In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and Gary Brecka explore the potential of hydrogen gas therapy as an anti-inflammatory treatment for conditions like arthritis. They discuss the pitfalls of modern food processing, soil depletion, and dietary additives that contribute to chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and poor gut health.
Brecka argues that resolving nutritional deficiencies and reducing toxins through lifestyle changes could help manage these conditions. He also advocates incorporating mind-body practices like meditation and cold exposure into an integrated wellness approach. The conversation touches on the medical system's overreliance on pharmaceuticals and the need for personalized, holistic approaches to optimize health and longevity.
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Hydrogen gas acts as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and circulation booster. According to Gary Brecka, its anti-inflammatory effects provide immediate pain relief for conditions like arthritis. It reduces damaging hydroxyl radicals without disrupting essential oxidative processes. Studies link hydrogen water to cognitive improvements and longer telomeres. Absorption occurs through baths, showers, and transdermal methods.
The processing of oils like canola involves toxic chemicals and high heat, creating rancid, inflammatory products. Healthier fats like olive oil are preferable. According to Brecka, soil depletion and processed foods lower nutrients while adding harmful additives. He criticizes practices like subsidizing sodas through SNAP.
Poor diet, toxins, and gut dysbiosis drive chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases, say experts like Brecka. Gut bacteria and permeability issues trigger systemic inflammation. Brecka argues mold, metals, and infections - not an overactive immune system - cause autoimmune conditions by disrupting immunity. He advocates resolving deficiencies and toxins to manage these diseases.
Brecka and Rogan highlight the medical system's over-reliance on drugs due to pharma and financial interests. They call for integrating personalized approaches using big data, minimizing toxins, and lifestyle optimization to resolve chronic issues. Brecka cites improving his daughter's health by reducing mold exposure.
Rogan advocates skill-focused, intense training over pushing to failure. Functional exercises like carries and sprints enhance fitness. Cold exposure boosts brown fat and resilience. Mind-body practices like meditation regulate the nervous system. An integrated approach maximizes performance and longevity.
1-Page Summary
Hydrogen gas is emerging as a therapeutic agent with a range of potential health benefits, including its role as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent, as well as its circulatory benefits.
Hydrogen gas's unique advantages stem from its dual function as an antioxidant and a selective antioxidant. It's capable of traveling anywhere within the body, reducing inflammation, and consequently, improving circulation. Gary Brecka attests to the profound anti-inflammatory effects of hydrogen, particularly noting the immediate improvements seen in individuals with arthritis following a hydrogen gas bath. He recalls an anecdote where hydrogen gas therapy allowed a person named Sean to experience pain-free sleep for the first time in 15 years. Moreover, John Jones, who combined hydrogen gas baths with red light therapy and drinking hydrogen water, found significant pain relief and an enhanced training routine.
The effects of a hydrogen bath are also calming, facilitating a shift from a sympathetic state to a parasympathetic state. Using hydrogen bath bombs can generate similar anti-inflammatory effects. Hydrogen therapy is believed to have potential benefits for biomarkers related to inflammation, such as C-reactive protein and homocysteine.
The majority of the body's circulation is microvascular, occurring beyond the heart's reach, and treatments like hydrogen gas therapy can improve this kind of circulation. Hydrogen gas specifically targets the hydroxyl radical, considered the most damaging free radical with no beneficial role in the body.
Hydrogen regulates the inflammatory process through the body's regulatory system, influencing a protein called nrf2 that binds to DNA and regulates the production of antioxidant enzymes like catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione.
This selective approach means that hydrogen gas can counteract damaging radicals like the hydroxyl radicals without disrupting essential oxidative processes in the body. It’s a fine balance that hydrogen gas seems to strike naturally, modulating the body's defense systems in a way that promotes health without causing unintended consequences.
A study from the Journal of Experimental Gerontology links hydrogen water consumption with improvements in telomere len ...
Hydrogen Gas/Therapy and Its Benefits
The health impacts of modern food processing practices and nutrient depletion in foods are pressing issues, according to Joe Rogan and Gary Brecka. They discuss how the use of processed oils, the depletion of soil nutrients, and the inclusion of harmful additives are affecting diets and health.
Rogan raises concerns about the inclusion of seed oils in healthy lifestyle protocols, and Brecka explains that the health concerns regarding these oils stem from their processing methods, which involve toxic chemicals and high heat. Specifically, the processing of canola oil starts with pressing the rapeseed plant followed by de-gumming with hexane, a neurotoxin. The oil is then exposed to high temperatures, making it rancid, and subsequently deodorized with sodium hydroxide, a carcinogen. Some oils are further bleached, resulting in a clear hue not found in nature. These processed oils are chemically controlled, pro-inflammatory, and contribute to inflammation within the body.
Rogan suggests alternatives to seed oils, such as olive oil, beef tallow, and avocado oil, and questions whether there's enough supply of these sustainable options. Brecka assures that there's sufficient capacity to produce these healthier fats, emphasizing the potential to reduce waste by utilizing cattle byproducts more effectively. Products like bone broth and beef tallow are mentioned as viable market options, highlighting the opportunities for switching to these fats. Brecka notes that some companies have already begun replacing seed oils with healthier fats.
