The Random Show, Couch Edition! — Supplements, Breathing and Balance Training, and Much More!
In a Nutshell
**Tim Ferriss and guest discuss Zen retreats, meditation techniques (e.g., labeling thoughts, "just be still"), vagus nerve stimulation via breathing or devices like HeartMath HRV for calm and pain relief, and ketone esters cautiously due to liver risks.** **Prioritize balance training (5 min/day on boards/slacklines) to prevent falls in aging, nerve blocks/RFA for back pain like Bertolotti's syndrome, Abra Hangs for tendon strength, and mitochondrial support against Alzheimer's (low-dose methylene blue, photobiomodulation, Urolithin A, Norwegian 4x4 HIIT for lactate/klotho).** **Additional tips: BFR training for travel muscle maintenance, vintage Japanese gear from Etsy, and Bird Buddy feeders for wildlife viewing.**
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Feels actually really good. My bowl is a little smaller than yours. That's always been the case. Welcome to Random Show, Couch Edition! ADU back of my place edition. These are meditation balls with script, presumably Tibetan or Sanskrit. This is the Zen corner, not the bad corner. In school, got sent to the bad table in kindergarten and left there for the entire year, explaining psychological issues.
This is the meditation area with bowls used for their sound at the beginning and end of meditation. A well-rung bowl sets the tone. Nice to be in person in Southern California with high bowls per capita and crystal shops.
Just came back from retreat at Mountain Cloud Zen Center in New Mexico with Henry Shukman and Valerie. Second small-group retreat for deeper Zen exploration. Henry's app is The Way. Proper Zen retreat is 5:30 AM cushion to 7:00 PM, no talking, shitty food. This was good chef (local, former James Beard award winner living simply with local ingredients, normally at the center), questions allowed between sits, max 25-minute sits with walking meditation.
Chugged ketones from fridge: Delta G brand ketone monoester, BHB bound with 1,3-butanediol. Treat like shot of tequila, use in moderation. Mounting evidence it's unhealthy for liver from animal models giving equivalent of fatty liver disease. Pre-publication data from researchers. Treat like moonshine, not every day. Tastes like moonshine or cough syrup. Time and place for it; experimenting with ketone salts. Dr. Rhonda Patrick notes full 30g shot spikes anxiety due to rapid rise and trough. Took 15g before podcast.
Dominic D'Agostino co-author on papers. Stay away from bath salts.
Glancing blow of eggplant allergy, woke up sick. Brought EpiPen. Eat venison jerky sticks, lentils from can.
Meditation like sports or exercise: different types suit different people (vipassana, transcendental meditation, Zen). Retreats provide feedback from Henry or Valerie on experiences like restlessness or planning compulsion. Can polish technique: e.g., label thoughts as 'radio' for talking, 'video' for images/planning/remembering. For OCD, labeling became interruptive; Henry advised 'just be still' for two sits, calmed everything.
Post-retreat: 3-5 days blissful calm attention, no rushing or future-tripping. Parallels to psychedelics, breathwork for transcendental states. Concentration practices like mantras or 'just be still' 10-20 minutes twice daily work well, like TM. Open monitoring less suited.
Theory: meditation benefits from vagus nerve stimulation via rhythmic breathing (e.g., box breathing). Kevin Tracy (book The Great Nerve, discovered TNF-alpha) on implants size of omega-3 capsule in neck (100,000 fibers per side), on-off stimulation effective for rheumatoid arthritis (FDA approved, NYT cover). Activates inflammatory reflex, prevents cytokine storms, decreases systemic inflammation.
Friend meditating twice daily via 10% Happier app had aches disappear after 1-2 weeks, possibly from 12-hour coverage per session. Using ear-based vagus stimulator on tragus (simbranchia conscia portion near sideburns) with grounding contact, 5 minutes twice daily before bed. Neck stimulators unpleasant, activate face muscles; one friend doubled HRV.
Neuropod: world's most studied wearable vagus nerve stimulator, 100+ international studies, UCLA/Penn. $900, owned 1.5 years, 30 min/day for 2 weeks no effect; placement on lobe feels tickly but possibly incorrect.
DIY Amazon components $20-25 risky (wrong polarity fries brain). Prototype from Scandinavia. Breathing (Wim Hof) achieves similar immune effects.
Heartmath.com device ($250, 60-day guarantee) clips to ear, measures HRV. App guides box breathing, shows real-time HRV spike in coherence mode. Thinking stressful thoughts drops HRV. Coolest device owned recently. Trained with Dr. Leah Lagos (book on this) via video for 3 months pre-retail, real-time optimal breathing identification. Try box breathing twice daily instead of meditating.
There's not a whole lot
Andy Galpin has breathing exercises including box breathing on his app, still in the App Store, 100% free with no in-app purchases. Google to find it; includes six different breathing techniques.
