Fowler Fitness
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Instagram Q & A 12/7/2024
🕑 Added 2024-12-07 17:56:59 +0000 UTCQ: Ab genetics post: any truth to 'pure lines' having less disease?
A: First, doesn't exist. Second, even if it could, it's well known that populations which are more (on average) genetically uniform ultimately have more phenotypical variability. Which is just a product of developmental homeostasis being potentially disturbed because you have less overall regulatory mechanisms (due to less variation in the genotype) that buffer the system against perturbation. Thats especially true if the line remained 'more pure' but the enviroment those organisms lived in changed.
Thats why people with coupled mitochondrial haplotypes and darker skin do worse at high latitudes. Can also think ahout this within a training context - youd think the athlete who only trained specifically for the demands of their sport would perform better than the athlete doing GPP. But this isnt the case. GPP stabalizes the system, makes it more adaptable and robust, allowing the primary goal (say running faster) to actualize. This is why gene therapy and trait selection is a dangerous game
Q: What is the practical impact of microplastics?
A: I'm not really sure we really know.
They have been found accumulating in Alzheimer's plaques but it's hard to say wether it's a pathogical feature of the disease itself or not. I don't think it's good. BPA induced testicular damage is experimentally well supported. For any of the
'evidence based' nitwits denying these concerns, I would really suggest looking into some of the epidemiological findings from Dr Shannan Swan (on sperm decline and associated factors) for a real
'evidence based' perspective on endocrine disruptors. With that being said, I do think a lot of people on the opposite side are over blowing the concerns in an equally sensationalized way.
Q: Is melanoma not a risk? (Sun)
A: Excessive sun exposure is actually more associated with basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. Lots of melanomas are also associated with low vitamin D levels and very frequently show up in places where 1. The sun doesn't shine and 2. In populations that don't get a lot of sun. Melanoma is really a skin barrier issue. When it is associated with sun exposure, it's most often associated with infrequent exposure and subsequent burning from too much too soon. And this is clear in the literature. Meaning it often occurs in individuals who never get any sun and then go on vacation and burn to an absolute crisp 2-3x a year. That DOES increase your risk of melanoma and it's why the patterns of DNA mutations in basal vs melanoma are often different. You can't compare frequent sun exposure (like progressive resistance training) to infrequent bursts (like loading up a bar with 405 when you can barely squat
225). Nutritional and antioxidant status is also probably the biggest skin cancer
determinant. The healthier you are, the more sun exposure you can and need to tolerate. It's very similar to exercise (up to a point and then no more)
Q: Can you explain why you were saying NAD is bad
A: I didn't say it was bad. I said it depends on the context in which it's used and the health status of the individual. Macrophages can polarize into M1 (pro-inflammatory) or M2 (anti-inflammatory) phenotypes. NAD simply influences polarization. So if you're already really inflamed, you're throwing fuel on the fire (towards M1). Once you've gotten inflammation under control, it can be a positive thing. In inflamed tissues, macrophages will have a metabolic shift towards a Warburg type metabolism and or toward glycolysis. Under certain circumstances that can shift M1 polarization and sustain inflammation.
Q: Any direct impact from sun exposure on candida
A: Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone.
Why does everyone want to use KPV peptide for fungal infections? It's extremely anti-inflammatory, seals up the gut lining and nukes fungus. What's KPV?
A fragment of the parent hormone/ molecule alpha-MSH. How do you produce alpha-MSH? Sun exposure. Not any kind of sun exposure. Unprotected, mid-day UVA/ UVB. Meaning you don't produce alpha-MSH if you don't get a tan. Any idiot telling you to wear sunscreen anytime you sit out in the sun (or that there's no such thing as a healthy tan) is ignorant of virtually all of the ways in which sun exposure actually confers benefits for immunity and infection outside of vitamin D production. Burning obviously isn't good, but you shouldn't be worried about unprotected sun exposure. It's just like exercise - a hormertic stressor. If you remove the stressor, you remove the hormetic advantages. Not complicated
Q: Is there a connection between gut health and mucus in the nose ?
A: of course. This is part of the reason many people clear up their sinuses issues on the fungal protocol. Remember what we discussed earlier. You have an 'axis' from your gut to virtually every major organ and area of your body. Gut-brain, gut-testes, gut-nose axis etc. Both the gut and nasal passages have mucosal barriers that protect you from pathogens. Healthy gut bacteria help strengthen those barriers and regulate immune responses. Gut bacteria produce metabolites and cytokines that will circulate in the bloodstream and dictate immune responses in the nasal mucosa and other mucosal surfaces. A lot of people notice a big difference with sinus health almost immediately after starting a good spore based probiotic like the just thrive. Very reliably paraprobiotics (basically dead bacteria) like holoiummne can also help a lot with immune mediated signaling in the sinuses.
Q: Can daily lotion use (no scent) create any unwanted health problems?
