The Random Show — Gut Bacteria, Meditation, Startups, and More (#24)

Yes!!! I've been waiting for this. It's always far too long between these.

I'm subscribed to this podcast on Overcast (in both audio and video feeds) but it's not updating. Could the feed be broken?

Yet another epic episode! Going to check out Headspace for sure, found some great documentaries and added two books to my reading list. #SuccessfulShow

Chris Kresser guest post on the gut microbiome?

Hello Tim, If you are interested in talent scouting, maybe you should host some sort of writing or blog based competition?

Tim: Lyme disease symptoms can be greatly alleviated by qigong. Being a practitioner for 15 years, I have met several people who either cured, eased or alleviated symptoms of Lyme disease with spesific qigong practices. I´m not going into the debate of correlation and causation (I´m a philosophy of science major), but Google it, and find a teacher in SF. Best of luck on your healing.

Yo Tim, I had undiagnosed lyme disease for 20 years (8th grade to 35 years old). Basically ruined my life. Anyway, obviously take the antibiotics. Herbal supplements can also help compliment the antibiotics. In particular, teasel root tincture and the formula lymeout (which has multiple different herbal supplements) work wonders. Though it only works for 80% of people, teasel root can get past the blood brain barrier which antibiotics have trouble with making you avoid post lyme disease syndrome. Btw, it also causes the herxheimer reaction which is not an adverse reaction to the supplement but a good thing in that the lyme bacteria is dying off and your body flips out because of the foreign antibodies. Best of luck!

Ive heard charles poliquin mention the importance of stomach acid for optimal breakdown and absorption of nutrients, increasing faster recovery for optimal performance, and how the efficiency of an individuals stomach acid decreases steadily as you age! Would love to know supplements or natural dietary changes that would keep stomach acid levels at highest performance! Stomach acid naturally should be tinkered with caution I'd say

So who's making a Timbucks cryptocurrency then?

guys, been doing dynamic mediation. i think its incredible; every senses of yours gets enhanced for a few days (not forgetting the "present moment" of course

Hey guys, very cool show…how would I put forward a book to see I'm a 50 Cent or just deluded? Marc

Another great Episode – I love the random show! Kevin – Portland would love to have you. Remember that's not the opinion of everyone just a small group of people. You only gained everyone's respect by doing what you did. The new house would have been awesome though.

Tim, you could try Ostarine for recovery. A SARM. They are known to have much milder side-effects than AAS. In my experience, and the experience of many others, the risk of downregulation of endogenous production is much lower with SARM's, and they can usually be used without PCT. (depends on dosing, of course)

What's with the horses? Are you teasing me? 😀 Thanks so much for making another Random Show Tim! Looking good! (Can you take your shirt off in the next one?) If you want your movie to be as popular with the female audience as Twilight, put emphasis in your story on the Man vs Himself conflict. Trust me, this is what woos them the most. Read Midnight Sun for an example. Women like me love men who have an inner daemon to struggle with showing that they are not as invincible as they appear. Oh and I think self control is very sexy too.

What are your thoughts on NLP, Neurolinguistic programming? I'm not a trainer/no vested interest in that industry. Codified learning seems right up your alley.

Guys, you are so much fun!

Very interested in hearing more about the biome bacteria stuff. i have been on a slow healing over the last year due to leaky gut after shredding stomach with anitbiotics. Taking probiotics that claim 100% human strain but i am wondering what bacteria i have not yet replaced and cannot get with probiotic. Interested in the meditation stuff. Try the Profound Meditation Program see what you think. Very powerful.

Great show guys. The Oculus Rift will also be highly leveraged by the porn industry….POV movies. All we need now is a male version of the Sybian…a wearable masturbation machine…combine with Oculus Rift for true "cyber sex". Maybe a streaming pay service that lets you experience POV with some of the porn superstars out there? (Are you guys interested in funding my male Sybian startup?) Read the book "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline (being made into a movie now I believe), for a look at where the Oculus Rift is ultimately heading with regard to gaming. It is a great read as well, especially if, like myself, you grew up in the '80s and enjoy the all the pop culture references from that decade.

Also highly recommend Bigger, Stronger, Faster. My top doc pic

Random comments Hints for Lyme's: drop dosage of Teasel root tincture, homeopathic Ledum, and material doses of echinacea. In 2007 I saw the bulls-eye, post tick removal, on my leg. I treated myself immediately with those 3 for a week and then forgot about it. No symptoms since. I'm not sure if they'd be just as effective in the phase your in, but worth the research. Research plant medicine – western herbalism, ayurvedic and TCM – at least to support you through your allopathic treatment. Daria has the best laugh. It made me smile every time I heard it during the video. Tim, I wanted to let you know I appreciated the email reminder that you exist. I missed your blog. I was distracted with other things and don't seek you out without the reminder. Mental shift = you're providing me with something that I like when you send me an email. If/when it bothers me, I'll unsubscribe. I'm a big girl and can handle that. You don't need to protect my inbox for me. Kevin, Stomach and intestinal issues are hugely related to anxiety/stress. The meditation should be helping with both. Your guts have more nerve connections than your brain. (or something like that) I read an amazing article on the connection, but don't remember the name. (hello luminosity). I experience that meditation high you were talking about when I do the "kundilini yoga for beginners and beyond" dvd. Plus there's a section that totally wakes up the pelvis. Lots of squeezes get the juices flowing.

