Autoimmune conditions are likely driven by deficiencies of vitamins A and D, which contribute to post-infectious autoimmunity by compromising the rhythmic rise and fall of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and to autoimmunity regardless of infections through impaired suppression of Th17 helper T cells. More broadly, infections and tissue damage are the most likely drivers of autoimmunity onset. However, energy metabolism governs everything through the second law of thermodynamics, which holds that energy must be used to prevent everything from randomly mixing, and this includes randomly mixing the immune defense against pathogens with immune attacks on the host. In this example, we discuss how a respiratory chain disorder would compromise absorption and distribution of zinc and compromise the oxidation of NADH to NAD+, and how both of these would interact with a genetic impairment in acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to prevent the activation of vitamin A to retinoic acid. Autoimmunity thus results as one of many symptoms of vitamin A deficiency driven not by lack of vitamin A, but rather by impaired activation of vitamin A, secondary to impaired energy metabolism.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-nac-biofilms-vitamin

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

Can NAC hurt your gut health?
Why Would Vitamin C Cause Joint Pain, Muscle Pain, and Brain Fog?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the May 13, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

GLA to lower hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one?
When would I use the StrateGene and Genova Methylation Panel for nutritional testing?
Energy metabolism as a root cause of gut issues?
Nutrition for skin healing?
Nutrition for hypnic jerks?
Suggestions for snoring or sleep apnea?
Nutrition to protect against restaurant meals?
What is the cause of crusty eyes in the morning?
What causes brain fog?
How much oxalate should one eat each day?
Should I be concerned about low alkaline phosphatase?
What nutrients give tall children to short parents?
Energy metabolism impairment mimicking Wilson's disease.
Can taking digestive enzymes reduce our own production?
Rapid-fire response to non-winners from the question contest.

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-may

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

The Powerful Duo: How Glutathione and Vitamin C IV Drips Impact Cancer Nov 01, 2023

High-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C has the potential to kill cancer cells and prolong the survival of terminal cancer patients.

This podcast is a preview, the full video is available only to Masterpass members.

See the written article with links to references here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-powerful-duo-how-glutathione

Subscribe to the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. Please do not make cancer prevention or treatment decisions based on this information and if you make any such decisions discuss them with your physician first.

Startled?! Try Glycine! Oct 28, 2023

The ability to become startled is an adaptive behavior that protects us from being injured by a sudden threat, and prepares us for the fight-or-flight response when necessary.

Nevertheless, getting startled too easily can be a sign that something is wrong.

Here's what to do about it.

For the written version with links to references and links to testing, see here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/startled-try-glycine

Hormones Are Never In Charge Oct 27, 2023

Hormones matter, but they are never in charge. Their abnormalities are never the root cause of anything.

All hormones do is communicate the biochemistry of one tissue to the biochemistry of another tissue.

In this episode:

Three Reasons For Hormones to Be Messed Up
Exceptions to the Rule
Leptin, Insulin, and Thyroid Hormone As an Example
How to Approach Hormones

For the written version, the links to references, and the links to testing, see here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/hormones-are-never-in-charge

Biotin’s Health Benefits: Way Beyond Hair and Nails Oct 26, 2023

Most people who take biotin take it for their hair and nails. Yet biotin does much more than this. Learn what to use it for, how much to take, and how to avoid adverse effects in less than ten minutes.

Read the written and fully referenced version here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/biotins-health-benefits-way-beyond

Get my short and sweet tips on each nutrient in the Cliff Notes here:

https://chris-masterjohn-phd.myshopify.com/products/the-vitamins-and-minerals-101-cliff-notes

It's free to Masterpass members here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/paid-subscribers-now-have-free-access

Exposing Harmful Supplements: Biotin's Dark Side Oct 24, 2023

This is how to use a simple home measurement to expose the harmful effects of a supplement before they even happen.

Read the article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-dark-side-of-biotin

Subscribe to my newsletter to get my series on improving respiratory chain function as soon as new articles come out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

See the "super unlock" article here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-longevity

Why Would Vitamin C cause muscle pain, joint pain, and brain fog? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #326 Oct 23, 2023

Question: Why Would Vitamin C cause muscle pain, joint pain, and brain fog? Short Answer: Acutely, vitamin C would likely cause these effects by generating oxalate, which could cause crystals that lead to muscle and joint pain, and could cut energy metabolism in half, leading to brain fog. This vulnerability could result from deficiencies of any of the B vitamins, any of the electrolytes, or of iron, copper, or sulfur; from diabetes, low adrenals, or hypothyroidism; or from any of the hundreds of genetic defects in energy metabolism, only one of which is glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency; or any one of a huge number of toxins that impair energy metabolism. Chronically, vitamin C may increase the harms of iron overload or contribute to copper deficiency. The main ways to manage these latter issues are to take vitamin C away from meals, to maintain good copper status through proper dietary intake, and to treat iron overload with phlebotomy.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-nac-biofilms-vitamin

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

Can NAC hurt your gut health?
How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the May 13, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

GLA to lower hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one?
When would I use the StrateGene and Genova Methylation Panel for nutritional testing?
Energy metabolism as a root cause of gut issues?
Nutrition for skin healing?
Nutrition for hypnic jerks?
Suggestions for snoring or sleep apnea?
Nutrition to protect against restaurant meals?
What is the cause of crusty eyes in the morning?
What causes brain fog?
How much oxalate should one eat each day?
Should I be concerned about low alkaline phosphatase?
What nutrients give tall children to short parents?
Energy metabolism impairment mimicking Wilson's disease.
Can taking digestive enzymes reduce our own production?
Rapid-fire response to non-winners from the question contest.

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-may

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why You Need THIS Supplement On a High-Protein Diet: Game-Changing Effects Explained by a PhD Oct 18, 2023

If you are eating a high-protein diet, you probably aren’t getting enough biotin.

This is especially true if you are a protein-fueled athlete and find your skin too oily, too itchy, or too red; if your blood sugar is getting out of control; or if you simply feel down in the dumps. And it’s especially true if you find your hands or feet tingling or get subtle sensations of something crawling on your skin.

Alternatively, if you’re pregnant or looking to conceive, this is something you really need to understand.

This is a free preview of an episode reserved for Masterpass members.

Get the full episode as well as the written and fully referenced article here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/high-protein-you-need-more-biotin

Why High-Dose Biotin Could be the Answer for Your Blood Sugar, Brains, and Beauty Oct 18, 2023

The use of high-dose biotin supplements has increased almost 30-fold over the last twenty years for such problems as diabetes, smell and taste disorders, disorders of the hair, skin, and nails, and multiple sclerosis.

Studies show it can improve diabetes, and case reports show it can miraculously recover lost smell and taste even when smell and taste were lost as a result of surgery or the side effects of medications or other supplements.

Yet, some studies show multiple sclerosis gets worse on high-dose biotin. I personally developed clumsiness, short-term memory loss, and a short temper on high-dose biotin.

Some studies show it makes blood sugar get better, yet it made my blood sugar get worse.

High-dose biotin can also cause wide-ranging errors in lab tests with the potential to mask recent heart attacks, pregnancies, or allergies; to misdiagnose thyroid conditions; to give false signals about the presence or progression of tumors; to falsely raise vitamin D, B12, and folate levels; to falsely alter many hormone levels; to generate false positives for HIV and hepatitis; and to lead to unnecessary surgery and possibly even death as a result of diagnostic errors.

Most people need more biotin than they get.

Some one in 30 people need high-dose biotin for genetic reasons, and most other people should be getting lower doses.

So, how do we know how much we need, and whether we are getting the right amount? When is the right time to break open the bottle of the ten-milligram capsules?

This article covers the safety and efficacy of high-dose biotin for all the conditions documented in the literature, its potential anti-fertility effects, and how and when to balance it with other vitamins.

This podcast is a preview of a podcast reserved for Masterpass members.

Get permanent access to the video and podcast, and get the written and fully referenced article, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/when-high-dose-biotin-is-truly-needed

A PhD's Secret Weapon: The Four Biomarkers Every Expert Should, But Doesn’t, Analyze Oct 13, 2023

The most useful tests are the ones no one ever orders.

This podcast is available for free for 48 hours, and then will only be available to Masterpass members.

The written and fully referenced article, the podcast, and the permanently available video can be found here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/how-to-interpret-ketone-ratios-and

Can NAC hurt your gut health? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #325 Oct 09, 2023

Question: Can NAC hurt your gut health? Short Answer: N-acetylcysteine or NAC can be used at a dose of 600 to 2,400 milligrams per day for 5-10 days to disrupt biofilms and make it easier for antimicrobials to kill bacteria. Animal studies suggest that acute doses up to 6 grams do not deplete mucus or cause ulceration, but that an acute dose of 17.5 grams can deplete mucus and cause ulcers within two hours. Human studies suggest that 10 grams per day can be used for 24 weeks with fewer than 1 in 6 people complaining of gastrointestinal side effects. Yet, chronic use of NAC will thin the mucus, disrupt the biofilms used by normal healthy microbiota, and possibly deliver excessive sulfur to certain components of the microbiome. Therefore, I would not use it except for specific, targeted reasons, and I would not use it at a dose higher than needed or for a duration longer than needed.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-nac-biofilms-vitamin

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

Why Would Vitamin C cause muscle pain, joint pain, and brain fog?
How to Find the Root Cause of Autoimmunity?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

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https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the May 13, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

GLA to lower hydroxyhaemopyrrolin-2-one?
When would I use the StrateGene and Genova Methylation Panel for nutritional testing?
Energy metabolism as a root cause of gut issues?
Nutrition for skin healing?
Nutrition for hypnic jerks?
Suggestions for snoring or sleep apnea?
Nutrition to protect against restaurant meals?
What is the cause of crusty eyes in the morning?
What causes brain fog?
How much oxalate should one eat each day?
Should I be concerned about low alkaline phosphatase?
What nutrients give tall children to short parents?
Energy metabolism impairment mimicking Wilson's disease.
Can taking digestive enzymes reduce our own production?
Rapid-fire response to non-winners from the question contest.

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-may Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

How I Found My Health “Super Unlock” After 20 Years of Research and 20,000 Genes Tested Oct 08, 2023

Each person has one to six highly unique unlocks that will only work for them, and this is how to find them. This podcast is only available here for the next 48 hours.

This video is a free preview of a full-length 69-minute podcast. You can access the full video, full podcast, and the written and fully referenced article here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/unlocking-performance-and-longevity

How can I protect against oxalates? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #324 Sep 25, 2023

Question: How can I protect against oxalates? Short Answer: Getting 300-400 mg calcium between food and supplements at each meal will minimize oxalate absorption. Maintaining postprandial urine pH in the 6.4-6.8 range by getting 3-5 grams of potassium per day from food or from organic acid salts such as potassium citrate will prevent its crystallization in the kidney. Reducing dietary oxalate will prevent any possible damage in the gut.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-blood-glucose-and-oxalate

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

Why Should Postprandial Glucose Be Kept Under 140 mg/dL?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the April 12, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

What Causes Hypercholesterolemia and Does It Matter?
How to Reverse Coronary Calcification?
How to do a comprehensive nutritional screening
How long after eating improperly cooked egg whites should I wait to take biotin?
Is the extrusion process as harmful as some claim?
How long can one fast before micronutrient deficiencies become an issue?
Do B vitamins compete with each other for absorption?
Why is thirst a symptom of diabetes?
Do I agree with Peter Attia that ApoB should be driven as low as pharmacologically possible?
During a fast, does the body break down muscle?
How do you rest and refeed your brain?
Why would someone have high RBC magnesium but low serum magnesium?
GLA deficiency?
Should we eat for our ethnicity?
How convincing are polyphenol studies?
Can coronary calcium be driven by oxalate?
Citrulline for vasodilation
How to reduce catabolism
Rapid-fire run-through of orphaned questions from the submission contest, including a detailed look at Nadia’s thyroid numbers

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-april

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why Should Postprandial Glucose Be Kept Under 140 mg/dL? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #323 Sep 11, 2023

