The Random Show, Couch Edition! — Supplements, Hummingbirds, Cock Rings, Optimizing Mitochondria, Breathing and Balance Training, Cool Grip Strength Tools, and More (#858)

Welcome to another wide-ranging “Random Show” episode that I recorded with my close friend Kevin Rose!

We cover our recent Zen meditation retreat with Henry Shukman at Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe, the fascinating science of vagus nerve stimulation, my recent back pain breakthrough, balance training tools, tendon-strengthening protocols from Swedish rock climber Emil Abrahamsson, the emerging research on photobiomodulation, urolithin A supplementation, blood flow restriction training, the Norwegian 4×4 protocol for cognitive longevity, podcast recommendations, vintage Japanese finds on Etsy, Kevin’s hummingbird feeder obsession, and much more.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

The Random Show, Couch Edition! — Supplements, Hummingbirds, Cock Rings, Optimizing Mitochondria, Breathing and Balance Training, Cool Grip Strength Tools, and More

Additional podcast platforms

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Transcripts

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Threads | Bluesky | Digg.com | Diggnation Podcast

Books

Related Resources

• Tibetan Bowls: Invoking Inner Peace and Deep Relaxation | Mindful Melodies
• Zen Master Henry Shukman — 20 Minutes of Calm, Plus the Strange and Powerful World of Koans | The Tim Ferriss Show #560
• Divergent Hepatic Outcomes of Chronic Ketone Supplementation: Ketone Salts Preserve Liver Health While Ketone Esters and Precursors Drive Inflammation and Steatosis | Pharmaceuticals
• Dr. Michael Levin — Reprogramming Bioelectricity, Updating “Software” for Anti-Aging, Treating Cancer Without Drugs, Cognition of Cells, and Much More | The Tim Ferriss Show #849
• Kevin J. Tracey, MD — What Most Has My Attention Right Now — Credible (vs. Bogus) Vagus Nerve Stimulation | The Tim Ferriss Show #824
• New Implant Offers Hope for Easing Rheumatoid Arthritis | Hospital for Special Surgery
• The Effects of a Four-Month Skateboarding Intervention on Motor, Cognitive, and Symptom Levels in Children with ADHD | Frontiers in Pediatrics
• Jerzy Gregorek Snatching on a Balance Board | The Happy Body
• 57-Year-Old Tony Hawk Snowboarding Hokkaido with Screws in His Hip | Instagram
• Gibbon Tightrope Walking on a Suspension Bridge | Facebook
• Dr. Keith Baar, UC Davis — Simple Exercises That Can Repair Tendons (Tennis Elbow, etc.), Collagen Fact vs. Fiction, Isometrics vs. Eccentrics, JAK Inhibitors, Growth Hormone vs. IGF-1, The Anti-RICE Protocol, and How to Use Load as an Anti-Inflammatory | The Tim Ferriss Show #797
• Craig Mod — The Real Japan, Cheap Apartments in Tokyo, Productive Side Quests, Creative Retreats, Buying Future Freedom, and Being Possessed by Spirits | The Tim Ferriss Show #802
• Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale | The Tim Ferriss Show #803
• Francisco Gonzalez-Lima Talks About Brain Metabolic Mapping and Alzheimer’s | STEM-Talk #106
• Francisco Gonzalez-Lima Discusses Methylene Blue & Noninvasive Human Brain Stimulation | STEM-Talk #191
• Cognitive Enhancement by Transcranial Photobiomodulation Is Associated With Cerebrovascular Oxygenation of the Prefrontal Cortex | Frontiers in Neuroscience
• Anurag Singh on Urolithin-A’s Ability to Optimize Mitochondrial Efficiency | STEM-Talk #173
• Dr. Tommy Wood — How to Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia | The Tim Ferriss Show #851
• Backyard Squirrel Maze 1.0 Ninja Warrior Course | Mark Rober

People

Podcasts

Tools, Products, & Devices

Supplements

Concepts & Protocols

Shopping & Lifestyle

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00:00] A meditative start.
• [00:02:19] Reflecting on our second Zen retreat in Santa Fe with Henry Shukman.
• [00:04:08] Ketone liver warnings and eggplant allergies: The perils of raiding Kevin’s fridge.
• [00:08:06] “Just be still” — three simple words that miraculously shut down my OCD.
• [00:13:54] Is meditation secretly vagus nerve stimulation?
• [00:20:17] DIY vagus nerve stim for $25 vs. Kevin’s $900 ear clip.
• [00:24:57] HeartMath and watching your HRV move in real time.
• [00:27:57] Marching toward 50: balance boards and the end of jiu-jitsu.
• [00:31:26] Tony Hawk snowboarding Hokkaido with screws in his hip.
• [00:33:01] Slacklining and why your nervous system needs sleep cycles.
• [00:35:19] Bertolotti’s Syndrome: My six-year back pain gets a name.
• [00:37:09] The nerve block test: everything wrong, zero pain.
• [00:44:10] Abrahangs tendon protocol: 10 seconds on, 50 off.
• [00:46:24] The NUG: a pocket hangboard for travelers.
• [00:48:31] Craig Mod’s Japanese toothbrush and Toaster’s cameo.
• [00:50:45] Kevin’s $92 vintage fire jacket: Blue Heritage Japan.
• [00:54:26] Podcast picks: The Power Broker and STEM Talk.
• [00:56:20] Alzheimer’s: A plaque or mitochondrial problem?
• [00:57:30] 10 grams of ketones turns one-word answers into sentences.
• [00:58:40] Methylene blue on Amazon: 120 years of research, zero guardrails.
• [01:02:36] Bredesen Protocol, APOE genotyping, and a cognitive comeback.
• [01:05:32] Photobiomodulation: $30k laser to the forehead.
• [01:07:55] Urolithin A and the high price of mitochondrial upkeep.
• [01:14:56] Recipe for disaster pants: espresso + creatine + MCT oil.
• [01:17:39] Norwegian 4×4 training and lactate as a brain lever.
• [01:23:15] Blood flow restriction bands and schwantz ring koans.
• [01:29:08] Hummingbirds named Sunset and squirrel obstacle courses.
• [01:32:06] Parting thoughts.

This episode is brought to you by Cresset Family Office! Cresset offers family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs. They handle the complex financial planning, uncertain tax strategies, timely exit planning, bill pay and wires, and all the other parts of wealth management that would otherwise pull me away from doing what I love most: making things, mastering skills, and spending time with the people I care about. Schedule a call today at cressetcapital.com/Tim to see how Cresset can help streamline your financial plans and grow your wealth.

I’m a client of Cresset. There are no material conflicts other than this paid testimonial. All investing involves risk, including loss of principal.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 5 Ultra. It cools, it heats, and now it elevates, automatically. With the best temperature performance to date, Pod 5 Ultra ensures you and your partner stay cool in the heat and cozy warm in the cold. And now, listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show can get $350 off of the Pod 5 Ultra for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep.

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. Right now, get a FREE Welcome Kit, including Vitamin D3+K2 and AG1 Travel Packs, when you first subscribe. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones!

Want to hear a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from AI to Alzheimer’s prevention? Listen to our last Random Show, in which Kevin and I discussed the 2-2-2 rule for alcohol, bioelectric medicine and accelerated TMS, the promises of DORAs for Alzheimer’s prevention, Kevin’s AI stack and investment thesis, aphantasia vs. hyperphantasia, surviving modern dating, wisdom from Anthony de Mello, and much more.