37:40 wow, so tech bubbles doesn't affect the average person anymore. Can you say oligarchy? Good way to change subject, Tim.

Tim you should check out http://www.bayarealyme.org/ run by friends they are taking this disease seriously and are looking for a cure. Reach out to them or me for a connection to the team.

Chris Kresser has a great podcast episode regarding Lyme on Revolution Health Radio with Dr. Sunjya Schweig, a functional medicine physician who specializes in tick-borne illness. RHR podcast from July 3, 2013.

Tim, Sorry to hear about the Lyme Disease. My parents are both natural doctors in Indiana who have made it their life mission to treat Lyme without antibiotics. (it only makes the Borrelia bacteria dig in deeper). They work with people all over the country to not just manage the symptoms but also get rid of Lyme and all co-infections. If nothing else they would give lots of advice on herbs to take and what you can do to eliminate it from your body. If you'd like I can pass along their contact info or website address. {My dad, Giuseppe, has a thick italian accent so you might want to either speak with him in Italian or just ask for my mom Aksana. (She is Russian but was born in the states so no accent issues.)} I hope this helps. Hang in there, my grandfather never got his Lyme treated and had a very difficult time at the end of his life because of it. Its the reason why my parents are so focused on this disease. cheers Yuri

Hi Tim- I have suffered from parasite infections from traveling to India and as a result now have a messed up gut bacteria balance and post-infectious IBS (from all the antibiotics). Would love to hear about your research in coming articles and episodes. Good luck in fighting Lyme and healing.

Tim, I love the expansion towards writing again. I've written a piece that combines the main idea of anti-fragility into areas on creating a "good life" in accordance with prominent, yet traditionally misunderstood dynamics. You mentioned that you were hoping on "finding talent," and I feel I possess interesting qualities. If you're curious > http://uncoveringsuperman.quora.com/A-19-Year-old-boys-understaning-of-how-to-cultivate-a-Good-Life

Hey Tim I have a suggestion about Lyme. Be veryyyyyyyy wary that 30 days of an antibiotic such as dox is not enough to kill off borrelia. If you want to get informed read the book "why cant I get better"by Richard Horowitz. I believe this man is the leading specialist on treating Lyme disease as a systemic approach. He may have a practice near New York since he writes about his residency there. Hope all is well.

Lyme disease tip as requested: Tim, I'm an herbalist who specializes in healing difficult / challenging conditions quickly (and a great admirer of your work in the 4HB, etc.) So here are my suggestions for lyme disease: Nutribiotic: Grapefruit seed extract. Haven't specifically tried it on lyme disease yet because I don't see much of it where I am, but I do use it for every bacterial infection I encounter and have yet to see it fail, so I keep trying it on more and more infections and so far have never been disappointed. I would take 10 drops dissolved in a glass of water twice daily. Echinacea mega-doses. Most people seem to think it's just for colds, but it's for any condition where a stronger immune system would be beneficial, but most people don't take enough to see really dramatic results. When I use Echinacea, I take 2 ounces of tincture a day, 2-3 days in a row. If I felt the need I would continue doing that for a week. Take a very hot sauna for an hour while drinking a quart of water or herbal tea. If find that I need an electrolyte boost, I add a spoonful of unsulfured blackstrap molasses to a glass of water and knock it back. I've used this many times to eliminate infectious conditions in an hour (response time does vary though). The increased temp both increases immune response and destroys pathogens directly (basically it's an artificially induced fever. Good luck and I look forward to hearing your assessment of whichever techniques you use.

Hi Tim.What's your probiotic of choice at the moment?

you fucking fun & crazy, kids. love watching ya

Really love the random episodes, it feels like friends talking about what is going on in their lives. Lots of awesome tips and ideas. Thanks for sharing guys

I have lyme. It has basically ruined about 10 years of my life. I have seen some of the top lyme docs with no relief. I am finally having some positive changes with Dr. James Schaller. He is not apposed to antibiotics, however, he has learned that sometimes natural lyme killers with biofilm busters works well for a lot of people. So Tim might be interested his approach. I know this flies in the face of ILADS. And it has been intense. For the first time I feel like I could be 100% better.

Hey Tim: Jeff Grimm is an integrative health practitioner her in Oregon that has been learning a lot about Lyme disease, the vectors involved, new studies and treatments. Jeff introduced me to 4-Hour Body and helped me address my own health mysteries with great success. His clinic can be found at: http://www.restorepdx.com This was a great episode. Thanks for all the work you do.

Would love to hear more about the digestive seeding when you can spare a moment… Hope you're feeling better soon!

