All protocols

Do not do this protocol unless cleared by a doctor because of pulmonary effects; breath holds should also not be done by people with glaucoma or eye-pressure concerns.

Sometimes eat foods you would not most want in the moment in order to support social connection and flexibility.

General recommendation to identify a personally suitable diet and nutrition approach as part of supporting wellbeing and reducing long-term stress.

Personal caution: he is not a fan of taurine or energy drinks containing it because he experienced bursting of microvasculature in the sclera of his eyes.

Get light exposure at the correct times of day, specifically morning and evening, as part of healthy cortisol timing and regulation.

If you want to examine your hormones, do so with a medical doctor; ideally an endocrinologist can help interpret the results.

Competitive environments themselves can increase testosterone in the short term, independent of whether you win or lose.

Participating in sex can significantly increase testosterone during the physical act; one cited study reported about 70% increases versus modest increases during observing sex.

During grief-processing periods, actively disengage from "what if" thoughts such as imagining alternate routes or earlier calls. This type of thinking is linked to guilt and can strengthen maladaptive ties to episodic memory.

Apnea, especially sleep apnea, is associated with poor estrogen/testosterone levels and general health; reducing or eliminating apnea is recommended for hormone optimization.

Discussed for menopause or low-estrogen contexts; 13 peer-reviewed studies suggest consistent but fairly minor increases in estrogen and modest decreases in menopause-related symptoms, often over 6+ months.

May improve hot flashes and some insomnia associated with menopause; cited as significant but modest in double-blind placebo-controlled studies.

Also called Kwao Krua Kao; four studies showed it to be very potent and comparable to estrogen replacement therapy in reducing menopause symptoms.

Make sure you're getting adequate zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D3; framed as a takeaway from deficiency literature indicating that deficiencies can reduce testosterone and estrogen/steroid hormone levels.

If an infection seems to be coming on and caffeine is used rarely as a spike rather than chronically, hot caffeinated tea or hot coffee may improve immune function via increased adrenaline release; drink water alongside it to avoid dehydration.

If the goal is to keep the immune system tuned up, especially if around children, in healthcare settings, or prone to getting sick, do a short-term adrenaline-increasing behavior at least two or three times per week.

Use caffeine later in a learning or focus session rather than before it to help prime plasticity around the learning episode.

Based on evidence that habitual coffee drinking can bias brain connectivity toward anxiety even when caffeine is not being actively ingested.

Avoid the stress-driven tendency to seek high-fat and high-sugar comfort foods during periods of chronic stress.

Recommended to stimulate melanocytes and offset stress-induced graying of hair.

Licorice may be used strategically while traveling to promote wakefulness at a destination because of its cortisol-elevating effects; timing should be managed carefully to avoid creating two cortisol peaks in one day.

His personal protocol: skip breakfast, drink water, delay caffeine 90 minutes to 2 hours, and have the first meal around lunchtime, typically 11:30 or 12.

Mentioned as a small food he may eat earlier in the day.

If overstimulated from too much coffee or stress, eating carbohydrates can raise blood glucose and blunt the effects of caffeine, cortisol, and epinephrine; bread was given as an example.

Sitting down to eat can calm you down by blunting cortisol and epinephrine.

If combining weight training and cardio/endurance exercise in the same workout, do weight training first and cardio afterward to better optimize testosterone levels. When done on separate days, the order does not seem to matter.

Stay hydrated, but avoid excessive water intake; ingest water in healthy amounts.

Make your own truly fermented sauerkraut from cabbage, water, and salt if you follow the protocol carefully; improper preparation can allow somewhat dangerous bacteria to grow.

Use kombucha as a fermented food; it can be made at home with a SCOBY and is described as super simple to make.

Do not over-sanitize everyday environments with antimicrobial products; guest says sanitization has gone overboard with antibiotic-impregnated items.