Pre Max Filter: This is a large particle pre filter. The intention is the larger particles will saturate that part of the filter instead of the other two.
Gas and Odour filter (V5 Cell): The V5 cell contains about 5 pounds of carbon and alumina that filters unwanted gas and particle filters (Most basic air purifiers on the market have only one pound of activated carbon), so it’s able to capture gas at a rate that is 4-5 times higher.
Hyper HEPA filter : That sits on top of the gas and odor filter visually is a lot thicker than a lot of HEPA filters on the market. 99.7 percent for particles 0.003 microns
300 CFM (Cubic feet of air the air purifier processes each minute) is a substantial amount more than other top filters on the market which have CFM of around 250.
How does it work?
Air enters the air purifier through the bottom of the unit, it goes through the pre filter, then the gas and odor filter, then past the particle future, and then up and out of the top diffuser.
Pricing :
£1000 (or for those in the US, 900 dollars) with same day shipping, no extra shipping or tax costs for those in the UK at my delivery time (please double check as EU laws on import taxes are subject to change; I purchased this filter in February 2021).
Advantages:
Delivery was very fast and efficient . Out of all the air purifiers I’ve bought, this one was by far the quickest one in terms of delivery.
The Hyper HEPA Filter is going to last a long time because it’s so huge (you have 5 pounds of carbon there), so it’s going to require changing a lot less compared to your conventional products.
Swiss made – there are a lot of biohackers out there that don’t like to purchase filters from nations like China due to the reputation of contaminations of filters from chemicals and poor quality. I think it’s a good thing, certainly for me personally.
10 year warranty is very substantial. Most air purifiers have a 3-5 year warranty.
Addition of wheels makes it mobile to move from room to room, which is great for running events or for small businesses.
Strong build quality – extremely sturdy
Real good quality three stage filter system, high surface pre filter that takes the dust and debris, and then it goes through a chemical filter which is a combination of activated carbon and chemically active alumina and a true HEPA filter.
Every single machine, before it leaves the factory, gets a machine to certify that it’s efficiently working properly and performing well and can reduce the pollutants. This is special quality control in my opinion which I wish every company did, and I think if other companies did this, they’d get less negative reviews on Amazon.
One of the few high end air filters which you can actually buy in Europe without having to pay outrageous taxes or shipping fees. Most high end air filtration systems are predominantly available in the US, which causes mass inconvenience in terms of pricing and in terms of sorting out replacement air filters and repairs which need to undergo additional costs as well.
Very little blue light emitted from the device, which as I’ve said before in other reviews, is extremely important. You don’t want a device that emits blue light and can disrupt sleep. A lot of air filters nowadays come with junk light which can be problematic for those wanting to maximise sleep quality.
Not too loud on the lower fan speed which is hugely beneficial as you don’t want a device that is going to disrupt your sleep. The six levels means the sound can be adjusted very easily for parties and occasions which you don’t want loud noise and sound to infiltrate the room. Added to the lack of blue light, I think this is one of the best filters I’ve seen so far for sleeping.
It filters particles down to .003 microns, not .3, which is typical of HEPA filters. This makes it a much more efficient system compared to your conventional HEPA filter brands hence the name “Hyper HEPA”.
Disadvantages:
Expensive, at £1000 makes it one of the most expensive filters on the market to date. Can potentially price out for those on a budget. Also in some aspects it just simply doesn’t represent good value for money like Austin Air, which retails at around £600 including tax. With Austin Air, you get 15 pounds of activated carbon plus zeolite compared to the 5 pounds of activated carbon of the IQAir, so you’re getting three times as much gas filtration media. If you’re only looking for particle filtration and you only want a little bit of gas filtration, there are also cheaper options out there of which I’ve blogged about.
It’s heavy. For those who are maybe elderly, weak, or frail, carrying this around the house will be a nuisance if you want to switch floors.
Poor energy efficiency – those three thick air filters require a lot of energy with the 300 CFM output on maximum fan speed that draws 200 watts compared to other units that get around 60-70 watts of power for the 250 CFM models, and it doesn’t seem like the extra CFM boost is really worth the extra wattage use.
Pretty ugly eyesore – its large size and ugly look mean it might not be the best for events and restaurants where finesse and looks matter.
Changing filters will be a difficult task. There are a lot of other air filters out there that are much easier to change.
Extremely noisy at maximum fan speed – you can’t really sleep or be in the same room carrying out tasks. It’s unbearable to stand next to. When I run it at maximum fan speed, I usually just leave the room and let it do its thing.
There are three different filters which need to be replaced, each of them lasting different lengths of time. The replacements will total £360 and will need to be changed every 1-2 years depending on how often you use the air filter and at what strength. Its annual costs come very high compared to other brands like Austin Air and HypoAllergenic Air. To check the price on the replacement filters, please see:
Conclusion: For European based biohackers, we are not exactly blessed with endless options when it comes to good filters. In that regard, the IQAir is a decent option, but at £1000, it prices out a lot of individuals. For that same amount of money, you can buy two Air Doctors and cover more of your home or have an Austin Air with a Molekule air mini. However, with this price, you’re getting a lot of Carbon Filtration for your money, and the 10 year warranty will ensure you have a reliable filter for years to come that can filter all types of pathogens and particles from the large to the 0.003 pm range, so it’s up to you. There’s cheaper out there, but it’s still a good option nonetheless.
Note: for those shipping towards the UK, there will be a $25 shipping international shipping fee plus a further import tax of around 20 percent.
Mito Restore:
Launched 1 year ago, Mito Restore is one of the more expensive supplements to take in the Microbe formula range. Recently, there is a $20 discount coming in at $80 for a 56 day supply, but I would start small with as little as one drop. I just heard Dr. Watts speak about this tonight, and he stated people who have sensitivity to the Mito Restore have lots of radioactive elements (which are in lots of water supply) in their system. It is not everyone, but it can make you tired if you do. All that to say the best thing to do is start out slow with 3-5 drops, and if that doesn’t bother you, you can increase to the recommended dose pretty quickly. When you get to those doses, you will love it. Great product. Mito Restore is formulated to encourage healthy mitochondrial function and ATP (energy) production. By supporting cellular energy levels, Mito Restore aids detoxification to facilitate your health protocols. It also promotes normal cellular renewal and aids mitochondria in their role of immune system support. In regards to parasite cleanses with parasites excreting a lot of toxins and heavy metals that can wear out the mitochondria, it’s therefore a useful addition to take to replenish the energy of your mitochondria.
The key here is to make sure you get lymphs moving to collect all this trash and unclog your liver to be able to handle the toxic load as you titrate up on Mito Restore.
Even though you benefit from a higher dose of Mito, you may need to restrain to just a few drops in the beginning as all the pathways get adjusted.
Tip: oxygen tends to magnify the Mito benefits in some people, but needs to be titrated up carefully.
Pricing:
Mito Restore is pricey, coming in at $100 for a 56 day supply, and with people in the UK, we should expect that fee to rise to a tax included $120, but I believe it’s really helped me ease the detox systems of parasite cleanses so still worth the money nonetheless in my opinion. In order to still get the most out of life and not to be constantly fatigued, Mito Restore is a vital edition. For those on a big budget, though, it may be worth it to see how you react to MF1 and mimosa pudica. First and foremost, if you’re getting a load of flare ups and detox symptoms, then you really should consider the additional investment.
As it’s the “Multi Tool” of supplements, you can use BioMolecular Oxygen orally or topically. Plus, you can use it as a nebuliser with distilled water, sinus rinse, nasal spray, and coffee enema. The oxygen is stabilized using a proprietary process, so it can be delivered throughout your body without dissipating. It supports energy production, normal oxygenation of tissues, and a healthy microbiome. Also it’s good to use topically on parts of the skin that are experiencing flare ups.
Uses for BioMolecular Oxygen (taken from the Microbe Formulas Facebook Group) :
•Add 10 drops to your coffee enema solution
•Use on bruises, burns, or swollen areas
•Use on muscles before or after a workout
•Apply to gums after dental work
•Can apply after the Bioactive Carbon Minerals, Mitorestore, or essential oils to be a “driver” and get more effectiveness out of your products
•Apply to warts
•Apply to sunburns
•Put in your non toxic face toner
•Combine with MitoRestore and apply to skin tags
•Some people report taking additional shots of oxygen, mito,and minerals can ward off anxiety attacks
•Nebulize a few drops in an ounce of distilled water to help sinuses, brain fog, or alertness. (do not do too late in the day, it may affect sleep)
•Apply to cold sores
•Rub undiluted on carotid arteries for energy, alertness, anxiety
•Put 10-20 drops in a bath before bed for better sleep
•Put a few drops into distilled water and use as a nasal spray
•Put a few drops into your neti pot rinse (warning: this has been described as “hornets in the brain” BUT also reported to be of tremendous benefit for those dealing with sinus issues, mold, brain fog, allergies)
•Take to support the body during a fast
Can be consumed in water, smoothies, juice, starting at 5-10 drops 10-20 drops after. Useful for people who’ve had exposure to mold.