Hey Tim, I listen to your podcast and enjoy the variety of speakers you bring on the show. I am a 4th year med student and I wanted to clear up something about gluten “sensitivity” that is very simple. Everyone walking around saying that they have a gluten sensitivity is true, everyone has it, just like nearly all adults will get sick if they drink way too much milk. The human enteric (gut) system is very short and we have therefore developed a dependency on processing food, cooking, and preservation techniques. We have also created a very robust symbiotic relationship with a number of bacteria that call our gut home. This shorter gut system is more fragile to insults like alcohol, stress, antibiotics, and infections. Now one of the most beautiful things about the human animal is our ability to adapt to a number of different food sources. We certainly did not evolve throughout the great majority of the existence of homosapien on the type of diet we eat today. The hunter-gatherers relied heavily on tubers (potato-like root), fruits were a treat, and meat was something to be cherished and gorged upon on the very rare occasion it became available. Many of the chronic diseases of modern day human are based on this evolutionary and modern abundance mismatch. There is a book by Daniel Lieberman called The Story of the Human Body that does a good job at explaining this. The issue with gluten is very similar to meat. If someone goes a long time without eating meat they produce less bile and if they consume a large portion of animal protein they will indeed feel sick. Gluten, has a similar effect on us but for a slightly different reason. Wheat did not become a common food source until humans began farming. The unique thing about wheat that makes people feel sick after not consuming it for a while or having way too much in a single sitting like putting down a 12 pack of beer has to do with a small protein within the wheat called gluten. The gluten antigen (medical term for small protein recognized by the immune system) can have a somewhat unsettling effect on the gut system. Now, revert back to the fact that humans above all else are great adapters and you realize that the reason you do not get sick with habitual consumption of wheat product has to do with the enteric immune system. In your gut you have a large quantity of cells creating IgA (mucosal) antibody. This antibody binds up a large amount of antigen from food we did not necessarily evolve to consume. Cow’s milk and wheat have an abundance of this foreign antigen and this is the reason that over consumption of either one leads to a somewhat sick feeling (It is an inflammatory response from the immune cells that recognize the foreign antigen). I understand that you guys are fringe thinkers and experimenters. In being so you rely on information that is coming from many intuitive people with different backgrounds. This current trend of calling all gluten food “bad” is true but like many things in popular culture it gets blown out of proportion. Modern day food is easy to consume, highly nutritious, and frees up the rest of our day to do productive things. The biggest problems arise from simple overconsumption. Yours truly, A fourth year medical student

Here's an interesting brain-training site based on Relational Frame Theory: https://raiseyouriq.com/what_is_smart

Hey Tim, you won’t believe it but I actually 1st read your 4 hour work week book and started to listen to your interesting outlook on life about 2 weeks ago… I just want to say that you are a great inspiration for so many of us who dream of living the NR life. The more I listen to you, the more in control of my life I feel, pushing me to make some positive changes. Anyway, great show. I will most definitely try Headspace out, since I really admire the benefits of meditation but never actually found the right method or techniques to follow. By the way, have you heard of EFT? I heard it can heal many types of diseases. You should try it out for lyme disease, it might help, who knows? Again, thanks for being such a magical inspiration. Get better brother Peace

Kevin, it might not be gluten, it might be FODMAPs! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP Check it out. I've cut out all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and feel WAY better in my gut and generally (not tired, my head is clear, got loads of work done) Cutting out wheat cuts out some FODMAPs and that may be why so many people see benefits but it may be even better if you get rid of all FODMAPs in your diet.

Hi Tim, Sorry to hear about the Lyme. I see lots of great suggestions here, but would like to add another resource from the brilliant Stephen Harrod Buhner who has written a number of books about the disease and developed an effective (non-antibiotic) protocol: http://buhnerhealinglyme.com Hope this helps.

Topic suggestions: Information Overload Information is coming at us in all different directions. There are so many ways we get information now too. It's not just the TV, Radio and friends anymore. What are the side effects? Oh, and by the way, this notion of social media is also being encouraged in corporate environments. When will our minds have a chance to think for itself?

Love the Random Show and Kevin and Tim. Of course. Thanks for the entertainment. p. s. I'm not doing NOBNOM. A toast to Tim & participants. Interesting concept.

Tim, sorry to hear about Lyme. I can’t express enough how important it is that you see a Lyme specialist, if you’re not already, rather than a GP or regular infectious disease doctor. One option is Christine Green in the Bay Area. She’s one of the world’s leading authorities. Also, you could contact ILADS for physician recommendations. They are legit. Unfortunately, my family has a lot of experience with this. A family member started treatment immediately with just Doxycycline, took it for 7 weeks, and when she stopped, the symptoms came back. She’s totally fine now, but only after seeing a specialist who subsequently put her on a more aggressive antibiotic protocol for a few months. Someone on here mentioned the Horowitz Protocol, and this is pretty much the gold standard for Lyme treatment currently. http://www.claritasessentiae.nl/download/why-can't-I-get-better.pdf It sucks how aggressive this is, but treating less aggressively is quite a risk, as any doctor with experience treating Lyme I’m sure would agree. Let me know if you have questions. Lots of politics and screwiness involved with this disease. Lots of luck!

