Bio Alchemy: The Daily Biohacking Podcast

I said I'd be gone for a week, though I obviously have a terrible view on keeping time. Here we are six months later, and the podcast is only just coming back. And with that, hurrah! With all things biohacking, health, spirituality, ancient wisdom, personal challenges, and more, the Bio Alchemy podcast is returning bigger, better, and bolder with new episodes dropping this week. But why the hell did it take me so long? And what changes are taking place with the return of the podcast? All of that is contained in this very episode, so you'll just have to listen and see!   CONNECT Connect with Leon The Alchemist online for more intensive biohacking, longevity, and performance advice daily, with exclusive content you won't find anywhere else: INSTAGRAM: @LeonTheAlchemist | https://www.instagram.com/leonthealchemist  TWITTER: @AlchemistLeon | https://twitter.com/alchemistleon LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/leonthealchemist WEBSITE: http://bioalchemy.co PODCASTING COURSE: http://pod.ax/ BIOHACKING COURSE: http://bio.a

Skye Chilton is the founder of Real Mushrooms (https://realmushrooms.com/), and a true master of the medicinal side of these incredible organisms. Skye's father Jeff was the very first guest of the Bio Alchemy podcast way back in February of this year — which isn't that far back when you consider we're now almost 100 episodes in — and Skye expands upon a lot of what Jeff spoke about in that episode, as well as going into detail on new mushroom-related topics. In this episode, we talk about what percentage of medicinal mushroom products in the West are low quality myceliated grain, why Made In China is a symbol of quality when it comes to most medicinal mushrooms, how mushroom extracts differ in strength and potency, general advice on medicinal mushroom dosage, some of the benefits of Lion's Mane on cognition, why cordyceps is so important to get into your body, using medicinal mushrooms in cooking, and much more. I've spoken about Real Mushrooms products on the podcast before multiple times, as in my opinion

Dr Que Collins is the principal scientist for deuterium depletion therapies at the centre for deuterium depletion, and someone I've been very keen on chatting to for a long time. Today we're chatting about the topic of deuterium -- which is something that's in your body, in the food you're eating, the water you're drinking, and in fact, all around us in the environment. And what's scary as you'll learn in this podcast, deuterium is likely responsible for almost every disease you can imagine that's plaguing today's society. You've probably never heard about deuterium, though as you'll learn in today's episode, it's likely the root cause of why you don't have enough energy, why you're aging faster than you should, and why you may be at a much higher risk of getting disease than ever before. And you'll also learn how to mitigate it, via the power of biohacking. In this episode, you'll be enlightened about what deuterium is exactly, the negative effects it can have on the human body, how excess deuterium causes y

Due to a lot of people messaging about this subject, this episode is a rebroadcast of one of the first episodes of the Bio Alchemy podcast. Many of you won't have heard it as yet, so I hope it brings value. Essential oils are a controversial topic in some circles, due to the fact that they're sometimes peddled by stay-at-home MLM moms, who claim they can heal just about every condition on the planet, or be used as a remedy for absolutely everything. While many of the claims people like this looking to make a quick buck are incorrect, the simple fact is that essential oils can benefit us in many ways, and in some cases, their use is backed by real science. One such essential oil that I'm going to speak about in this episode is lavender, which has clinical backing showing its effectiveness as an anti-anxiety tool, relaxant, and compound that can not only be used as a sleep aid, but even assist with insomnia, showing the potential power of this natural wellness compound. To those who are still doubters, and stil

Bryan Gohl is a biohacker, avid self-experimenter, wellness expert, yoga teacher, and health coach, as well as someone I've been keen to chat to for some time on the Bio Alchemy podcast, simply due to how many aspects of health and human optimisation he has knowledge in. Also the founder of Red Light Rising (https://redlightrising.co.uk/), Bryan is one of the world's leading experts on infrared and near-infrared therapy, and how it can be integrated into a wellness practice to boost the function of the human body and mind, as well as massively aid in recovery and athletic performance. Almost completely a carnivore in his dietary observations, Bryan discusses how this lifestyle changed his gut health, fixed his joint pain, and changed his overall energy levels. As you all know, the carnivore diet is something I've chatted about in previous episodes of the podcast and something I don't necessarily completely agree with, though Bryan will enlighten you on how it's personally aided him in many aspects of his life