When and What Stacks to Use:
I believe this stacks well with the MitoRestore, which I use when I’m experiencing die off symptoms. Usually I’ll take Mf1 + Mimosa Pudica and then stack MitoRestore. BioMolecular Oxygen goes well with this stack.
Pricing: $45 plus tax for 120 day supply: Containing a stack of 71 plant derived minerals and 14 amino acids perfect for replenishing your body, especially if you’re using sauna to detox during your cleanses.
The heart of BioActive Carbon Minerals is the naturally occurring, highly refined and natural extracts of Fulvic Acid. This means ultra small-sized and ultra-low-molecular-weight 100% organically complex nano-sized negatively charged ionic molecules which can penetrate human tissue and blood cells easily. Because of these unique properties, this supplement is highly bioactive and can provide numerous biochemical and metabolic detoxification functions.
In addition to containing over 69 naturally occurring, plant-derived trace element minerals, it contains twelve amino acids in an unaltered ionic solution. It is the most rare and valuable of all humic substances known to man.
I’ve personally been using BioActive Carbon Minerals for two years now and found it to be an extremely versatile supplement to take. It can be used as part of an enema or combined with bio tox to make a paste to apply to your face and skin. In addition to this, it can be used as a spray on areas of pain or discomfort and taken to support the body during a fast as a lot of those on Keto diets especially are low on electrolytes. All in all, this is a fantastic addition to any cleanse.
Great to stack with: MF1 and Mimosa Pudica, any parasite cleanse, stacks very well with sauna as it will replenish your lost electrolytes. Also helps with those starting the heavy metal detox with BioActive MetChem.
Before embarking on a heavy metals detox, it’s advised that you first detox parasites. MetChem should really be done after you feel that you’ve gotten rid of as many parasites as possible. This is the one with by far the most intensive reactions, so please consult the Microbe Formulas Facebook group for additional advice for partaking on a detox with MetChem:
Spend at least 6-12 months detoxing using sauna.
Make sure you spend 3-6 months working on drainage pathways. The Microbe Formulas Kidney and Liver Detox blend is great for this.
Make sure you spend 6 months at the very least cleaning up parasites first as they can bind and absorb heavy metals.
Support with the Core 4: Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and a good quality magnesium supplement to help with that detox.
Get your bowels moving regularly with TUDCA supplementation beforehand : TUDCA , Mito and Minerals are a great stack together.
Stack with InflammaCalm by Microbe Formulas
A BioActive Carbon MetChem Binds
Binds and restores so the molecules that go in bind on the chemical pesticides and help to move them out into the kidneys and the liver. They then restore the tissues with the organic materials and restore the tissue and cellular tissues.
Normally start with 1 capsule once a day, but really I’d go very low with this as MetChem is extremely strong.
Start low and slow and take with Biotox Binder to mop up the toxins since Mito pushes the cells to detox. Stay at the same dose for 5 days and increase if feeling good.
Great to have an hour before you start any cleanse, Biotactive Carbon BioTox is different from older clay or charcoal binders. Their binding ability comes from microporosity that provides surface area that is unheard of with old, spent carbon binders. The BioActive Carbon molecules provide an additional ability to bind and repair that spent carbons don’t have. BioActive Carbon BioTox contains long, medium, and short-chain carbons which act in different ways, depending on where they are in the system. It contains polyelectrolytes, polysaccharides, amino acids and organic acids, and supports cellular energy production. The formulation also includes wild crafted yucca root along with extracts of fulvic acid which is designed to target specific biotoxins like mycotoxins from mold and ammonia as well as bacteria, parasites, and other byproducts from yeast, fungi, and viruses.
Price: $70 for 90 servings (3 a day) so a month supply
Stacks: Best taken one hour before any other supplement that kills Candida or Worms in order to reduce those die off symptoms.
Not the most unique product of theirs but still pretty good; great to open up the drainage pathways. Many people, when they start off a parasite cleanse, get swollen lymphs because when the parasites die, they release toxins that clog up their kidney and liver. All in all a great quality product but can be sourced cheaper in the UK. Buying milk thistle and marshmallow root should be easily obtainable in most online health stores.
To stack:
Take one hour before taking MF1 and Mimosa Pudica
Kidney and Liver Detox comes in at $52, which is pricey but comes with the BioActive Carbon that stops the supplements from being dissolved in your gut, making them a lot more effective. All in all, if you have the cash and are suffering from detox symptoms, it’s something I’d definitely consider purchasing to make things a little bit smoother.
Stacks with : Good to use in the months before a cleanse with MF1 and Mimosa Pudica
This is the first liquid formed parasite cleansing product that Microbe Formulas have released. Typically we associate supplements like black wormwood to be in liquid form but Microbe Formulas went for the powdered extract to begin with. Because it’s a tincture, it works a lot quicker than the powdered forms. They recently added BioMolecular Oxygen changes the pH to make the herbs work faster and changes the environment to be more aerobic, which makes the immune system function better. Because it’s a tincture, it can be dosed very low for children especially for adults who can be oversensitive to some parasitic herbs.
The holy basil helps to protect your internal organs and boosts your immune response, andworm seed helps destroy parasites and aid the liver. Out of all the anti-parasitic tinctures on the market in the UK, none of them has such a well-rounded stack. The liquid tincture can help attack parasites around the body and comes with a lot more flexibility as opposed to the pill form. Also many people find pills difficult to swallow and the MF1 pill stack may be overpowering for children to use. Overall, this is probably my favourite anti-parasitic stack, which really helped me to expel large rope worms and left me with a far greater sense of wellbeing after my cleanse.
Stacks:
Pairs great with Mimosa Pudica as a potent parasite killer, recommended to take in conjunction with Biotox, and the Kidney and Liver Detox to help deal with die off symptoms.
Pricing : $41 for a 47 day supply (Can vary depending on how your body deals with the product)
Has been a supplement that has gained some recognition in the biohacking sphere and Microbe Formulas themselves have launched their own stacked with melatonin (which won’t make you tired in this case but will help increase its absorption). It can help at all three stages of the Detoxification process in Phase 1 with the Oxidation of Toxins, in Phase 2 with the Activation of Enzymes process and in stage three with the transfer of toxins out of the liver via the bile.
Pricing : $75 Dollars for 90 Day serving, it’s the priciest supplement out of them all, but this is a unique Tudica stack that is primarily for the deep detoxes. I really recommend it.
Breakfast time – 1 capsule of Intestinal Mover, 1 capsule of Kidney & Liver Detox, 1 capsule of Lymphatic Detox, and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Lunch time – 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Dinner time – 1 capsule of Intestinal Mover, 1 capsule of Kidney & Liver Detox, 1 capsule of Lymphatic Detox, and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Phase 2:
1 hour before breakfast time – 2 capsules of Mimosa Pudica and 2 capsules of Formula 1.
Breakfast time – 1 capsule of Intestinal Mover, 1 capsule of Kidney & Liver Detox, 1 capsule of Lymphatic Detox, 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon BioTox, and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Lunch time – 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon BioTox.
1 hour before dinner time – 2 capsules of Mimosa Pudica and 2 capsules of Formula 1.
Dinner time – 1 capsule of Intestinal Mover, 1 capsule of Kidney & Liver Detox, 1 capsule of Lymphatic Detox, 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon BioTox, and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Phase 3:
Breakfast time – 1 capsule of Intestinal Mover, 1 capsule of Kidney & Liver Detox, 1 capsule of Lymphatic Detox, 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon MetChem, and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Lunch time – 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
Dinner time – 1 capsule of Intestinal Mover, 1 capsule of Kidney & Liver Detox, 1 capsule of Lymphatic Detox, 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon MetChem, and 1 capsule of BioActive Carbon Foundation.
HypoAllergenic Air UV Boomerang 2500 and Germ Defender Review
HypoAllergenic Air grew in popularity last year after being endorsed by Dave Asprey and featured in his box last year. They famously became the only item featured in the box twice with the Germ Defender. Now, for this review I’m going to review Germ Defender, plus review their flagship product the Air Boomerang.
The Germ Defender Review
The Germ Defender and Mold Guard is ideal for bathrooms, small bedrooms, and medical operations. Very strong biological and PM 2.5 control with no replacement parts for life. It contains a washable Pre-Filter Polar Ionization that covers 100 sq ft which purifies the air, sanitises surfaces, kills bacteria, kills viruses, and inhibits mold. It generates no ozone for those who show concern for this and uses only 2 watts per hour of energy. It moves air at about 10 CFM which for such a small unit is impressive.
The Boomerang and Germ Defender both have our Polar Ionization technology which is highly effective at the full range of biological and physical particulates in the PM2.5 and smaller category. As it is not relying on a physical filter, it is not dependent on a certain micron size. For example, the polar ionization technology splits water into its components (O2- & H+) and it can affect similar molecules and chemicals. A H2O molecule is roughly 0.000282 microns.