There is a simple inexpensive protocol for Lyme's using large amounts of salt and vitamin C that has helped thousands of people beat the disease. Google it.

Loved the show as always. It's really cool to hear that Kevin is getting into meditation. I'm opening a floatation spa in a couple months in SF called Reboot. Tim, I know you've dabbled with floating the past and said it was one of the most anxiety reducing experiences you've ever had, so I hope you'll come down and check it out. We'll have audio plugin to play anything you'd like during floats. I'll keep you guys in the loop via twitter. Best, Mike Garrett

The main website promoting the Salt/Vitamin C Protocol for Lyme's is this one: http://www.lymephotos.com/index.shtml

If Kevin's spiritual animal is the weasel, what would Tim's be?

Tim, I seem to subscribed to three slightly different mailing list of yours and I imagine I'm not the only one… for example this morning I received these subject headings from you: 1. "From Tim Ferriss: Thoughts on Meditation, Gut Bacteria, Startups, and More" 2. "Tim Ferriss – The Random Show, Episode 25 — Gut Bacteria, Meditation, Startups, and More" 3. "The Random Show: Gut Bacteria, Startup Lessons, and Meditation" Are these mailing lists all the same and all get the same content and should I just unsubscribe to any two of them? Or are there differences? Cheers Tim! Brian

Hi Tim, Sorry to hear about the Lyme Disease. One avenue that has been helpful to me is the work of Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, specifically he has a panel of labs he runs that can give insight into your potential for contracting post-lyme (i.e. after successful treatment by antibiotics, continued problems). These include HLA DR gene tests, which he has linked to post-lyme susceptibility. You'll find some of his papers in pubmed. Would be a good insurance policy for you at this point to look into that, in case after initial treatment you find yourself among those with lingering problems.

I love the burlwood bowl on your table. I got "Jesus' Son" from the library last week, and I plan to read it ASAP. Thanks for the recommendation. (It seems that a film was made from this story collection a few years back.)

Great Episode, hope you're feeling better Tim, nasty obstacle. Liking Calm, I've been trying, getting better, thanks to your recommendations. Part of the reason it was good to hear you'll be continuing to teach and create even more great content. I help companies in my smaller town, maybe something along those lines or companies outside of Silicone Valley would be more rewarding than the crowded vc investing, just a thought. Thanks for all your books Tim, 4hww has improved my productivity insanely.

Tim, if your energy levels at any point start to decline I feel strongly that you should look into Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) in order to restore your mitochondria. Basically, you alternately breathe in hypoxic (low to very low oxygen like in altitude training) and ambient air. This induces apoptosis within the sick and ineffective mitochondria and instructs the healthy ones to multiply. My physician also suffered from Lyme disease for a long time and he was able to restore his energy levels using hypoxic therapy. Then, there is Intermittent Hypoxic Hyperoxic Therapy (IHHT) which alternates between hypoxic and oxygen-enriched air. It’s supposedly more effective than IHT but requires a rather expensive machine whilst there are very interesting do-it-yourself projects for the simpler IHT. I’m currently in the process of building one myself using the basic design of a Navy Seals rebreather device after having experienced the beneficial and performance-enhancing effects of IHHT.

Regarding your discussion on skin bacteria/washing etc. I wonder if there's a correleation between beneficial bacteria levels and Vit D synthesis. Some interesting studies done on people not using soap equating to higher levels of Vit D (explains why Hawaiian surfers typically have low vit D status), but I wonder if actual bacteria present could play a role…..Interesting!

Yes, please do a post on managing gut bacteria! I am myself experimenting and seeing quite amazing results from taking a mix of probiotics, L-Glutamine, vitamin-supplementing and eating sauer-kraut. I can drink beer without the same response from my body + hair is slowly coming back! You are probably aware of the recent studies on intestinal permeability?! Jonas, PhD (CS)

Tim & Kevin, check out Sean Croxton's Underground Wellness – the Digestion Sessions. He's interviewed the top doctors, like Dr Kharrizian the author of http://brainhealthbook.com/ and natropathic doctors that have studied the most up-to-date research and come up with some startling information on the gut and the gut/brain axis. Mind blowing stuff. To contact Sean directly via FB https://www.facebook.com/seancroxton?ref=ts&fref=ts Good luck beating Lymes.

Hey Tim/Kevin, Thanks for the video, some good infotainment for sure. I am curious to read more about the microbiome, how to alter it and what effects it might have. Tim, you should check in with Dave Asprey regarding the lime disease. I heard on his podcast with Steven Kotler (flow author) that both had suffered from it. Good luck!

Another great episode. You guys should do these way more often.

Thank you for everything,Tim. I was wondering what you thought about weight vests?

