Idebenone is an interesting quinone that may be useful in Parkinson's disease

It's an analog of CoQ10 (another quinone) but while CoQ10 binds to complex I to transfer electrons to complex III idebenone can bypass CI and move directly to CIII

It's also a membrane antioxidant Complex I blockage is one of the main underlying drivers of Parkinson's disease

It creates metabolic issues in dopaminergic neurons and has been shown to to elevate neurotoxic dopamine wastes

The main downside is that idebenone does not unblock complex I itself

https://twitter.com/photobiogenesis/status/1823130259287392382

GDNF is a brain growth factor that regulates growth of various neurons, but is particularly targeted toward dopamine

It's considered promising for the treatment of addiction and Parkinson's disease

Let's look at a few ways to stimulate it In addiction, things that increase dopamine have a tendency to increase GDNF in the short term while downregulating it during withdrawal

This is true for alcohol, nicotine, drugs, etc

The psychedelic ibogaine, used in addiction therapy, may work partially by increasing GDNF

Brain normally runs on glucose (more than 50%), under cognitive exertion energy demands outpace oxygen availability and lactate shuttled into neurons from glia becomes the dominant energy source (50-60%)

Lactate also represents the point of "high cognitive load" and fatigue

https://twitter.com/hezerminator/status/1832895070439080308

Now while I don't believe lactate is responsible for exercise-induced fatigue on its own, it does play a role in cognitive fatigue


The point where anaerobic metabolism is reached "indicates that a cognitive task has reached the limits of complexity for a given individual"


Beyond that, it's been suggested that one of the main features of intelligence is better use of glucose by the brain
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
static1.squarespace.com/static/538634a…

I have a theory that a LOT of sleep issues in babies and young kids are a result of bright artificial light before bed and in the middle of the night (when nursing, etc)

I plan to avoid night-lights and artificial light at night with my children as much as possible I think there's a spectrum to this, and I'd rather use a dim night-light than turn on overhead lights, but neither is ideal

Blue-light filtered bulbs could be used as well

There's a growing body of research that supports the idea that artificial light at night harms children

Black walnut is one of the most common ingredients in "candida cleanses" and blends meant to reverse SIBO

Similar to black seed oil, it also contains an active quinones, in this case the compound juglone, lawsone, and plumbagin

Quinones are pro-oxidants that break down biofilms and have toxic effects on pathogens, while promoting antioxidant pathways and chelating heavy metals in humans and higher animals Thymoquinone, juglone, and other quinones all cross the blood brain barrier

They break down amyloid and tau aggregates in animal models of Alzheimer's, likely through their intercalation into the protein, and the removal of free iron and copper that trigger aggregation

Understanding inositol

How a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in food can help balance blood glucose, prevent insulin resistance, and help manage PCOS, anxiety, depression, and OCD

Benefits, dosing, and more

THREAD // Inositol is a simple sugar, like glucose, lactose, galactose, etc

It's one of the most ancient molecules in biology, and as such it plays a role in signaling and structure

It can be converted to phosphatidyl-inositol and used as a component of membranes

Dopamine is a quinone

Or rather, all catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline) are hydroquinones that share the two -OH groups found in other hydroquinones

These -OH groups can be oxidized forming both dopamine-o-quinone and superoxide free radicals While many quinones are beneficial DOQ is essentially a neurotoxic byproduct of dopamine

When excess dopamine is released and not cleared (ie glymphatic system dysfunction) it will tend to accumulate

All quinones have both a quinone, semiquinone, and hydroquinone form

One of the most common (but difficult to explain) experiences people have when taking lion's mane mushroom is that forgotten past memories will resurface, particularly difficult ones

Erinacine A in lion's mane is a kappa opioid receptor agonist which I think explains this The main endogenous ligand of the kappa opioid receptor is the anti-endorphin known as dynorphin

Put simply, dynorphin is a negative conditioning hormone involved in trauma, addiction, and negative conditioning

Dynorphin kills pain but is also very dysphoric

Switching to blue-light filtered bulbs is one of the simplest ways to improve your sleep and circadian rhythm

Blue-blocking glasses are good but they don't block blue light at the source and don't reduce brightness much

There are several good brands, I use miracleLED personally To limit BOTH brightness and blue light I suggest having a designated lamp in the bedroom that you switch too for some time before bed

This is far superior to having multiple bright white overhead fluorescent light on before bed

A diet high in choline and omega-3 fatty acids provides maximum support for neurogenesis by reducing levels of the factors that limit it, particularly NOGO-A and MAG

The herb rehmannia also has research suggesting it can limit these factors, specifically the compound catalpol You can increase the neural progenitor cell pool (neuron stem cells) to amplify this state, and provide direct "building blocks" for the creation of new pathways in the nervous system

Magnesium is essential for the maturation of stem cells in the nervous system and elsewhere