Question: Why should postprandial blood glucose be kept under 140 milligrams per deciliter? Short Answer: When blood glucose rises above 140 mg/dL, this is the approximate point at which it spills into the polyol pathway at a greater-than-normal rate, which represents a suboptimal state of metabolism that is likely to hurt antioxidant status and compromise detoxification pathways as well as the recycling of vitamin K and folate. It must be kept in mind that a healthy person will adapt to glycemic loads they consume regularly. Thus, a one-time spike above 140 mg/dL should never be used to conclude anything whatsoever. Only repeated spikes above this level with repeated consumption of the same glycemic load over several days to several weeks should be used as a cause for concern.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-blood-glucose-and-oxalate

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

How can I protect against oxalates?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the April 12, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

What Causes Hypercholesterolemia and Does It Matter?
How to Reverse Coronary Calcification?
How to do a comprehensive nutritional screening
How long after eating improperly cooked egg whites should I wait to take biotin?
Is the extrusion process as harmful as some claim?
How long can one fast before micronutrient deficiencies become an issue?
Do B vitamins compete with each other for absorption?
Why is thirst a symptom of diabetes?
Do I agree with Peter Attia that ApoB should be driven as low as pharmacologically possible?
During a fast, does the body break down muscle?
How do you rest and refeed your brain?
Why would someone have high RBC magnesium but low serum magnesium?
GLA deficiency?
Should we eat for our ethnicity?
How convincing are polyphenol studies?
Can coronary calcium be driven by oxalate?
Citrulline for vasodilation
How to reduce catabolism
Rapid-fire run-through of orphaned questions from the submission contest, including a detailed look at Nadia’s thyroid numbers

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-april

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Methylene Blue in 10 Minutes Sep 02, 2023

Watch the full-length video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhgGGbdw4zE&t=8621s

Get my free 51--page report, Methylene Blue: Biohacker's Delight or Playing With Fire?, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue

Methylene Blue: Biohacker's Delight, or Playing With Fire? Sep 01, 2023

Get the written and referenced version here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue

This is a 51-page guide in which you will learn the following:

The Origin of Methylene Blue

The Entry of Methylene Blue Into Medicine

From Malaria to Many Uses in Medicine

How Methylene Blue Works

A Redox-Reactive Dye

The Blue Bottle Experiment

Methylene Blue Radicals, Photoexcited States, and Demethylated Metabolites

Methylene Blue Can Oxidize and Reduce Many Targets

Methylene Blue Can Rewire the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain

Rewiring the Respiratory Chain Does Not Make It Better

Methylene Blue Increases Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen Peroxide Kills Microbes, Has Hormetic Benefits, But Is Still Ultimately Toxic

Methylene Blue Causes Redox Cycling of Hemoglobin Methylene Blue Is a Strong Monoamine Oxidase A Inhibitor

Methylene Blue Inhibits Nitric Oxide Synthase Mechanistic Conclusions Is Methylene Blue Fundamentally Hormetic?

Methylene Blue Fails in Alzheimer’s, and Causes a Worrisome Side Effect

Whether Methylene Blue Helps Or Hurts Depends on Whether You Need It

Natural Alternatives for Hormesis and Rewiring the Respiratory Chain

Who Should Use Methylene Blue?

Once more you can get it here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-guide-to-methylene-blue

What is the relationship between copper and estrogen? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #322 Aug 28, 2023

Question: What is the relationship between copper and estrogen?

Short Answer: Estrogen moves copper from the mother’s bloodstream to the fetus during pregnancy. Its action at the intestines is poorly understood but I believe estrogen and progesterone interact to promote intestinal copper absorption. Maintaining pregnancy-level hormones while not pregnant poses a risk of promoting too much absorption of copper from food without transferring it to a growing baby. Copper status should be monitored when using supplemental hormones to avoid copper toxicity. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-graying-copper

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

How to slow or reverse graying of hair?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the March 14, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

How to slow or reverse graying of hair?
What about that new erythritol study?
Can nicotinamide riboside cause hemolytic anemia in someone with G6PDH deficiency?
Why is citric acid alkalinizing?
If I switch my vitamin E to tocotrienols, am I missing anything?
Vitamin A deficiency and toxicity symptoms at the same time?
Vitamin A in pregnancy
How long should I wait to measure whole blood riboflavin after making a change to my supplement?
How to stack supplements for blood pressure?
Rejuvant calcium alpha-ketoglutarate for anti-aging?
Are dietary AGEs a problem?
Is it safe to keep taking high-dose zinc?
What’s the best way to get phosphorus?
Weight loss question.
How to eat to 80% full

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-march

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why Would Citrate or Malate Cause Insomnia? Aug 23, 2023

This is now subscribers-only and is available here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/why-would-citrate-or-malate-cause

What to Do About Constipation Aug 22, 2023

This is now subscribers-only and can be accessed here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/what-to-do-about-constipation

How to slow or reverse graying of hair? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #321 Aug 14, 2023

Question: How to slow graying of hairs and potentially reverse it?

Short Answer: What works for any given individual will likely be to find the weakest link and fix it, from among the following systems: the signaling of energy abundance (body fat, insulin sensitivity, thyroid hormone, adequate protein, individualized meeting of carbohydrate needs, good management of psychosocial stress, supporting neuroendocrine signaling with copper, vitamin C, zinc, and glycine, and supporting thyroid function with iodine and selenium); the biochemical infrastructure of energy production (all the B vitamins, iron, copper, sulfur, magnesium, potassium, and managing genetic idiosyncrasies impacting energy metabolism), and antioxidant protection (protein, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, selenium, iron, and manganese). This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-graying-copper

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

What is the relationship between copper and estrogen?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the March 14, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

What is the relationship between copper and estrogen?
What about that new erythritol study?
Can nicotinamide riboside cause hemolytic anemia in someone with G6PDH deficiency?
Why is citric acid alkalinizing?
If I switch my vitamin E to tocotrienols, am I missing anything?
Vitamin A deficiency and toxicity symptoms at the same time?
Vitamin A in pregnancy
How long should I wait to measure whole blood riboflavin after making a change to my supplement?
How to stack supplements for blood pressure?
Rejuvant calcium alpha-ketoglutarate for anti-aging?
Are dietary AGEs a problem?
Is it safe to keep taking high-dose zinc?
What’s the best way to get phosphorus?
Weight loss question.
How to eat to 80% full

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-march

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #320 Jul 31, 2023

Question: How much iron can we absorb at once?

Short Answer: High-dose iron will produce more total absorbed iron, but will also leave more in the gut, which could cause constipation or disturb the gut microbiome. If desperate for quick relief, 200 milligrams per day of iron taken in the morning will work faster than lower doses or the same dose taken in the afternoon. For most people, however, I believe it is best to start with 18 milligrams of iron, and only increase it to 27 or 36 milligrams, or higher, if needed. If it is difficult to raise iron with a supplement, try eating a temporary carnivore diet that includes egg yolks but not whites, or at least try taking your iron with a breakfast that matches this description. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-sulfate-synthesis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun?
What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the February 15, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun?
What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4?
What nutrients are important for long-term PPI use?
For how long does transferrin saturation respond to recent iron-rich food?
Muscle spasms: creatine, creatinine, sodium, and potassium.
Hematologists ignore iron saturation.
How to detox arsenic?
Could folic acid supplements impair BH4 recycling?
How to increase butyrate?
More on hematologists and transferrin saturation.

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-february

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #319 Jul 17, 2023

Question: What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4? Short Answer: Zinc, magnesium, potassium, and niacin are the cofactors needed for the synthesis and recycling of BH4. Folate and methylation are not involved, though high-dose folate or folic acid could hypothetically hurt BH4 recycling since both are recycled by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-sulfate-synthesis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun?
How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the February 15, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun?
How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once?
What nutrients are important for long-term PPI use?
For how long does transferrin saturation respond to recent iron-rich food?
Muscle spasms: creatine, creatinine, sodium, and potassium.
Hematologists ignore iron saturation.
How to detox arsenic?
Could folic acid supplements impair BH4 recycling?
How to increase butyrate?
More on hematologists and transferrin saturation.

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-february

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Is It Important to Get Vitamin D Sulfate Specifically From the Sun? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #318 Jul 03, 2023

Question: Is it important to get vitamin D sulfate specifically from the sun? Short Answer: It is important to get morning outdoor sunlight as close to every day as possible for your circadian rhythm, and to get some exposure to unprotected sunlight during the day when UV is available, but at doses less than needed to cause reddening, and it is equally important to always avoid burning. There are many reasons for this, and the cholesterol sulfate hypothesis — to which the vitamin D sulfate hypothesis is peripheral — is an interesting and worthy hypothesis but should not be the final arbiter of your sun exposure habits. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-sulfate-synthesis

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4?
How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the February 15, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

What cofactors are needed to synthesize and recycle BH4?
How Much Iron Can We Absorb At Once?
What nutrients are important for long-term PPI use?
For how long does transferrin saturation respond to recent iron-rich food?
Muscle spasms: creatine, creatinine, sodium, and potassium.
Hematologists ignore iron saturation.
How to detox arsenic?
Could folic acid supplements impair BH4 recycling?
How to increase butyrate?
More on hematologists and transferrin saturation.

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-february Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

When to Consider Inborn Errors of Metabolism Jun 24, 2023

These are considered rare, yet this reinforces the pattern of never looking for them, leading them to likely be massively under-diagnosed.

Many are highly relevant to nutrition.

Written Version:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/when-to-consider-inborn-errors-of

Mitochondrial Energy Summit:

https://drtalks.com/mitochondrial-summit/?uid=406&oid=47&ref=3053

My MTHFR Protocol:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

How to Recover From Fish Oil Jun 23, 2023

Iris from Denmark has generously donated an hour of her consulting time with me to you, the community, so that her case can be used to raise awareness of the importance of arachidonic acid and the pitfalls of getting too much EPA.

In this podcast, we cover:

00:27 Iris's history of too much omega-3 and not enough omega-6. 01:52 The symptoms that have improved upon reversing this. 04:54 Is it correct that the body needs both arachidonic acid and DHA to resolve inflammation? 09:03 How to navigate this during pregnancy, where DHA and AA are both important for the baby but EPA is still a concern? 14:06 Does the body have a storage supply of omega-3? 18:00 What is more important, AA/EPA balance or total PUFA intake? What is more harmful, signaling compound imbalance, oxidative damage, or membrane fluidity distortion? 31:05 Is the proper strategy supplementing AA while reducing EPA, or is it getting more vitamin E? 33:30 What about the ratio of PUFA to saturated fat or total fat? 35:55 Vitamin E cannot protect against all the risks of PUFA. Here are the other things that matter. 41:50 Supporting the marine ecology.

Can B12 and Folate Help Detoxify Oxalate? Jun 23, 2023

This may explain why high-dose biotin causes "oxalate dumping" symptoms in some people but not others. Written and referenced version: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-b12-and-folate-help-detoxify Mitochondrial Energy Summit: https://drtalks.com/mitochondrial-summit/?uid=406&oid=47&ref=3053 My MTHFR Protocol: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #317 Jun 19, 2023

Question: If a person has a hereditary weakness for Branched Chain Amino Acid Catabolism would this impact the type of diet they might choose to loose weight? Should they limit protein if it will increase their need for nutrients like Biotin?What are all the possible cofactors we should consider supplementing to support Leucine catabolism?

Short Answer: Metabolizing branched-chain amino acids requires all B vitamins except folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and chloride. If you have a genetic impairment in this pathway, then reducing branched-chain amino acid intake and doubling down on cofactors is important during weight loss because the pathway will be stressed more in the catabolic state. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?
How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?
How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status?
Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder?
Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts?
How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease?
Folate form and purines
Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain?
Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution?
Smoothies and blood sugar
Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis?
Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain?
Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements?
The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel.
How much K2 is needed in pregnancy?
How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle?
Could K2 help with environmental pollution?
Why do shoulders crack when we get older?
Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #316 Jun 05, 2023

Question: If I don’t want to hurt my omega 6 status through my omega 3 intake, how do I do that? Is it simply a question of taking them at separate times? Or is it a question of dose? And if it is a question of dose, how do I know when to start eating fish and taking my omega 3 supplement again?