Pricing : $150 each, transport to the UK will cost around $90, depending on what quantity you buy them in plus taxation. You can save money looking around eBay though I often see models going for around £90 on there.
Pros:
You can actually see it working—it picks up a lot of dust and particulate matter. For such a small device, it works extremely well.
Easily transportable, compared to other small air filters; I’d say that this one is the most transportable filters anywhere, and it requires the least amount of fuss to carry around. You just plug it in straight away. You do not have to worry about wires or any other additional nonsense when it comes to this product.
There are no replacement parts, making it very easy to maintain over the long-term. Unlike other filters which need to be changed every 6 months – 2 years, this one doesn’t require any changing.
Price is very reasonable at $150 for a small air filter, which can last an indefinite period of time. I think it’s a great value, especially for people traveling to different hotels where the air quality is unknown..
Very easy to clean; can take literally a couple of minutes
Cons:
Transport cost to the UK of around $90, which is expensive.
It’s noisy, certainly difficult to sleep next to for someone who’s very sensitive to noise like myself. For those looking to enhance their sleep quality, there may be better options elsewhere.
The dust that builds up inside the filter can be a bit dangerous to clean if youre sensitive .
Only 1 year warranty which is less than other brands on the market like IQ air which has 10 years on it’s products and Austin air which comes with 5 years.
Score 8/10
Conclusion :
I believe the Germ Defender is one of the best value products on the market at the moment. You can see the amount of dust this thing gathers in just a few days, and the bonus of never having to change filters saves you huge amounts of money in the long run. All in all, a must have for any travelling biohacker.
HypoAllergenic Air Boomerang UV 2500 Review:
After so much success with the HypoAllergenic Air Germ Defender, I decided to buy their flag ship: Air Boomerang. Boomerang is a compact and powerful photocatalytic air purifier that can reduce carbon based contaminants inlarge areas up to 2,500 square feet. It’s design is pretty compact at 10.5’ X 15” and weighing just 2.5 pounds. The air filter will need to be replaced every two years for a 150$ fee, which is a bit of annoyance although still cheaper on average than a good number of other major filters on the market. Regarding CFM the CADR rating system isn’t so relevant with Hypo air technology as the purpose is not to suck air in and through a filter (normally for a physical filter CADR or CFM would let you know the power of how much air it can purify).
How it works: (Taken from the Hypo Air website) :
HypoAllergenic air filters use two proprietary pieces of technology: Polar Ionization along with UVGI +AHPCO
UVGI: Ultra Violet Germicidal irradiation is a disinfection method that uses short-Wavelength ultraviolet light. The result being it kills or inactivates microorganisms like bacteria ,mold and viruses with AHPCO Technology: UV light reacts with a 5 nano metal catalyst (AHPCO) producing a variety of catalytic molecules . Effective and proven method of reducing odors,allergens, bacteria, mold viruses, and VOCS.Does not require air to pass through its chamber in order to be effective. Removes PCO related concerns of incomplete oxidation and slow airflow rates.
UVC light destroys germs as they pass by. Oxidizing Catalytic Molecules are then formed from water vapor when the UVC rays excite the AHPCO nanometal Catalyst. Clean-Tech does not have a UV light but splits water vapor in the ambient air into Polarized Catalytic Molecules which are proactively dispersed throughout the ambient air. Catalytic Molecules actively seek out pollutants and break them apart at a molecular level. Contaminants are neutralized as they are destroyed. Oxidizing Catalytic Molecules are more effective at neutralizing VOCs, while Polarized Catalytic Molecules have a clustering effect that is extremely effective at causing particulates to become heavy and drop out of the air.
Pricing: It comes in at $750; plus if you’re importing to the UK and EU, you’re going to be looking at another 150$-250 worth of tax which is an annoying additional fee to have to pay, making this extremely pricey in the end. It’s worth noting that HypoAllergenic Air frequently does sales on their products, and I was able to buy mine last November during Black Friday for $250 off. It’s worth subscribing to their mailing list or keeping an eye out on their website for frequent sales.
Advantages:
Simple, elegant design—now this is subjective, but it’s small, compact design along with it being lightweight can make it perfect for traveling to other countries. If, for example, you’re moving to another country, this would be my go to air filter, which can cover a large area of space yet not weigh you down in terms of transportation.
Really easy to set up—there is literally 0 set up time. You plug it in, and it’s good to go.
Easy to replace the filter, its simple design means you don’t have to do any major work when it comes to filter replacement.
Using three technologies experimented with by Einstein and NASA—the Boomerang effectively and safely addresses unwanted contaminants such as allergens, mold, mycotoxins, bacteria, viruses, VOCs, and odors. For the studies supporting this: https://hypoair.com/technology/ some interesting studies on how this unit did with mold and viruses.
Delivery was extremely prompt, even from the US to the UK. This thing was delivered in nearly an instant, really impressive customer service that was quick to answer questions.
Covers a large distance of around 2,500 square meters which is impressive for something so strong to produce such little sound. Other similarly priced air filters like the Molekule and the Austin Air are much louder.
Disadvantages:
Expensive for those living in the EU. You’re paying 750$ plus $150ish worth of tax, plus $90 shipping fee. It comes to an expensive unit, and for that money, you can buy say two AirDoctors and cover a lot more space in your home.
A small amount of blue light does emit from the device, which is annoying for those who really want to optimise their sleep.
The device claims to be “quiet” on its website, but it’s still way too loud for someone to sleep next to in my opinion. I personally struggled with the noise of this and found it quite irritating.
For the amount of money I paid for the device, I would’ve liked something a bit more sturdier and stronger. This device seems still a little bit on the cheaply made side of things, and the overall build quality doesn’t feel that strong for the high price you’ve paid. I guess the upside of the weak build quality is that it’s easier to carry and transport from room to room.
The fact that this filter needs to be replaced every two years adds to the cost, especially for those living in Europe. That’s a big addition in costs for the additional filters.
Conclusion:
Overall HypoAllergenic Air displays some impressive technology in a light, easy setup but lacks the build quality over other leading brands to justify its price point for someone living in the UK and in the EU. This isn’t an impressive enough filter to justify $750 plus $90 shipping and another 150 $+ shipping fees for filter refills. However, if you’re based in the US/Travel often and you can grab this device on sale (they often do $250 off), then it could well be worth the punt for something so light to cover 2,500 sq.feet it’s an extremely productive device considering the size.
The delicious looking Kinetic Kitchen doughnuts are the first all Organic Keto Dessert Company in the UK
Good grade Keto Snacks are hard to come by here in the UK unless you have the money to order Bulletproof/Dr. Mercola/Perfect Keto bars online. Luckily, there’s a company in Bristol that’s looking to change all that with the release of their new Keto Doughnut snacks. The Kinetic Kitchen has become the first UK company to release an all organic Keto snack (with the exception of Planet Organic’s Keto Bar). I ordered around 24 of these and tried them out, and here’s what I have to say. Many snacks in the health field rarely get everything right. For example, they can be low sugar yet contain omega 6 oils like rapeseed oil. They can be “keto” but contain non-organic substances like glyphosate etc.
What are Keto Doughnuts?
Doughnut shaped snacks made out of all organic ingredients including almond flour, coconut oil, baking soda, and a range of other ingredients depending on what flavour you get. They all have 1g of sugar and won’t spike your insulin. They come in around 9 different flavours, at the time of writing this, with a few vegan varieties too, all of which are sweetened with Erythritol. They do DPD delivery from Bristol for £4 extra cost and usually have some discounts running for between 10-20 percent off. They are delivered in fully recyclable and eco-friendly packaging, which is a nice touch.
The Fudge is made out of double cream and collagen peptides.
Pricing:
Depending on the flavour, prices range from £16-20 for a set of 6 with a special Keto Cake for £75, and the Keto Fudge comes in at £4. In terms of pricing compared to other Keto products considering a pack of 12 Perfect Keto bars costs around £40, it’s pretty much on par with other Keto products in the UK in terms of pricing. Planet Organic’s Keto range is priced from £2.99-7, so it’s certainly cheaper than the average Planet Organic Keto snack, which is good to see.
Pros:
Great example of British entrepreneurship finally releasing a health snack that meets the criteria of the modern day “biohacker”, a doughnut that’s all organic as well as Keto. In the UK, we really lack companies that make products Keto-friendly as well as all organic. So it’s nice to finally have a small business in the UK that’s hitting that criteria. We are still very behind the US in that regard.
Delicious – out of the 5 flavours I tried, only 1 failed to hit the spot (the Black Charcoal), which showed that this company was capable of making extremely healthy snacks without compromising on taste.
Knocks Planet Organic’s Keto products out of the park in terms of taste, making this, I believe, the tastiest UK made product.
Compared to the leading Keto based products, it’s roughly the same price if not a bit cheaper. The average price of a Keto health bar online is somewhere between £2.70-7, so these are roughly on par with them.
