Guide To Ray Peat: Simple, User-friendly Guide To Applying Lessons Learned From The Research Of RP

jzeno

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Guide to Ray Peat: Simple, User-friendly Guide to Applying Lessons learned from the Research of Dr. Raymond Peat
Preface: This post is meant to be a guide for those who want to know what and how to apply changes to their life in light of the lessons learned from the research of Dr. Raymond Peat in the realm of nutrition and everyday practices for health and well-being and protection.
I want to thank Ray Peat for his work on polyunsaturated fats, which is what initially exposed me to his ideas and has had profound impacts on my health, and his decision to publish his findings and writings online making it accessible for anyone. I would also like to thank Danny Roddy, and the community and operators of www.raypeatforum.com which have both helped me to tremendously in understanding Ray’s work and a great place for discussion surrounding the ideas discussed in Ray Peat’s work.
Disclaimer: This guide is not meant to be exhaustive, prescriptive, or authoritative. Please read and apply the information contained at your own risk. I am not a doctor; I am not your doctor. By proceeding to use the information contained within this guide you hereby absolve me (the author) of any harm or damages incurred as a result and accept full legal responsibility and repercussion for your actions. Proceed and exercise at your own risk.

Introduction: There seems to be so much confusion around and a lack of organization in the body of Dr. Ray Peat’s work that I thought I would try to condense and distill some of the ideas put forth by his research not only for my own benefit but also for others in order to make his work a bit more accessible and practical. Feel free to experiment with incorporating as much or as little as is practical and palatable for you. You’ll notice there are not many things which Ray Peat’s work suggests are strongly advised with the few exceptions of perhaps removing polyunsaturated fats and making an effort to limit intake of starches or at the very least make sure they are thoroughly cooked and eaten with fat. And among those concepts which might be considered ‘controversial’ by others I would say the former and Ray’s reinforcement of the refutation of concept of “essential” fatty acids and Ray’s promotion of refined sugar and/or fruits to boost the metabolism and reduce stress on the thyroid would be the only ones—and none of these are dietary ‘rules’ which must be followed per-say, but simply are observations based on research and if you can accept them then you’re welcome to experiment with incorporating them and see what works for you. Terms like ‘Peaty’ and ‘Peatarian’ are sometimes used ignorantly or irresponsibly to describe things which align with Dr. Peat’s findings because they imply Ray Peat or those who agree with his work have created a strict protocol which requires complete obedience in order to qualify as a success, which is the farthest thing from the truth. We have some ideas; we’ve drawn some conclusions; and this is what the research points to and everyone is free to incorporate as much or as little as they think suitable. So be wary when terms like those are thrown around because they are probably being misused. Otherwise, supplementing with aspirin, filtering water, making an effort to reduce exposure to radiation pollution and electromagnetic fields and red-light therapy are either widely accept or currently gaining ground in one circle or another in nutritious-minded communities. Enjoy.​
This document is a work in progress and will be updated with revisions, retractions, and/or additions.
Tables of Contents
  1. Fundamental Principles and Practices
  2. Foods
  3. Supplements
  4. Water & Beverages
  5. Exercise
  6. Other
    1. Red Light Therapy
    2. Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Pollution
    3. Radio Wave Pollution
    4. Increasing CO2 Levels


1. Fundamental Principles and Practices
Ray Peat on metabolic rate:

"Keeping the metabolic rate up is the main thing, and there are lots of ways to do it"​

Fundamental principles to consider practicing:
  • Aiming to raise body temperature through improving metabolism and avoiding substances which suppress the function of the thyroid thereby reducing body temperature and impairing metabolism
  • Complete abstinence of all polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs)
  • Reduction of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
  • Regular incorporation of beef liver and other organ meats
  • Measuring your body temperature regularly
  • Checking your pulse rate regularly
  • Moderate to high amounts of carbohydrates
    • 45–65% of daily calories
  • Moderate amounts of protein
    • 80-100g per day on average
    • 10-35% of daily calories
  • Low to moderate amounts of saturated fat
    • 8-20% of daily calories
  • Drinking fluids based on thirst
Advanced practices to consider incorporating:
  • Near complete reduction of starches with some exceptions
  • Using sugars (sucrose, lactose, and fructose) and fully saturated fats to improve metabolism
  • Reduction of muscle meat as primary source of protein, replacing it with gelatin and dairy
  • Supplementing with thyroid hormone, Vitamin K2, Vitamin D3 and aspirin
  • Bathing in red light (635 to 700 nm) and infrared light (880nm)
    • Two to three times a week for 15 minutes or more
  • Breathing in a bag or holding your breath to increase CO2 levels
    • Two to three times per day for a minute or two or more
  • Continuing to reduce exposure to harmful foods which suppress the thyroid and incorporating foods which support the thyroid
Hormones to reduce and/or avoid:
  • Cortisol
  • Serotonin
  • Estrogen
  • Prolactin
  • Melatonin
  • Growth hormone
Substances to reduce and/or avoid:
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Histamine
2. Foods
Ray Peat on polyunsaturated fatty acids:

