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  • Sugar problems? Part 2- Stress, Fasting, Fat

    In part 1 we discussed my personal formula to handle 80% of my sugar issues, now let’s get it to 20%.

    (St + Fas + Fa) = 20%

    Stress

    The body’s stress response is a massive hormonal release. As result, there is an increase in glucose levels in the blood. However, the body is not good at managing all the sugar, if the stress becomes chronic. On a personal level, I have tested with CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) the effects of my stress on my glucose level. For me, even keto food when I am stressed keeps my glucose levels higher for longer.

    The good news is we don’t have to rely just on anecdotal data, plenty of research is done on this subject.

    . The effect of stress on glycemic control in people with diabetes may be related to a direct effect of stress hormones on blood glucose levels and an indirect effect of stress on patient behaviors related to diabetes treatment and monitoring and meal and exercise plans. 

    1.
    Marcovecchio ML, Chiarelli F. The Effects of Acute and Chronic Stress on Diabetes ControlA Presentation from the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) New Inroads to Child Health (NICHe) Conference on Stress Response and Child Health in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 18 to 20 May 2012. Science Signaling. 2012;5(247). doi:10.1126/scisignal.2003508

    There is also animal model studies that provide better direct data

    Stress affects metabolic activity via the stimulation of a variety of hormones that can result in elevated blood glucose levels. In patients with diabetes, due to a relative or absolute lack of insulin, stress-induced increases in glucose cannot be properly metabolized

    Stress affects metabolic activity via the stimulation of a variety of hormones that can result in elevated blood glucose levels. In patients with diabetes, due to a relative or absolute lack of insulin, stress-induced increases in glucose cannot be properly metabolized

    Fasting

    You know something work when you have millions of anecdotal evidence and scientific literature confirming the findings. Fasting is one of those rare activities that almost always work.

    Fasting is important to trigger the immune system response to clear your body of dead cells, and decreases sugar level.

    Intermittent fasting diets have certain therapeutic effects on blood glucose and lipids in patients with metabolic syndrome and significantly improve insulin resistance. It may be considered as an auxiliary treatment to prevent the occurrence and development of chronic diseases.

    1.
    Yuan X, Wang J, Yang S, et al. Effect of Intermittent Fasting Diet on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Impaired Glucose and Lipid Metabolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Zhou HD, ed. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2022;2022:1-9. doi:10.1155/2022/6999907

    Fat

    This is where it gets controversial, so always consult your doctor for her recommendation. We know that fat’s direct impact on blood sugar levels is low compared to protein and carbs; however, fat is also associated with increased insulin resistance.

    For me, eating a high-fat diet like avocado, and coconut oil-based food with vegetables like celery stabilizes my blood sugar for long period.

    The relationship between dietary fat and glucose metabolism has been recognized for at least 60 years.

    1.
    Lichtenstein AH, Schwab US. Relationship of dietary fat to glucose metabolism. Atherosclerosis. 2000;150(2):227-243. doi:10.1016/s0021-9150(99)00504-3

    Given that fat doesn’t spike my blood sugar level, I can reverse its bad effects by fasting, and that it’s yummy, I incorporate it into my formula. It has the added benefit of mental clarity and more sustained energy. But that’s a topic for another day.

    Hopefully, my personal formulaic protocol was useful to you. I have tried my best to provide the relevant research here. Feel free to leave a comment if you need further references for any topics.

    Next, I will share with you what supplements I add to my protocol to provide me mental clarity and keep my blood-sugar level consistent.

  • Communication in the future – a gentle movement toward augmentation, part 2

    In part one we discussed the potential usage of augmentation (smartwatches, and smart glasses). We also argued that further technological augmentation is inevitable. Therefore, our role is to use augmentation for good. In this spirit, we continue our discussion.

    A curriculum for communication

    *(why the word curriculum?)

    Before we attempt to discuss a curriculum let’s separate different areas of communication, and focus on what is relevant. One can divide communication into many different categories, but let’s differentiate the following types for our purposes.