Combining the subjects of screenwriting and Oculus Rift, I saw a very good play about the future of Second-Life-type realities called "The Nether", which has some ingenious plotting: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/victoria-sadler/nether-royal-court-theatre_b_5634521.html http://www.amazon.com/Nether-Play-Jennifer-Haley/dp/0810130637/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1408803793&sr=8-3&keywords=the+nether

I picked up a book at the dollar store a few years ago that was really interesting. It showcasing certain well known movies and all the changes that screenplays go through. Kinda cool seeing behind the scenes at the writing level. Screen Plays: How 25 Scripts made it to a theater near you – for better or worse by David Cohen Also I listened to Train Dreams and Jesus Son on audible which is just as haunting as the actual read. PS. Kevin I've built two off grid fully self sustaining tiny houses one in Idaho one in Hawaii for under $11,000 each if you ever convince the wife I would love to help!

One more greeat episode! thanks! I'll wait exited for the next ((-:

Like it. Wanted to share an idea for an "in between a'sode." Sorry if I am repeating another comment but could you please elaborate on what the average person can do for biological testing in a podcast format (but nothing experimental, rather a mini-tutorial for starters)? What should an average user test for in a month, quarter, year? What specific resources for labs do you recommend? What biometric testing do you do? Any value propositions?

Tim, I'm so sorry to hear the news brother. Growing up in Connecticut, just like Long Island, it becomes very common. My friend has been plagued with it for years and he has found that hyperbaric air chambers work well to reduce swelling and arthridic like symptoms. Keep the randow episodes coming…also, would love to see you interview Adam Greenberg MLB for the podcast. Warmest Regards, Nick Benas

Dear Tim please explore the work Of Dr. Sarno for a future episode. Cheers

Hey Tim, I just wanted to make a quick suggestion on how you could improve the readability on your blog. Research has shown that 50-60 characters per line is the ideal line length when reading online. [Moderator: link removed] Your blog avarages 85-90 at the moment. (I keep zooming to 125% to make it easier on myself). You can point your web designers to the site below, it has all the CSS you need to fix it (I have no affiliation to either sites mentioned) http://typecast.com/blog/a-more-modern-scale-for-web-typography Thanks, Stephen

love these shows. a great documentary ive seen recently is "how to make money selling drugs" you guys should check it out. i also gave the headspace app a download because for the past few months ive been into not only meditation but trying to control my dreams.

Kevin uses the word "like" more than a 16 year old girl. I fine my kids a dollar every time "like" is used more than once per sentence. Forget alcohol…give up "like" for a month.

Grrrreat episode! 1 hour went SO quick! ((-:

Tim, a post on seeding your gut would awesome! Please do it!! My wife just got done with a round of doxycycline for lyme as well. Looking forward to what comes next!

Hey Tim, another great episode! I'd definitely like to hear more about your research and experimenting with gut health. Cheers.

Hi Tim, after finally recovering after 15 years (Post Viral Chronic Fatigue), I wouldn't place too much importance on magic herbs and potions. Deal with the cause, not the effect. I would suggest working out what allowed this Lyme infection to come to the surface. Some form of stress compromises the immune system and allows the 'sleeper' infection to strengthen. One remarkable man can help here, Roy Masters. His book is packed full of reasons why your brain is 'like a caged monkey on meth'. "Cure Stress – How Your Mind Will Make You Well" has a lot of answers. It can be a life changer for those who are okay with the truth. If this book makes sense then feel free to ask for more details about what else was successful for me. All The best Tim.

Great episode Tim and Kevin as always. Tim have you ever checked out xxxchurch.org. They have some great takes on masturbation and porn.

Man you guys have a really good report (my first time watching). I'm really interested in future microbiome/gut posts. Certainly interesting to think about what 30 days no booze might do to your gut flora. Highlight: Meditation makes you realize that your stream of thought / brain is "like a caged monkey on meth, just like bouncing off the walls."

Absolutely amazing episode. I finally meditated for the first time today using that app. I have adopted so many of the things you recommend in my life. I wish I could pay you back somehow more than financially. I am an avid kiteboarder and if you ever wanted to learn this amazing sport I could teach you or give you any info you need. Thanks a ton, Kristian

Kevin Check out shinola watches. Assembled in Detroit. Support USA! Documentary: When we were kings and Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Yes pls make a blogpost on gut bacteria! I'm right now really into that topic and would love to hear your thoughts on it!

Was a nice show. Definitely a thumbs up if the next one is about gut bacteria.

By the way Tim, really glad to hear you're focussing less on VC and more on your other pursuits. I guess it's a bit selfish, but since finding your content, the impact you've had on my perspective and quality of life has been truly incredible. So if you can continue to do the same for myself and others, I can't help but be excited and grateful. Keep up the great work! 😆

Wow. Your buddy drunk a whole bottle of red in thirty minutes. It is a wonder that he didn't start playing polishing his clock. Cheers

Consider including Chaga tea in your diet. Made from a mushroom growing on a northern birch tree, it will boost your immune system and help you recover from Lyme disease. It is one of Native American's best kept secrets. Thank you again for all you do. You are making a huge impact on many lives.

