All protocols

For severe alcohol addiction and in some cases opiate addiction, immediate sustained abstinence may not be appropriate; work with an addiction specialist, and tapering rather than abrupt cessation may be necessary.

For addictions where the goal is not total elimination, set constraints around the behavior in space and/or time so it occurs only in appropriate amounts or contexts, including only engaging in the behavior in certain places and at certain times when context-appropriate.

Do not use the 100 mg/kg bodyweight dose from the studies; he explicitly does not recommend it.

If using L-tyrosine, pay attention to whether you are combining it with caffeine or other stimulants.

After using L-tyrosine, watch for a crash later that day or the next day.

Guard activities you already enjoy by not attaching extra rewards or additional dopamine-releasing behaviors, substances, or compounds to them, or do so only infrequently, in order to preserve intrinsic pleasure and motivation over time.

Maintain a short list of about five safe but effortful or painful activities you can use whenever you feel amotivated or are procrastinating.

When amotivated or procrastinating, deliberately do something safe but more effortful or painful than your current state to steepen the trough and return to normal or elevated baseline dopamine faster and more robustly.

Pitcher-style water filter for repeated use; lower-cost option under $100. Mentioned as able to remove fluoride and other contaminants, with the Clearly Filtered pitcher cited as an example.

Whole-house filtration system that connects to the home's piping to deliver purified water throughout the house; described as a higher-cost option around $2,000 or more.

Intermediate-cost countertop filtration system for larger volumes of water; described as costing roughly $200-$500 and used to remove unwanted contaminants.

Favor water containing more magnesium and calcium rather than less; harder water may taste different but appears better for health outcomes. If tap water contains sufficient magnesium, filtering it and drinking it is sufficient rather than seeking exotic waters. Reverse osmosis water is considered safe if desired, but because it may remove minerals, make sure adequate magnesium and calcium remain.

Do not drink distilled water in general because magnesium and calcium have been removed, except perhaps in rare niche medical cases involving unusually high blood magnesium or calcium.

Do not use boiling or heating as the sole strategy for making tap water safer, because some contaminants can be worsened by heating; pair with filtration instead.

If tap water is low in magnesium, hydrogen-enriching water may make it more palatable and more effectively absorbed for hydration. He personally plans to continue using it once or twice a day, but does not say everyone needs it.

Use dissolvable molecular hydrogen tablets to hydrogen-enrich water, and drink it within about 5–15 minutes after the tablet fully dissolves. Use them once or twice a day, and avoid using them in all water, carbonated drinks, or hot liquids.

Use hydrogen-tablet water once or twice per day, possibly up to three times daily. Do not add the tablets to all your water, carbonated water, or hot liquids, as carbonated water may cause gastric discomfort.

Clean the little mesh/filter at the faucet head regularly because debris and contaminants can accumulate there and affect water quality.

Eat every other day; discussed as an intermittent fasting approach that showed health improvements in animal studies and has also been studied in humans.

Eat normally for five days and reduce calories for two days each week.

If eating late at night is unavoidable, choose something lighter and more easily digestible than a full meal, such as yogurt or something in liquid form.

Caveat that eating too much uncooked food can make it hard to consume enough nutrients; cooking can improve nutrient absorption.

Presented as a potentially best path for people looking to lose weight, based on the discussed study comparing matched-calorie groups.

If you are prone to acid reflux, heartburn, anxiety, or panic attacks, caffeine—especially on an empty stomach—can be a trigger and may effectively break a fast from a practical health standpoint. A practical approach is to have coffee after breakfast and delay caffeine for a few hours after waking so natural waking signals and light exposure can clear adenosine first.

If you are prone to acid reflux or heartburn, avoid having black coffee before any food; eating something with coffee can buffer the stomach and reduce reflux risk.

Avoid relying on caffeine as a coping strategy for shift work, especially as part of the pattern of beginning the day with caffeine and ending it with alcohol.

Suggested policy/practice change for schools and universities: avoid midnight submission deadlines because they encourage students to stay up late and worsen circadian disruption.

Young children, roughly ages 5–10, should sleep 9–10 hours.

Teenagers should sleep about 9 hours; discussed as the recommendation based on natural sleep need.

For children, finish the last meal 1–2 hours before bed, then use a calming bedtime routine such as a shower or bath and reading a bedtime story.