A: You shouldn't be putting anything on your skin consistently. If your skin is consistently dry and or In need of lotion, you have issues that are bigger than dry skin. Skin care in general is entirely uncessary when you have the right components of foundational health dialed in. This is difficult for people (especially women) to hear but it's the truth. Anti-aging serums (many of which can actually cause skin aging) and topical antioxidants (which can actually cause photo oxidation in the sun) are mostly a scam. The only thing that I thinks worth consider is maybe GHK-CU and or topical spore based formulations that help maintain the microbial ecosystem of the skin (siv biome is good).
Outside of acute care products (for actual issues) and soap, elaborate skin care routines do more harm than good.
Q: Plant foods really a necessity outside of just feeding microbiome
A: Yes. Ceramides. lipids in the skin that maintaining the skin barrier. I believe they're almost 40% of the epidermis. Phytoceramides are also in a lot of plants. So when you consume them, those ceramides will help replenish the skin barrier. So yes. The only place you can get those in is certain plant foods. Peope always talk about the gut microbiome regarding its influence on skin health but the skin itself also has a significant role in that relationship. The skin is essentially an extension of the body's largest organ system, which is the mucosal surfaces of the throat and gastrointestinal tract. This means that the skin literally impacts gut health. I don't mean the gut impacting the skin. I mean the skin itself (‘leaky' skin) directly impacting the health of the gut. I'm not a huge fan of the 'root cause' paradigm, but there's plenty of research now showing that a lot of changes to the gut actually happen on the skin first. Your skin houses the large population of immune cells. When the skin is compromised it will trigger inflammatory responses that affect the gut. You need plants to maintain skin barrier health. So many other arguments you could make for them aside from just fiber
Oh also, nitrate vegetables replenish the nitric oxide in your skin. The interaction between UV light on the skin with NO causes vasodilation. NO is also important for getting IR light into your blood plasma. So for all the
'sun maxing' carnivore bro's who suck off Paul Saladino and the anti-plant zealots, good luck actually getting the benefits of sunlight for circulation and NO without plant foods. A balanced, healthy diet allows you to extract more benefit from sun exposure with less damage. This is why vegans and ray peat stans who aren't getting enough DHA from animal foods like fish are also missing another massive part of the equation. If you have ‘leaky membranes’ from a lack of DHA, you
won't be able to absorb and utalize IR or UV photons. I've actually had clients mega-dose the ProdromeNEuro (DHA bound to plasmalogen backbone) and not sunburn with 3-4 hours of direct mid-day UV. Not recommending that but crazy how it always comes back to balance in the diet.
Q: How effective is the magnetico pad, I do all the basics for sleep, want a lil more
A: I was fairly hesitant to recommend it until I bought one myself. I originally bought the cheapest one and then upgraded to the most expensive one (the super sleep). And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that it works extremely well. The first time I got the basic pad (which is only 5 gauss) I couldn't even sit on my bed for more than 30 seconds without falling asleep. Numerous times where I fell asleep upright. When I upgraded it the second time it felt like someone gave me 100mg of melatonin. Extremely lucid dreams, massive melatonin hangover the following day (this goes away after a few days and then you get a ton of day time energy on the rebound once your circadian rhythm balances out). Remember that pineal melatonin is released in response to the dinural fluctuations in the earths magnetic field just as it is in the absence of light. I really see the magnetico more as a general health investment. It will dramatically benefit your sleep. But mainly because of the systemic benefits that higher magnetic flux provides. MF at night is the flip aide to sun during the day. More sun, less M flux. Less sun (no light) more M flux. Equally yolked. The studies done at UCLA showed dramatic benefits for arthritis with the higher guass pads. Amazing benefits for multiple sclerosis as well. If you have a health issue, id go with the more expensive pad. If you just want improved sleep, the cheapest one works. If you have insomina itll change your life
Q: Can you get rid of diverticula
A: Yes. Very easily. It's actually really strange that this is commonly referred to as 'incurable. I had it for years as a kid and reverse it. No hunch. Seen this with tons of abdominal CT's - it was there and then gone. By gone I do mean the diverticula (colon pockets)
themselves not the diverticulitis (the inflammation). It just requires a lot of consistency with fiber intake. Can take
1-3 or more years for some people. I've also seen BPC-157 help some people
'speedrun' the process. High doses of I-glutamine can also be helpful I think (there's a few papers on this specifically). If you have diverticula as a result of a connective tissue disorder like EDS, I think GI bio-regulators, connective tissue bio-regulators and GHK might help. I also have a hunch PEMF therapy on the stomach might be useful.
Q: Any supplements worth considering for head trauma, concussions/brain damage?
A: Pro resolving mediators, Cortexin, plasmalogens (neuro and glial), BPC-157, TB4 to name a few. Read the head trauma article I wrote on patreon. Has over 30 different things on there with dosages and resources.
Multiple past/prior concussions
I think everyone needs to use glial plasmalogens for at least a few months. Even if they happened years ago. It's a good insurance policy against future neuro degeneration and congnitive issues. It's actually insane how many people have complications from old head trauma as a kid and have zero idea