Short Answer: How they are combined in meals is not important, but it is important not to have too much EPA in cell membranes relative to arachidonic acid, and this is driven by cumulative intake over years. For someone who has consumed too much EPA for many years, the best approach is to eat liver and egg yolks for arachidonic acid while getting omega-3s from a DHA supplement and not from fish, fish oil, or fish liver oil.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?
If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?
If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight?
Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder?
Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts?
How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease?
Folate form and purines
Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain?
Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution?
Smoothies and blood sugar
Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis?
Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain?
Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements?
The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel.
How much K2 is needed in pregnancy?
How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle?
Could K2 help with environmental pollution?
Why do shoulders crack when we get older?
Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Energy Metabolism Governs Everything May 31, 2023

That was not an exaggeration. Everything. In this podcast I cover why riboflavin abolished my allergies, why a respiratory chain disorder could cause an autoimmune condition, and why a hypothetical athlete who went keto to take home the silver might be able to use thiamin to take home the gold.

Most importantly, I cover why these are idiosyncratic needs, not general rules.

The generalizable principle is that nothing is more central to life and health than energy.

Read the written version with links here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/energy-metabolism-governs-everything

Get the methylation protocol here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

Check out my course on energy metabolism here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/masterclass-with-masterjohn-energy

Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #315 May 22, 2023

Question: Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?

Short Answer: Yes, but if you don’t have specific intolerances to plant compounds the best thing to do is simply aim to meet your vitamin and mineral targets from a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, rather than trying to use specific plant compounds from specific studies in any specific amount.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-plant-compounds-and

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status?
If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the January 21, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Can plant foods and their phytochemicals be used to reduce arterial plaque?
How do I consume omega-3 without hurting my omega-6 status?
If I have a hereditary weakness in breaking down branched-chain amino acids, what cofactors do I need to consider, and do I need to restrict my protein when losing weight?
Could carnitine help a fatty acid oxidation disorder?
Should anti-inflammatories be taken away from workouts?
How does vitamin C affect autoimmune disease?
Folate form and purines
Can methylene blue help the respiratory chain?
Best references for omega-3 and inflammation resolution?
Smoothies and blood sugar
Is transdermal magnesium oil effective for osteoarthritis?
Why do K2 and Mg help my nerve pain?
Should I separate my potassium benzoate and vitamin C supplements?
The best and most simple comprehensive micronutrient panel.
How much K2 is needed in pregnancy?
How do I accentuate the fasting-feeding cycle?
Could K2 help with environmental pollution?
Why do shoulders crack when we get older?
Why do I react poorly to anti-inflammatory foods?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-january Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

What to Do About Twitching | Masterjohn Q&A Files #314 May 08, 2023

Question: What can be done about twitching? Short Answer: Most twitching will be driven by glutamate/GABA balance or acetylcholine regulation, and the most likely nutritional issues are any of the electrolytes or any factor that influences energy metabolism. The best way to address it is to consider the conditions that influence it and then trial and error your way through each potential nutritional issue in order of which ones make the most sense for your individual case first. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO
Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Inositol, What Is It Good For?
If I am at risk of heart disease, and phosphatidylcholine raises my TMAO, should I stop the supplement?
If undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has health benefits and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for vitamin K2 supplementation?
Maragen Calcium
Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels?
My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease
If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron?
Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper?
What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods?
What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy?
If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS?
What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase?
What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT?
What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression?
What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones?
Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear?
Do I trust food allergy tests?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-december

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Can Biotin Help Detoxify Oxalate? Apr 19, 2023

This is a hypothesis that may reconcile some anecdotes and has many hints suggested in the enzymological literature.

First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation

For the written version with references, as well as the 58 comments, including from Susan Owens, head over to Substack:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/can-biotin-help-detoxify-oxalate

Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin | Masterjohn Q&A Files #313 Apr 17, 2023

Question: If undercarboxylated osteocalcin has health benefits, and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for K2 supplementation? Short Answer: Vitamin K2 helps secure osteocalcin in bone matrix, where it is decarboxylated and released as an endocrine hormone in response to certain stimuli. When released, it acts to optimize insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, fuel use during exercise, and male testosterone. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO
What to Do About Twitching

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Inositol, What Is It Good For?
If I am at risk of heart disease, and phosphatidylcholine raises my TMAO, should I stop the supplement?
Maragen Calcium
Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels?
My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease
If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron?
Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper?
What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods?
What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy?
If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS?
What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase?
What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT?
What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression?
What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones?
Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear?
An algorithm to fix twitching
Do I trust food allergy tests?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-december

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Self Experiments In the Biochemically Unoptimized State Apr 12, 2023

Finally, the long-awaited results of my self-experiments conducted from September through January are released!

First, make sure you get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation

The primary abnormalities in my metabolism during this pre-biotin period were 1) 15 minutes of paradoxical rise in ketones after eating rice, 2) paradoxical rise in lactate during fasting that is suppressed by my meals, and 3) a massively outsized lactate response to alcohol. The first two were provoked by an 18-hour fast and the last by undereating prior to the alcohol.

These support a deficiency in the biotin-dependent, manganese-dependent, oxalate-poisoned enzyme pyruvate carboxylase.

This is long, and if your time is limited, you may want to skip to “The Bottom Line” in this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically

However, there are some major reasons to commit some time to reading the whole report: It serves as a crash course on the most relevant biochemistry of glucose, ketones, lactate, and ethanol across contexts that include general health, diabetes, infancy, and pregnancy. It includes a literature review of all of the relevant “normal” data.

For example, what usually happens to lactate during fasting?

What is the normal response of ketones to a glucose tolerance test at the 15-minute mark?

How high should you expect your lactate to go up when you drink vodka, bourbon, or beer?

I have laid out a model of self-experimentation that you can borrow from for your own experiments.

There are many thought-provoking nuggets in here.

For example: Is it possible that two pounds of extra body fat prevents peripheral neuropathy in me and perhaps others? I make the case that it may.

Has your fasting glucose gone up on low-carb? See why mine went down after doing repeated glucose tolerance tests on myself (which I don’t recommend at home!)

And, learn why I can fast my way to a glucose of 70 or eat my way to a glucose of 70 and I would choose eating my way there every time.

The full written version with linked references is found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically

And don't forget to get my MTHFR Protocol, my free 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/blog/2019/03/01/start-here-for-mthfr-and-methylation

My MTHFR Protocol Apr 12, 2023

I have a free gift for you.

That is my MTHFR Protocol, a 7-page quick guide to optimizing and personalizing your methylation status using foods and supplements.

My MTHFR Protocol is free to anyone who subscribes to my Substack, whether free or paid. Use this link to get your copy:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

I hope you enjoy your free gift and find it useful.

Getting to the Bottom of My Health: Biotin and (V)LCAD Apr 06, 2023

For nearly 20 years, I have strongly suspected that I have a genetic disorder in synthesizing or recycling something that is absent or poorly available from plant foods, is very rich in organ meats, and is not present in any of the supplements I was taking when I was a vegan.

After six months of research, testing, and self-experimenting, I now believe what I have been looking for is a mix of moderate genetic defects in biotin recycling, possibly combined with poor cellular uptake of biotin, and definitely combined with a defect in burning long-chain fatty acids for energy. The treatments for this, which I will be testing one at a time, will be high-dose biotin, high-dose riboflavin, possibly high-dose L-carnitine and glycine, and, if needed, an otherwise low-fat diet supplemented with C8-specific MCT oil.

This episode covers the content of the first of two articles I have written up on Substack.

First, I have a free gift for you: my MTHFR Protocol. This 7-page quick guide to optimizing your MTHFR status using foods and supplements is freely available to all subscribers to my Substack. Subscribe now and you will immediately get it emailed to you in the welcome email. You can subscribe here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mthfr-protocol

The content of this episode can be found in the written version, with live links, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/getting-to-the-bottom-of-my-health

The second article that will be covered in the next episode is about my self-experiments between September 2022 and June 2023 in the "biochemically unoptimized state" and can be found here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/self-experiments-in-the-biochemically

Phosphatidylcholine and TMAO | Masterjohn Q&A Files #312 Apr 03, 2023

Question: If I'm at risk of heart disease and phosphatidylcholine increases my TMAO, should I stop the supplement? Short Answer: On a scale of one to ten, my concern about TMAO and cardiovascular disease is a three. There are thousands of things that should be given equal weight as potential contributors to heart disease, but TMAO gets the most attention because the Cleveland Clinic has an incredible PR machine to spread their research, which serves to bolster their financial interest in marketing the test. That said, it is not a universal necessity to supplement with phosphatidylcholine. If you are concerned about your TMAO, you can try substituting trimethylglycine (TMG), and ultimately judge the value of each supplement by whether it is helping you in a demonstrable way. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-phosphatidylcholine In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Vitamin K2 and Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin
What to Do About Twitching

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the December 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Inositol, What Is It Good For?
If undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has health benefits and vitamin K2 decreases it, what does that mean for vitamin K2 supplementation?
Maragen Calcium
Could slow methylation cause high selenium levels?
My current thoughts on cholesterol and heart disease
If I already have oxidative stress, what ducks should I have in a row before supplementing with iron?
Is it safe to take eight milligrams of zinc daily without copper?
What to do about developing sensitivities to an increasingly broad range of foods?
What else to do about hemochromatosis besides phlebotomy?
If gestational diabetes is just a biotin deficiency, why are women who are insulin resistant prior to pregnancy at higher risk for it, including women with PCOS?
What to do about chronically elevated amylase and lipase?
What to do about a non-drinker having very high GGT and occasionally high ALT?
What are the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies?
What are the best supplements, vitamins, and minerals for OCD and depression?
What is the connection between low pyruvate and high ketones?
Is high LDL a concern if the carotid IMT and coronary calcium scan are clear?
An algorithm to fix twitching
Do I trust food allergy tests?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-december

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Does Erythritol Cause Heart Disease? Mar 24, 2023

This analysis of the recent study by the Hazen group at Cleveland Clinic published in Nature Medicine claiming erythritol contributes to cardiovascular disease shows the following:

Why elevated plasma erythritol is likely to reflect thiamin deficiency and NADPH depletion from insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress
Why the in vitro and mouse study blood clotting likely reflects osmotic stress with no relevance to the use of erythritol as a sweetener.
Why I strongly suspect the Hazen group is hiding data, specifically the data that they obviously had a chance to collect and would have clinched their case but appears nowhere in their paper.
Why even though I do not use erythritol as a sweetener, were I ever to think about doing so, the new Nature Medicine paper would play no role in my decision.

