Top positive review
180 people found this helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsTo get to the point and save time, (So hard with brain injury!) skip reading at the end, my brain wreck story and updates.
ByMichelle Bar Evanon March 28, 2017
What a kick-ass surprise to find that, David Asprey, would finally get my attention after years of my basically ignoring everything about him because I didn't drink coffee. I finished listening to the audio version of his new book last night and realized that I had thrown out the baby with the bath water. This lass is about to become a daily Bulletproof coffee drinker.
Head Strong, has a slew of new ways to alleviate and even solve, some of the age old problems of brain function. From brain fog to Parkinson’s, Memory loss to fatigue, plus all sorts of other poor health problems that effect the rest of the body.
I gave it 5 stars because: 1) I found the information is so fascinating and pertinent to me that I’m now listening to it for the third time and I only bought it 4 days ago! 2) Although I would have liked Asprey to have read the entire book, Rob Shapiro, has a great voice and I love how he wasn't shy to make a gasp, a chuckle or other such sound, which added to the mood and delivery of some of the stories that are sandwiched between the science and research explanations. 3) I appreciate the synopsis at the end of each chapter. Great for a quick review. 4) And, by breaking down into small, sometimes obscure and simple steps on how to hack your brain, it becomes so easy and doable that one can’t help but get excited at the prospect of an improved quality of life.
This book gives great detail and insight into mitochondria; the tiny, bacterial powerhouses that are of vital importance to health, mental acuity and above average wellbeing. Mitochondria fuel our brains and indeed our entire bodies. Learning this in detail has me ridiculously excited for the next 2 weeks and beyond as I organize to implement Asprey’s, Head Strong Plan, to hack my mitochondria to power me back into a healthy state, mentally AND physically. It’s liberating to finally understand the bigger picture. It will take a few days to gather the ‘big guns’, as I’m going full force. But most everything in this book can be achieved without the extra ‘stuff’, (Vibration plates, Far-infrared Saunas, supplements etc) but if you’re chronically sick and are suffering with a messed-up noggin like mine, best to just go for it, guns blazing and enjoy the benefits of the compounding effect of applying as many mitochondria hacks possible.
In a nutshell, if your brain doesn't get its physical needs met via optimized mitochondria to function properly, your WHOLE body is compromised. Asprey doesn’t seem to bat an eyelid at spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, which makes me hate him (not really!) to access the top researchers and doctors, buying state of the art equipment like cryotherapy chambers (3 minutes of -260°F (-160°C) anyone?) Paying for very expensive lab testing and meditation training to name but a few. However, you DON’T have to spend more than the price of this book to massively benefit from his own impressive spending spree.
This book isn’t just for the fatigued, the insomniacs or the chronically brain injured. If it’s only noon and you have a hard time keeping focused. Or you’re at a party and you can't remember the name of the person you just met. Or you keep losing your keys even though you only got out of your car 2 minutes ago. Or you just forget shite all the time; meetings, deadlines, appointments…underwear? You NEED this information.
Don't be put off by the book’s length. You don't have to read it cover to cover. If you trust what Asprey has to say or you're willing to just jump in for the 2 week program to see how his hacks might make you feel, you can skip to the end of the chapters for his 'Head Points’, these are quick summaries of what to do without the explanation. And his ‘Head Starts’, which are quick hacks you can do NOW!
Find below some useful quick references using the Audible chapter numbers. (At this point I don't know if they match the book. I will update once I know.)
Chapter 11 covers the 2 week Head Strong Program, jump in and enjoy the included meal recipes.
Chapter 12 covers supplements.
Chapter 13 covers higher level, bonus hacks to further enhance results.
Chapter 16 covers additional resources
Skip the rest of this review if you don’t want to hear my personal brain injury history or my progress updates. :O)
Nine months ago I got a call from the Colorado Health Department, as I had tested positive for Lyme disease. Then 2 weeks later, I was also diagnosed with severe biotoxin poisoning from toxic mold exposure from living in a water damaged building. (Asprey also suffered both of these, can I say, ‘inconveniences’, so he had instant rapport with me) Add adrenal fatigue, no detectable levels of testosterone among a bunch other things and living my life, SUCKED. Although I had suffered much, (as had my family) I was eternally grateful for all my diagnosis’ in June 2016.
My ND armed me with the know-how to implement a version of an anti-inflammation diet, which had to be tweaked to include a small amount of animal protein 3x a day after comprehensive stool test showed I had a lot of plant protein in my poop. This after nearly a month of being vegan and many more months of barely any animal protein. My body currently doesn’t assimilate plant protein efficiently. (Hoping this will change as my body heals. Who knew this could be a problem?!!!) I was also prescribed the toxin binding drug, Cholestyramine, and a shelf full of supplements to help restore hormonal balance and other imbalances. Apart from the Lyme diagnosis, this all happened a week after Tony Robbins' gift through his UPW event, of helping me to find my own fire-walking, ass-kicking, healing attitude, of which I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here today without.
