The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

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Mini-Episode: Cool Facts Friday #26 Aug 26, 2022

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In this Episode of The Human Upgrade™...

Cool Facts are quick hits of new human and world science curated into short bursts of information just for you. This fun compilation publishes one Friday a month.

• Gut bacteria convert vitamin A to retinoic acid

• Low-carb diets contribute to depression

• Lifestyle affects cognitive health more than age

• More bad news about America’s obesity epidemic

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Nillion Gives Crypto & Data Security a Human Upgrade – Conrad Whelan : 971 Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

Dave Asprey partners with Nillion as an advisor and investor.

IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll learn about the frontier of web3 and privacy and what happens to your private data (both on blockchains and in general). You’ll also find out how and why the future moves away from transactions (blockchain) and into computations (multi-party computation).

Think about where you store your identity and your deepest digital secrets. The current solutions aren’t great — in web2, the Big Tech 'old guard' has been quietly storing and monetizing your data for over a decade, and in web3, blockchains aren't designed to handle private data. A new algorithm, Nillion, inspired Conrad Whelan (the Founding Engineer of Uber) to come out of early retirement and do something about this.

This conversation looks at the data you unassumingly give away freely, and how it’s captured, held and used/computed on without your consent by large companies and other parties. Conrad believes in a future where your sensitive data and digital secrets can be fully controlled by you (and you alone) using web3 technology. This means you’d be the final gatekeeper of your data with the power to authenticate, authorize and use it as you see fit.

Conrad’s building that future as Nillion’s Founding Chief Technology Officer. His background includes electrical and computer engineering. He worked in the fields of computational electromagnetics before joining Uber as Founding Engineer. He’s developed, tested, deployed and architected software projects at all levels of the software stack as both an engineer and an engineering manager.

In 2016, he retired to focus his efforts on philanthropy and personal passion projects while keeping an eye on the tech world. The promise and potential global impact of Nillion enticed him out of retirement and into the company’s CTO role. What Conrad is building at Nillion aims to:

render both computational encryption and centralized storage of private data obsolete;
fundamentally change the way private data is stored and processed;
offer alternative non-blockchain ways of using decentralized nodes;
serve as a ‘Meta Layer’ that provides new and additional functionality to existing blockchains; and
enable a host of new real-world applications on its native public network (the Nillion Network).

Whatever your level of tech understanding, this discussion offers critical insights about the next big move in decentralized computing and data privacy.

Find more info in the show notes on this episode's webpage: https://daveasprey.com/conrad-whelan-971/

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How Regenerative Systems Save the Soil, Animals & You – Robby Sansom : 970 Aug 24, 2022

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IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll learn why regenerative methods for taking care of soil and raising animals provide a solution that creates food sovereignty, improves human health, and helps reverse climate change.

Previous episodes of this podcast featured regenerative farming and soil conservation topics. Dave Asprey keeps the conversation going because when you know what’s happening and what companies are doing about this problem, you can be informed and take action to support regeneration efforts in your own way.

Robby Sansom, co-founder and CEO of Force of Nature, joins the show to talk about the new developments igniting real change.

His roots run deep in the natural food community, caring for soil and caring for animals. He spent much of the last decade studying regenerative agriculture at ranches all over the world. Through this education, he helped found the Austin, Texas-based regeneratively sourced meat company, Force of Nature. The company’s building brand new global supply chains of grass-fed and regeneratively managed livestock. Force of Nature works in partnership with land stewards, ranchers and farmers committed to creating a positive return on the planet.

There’s an undeniable sense of urgency about the state of soil and its ability to provide enough food for a growing population. Over more than a hundred years of conventional farming and ranching depleted land and disrupted natural ecosystems. These harms (have and continue to) adversely affect animal and human health. Force of Nature focuses on repair and regeneration—in their own operations and by educating farmers and ranchers from homesteaders to big corporations.

In spring 2022, Force of Nature hosted a What Good Shall I Do? event about learning and leading with regenerative intent. This educational forum hosted several dozen speakers from soil scientists to leaders in the regenerative movement to individual farmers and ranchers. By providing information, resources and tools, conventional farmers and ranchers can make the switch to regenerative methods. And farmers and ranchers who already use regenerative methods can improve and have even more impact.

You can get involved, too! In this episode, Robby talks about the true cost of meat and gives tips on what to look for in your own local grocery and how you can support regenerative agriculture and ranching in a way that aligns with your own values. Every small step toward change contributes to a larger movement.