Would love to hear more on promoting a healthy gut biome. Yes, yes, yes! Will be checking out uBiome next. Thanks!

I prefer Calm meditation application. I have a daily meditation practice now. It is much less expensive. I felt Headspace was a bit too preachy and I resented the indoctrination.

Very informative episode. I'm glad I found this blog. As far as Lyme goes, I've noticed a lot of interesting stuff on the web with regards to Lyme causing a lot of havoc ( http://www.als-cure.com/als-cure/david-martz-cured-his-als/ ). I haven't dived deep enough into it all to have an opinion one way or another yet, but I'd like to see a lot more research in the area. I've spent most my life as an athlete and coach, who also likes to hike. Sometimes I wonder, if there's more to my chronic joint pain than wear and tear from my profession (BJJ).

Yes! Please write a post on how to properly seed your gut!!

The Random Show always gets my brain buzzing with new ideas, so thanks for posting. I'm eagerly anticipating your thoughts on "reseeding" the gut…restoring my microbiota has been a continuous goal of mine over the past 4 years. Probiotics have been a tool in my arsenal (soil based organisms)…so I'm especially keen on learning why you don't recommend them. I truly believe the gut is the next major realm for medical understanding / exploration. I know your thoughts and analysis won't disappoint! Thanks, Brian

Tim: teach me to swim and I will teach you to flyfish in Montana. Mike

good luck Tim with the Lymes treatment. My sisterinlaw was diagnosed a year ago finally after Dr thinking she had MS. In Australia this disease is also not known much or treated. Luckily in Sydney we found a great GP to treat her. She has been on antibiotics for eight months and after a roller coaster of a ride she is now getting better. She had tag along infections that needed to be treated first. But she still has rough days, but honestly what is the alternative ? Any new info you come across send it on to us all !! This is a disease of the future, big time. Watch Under the Skin the great film on Lymes. This is the beginning of environmental diseases due to climate change…

Definitely interested in gut seeding… in the probiotic sense…

I always find it interesting to listen to your podcasts, and I find I get caught up on podcasts on the weekends I have 3+ hour drive from Springfield to Chicago. What was really interesting was the fact that I was sitting in a functional neurology seminar this weekend, talking about the neuro-endocrine-immune relationship, and then just happen to choose this podcast to listen to!! On Lyme, I've heard some interesting things lately. One, because of it's spirocheate nature, Lyme may not solely come from a tick bite. As it resembles syphillus, it has the potential to be passed in the same way. I don't have the research for that directly, but the doc who shared that with me recently is one of the lead research gathers in Chiropractic, and he pulls from reputable sources. I'm liking the herbal suggestions, and I will be looking into it further for myself. On the neuro-endocrine-immune (NEI) relationship, when you look at the gut, they call it the second brain for good reason! This NEI is directly controlled by the autonomic nervous system, and getting that balanced will help in the long run with your recovery. Since you're in the Bay Area, I would recommend Dr Tom Forest in Pleasanton, as he is one of the top Upper Cervical doctors in the world. He'll be able to get your ANS balanced so the NEI can come back up to speed as you recover (note, not saying it's a treatment for Lyme's, but rather for establishing good support). The added bonus will be keeping your structure balanced better so you can get back to beast swings ASAP (I know it helps my kb swings!!) Finally, on the gut biome stuff, I'm sure you're talking with Dave Aspery on some of this. He and a couple of others were talking about resistant starches recently, and 3 different probiotics. The one I gravitated towards is PrescriptAssist, which is reasonably priced overall, has an immediate calming effect on my GI (N=1 et al, but they have some good research on using it for travelling abroad w/o getting the runs), and is temperature stable, so you can throw it in your luggage & go! Hope that helps!!

Tim – another vote for a post on your research and practices regarding a healthy gut. I recently nuked my microbiome with a 7 week course of antibiotics, and I've been reading everything i can on restoring my gut health. Would be excellent to hear your findings and views!

Quite a gay show hahaha. Look into taking witch hazel xylitol and lactoferrin on an empty stomach. Those are the three enzymes that help dissolve biofilms which are the reason lyme can be reoccurring. There's a doctor who is successfully keeping people from needing amputation because of diabetes with these three substances with a 90 percent success rate It turns out diabetes allows formation of massive biofilms at a certain point that lead to the need for amputation. Other stuff might help but those three can actually destroy biofilm internally just mix them together and take 2 or 3 times a day on an empty stomach. Experiment with amounts but go easy on the witch hazel it makes it about 10 times stronger.