Roy Krebs is the co-founder of Natural Stacks (https://www.naturalstacks.com/), a producer of what are in my opinion, some of the worlds most effective nootropic products. And in case you aren't aware, or haven't listened to previous episodes of the podcast, nootropics is just a fancy term for compounds that can help you perform better cognitively, that some people more commonly refer to as smart drugs. I don't care what you call them, they just help give your brain more thinking juice. Now despite the fact I do interview people on this podcast in relation to companies or products they're associated with, I always try my best to ensure episodes don't sound like infomercials. For me, the knowledge people like Roy have to offer to you — my listeners — is vastly more important than just someone pitching a product. However in this case, I did fanboy a little on the combination of a couple of products of Natural Stacks I've used in the past in this episode, but I want you to all know that this is just my honest op

Andy Mant is the founder and CEO of Blublox (https://blublox.com/), a company that creates the world's most effective blue and green light blocking eyewear. Originally from the UK, Andy made the move to my sun-soaked home country of Australia around eight years ago, and it was here that he founded Blublox, after testing a ton of blue light blocking glasses that were already on the market, that he found just weren't effective. Andy is one of the most knowledgeable dudes I've ever spoken to when it comes to the topic of healthy light exposure and how that relates to our circadian health, and if light is still something you don't prioritise when it comes to your own personal daily routine, this episode is likely to get you to change that. And if not, at least it'll hopefully scare you into using your smartphone a little less in the late hours of the day. In this episode, Andy and I will talk about how light controls your circadian rhythm, why your phone and other devices are screwing with your body clock, the li

Bob Troia (AKA Quantified Bob) is one of the world's most well-known biohackers, a guy famous for tinkering with almost all parts of his body, mind, and soul. A master of self-quantification, Bob has spent years sharing information on tracking biological metrics, and his own personal biohacking tactics with the world, via his website (https://quantifiedbob.com/). Returning for his second appearance on the Bio Alchemy podcast, like his first episode, we cover an incredible range of topics packed into this 30 minute conversation, that'll give you a taste of how much knowledge this dude really has to offer. As well as the fact that it may make you realise just how many different aspects of your life you can potentially biohack to better performance, from athletic ability, to mental clarity, immune function, and anything else in between. In this episode, we talk about how you can get a week's worth of exercise done in 30 minutes, what methylene blue is and how it can assist in charging your mitochondria, how meth

James Brown is a proponent of vedic meditation, and the founder of Vedic Path Meditation (https://vedicpathmeditation.com), who teaches people from all walks of life the art of this ancient practice. Over the last ten years, James has taught thousands of people how to meditate more effectively around his home city of San Francisco, at conferences around the world, and to employees of some of the world's biggest companies including Salesforce, BitTorrent, and many others.  A student of vedic master Maharishi Vyasananda, James studied this form of medidation for years before sharing it with the world, including an intensive practice in India, high in the Himalayan mountains. And if you've ever been the kind of person to this that meditation is lumped into the "too hard" basket, or that it's always been a chore for you, chances are that James is the man who can turn that viewpoint around. In this episode, James enlightens us about what vedic meditation is and the how its process works, what a mantra is and how i

Dr Daniel Chao is a neurotechonology entrepreneur, specialising in wearable devices that can improve the performance of the human brain. Most notable known for founding the company Halo Neuroscience (https://www.haloneuro.com/), a company that produces the Halo Sport, a biohacking device that works by applying a small electric current to the area of he brain that controls movement–putting it into a state of hyperlearning. The neurostimulation that Halo employs leads the brain to become plastic, which makes it much easier for us to learn how to do new things. This state of neuroplasticity is something I spoke about in a previous episode in depth during my interview with Victor Mifsud the Blind Biohacker, and something Dr Chao will shed much more light on in this episode. But in short, this technology has some incredibly promising applications not just for human performance, but also for healing and rewiring the brain, as well as other parts of the body and nervous system. In this episode, we talk about what ne