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DON’T MISS THIS! Force of Nature will be providing meat at select 8th Annual Biohacking Conference events coming up in September. Get your ticket.

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How Prebiotic Fiber Makes a Gut-Friendly Bread – Uprising Food : 969 Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Uprising Food sponsored this podcast. Dave Asprey partners with Uprising Food as an advisor and investor.

IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll learn about bread that’s better for your body—and the important role of prebiotics and fiber in that equation. You’ll also find out about the science that supports new ways of creating bread products—what works and why it works. And you’ll get a look further into the food system and how to adopt solutions with real benefits for your energy and lifestyle.

A 5+ year biohacker, intermittent faster, and cyclical keto devotee joins the show to talk about innovations in bread as you know it. William Schumacher, co-founder and CEO of Uprising Food—aka—”The Loafer and Chief”— traded in corporate life as a former Procter and Gamble marketer to sift through the disinformation to de-villainize bread and create products that taste good and work in synergy with your body.

With all the gluten-free and alternative breads out there competing for attention, what made Uprising stand out to Dave Asprey? Simple. Uprising took action to:

tackle the foundational things that give people disproportionate bang for their buck when they eat the products day in day out.
figure out what’s NOT in the product. Most products are loaded with things that are doing damage and there’s a big-time cost.
eliminate gluten and other inflammatory ingredients.
choose ingredients that would produce a tasty, functional product and work in the gut to enable inside out transformation.
partner with artisanal bakers willing to experiment with baking methods and ingredients. The star ingredient? Psyllium. In this conversation, you’ll get all the details on prebiotic fiber and the benefits of activated psyllium, a bio-active polysaccharide.

Research done at Wright State University Microbiome Labcompared Uprising Food bread with traditional bread. Early results show that Uprising’s prebiotic bread makes nice with gut microbiota.

Curious about bread again? Check out the Uprising Food “Toast Cleanse,” affectionately known as “72 hours to digestive deliverance.” This 3-day protocol includes super toast combinations and levels of bread eating designed to overhaul your microbiome.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE HUMAN UPGRADE LISTENERS: www.uprisingfood.com/DAVE, use code DAVE to get $10 off the starter bundle

Excited about bread that’s better for you? Learn how you can invest in Uprising Food here.

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Ancient Healing Arts for Your Modern Life – Shaman Jorge Hachumak : 968 Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll learn about shamanism, “spiritual minimalism” and how traditional healing arts connect so profoundly to the natural world. This conversation also explores distinct themes of consciousness, the soul, and deep respect for plant medicine and Ayahuasca ceremony.

The guest, Shaman Jorge Hachumak, is a Peruvian of Spanish descent who’s made a winding journey into shamanism as a healer. After receiving a European education, he became a practitioner of Chinese Qigong in old Lima’s (Peru) China Town. After a successful career in tai chi competition, he worked with elderly patients in hospitals in Northern Peru.

During this time, he was taken under the wing of native shamans, witches and herbalists who spent years teaching him the ancient healings. He learned ancient Peruvian medicine arts (not from the Incas, but from the North Coast and the Northern jungle of the Amazon).

He now moves seamlessly between perspectives, having one foot firmly in the rational, scientific world and another in the spirit world.

“The ancient healing arts are deep and expansive—you never stop learning, and what you learn in a lifetime will always be a small fraction of what is available to learn,” he says in his new book, “Journeying Through the Invisible: The Craft of Healing With, and Beyond, Sacred Plants, as Told by a Peruvian Medicine Man.” “I want to offer a larger picture of the Medicine Craft and to create appreciation for other important aspects that are endangered or still not well-known.”

This larger picture includes influences from science, history, religion and the natural environment.

Shaman Hachumak looks at consciousness as two states that lead to both deep understanding of the healing arts and deep self-reflection:

Suffering Consciousness keeps us stuck in our negative ways
Soul Consciousness is awakened during a ceremony or spiritual moment. Your entire being awakens, and you are shown the way to live according to the dictates of your conscience and the teachings of the spirits.

He also uses his knowledge and experience to broaden people’s understanding of Ayahuasca as a powerful plant medicine. He works to protect Ayahuasca and the traditional ceremony from misuse and exploitation.

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What Biohacking Borrows from Shamanism – Manvir Singh, Ph.D. : 967 Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll find out about the relevance of shamanism in a modern world and why high performers are turning toward shamanic practices to get ahead.