Good Longevity- Their shelf life is around 6 days upon receiving them, which is far higher than the average doughnut.
Cons:
Erythritol is extremely harsh on the digestive tract and may cause diarrhea if over consumed, so eat them slowly. The coconut oil in addition might be harsh on the guts of people who aren’t usually used to eating Keto products, so eat slowly.
Keto Fudge and the Charcoal Doughnut lacked flavour.
I’d still place Perfect Keto and Dave Asprey bars ahead of them in terms of taste.
Conclusions:
As someone who’s lived in the UK my whole life, it’s been hard for me to find any UK-based companies that sell organic Keto products. It’s great that there’s a small business that has set out to meet even the fussiest of biohackers needs, and I greatly appreciate that. Support small UK businesses that don’t compromise health, and buy Kinetic Kitchen’s Keto Doughnuts and Keto Fudge today!
The ChiliPAD is a device based on accumulating more deep sleep with cooling down body temperature. I felt that while the idea was good and with the science behind it, there’s a serious product flaw. it’s just really too loud, and the fact that they have had 6 years to fix this and haven’t is really inexcusable. We know that cooler temperatures can enhance deep sleep, improving memory, cognitive repair, and human growth hormone, but what also harms sleep quality is noise, and the chiliPAD is inexcusably loud. I was waking up constantly at night due to this loud noise, and I’m not the first person to complain about this. There are numerous reviews on Amazon that complain about the same thing.
We know there’s a lot of science behind loud noise disrupting sleep, so why would you create a device that fixes one problem but causes another? It’s just somewhat bizarre that a company which prides itself on enhancing sleep quality makes a device that will disrupt your sleep due to the large amount of noise. It’s a huge shame, and I’m pretty gutted to be honest.
I think to study chiliPAD’s flaws, you should look at the impact of that loud noise. Interestingly, Ben Greenfield did an interview with a South African Sports scientist who was responsible. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/lifestyle-podcasts/shayamal-vallabhjee/ Whilst looking after their students, they made sure they located their hotel rooms in areas where there was no sound at all coming in, e.g. not having a room next to an elevator. I think this illustrates the importance of having a silent room as well as a pitch black dark room in order for optimal sleep. Many respect light and room temperature when it comes to optimising sleep temperature but seem to forget about sound. It’s pretty odd that the makers of this product seemingly did the same.
Pricing:
£499 for half a unit but there are often sales for between 15-25 percent off, so be on the lookout.
Pros:
Can enhance deep sleep quality—heavily endorsed by such Biohackers like Dave Asprey, The Life-stylist Podcast, and Biohacker Tim for doing so.
Very easy to set up—even if you’re not heavily into tech, this is extremely simple and easy to get going.
The customer service was on point—item delivered very quickly, now with UK sourcing, meaning that there are no import taxation fees anymore
Low EMF which is extremely important considering you’re going to be sleeping on this .
90 day sleep trial and any pads returned are donated to veterans with PTSD disorder, which was a fantastic touch and makes investing in one of these risk free—worse case scenario, you’re donating to charity.
Cons:
Extremely loud, I was waking up 4-5 times per night using this device even after locking it up in my cupboard and moving it around in my room. This was extremely disappointing to say the least, more so because I’d expected the company to know about the impact sound can have on deep sleep.
Materials feel cheaply made, would’ve been nice if the base of the surface fibres of the chiliPAD were made out of Organic Cotton instead of non-organic flame retardants. It would’ve been a good extra step for the company to make.
Conclusion:
Overall, due to my sensitivity to the loud noises this machine emitted, the chiliPAD was sadly not for me, but I still recommend anyone who is keen on using it to do so as the benefits of extra deep sleep is priceless and many big names of the health sphere have said great things about this product. You have 90 days to make your mind up about it, whether it’s good for you or not. I believe this to be enough time to make judgement on this product.
BrainTap were sponsors at last year’s virtual biohacking conference, so this company were big endorsers and have gained a lot of popularity, from not just Dave Asprey but several other leading health experts like Tim Biohacker,Luke Storey( The Life Stylist Podcast) etc. I decided to purchase both the headphones and a monthly subscription to see if their meditation enhancement device would work. Usually the headset comes in at around $600, however, there are frequent discounts offered on various biohacking communities like the Bulletproof Diet Support Group on Facebook, on the Dave Asprey Podcast, and on events like Black Friday. Import taxation wasn’t too bad with this item, coming in at around £25. They’ve been endorsed by many high-end sports teams like Sporting Kansas City.
How It Works
When you think about the brain, everything is different. All physical stress is brain stress. Delta should be very low while you’re awake and very high when you sleep.
In just 20 minutes, people who used BrainTap showed real improvements in meditation and that the brain can go out and achieve with high levels of beta and alpha. In order to get the most out of our meditations, the frequency we meditate at is extremely important. Why do we meditate on top of mountains? Because they happen to resonate at 7.8hz. This is why the monks are there, and your body sinks to theta, the best states of recovery. Most people are 18 hz frequencies, and this causes your body to burn out your neurotransmitters at a faster rate, which makes it harder to absorb nutrients and supplements. Thus, using these background sounds helps for more optimal mediations and more relaxation.
Before and after a BrainTap induced meditation
Dopamine drives behaviour and is responsible for addiction; you want to get your brain out of that addictive state. People are not getting enough theta brain wave and aren’t producing enough GABA, so they aren’t getting the sleep that they need. When you’re going through enhanced meditation with BrainTap, you can go through the full sympotheny of brain waves and enhance your neurotransmitter bank account and benefit more parts of your brain.
BrainTap uses a combination of epigenetics and binaural beats similar to that of EEG neurofeedback training. Not everyone gets the same impact from binaural beats though; it depends on the ear. They layer in isochronic tones that resonate frequencies; there’s a certain rhythm and cadence that can layer that in, so the brain follows the isochronic tones like ocean sounds in conjunction with the binaural beats and words. One study showed they got 49 percent neuroplasticity change which woke up the brain and made it act years younger 55-65 (who already have the onset of dementia) after they used the device . So it’s made some huge impacts on those already with underlying brain issues.
Neuroacoustic harmonics are also added in exercising the brain through the right and left side. Music creates the environment where the brain can harmonise along with the Epigentics, binaural beats, isochronic tones, and neuroacoustic harmonics.
They then stack these four with light therapy using 470 nanometer light, which is blue light. With your light close, it is the shortest incrim of light which means it hardly penetrates your light. The sleep studies on BrainTap show that 90 percent of people who use this device achieve deeper sleep. LED laser light is absorbed by our mitochondria which increases ATP, improves nitric oxide in the body, and it goes in through the eyes with the eyes closed, so it absorbs the light, circulates through the hemoglobin, finds the cell that’s in apoptosis, and it absorbs that which increases energy consumption within the brain.
Words can change up to 2300 gene expressions and have epigenetic control of your genetics (up to 80 percent) . So during the meditations, you’re guided by words which can enhance your brain waves, and using NLP moves your meditations to the next level.
Optimizes GABA waves and gets the theta brain wave in motion, which can enhance deep sleep. If you’re getting 1 hour of deep delta sleep and 2 hours of REM sleep, you’re going to be fully optimal and detox well. The device has worked well in the Airline industry. According to their studies for jet lag, they were able to reduce pilots’ jet lag recovery time from 3 days to 4 hours just by using BrainTap Training. They were able to bring down their biological age through the enhanced meditation and habitual mediation from BrainTap.
Long story short, BrainTap claims to save time with more optimal meditation. From their studies, they were able to bring down the biological age of the brain to 34 due to repeated brain tap meditations on the Gerontological Health Curve. We absorb the light the device emits and put it out into the world by producing the ATP that we need.
Advantages:
Easy setup—unlike a lot of meditation enhancement devices like EEG devices, there are no gels or anything.
You definitely get some sort of meditation enhancement.
There’s a large range of tracks available that can aim to enhance anything from relationships to sleep quality, using a combination of NLP and binaural beats along with light therapy.
An efficient way to get your mind and body resonating at the right frequency to optimise meditation. Especially for those living in cities, this is an easy hack to recreate a peaceful environment in the mind.
App can be used without the headset for those who don’t want to splash out on the device. Granted, the “light benefits” won’t be included but actually using better quality headphones might enhance the experience.
Helps improve your Biorhythm scores.
Disadvantages:
For $650, you’d expect something to be included as a bonus, but instead, you have to pay an additional £12 per month for subscription to the App, which is just pure greed from the developers to pair subpar headphones with a monthly subscription. This is showing the negative direction which I think companies are heading in the biohacking sphere. Hapbee did something similar with their subscription based model. Seems like these companies are almost trying to suck in mentally ill individuals to be dependent on their products to ensure long-term profitability.
The App would sometimes cut offline and require the internet to log on again, which is a bit annoying to use while travelling.
You have a huge $100 to pay for shipping costs outside of the US along with additional import taxes which add to the cost of an already expensive product.