Tim Gray is a biohacker, avid self-experimenter, and founder of the Health Optimisation Summit, as well as one of the most well-known biohackers that inhabits this ball of rock hurtling through the cosmos we all call home. Tim has spent years testing, evaluating, and measuring thousands of biohacking techniques to improve health, cognition, and overall wellness, and now spends a great deal of his life sharing that information with the world. Tim's journey into biohacking started from a range of health problems that he decided to take into his own hands and overcome, when a lot of traditional healing avenues seemed to not offer him much help. Many of these issues Tim believes stemmed from mercury poisoning, which is something he will go into some detail into this episode. And after having also discovered the powerful benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Tim opened up his own clinic in London where people can bring the benefits of this technology into their own lives. And if you've never heard of how this tec

Dr Aubrey De Grey is one of the world's leading experts in solving the problem of human ageing. A biomedical gerontologist, as well as Chief Science Officer and co-founder of the SENS Research Foundation (https://sens.org/), Dr DeGrey is at the forefront of research in solving diseases and disabilities related to human ageing, that will likely lead to us living much longer and healthier lives in the very near future. A few years ago, Dr De Grey put forward that the first person to live to be 1,000 years old has already likely been born, and if you're under 40 years of age now and in reasonably good health, you have a good chance of staying young and healthy forever. And while that may sound like science fiction to some, and was controversial in some fields, the fact is that as Dr De Grey will explain in this episode, we don't need to solve ageing tomorrow for this to happen — we only need to extend life by a decade or so with new advances in technology, and keep succeeding in that respect to make this a reali

Feeling salty? Well unfortunately, it looks like most of us aren't salty enough when it comes to our intake of sodium, despite governments and certain organisations saying we should be eating less of it. But how correct are the current dietary guidelines when it comes to salt? And what are the dangers of not enough of it in the diet? Well, all that and more is coming up in today's episode. In case you weren’t aware, salt – or sodium – is an extremely important element when it comes to human biology, and without it, you’d be dead. Despite all this, sodium is something that’s received a bad rap over the last few decades, due mostly to how much salt is in the standard diet of those in many developed countries, especially in the United States. But you may be surprised to know that although America is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to recommending to its people to lower salt intake, it's by far not the biggest consumer of sodium. And the countries that are, are much healthier than America is. In this ep

Dr Shawn Baker is a medical doctor, orthopaedic surgeon, former soldier, athlete, and world-record holder, Dr Baker is known to many online as the carnivore king, as he's one of the world's leading proponents of the carnivore diet. In case you weren't aware, the carnivore diet is exactly as it sounds, where people who hold this dietary observation eat almost exclusively meat, and basically nothing else. The carnivore diet is gaining a lot of popularity of late, with a ton of people turning to it for a variety of reasons, though where it's seemed to have the most success is as a potential treatment for a host of autoimmune conditions. But it's also generating a lot of discussion online, as well as criticism, from those who don't believe it can be a completely healthy choice. In this episode, we discuss why Dr Baker turned to the carnivore diet and what were the major benefits he saw from it, what the current research is saying about being 100% carnivore and why many other people are turning to it, some informa

Meat: should we eat it? I do eat meat. And while I'm lucky enough to be in the position to afford the absolute best quality animal products from creatures that have lived natural, healthy, stress-free lives, that doesn't mean I haven't questioned my desires to take myself out of the chain of death, regardless of how long killing animals has been a part of human existence. I've been asked  the question many times about my consumption of meat for both ethical and health reasons, but it's the ethics part that's playing the biggest role in this episode. In advance, this episode of the podcast isn't like any other that's come before, as it's not necessarily only about biohacking your health when it comes to food. And while diet obviously plays a big part in human health, the simple fact is that this is also getting muddied by the fact that there are now ethical concerns when it comes to the consumption of eating animals. And not only just killing animals for food that have lived natural lives, but the fact that ma