Hypothesis: Breathing patterns repeated morning and night, twice a day ~12 hours apart, 10-20 minutes each, yield benefits for chronic pain. Speaker feels confident about this.
Speaker turned toward 50 recently. Discussion of aging: Tim Ferriss used to tackle with jiu-jitsu moves 20 years ago, now carries a ball for lower back pain, can't move—'old man Tim' has appeared. 'The gentle art, not so gentle turns out.'
Focus for next decade: balance training. Key for aging; #1 cause of permanent injury in 60s, 70s+ is falling and breaking hip, with incredible increase in all-cause mortality risk if older and break hip. 'Breaking hips are not good.'
Demo of balance board (had for a while). Research: 5 minutes/day dramatically improved ADHD symptoms (speaker has ADHD). Requires attention. Speaker does 50 squats on tiptoes. History as skateboarder helps.
Tim tries: nervous, like slackboarding; nervous system adapts in a couple days. Video of Jersey Gregoric (podcast guest, ~70s, was 67): stood on one with fully loaded barbell (150-200 lb, he weighs ~130 lb), perfect Olympic snatch landing ass-to-heels, repetitions.
In Japan last week at friend's birthday (Tony Hawk also friend), saw Tony snowboarding in mid-50s, no cane (8 months prior had screws in hip from injury). Still does 720s on halfpipe. Wife jokes he should wear shirt 'always in pain.' Some people built like that. Tony's shins look like Thai kickboxer's from board hits.
Slackline in backyard 7-10 years ago at speaker's NY birthday; guest couldn't do even one step—nervous system practice. Home slackline (Gibbon brand, portable). Needs sleep cycles to integrate; do few minutes daily. Easier setup than tree-to-tree. QR code for 20-30 exercises (e.g., toe taps). Kids on hoverboards: day 1 struggling, day 2 mastered—nervous system/muscle memory adaptation.
Advice for slacklining: start low to ground; rock climbing gyms have them, get basics shown. Called Gibbon because pros move arms like gibbon monkey walking ropes/suspension bridges.
Tim's back: met neurologist/surgeon in Austin (ran trials on Bertolotti syndrome, rare—most specialists see 1-2 cases lifetime, he's seen hundreds). Advanced imaging shows possible Bertolotti's: transitional segment (lumbar vertebra behaving like sacral or vice versa), L5 transverse processes form pseudo joint—textbook cause of low back pain, matches exact pain spot.
Test: nerve block (lidocaine surface numb, then procaine + Kenalog cortisone deep). Lasts 18 hours short-term, 2 weeks longer. Instruction: do all aggravating activities (hard surfaces, flexed back on bar stool, floor sitting with dogs, heavy deadlifts/squats). Did for 3 days: zero pain. First time in 6 years matching imaging to precise pain point (others dismissed as referral).
Cautiously optimistic. Contrasts John Sarno approach (all in head, cognitive reconditioning—worked for Howard Stern); infuriating to dismiss structural issues (e.g., ballpeen hammer to vertebra isn't 'in head').
Future: if benefits hold, radio frequency ablation (RFA) to incapacitate nerves ~1-1.5 years. Enough time to reprogram pain patterns (previously: hard surface = DEFCON 5, 6-7 days pain, trouble moving). Won't structurally worsen if stair-stepped back in.
Tim had long-overdue surgery on forearm extensors (tennis elbow, 20+ years from sports injury). Back to rock climbing.
Abra Hangs (YouTube: Emil Abrahamsson, Swedish climber, V13+ problems): with scientist Keith Barr (podcast guest), developed tendon strength protocol. Simplest/lowest impact: 10 minutes twice daily.
- Hang 30-85% bodyweight (feet on floor), e.g., pull-up bar, door jamb, stairs underside.
- 10 seconds on, 50 seconds off, x10 = 10 minutes; repeat later.
Before/after strength/endurance mind-blowing even for high-level climber. Low back was limiter (hanging without abs engagement caused spasm); got Nug (Nick Bare/Norris rec, ex-Navy SEAL, podcast guest): pocket-sized wood grips (25mm, 20mm depths), carabiner for travel. Home: plate-loading pin for single-hand deadlift. Or low cable machine: 10s on/50s off per hand (or 10s each hand/40s rest).
Website: frictionficticiousclimbing.com (sic). Do not overdo finger training (risk pulley tear). 30-85% bodyweight two-handed (15-40% one-handed).
Craig Mod (podcast guest, Japan expert, walked thousands of miles trails/pilgrimage paths—likely most of Japan on foot): favorite Japanese toothbrush on Amazon, 3-pack $11.50, wide square head bristles (Premium Care).