The study which showed 90 percent improvement of sleep was done on ill people who already had extremely low REM sleep of less than a couple of minutes, so to show huge improvement and marketing like that will be the same for everyone is probably untrue. A lot of people with average health still manage 30-60 minutes of REM sleep and are just not going to get this “90 minutes” marketed improvement in sleep quality.
You’re limited to 4 tracks per day, which with the $650 headset and the £12 month subscription is just additional greed coming from the makers. Although I can understand why they’ve done this, (so that people don’t use the same username and password to share their accounts with family members), but for someone looking to do above an hour and twenty minutes of meditation a day, you’re unable to go above that time with this app, which compared to other meditation devices is a shame. With EEG and HEG brain training devices, you’re allowed unlimited sessions, but with this app, you’re not allowed even after paying for the subscription and headphones.
Headphone build quality is cheap and plastic. There’s even a Chinese voice saying “line in” whenever it connects to the phone, which is a sign of just how cheaply made these headphones are. For $650, you expect class headphones that are well built, but it seems that there’s a real profit and greed motive behind the design. They’ve definitely cut costs in the production of this item. The headphones are terrible quality for the price. $650 dollars, and they feel like $20 ones, maybe even worse. Not great at noise cancellation at all which means they’re pretty useless in noisy environments. They could’ve spent so much more on the product design, but instead, it looks like they’re cutting corner after corner on these things.
Headphones constantly disconnect after about 40 minutes, showing again a sign of poor quality that I wouldn’t expect from $600 dollar earphones.
Headphones were uncomfortable on the ears, really another example of how cheap they were, and the flashing lights on the inside of the ears seem almost gimmicky and make it impossible to do the meditation at night using them if you’re in bed with your partner as the lights coming from the ear buds can potentially wake them up. Another example of just how poorly thought out these headphones are.
Battery time is very low despite the expensive costs of headphones. Only lasts around 2 hours which makes it inconvenient for travel. Again compare this to $100 wireless headphones on the market, which have much longer run times with their battery. This is once again an inexcusable problem with a device this expensive.
The part for the eyes emits blue light albeit not as strong as the blue light from your devices/phones/laptop, but the thought of taking the meditations for sleep enhancement whilst using something that harms sleep quality (blue light seems a bit far swung).
The light flashing in the eyes seems to be a bit annoying at times also probably won’t be fully experienced due to having your eyes shut like in most meditations and just seems like you’re paying for nothing much more than poor quality headphones that flash light in your eyes .
Customer service was slow to respond to my questions, took almost a 1 week of pinging back and forth via email and then eventually got my answer.
The meditations didn’t feel that strong an effect. I did certainly feel an impact, but was it enough to justify the price paid for the poor quality headphones? Not sure this had as much of an impact as EEG.
Conclusions Drawn
BrainTap has the studies to back itself that it can improve and optimise meditation, which is a huge plus, but the execution of the headphones has been substandard at best and left me feeling a little bit that I’d been conned out of my money by purchasing it due to poor quality of the headphones and lack of sturdiness of the device. It’s a shame that on top of the hugely overpriced headphones, you then have to pay an indefinite monthly subscription, which strikes me as extremely greedy, but I see this subscription based model is the way a lot of businesses are heading towards. But overall, if you’re disciplined and use this device regularly, it can be beneficial and can put you into deeper states of meditation. If you don’t already own any HEG and EEG devices, it could be what you’re looking for. I believe putting the money towards a solid HEG or EEG device which you have unlimited sessions for you and your family and could be the better long-term play rather than investing in this device, but then again, that’s just my opinion.
A lot of this information was accumulated from Dr. Alicia Galvin during her podcast
Why Liposomal? Bovine Colostrum is best absorbed in Liposomal form, so I would recommend everyone to purchase it in this format. As far as I’m aware, there’s only one website in the UK that’s not Amazon that is selling it at the moment.
Colostrum can make a big impact on a person’s health with those with Chronic GI conditions and those with autoimmune problems. Liposomal form bypasses and protects the proteins while helping the colostrum dissolve in liquids, allowing it to remove directly through the bowel wall and circulate throughout the body, so it can remain bioavailable at the cellular level. High heat pasteurisation can destroy up to 60 percent of the IGG in colostrum, so a preferable method is a technique that is high temperature or short time pasteurization because it remains that the bioactivity of the colostrum is high while destroying pathogens.
Bovine Colostrum comes before the true milk comes through and tapers off 72 hours after birth. The first 24 hours of collection of colostrum is the most nutrient dense.
Culturally, it’s considered very sacred in ancient India, and it was widely used. In places like Kenya, it’s extremely popular. It’s been used throughout history to support human health and has many lifesaving properties when consumed.
There are many antibodies found in our immune system that are also found in colostrum. During embryo development, the baby’s immune system is not fully developed at birth. The baby is protected in the womb because the potential harmful agents cannot pass the placental barrier, but at birth, the baby will lose this protection from the mother. In mammals, like cows, the young are passively immunised with colostrum, so in these mammals, it’s a vitally important part of the birthing process.
It’s not human colostrum that has the most benefit to humans. Bovine colostrum is the only colostrum that contains all of the growth factors that are found in other species, so their colostrum contains a lot of immune and health factors. Bovine colostrum has 30-40 times the amount of beneficial colostrum than which is produced by humans. Because the human placenta allows the passage of the IGGS, but the placenta of the cow does not allow the passage of IGGS from the mother to calf.
Human colostrum has more IGA while bovine colostrum has more IGGs. We as humans can really benefit from the higher IGG systemic immune system function. The signalling peptides PRPs inter-sculling signalling molecules can turn the immune system up when it’s time to help the immune system or turn it down when it’s time to fight an autoimmune condition (when the immune system is overreacting). PRPs, or proline rich polypeptides, peptides are short chain amino acids. The immune system wants to be balanced between its TH1 and TH2 helper cells. Autoimmune diseases usually occur when there’s an imbalance between TH1 and TH2. They will stimulate the suppressor T cells or stimulate the other side. Colostrum can really help balance the immune system.
Times you DON’T WANT TO USE COLOSTRUM:
If you’ve had an organ transplant
If you’re trying for a baby
If you’re currently pregnant
If you have a serious sensitivity to dairy – if a lactose intolerant person can tolerate hard cheese they may be able to tolerate colostrum. Colostrum is only about two percent lactose. Colostrum is pre-milk, not mature milk, which means it has a higher concentration of immune balancing properties, so if someone has a dairy sensitivity, it helps to lessen those effects. If someone has a true aggressive reaction to dairy, they should still not consume it.
Good for those with:
Psoriasis
Eczema
Crohn’s disease
Leaky Gut
Can be used for acne too
Colostrum is there as a “perfect food” for any mammal to consume, so for survival of the species, colostrum is very important.
Lactoferrin 6 percent binding protein, it will bind up the free iron and has the ability to penetrate cell walls, causing the cell to burst. Lactoferrin is a potent destroyer of viruses like hepatitis B and C and protects the offspring from potential pathogens.
The growth factors in colostrum help to repair the damage in the intestinal permeability which is what causes leaky gut. Leaky Gut is seen as a key factor to a lot of autoimmune conditions, so colostrum is seen as one of the best supplements to nip this problem in the bud. This growth factor helps maintain proper permeability and decrease rising leaky gut rates.
Advantages:
Food based intervention because its derived from milk
Typically very well tolerated
Can be consumed orally or applied topically directly on the areas of skin which are inflamed (Cyst, wound etc.)
Sovereign Labs have a great reputation and are endorsed by a good number of doctors, biohackers etc. (I have no affiliation with them)
Felt my bowel movements massively improve after taking colostrum. Fantastic for bowel regularity.
Was an easy way to improve the taste and creaminess of my bulletproof coffee.
Can help patients with Celiac disease, depending on where they’re starting from. For someone newly diagnosed with celiac, colostrum can close those gut permeability junctures and can help to improve things.
Lowering skin irritation
No adverse effects with taking them long term
Liposomal, even though being more expensive, requires less doses than the normal form.
The packaging was very weak, and it unfortunately had several holes before it was delivered to me.
Price:
Reasonably priced at £81.95 for 454 grams (90 servings), you’re looking at a decent 3 months supply, coming in at less than £1 a day. A bit more expensive than non liposomal forms, but as mentioned beforehand, this price is offset by the larger rate of absorption.
Moral Questions: Many people on health forums often have moral questions as to the usage of Liposomal Colostrum, thinking it’s unfair to rob a calf of its food, and these are pretty reasonable concerns. You must do your research on colostrum brands yourself and ensure that the brand you’re using sources their colostrum ethically.
Mature dairy cows produce 80 – 100 pounds of colostrum in the first four days. The general rule is a calf needs 5-6 percent of its body weight the first 24 hours (4 pounds). The average calf consumes 16 pounds in the first 24 hours, and the calf’s gut will then close, becoming more impermeable after 6 hours the calf will absorb less of the nutrients. In total, there’s a net amount of colostrum left over.