“Chemically, the material that makes these oils very toxic is the polyunsaturated fat itself. These unsaturated oils are found in very high concentrations in many seeds, and in the fats of animals that have eaten a diet containing them. The fresh oils, whether cold pressed or consumed as part of the living plant material, are intrinsically toxic, and it is not any special industrial treatment that makes them toxic.

“These toxic oils are sometimes called the "essential fatty acids" or "vitamin F," but this concept of the oils as essential nutrients was clearly disproved over 50 years ago.

“Linoleic and linolenic acids, the "essential fatty acids," and other polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are now fed to pigs to fatten them, in the form of corn and soy beans, cause the animals' fat to be chemically equivalent to vegetable oil. In the late 1940s, chemical toxins were used to suppress the thyroid function of pigs, to make them get fatter while consuming less food. When that was found to be carcinogenic, it was then found that corn and soy beans had the same antithyroid effect, causing the animals to be fattened at low cost. The animals' fat becomes chemically similar to the fats in their food, causing it to be equally toxic, and equally fattening.”

Ray Peat on starches:

“For people with really sensitive intestines or bad bacteria, starch should be zero… Starch is less harmful when eaten with saturated fat, but it’s still more fattening than sugars.”

Ray Peat on the ratio of macro nutrients:

“The proportion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat--it probably should be something like a third of each, but I’m not sure what the ideal is. It depends so much on the quality of each of them. Avoid starch, and avoiding eating polyunsaturated fats, and avoiding the very high tryptophan-content proteins... then you could go very high on any one of the major nutrients without problem”​

Foods to avoid or remove:
  • Polyunsaturated Fats
    • Vegetable oils
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Soy
  • Artificial thickeners
    • Carrageenan, et al.
Foods to consider reducing or avoiding:
  • "Essential" Fatty Acids (EFAs)
    • Fish Oil
Foods to consider incorporating:
  • Dairy
    • Milk
      • Raw or pasteurized
      • Whole or low fat
      • Lactose-free
    • Cheese
    • Ice cream
    • Butter with moderation
  • Seafood
    • Oysters
    • Cod
    • Crab
    • Sole fish
    • Shrimp
  • Ruminant
    • Beef
    • Beef liver
    • Beef gelatin
  • Poultry
    • Chicken eggs
  • Fruits
    • Oranges
    • Grapes
    • Papaya
    • Sapotas
    • Mangos
    • Lychees
    • Cherries
    • Watermelon
    • Coconut oil
  • Vegetables
    • Bamboo shoots
    • Carrots
    • Potatoes
    • Masa harina (Corn Flour)
    • Sourdough bread
    • White rice
  • Fungus
    • Mushrooms
  • Sweeteners
    • Honey (fructose)
    • White sugar (sucrose)
  • Seasonings
    • Salt
3. Supplements


Ray Peat on the purity of manufactured supplements:

“Any natural food is extremely purified, whereas any supplement made chemically is going to be dirty just in principle"

Ray Peat on supplementing with activated charcoal:

“A few years ago, I heard about a Mexican farmer who collected his neighbors' runt pigs, and got them to grow normally by adding charcoal to their diet. This probably achieves the same thing as adding antibiotics to their food, which is practiced by pig farmers in the US to promote growth and efficient use of food. Charcoal, besides binding and removing toxins, is also a powerful catalyst for the oxidative destruction of many toxic chemicals. In a sense, it anticipates the action of the protective enzymes of the intestinal wall and the liver.”