Vintage 1970s Japanese fireman's jacket (heavy, hard to rip) from Etsy importer of vintage Japanese items (jackets, boro patch quilts, shrines, baskets, indigo-dyed kendo jackets). Inexpensive vs. US prices.
A designer jacket like the one from Vizom, a well-known Japanese designer, costs $2,500 in the States. Similar vintage 1960s jackets are available for $92 on Etsy shop Blue Heritage Japan, which has 4.9 stars and thousands of reviews. The shop offers inexpensive vintage Japanese items like hanging tapestries for stores and farmer's washi paper baskets. Packages ship directly from Japan, ensuring authenticity—no 'made in China' tags.
99% Invisible miniseries by Roman Mars on The Power Broker by Robert Caro (Pulitzer Prize 1975, 1,200 pages, biography of Robert Moses who shaped modern New York). Essential for understanding state/local politics and power dynamics. The 12-part series highlights key parts, interviews Caro (who met Moses), features guests like Conan O'Brien. Full series now available.
STEM Talk podcast for scientists with applicable research. Recent episode: Dr. Francisco Gonzalez-Lima (UT Austin) on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's as vascular disease with mitochondrial dysfunction. Downplays amyloid beta plaques as byproduct, not cause—treatments like donanemab infusions remove plaques but show no cognition change.
Speaker has three relatives with Alzheimer's: one disintegrating quickly, one in hospice, one early but advancing. Gave 10-15g ketone ester to one (to avoid dizziness/fall risk)—within 20 minutes, longer sentences and faster speech (from 1-2 word responses), lasted 1-1.5 hours. If plaques/tau solely responsible, this shouldn't work.
Low-dose methylene blue (120 years research, good safety profile if not overdosed) + photobiomodulation (lasers/LEDs on prefrontal cortex) targets electron transport chain for synergistic mitochondrial function and glucose metabolism.
Methylene blue now sold on Amazon (previously avoided due to risks)—e.g., people drinking shaker bottles, 15mg with 75mg vitamin C, even gummies. Used historically in fish tanks for disease prevention. Hormetic dose beneficial (like iocane powder); overdose impairs mitochondria. Microdose per research (listen to STEM Talk episode). Pee turns blue—use to titrate dose (from blue to clear indicates half-life/dosing interval). Bro science with citations: Echoes research but verify.
Warning: Just because it's a supplement doesn't make it safe (e.g., hemlock/arsenic all-natural, killed Socrates).
Personal context: Mom's cognition slipping (APOE 3/3), speaker/brother APOE 3/4 (dad sharp, older). Both parents have metabolic dysfunction (high fasting glucose). Mitochondria inherited from mom—exploring preventive levers.
The End of Alzheimer's book (6-10 years ago). Views Alzheimer's symptoms as byproduct of issues like blood-brain barrier breakdown (bacteria/toxins), vascular problems, mitochondrial dysfunction, toxins.
Protocol: Handful of supplements, lightweight keto (ketosis 5 days/week), no sugar/refined carbs, intense exercise. Decade of results: e.g., Kelly Boyce's father (mild cognitive impairment 10 years ago) now scores better on tests (in 80s, some issues remain). Goal: Slow progression if caught early (compliance key—hard for high-intensity exercise).
Speaker's mom: Dementia (not Alzheimer's), remembers family/kids but not breakfast/dog's name; overweight.
Cognito device (MIT-developed headset, 40Hz visual/auditory stimulation): 1 hour/day, plaque clearance in rhesus monkeys (still plaque-focused theory). Not feasible for relatives.
Gonzalez-Lima's photobiomodulation: 8-10 minutes/day, infrared laser on forehead (not eyes). Peer-reviewed studies show multi-week effects after one session. Expensive devices (~$30k lasers). Speaker plans to guinea pig it (eye damage risk). Ties to personal funky mitochondria (from endurance tests/doctors).
Urolithin A (postbiotic from pomegranates/walnuts, high gut variability). Orally bioavailable. Studies: 500-2,000mg/day (speaker takes 500mg/day, 3 months). Rhonda Patrick initially bearish, now new research supportive (biotech analysis in Boston).
Brands: Timeline Mitopure ($125/60ct, 2/day = $125/30 days; studies often 1,000mg/day). Pure Encapsulations uses Mitopure (250mg/2 pills + trans-resveratrol; $80/60ct = ~12 days at 1,000mg). Mitopure like Creapure (pure supplier, e.g., Momentous NSF-certified creatine). Not cheap, jury out—added to rotation for multi-angle mitochondria support.
Speaker: Vitamin D (chronically low levels), cocoa (vascular health), high-quality omega-3.