Conclusions:
At the time of writing, we are still dealing with the effects of Covid-19, and many are searching for alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines. The studies out there support that colostrum is good for leaky gut, and for me, personally having suffered from this condition before, I’ve found it to be very useful in enhancing my gut and bowel health. If you have chronic gut, parasite, and other health issues, colostrum can be an invaluable weapon in your arsenal against it. At £80 for a 3 month supply, it’s definitely worth a punt if you’re struggling with bowel problems to give Sovereign Labs’ Liposomal Colostrum a try.
The CBD oil industry in the UK has long been an industry famous for its corruption and poor quality products with many companies like Holland and Barrett getting a reputation for pulling out poor quality products. So, where do people in the UK go for good quality products? I spent 6 months working at a CBD store in London, and I pulled together a list of the top quality CBD products available in the UK.
What’s the most important thing to consider when thinking about what CBD to get?
Does your workplace require frequent drug tests?
Full spectrum CBD contains 0.02 percent THC, which is still enough to fail a drug test, so if your occupation involves drug tests (e.g. police officer or pro athlete) you really don’t want to be consuming Full Spectrum CBD oils, stick to the broad spectrum and isolate. Don’t risk ruining your career with a negative drug test just because you consumed some CBD oil.
That this is not a cure all.
Perhaps the most important thing to realize when considering CBD products is that this product will not be the be all and end all. During the CBD hype cycle in the US, people have been going crazy for it. I don’t think it deserves all the hype it gets. I believe the supplement can be good when used in conjunction with other products, but it shouldn’t be over valued, and I believe in the modern day setting it certainly is.
If you have sleep problems?
Buy blue light blocking glasses. In the long term, you’ll get a better yield from them than CBD drops.
Have stress or anxiety?
Start a heavy metals detox and buy a clear light infrared sauna, which have both shown to decrease cortisol in the long run more effectively than CBD can.
CBD should be a tool in your arsenal. From my personal experience, too many people look to CBD as a cure all which it isn’t. You really need to analyse your environment properly for Mould, EMF, junk light etc. first.
Shipping:
Ordering full spectrum products from America to the EU will hold risks that your product might be held in customs, so please be cautious, due to their low THC content they might fail customs checks. Typically full spectrum CBD oils must contain around 0.02 percent THC or less. During my time working with a CBD store, we had some shipping issues distributing between EU countries and the US, so it’s worth taking note of this. Try, if you can, to have the product shipped within your country to avoid these issues.
Where the CBD Oil Comes from
The problem with cheap CBD oils from Amazon or Holland and Barrett is it’s difficult to source which country the hemp comes from. The majority of hemp is grown in China which is known for its notorious high use of pesticides, large amount of environmental toxins, mycotoxins, and is usually grown under artificial lights which can make the hemp mouldy and difficult to digest. Hence, this is why a lot of people who start off their CBD journey usually have bad reactions and blame it on the CBD industry being “corrupt” or an “entire placebo”. You need to be very aware of where your CBD is grown because the hemp plant absorbs everything in its environment. You need your hemp to be grown in a clean environment, pesticide and toxin free with no artificial lights. The USA seems to be the country best for this. However, there are organic brands coming from parts of Europe that are emerging. If the CBD brand you’re buying from cannot identify where the Hemp is grown or whether they are tested for mycotoxins and pesticides individually, then it’s most likely that this CBD is going to cause more harm than good. Either take the premium quality or none at all. Ingesting a product with mycotoxins will most likely do more harm than good to you in the long term, and you really don’t want to be consuming any health products from China.
Whether the brand does individual batch tests?
The hemp plant is so susceptible to toxins in its environment that you must choose a brand which does individual batch tests and can provide tests for pesticide residue, mould, and toxins. I’ve compiled a list of brands in this review that does this here.
Make it vape, pills, or oil?
All three have their advantages and disadvantages. With vaping, there’s the fashion appeal which can help the younger generation get into the habit of taking CBD. Vaping CBD can also make it act faster in the body. The endocannabinoid system is located throughout the body including the lungs . Vaping CBD can be a great way of getting over a smoking addiction by replacing cigarettes with something healthier. People looking to get over cannabis addiction, CBD can also be a good idea.
For some people who dislike the taste of the oil, pills can be seen as the next best substitute, or for those who are older who do not enjoy swallowing pills, oils are seen as the quickest, most effective way to get CBD into your system. A few drops on the tongue is the most optimal way of getting that CBD into you. The issue with pills is that the bulk of the CBD is most likely going to be destroyed by your stomach acid during the digestion process, so be mindful of this when making the choice.
Vaping
Bloom Farms – Bloom Farms CBD does a variety of vapes and has a big reputation in the US. There are 5 different flavours available in the UK: Rose, Blackberry, Stone Fruit, Sequoia Mint, and a natural CBD flavour. With good variety and available for £45, this broad spectrum blend is a delicious start for anyone who wants to start vaping CBD.
Pros:
Great flavours and variety – something for everyone getting started with CBD oils
Broad spectrum CBD with a company that has a long standing reputation for delivering quality products.
One of the few actual UK based companies that I’ll be reviewing is Lady Lova, which is a brand that derives its broad spectrum CBD from Colorado. This brand also promises to be one of the first in the UK to produce top quality CBD oils . I’ve enjoyed using their vapes which come in three flavours: Uplift (Citrus) , Unwind (Strawberry), Balance (Orange). An example of real British entrepreneurship innovating the market with healthy, organically grown products that are tested for mycotoxins and pesticides.
Pros:
Great value at £28 for 200 ml broad spectrum is a good price. The best value vape pen I’ve seen on the market.
Easy to use
Fantastic flavour
A good opportunity to support British Entrepreneurship in the CBD space. There is a huge lack of British based CBD companies, so it’s amazing to have a company that’s UK based bringing out good quality CBD products. Our favourite UK based company by far.
Cons:
Disposable vape pen, not the best for the environment.
The Rational Biohacker Rating: 9/10
Please support British entrepreneurship and buy these products!
From San Francisco by my personal favourite Full Spectrum CBD brand from the USA. With third party batch testing, this brand has definitely had the most positive impact on my health. Despite being hard to source for UK readers, there is still one site stocking it, albeit, in small supply.
.
Pros:
Fantastic quality CBD oil, my favourite, the most effective that I’ve tried.
Great tasting vapes with watermelon and blueberry flavours that combine well with the CBD flavour and terpenes for a really relaxing vaping experience.
High strength for those looking to get a bit more out of their CBD, preferred as a step up to those taking Broad Spectrum CBDs for a while.
Cons:
High strength might be too potent for people beginning to take CBD.
Hard to source in the UK unfortunately
Ordering 0.02 percent THC CBD oil can be tricky in the UK from the US. During the delivery process sometimes the oil can be confiscated or held up, so be careful when sourcing due to this low THC level. Proceed with caution when ordering.
CBD Vape is disposable, which is not the best for the environment.
During my time working at a CBD store in London, Kiskanu was the top selling brand. They sell a variety of broad spectrum oils staked with terpenes and herbs. The Day drops include Calendula which is a proven antiviral. The night drops are stacked with Passionflower and perfect for sleep.
Pros:
Was the best selling product during my time working at the CBD store in London which customers found the most effective against sleep apnea.
Organically sourced, batch tested broad spectrum. The day drops stacked with calendula is a powerful antiviral, great for dealing with Covid and other viruses and colds.
Good stack for enhancing sleep quality with additional herbs like passionflower added
Long standing strong reputation amongst the CBD community with batch testing done, tested for moulds, organic etc.
Cons:
Coming in at £100, it’s quite pricey for those starting off on their CBD journey, but with 1000 mg it’s a decent return. This should last the average person around 2 months if they consume 15-20mg a day
Night drops won’t be as effective as red light blocking glasses. If you have sleep troubles please try red light glasses first and THEN CBD drops.
Quicksilver Scientific is a company that has long been praised by people in the Biohacking community for providing good heavy metal detox supplements, but they also provide a wide range of other high quality liposomal vitamins amongst other things. I first came across their CBD range when suggested to use it when parasite cleansing, and it didn’t disappoint. They have a Hemp oil and broad spectrum CBD oil, and both are good to use. Only one online store in the UK stocks them – Aggressive Health Shop.
The Organic Colorado Hemp Extract delivers a nanoemulsified oil that is 40% Phyto cannabinoids, including CBD (<0.3% THC). The nanoemulsified format improves bioavailability, allowing for rapid absorption orally and via the lymphatics. The precision pump accurately delivers 3 mg of phytocannabinoids and 30 mg of essential phospholipids per 0.5 mL pump.
Pros:
A fantastic high strength oil good
Liposomal technology has faster absorption rates.