    1. Verbal
    2. Non-verbal
    3. Written
    4. Visual
    5. Active listening
    [1]
    “Five Types of Communication – Graduate College of Drexel University,” Graduate College of Drexel University, 2018. https://drexel.edu/graduatecollege/professional-development/blog/2018/July/Five-types-of-communication/ (accessed Jan. 03, 2023).

    We will be exploring these types of communication through the following lense:

    • Early-childhood
    • Adolescent
    • Professional
    • Political and social discourse over social media and in-person

    However, our primary focus is political and social discourse. Specifically, how can we have better political/religious and social discussions through augmentation?

    The anchor of the curriculum

    The anchor has to be “logic”. No question about it. So that’s where it all needs to start.

    Early-childhood and Adolescent

    We have to be extremely careful when it comes to our children and technology. Unfortunately, over the last couple of decades, we have made all of our children addicts through the use of smartphones. Their dopamine levels are constantly depleted. The antidote is perhaps another technology, Neurofeedback.

    “Neurofeedback is a kind of biofeedback, which teaches self-control of brain functions to subjects by measuring brain waves and providing a feedback signal. “

    [1]
    H. Marzbani, H. Marateb, and M. Mansourian, “Methodological Note: Neurofeedback: A Comprehensive Review on System Design, Methodology and Clinical Applications,” Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Journal, vol. 7, no. 2, 2016, doi: 10.15412/j.bcn.03070208.

    Use of Neurofeedback

    The usage of Neurofeedback will be part of early-childhood education. Today, there are many medical practices that use neurofeedback as a mechanism to treat anxiety disorders. They use video games to correct behavior and treat overactive areas of the brain. Here is a great introduction through the lens of a Psychiatrist :

    S. Chandra, “What is Neurofeedback? A Psychiatrist’s Perspective – SURUCHI CHANDRA M.D.,” SURUCHI CHANDRA M.D., Aug. 24, 2021. https://chandramd.com/what-is-neurofeedback/ (accessed Jan. 03, 2023).

    [1]
    S. M. Butnik, “Neurofeedback in adolescents and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 621–625, 2005, doi: 10.1002/jclp.20124.

    Why the word curriculum?


    In the future technological augmentation will be used throughout our lives. Perhaps, randomly. The word curriculum is used to emphasize that we have to be intentional and methodical and also implement good practices in our education system.

  • The future is always balanced – no turmoil, no despair

    Many of us are in despair as we start 2023. I must say, I have been in that group. It is hard to be optimistic when we face political turmoil in every country and when we see thousands of people tortured and killed intentionally, by fellow “humans’ like us.

    But I find solace in the very nature that created and evolved us. The future will cradle us, with the same sun, moon, and earth.

    It will bring everything into balance, whether we want it or not.

    Let me invite you today, to think about two things, the poetic nature of spheres, and death.

    Why is earth a sphere?

    The larger question is why nature prefers a sphere. The technical answer is gravity leaves it with no other option. In order for matter to survive the onslaught of gravitational pull, every point on the surface has to be equally distanced.

    Only a sphere allows every point on its surface to have the same distance from the centre, so that no part of the object can further ‘fall’ toward its centre. Gravity just keeps on pulling.

    [1]
    “Why are things in space the shape that they are?,” Esa.int, 2023. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Space_sensations/Why_are_things_in_space_the_shape_that_they_are#:~:text=Only%20a%20sphere%20allows%20every,Gravity%20just%20keeps%20on%20pulling. (accessed Jan. 01, 2023).

    The center of our social network

    This balance has to be created this shape must arise. No matter what kind of turmoil nature experiences. The planets just remind me of the gravity of our social networks, and how we constantly fight it.

    On Twitter, and Facebook, we fight each other, we fight through manipulation, deceit, and bullying, but the center of the social network will remain to be our brain, our logic. In the words of the philosopher king:

    “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”

    Just like gravity will destroy any other shape but a sphere, our networks without logic at their center will collapse as quickly as we build them.