Read the analysis in written form, fully referenced, here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/erythritol-and-blood-clotting

Low Blood Sugar on Vegan Keto | Masterjohn Q&A Files #311 Mar 20, 2023

Question: How do I fix low blood sugar on vegan keto? Short Answer: Consider how important it is for your ketones to be elevated. Most likely you need to eat more protein, which will lower your ketones. I would aim for a minimum of 0.8 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight and consider using 1.2 grams per kilogram of ideal bodyweight. If this does not work, consider all of the nutrients involved in energy metabolism — all of the B vitamins, iron, copper, sulfur, magnesium, potassium — but especially biotin and B6 for their disproportionate role in gluconeogenesis. If the protein you need to normalize your blood sugar does reduce your ketones to a level that are not giving you the benefits you are looking for, you could consider raising them with exogenous ketones. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-questions-on-supplements In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Brain Fog on Calcium, Vitamin D, or K2
Raising Ceruloplasmin When Copper Won't Do It

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the November 19, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Brain Fog on Calcium, Vitamin D, or K2
How Do I Increase My ATP?
Nutrition for Recovery from Alcoholism
How to decrease MCV after chemo?
What happened to vitamin B4?
Should I eat foods specifically for their antioxidant status?
How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it?
Why would bovine serum immunoglobulins help gut health?
Nicotinamide Riboside and Cancer
If I need lecithin for gut health, should I worry about its omega-6?
What do I think of patented Sucrosomial magnesium and zinc?
Is my problem magnesium transport or magnesium excretion?
What to do about severe osteoarthritis and muscle stiffness?
Should I worry if 5 mg P5P raises my plasma B6 above normal?
Is nascent iodine safe when weaning off of thyroid hormone?
How to avoid false zeros in Cronometer?
What does it mean if I have more energy when taking CoQ10?
If NADPH oxidase is unregulated to fight pathogens, is taking antioxidants good or bad?
What if my needs for vitamin A and zinc are higher than the tolerable upper intake levels?
How accurate are vitamin E tests?
Quick redux on muscle stiffness
How do I handle my first emergence from lockdown if I am worried about being relatively immunosuppressed?
If I supplement with iodine, do I need to supplement with selenium?
Should I worry about the beta-carotene in my multivitamin?
Why do I wake up tense and with a headache to my alarm clock?
Why does starch make me wake up in the middle of the night with increased respiration?
What causes crusty eyes?
Which nutrients need to be spread out across the day?
What are nutritional causes of hypnic jerks?
To replicate Weston Price's reversal of tooth decay, do I need dairy?
Why would I have a bad reaction to milk thistle?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-november

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Brain Fog on Calcium, Vitamin D, or K2 | Masterjohn Q&A Files #310 Mar 06, 2023

Question: Why would vitamin D, vitamin K2, and calcium give me brain fog? Short Answer: Most likely by decreasing serum phosphorus. The solution is to balance these nutrients with vitamin A and phosphorus. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-questions-on-supplements In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Low Blood Sugar on Vegan Keto
Raising Ceruloplasmin When Copper Won't Do It

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the November 19, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Low Blood Sugar on Vegan Keto
How Do I Increase My ATP?
Nutrition for Recovery from Alcoholism
How to decrease MCV after chemo?
What happened to vitamin B4?
Should I eat foods specifically for their antioxidant status?
How do I get my ceruloplasmin up if copper doesn't raise it?
Why would bovine serum immunoglobulins help gut health?
Nicotinamide Riboside and Cancer
If I need lecithin for gut health, should I worry about its omega-6?
What do I think of patented Sucrosomial magnesium and zinc?
Is my problem magnesium transport or magnesium excretion?
What to do about severe osteoarthritis and muscle stiffness?
Should I worry if 5 mg P5P raises my plasma B6 above normal?
Is nascent iodine safe when weaning off of thyroid hormone?
How to avoid false zeros in Cronometer?
What does it mean if I have more energy when taking CoQ10?
If NADPH oxidase is unregulated to fight pathogens, is taking antioxidants good or bad?
What if my needs for vitamin A and zinc are higher than the tolerable upper intake levels?
How accurate are vitamin E tests?
Quick redux on muscle stiffness
How do I handle my first emergence from lockdown if I am worried about being relatively immunosuppressed?
If I supplement with iodine, do I need to supplement with selenium?
Should I worry about the beta-carotene in my multivitamin?
Why do I wake up tense and with a headache to my alarm clock?
Why does starch make me wake up in the middle of the night with increased respiration?
What causes crusty eyes?
Which nutrients need to be spread out across the day?
What are nutritional causes of hypnic jerks?
To replicate Weston Price's reversal of tooth decay, do I need dairy?
Why would I have a bad reaction to milk thistle? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-november

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why Plasma Zinc is the Best Marker of Zinc Status | Masterjohn Q&A Files #309 Feb 20, 2023

Short Answer: Plasma zinc is the single most important marker of zinc status. Urine zinc may decline faster in deficiency. Hair zinc increases with supplementation but does not decrease in deficiency. Plasma zinc is decreased by inflammation, oxidative stress, the ovulatory and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, probably pregnancy and oral contraceptive use, and any kind of stress that leads to an adrenal output. If plasma zinc declines despite supplementation, corroborate that this reflects zinc status by showing normal hair zinc and low urine zinc. Use symptoms as the ultimate arbiter of whether zinc supplementation is helping.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-statins-versus-sulfur

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Statins Vs. Sulfur for Heart Disease
Glutathione Intolerance: Getting to the Bottom of It

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the October 12, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

NADH vs NMN vs NR
An unexplained rise in urine ketones
Spreading out calcium across meals
What should we have in our cold season cabinet?
What besides diet could cause my high morning glucose on a CGM?
Will some older people benefit from supplementing carnitine?
What do I think about the CGM fad?
Could my low triglycerides be cholestasis?
Why limit the dose of cod liver oil?
Why do I always feel better when my sulfur problems are worse?
Should I use one lab’s reference range with another lab’s results?
Is it safe to eat roasted potatoes?
How much weight should I give genetic SNPs in my nutrition?
High RBC magnesium but low serum: what could it mean?
Burning in the stomach: what could it be?
Should I treat low plasma amino acids by supplementing them?
Why would MK-4 cause heart palpitations?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-october Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Glutathione Intolerance: Getting to the Bottom of It | Masterjohn Q&A Files #308 Feb 06, 2023

Short Answer: It could be byproducts of any of the three amino acids that make up the glutathione molecule, which include the individual amino acids, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfite, and propionyl CoA, or it could be microbial metabolites of glutathione produced in the gut. The full answer contains seven hypothesis-driven tests that can be done at home to determine the cause.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-statins-versus-sulfur

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Statins Vs. Sulfur for Heart Disease
Why Plasma Zinc is the Best Marker of Zinc Status

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the October 12, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

NADH vs NMN vs NR
An unexplained rise in urine ketones
Spreading out calcium across meals
What should we have in our cold season cabinet?
What besides diet could cause my high morning glucose on a CGM?
Will some older people benefit from supplementing carnitine?
What do I think about the CGM fad?
Could my low triglycerides be cholestasis?
Why limit the dose of cod liver oil?
Why do I always feel better when my sulfur problems are worse?
Should I use one lab’s reference range with another lab’s results?
Is it safe to eat roasted potatoes?
How much weight should I give genetic SNPs in my nutrition?
High RBC magnesium but low serum: what could it mean?
Burning in the stomach: what could it be?
Should I treat low plasma amino acids by supplementing them?
Why would MK-4 cause heart palpitations?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-october

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Statins Vs. Sulfur for Heart Disease | Masterjohn Q&A Files #307 Jan 23, 2023

Short Answer: From the trials, statins seem to reduce heart disease risk and total mortality, but it is impossible to separate this from conflicts of interest and industry funding. There are plausible mechanisms by which they may hurt mitochondrial function and promote soft tissue calcification. Dietary sulfur appears to lower cholesterol. While Lester Morrison showed 1500 milligrams per day of chondroitin sulfate could reduce cardiac events 7-fold, this has a theoretical potential to hurt the microbiome. My preferred way of getting sulfur is 1.2-1.8 grams per kilogram bodyweight of total non-collagen protein, with an emphasis on animal protein.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-statins-versus-sulfur

In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Glutathione Intolerance: Getting to the Bottom of It
Why Plasma Zinc is the Best Marker of Zinc Status

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda

Learn more about the Masterpass here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about

This snippet is from the October 12, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

NADH vs NMN vs NR
An unexplained rise in urine ketones
Spreading out calcium across meals
What should we have in our cold season cabinet?
What besides diet could cause my high morning glucose on a CGM?
Will some older people benefit from supplementing carnitine?
What do I think about the CGM fad?
Could my low triglycerides be cholestasis?
Why limit the dose of cod liver oil?
Why do I always feel better when my sulfur problems are worse?
Should I use one lab’s reference range with another lab’s results?
Is it safe to eat roasted potatoes?
How much weight should I give genetic SNPs in my nutrition?
High RBC magnesium but low serum: what could it mean?
Burning in the stomach: what could it be?
Should I treat low plasma amino acids by supplementing them?
Why would MK-4 cause heart palpitations?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-october

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #306 Jan 09, 2023

Short Answer: I believe most methyl donor intolerances are a result of deficiencies in the glycine buffer system, which requires glycine, vitamin A, fasting (glucagon), androgens, riboflavin, unmethylated folate (THF), and iron. No one should expect to tolerate 30 milligrams of folate, however, and there is almost never a reason to use doses that high. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-cognitive-health-mct In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Does whey protein hurt the kidneys or otherwise hurt our health
Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the September 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Why isn't my ferritin as high as diabetics when my transferrin saturation is higher?
Why are vitamins A and E needed alongside D and K?
Sunflower lecithin versus phosphatidylcholine supplements
How do I reduce congestion while consuming dairy?
Could eggs be raising triglycerides by curing fatty liver?
Why would homocysteine ever be high when you can just use it to make glutathione?
Why did my eye start twitching after sweating more than usual this weekend?
Why do I now think A and D should be in roughly 1:1 ratios?
Would MK-7 be enough to take with D or do I need MK-4?
Why does water make me hungry?
What's the proper ratio of calcium to magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2?
Is it safe to take zinc carnosine long term?
Why did I recommend only using high-dose zinc for COVID protection for one year?
Why did I recommend limiting quercetin phytosome to three months?
Why take MK-4 when it has such a short half-life?
How to make bowel movements more regular?
Could freeze dried animal beef supplements cause gut infections?
Do I recommend food sensitivity testing?
What are the nutritional causes of restless leg syndrome?
What do I think of drinking deuterium-depleted water for COVID severity?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-september Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Does whey protein hurt the kidneys or otherwise hurt our health? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #305 Dec 26, 2022

Short Answer: The main problem with too much protein, particularly animal protein, is that acidity may hurt the bones and increase the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones, but this can be obviated by balancing it with organic acids, which have bicarbonate-sparing effects that are alkalinizing. The best index of the organic acid content of foods is the potassium content. This balance can be achieved with 750 to 1500 milligrams of potassium for every 100 grams of protein. This is not specific to whey protein. Other than allergies, none of the claimed harms of whey protein are convincing.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-cognitive-health-mct In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Does glucose handling in the brain decline with age? And if so, does this serve as a rationale to supplement with MCT oil to prevent cognitive decline?
Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the September 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Why isn't my ferritin as high as diabetics when my transferrin saturation is higher?
Why are vitamins A and E needed alongside D and K?
Sunflower lecithin versus phosphatidylcholine supplements
How do I reduce congestion while consuming dairy?
Could eggs be raising triglycerides by curing fatty liver?
Why would homocysteine ever be high when you can just use it to make glutathione?
Why did my eye start twitching after sweating more than usual this weekend?
Why do I now think A and D should be in roughly 1:1 ratios?
Would MK-7 be enough to take with D or do I need MK-4?
Why does water make me hungry?
What's the proper ratio of calcium to magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2?
Is it safe to take zinc carnosine long term?
Why did I recommend only using high-dose zinc for COVID protection for one year?
Why did I recommend limiting quercetin phytosome to three months?
Why take MK-4 when it has such a short half-life?
How to make bowel movements more regular?
Could freeze dried animal beef supplements cause gut infections?
Do I recommend food sensitivity testing?
What are the nutritional causes of restless leg syndrome?
What do I think of drinking deuterium-depleted water for COVID severity?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-september

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Biotin Causes a Multitude of False Lab Tests | Here is What to Do Dec 20, 2022

High-dose biotin supplements can cause a multitude of false lab tests, masking recent heart attacks, pregnancies, or allergies, giving false signals about tumors, and far more.

In this episode, I lay out for you the nature, scope, and magnitude of the problem, and develop actionable strategies you can use to protect your lab tests from generating false information as a result of this phenomenon.

You can find the written and fully referenced version of this episode here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/biotin-causes-false-lab-tests

The written version also contains some figures that help you visualize the mechanistic information.

If you find this episode valuable, please head over to the written version on Substack using the above link to like it, share it, and comment on it. This will encourage the Substack algorithm to get it in front of more people.

In High Protein? You Need More Biotin, I made the case that 30 micrograms per day is not enough for adults, and that many people need 150-300 micrograms per day, depending on how much protein they eat.

My simple food-based recommendations for getting enough biotin are found in my Cliff Notes (free for Masterpass members here). To learn more about the Masterpass, click here.

Stay Immune Through the Winter

My new 7-page quick guide on how to not get sick this winter, Staying Immune Through the Winter, is free for everyone. All you need is a free or paid subscription to my Substack.