Ray Peat on supplementing with aspirin:

“When people with cancer ask for my recommendations, they usually think I'm joking when I tell them to use aspirin, and very often they don't take it, on the basis of what seems to be a very strong cultural prejudice.

“Since the polyunsaturated fats and prostaglandins stimulate the expression of aromatase, the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen, aspirin decreases the production of estrogen. So many of aspirin's effects oppose those of estrogen, it would be tempting to suggest that its "basic action" is the suppression of estrogen. But I think it's more likely that both estrogen and aspirin are acting on some basic processes, in approximately opposite ways.”

“Although the animal studies that showed stomach damage from aspirin often used single doses equivalent to 10 or 100 aspirin tablets, the slight irritation produced by a normal dose of aspirin can be minimized by dissolving the aspirin in water. The stomach develops a tolerance for aspirin over a period of a few days, allowing the dose to be increased if necessary.”

“Aspirin protects against several kinds of toxicity, including excitotoxicity (glutamate), dopamine toxicity, and oxidative free radical toxicity. Since its effects on the mitochondria are similar to those of thyroid (T3), using both of them might improve brain energy production more than just thyroid. (By activating T3, aspirin can sometimes increase the temperature and pulse rate.) Magnesium, niacinamide, and other nerve protective substances work together.”
Supplements to consider incorporating:

  • Thyroid hormone (T3 and T4)
  • Testosterone
  • DHT
  • Pregnenolone
  • Progesterone
  • DHEA
  • Aspirin; Baby Aspirin
  • Activated charcoal
  • Vitamin K2
  • Vitamin D3
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin B Complex
  • Magnesium
  • Biotin
  • Caffeine
4. Water & Beverages

Ray Peat on adequate hydration:

"Thirst is the best guide to the amount of fluid needed."​

Beverages to consider incorporating:
  • Coffee
  • Traditional Coca-Cola (made with sugar)
  • Orange juice
Common chemicals and contaminants which are found in water to consider removing from your water:
  • Chlorine; Chloramines
  • Fluoride
  • Heavy metals
Common water filtration methods to consider which remove chemicals, contaminants, and minerals:
  • Distillation
  • Reverse Osmosis
Common water filtration methods to consider which remove the majority of chemicals and contaminants but preserve minerals:
  • Activated carbon

5. Exercise

Ray Peat on reparative exercise:

“Exercise, like aging, obesity, and diabetes, increases the levels of circulating free fatty acids and lactate. But ordinary activity of an integral sort, activates the systems in an organized way, increasing carbon dioxide and circulation and efficiency. Different types of exercise have been identified as destructive or reparative to the mitochondria; “concentric” muscular work is said to be restorative to the mitochondria. As I understand it, this means contraction with a load, and relaxation without a load. The heart’s contraction follows this principle, and this could explain the observation that heart mitochondria don’t change in the course of ordinary aging.”

Ray Peat on so-called “aerobic” exercise:

“I’m not sure who introduced the term “aerobic” to describe the state of anaerobic metabolism that develops during stressful exercise, but it has had many harmful repercussions. In experiments, T3 production is stopped very quickly by even “sub-aerobic” exercise, probably because of the combination of a decrease of blood glucose and an increase in free fatty acids. In a healthy person, rest will tend to restore the normal level of T3, but there is evidence that even very good athletes remain in a hypothyroid state even at rest. A chronic increase of lactic acid and cortisol indicates that something is wrong. The “slender muscles” of endurance runners are signs of a catabolic state, that has been demonstrated even in the heart muscle. A slow heart beat very strongly suggests hypothyroidism. Hypothyroid people, who are likely to produce lactic acid even at rest, are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of “aerobic” exercise.”