Other: Dictated by genetics/bloodwork. Prescription for cardiovascular risk (family history, cholesterol hyperabsorption, e.g., Repatha in thigh—tip: let alcohol dry fully, room temp, or hurts). Supplements: Omega-3 from fish (sardines/mackerel, ties to keto/fast-mimicking), vitamin D (skeptical of global deficiency but takes), B vitamin complex (poor methylator), creatine (5g base, 10g weight training, 20-30g sleep-deprived travel; causes puffiness/stomach issues at high doses).
Anecdote: San Francisco, stressed airport rush—double espresso + 10g creatine + MCT oil caused disaster in car (long-term parking); grabbed new underwear/rags.
Had to do emergency field triage, tossed it under my car, put on my pants commando style, ran and got on the flight. I'm sorry everybody, I know this can't be too much of a wonderful clone for anyone near God. We might need to edit some of that. Don't do creatine, caffeine, and MCT oil at once. Creatine alone doesn't mess up my stomach. But MCT oil goes straight through you—no one handles high-dose MCT with a fine stomach. Pre-order Depends from Amazon.
Related to mental health: few consistent supplements like creatine, uridine. Considering methylene blue. Photobiomodulation with lasers or LEDs once a week or every few weeks, track with before/after cognitive testing. Intermittent ketosis easiest via intermittent fasting, helps with jet lag during travel. Plus exercise.
Did a podcast with Dr. Tommy Wood—listen to that episode. 4x4 Norwegian high-intensity training: zone 4, max heart rate, 4 minutes on, 3 minutes off, repeated four times. Very puke-inducing, lots of lactic acid. Stationary bikes in hotels destroy knees due to inconsistent settings.
Texted Tommy: drivers are VO2 max or lactate? Lactate is a big driver of cognitive changes, neuroanatomical and vascular changes. Weight training like 20-rep squats in slow cadence produces lactic acid—could achieve similar effect. Klotho is another part; HIIT creates klotho in humans. Can't wait for injectable klotho, but for now, high-intensity interval training isn't always easy when traveling.
Can do high-rep leg presses in hotel for lactic acid in 5 minutes. Norwegian 4x4 three times a week for 6 months yields beneficial effects lasting 5 years.
Isn't that [__] crazy? The durability of the effects are just nuts.
Use Morpheus chest strap for heart rate. Assumes baseline fitness, but it's heart rate based—if winded by stairs, easy to hit zone. Legs crap out before heart rate for me due to mitochondrial issues—doctors debate lungs vs. heart stroke volume.
Normatec boots squeeze legs to move blood, great for recovery—feel like a coobe cow. Have a cold beer while using them.
Doom and gloom AI talk saved for next time—contagion from buddy who texts world is ending. Lean dystopian, don't need hypervigilance like John Connor. Genie out of bottle. Meditate.
Experiment with lactate as lever for cognitive longevity. To minimize injury risk in lifting as you age:
- Slow down: 5 seconds up/down, 10 seconds up/down. Time under tension huge—lower weight, no momentum.
- Blood flow restriction (BFR) cuffs—Tommy Wood uses when traveling.
Used BFR before fire—automatic pressure. Using Katsu or C4 (digital, no extra app preferred). Cuff causes partial occlusion to arms/legs. Good science—check it out.
Tommy Wood: phenomenal athlete (endurance/strongman), researcher. Doesn't lose muscle traveling: uses BFR with bands, very light weights.
Normally do hammer curls with 40 lb dumbbells. With BFR: 20 lbs (or 10 lbs) for 30 reps, 15s rest, 20 reps, 15s rest, 10-15 reps.
Push-ups humbling: 25 on 18-inch bench hard; next set only 5; elevated to hamstring curl seat for 12; ended on stair railing (near standing) for 30 reps—keeps ego in check.
Why BFR works: increases capillary density, vasculature, builds muscle, host of effects. Increases HGH localized? Makes you sweat.
Joke segment: BFR on genitals? Rings exist, smooth muscle tissue there. Theory: slunk erection, manual resistance (push down 5s, up 5s). Everyone knows it's a joke but might not be. Do not wrap. Priapism locks blood in.
Bird Buddy Smart Solar Pro hummingbird feeder: solar-charged camera always on, detects hummingbird variety via AI, name them (Tony's back, Sunset with red neck). Text notifications: "Sunset is drinking with you." Videos amazing—hovering, play, full audio, tiny tongues.
Standard bird version: squirrels take over bird feed, ruthless jumpers. Squirrel ass on camera.
Mark Rober's Backyard Squirrel Maze 1.0 Ninja Warrior course (YouTube, 144 million views): obstacle course to keep squirrels out—Mr. Beast for squirrels, head through for photo.
Covered it all. Tim.blog/podcast, random show. Search for [__] rings—only result. Take care of yourselves. Be a little kinder than is necessary to yourselves and others.
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