    The ultimate balancing act – death

    Yes, a morbid thought. But we must realize that when everything fails, death will not. A life ends, a thought ends, and time ends. When things are too extreme on the left or right, death comes and starts anew.

    Earth’s history is full of examples of “reset”. Perhaps, dinosaurs were wiped out to re-create balance so that human civilization rise. Make no mistake human civilization can similarly be wiped out, intentionally by us, or by nature hurling a few kilometers long Metroid.

    End scene

    Welcome to the new year.

    As old as time is, we must be older.

    As the flowers take a breath, we resuscitate.

    As the sun looks upon us we rise.

    And then under the shade of mother moon, we rest in eternity.

  • Sugar problems? Part 1- Measure, Breathe, Exercise, Carbs…and the future

    (Disclaimer below is my personal experience, please talk to your doctor before making any changes, period.)

    It’s the end of 2022, and I have been dealing with blood sugar issues for a few years now. A random test showed my blood sugar to be 260. Since then I have tried everything to control it. But only recently I have been successful.

    Here is my formula for success:

    (Br + Exr + Zc) = 80%

    (St+ Fas + Fa) = 20%

    Before you dismiss this as nonsense, know that this is just a shorthand from my notes.

    Here is what it all means.

    Br – Breathing

    I have had many wrong starts, but in the end, I realized no matter what procedure I use, I have to give my body the ability to “relax” first. To me this is non-negotiable. It really allows you to build proper habits that you don’t lose after a week.

    You don’t have to rely on anecdotal, I would research it in the following way:

    1. Go deep into the mechanics of breathing – Detailed Dr. Jack Feldman discussion (youtube link)
    2. Explore the relationship between sugar and breathing

    To explore this relationship, you have to look at breathing in the context of stress reduction. Here is one study you can start with. The conclusion is simple, combine breathing with other measures you take to control stress

    1.
    Hegde SV, Adhikari P, Subbalakshmi NK, Nandini M, Rao GM, D’Souza V. Diaphragmatic breathing exercise as a therapeutic intervention for control of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2012;18(3):151-153. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.04.002

    Even if the direct impact of breathing on sugar was not there, for me it’s a vital first step to prepare your mind to play this game. You need all the tools necessary to support yourself emotionally, to fight diabetes.

    Here is a clear study that explores the relationship between breathing and emotion.

    “The connectivity and an emerging literature support a link between breathing, emotion, and cognition that is becoming experimentally tractable”
    1.
    Ashhad S, Kam K, Del Negro CA, Feldman JL. Breathing Rhythm and Pattern and Their Influence on Emotion. Annual Review of Neuroscience. 2022;45(1):223-247. doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-090121-014424

    Exr – Exercise

    For this topic, I really don’t think any discussion is needed. Exercise will change your life. I will quote the American Diabetes Association website directly here

    Physical activity can lower your blood sugar up to 24 hours or more after your workout by making your body more sensitive to insulin.

    1.
    Blood Sugar and Exercise | ADA. Diabetes.org. Published 2022. Accessed December 31, 2022. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/fitness/getting-started-safely/blood-glucose-and-exercise#:~:text=Physical%20activity%20can%20lower%20your,see%20the%20benefits%20of%20activity.

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    Zc – Zero Carb

    Ok, we can not go exactly to zero carbs, but when your sugar is high, carbs would not help you. This can simply be seen in a Continous Glucose Monitor (CGM). Not much research is needed. For me, the effect of a sandwich is more than 2 hours of high glucose. If you have a CGM you should check this one out yourself.

    The worse part, that I have seen, the effects of high-carb last almost a whole day sometimes.

    Bringing it all together

    So back to the formula. The shorthand formula for me says if I do these three things right 80% of my problem is solved. Now you might be different, but my suggestion would be to talk to your doctor, get a CGM, go deep on the research and take action.