Dr Olli Sovijärvi is a medical doctor, biohacker, and leading light in the biohacking community. Olli ditched his career in the standard medical system in Finland after coming to the realisation that the "sick care" system didn't work in many ways, and turned to holistic health and biohacking, in order to learn about and share with the world what people could do to prevent sickness and disease, instead of just treating those conditions once people had them. Alongside Jaakko Halmetoja and Teemu Arina, Olli is one of the authors of the Biohacker's Handbook (https://biohackingbook.com/), a fantastic manual for those who want to take control of all aspects of their health, and learn what it takes to get the most out of each day by optimising every aspect of their lives imaginable. And when he's not creating kickass manuals for human optimisation, he's also working on projects like the Biohacker Summit, which will be celebrating its 5th anniversary this November in Helsinki, Finland. In this episode, we talk about

Learning is awesome, but learning fast is better. And let's face it, if we can all take shortcuts to allowing our brain to take in more information, and retain that information better, I'm sure we'll all say yes to that. And that's exactly what I'm going to cover in this episode, with a ton of biohacks to better learn languages, that I'm you can implement for almost any skill. This year, I've challenged myself to learn Czech, which is notorious for being one of the most difficult languages in the world, especially when it comes to European languages. And due to some recently-uncovered family history, I'm likely eligible for citizenship, which means that it's definitely in my interest to not necessarily master the language, but at least become proficient in it. And for that reason, I've created a morning routine protocol that I'll be using to learn Czech, that's designed to spike my brain's learning capacity, and make language learning easier. In this episode, you'll learn how to set yourself up for optimal le

Kayla Osterhoff is a functional health and wellness coach, and host of the Bio Curious podcast. Formally educated and trained in the health sciences, with degrees in health ecology, public health, and a doctoral candidate for a PhD in mind body medicine, there's no doubt Kayla holds a wealth of information in this field. Kayla's obsession to be the strongest, fastest, smartest, and best at everything she does, lead her to spend years researching biology, testing ways to optimise human performance and building expertise and a unique skill set in biohacking, nutrition, mental health, and fitness. Drawing from formal education, health practice, tons of research, and personal trial and error, Kayla developed a set of tools and best practices to optimise and upgrade her life, which she spends her life sharing with others. In this episode, we discuss the mind body connection, why science is showing that health really is mind over matter, the difference between the mind and the brain, what a limited mind is and how

Dr Kristin Comella is the chief science officer for the US Stem Cell clinic, and someone who as you'll hear in this episode, is about to take on the United States government in fighting for the rights of people to use their own stem cells in treatment. And in case you haven't yet heard about the incredible natural healing power your body's stem cells can have on healing almost everything that ails you, prepare to have your mind well-and-truly blown. Dr. Comella is a world-renowned expert on regenerative medicine with a focus on fat derived stem cells. She was named number 24 on Terrapin’s list of the Top 50 Global Stem Cell Influencers and number 1 on the Academy of Regenerative Practices list of Top 10 Stem Cell Innovators. Most recently, Dr. Comella made the list of Top 50 Functional and Integrative Medical Doctors/Scientists in the country by DrAxe.com, one of the most visited natural health websites in the world.  She has more than a dozen peer reviewed publications indexed on Pubmed in the field of regen

Magnesium is probably not something you think about as a biohacking tool. And you may just see it as a boring mineral, not like some of the super cutting-edge biohacking stuff I've talked about previously on this podcast, or ancient herbal compounds that have scientifically-backed benefits to biohack your biology. Well, prepare to have your mind changed. At least, I hope. This stuff is incredibly important, however most of us don't have enough. More than half of all people in the USA are deficient, around 50% of Europeans don’t get enough, and around 40% of people in my home country of Australia don’t have adequate amounts coming in to their bodies from diet either. Basically, if you’re a human who lives in the West, there’s about a 50/50 chance that you are not getting enough of this essential mineral for human health – and it’s likely not better anywhere else in the world. And as magnesium is essential for several hundred processes in the human body, there's no doubt you should be getting enough. In this ep