Company that creates high quality supplements all round
Stacked with Quicksilver’s Bitters blend, it can be a potent blend against parasites. Visit the parasite cleansing groups for more information:
A great Starter brand for anyone early in their CBD journey. A company based in America that stocks a variety of CBD products from bacon flavoured CBD for dogs to delicious chocolate bars. Having worked in a CBD store for a while, this brand has always been the preferred go to starter when recommending to customers, and we received great feedback when selling them. Their brand is quite easily obtainable in the UK, but US based members can benefit from visiting their store in New York too. Gron also sells an elixir that can be fantastic for baking and stacking with bulletproof coffee. The problem with conventional products is they don’t diffuse properly throughout the drink. Gron solves this issue by diffusing throughout the drink using their elixir technology.
Pros:
Good starter product for anyone looking to get into CBD oil. Their single isolate formulas can be a welcoming introduction compared to the broad and full spectrum.
Their elixir is great technology for those looking to add CBD to bulletproof coffees or baking.
Reasonably priced compared to a lot of other high end CBD brands
Suitable for pets too with flavour profiles to suit them – e.g. Bacon flavour CBD for dogs.
Has face and neck cream, eye cream, and CBD face masks using all organic products
Cons:
Their sweets and chocolate bars contain very high amounts of sugars which sort of defeats the point of being “healthy” although they have an amazing taste.
Dave Asprey has been publishing books for a while now since his 2011 publishing of the Better Baby Book. He treats us to another book this time about the science of fasting and why we should incorporate it into our daily lives.
Dave’s books (and I’ll be providing another comprehensive blog post about all of them) have been “Game Changers” focused on health. In fact, both the Bulletproof Diet and “Headstrong” contained recommendations about fasting, so for this book to once again be about fasting is nothing revolutionary and new here. There have also been previous books written about the benefits of fasting from a more scientific perspective, most notably Dr. Berg’s Intermittent fasting and the health benefits of doing such.
There’s nothing wrong with writing a book about a subject someone else has covered, but if you’re going to do so, at least provide more unique scientific insight than the previous person did. Dave doesn’t do this. Instead he chooses to go down the route of storytelling , a bit of showing of his brand and product placement, and not much else. What made Bulletproof Diet, The Better Baby Book, Headstrong, and Superhuman decent reads was that they offered some preparatory information that hadn’t been seen before in the mainstream. The Bulletproof Diet had a useful roadmap that separate good fats and bad ones, The Better Baby Book offered clear advice on things that can influence birth like diet and EMF radiation, Headstrong looked deeper in the effect light has on our mitochondrial health, and Superhuman looked at supplements like C360, which was a real game changer for my health personally…
Here in Fast This Way, there’s nothing new that really wows you or makes you come out of the reading thinking you’ve really added to your knowledge base. If you already have experience with fasting and know the scientific benefits of it, you’ll be left somewhat disappointed by this book in comparison to the others.
His personal stories about fasting are in nearly every chapter of the book, which help reinforce the importance of the “psychological battle” that is fasting. This can be seen as entertaining, storytelling marketing, but I think those expecting more scientific proof on the benefits of fasting will be left pretty disappointed, and that’s the main problem with Dave.
He’s a marketing entrepreneur guy. He isn’t a doctor or someone who writes books with a lot of science to back up his points. Instead, he chooses to simplify everything, and I think that’s why his books sell so well in the New York times. Simple sells and is most relatable, which makes this book enjoyable for people with little scientific background who just need a bit of guidance and a Tony Robbins-esque self help and guidance.
But for people who are from a science background, it would be nice to include more scientific studies, and there just aren’t enough scientific studies in place to back the points he makes. Just phrases like “you don’t need to eat” and references to religion, I don’t think are enough solid proof points to long-term benefits of fasting. He could’ve gone more into the benefits like Stem Cell Regeneration.
The mentioning of guidance to women offers some really invaluable information for which I was unaware of beforehand. For me, this was one of the most unique aspects of the book and was interesting. He built on this in the final few chapters, showing advice for those for young people below age 25 and for those with eating disorders. This aids the book in helping a variety of people, not just the biohacker lovers.
Then there’s the product placement that’s annoying, but it’s come to be expected by now as he does it every single book with the exception of The Better Baby Book. He does this way more than other mainstream authors do, and it may alienate some readers. Of course, he’s a businessman first and scientist second, and he needs to make sales. But not everyone can fast with bulletproof coffee, and a lot of people can’t afford the $15,000 40 Years of Zen. His mention of TrueDark glasses is worthy as I feel excessive blue light causes terrible sleep, which can lead to more hunger cravings, but again the constant product placement gets tiresome. To his credit, though, there were opportunities to bring more Dave Asprey products into the equation, which he didn’t do. For example, where he talk
about vitamin A, D, and K, he could’ve endorsed his own ADK Products, but he chose not to which at least shows he has some limit to his product placement.
Aside from the pointers on sleep and psychology, Dave never really goes deep on the reasons why fasting can be difficult for people. There’s too much emphasis on psychology, willpower etc. and not enough on other important topics like candida and parasites. Parasites are an epidemic in our society, and there has been very little mention of them in his books in the past.
Although in a recent interview with the “Radical Roots” CEO, he mentioned the book “Your Brain on Parasites”. Dave hasn’t spoken that much on the issue. It’s common that parasite infestations and candida can cause sugar cravings. For me personally what made my fast a lot easier was a disciplined parasite cleanse with Mimosa Pudica. After I removed several large rope worms from my body, my sugar cravings subsided.
I believe a lot of people struggle with fasting purely because they are too infested with candida and parasites causing them to crave food which is zapping their willpower up and causing them to eat garbage foods. It’s well known that these parasites/candida cause food cravings for sugar, dairy etc., so it would’ve been nice for Dave to add guidance for candida and parasite cleanses for those who are struggling with fasting. This, in my opinion, would’ve been a lot more useful than his frequent psychology pep talks, which I found added little to those who already fast.
The supplement section of the book is pretty much all products which he’s mentioned before—Magnesium, D3, K2, and Iodine all made appearances in the early Bulletproof Diet books. There is no mention of C60, which is ironic as I found this to be the best supplement for minimising food cravings and which helped me during my own fasting journey.
Dave even mentions Serrapeptase, which is in the blend of C60 for the company he has stake in (C360 Health), which makes it even more ironic as to why he didn’t mention the company. I’d much rather he adds in affordable products that actually help with fasting like C60 rather than products that are too outside people’s budget like 40 Years of Zen.
He mentions digestive enzymes from Biooptimizers, one of the few products he’s mentioned here that haven’t been in previous books, but everything else has already been mentioned beforehand, and personally, I’ve found that not many of them, barring MCT oil, had an impact on my fasting. This is information that those like Sayer Ji and Ben Greenfield had covered in their releases last year. There’s nothing new here in this section that makes
Pros
Simple and easy to understand like the majority of Dave Asprey’s books
Offers a good insight to the psychological challenge of fasting
Good insights into sleep which would be useful for those with no prior knowledge of Dave Asprey’s work
Offers valuable information to women on their fasting journey
Cons
Lacks scientific studies to really back up the points he makes
Not enough on illness that can be causing sugar cravings like candida and parasites
Too much on religion and spirituality which may put off readers looking for more scientific insight
A bit too much product placement (although this is already a known issue in all of Dave’s books and podcasts—the guy needs to make sales, and he’s a businessman first, so it’s somewhat understandable)
Nothing mentioned here that hasn’t already been mentioned in other health books of the past 3-4 years
The constant self help pep talks sprinkled in will leave those looking for scientific answers frustrated
Could’ve made more of an effort to link in environmental toxins and weight gain
Conclusion
Dave Asprey cannot seem to put a foot wrong, and I personally have enjoyed his books and podcasts. Each one of them has impacted me in positive ways and helped to progress my health to the next level. Unfortunately Fast This Way has to be my least favourite book of his. It lacked the suss of new ideas that made his previous books special. For those new to fasting and Dave’s ideas, there’s still a lot of useful information here for beginners. For those struggling with fasting, I find it incomplete. He could’ve gone into candida and parasites and what causes sugar cravings more which would’ve offered more support to those struggling with fasting diets.
Dave Asprey cannot seem to put a foot wrong, and I personally have enjoyed his books and podcasts. Each one of them has impacted me in positive ways and helped to progress my health to the next level. Unfortunately Fast This Way has to be my least favourite book of his. It lacked the suss of new ideas that made his previous books special. For those new to fasting and Dave’s ideas, there’s still a lot of useful information here for beginners. For those struggling with fasting, I find it incomplete. He could’ve gone into candida and parasites and what causes sugar cravings more which would’ve offered more support to those struggling with fasting diets.
As I’ve said before, Dave’s a businessman first, scientist second. You’re not going to get a comprehensive list of scientific articles backing up each and every last one of his points. Instead, you’re going to get more of a “self-help Tony Robbins, let’s high five” style book. that’s a good thing for the people of a non-scientific background and for those starting out on their journey to change their diet or start a weight-loss protocol. But it’s a bad thing for those who’ve read similar books to this before like Dr. Berg’s intermittent fasting who might grow tired of the motivational talk and product placement and instead would want some more science on the long-term benefits of fasting and how it can help detox from parasites and mould of which there’s more science starting to emerge that prove useful to those struggling on their wellness journey, but Dave provides little of this.