Brecka notes the significant nutrient depletion due to soil degradation by comparing soil lineage studies from ...
Issues With Modern Diet and Food Processing
Gary Brecka and other health experts are highlighting the growing importance of understanding the role of gut health, toxins, and diet in chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
Experts point out the significant healthcare spending in the U.S. which contrasts with its high prevalence of chronic diseases. They discuss how a typical pro-inflammatory diet and exposure to toxins contribute to chronic inflammation.
Gary Brecka illustrates the impact of bacteria and parasite imbalances in the gut, noting that a shift from beneficial to pathogenic microbes can lead to serious health issues like multiple sclerosis. He theorizes that parasites can damage the myelin sheath, aggravating such conditions.
Brecka relates personal experiences where mold, mycotoxins, heavy metals, and other toxins have caused symptoms like joint pain and brain fog, suggesting that these substances can cause inflammation by disrupting immune function. He recounts how interventions, such as EB02 therapy, sauna, binders, and high-dose glutathione, helped restore his daughter's health by addressing mold toxicity.
Brecka challenges the common explanation for autoimmune diseases that suggests an overactive immune system. Instead, he argues that often the immune system is accurately responding to threats like heavy metals, mycotoxins, and infections.
He contends that mood disorders, commonly associated with autoimmune diseases, could stem from issues in the gut, such as a defective methylation process, impeding serotonin production due to nutrient deficiencies. Brecka suggests that addressing mold, mycotoxins, metals, and parasites could lead to a better understanding and potential resolution of many autoimmune diseases. Autopsy studies on multiple sclerosis patients, revealing parasites in the myelin sheath, suppor ...
Inflammation, Gut Health, and Toxins in Chronic Disease
The podcast discusses the present medical model driven by pharmaceutical and financial interests and the urgent need to integrate broader health strategies that consider individual biology, environment, and lifestyle.
Gary Brecka and Joe Rogan delve into the intricacies of a medical system heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies and financial gains, which often results in an over-reliance on drugs and neglect of preventative strategies.
They point out that significant revenue from type 2 diabetes treatments and financial backing by companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola for organizations like the American Heart Association demonstrate clear conflicts of interest. These conflicts could skew health recommendations and medical research toward drug interventions rather than emphasizing lifestyle modifications.
Gary Brecka discusses how "standard of care" guidelines can confine physicians to a narrow medical model that discourages exploring non-pharmaceutical interventions. He criticizes the system where practicing outside the standard of care raises the risk of malpractice litigation, reimbursement issues, and career jeopardy, promoting a herd mentality among healthcare providers.
Doctors often follow pharma-dictated policies, like prescribing statins for elevated LDL cholesterol, a practice shaped by interests able to dictate reimbursement rates. Brecka underscores the need for reform in nutritional research and governmental regulatory oversight, citing the "revolving door" phenomenon between regulators and the industries they monitor. He also criticizes private industry’s influence on nutritional research funding.
Joe Rogan agrees that the system is mired in corruption, making it difficult to tackle entrenched issues. The endorsement of unhealthy products by authoritative health organizations further exemplifies the depth of these conflicts of interest.
Gary Brecka touches on the role of big data in showcasing the limitations of randomized clinical trials ...
Medical System Issues and the Need For Integration
Joe Rogan and guests discuss the integral role of exercise, cold exposure, and mind-body practices in achieving optimal health and resilience.
Joe Rogan promotes a skill-focused, intense training regimen over workouts that push individuals to exhaustion. He incorporates skill-based exercises such as chin-ups and push-ups, often using a weighted vest to add difficulty without working to failure. Rogan discusses his own training in archery where he practices until his form falters, avoiding overuse injuries. His approach is to rest completely between kettlebell sets, maintaining the quality of movement and building strength as a skill rather than seeking fatigue.
Rogan and Gary Brecka discuss the importance of incorporating functional strength exercises into routines. Rogan frequently engages in brief, intense exercises such as carrying two 50-pound kettlebells in short bursts and performing farmer's carries with a focus on balance and stability. He also mentions Tom Haviland, known for his unique and functional strength routines. Rogan emphasizes the value of carrying heavy weights and walking, which he suggests has an impact on overall fitness and wellbeing.
Gary Brecka speaks about the physiological benefits of cold plunges, highlighting the activation of brown fat and the release of "cold shock" proteins that reduce inflammation. He mentions incorporating hydrogen gas into cold plunge systems for therapeutic effects. Rogan also describes the benefits of combining cold plunges with saunas, suggesting they serve as an anti-anxiety agent and enhance recovery post workout.
Rogan stresses the psychological benefits of embracing discomfort through cold exposures, such as cold plunges, which require mental discipline to overcome internal resistance. He also speaks to the sense of rejuvenation and positive mood experienced after facing such challenges. Rogan equates the mental toughness required to stay in the sauna or un ...
Importance of Exercise, Cold Exposure, and Mind-Body Practices
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