Hi Tim! Sorry to hear about Lymes, and like everything else, you seem to take it as a great opportunity to learn…and teach 🙂 Due to a stubborn case of Epstein Barr virus, I know that journey well. This might sound out of left field, but FLOATING could be very helpful. I have close friends who were very affected by Lymes for years. One ended up going to London and floating daily. Her immune system got such a boost that other previously ineffective 'cutting edge' remedies began to work their magic. Could be a great adjunct to what you are already doing. Doing a series of floats with something like the Pulsar (audio-visual) and NeuroSpa (sound vibration) is blowing my mind right now. After moving back to Montreal, I met with the owner of http://www.ovarium.com and my immune system is TOTALLY benefiting from this work. I don't know SF area float centers, but a man by the name of 'Crash' leads the field and is in LA. His builds the best of the best when it comes to chlorine free float tanks: http://floatlab.com/ My other dear friend, an expert ART professional in NYC has fought with Lymes for 10 + years (as long as I've known him). He travels the world treating Pro athletes and has done equal amounts of travel for his own health. His recent treatments with a scientist in Massachusetts (who focuses on the brain) and an incredible set up in Mexico are giving him complete relief and redemption. Yay! It doesn't feel like you're at his stage, but if you're interested to know more, he'd be happy to give you the details. I'll keep his name private for now, but let me know! Thanks for a great and fun interview! Always inspiring, Catherine

Hey Tim, I went through a nasty 2-year battle with Lyme Disease myself and experienced many of the same symptoms (aching joints, memory loss, etc.). I now run a company that helps people lose weight, reverse disease (like Lyme), and stay fit and healthy for life! I've coached people around the world and helped them overcome the unwanted sides of chronic Lyme and I'd be happy to help you get back to 100% as fast as possible. No charge or anything. Let me know if you'd like to link up and see if we can get you back to a hundo asap… Talk soon, Anthony

Hi Tim – I am a Naturopath, Homeopathist and Acupucturist. Recently I took a class on herbology and learned that there is a very affordable, highly effective herbal remedy for Limes. Please let me know where I can send you some pdf documents on this and how to get it if you are interested. Twyla Wilson, ND, Hom, Acu

Hey Tim, My wife has had Lyme Disease since she was ~18mos old. She was originally diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She went ~34yrs with this misdiagnosis, and countless medications and treatments, until finally an 'alternative' doctor tested her for Lyme last year. She was put on a course of antibiotics for more than a month, something she really didn't want to do but felt there was no other option. He also gave her several supplements, probiotics, and vitamins. This turned out to be no help. Ultimately, someone recommended she go to a Homeopathic doctor. We live near National University of Health Sciences, which is focused on alternative medicines. She went to a professor of Homeopathic medicine, who is also an MD. He spent 2hrs with her for the first visit, asking her tons of questions, ultimately coming up with an appropriate remedy, as Homeopathy calls it, and a course of action. Within days of starting this remedy, which only cost $10 for a month's supply, she started to feel better. Within 2mos, she was riding an exercise bike 9miles/day, 5days/week. She's also now able to go on hour long walks when for years she could barely walk around the block and even a mile on an exercise bike was too much to think about. Her chronic fatigue is now gone, joints no longer hurt and are no longer swelling (we have pictures of her knee being the size of a softball and now totally normal with no swelling whatsoever), and many other symptoms have completely gone away. Her thyroid has even suddenly started producing TSH, which she's had to take medication the previous 12+yrs for because her Thyroid was killed with radioactive iodine. Lyme disease is scary stuff and can do terrible things to your body and life. I know from your last podcast that you feel Homeopathy is really just a placebo effect, but if you continue to struggle with Lyme after your course of antibiotics, since there are no side effects, there's really nothing to lose if you give it a try. I'm happy to put you in touch with my wife's doctor (we get nothing for referrals, you wouldn't even need to mention I recommended him). Your books, articles, and podcasts have helped me to go from working 70/80hrs/week to ~40hrs/week and a $20k/year job to 6 figures/year (a pretty sweet change) so I would absolutely appreciate an opportunity to give back to you.

Great episode. Fascinating, and surprising to hear about the Lyme disease. I'm sure you'll kick it. In the doc section, I'll check out "Tiny the movie." Tim, you should see my doc, HECKLER (on Netflix). I'll send you a copy, if you want the DVD with extras! A good exploration into the difference between "creator" and "critic."

Hey Tim, so sorry to hear about your Lyme diagnosis. Curious – what test was done to confirm it? I'd suggest using an infrared sauna (at home if possible so you can use it daily) and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Both of these will greatly stimulate the immune system and increase its healing ability. Additionally, if you're not already using a topical or transdermal magnesium supplement, I'd highly recommend it. We find that magnesium is often lacking for Lyme sufferers (most people, really) and increasing the levels will help, not just with Lyme symptoms, but for overall health too. Also, (full disclosure) my company creates a device that many of our clients use to combat Lyme disease; it's an infrared emitter that outputs frequencies tuned to disrupt and neutralize the spirochetes and coinfection bacteria. There are other devices around that use infrared diodes – ours is much more powerful and we've had VERY positive success. The typical treatment duration is 30 mins a day for three weeks, though this does of course depend on the individual. The Herxheimer reaction is mild, most often resulting in a feeling of being tired. We're not able to make any claims until we've gone through more scientific study, so we are still pretty much under-the-radar for now. I'd be happy to connect with you, or anyone else in this thread who is interested, for more information. Good luck!