Head here to check your subscription status and to make sure you get the guide:

Staying Immune Through the Winter

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Does glucose handling in the brain decline with age? And if so, does this serve as a rationale to supplement with MCT oil to prevent cognitive decline? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #304 Dec 12, 2022

Short Answer: Energy metabolism in general declines across the body with aging, but energy metabolism seems to stay healthy enough in the brain in people who do not experience cognitive decline. Cognitive decline does appear to be driven by decreases in brain energy metabolism, but these are not best described as a specific impairment in glucose handling. MCT oil can be modestly beneficial and a ketogenic diet can probably be somewhat more beneficial in people who have cognitive decline from any type. There is no evidence to support using it as a preventative. For prevention, I believe we should focus on aerobic fitness, nutrients required for healthy energy metabolism and antioxidant defense, and maintaining metabolic health with a healthy body composition and a healthy physical activity routine that includes the proper spread of a portfolio of different types of exercise. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-cognitive-health-mct In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Does whey protein hurt the kidneys or otherwise hurt our health
Why would someone not tolerate methyl donors even if they need them?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the September 14, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Why isn't my ferritin as high as diabetics when my transferrin saturation is higher?
Why are vitamins A and E needed alongside D and K?
Sunflower lecithin versus phosphatidylcholine supplements
How do I reduce congestion while consuming dairy?
Could eggs be raising triglycerides by curing fatty liver?
Why would homocysteine ever be high when you can just use it to make glutathione?
Why did my eye start twitching after sweating more than usual this weekend?
Why do I now think A and D should be in roughly 1:1 ratios?
Would MK-7 be enough to take with D or do I need MK-4?
Why does water make me hungry?
What's the proper ratio of calcium to magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2?
Is it safe to take zinc carnosine long term?
Why did I recommend only using high-dose zinc for COVID protection for one year?
Why did I recommend limiting quercetin phytosome to three months?
Why take MK-4 when it has such a short half-life?
How to make bowel movements more regular?
Could freeze dried animal beef supplements cause gut infections?
Do I recommend food sensitivity testing?
What are the nutritional causes of restless leg syndrome?
What do I think of drinking deuterium-depleted water for COVID severity?

Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-september

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why is an IV more hydrating than salted water? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #303 Nov 28, 2022

Short Answer: If it can’t be explained by the dose of salt, it may be that the salt is not being absorbed orally. Glucose, starch, or simply a meal consumed alongside the salted water may help with this.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-protein-and-longevity-1a2 In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Protein and Longevity
How to Increase or Decrease SHBG?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the August 15, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Does which food you eat matter when everything is digested anyway?
How to know if your nitric oxide is dilating your blood vessels properly?
How big of a problem are transient glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL?
Can I take too much collagen?
What is the maximum dose of cod liver oil safe to use long-term?
How much A is safe to take when I need so much to resolve my symptoms?
Generalizing from cell studies of green tea catechins to cups of green tea per day.
What to do about lumbar discs bulging?
Why would vitamin K2 cause a nosebleed?
How to balance A with D when I react poorly to D and need so much A?
Why would COVID decrease HRV long-term?
How to raise secretory IgA?
Rapid-fire answers to pre-submitted questions that didn’t win the contest: alternatives to bone meal powder, herbal tea and nutrient absorption, retinol-binding protein, improving fat digestion, metal provocation tests, fatty liver, high-dose B vitamins, eyebrow thinning, itchy bumps after exercise, brain fog and rifaximin, low cholesterol, tolerating chlorine pools, cycling nutrients, copper toxicity, stopping supplements before blood tests, COVID vaccines causing post-nasal drip, natural vs synthetic vitamins, absorbing iron through baths, elevated EPA and DHA in RBCs, COVID affecting the vagus nerve, supplements for athletic performance, when water doesn’t hydrate, tics and Tourette’s, recalcitrant homocysteine, fraud and corruption in scienctific research. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-august

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Staying Immune Through the Winter Nov 23, 2022

Get my new 7-page quick guide on how to not get sick for free when you sign up to my Substack:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/staying-immune-through-the-winter

How to Increase or Decrease SHBG? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #302 Nov 14, 2022

Short Answer: SHBG is increased by adiponectin (vitamin K2, insulin sensitivity), thyroid hormone, fasting physiology (AMPK, fat oxidation), and estrogen (especially estrone), while it is decreased by insulin resistance, obesity, the fed state and carbohydrate-dominant physiology, androgens, and polyunsaturated fat.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-protein-and-longevity-1a2 In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

Protein and Longevity
Why is an IV more hydrating than salted water?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the August 15, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Does which food you eat matter when everything is digested anyway?
How to know if your nitric oxide is dilating your blood vessels properly?
How big of a problem are transient glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL?
Can I take too much collagen?
What is the maximum dose of cod liver oil safe to use long-term?
How much A is safe to take when I need so much to resolve my symptoms?
Generalizing from cell studies of green tea catechins to cups of green tea per day.
What to do about lumbar discs bulging?
Why would vitamin K2 cause a nosebleed?
How to balance A with D when I react poorly to D and need so much A?
Why would COVID decrease HRV long-term?
How to raise secretory IgA?
Rapid-fire answers to pre-submitted questions that didn’t win the contest: alternatives to bone meal powder, herbal tea and nutrient absorption, retinol-binding protein, improving fat digestion, metal provocation tests, fatty liver, high-dose B vitamins, eyebrow thinning, itchy bumps after exercise, brain fog and rifaximin, low cholesterol, tolerating chlorine pools, cycling nutrients, copper toxicity, stopping supplements before blood tests, COVID vaccines causing post-nasal drip, natural vs synthetic vitamins, absorbing iron through baths, elevated EPA and DHA in RBCs, COVID affecting the vagus nerve, supplements for athletic performance, when water doesn’t hydrate, tics and Tourette’s, recalcitrant homocysteine, fraud and corruption in scienctific research. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-august

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

COVID Vaccine Side Effects: What Causes Them? Nov 05, 2022

I am done with my work on COVID vaccines, at least until I finish my Vitamins and Minerals 101 Book, so I am now making my scientific review on the likely causes of COVID vaccine side effects public.

This is an excerpt of pages 19-52 of my Healing From COVID Vaccine Side Effects guide (free to Masterpass members here). You can read the written version on Substack using this link, which contains 139 of the 221 references. It does not contain the protocol, but rather the scientific review used to judge the mechanisms most likely underlying the side effects. Since I am no longer working on this, I hope it proves useful to anyone doing further work on the topic. This was originally published on August 10, 2022.

The science described is not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, emphasis is placed on what is likely to provide insights into the mechanisms of side effects.

Please visit the Substack version to like it, comment on it, and share it:

COVID Vaccine Side Effects: What Causes Them? Join the Next Live Q&A

Have a question for me? Ask it at the next Q&A! Learn more here.

Join the Masterpass

Masterpass members get access to premium content (preview the premium posts here), all my ebook guides for free (see the collection of ebook guides here), monthly live Q&A sessions (see when the next session is here), all my courses for free (see the collection here), and exclusive access to massive discounts (see the specific discounts available by clicking here).

Learn more about the Masterpass here.

Take a Look at the Store

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For $10, you can purchase Healing From COVID Vaccine Side Effects for yourself or a loved one if dealing with this issue. It also contains an extensive well-referenced scientific review, so you can also use this just to learn more about my research into the COVID vaccines.
For $15, you can pre-order a single format of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, my complete guide to nutrition, which I am currently working full-time on finishing.
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For $29.99, you can purchase a copy of my ebook, Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, my complete system for managing your nutritional status using dietary analysis, a survey of just under 200 signs and symptoms, and a comprehensive guide to proper interpretation of labwork.
For $35, you can pre-order a complete bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book.
For $250-$1499.99, you can work one-on-one with me.

Protein and Longevity | Masterjohn Q&A Files #301 Oct 24, 2022

Short Answer: While protein restriction may have value in people with established cancer or kidney disease, cycling robustly between fasting and feeding states is likely to provide all the value that restriction of protein or calories might otherwise provide, and a high protein intake supports bone mass, muscle mass, and the detoxification of carcinogens, all of which are important to longevity.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-protein-and-longevity-1a2 In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

How to Increase or Decrease SHBG?
Why is an IV more hydrating than salted water?

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the August 15, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

Does which food you eat matter when everything is digested anyway?
How to know if your nitric oxide is dilating your blood vessels properly?
How big of a problem are transient glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL?
Can I take too much collagen?
What is the maximum dose of cod liver oil safe to use long-term?
How much A is safe to take when I need so much to resolve my symptoms?
Generalizing from cell studies of green tea catechins to cups of green tea per day.
What to do about lumbar discs bulging?
Why would vitamin K2 cause a nosebleed?
How to balance A with D when I react poorly to D and need so much A?
Why would COVID decrease HRV long-term?
How to raise secretory IgA?
Rapid-fire answers to pre-submitted questions that didn’t win the contest: alternatives to bone meal powder, herbal tea and nutrient absorption, retinol-binding protein, improving fat digestion, metal provocation tests, fatty liver, high-dose B vitamins, eyebrow thinning, itchy bumps after exercise, brain fog and rifaximin, low cholesterol, tolerating chlorine pools, cycling nutrients, copper toxicity, stopping supplements before blood tests, COVID vaccines causing post-nasal drip, natural vs synthetic vitamins, absorbing iron through baths, elevated EPA and DHA in RBCs, COVID affecting the vagus nerve, supplements for athletic performance, when water doesn’t hydrate, tics and Tourette’s, recalcitrant homocysteine, fraud and corruption in scienctific research. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-august

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Why do my urinary B6 markers say I'm deficient if I'm supplementing and my plasma levels are high-normal? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #300 Oct 10, 2022

Short answer: Low or low-normal alkaline phosphatase may raise the plasma B6 level over the cellular level. Tryptophan metabolites in urine reflect the B6 requirement for the kynurenine pathway, and this requirement increases with more estrogen, more inflammation, or a higher protein intake.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR?
Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take?
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine?
Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone?
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the July 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

How do I know if my digestive enzymes are helping or hurting?
Why does high-dose glycine give me these terrible symptoms?
How to know if my magnesium is messing with my calcium?
Why do I have vitamin A symptoms when my lab tests are normal
What is my favorite web site for finding enzymatic cofactors
Potassium citrate vs potassium chloride
Major problems with B vitamin supplements
Is food sensitivity testing useful?
What nutrients might help with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency?
Does lipoic acid hurt methylation?
Sulfur SIBO that just won’t go away.
Using lactate, pyruvate, and ketone ratios to indicate the NADH/NAD+ ratio.
Helping bile flow without pharmaceuticals.
Managing pernicious anemia.
Do we really need to meet the RDA for calcium?
Could stretch marks be a sign of copper toxicity?
When iron saturation is driven by low binding capacity.
How do I know if I need methyl-free Bs?
What causes heat intolerance? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-de3

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One | Masterjohn Q&A Files #299 Sep 26, 2022

Short answer: 4-6 hours after a meal the small intestine is emptied and the insulin-to-glucagon ratio declines; 25 hours after, hepatic glycogen is emptied; 5 days later the brain is adapted to ketones and gluconeogenesis reaches its minimal level. Moving from one to the other cannot occur with a small piece of signaling like the bite of an apple. It requires the preponderance of signaling. This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR?
Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take?
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine?
Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone?
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the July 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

How do I know if my digestive enzymes are helping or hurting?
Why does high-dose glycine give me these terrible symptoms?
How to know if my magnesium is messing with my calcium?
Why do I have vitamin A symptoms when my lab tests are normal?
What is my favorite web site for finding enzymatic cofactors?
Potassium citrate vs potassium chloride
Major problems with B vitamin supplements
Is food sensitivity testing useful?
What nutrients might help with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency?
Does lipoic acid hurt methylation?
Sulfur SIBO that just won’t go away.
Using lactate, pyruvate, and ketone ratios to indicate the NADH/NAD+ ratio.
Helping bile flow without pharmaceuticals.
Managing pernicious anemia.
Do we really need to meet the RDA for calcium?
Could stretch marks be a sign of copper toxicity?
When iron saturation is driven by low binding capacity.
How do I know if I need methyl-free Bs?
What causes heat intolerance? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-de3

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #298 Sep 12, 2022

Short answer: Probably not. Animal studies showing a difference use huge doses in an unrealistic context. Human studies show they don’t at doses used. Human effect on PSA is vulnerable to regression to the mean and thoroughly unconvincing.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR?
Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take?
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine?
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

What to do about persistent SIBO?
Are there toxicity concerns for intravenous B vitamins?
Should zinc be taken apart from oral rehydration salts?
Why would magnesium cause erratic heartbeat, bad dreams, and tinnitus?
How do you know if you have low stomach acid?
What is a good sweetener to replace granulated sugar?
Do I need to eat foods with calcium every day?
What bread do I eat?
Should you take vitamin D for COVID prevention if you have a history of hypercalcemia?
What to do about extreme CFS, depression, anxiety, and brain fog when nothing seems to work.
Why balance K2 with vitamin E rather than K1? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #297 Aug 22, 2022

Short answer: Trust the CGM. HbA1c is confounded by red blood cell turnover and fructosamine 3-kinase activity.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR?
Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take?
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine?
Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone?
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the June 16, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

What to do about persistent SIBO?
Are there toxicity concerns for intravenous B vitamins?
Should zinc be taken apart from oral rehydration salts?
Why would magnesium cause erratic heartbeat, bad dreams, and tinnitus?
How do you know if you have low stomach acid?
What is a good sweetener to replace granulated sugar?
Do I need to eat foods with calcium every day?
What bread do I eat?
Should you take vitamin D for COVID prevention if you have a history of hypercalcemia?
What to do about extreme CFS, depression, anxiety, and brain fog when nothing seems to work.
Why balance K2 with vitamin E rather than K1? Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Chips! The Only Ones I'll Endorse Jul 21, 2022

My friend Steve, who is the one who originally introduced me to the Essex Farm CSA that now supplies me with almost all my food, has invented a new tortilla chip that launches today!