Many people are now using BPC-157 either intramuscularly to improve joint/muscle health or orally to strengthen the gut

What most don't realize is that it may also help balance the GABA/glutamate axis

For years now BPC-157 has been a hot topic in benzo addiction recovery forums Human clinical trials are lacking, so most of the interest in BPC-157 stimulating brain repair as well as gut/joint repair comes from this study


When BPC-157 was administered alongside valium in mice, they found that it prevented tolerance and withdrawalpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10707891/

Clove oil and oregano oil are famous for being the most potent cleanses for SIBO and candida

They both share the same active component thymol

It turns out that black seed oil is a significant source of thymol as well which helps explain its potent ability to clear overgrowth Black seed oil is one of the single most potent factors to clear candida, rebalance the gut-brain axis, and reduce permeability

Many quinones like emodin and aloe-emodin have been shown to restore the gut mucus lining

It turns out that black seed oil is no exception here

"We're going to cure cancer and Alzheimer's"

No, we're not...

At least not with our current methods

For example many of the current approaches to Alzheimer's therapy revolve around treating the accumulation of amyloid plaque, but what if I told you that plaque has a purpose? Australian researcher Robert Moir and his team put forth the idea that amyloid-beta is actually the brain's natural antibiotic in this 2016 paper


To put it bluntly, this is one of the most insane things I've ever read

And I mean that in a good wayscience.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

Chaotropes, kosmotropes, and hydrotropes

One of most important concept in the chemistry of organisms that you've probably never heard of

The way ions and molecules interact with water can make or break how cells function, keeping this system in balance is crucial

THREAD // One of the most fundamental aspects of life is how proteins are structured

We tend to take this for granted, but if proteins remain folded or aggregate together they can't work as enzymes

On the other hand lack of protein folding results in "denaturation" and degradation

HOW TO MANAGE HARMFUL EMF

I've been talking about the negative effects of modern electromagnetic radiation for some time now, but I haven't expanded much on how to manage it

I want to walk you through the best ways to protect yourself in any living situation

THREAD // EMF is an abbreviation for electromagnetic fields, which is a broad term referring to the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation including visible light

In this context I'm talking specifically about the part of the spectrum below infrared light (microwave, radio, and ELF)

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO MAGNESIUM

Today we're going back to the basics with an overview of my favorite mineral of all time, magnesium, one of the cornerstones of life on earth

Why magnesium is so important, and how to use it to improve your health

THREAD // This thread will be split into two sections:

The chemistry of magnesium, and how to supplement magnesium

If you're only interested in practical advice feel free to scroll down to the second section

Now without further ado, let's jump right in

Higher polyphenol intake is robustly associated with lower all cause mortality, and reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, and more

What are polyphenols?

The simple definition is plant-derived compounds with at least two six-carbon "phenol" rings in their structure

Examples include:

- flavonoids
- anthocyanins
- quinones
- lignans
- tannins
- catechins

And much more... So how do they work?

The simple explanation is through their participation in electron-transfer (redox) reactions

Phenolic rings are "resonant" structures, meaning the electrons they contain are delocalized evenly throughout the structure in something called a pi-conjugated bond

This means they can donate electrons while tending to remain stable

Parkinson's disease is more common in men than in women, and affects farmers more than any other profession

Specifically, farming that uses pesticides sees the most increased risk

Risk of PD is 1.5-2.5x higher with exposure to certain pesticides! Rotenone, parquat, and organophosphates, are particularly harmful, they act as direct mitochondrial toxins

Rotenone inhibits complex I of the electron transport chain by binding to its CoQ10 binding site

This causes complex I to leak electrons, and complex II begins to trigger reverse transport to maintain a redox balance

Nasal breathing at night (ie mouth taping) is one of the best things you can do to improve glymphatic system function

https://twitter.com/hubermanlab/status/1470920598339534849

Glymphatic system dysfunction predicts amyloid deposition, neurodegeneration, and clinical progression in Alzheimer's disease
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/al…

Relieving anxiety by eating dates?

Not the kind of dates you'd typically think of, these are known as "red dates" or "jujube dates"

Jujube is a highly medicinal food I've been using for years, it activates the anti-anxiety GABA system, aids sleep, and promotes neurogenesis The plants botanical name is Ziziphus zizyphus, but it's commonly just called jujube or jujuba

The dates are sold dry, whole or sliced, and the texture is reminiscent of slightly sweet dried apple chips

They're lower in sugar than middle eastern date varieties

IP6 inhibits both calcification and the accumulation of excess iron that occurs in aging

Inositol is a lipotrope, promoting removal of free fatty acids from organs like the liver which restores insulin sensitivity

Inositol/IP6 is a fantastic anti-aging supplement Key Aspects of Myo-Inositol Hexaphosphate (Phytate) and Pathological Calcifications
mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/2…