The show’s guest, Manvir Singh, Ph.D., is an anthropologist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, France. He studies universal or near-universal cultural practices, including music, shamanism, and witchcraft. For the past seven years, he’s conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Indonesia.

He recently wrote an article in WIRED magazine titled, “The Shamanification of the Tech CEO,” noting some curious parallels.

“Silicon Valley austerity continues to grow more extreme. By 2020 intermittent fasting was no longer enough, and dopamine fasting—an abstention not just from food but from any form of stimulation, including music, eye contact, and playing Magic: The Gathering—had taken off. These self-denial fads are often touted as biohacking innovations. Yet as an anthropologist who has studied austerity in some of the most remote regions of the world, I see them as part of a larger pattern: the self-shamanification of tech CEOs.”

“Analyzing an old dataset of 43 nonindustrial societies, I found that shamans in 81 percent of the societies observed prohibitions on food, sex, or social contact. Given that these data were collated from reports by travelers and anthropologists, they are probably an underestimate. Silicon Valley deprivation, it turns out, is less a strange, new development and more the most recent manifestation of a ubiquitous shamanic practice.”

This conversation gets into:

shamanism in general
the cultural significance of shamans
how shamanic practices have made their way into modern culture
why humans think they need shamans—or similar “magic” or “other” beings

More about Manvir Singh, Ph.D.: Manvir earned a Ph.D. in Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and a Sc.B. with Honors in Human Biology: Evolution, Environment, & Ecosystems at Brown University. He’s received multiple awards, honors, grants and fellowships—from Fulbright Scholarship to visiting scholar and research fellow. He’s written more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and more than a dozen articles for general audiences. He gives talks domestically and internationally on the topic of shamans.

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How To Be Your Future Self Right Now – Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D. : 966 Aug 12, 2022

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IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll find out how your imagined future directs your behavior right now, rather than your past. You’ll learn how to manage threats to your future self, recognize truths about your future self, and how to take steps to be your future self. You’ll also gain strategies you can start using today for creating and becoming exactly who you want to be in the present moment.

Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist and author of multiple books on how to improve your mindset. He joins the show to explain how you can borrow from your future and actually be that person right now.

In his newest book, “Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation,” he says, “Research now shows that a person’s past does not drive or dictate their actions and behaviors. Rather, we are pulled forward by our future.”

There’s no looking back, only moving ahead. Most people, out of fear, limit their view of the future to a narrow range. Take a dangerous leap to think more broadly. Take cues from your brain.

“With neuroscience, the brain is essentially considered a prediction machine,” Ben says. “So, what the brain is always doing is predicting what's going to happen, and learning is essentially just updating its sense of predictions. The brain is always anticipating the future.”

Since you’re already thinking about the future, put those thoughts to use in the here and now with 21 actions (7 threats to, 7 truths about, and 7 steps for being your future self) designed to transform yourself. For example:

Offset a THREAT: Urgent battles and small goals keep you stuck. To exit the rat race of day-to-day mindset requires a shift in your focus.
Face a TRUTH: Failing as your future self is better than succeeding as your current self. The more willing you are to invest in momentary loss and pain directed at a goal, the faster you’ll adapt to the level of your future self.
Take a STEP: Schedule your future self. Put the important before the urgent. Once you commit to your Future Self, you’ll be required to be courageous. Choosing freedom over security is an act of courage.

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Control Your Mindset with 4 Questions – Legacy Upgrade ft. Byron Katie : 965 Aug 09, 2022

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IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

…a legacy upgrade conversation with Byron Katie will have you digging deep into the work of fine-tuning your mindset. Her keystone practice, The Work, allows you to access the wisdom you already hold inside you. She explains it as a process to “clear the mind.”

You’ll ask yourself four questions and apply them to a specific problem you’re facing. Going through these steps gives you perspective and a new way of thinking about what’s causing you distress. Questioning diminishes the power your thoughts have over you. And THAT leads to true freedom.

Her work contains elements of therapist, a counselor or a religious leader, though she’s technically not any one of these. She’s been described as a spiritual mentor. As the bestselling author of “Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life," followed by "A Mind at Home with Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World Around," her inspirational guidance offers people a different way to think their thoughts so they can change their mindsets and, ultimately, their lives.