MASA chips are made from organic corn from small New England farms. The corn is nixtimalized, which frees the niacin, makes it more digestible, and eliminates 97-100% of the mycotoxins (based on studies with aflatoxin). Then they are fried in grass-fed beef tallow!

They are full-bodied and feel nourishing, and they are the perfect saltiness. That is, I do not feel like a company has tagged me as eating a low-salt diet just because I want a healthy chip.

The bulk of your diet should be unprocessed and minimally processed foods, but there is an important place for health snacks!

Get your MASA chips today at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masa and use the code MASTERJOHN for 10% off. I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. You will rarely ever find me promoting a chip, but this is one I endorse!

The Ancestral Health Debate Jun 23, 2022

Nick Hiebert and I debate the value of ancestral health as a framework for approaching health in the modern era.

For my summary of and reflections on the debate, as well as time stamps, relevant links, and a transcript, head to:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-ancestral-health-debate

If you found this valuable, please like, share, and comment on the Substack version to get it before more eyeballs.

Mathew Crawford: Fraud in the Military's Health Database? Jun 22, 2022

In this interview, Mathew Crawford walks me through his slide presentation of data showing that, at some point between 2020 and 2021, the 2016-2019 data from the US Military’s health database was altered in a way that hides the explosion of poorly-defined illness among troops that happened in 2021 as the COVID vaccines were rolled out.

For the video with the slides, a more complete summary, and a transcript, head over to Substack with this link:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/mathew-crawford-fraud-in-the-militarys

If you find this valuable, please like, share, and comment on the Substack video to help me promote this before more eyeballs by leveraging the Substack algorithm. Please need to see this!

Nutrition in Neuroscience Part 2 | Mastering Nutrition #41 Jun 09, 2022

Part 2 of how NUTRITION has a HUGE impact on your BRAIN! Everything in your brain is something you ate, something you made from something you ate, or, in a few cases, something your mother ate. Nutrition impacts your mental and emotional health, the function of your five senses, and your conscious and unconscious control over your body movements. Join me as I lead you in a safari through the textbook, “Neuroscience,” pointing out along the way all the interesting connections to nutrition. Listen in for part 2 on the NEUROTRANSMITTERS!

0:00:37 Cliff Notes
0:04:15 Overview of neurotransmitters
0:06:55 Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter.
0:14:08De novo glutamate in the central nervous system is overwhelmingly made from glucose.
0:16:55 Ketogenic diet for epilepsy
0:20:12 Glutamate metabolism
0:23:42 There are two classes of glutamate receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
0:24:45 There are three classes of metabotropic glutamate receptors, their actions are complex and variable, and they can be excitatory or inhibitory.
0:25:05 The ionotropic glutamate receptors include AMPA receptors, NMDA receptors, and kainite receptors, all of which have a depolarizing effect by allowing sodium and potassium to flow freely through them.
0:27:47 Four unique things about the NMDA receptor: magnesium is required to block its ion channel, it’s important for coincidence detection, it allows calcium to come into the cell, and it has a glycine-binding site.
0:33:16 Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are important for forming memories, and glutamate receptors play an important role.
0:40:48 GABA and glycine are the two primary inhibitory neurotransmitters of the central nervous system.
0:44:04 GABA and presumably glycine can be stimulatory if there is more chloride on the inside of the neuron than the outside.
0:48:53 Evidence that GABA might cross the blood-brain barrier
0:51:44 GABA in foods
0:54:14 GABA metabolism in the nervous system
0:56:08 Glycine
1:02:02 Acetylcholine
1:07:50 The biogenic amines include histamine, serotonin, and the catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine).
1:08:30 Synthesis of the catecholamines
1:10:46 Dopamine
1:14:08 Norepinephrine
1:16:32 Histamine
1:20:15 Serotonin
1:23:10 ATP and adenosine
1:26:38 Peptide neurotransmitters
1:27:00 Hypothalamic releasing hormones include thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
1:29:15 Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH)
1:29:32 Oxytocin
1:30:18 Vasopressin
1:30:57 Synthesis of the neuropeptides Substance P, MSH, oxytocin, and vasopressin requires glycine, zinc, copper, and vitamin C.
1:34:24 Endocannabinoids and the importance of arachidonic acid, EPA, and DHA

Nutrition in Neuroscience Related Content Chris Masterjohn Lite: Could Oxaloacetate Supplements Help With Glutamate Sensitivity? Chris Masterjohn Lite: 5 Ways to Help With Glutamate Sensitivity and Glutamate Dominance Chris Masterjohn Lite: Does Glycine or GABA Wake You Up? Chris Masterjohn Lite: Carbs or Keto for Sleep? Chris Masterjohn Lite: How to Manage Your Magnesium Status Mastering Nutrition: Why You Need Glycine -- A Panel Discussion Balancing Methionine and Glycine in Foods: The Database Chris Masterjohn Lite: Get Better Sleep With Glycine Start Here for Methylation has glycine and choline resources, and covers the methylation process used in the synthesis and degradation of biogenic amines. Mastering Nutrition: Methylate Your Way to Mental Health With Dopamine The Pursuit of Happiness: How Nutrient-Dense Animal Fats Promote Mental and Emotional Health, covers the endocannibinoids. Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet is a comprehensive guide for testing nutritional status for all the nutrients discussed in this episode, and more. Use the code MASTERINGNUTRITION for $5 OFF. Nutrition in Neuroscience Research The textbook, Neuroscience. Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. on the use of GABA for fear of heights and to alter anxiety- and focus-related brain waves. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration improves action selection processes: a randomised controlled trial on use of GABA to improve decision-making under pressure. Desarrollo de un pan de masa madre rico en GABA y péptidos IECA contains a table on the GABA content of foods on page 84 of the PDF. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor from plants on the different plants containing natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. A Mass Spectrometry-Based Method to Screen for α-Amidated Peptides on the neuropeptides that require glycine, vitamin C, copper, and zinc for their biological activity. Effects of copper occupancy on the conformational landscape of peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase also on the neuropeptides that require glycine, vitamin C, copper, and zinc for their biological activity.

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/054-nutrition-in-neuroscience-part

A New Paradigm for Severe COVID May 25, 2022

This new model I developed explains how the depletion of arginine and tryptophan and the sequestration of cysteine leads to T cell suppression in severe COVID and may reflect the rapid onset of a somewhat cancer-reminiscent state where vitamins A and D and other myeloid differentiation factors run out.

The written version with references and links to research is available here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/a-new-paradigm-for-severe-covid

If you find this valuable, please like, share, and comment on the Substack article to help boost it within the Substack algorithm and get more people to read it.

Vitamins A and D should be properly balanced with each other, and with vitamins E and K. My COVID-specific recommendations for this balance are in the COVID Guide, and recommendations for balancing them in various different contexts are included in the Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes, both of which are freely available to paid Substack subscribers.

These also contain general (Cliff Notes) or COVID-specific (COVID Guide) information for managing all the other nutrients mentioned. I will be updating the COVID guide next time to include tryptophan and N-acetylcysteine whenever arginine is used, but other than that this new paradigm does not alter the protocol. It does, however, move much more emphasis to A and D, and bring A onto much more equal footing with D.

Disclaimer

I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. My goal is to empower you with information. Please make all health decisions yourself, consulting sources you trust, including a caring health care professional.

Paid Subscriptions, Coming Guides, the Book

My current plan is to wrap up a vaccine side effect protocol and my general work on the vaccines into a COVID Vaccine Guide that will be free to those who have pre-ordered my book, Masterpass members, and paid Substack subscribers. I will then do one final update to the COVID guide, also free to everyone I just mentioned. Paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members will also have access to all paid-only Substack posts, which are the posts that feed into the creation of the vaccine side effect protocol. Most of these will be available for 48 hours to everyone. You can become a paid Substack subscriber here, which earns you 50% off the fee on Masterpass membership if you choose to join. The book can be pre-ordered here. As soon as these two guides are finished I will return full-time to finishing the book and will send everyone who pre-ordered an ETA as soon as I am ready.

Take a Look at the Store

At no extra cost to you, please consider buying products from one of my popular affiliates using these links: Paleovalley, Magic Spoon breakfast cereal, LMNT, Seeking Health, Ancestral Supplements. Find more affiliates here.
For $2.99, you can purchase The Vitamins and Minerals 101 Cliff Notes, a bullet point summary of all the most important things I’ve learned in over 15 years of studying nutrition science.
For $10, you can purchase The Food and Supplement Guide for the Coronavirus, my protocol for prevention and for what to do if you get sick (free if you become a paid subscriber to my Substack).
For $15, you can pre-order a single format of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, my complete guide to nutrition, to be finished as soon as my work on COVID vaccines is done.
For $25, you can pre-order a digital bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book.
For $29.99, you can purchase a copy of my ebook, Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, my complete system for managing your nutritional status using dietary analysis, a survey of just under 200 signs and symptoms, and a comprehensive guide to proper interpretation of labwork.
For $35, you can pre-order a complete bundle of my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book.
For a recurring $15/month or $120/year, you can join the CMJ Masterpass, with monthly access to live Zoom Q&A sessions with me, and huge discounts on my consulting, my informational products, and the health and wellness products from other companies that I value most. Paid Substack subscribers get 50% off the membership fee.
For $250-$1499.99, you can work one-on-one with me.
In any amount at all, you can make a donation to support my work on COVID vaccines during this time when our freedom of speech, bodily autonomy, and right to earn a living are all under attack.

Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #296 Apr 30, 2022

Short answer: You should be able to see changes on imaging within a few weeks if your approach is working well, but ultimately this is entirely dependent on how negative your “delta fatty liver = (fat in) - ((fat out) + (fat burned))” equation is.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR?
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine?
Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone?
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the April 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

How to balance vitamins E and K
What prenatal vitamin do I recommend?
Why does my smoothie make my hands cold?
What type of choline to use?
Is there an interaction between glycine and aspirin?
What supplements can be used in the fasting state?
How to manage protein intake within a small eating window on an intermittent fasting regimen?
Looking at a study on calcium alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation.
Should I take vitamin D for COVID if I easily get hypercalcemia from it?
What to do about nausea in pregnancy?
Brief questions on restless legs, exercise during fasting, puffy eyes, and health effects of spicy foods. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/ask-me-anything-april-13-2022

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #295 Apr 29, 2022

Short answer: 25(OH)D is 1000 times weaker at activating the VDR than 1,25(OH)D, but 1000 times more abundant. This is why I advocate measuring both, and ultimately believe we need to create a calculated index of “biological vitamin D activity” from them.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access five other free samples using this link: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-vitamin-d-fatty-liver In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answers to these questions:

What's the difference between 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D when it comes to the VDR?
Reversing Fatty Liver: How Long Does It Take?
What if my A1C says I'm diabetic but my CGM says I'm fine?
Will reishi, turmeric, or curcumin tank my testosterone?
The 3 Phases of Fasting: And How to Get Kicked Out of Each One

If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda Learn more about the Masterpass here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about This snippet is from the April 13, 2022 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

How to balance vitamins E and K
What prenatal vitamin do I recommend?
Why does my smoothie make my hands cold?
What type of choline to use?
Is there an interaction between glycine and aspirin?
What supplements can be used in the fasting state?
How to manage protein intake within a small eating window on an intermittent fasting regimen?
Looking at a study on calcium alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation.
Should I take vitamin D for COVID if I easily get hypercalcemia from it?
What to do about nausea in pregnancy?
Brief questions on restless legs, exercise during fasting, puffy eyes, and health effects of spicy foods. Here’s a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/ask-me-anything-april-13-2022

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.