And this begs a bigger question: Are Dave’s standards slipping? He stepped down as the CEO of Bulletproof, and some of the newer products he’s released this year including the rebranded coffee, omega 6 oil containing bars, and canned coffee to go have received criticism from those on the Bulletproof facebook group with many believing the brand is going in the wrong direction. He also posted some bizarre views on vaccines during March 2020, in which he hoped to see the whole of the US vaccinated, which most biohackers would probably not agree with seeing as the majority of them promote holistic medicine as well as Big Pharma. Fast This Way, Dave’s first book since the rebranding of the company he founded, is probably proof that this could be the case.
Always consult a doctor or a physician before taking supplements like this.
Tru Blue Caratine is a combination of several nootropics designed to boost cognition and creativity. This stack itself is a blend of Nicotine, Methylene Blue, and CBD. For the best possible impact, I’d stack this with EEG neurofeedback (an hour session) and 15 minutes of HEG for maximum performance.
What is Methylene Blue?
Methylene blue, also known as methylthioninium chloride, is a medication and dye. First used in the 1800s, it was originally used to stain jeans, blue but then there was a paradigm shift when it became used as an antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic drug. Nowadays in the biohacking sphere, there is a push for Methylene Blue as a Nootropic with numerous other health benefits. Of course, it’s regularly found in industrial grade fish tank cleaner. However, they are known to carry heavy metals and other impurities as well, so please don’t start chugging down fish tank cleaner. One of the big companies to emerge from its popularity is TroScroptions, which released their Two Blue Cannatine TX stack and recently has been made available in the UK. This stack has proven to be very popular and endorsed by famous biohackers like Dave Asprey and Tim Gray. I chose to review Methylene Blue simply for it’s high reputation.
Where can I buy it?
Fortunately for us UK people, it’s now available to buy at xbrain.co.uk, which, although slightly more expensive than the US, comes in at around £35. At time of writing this, it was the only UK website selling this nootropic is xbrain.co.uk.
Place the Troche under the tongue for around 5 minutes. Do not chew. Your tongue will be stained for a period of 4-5 hours. Usually effects should be achieved in the space of 10-15 minutes.
Dose according to how you feel. Methylene Blue can be toxic if over consumed, but the level supplied in this supplement is extremely low. Half milligram a kilogram of body to 4-5 mg per kilogram are the varying dosage of Methylene Blue according to Dr. Francisco Gonzalez-Lima in his interview on the decoding superhuman podcast.
Advantages:
Finally for once, we are seeing in the UK the chance to get Nicotine in a non toxic format, which I absolutely love. As a writer personally, it’s been hard for me to find a nicotine supplement that isn’t chopped full of ridiculously toxic filler or crap that outlays its benefit. This nicotine itself is just straight nicotine.
Methylene Blue provides a good cognitive boost that can last from 4-5 hours. I found myself focused for an extended period of time even during my writing sessions or difficult language learning. I’m currently at the time of writing this blog post learning Chinese, so stacking Methylene Blue has been extremely useful for me to stack the two together.
Other additional benefits of Methylene Blue can be found here
CBD has a host of additional benefits.
I found that this stack worked a little bit more productively than just Methylene Blue on its own.
Nicotine has been found to boost creativity as well as has numerous other benefits. Nicotinic channels mediate the majority of fast excitation in autonomic ganglia. Nicotine is made from aromatic amino acids that absorb UV light.
It accelerates oxygen consumption, which will accelerate energy production and act as an antioxidant. It can donate electrons. Methylene Blue becomes an “artificial cycler”. It can donate but also take away if there are too many electrons but has to be taken in a low dose to allow it to continually provide its positive effects.
Can help prevent cognitive decline. See the interview with Dr. Francisco Gonzalez- Lima below for more info. Even Jack Kruse who doesn’t often advocate the use of supplements praises Methylene Blue. He states in his blog:
“I briefly mentioned Methylene Blue as part of a biohack for people with neuro-degeneration and various types of traumatic brain injury like concussion, photosensitive seizures, autoimmune brain diseases, migraine headaches and exercise induces changes in neuro-cognition.”
Can help decrease the load and side effects of Non-Native EMF. Again, another interesting point from Jack Kruse’s blog: “Methylene Blue (MB) is an inhibitor of nitric oxide. Synthase and guanylate cyclase have many uses in medicine. MB’s main effect is on proton spin in the TCA cycle. Few people realize the main defect of nnEMF is a loss of H+ recycling in TCA intermediates because of a change in proton spin fractionation.
Studies have shown it can potentially reduce skin damage. Also mentioned from Jack Kruse’s blog is the fact that Methylene Blue combined with sunlight has been used “to treat resistant plaque psoriasis, AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma, West Nile virus, and to inactivate staphylococcus aureus,[used it in a biohack] HIV-1, Duck hepatitis B, adenovirus vectors, and hepatitis C. It is now being used in autoimmune conditions, neuro-degenertion, TBI, and diabetes.” Phenothiazine dyes and light have been known to have virucidal properties for over 70 years. This is why Methylene Blue works in combating many viral diseases.
Methylene Blue is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. MAOI’s act by inhibiting the activity of monoamine oxidase, thus preventing the breakdown of monoamine neurotransmitters and thereby increasing their availability. Thusly, Methylene Blue increases dopamine, melatonin, serotonin, and melanin levels on our surfaces to increase our ability to deal with sunlight properly, so stacking this in conjunction with sunlight is crucial if you want to get the best out of your Methylene Blue.
From David Sinclair’s book Lifespan, it can also stimulates glucose metabolism in conditions without oxygen and increases the amount of NAD + produced by mitochondria
Disadvantages:
Be careful if you have braces as it can permanently stain them. It can also stain your clothes, and just in general, you don’t want this getting anywhere near stuff you care about.
The amount of CBD is minimal, at 5mg. Having worked in a CBD store for a long period of time, I find customers did best optimally on between 15mg-30mg. Of course CBD’s impact depends entirely on the person, but for the sheer amount of money paid for this product, 5mg is really not much at all in the grand scheme of things.
Uses a lot of packaging. The new age biohacking minded individuals should to some extent be caring for the environment. We are seeing a lot of products in this sphere which have good packaging. Unfortunately, this small product contains enough plastic to choke a pigeon. For the small 8 servings, you’re getting a lot of packaging here and there. Granted it’s understandable as Methylene Blue is a product that can stain quickly and needs to be kept tightly sealed, and unfortunately that means a lot more plastic is going to be used .
Expensive, outright it is coming in at £35 for around 8 servings. It’s pricey stuff. Of course it depends on the individual. The 4 troches can be divided into 16. Although, I felt it was most optimal for me at half a trio a dose. You’re, therefore, looking at around £2.50-7 a serving, which, for a nootropic, is definitely on the high end. I expect this price to come down in the future though as other brands get approved and competition in the free market expands, but right now, there are only a few companies that have been allowed in this space.
Not practical for business situations. Ironically, the biggest issue with me is the issue that it makes your tongue visibly blue, which can be extremely annoying for real life situations like business meetings, sales meetings etc. You might get in trouble for being seen with a visibly blue tongue, so keep that in mind.
Taking it at too high a dose can take away oxygen. It becomes an oxidation agent and can drain your electrons of oxygen. If you keep increasing the concentration of Methylene Blue, you can have a hormetic dose response, so make sure you keep at half a mg per kg of body weight to start off with.
If you’re taking SSRIs, please don’t take Methylene Blue as the two can interact with one another.
Blue Cannatine on it’s own comes in small sachets like these whilst the Nootropic stack comes in a white plastic packaging above this one
Conclusions
The Nootropic scene is packed with hundreds of different stacks promising a lot and delivering a variety of effects depending on the person. For me, it really did help during long periods of language learning, but the fact that it stains your tongue for up to 4-5 hours can be problematic for people who work in corporate environments where this would be looked down upon or can get you into trouble. All in all, I found it a bit overpriced for what you’re getting, but this depends on how much you yourself need as a person and how your body reacts. Some can feel the effects with very little whilst others need a lot more, so whether it’s “good value for money” depends really on the quantity a person needs in order to feel the optimal effects. The addition of CBD and Nicotine was a nice touch, but the quantity of both were low and can be found at far better value elsewhere. I would like to see another company stack a bit more both. Overall, if you have a large wallet and don’t mind splurging out a fair bit for a cognitive boost, then it’s worth a try to see how you feel, especially seeing as it has a lot of other positive side effects beyond cognition, aiding skin health and boosting. NAD being two examples of many, but if you’re tight on a budget, this can be skipped. I’d recommend seeing other articles about HEG and EEG first before investing into this nootropic if you can.
For more detailed info on what Methylene Blue is, please check out these podcasts. Numerous Citations and pubmed articles linked at the bottom of those articles:
The Rational Biohacker 