Ray Peat on brain activity and exercise:

“However, in Russia, physiologists always remember to include the brain in their calculations, and it turns out that a walk through interesting and pleasant surroundings consumes more energy than does harder but more boring exercise. An active brain consumes a tremendous amount of fuel.”​

Exercises to consider incorporating:
  • Concentric, anaerobic exercise
    • Weight lifting
    • Body weight exercises
  • Activities that require focus and stimulation of your mind
    • Art
    • Math
    • Music
    • Stimulating hobbies
    • Walking
Exercises to consider reducing:
  • So-called “Aerobic” exercise
    • Cardio

6. Other
1. Red Light Therapy
Ray Peat on Red Light Therapy:​

"Light, especially red light, penetrates into the body, and suppresses free radical activity and activates the crucial respiratory enzyme, cytochrome oxidase, which is activated by thyroid, and which is inactivated by polyunsaturated fats."​

Products to consider purchasing:
  • Red heat lamp
  • 660nm bulb
  • 880nm bulb
2. Grounding and Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF) Pollution

Ray Peat on grounding the body:

“I’m fairly sure that there is benefit from having some kind of more or less direct contact with the earth… Still staying away from the machine as far as possible is the best thing.”​

Products to consider purchasing or assembling:
  • Grounding mat
  • Grounding sheets
  • Personal grounding device
  • Grounding clothing
For my own personal use, I purchased a pair of 'conductive socks' (available on Amazon and eBay) for less then $10 per pair and then attached a single wire of speaker wire with an alligator clip on one end and a three-pronged electrical plug on the other end. All the remaining materials were bought at a hardware store for less then $7 or so. During sleep, I slip on the socks, attach the alligator clip to the metal clasp on the socks and plug in the plug to any outlet that is grounded and then I become grounded. If you would like to check all this, you can easily do so by buying a digital multimeter and checking the current running through your body before and after you don the socks (or whatever method you use for grounding). This option is much less expensive than grounding mats which are for sale on Amazon and eBay and is very convenient for me because I already wear socks to bed during cold months and our feet are very conductive compared to other parts of our body. Very effective. In the warm months, the alligator clip can be attached to a conductive sheet instead of using the socks.

3. Radio wave Frequency Pollution (Radiation Pollution)
Ray Peat on radiation pollution:

“Using the simplest, older-fashioned technologies like wires is very important rather than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.”

4. Increasing CO2 Levels

Ray Peat on carbon dioxide:

“The end product of respiration is carbon dioxide, and it is an essential component of the life process. The ability to produce and retain enough carbon dioxide is as important for longevity as the ability to conserve enough heat to allow chemical reactions to occur as needed."

"If the intrauterine experience, with low oxygen and high carbon dioxide, serves to “reprogram” cells to remove the accumulated effects of age and stress, and so to maximize the developmental potential of the new organism, a life that’s lived with nearly those levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide might be able to avoid the progressive silencing of genes and loss of function that cause aging and degenerative diseases.”
Practices to consider incorporating:
  • Breathing in a bag or holding your breath to increase CO2 concentration and tolerance
    • Two to three times per day for a minute or two or more
Fore more information, visit: www.raypeat.com and www.raypeatforum.com and www.dannyroddy.com

Please comment with revisions, additions, or retractions and I may include them.
 

yerrag

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Thanks for the effort you put in organizing and putting his ideas together.

I only had a brief quick scan, and melatonin caught my eye. I think Ray said that melatonin is made from serotonin, and that it produces estrogen, and it promotes sleep. In a healthy individual, with enough progesterone, it presents no problem.
 

yerrag

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Thanks for the effort you put in organizing and putting his ideas together.

I only had a brief quick scan, and melatonin caught my eye. I think Ray said that melatonin is made from serotonin, and that it produces estrogen, and it promotes sleep. In a healthy individual, with enough progesterone, it presents no problem.
Come to think of it, melatonin as a supplement could not be good as it's estrogenic.
 

aquaman

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Outstanding post.

I would just add that liquids can be cooling, and can lead to sugar hitting your blood stream too fast, which can lead to blood sugar regulation issues and insulin issues (hence, fat gain).

I now only take in solid sugar (starch, fruit) calories, no liquids. Has helped me drop 10 pounds. So virtually no milk, and occasional orange juice.
 

YourUniverse

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Great post

For my own personal use, I purchased a pair of 'conductive socks' (available on Amazon and eBay) for less then $10 per pair and then attached a single wire of speaker wire with an alligator clip on one end and a three-pronged electrical plug on the other end. All the remaining materials were bought at a hardware store for less then $7 or so. During sleep, I slip on the socks, attach the alligator clip to the metal clasp on the socks and plug in the plug to any outlet that is grounded and then I become grounded. If you would like to check all this, you can easily do so by buying a digital multimeter and checking the current running through your body before and after you don the socks (or whatever method you use for grounding). This option is much less expensive than grounding mats which are for sale on Amazon and eBay and is very convenient for me because I already wear socks to bed during cold months and our feet are very conductive compared to other parts of our body. Very effective. In the warm months, the alligator clip can be attached to a conductive sheet instead of using the socks.