Can Regenerative Agriculture Solve the Food Crisis? Apr 18, 2022

Rising Food Prices Part 4: Can Regenerative Agriculture Solve the Food Crisis? This is the 4th in a series of interviews I am conducting to try to better understand why food prices have been rising, where they are going as we move toward a potential food crisis, how this will impact the evolving landscape of food availability, and what we should do about it.

Allen Williams joins me to talk about conventional, organic, and regenerative agriculture, and how fuel and fertilizer inputs differ between them, and why regenerative agriculture offers the best resilience in the face of what looks like an emerging food crisis.

Allen Williams is a 6th generation family farmer and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights, LLC, Understanding Ag, LLC and the Soil Health Academy. He has consulted with more than 4000 farmers and ranchers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and other countries, on operations ranging from a few acres to over 1 million acres.

Allen pioneered many of the early regenerative grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques and now teaches those practices and principles to farmers globally. He is a “recovering academic”, having served 15 years on the faculty at Louisiana Tech University and Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Livestock Genetics from LSU. He has authored more than 400 scientific and popular press articles, and is an invited speaker at regional, national, and international conferences and symposia.

Allen and his colleagues specialize in whole farm & ranch planning based on the concept of regenerative agriculture. Their approach creates significant “value add” and prepares the landowner for multiple enterprise/revenue stream opportunities that stack enterprises and acres. This approach allows for enhanced profitability and/or investment value. They routinely conduct workshops and seminars across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Find regenerative agriculture at https://regenified.com/

This is a work in progress. Until it is completed, use https://localharvest.org, https://eatwild.com, and https://soilhealthacademy.org/shop-regen-foods/

Follow Allen's work at https://understandingag.com/

Learn about soil at https://soilhealthacademy.org/

Find more research on the topic at https://www.ecdysis.bio/

If you are interested in investment opportunities in regenerative agriculture, inquire with Allen using the Understanding Ag contact form: https://understandingag.com/connect-with-us/

This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis

Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book.

I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

You can pre-order the book here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book

And you can join the Masterpass here: https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/sales-page

Masterpass members get to watch these interviews live, and also have monthly access to a live Q&A with me. The next Q&A session is Wednesday, May 18, 12:00 PM Eastern.

Rising Food Prices Part 3: The Commodity Trade Apr 08, 2022

Tony Greer joins me to talk about how lockdowns, politics, and the commodity trade contribute to rising food prices.

Tony Greer is partly responsible for my awareness of the emerging food crisis as I had initially learned of Doomberg from him last year. He has been a macro trader for over thirty years, is a regular on the Real Vision Daily Briefing, and is editor of the Morning Navigator.

Tony brings us unique insights as a trader who saw the rise in commodity prices early. Will the rotation out of tech stocks into commodities continue? What role does this trade have in amplifying food prices itself? Can we use technical signals from the market to gauge the likelihood this problem will get much worse, and to be able to spot light at the end of the tunnel when it finally emerges?

Tony surprised me by suggesting the most important signal to look for as "light at the end of the tunnel" ushering in a reprieve from rising food prices is not so much a technical indicator from the charts or from economic data but rather a sustainable 180-degree reversal in the political hostility to the energy markets. He suggests food prices would take another 7 or more years to calm down once this reversal is sustained.

None of this is financial advice and you must make your own decisions at your own risk. However, we conclude with some thoughts Tony has on how to keep savings safe in an environment like this.

You can join his newsletter at https://tgmacro.com/ and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TgMacro

This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis

Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book.

I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

You can pre-order the book here: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book

And you can join the Masterpass here:

https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/sales-page

Masterpass members get to watch these interviews live, and also have monthly access to a live Q&A with me. The next Q&A session is Wednesday, April 13, 6:00 PM Eastern.

Rising Food Prices Part 2: "Money Printing" Apr 06, 2022

With Dr. Michael Howell, PhD.

This is the second in a series of interviews I am conducting to try to better understand why food prices have been rising, where they are going as we move toward a potential food crisis, how this will impact the evolving landscape of food availability, and what we should do about it.

Michael Howell, PhD joins me to discuss whether "money printing" and the liquidity cycle might be playing a role in rising food prices.

Howell has a PhD in Economics and specializes in analyzing global central bank activities, liquidity trends, and capital flow data across 80 economies. He is CEO of CrossBorder Capital, which he founded in 1996. He developed the quantitative liquidity research methodology while he was Research Director at Salomon Bros. from 1986. He was subsequently appointed Head of Research at Baring Securities in 1992, and was top-ranked “Emerging Market Strategist” by institutional investors for the three years prior to setting up CrossBorder Capital. Michael has worked in financial markets since 1981 and is a regular international conference speaker. He is a qualified US Supervisory Analyst.

You can buy his book, Capital Wars: The Rise of Global Liquidity, here.

You can follow his company, Cross Border Capital, on Twitter here.

This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis

Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book.

I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

You can pre-order the book here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/book

And you can join the Masterpass here:

https://themasterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/sales-page

Masterpass members get to watch these interviews live, and also have monthly access to a live Q&A with me. The next Q&A session is Wednesday, April 13, 6:00 PM Eastern.

Rising Food Prices Part 1: Oil and Fertilizer Apr 02, 2022

This is the first in a series of interviews I am conducting to try to better understand why food prices have been rising, where they are going as we move toward a potential food crisis, how this will impact the evolving landscape of food availability, and what we should do about it.

Josh Young and Tracy Schuchart are here to talk about why oil and fertilizer are in short supply and why their prices have been steadily rising.

Josh Young is Chief Investment Officer and Founder of Bison Interests, which invests in the publicly traded oil and gas markets. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Josh_Young_1

Tracy Shuchart is Partner and Global Macro Energy and Materials Strategist at Intelligence Quarterly. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/chigrl

This series started from a Substack post I wrote, The Emerging Food Crisis:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis

Over the next month, as part of this series, I will conduct interviews and panel discussions on my podcast in an effort to better understand the issue and what to do about it. Relying primarily on interviews will allow me to better understand the issue while staying focused on finishing my vaccine research so I can ultimately return to finishing my book.

I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

The Spike Protein As a Pore-Forming Toxin Mar 30, 2022

The spike protein pokes holes in cell membranes at concentrations much lower than those achieved with vaccination, contributing to COVID-like illness and mitochondrial damage. But is the J&J immune?

This is not medical advice.

This podcast was originally published in written form as a Substack article, fully referenced, found here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-spike-protein-as-a-pore-forming

This is the first in a series of posts in which I will outline the potential mechanisms of spike protein toxicity and vaccine side effects and brainstorm actionable steps vaccinees can take to protect against these effects or heal from them.

I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

The Emerging Food Crisis Mar 29, 2022

My tentative view on what is causing it and what to do about it. This is NOT caused primarily by the conflict in Ukraine and a sudden peaceful solution to the conflict will not avert it.

The written version with links to sources can be found here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/the-emerging-food-crisis

Please Show The Substack Post Some Love

Please hit up the Substack post and let me know what you think in the comments! And please like the post if you found it valuable, and share the post with others if you believe they too would find it valuable.

Subscribe or Upgrade

I will eventually be concluding my work on the vaccines with a COVID Vaccine Guide, which I will distribute for free to paid Substack subscribers, those who have pre-ordered my Vitamins and Minerals 101 book, and members of the CMJ Masterpass. Articles in this series that lay out actionable foundations of my future protocol for vaccine side effects will be for paid Substack subscribers and Masterpass members. However, most of them will available for free for the first 48 hours, and all of them will be readable with a free trial. Paid Substack subscribers get immediate access to my COVID Guide, and are entitled to 50% off a membership to the Masterpass as well. You can subscribe or upgrade your subscription here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/subscribe

Explaining the "Hospitalization Paradox" Mar 04, 2022

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paradox

Please subscribe to my Substack at https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com

Subscription is completely free but if you take the option to pay $5 a month or $30 per year, you will get access to exclusive content, as well as my COVID guide for free and 50% off my Masterpass membership program.

Please like, comment on, and share the Substack version of this post. This will help spread it far and wide, as subscriber engagement drives the Substack algorithm. Engagements from paid subscribers count the most, but engagements from free subscribers come in the highest numbers and are the foundation for spreading the content.

This episode covers how a negative PCR test can serve as a marker for systemic inflammation and spike protein toxicity, creating a widely exploited statistical anomaly to make misleading claims about hospitalization.

I consider this the absolute most important topic of our decade: the core anomaly in COVID data that is exploited worldwide to claim the vaccines are protecting against hospitalization among those who get COVID, yet which is at complete odds with the CDC data showing the majority of people hospitalized for COVID-like illness are vaccinated and that the vast majority of them test negative.

"COVID-like illness" refers to the signs and symptoms of COVID, regardless of the results of a PCR test.

While the clinical fate of PCR-negative COVID-like illness is completely unclear, we cannot just ignore it.

In fact, recent evidence suggests that as much as 69% of PCR-negative COVID-like illness might be genuine COVID.

Zooming out to capture the total COVID-like illlness, the "Hospitalization Paradox" refers to the fact that the vaccines do not protect against it at all. When the vaccines have high efficacy against a negative test, all they do is make ill people test negative. In contexts where they have sub-par efficacy against a negative test — the Johnson and Johnson trial, after 3 months of being vaccinated with no booster, and in the face of increasingly vaccine-resistant variants like delta and omicron — suddenly they appear to have efficacy against hospitalization, but only among vaccinated people who test positive. The vaccinated people who test negative, by contrast, wind up in the hospital with PCR-negative COVID-like illness.

In this very extensively documented article, I argue that this can be explained by the negative test, during the waning phase, becoming a marker of vaccine-induced systemic inflammation and the persistence of spike protein in the body, contributing to acute and cumulative spike protein toxicity and possibly spike-induced autoimmunity.

Read the article here:

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/paradox

Please subscribe to my Substack at https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com

I'm About to Get Deplatformed Jan 30, 2022

I'm recording from "Youtube Jail," where I'll be until Monday morning. Two more strikes and I'm out.

Please help our community stay connected by joining my email list at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored

The Hospitals Are Not Full of COVID Patients Jan 29, 2022

The pandemic that no one dare speak of: 79% of people hospitalized for COVID-like illness test negative for COVID. The vaccines protect against testing positive among those hospitalized, but not against winding up in the hospital with the symptoms. And deaths? We have no idea.

What the heck is going on?

Read the written and referenced analysis here:

The Pandemic of PCR-Negative COVID-Like Illness

Help Me Fight Censorship and Stay Connected With Me

Please join my email list ASAP at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored

Here’s why:

YouTube took down my interview of Jessica Rose after it started going viral and hit 35,305 views.

They gave me a warning.

Then they took down my livestream of the Washington, DC Defeat the Mandates Rally.

That earned me a strike. I'm currently in "YouTube Jail" until Monday morning. Two more strikes and I'm out.

Instagram has threatened me with account deletion, accused me of causing people physical harm by discussing research on arginine, banned you from tagging me, and is “like suppressing me” by preventing a percentage of people from liking my posts.

Please stand for free expression by joining my email list, ensuring we stay connected. I will immediately send you an email of the most important alternative platforms to follow me on and how to join me in the fight against censorship.