Tim I would love to have you interview Chris Guillebeau. I think his story is so fascinating. Please get him on your blog!

Good stuff guys. My son has had a severe case of neuro-lyme(+co-infections). I've been doing an amateur study of microbes ever since. Check out my blog for 400 research articles and videos. Click "archive" for an overview. www.lymeflorida.tumblr.com Medicine is on the cusp of dramatic changes. The Human Microbiome Project phase 1 is where much of your info has come from. Currently we are in HMP2, where researchers are studying specific diseases and the microbiome differences found therewith, hence the "Gut Project". Psycho-biotics are already being tested on mice. (IE: changing behavior using good bacteria). Fecal transplants (yep, I said fecal) are already showing results. The Russians have been using bacteriophage therapy for the last 30 yrs because they did not drop all research when penicillin was discovered. Our country has let big pharma control all research, knowledge, and protocols. Last thought: for the last 30 yrs there has been a search to find genetic answers to all diseases. With the HMP1 now complete, we know human genes differ by less than 1% and yet, the human microbiome differs by 40%. Therein lies the future of medicine.

Hey Tim, Thanks for suggesting the "How to Keep Feces Out of Your Bloodstream" article. Very timely as I'm currently in the middle of my own gluten experiment where I've been eating pasta every day in August (except for cheat days). The results so far were not what I expected… I also just purchased "The Paleo Diet" using the link in the blog post. Best, Randy

Tim-Tim 🙂 Yes pleaseeeee do a blog post AND podcast about gut health! The world is waiting for your systematic deconstruction and reconstruction of this massive topic. Gut Health Tim Ferriss Style. *Finally*

Would love to see this to. Have him on the podcast maybe?

and- YES- do a post on properly seeding your gut!

Also would love to hear more about healing the gut using additional remedies with probiotics

http://uncoveringsuperman.quora.com/A-19-Year-old-boys-understanding-of-how-to-cultivate-a-Good-Life

oh, also high levels of garlic to kill any biofilm that lyme disease can spawn to protect itself.

So did you do a fecal transplant? Great episode. Great because of the underlying message of sticking to the creative stream as source for a rewarding life. Where is that Tim Tim box?

I forgot to post the link to the Digestion Sessions info page: https://digestionsessions.com/

His wife thinks it is cute. I bet she wins out.

Huh! Forgot to mention Qigong in my suggestions but YES! 🙂

I haven't read the article but google "butyrate". We have used it to rebuild the mucosal walls of the lower GI. Keep it in the freezer….smells like sulfur.

Thank you for the comment, Brian. A few things: – I will forward this on to my team right now. One of my team members should email you directly. – If you're subscribed via RSS, please look to unsub from that. – If all else fails after you've heard from my team, you could unsub from all and re-subscribe via one form (such as that on the blog) Thank you for reading and sorry for the confusion! Tim

I too would love to hear Tim's thoughts on this topic. It's something I've read about and am intrigued by, but I haven't taken any concerted action on yet.

Same experience as Steve. Three months minimum for Antibiotics to be effective against Lyme. Less is a risk. Good luck.

Jeff, you'll get stuff all from probiotics. Depending on how many courses of antibiotics (and which type) you've taken, you may have wiped out any number of essential commensal bacteria from the GI tract. There are dozens of strains (particularly anaerobic) that can not be cultured outside of the GI tract so it's a hard ask to recolonise them with a simple probiotic. I tried a growing, yet out of the box approach to fix my IBS. I don't want to spam Tim's comments but, if you are interested, you can read about my experience here: http://gastrosolutions.org

I love Qigong (I am also a 15+ year practitioner), but given Tim's background as a martial artist, tango dancer, and now committed meditator, I don't think he needs to find a qigong teacher to get started. Qigong is essentially moving meditation with a lot of extra cultural flavor. Meditation is awesome because it upgrades your nervous system. Moving meditation allows you to strengthen the interface between your nervous system and all other body systems. Moving meditation keeps the lymphatic system circulating well, and thus improves the efficiency of your immune system. I would suggest that Tim add 5 minutes of moving meditation after his 20 minutes of sitting meditation. Simply walking slowly, and coordinating your breath with your steps, and meditating on the sensations your body is producing is enough to get you started. As Tim knows from his regular mediation practice, consistency is more important than intensity, and you should notice changes within a couple of weeks of integrating this practice.

Hi. I'd love some info on this as I'm also suffering from Lyme.

Would also love to see a post on gut healing! Just started researching this and would love to hear your perspective!

Thanks Jimmy. I'll check it out. Btw, here's a link to my gluten experiment. Was a bit of an eye opener. Going to stick to rice going forward… http://www.chinabiohacker.com/blog/rice-bulking-2-how-gluten-kicked-my-ass