Some notes I made whilst listening to this podcast:
Broccoli Sprouts & Sulforaphane
Sulforaphone helps heal the gut lining, helps support the immune system and can even help fight cancer:
SFN (Sulforaphone) is one of the most frequently studied plant-derived isothiocyanate organosulfur compounds. It has been reported to exhibit a wide range of biological effects including antioxidant (Fahey and Talalay, 1999[10]), antimicrobial (Johansson et al., 2008[19]), anticancer (Amjad et al., 2015[4]), anti-inflammatory (Greaney et al., 2016[14]), anti-aging (Sikdar et al., 2016[45]), neuroprotective (Tarozzi et al., 2013[47]), and antidiabetic (Lee et al., 2012[26]).
You can supplement Sulforaphane or get it by growing brocoli sprout seeds. It’s also found in kale.
I’m sure in one of her earlier podcasts, Dr Rhonda said that you can just eat the seeds but the data was clear in terms of how much of ‘the benefits’ you get compared to growing the broccoli sprouts.
Freezing your broccoli sprouts increases the amount of sulforaphane that is bioavailable.
The Carnivore Diet
Is probably helping people feel better because it is reducing hunger and the overall intake of calories.
People on the carnivore diet need to make sure they get enough folate, vitamin C and vitamin E.
Calorie restriction has been showed to be of great benefit for those with auto-immune conditions.
She has concerns over the carnivore diet, the effect it has on gut flora and its relationship with colon cancer.
Dr Rhonda Patrick & Fish Oil
Fish oil can help retain dopamine in the brain (in the prefrontal cortex).
It can also be therapeutic after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) (study here).
The phospholipid form of fish oil is the best for clearing amyloid plaque from the brain. These plaques are what cause Alzheimer’s disease.
Good sleep is also crucial for those at risk of Alzheimer’s.
Dr Rhonda Patrick & Ketones
Dr Rhonda says that she finds exogenous ketones reduce levels of anxiety.
She does find that her energy crashes a few hours after taking them however. This is because she is on a carbohydrate (‘normal’) diet, and ketones reduce your blood sugar. So once they’re out of your system, you have no ketones and low blood sugar.
The Benefits of Saunas
A single session in a sauna can help ease the symptoms of depression.
In the first study of 16 individuals with major depression, a single hyperthermia treatment reduced their depression scores almost by 50% five days later.
…To address this question, we conducted a second, larger study in which we randomly treated half the participants with active hyperthermia and the other half with a “sham” treatment that mimicked every aspect of the hyperthermia treatment except the high heat. As we describe in a recently published article, the results echoed those found in the first study – a single session of hyperthermia produced a rapid and powerful antidepressant effect. And remarkably, none of this effect was seen in depressed patients who received the sham treatment. Moreover, the benefits of a single hyperthermia treatment persisted for six weeks, something that we weren’t expecting.
Source
Amazing
Saunas increase levels of beta-endorphins in the body, which makes you feel good, or even euphoric.
Saunas also reduce pain and increase anabolic hormones such as HGH and IGF-1
They can also reduce the risk of degenerative brain conditions (study here)
personal note – cold showers and cryotherapy are also good for mental health. It would appear that the Stoic approach voluntary suffering has some merit.