    Let’s end with a node to the future:

    In the future, we should be able to create our own formulas that reflect our best health but also build sensors to measure them accurately. CGM (Continous Glucose Monitors) are far along. You can get really good data from them. However, in near future, we should be able to not only measure glucose but also correlate it directly with our diet, supplement, and medicine we take.

    Moreover, our subjective feeling of well-being has to play a big role.

    Next will explore the other 20%.

  • Communication in the future – a gentle movement toward augmentation, part 1

    Too much is at stake. We can not afford to misunderstand each other on such a large scale. Political discourse is impossible to have. Religious discussions inevitably end with the threat of violence. Yet we must have political and religious debates in order to survive. So how should we improve? 

    Enhancing human communication

    Can we have political or religious debates without passing judgment? The obvious answer is yes, let’s improve our communication. But how? Here is one approach: Turn key scientific insights regarding human communication into useful habits using smart technologies. Specifically:

    • Extract key insights from scientific literature related to human communication. 
    • Create new habits using smart technology. Use smart devices and algorithms to augment human communication.

    Key insights

    Capture human signals

    Shaking hands – transferring germs or information?

    Did you know that every time we shake hands, we’re also transferring chemicals?

    It may sound gross, but it’s actually not as dirty as you think.

    We’re simply exchanging information with the other person.

    Not only can we tell if somebody is stressed by looking at their face, but also from the chemicals that are exchanged during a handshake. In fact, we determine whether someone is happy or sad solely based on the handshake.

    Always, check references. Read some research on handshakes:
    An icon representing binoculars.Semin, G. R., & Farias, A. R. (2014). The scent of a handshake. eLife, 4. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06758Read more

    The question is what else can we measure from the handshake? If nothing else, can we just determine whether someone can have an open conversation objectively? In my view, you can, this sort of augmentation may seem intrusive, but we are headed to the world of full augmentation where our sweat will become a data point for others.

    Unfortunately, I don’t think we have control over this. The important question is how to regulate its malicious usage. A topic for another time.

    In the future: Our smartwatch will not only measure our hormone levels but also that of others. Our smart devices will use this data to perform many operations, perhaps one of them could be to improve human communication.

    Is your frontal cortex open?

    A personal signal of openness

    The frontal cortex is the area of your brain that watches over and analyzes everything else. It’s where you learn rules to shape your other thoughts and actions.

    1.
    Strange BA. Anterior Prefrontal Cortex Mediates Rule Learning in Humans. Cerebral Cortex. 2001;11(11):1040-1046. doi:10.1093/cercor/11.11.1040

    2.
    Badre D, Kayser AS, D’Esposito M. Frontal Cortex and the Discovery of Abstract Action Rules. Neuron. 2010;66(2):315-326. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.025

    ‌

    One can learn a rule to keep “the mind open” when entering a discussion, and our brain will physically become more plastic. It can make new connections and build new cells to learn.

    So what if you can determine the activity of your frontal cortex using a non-intrusive brain sensor (not an implant)?

    In the future, A smart glass that detects front-cortex activity to determine whether “you” will have an open mind in a debate. 

    Turning insights into habits

    At this point, one may rightly observe, humans already do that exceptionally well. Our brains are far superior to any computer, we should therefore rely on its capabilities. The answer is of course we should, but …

    But we are already overwhelmed by the amount of information that we consume every second now, one solution can be technology itself another can be a large-scale behavior change.

    Finally, technology augmentation is inevitable. It’s better to imagine solutions for humanity than to just think of another way to sell more ads. Hence, it’s important to bring in all of the augmentations and think about a curriculum that will help us build better habits at a large scale.

    A curriculum for communication – Large-scale behavior change.

    There is much to say about this topic. We have to tackle this in a separate post. Here are some initial questions/thoughts, but would love to hear your feedback too, feel free to leave comments:

    • Can we create a curriculum for college students to teach and practice communication using smart tech?
    • Can we use VR to experience communication challenges and continuously learn?
    • Is Neurofeedback already used to improve communication?  

    Part – 2: Curriculum discussion