For the above, are you worried about shocks? Especially during lightning storms?
 
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jzeno

jzeno

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Great post

For the above, are you worried about shocks? Especially during lightning storms?

Thank you @jamies33.

If you're talking about lightning, that's one thing, which to answer in brief: I'm covered by a roof and there a whole bunch of other things which are more conductive surrounding me and the house is full of things which are not conductive, so I think I'm okay there. Also: If I wanted to be very safe: simply do not use the device during lightning storms. Where I live, we get maybe a 7.5" of rain per year, so it's very low and the occurrence of lightning is also low so that might be a handful of days out of one year. Still plenty of time for recovery during the night.

If you're talking about shocks from the electrical current provided through the outlet--No, not at all. Here's why: The plug which I use has no wiring connected to the "hot" or active poles on the plug. That is, on typical electronics there are three wires: One that goes to the ground, one that goes to the negative pole, and one that goes to the positive. On my device, there is only one wire going to the ground from the alligator clip and there are no wires attached to the positive and negative poles inside the plug. I guess in a freak accident a little current might be jumping from the outlet to the metal tabs and up the ground cable, but it's very small if at all. I've never been shocked and have been using it for weeks.

This is the 3-pronged plug I purchased, to give you a visual (link beside and attachment below): https://images.homedepot-static.com...al-plugs-connectors-r50-3w101-00e-64_1000.jpg

The two active poles are not connected to anything. Someone mentioned it is safest to simply remove the two poles, but mine are fixed in and I haven't taken the time to yank them out yet. Perhaps I will soon.

Thanks for the question.
 

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tankasnowgod

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Thank you @jamies33.

If you're talking about lightning, that's one thing, which to answer in brief: I'm covered by a roof and there a whole bunch of other things which are more conductive surrounding me and the house is full of things which are not conductive, so I think I'm okay there. Also: If I wanted to be very safe: simply do not use the device during lightning storms. Where I live, we get maybe a 7.5" of rain per year, so it's very low and the occurrence of lightning is also low so that might be a handful of days out of one year. Still plenty of time for recovery during the night.

If you're talking about shocks from the electrical current provided through the outlet--No, not at all. Here's why: The plug which I use has no wiring connected to the "hot" or active poles on the plug. That is, on typical electronics there are three wires: One that goes to the ground, one that goes to the negative pole, and one that goes to the positive. On my device, there is only one wire going to the ground from the alligator clip and there are no wires attached to the positive and negative poles inside the plug. I guess in a freak accident a little current might be jumping from the outlet to the metal tabs and up the ground cable, but it's very small if at all. I've never been shocked and have been using it for weeks.

This is the 3-pronged plug I purchased, to give you a visual (link beside and attachment below): https://images.homedepot-static.com...al-plugs-connectors-r50-3w101-00e-64_1000.jpg

The two active poles are not connected to anything. Someone mentioned it is safest to simply remove the two poles, but mine are fixed in and I haven't taken the time to yank them out yet. Perhaps I will soon.

Thanks for the question.

Interesting setup. As far as grounding goes, I think the concept is great, and the practice can often be very beneficial, but a lot of the grounding devices can have the exact opposite effect, depending on your environment. For example, I live in an apartment building in an urban area, and grounding seemed to be negatively affecting me, and stopping made a positive difference. There are concerns about your body essentially being turned into an antenna, and exposing you to more EMFs than you would normally get in the same environment. And, of course, the electrical wiring of your building.

However, if you are in a house in a somewhat remote area, without a lot of WiFi blowing around your sleeping area, and clean connections to the ground (and no dirty electricity from said ground), it would likely be very, very positive.

By the way, I think your overview is a great starter for anyone, really really nice work.
 
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jzeno

jzeno

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As far as grounding goes, I think the concept is great, and the practice can often be very beneficial, but a lot of the grounding devices can have the exact opposite effect, depending on your environment. For example, I live in an apartment building in an urban area, and grounding seemed to be negatively affecting me, and stopping made a positive difference. There are concerns about your body essentially being turned into an antenna, and exposing you to more EMFs than you would normally get in the same environment. And, of course, the electrical wiring of your building.