Join now at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored

Strategizing Against Vaccine Mandates with Angela McArdle Jan 14, 2022

In this episode, Chris Masterjohn interviews Angela McArdle on strategies to defeat the mandates. McArdle is the current chair of the Los Angeles Libertarian Party and is spearheading an effort to amend the New York City charter to prohibit the mayor from making mandates.

We discuss the ethics of mandates, steelmanning the case in favor of them, and then justifying our opposition to them. We discuss strategies to defeat them, as well as strategies for employees to keep their jobs when faced with them.

Angela has worked as a paralegal and legal aid for over eleven years. Angela currently works in litigation and also has a private practice where she provides self help legal services to low income clients. The bulk of Angela’s practices focuses on real estate and constitutional law.

She was a key organizer for the Los Angeles 2013 protest against a ban on feeding in public rights of way, which was a major obstacle to feeding the homeless.

Angela received her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Biola University in 2009 and a Paralegal Certificate from UCLA Extension in 2013. Angela is also trained as a craniosacral therapist through the Upledger Institute.

She believes strongly in the sanctity of personal choice and allowing people to govern their own lives.

Important Links

Visit her web site at https://angelamcardle.com and follow her on twitter @angela4LNCChair

Time Stamps

00:45 George Washington's smallpox mandate

02:45 McArdle's background in law and natural health

09:05 Test negative case control studies are a scam, same with RCTs without inert placebos

13:38 The ethics of mandates

25:22 Amending the city's charter

30:33 Changing the hearts and minds of the people

38:10 Voting with your feet: to move, or to stay and fight?

46:07 Connecting with people on an emotional level; city council meetings; changing the hearts and minds of reporters

49:46 The role of protests and rallies

56:52 Restaurant sit-ins

1:05:10 Call banking businesses

1:07:54 Perceptions of the sit-ins

1:11:16 Different ways individuals can get involved

1:12:26 Persuading the police

1:17:02 What to do if your job is threatened

1:23:12 If we don't stop this now, what's the end game?

Help Me Fight Censorship and Stay Connected With Me

Please join my email list ASAP at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored Here’s why: YouTube took down my interview of Jessica Rose after it started going viral and hit 35,305 views. Instagram has threatened me with account deletion, accused me of causing people physical harm by discussing research on arginine, banned you from tagging me, and is "like suppressing me" by preventing a percentage of people from liking my posts. Please stand for free expression by joining my email list, ensuring we stay connected. I will immediately send you an email of the most important alternative platforms to follow me on and how to join me in the fight against censorship. Join now at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored

Dmitry Kats, PhD: From Niatonin to Niacur Jan 04, 2022

In this episode, I have Dr. Dmitry Kats, MPH, PhD. He has a PhD in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Many people have asked me what I think of his Niatonin protocol for COVID. And as you'll see in this interview that has since evolved into the Niacur protocol, which now has the dosing regimen of just niacin and curcumin, having abandoned the melatonin from the original protocol. You will find in this 3.5-hour conversation all about the justification for that protocol, how it evolved over time, where it came from, and you will get a really interesting look into the fascinating mind of Dr. Kats.

Important Links

Follow Dr. Kats on Telegram here: https://t.me/NiaCur

During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you.

It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service.

I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount.

In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected.

To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself.

This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio.

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

Jessica Rose: Adverse Events Reporting and Much More Dec 27, 2021

In this episode, I have a fascinating 3-hour conversation with Dr. Jessica Rose about all things related to C-word juices, ranging from interpreting the adverse event reporting system to the future of mandatory prophylactic gene therapy.

If you follow Dr. Rose on her web site or YouTube channel, she is first and foremost an analyst of the adverse event reporting system.

If you follow her substack, her bio is simple: "I am a dissident."

Her academic bio emphasizes her expertise in biology and immunology:

Dr. Jessica Rose is a Canadian researcher with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Immunology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She also holds a PhD in Computational Biology from Bar Ilan University and 2 post-doctoral degrees: one in Molecular Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and one in Biochemistry from the Technion Institute of Technology. She was also accepted for a 2-month program as a senior researcher at the Weizmann Institute prior to completion of her latest post doctoral degree at the Technion.

Important Links

Her CV is rich in published work on infectious diseases:

https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/media/Curriculum%20Vitae%20June%202021.pdf

She plays advisory roles in the Canadian organization Take Back Our Freedoms:

https://takingbackourfreedoms.ca/about-us/

She is also involved with Geert Vanden Bossche's Voice for Science and Solidarity:

https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/authors/jessica-rose

The three most important ways to keep up with her work are her web site, substack, and YouTube channel:

https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/

https://jessicar.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/74jessicarose

This is her currently withdrawn paper on myocarditis:

https://61b87bfde22db9000824d656--i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/media/A%20Report%20on%20Myocarditis%20Adverse%20Events%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Vaccine%20AdverseEvents%20Reporting%20System%20%28VAERS%29%20in%20Association%20with%20COVID19%20Injectable%20Biological%20Products.pdf

This is her critical appraisal of the adverse event reporting system as a pharmacovigilence tool:

https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app/media/Pharmacovigilance%20VAERS%20paper%20FINAL_OCT_1_2021.pdf

Time Stamps

07:25 The interview starts

08:27 Her academic background

25:09 How she started analyzing adverse effect reporting system data

31:14 Were the mandates a surprise or expected?

31:34 Raw milk persecution, Rawsome raids, National Animal Identification System, swine flu microchips and forced quarantining laws

38:45 Interpreting the adverse event reporting system: how do we think about underreporting, overreporting, stimulated reporting, and causality?

52:08 Total adverse events are continuing to accumulate at the same rate even though the rollout is tapering, breakthrough infections, female reproduction issues

56:38 John Su misrepresents the data on 5-11-year-olds at CDC meeting

01:03:02 Hiding the children injected illegally

1:08:52 Severe adverse events in 5-11-year-olds

1:15:37 Back when 50 deaths would take a product off the market

1:18:04 We should be more cautious, not less cautious, when the data is poor quality

1:21:00 Hiding the all-cause mortality data

1:26:51 Can you get the C-word twice? And what does it mean, exactly, to get the C-word?

1:48:37 Widespread low-level inflammation throughout the population

1:53:14 Can the spike protein be written to the human genome?

1:57:31 Why is the risk/reward ratio so much worse for kids?

2:03:57 The effect of the juices on viral evolution in the era of omicron

2:12:18 Do we have an epidemic of hospitalizations for PCR-negative C-word-like illness in fully juiced people?

2:16:13 The saga of the retracted paper

2:20:14 Most myocarditis is severe by standard definition

2:27:13 Two approaches to language in peer-reviewed papers: raw honesty vs deference to the narrative.

2:32:58 What is a juice, and are these injections technically juices?

2:42:48 The importance of precision

2:45:20 The potential future of widespread or even mandatory prophylactic gene therapy

2:50:00 Why risk-reward is the wrong way to thing about the juice

2:56:36 Blood transfusions and shedding

3:01:57 Her advice as a concerned citizen of the human species to us as we enter into a world wherein we are rapidly losing our freedoms.

During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you.

It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service.

I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount.

In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected.

To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself.

This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio.

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

Patenting the Human Genome With Law Professor Jorge L. Contreras Dec 20, 2021

In this episode, I interview Law Professor Jorge Contreras about the past, present, and future of biotech companies patenting the human genome.

Jorge L. Contreras received his law degree from Harvard and teaches intellectual property, science policy, antitrust law and genetics law at the University of Utah. His scholarship has appeared in Science, Nature, NYU Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, and other leading journals. He has been featured on NPR, PRI and BBC radio, and his opinions have been cited by news outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, and Washington Post.

He is the author of The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Control Who Owns Your DNA.

You can buy the book, find out more about it, see primary documents relating to the legal battle, get further reading suggestions, or participate in discussions at https://genomedefense.org.

04:48 How many naturally occurring human gene patents are currently on the books? 09:04 What does it mean, in a practical sense, for a human gene to be patented? 16:36 When did the patenting of human genes start? 28:29 The global race to find the "breast cancer gene," first private company to patent a natural human gene 39:13 The legal battle to overturn the patenting of human genes 48:32 The solicitor general's bizarre cDNA vs gDNA compromise wins the day; Big Diagnostics hurt; Big Pharma survives 1:06:51 Do patents help or hurt innovation? 1:10:53 The C-word virus's genome would have been patented, but wasn't because of the 2013 Supreme Court decision; why the juices but not the virus can be patented 1:16:30 His role in the Open C-Word Pledge 1:23:16 Thinking about the future of widespread or even mandatory prophylactic gene therapy 1:33:31 What if a small number of companies race to engineer us into Microsoft-style or Apple-style operating systems and related ecosystems using prophylactic gene therapy? 1:38:41 Efforts to overturn the 2013 Supreme Court decision: all eyes on Congress for the next couple of years

During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you.

It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service.

I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount.

In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected.

To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself.

This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio.

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

Tess Lawrie Dec 12, 2021

In this episode, I interview Tess Lawrie about Iver Mixin', public health corruption, and C-word juices.

Tess is a medical doctor with expertise in research analysis and has served as an external consultant for groups at Cochrane and the World Health Organization.

She holds an MBBCh and PhD. She is the Director of the Evidence-based Medicine Consultancy Ltd, and CEO of EbMCsquared CiC, an independent, a not for profit, health-focused think tank, based in Bath, in the United Kingdom. She is also the founder of the British Ivermectin Recommendation Development initiative (now called BiRD International) and a co-founder of the new World Council for Health. If you haven’t yet heard of it, The World Council for Health is a coalition of more than 80 international health advocacy organisations in more than 30 countries.

Important Links

The World Council for Health at https://worldcouncilforhealth.org/

Her research on pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=lawrie-ta

In the interview, we talk about updates to her meta-analysis:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34469921/

And Andrew Hill's:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34410284/

Timestamps

01:15 Tess's Bio 04:33 The interview begins 05:27 How she went from Ob/Gyn to research analysis, serving as a consultant for Cochrane and the WHO 08:54 How she got involved in the "horse drug" 14:43 Political and financial obstruction of ivermectin research 23:37 Why her meta-analysis and Andrew Hill's came to radically different conclusions 31:11 Why focusing exclusively on randomized controlled trials is nonsense 35:32 Public health manipulating preferences instead of acknowledging and serving them 37:05 Mortality in "horse drug" studies versus juice studies 40:34 How regulatory agencies are failing to represent us 45:32 The course of the viral illness 47:03 What she did when she had the C-word 52:06 What she does for prevention 55:42 "Horse drug" as a prophylactic? 1:01:25 Her take on the C-word juices 01:07:21 Interpreting the adverse efffect data: Underreported or overreported? Causal? 01:17:05 Rapid fire questions: HCQ, juice mandates, liability shields, masks, lockdowns 01:20:51 Introducing the World Council for Health

During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you.

It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service.

I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount.

In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected.

For the uncensored version, please see the link in the description. For uncensored material in general, head to chrismasterjohnphd.com/uncensored.

To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself.

This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member.

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support!

Stephanie Seneff Dec 10, 2021

In this episode, I interview Stephanie Seneff, PhD, on her hypothesis about glyphosate, deuterium, and the C-word.

Stephanie Seneff is a senior research scientist at MIT, where she has had continuous affiliation for more than five decades. After receiving four degrees from MIT (B.S.. in Biophysics, M.S., E.E., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), she has conducted research in packet-switched networks, computational modeling of the human auditory system, natural language processing, spoken dialogue systems, and second language learning. Currently a Senior Research Scientist (MIT’s highest research rank) at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, she has supervised 21 Master’s and 14 Ph.D. students. For over a decade, since 2008, she has directed her attention towards the role of nutrition and environmental toxicants on human disease, with a special emphasis on the herbicide glyphosate and the mineral sulfur.

Here are the slides for the presentation she gave on this topic:

https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2021/WAPF_2021_Part1.pdf

https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/2021/WAPF_2021_Part2.pdf

Here is her book:

https://stephanieseneff.net/book/

Here is her web site:

https://stephanieseneff.net/

Here is how to access the uncensored version, the transcript, and where to find this on YouTube or on social: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/2021/12/10/stephanie-seneff