Water Fasts, Weight Loss w/o Cardio, Psychedelics for Vets, Pink Noise, and Much, Much More

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Good afternoon Nikkola Newsletterers!

Do you have a topic you’d like me to cover in a future Deep Dive? I’m working on my article schedule for the next few months, so now is a great time to chime in with a request. Today’s first Deep Dive about water fasts came from a request I received just yesterday.

If you have a topic or question in mind, please add to the comments on my Facebook post here.

Enjoy today’s carefully curated newsletter!

The Truth About Water Fasts: Good, Bad, and Alternatives. Water fasting has become a buzzword in the world of health and fitness. It makes headlines, is the focus of online challenges, and has plenty of social media influencers framing it up as a “health hack.” But is it a miracle cure-all, an overhyped fad, or something in between? In today’s society, where quick fixes are often sought after but seldom effective, it’s crucial to separate fact from fiction. This article aims to provide you with a comprehensive, science-backed look into the practice of water fasting. We’ll delve into its history, the underlying physiology, and the potential benefits and risks. We’ll also take a look at the popular belief that water fasting is a powerful detoxifying solution, and offer some practical alternatives for those who find water fasting too extreme or risky. Keep reading…

Can you lose weight without cardio? Can you lose weight without doing cardio? Should you even do cardio as part of a weight loss program? If you asked the average person how to lose weight, they’d tell you, “eat fewer calories and do lots of cardio.” Heck, if you asked the average, inexperienced personal trainer, he or she would probably say the same thing. If you asked a VIGOR Training member, they’d (hopefully) tell you…Keep reading…

Psychedelics show promise for brain injuries in vets. U.S. special operations forces veterans seeking treatment in a Mexico clinic experienced significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and improved cognitive functioning after undergoing therapy with two psychedelic drugs, according to a new analysis from Ohio State University. This groundbreaking treatment combined ibogaine hydrochloride, sourced from a West African shrub, and 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic substance from the Colorado River toad. Notably, the therapy also helped alleviate cognitive impairments related to traumatic brain injuries. This pivotal study could pave the way for more extensive research on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for veterans with complex trauma histories.

Pink noise during sleep improves cardiac output. Researchers discovered that targeted stimulation of the brain during deep sleep can significantly improve cardiac output, particularly the robustness of the left ventricle's contraction and relaxation. The stimulation utilized tones, also known as “pink noise,” to enhance deep sleep and was found to boost cardiovascular function, a potential breakthrough for disease treatment and athletic performance. The study, focusing on 18 healthy male subjects, revealed enhanced cardiac function after nocturnal stimulation, showing the heart's pumping force and its relaxation were notably improved.

What if kids took a nap between school and playing sports? Researchers from the study found that a 40-minute napping opportunity significantly improved outcomes in maximum voluntary contraction (MVIC) and 5-second repetition tests (5SRT). The findings suggest that naps not only enhance physical performance but also mitigate both central and peripheral fatigue. Napping was also linked to lower levels of perceived exertion and sleepiness, as well as higher perceived recovery status. Given these insights, incorporating naps could be a strategic move for athletes, aiding in reduced neuromuscular fatigue and potentially boosting performance in high-stakes competitions or intense training sessions.

🤫 Shh. Big pharma won’t like these findings. In a 16-week study, running was found to be as effective as anti-depressants for treating depression. For those who understand the physiological effects of exercise, this isn’t surprising, but imagine what it could do for the population if exercise was treated as an equal medicine by the medical community. I’d also suspect that other forms of exercise that trigger the release of hope molecules would have similar effects.

Shoppers on semaglutide are spending less on groceries. Walmart has noticed a decline in food-shopping demand linked to people using appetite-suppressing medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. According to John Furner, CEO of Walmart US, there's a noticeable "pullback in overall basket" with those on such drugs purchasing fewer units and consuming fewer calories. The company has been examining sales trends based on anonymized shopper data, comparing the purchasing habits of those on the medication versus those not. It’ll be interesting to see how the food industry responds if this becomes a bigger reality for them.

That’s not to say these medications are all sunshine and rainbows. Recent research from the University of British Columbia has found that popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, known as GLP-1 agonists, might elevate the risk of serious gastrointestinal issues such as stomach paralysis, pancreatitis, and bowel obstruction. While prior research identified some of these risks in diabetic patients, this is the pioneering large-scale study exploring the adverse gastrointestinal outcomes in non-diabetic individuals using these medications specifically for weight loss. Mohit Sodhi, the study's lead author, emphasized that while these side effects are rare, potential users must be informed of these risks, especially if the drug is taken purely for weight management.

Creatine may help with long-haul COVID. While creatine is renowned in the fitness world for aiding strength, recovery, and muscle power, scientists from Serbia sought to determine its efficacy against the fatigue often associated with long COVID. In a six-month randomized controlled trial involving 12 participants with a recent long COVID diagnosis, individuals were given either a daily creatine supplement or a placebo. Though the study found no significant difference in fatigue levels between the two groups, those on creatine did exhibit greater improvement in other long COVID symptoms, such as loss of taste and smell, breathing challenges, and body aches.

Rose and vanilla essential oils show promise in reducing apnea in infants. Premature infants often experience a condition called apnea, a temporary cessation of breathing lasting more than 20 seconds, which can lead to serious complications like brain damage and neurological disorders. Approximately 85% of infants born at or before 34 weeks experience this issue. Aromatherapy, using essential oils extracted from plants, has shown promise in treating apnea in these infants. Specifically, vanilla, which is thought to enter the brain through the bloodstream, can help manage stress and influence respiratory centers, and R. damascena, which can reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.

Today, I Declared Myself an Independent Candidate for President (RFK, Jr.). Today, I declared myself an independent candidate for President of the United States of America. And more than that, I joined my voice with all the people who are fed up and all the people who are hopeful, to make a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation. Keep reading…

House Cuts WHO Funding Through 2024, But Critics Push for Full Withdrawal to Protect U.S. Sovereignty. The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved a bill that cuts U.S. funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The House approved H.R. 4665, the Fiscal Year 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, including the provision that, “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be made available for the World Health Organization.” Keep reading…