However, if you are in a house in a somewhat remote area, without a lot of WiFi blowing around your sleeping area, and clean connections to the ground (and no dirty electricity from said ground), it would likely be very, very positive.

I'm no scientist, but it seems like grounding yourself is as safe as walking barefoot on the bare earth--which is extremely safe, right? Most would agree with that. And that is the effect of grounding. So if you are getting any other results, either your body is adjusting or your body is not properly grounded and something else is happening. Grounding only means one thing: When excess current is sucked out due to the excess of electrons being received from a source (most often, the ground, or devices attached to the ground).

When you attempt to build a grounding device, I think it's smart to spend $20-$30 on a multimeter to test your device. If your multimeter detects a drop in current in your body, then you know that the device is working and it's having the exact opposite effect of the concerns you mentioned. When I test my device, the current will drop an order of 10 from 10.00 to .02!

Here's a thorough video of someone demonstrating the different strengths of electric current based on location (inside, outside, at a PC) and different materials (barefoot, with rubber-soled shoes, wearing clothing). You'll see he's able to reduce the flow of electricity throughout his body despite being inside or outside: (there's a part 2 which YouTube should automatically recommend)

As you can see as the voltage clearly drops, the man in the video is now exposed to less current and the current is similar to when he stands outside barefoot. The effect of grounding should be similar. So the concern he would be come an antenna is just not true as his multimeter simply records voltage on whatever surface you put in contact with the poles. If the device doesn't record a voltage, then there is none. So you wouldn't become an antenna for current as you put it--if grounded correctly.

For multimeters: I suggest a digital one that features an 'auto' setting that automatically adjusts the order of magnitude for the voltage. The manual ones are more cumbersome and can be confusing for new users without experience. They should cost anywhere from $20 to $30.

If you still experienced issues and double-checked the grounding with a multimeter, then yes there could be an issue with the ground of your home. In some older homes that could not have a ground at all or be grounded improperly. Most modern homes are grounded correctly. They help reduce surges and also fires so they're pretty common place today.

At the end of the day though, everyone should do what they feel comfortable with and what provides the best results. Grounding, when practiced safely and correctly should have the same effect as standing barefoot on ground of the earth. If you're getting other results, something else is happening.

By the way, I think your overview is a great starter for anyone, really really nice work.

Thank you @tankasnowgod! Thanks for the comments.
 

tankasnowgod

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I'm no scientist, but it seems like grounding yourself is as safe as walking barefoot on the bare earth--which is extremely safe, right? Most would agree with that. And that is the effect of grounding. So if you are getting any other results, either your body is adjusting or your body is not properly grounded and something else is happening. Grounding only means one thing: When excess current is sucked out due to the excess of electrons being received from a source (most often, the ground, or devices attached to the ground).

I agree with your points, but the point I bolded is probably the most important. In some areas, it may not be easy to be properly grounded. And the grounding mats and sheets that are commonly sold may not be able to properly ground you in any way, in certain environments.

Here are some various opinions on grounding- The pros and cons of earthing or 'grounding'

And here are some forum users experience. Again, it's a mixed bag- Grounding Causes Reduced Breathing And Negative Charge

So yes, grounding, if done properly, is likely very beneficial. The problem is that it might be very hard and expensive for some to do this properly.
 
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jzeno

jzeno

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I agree with your points, but the point I bolded is probably the most important. In some areas, it may not be easy to be properly grounded. And the grounding mats and sheets that are commonly sold may not be able to properly ground you in any way, in certain environments.

Yes and that may be the case. If your home is not properly grounded, you still have options because you can simply make a ground yourself by sticking a copper or metal pole into the earth with a wire attached and run it up to your room. It's probably not ideal--using the ground in a modern plug is just easier and more convenient--but it still works and those cost like $5-10 maybe $20 depending on how you go about it. All that is required for successfuly grounding is: a conductive material (copper, aluminum) in contact with the earth and an uninterrupted path (wire) to the thing you want to ground (yourself).