I was grateful to learn how I could start to turn my health and consequently, my life, around. However, it wasn't long before I fell off the bandwagon as life got in the way and I didn’t really understand the why and what of being so ill. I was a single mum with major mold remediation going on in my home and I just didn't feel like I could do both, my brain and my body were so physically taxed and I was uninspired. I felt like I was dying a slow death and I was too overwhelmed to take care of my body and my house at the same time. Roll on the next few months and my health took a dive down a steep decline. The tremors and muscle spasm's began to return. Fatigue, insomnia, mood swings and the overwhelm crept back in. Depressing quite frankly. Then this past Sunday, while at another Robbins UPW event in LA, this time as volunteer crew, I heard first hand, Asprey, speak. I feel like I just got the Move to ‘Go’ and collect $200, card in Monopoly! Follow below for my personal findings. Questions welcome!
REGULAR UPDATES:
MARCH 29th, 2017
I weigh 139lbs and my scales say 33%fat. FYI, a dual energy x-ray I had last March had me at 38% fat. I was morbidly obese at size 8. How so? No testosterone, inability to assimilate protein in my gut and my muscles simply wasted away. I call it skinny/fat person syndrome. Anyhooo, moving along. I ordered from Bulletproof: Original, mold free Bulletproof Coffee, Brain Octane Oil, ghee, glutathione, collagen and a metal coffee filter. (Discounted when purchased in bulk and discounted again another 5% if you subscribe to regular delivery. You choose how often).
Ordered from Amazon: Bluetooth heart rate (HR) monitor to use with the Bulletproof apps to track stress and food intolerances. (Yep, icing covered donuts trip my HR, as does red wine… BIG time. Yeah, Asprey could say I told you so!) Also ordered a cheap vibration plate (Had to draw the line on doling out $1,500 for the Bulletproof ‘Vibe’, but I did do 3 hours of research, the Vibe IS the cheapest of NASA’s researched needs for, strength and HIGH quality vibration plates by about half. If you can afford it, buy it. Add to that an Earthing mat, LED covers (for my Prius car console and other green LED lights around the house.) Still trying to work out phone and computer covers…
Switched night lights from blue to red. Now to deal with all 53 LED lights in my little 900sqft miners cabin. Still coming to grips with that. :(
Binged on milk chocolate, pasta, chocolate milk, German jelly candies and 2 glasses red wine before bed. In that order. Feel like crap. Slept like crap. Blamed it on the 3 year old in the bed. (It wasn’t the 3 year old)
MARCH 30th
I ate chocolate for breakfast… I am batshit crazy. :/ My excuse was not having all the ‘stuff’ to start the Head Strong Protocol. Watched 10 minutes of Tony Robbins on You Tube, and threw the rest of the milk chocolate out along with all the other crap food and beverages in my house. Started taking (again) all the supplements prescribed by my ND, except Cholestyramine, even though I started tracking facial tics today (Stopped after 32 in the first 4 hours because it was so depressing to realize how bad they had gotten) and muscle cramps (5 in 4 hours) :/ I’m LOADED with biotoxins, but know it’s better to wait a week+ after starting a clean diet. I want to review further, Asprey’s hacks to support detox. I ended up in hospital within 12 hours of starting Cholestyramine last time with a severe herx reaction.
MARCH 31st
Last day eating junk, and no food after 6pm. Intermittent fast is on!
APRIL 1st (No joke!)
Broke my intermittent fast at 10am. First whole day NO candy, milk chocolate, milk, cheese, legumes, grains or nightshades (Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) Past blood work told me to not eat legumes or nightshades. Holy shite, I can type faster with less mistakes. Very noticeable! Pretty tired toward end of the day, but caring for a woman with Alzheimer’s today kept me on the straight and narrow. No food, only water after 6pm.
APRIL 2nd
Woke up with water retention in my face and extremities and crazy thirsty… didn’t drink half enough water yesterday. Will improve on that today. Again, continued intermittent fasting until 10am. Surprised how good I feel. Wild salmon baked at 325° F (To not damage to fat/oil) with mixed greens, cucumbers, celery, small beet, & half an avocado. SO yummy mixed together, pouring in all the salmon oil from the baking dish with salt and pepper. Yummo! water retention gone by noon. At 3pm, bacon baked again at 325°F and added to 2 soft boiled eggs with runny yolks (cant remember what gets destroyed in the yolks when you overcook them. But don’t overcook them!) poured the liquid bacon fat over my salad (same a this mornings)when it had cooled enough… can’t believe I did that!!! My Papa would turn in his grave knowing I was eating fat dart after fat dart. Holy Hannah, though, tastes freakin’ AWESOME! Didn’t feel hungry at all at 6pm. Forced myself to eat half and avocado. Slept good, no problems going back to sleep after rolling over or listening to a damn annoying mouse chewing on something at my Alzheimer’s patients house. Oh, and only 3 muscle cramps all day today, less facial tics, but didn’t count. Still a lot of those.
APRIL 3rd
Same food as yesterday. Appetite is average, sugar cravings waaay down, energy is increasing. (Yesterday I wanted to nap all afternoon. None of that crap today.) It’s after midnight and just starting to get tired…and I clearly failed at getting off my ‘junk light’ addiction that is married to my internet addiction. It’s after midnight. Winner today: Facial tics: only 4 ALL DAY! From about every 10 minutes to every 4 hours. Asprey’s onto something and I like it! Earthing mat arriving tomorrow…