Her own story of early life success that spiraled into depression, rage, addiction, and self-loathing, sets the foundation for The Work. “The thoughts like, “I’m not good enough. There's something wrong with me," which was true,” Byron explains. “It was my thinking. My thoughts were aimed out at other people. It was their fault. Then when I would say or do something, I would experience the guilt, so I had this vicious circle going of judgment, guilt, judgment, guilt. It was debilitating.”

She had to save herself. Several weeks into treatment, she woke up one morning to a state of constant joy that has never left her and four questions clearly in her mind that would lead her out of her own darkness.

She’s never been able to truly explain this epiphany, nor has she evangelized it. She realized that when she believed her stressful thoughts, she suffered, but that when she questioned them, she didn't suffer, and that this is true for every human being. She simply shares The Work with people who want to make profound life changes—and has continued this path for nearly 40 years.

“I have a lot of people across the globe that are saying their lives are shifting so dramatically they're unrecognizable, but I don't call it The Work for nothing,” she says. “It does take stillness. It takes silence, and it takes being courageous enough to look at the thoughts in your head without trying to change them and accept them the way they are.”

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Upgrade Spotlight: Cook Faster, Easier & Better With Light – Brava : 964 Aug 06, 2022

Show notes

IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

... you’re going to find out how to cook differently using an innovative kitchen appliance, Brava, that’s got some cool features that will get you excited about making your meals at home—always a good idea!

First—what Brava is not. The Brava countertop cooking oven isn’t a microwave, isn’t a toaster oven, and isn’t a convection oven.

Instead, it’s a device that cooks with light. Six lamps deliver exact, variable, infrared light waves to your food. Brava synchronizes and controls the amount of power each lamp emits. Simultaneously, the lamps instantly reach full power and turn off just as quickly, creating three independent cooking zones inside the chamber.

The top five benefits of this cooking method include: Searing (great for your grass-fed steaks), precision, versatility, speed and quality. Brava also cooks up to three different ingredients at the same time. You can air fry, dehydrate and cook your favorite white rice in it (Bulletproof Diet approved). It’s user- and kid-friendly, so your whole family can be part of a lifestyle that prioritizes food that nourishes your body and ups your energy.

Brava’s vice president and professional chef, Travis Rea, led the Brava Culinary Team in developing Brava's patented Pure Light Technology (physicists and mathematicians were in on it, too). He’s on the show to explain the technology behind Brava and how cooking with light will change your entire approach to food.

Travis earned a degree in Culinary Arts at the California Culinary Academy. Prior to Brava, he headed the Food Development team at Williams-Sonoma for eight years where he developed nearly 800 private label food products. His experience also includes leadership roles at Revolution Foods and NatureBox. So, he knows the many facets of creating great food.

Brava takes out the guesswork of meal planning by offering over 7,000 fully automated recipe programs. This means you can enjoy cooking more because it takes less of your time.

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How Whole Body Vibration Hacks Fitness & Fat Loss – Tony Molina : 963 Aug 05, 2022

Show notes

IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE™...

… you’ll learn how whole body vibration works and the many ways it benefits your physiology. It’s the nexus between energy and life, says Tony Molina, a performance optimization expert.

“This biohack helps you burn more calories,” he says. “It helps you increase strength and reaction time. You can improve skin and circulation, bone density, pain relief, hormonal changes, posture and balance. It's also a lifelong health and longevity partner.”

He’s talking about the Power Plate. He’s a high-altitude and longevity researcher and Senior Research and Development Specialist at the company.

“Whole body vibration runs off Isaac Newton's second law, so force equals mass times acceleration,” he explains. “Where acceleration is what’s being increased versus mass. And generally, we focus on the mass, whether we do any kind of strength training, we focus on holding mass or dealing with the mass or changing the mass. With whole body vibration and Power Plate, you’re focusing on the acceleration or the speed change.”

Other cool things about whole body vibration:

You're changing the formula from conscious effort (like conventional exercise) to subconscious (harmonic vibration).
You’re experiencing multiplanar movement that creates an unstable environment that’s proprioceptively challenging. (The nervous system doesn't know what to do, which is a good thing.)
Your neuromuscular spindle gets stimulated without the need for the brain even to get involved. (Cognitive confidence!)
Your nervous system itself is ramping up safety signals so the brain understands what it needs to do without you consciously having to do anything.
Your reflexes improve; your reaction time gets better; your ability to propriocept allows your posture to improve; and you breathe better.

Listen on to find out more about whole-body vibration training, therapy, and how it can make you live longer, whatever your fitness level or ability.

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