This guy is weird, but he does a "poor man's version":


If you search "grounding pole" on YouTube you'll see a grounding pole for a home (built by contractors when a home is built) is literally just a copper tube jammed into the earth.

And here are some forum users experience. Again, it's a mixed bag- Grounding Causes Reduced Breathing And Negative Charge

See, this is this guy's problem: He doesn't understand you have to measure current in AC because our electric systems (in American homes, at least) uses AC, not DC lol. So there's that. I'm willing to bet he just isn't grounded properly if he didn't understand that very basic concept. Or it's just getting to his head and is placebo.

He says:
No but minimum range for AC volts is 200V which with 4 characters on screen means the lowest resolution is 0.1V.

Me personally I wouldn't take one person's experience and weigh it over the studies that have been done in a clinical setting with repeated results, etc., but that doesn't negate the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and draw their own conclusions on what's best for them based on their observations. If you practice precaution and double-check your work as the other countless videos on YouTube, you should be fine and achieve reasonable success regardless of your situation.

Before, I had the same issue for two reasons: 1) I had an analog (not digital) multimeter and 2) I then bought a digital multimeter but it was manual, which mean I had to select the order of magnitude (200V, 20V, etc.) and it would only read within that range--if it was above it would say OL (overload or surge--basically too much juice) and if it was below or very weak current, it would just hover at zero--not precise enough. A digital, automatic multimeter is best to see exactly what's going on. Anything else will be really confusing and probably just upset the person because they don't understand what's happening if anything at all is happening.

So yes, grounding, if done properly, is likely very beneficial. The problem is that it might be very hard and expensive for some to do this properly.

Yes, I would agree--if it is done correctly. As for the hard part, I would disagree. I wouldn't describe it as hard, so much as just inconvenient. Even if you have an older home which is not grounded, you can still ground yourself within reason you just need a few more supplies. If you live 100 stories up in an apartment that was built in 1930s I don't know what you would do. But those cases are going to the be outliers. The likelihood of any us in those situations is fairly low.
 

tankasnowgod

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Yes and that may be the case. If your home is not properly grounded, you still have options because you can simply make a ground yourself by sticking a copper or metal pole into the earth with a wire attached and run it up to your room. It's probably not ideal--using the ground in a modern plug is just easier and more convenient--but it still works and those cost like $5-10 maybe $20 depending on how you go about it. All that is required for successfuly grounding is: a conductive material (copper, aluminum) in contact with the earth and an uninterrupted path (wire) to the thing you want to ground (yourself).

Well, that's not very practical for me. I live on the second story of an apartment building, and there would be no clear path to the ground. Even if I were to run a copper wire out my window (landlord would probably have a fit), all the ground nearby is cement and asphalt.

See, this is this guy's problem: He doesn't understand you have to measure current in AC because our electric systems (in American homes, at least) uses AC, not DC lol. So there's that. I'm willing to bet he just isn't grounded properly if he didn't understand that very basic concept. Or it's just getting to his head and is placebo.

How do you know where the first user lives? He might not be in America. Anyway, there are other results in there. Captain Coconut's experience illustrates the point perfectly- tried it in six different locations, worked great in some, neutral in others, and some were negative.

Yes, I would agree--if it is done correctly. As for the hard part, I would disagree. I wouldn't describe it as hard, so much as just inconvenient. Even if you have an older home which is not grounded, you can still ground yourself within reason you just need a few more supplies. If you live 100 stories up in an apartment that was built in 1930s I don't know what you would do. But those cases are going to the be outliers. The likelihood of any us in those situations is fairly low.

For me, there is no simple and cheap way to do it, living on the second floor of an apartment building. I did notice some negative effects from using the ground plug, which ceased when I stopped doing it. And I think the concern of turning your body into an antenna in urban environments is legitimate, as is the concern with dirty electricity in the ground. And I don't think living in an apartment building in an urban area is an "outlier" situation.
 

firebreather

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Outstanding post.

I would just add that liquids can be cooling, and can lead to sugar hitting your blood stream too fast, which can lead to blood sugar regulation issues and insulin issues (hence, fat gain).

I now only take in solid sugar (starch, fruit) calories, no liquids. Has helped me drop 10 pounds. So virtually no milk, and occasional orange juice.

@aquaman How is it that the only liquid you take in is occasional orange juice?

I'm specifically interested because i have issues with liquid making me urinate frequently but I'm almost always thirsty
 
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yerrag

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I got to read the nice write-up again, and have a few comments:

Sweeteners
  • Honey (fructose)
  • White sugar (sucrose)
Honey isn't all fructose but half glucose and half fructose. White sugar is also half glucose and half fructose, but in the form of a disaccharide.

Common water filtration methods to consider which remove chemicals, contaminants, and minerals:
  • Distillation
  • Reverse Osmosis
I'm not sure if Ray Peat really advocates distillation or reverse osmosis.

There is no mention of methylene blue, but I'm not sure if this is something we learn of in this forum only and not necessarily advocated by Ray.
 

aquaman

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@aquaman How is it that the only liquid you take in is occasional orange juice?

I'm specifically interested because i have issues with liquid making me urinate frequently but I'm almost always thirsty

I drink sparkling soda water, sipped through the day as I feel. Plus a small amount of milk or juice, normally 1 cup max of either. I think milk spikes insulin, juice tends to cause blood sugar issues if I have more than 1 cup.

I drink green broth and Bone broth almost every day, and vegetables hold water too.
 

David G

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Great guide, thank you!

Re. Grounding however, having been an electrical engineer for 25+ years I advise against this. An above post illustrated that voltage on the body was reduced when grounded, however, voltage (electromotive force) is not the issue, it is current (the actual flow of electrons) that is the issue. The reason voltage is reduced when grounded is because the electromotive force induced by local electro-magnetic fields (typically dominated by 60Hz AC power lines) then causes current to flow through the body to the ground. It is much better to not be directly grounded so that you are not allowing yourself to become an electric circuit through which any alternating current or radio frequency fields can then induce current flow.

It is good to stay near grounded surfaces, but without actually having a direct low-impedance connection to them. This is because grounded surfaces absorb and reduce or eliminate EM fields. So for example if you are standing directly on the ground, wearing normal socks, the EM field strength will be the lowest near the ground. Whereas if you you were on the 2nd floor of a building the EM field strength there will be significantly higher. EM field strength will vary in direct proportion to the distance from the nearest large ground plane. So lying directly on the ground would be ideal, or underground in a basement would be even better, vs. being on a 2nd or higher floor in a building made of wood you are then 10+ feet from any ground plane and field strength would probably be 10+ times higher than at 1' from the ground. Being in a high floor in a skyscraper might be fine though because the floors of highrises are typically made of steel decking underneath concrete with grounded beams and columns connecting everything.

Grounding is also not advised for safety reasons, for the same reason you don't want to use a hairdryer in the bathtub. Current from the hairdryer can flow through your body to the nearest ground connection in the tub (i.e. to metal water piping). If you were in bed for example and wearing grounded socks, a lighting strike nearby could travel through a lamp cord or power cord to a bedside clock radio and jump to you. Or even without lightning, if your alarm went off in the morning and you knocked a glass of water on your alarm clock...

With the constantly increasing number and sources of EMF pollution, if you live near power lines, cell towers, 'smart' meters, etc. it's not a bad idea to stay as far away from those things as possible, and if that is not practical to shield your house or main rooms you occupy with a layer of aluminum siding or copper sheeting in the walls or something like that. The siding/sheeting will not block everything, but if properly grounded and with large continuous overlapping sheets it can be helpful, particularly if you are on a higher floor and in a dense urban area.

Overall though, as long as you don't talk on a cell phone more than ~5-10 mins/day, live within 300' of high-voltage power lines or cell towers, or spend a lot of time within ~25-50' of smart meters, wireless routers, etc., I would not generally consider EMFs to be a major issue. The food you eat, water you drink, and air you breath are in all likelihood going to be the much bigger influences on your health. Do be particularly careful about cell-phone use however. EM field strength and induced power is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source, so a cell phone that's right next to your head or even a few feet away can expose you to hundreds of times as much power as you would get from a cell tower that's 100 feet away.
 
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jzeno

jzeno

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@David G

Do you think not grounding during an electric storm is a good way to reduce most my risk of becoming a circuit during a storm?

As for the cup of water and alarm clock: I don't have any liquids next to where I sleep.

Risks aside and as for the benefits, I see too many benefits to not ground at all.

The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases
The biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain, and stress. - PubMed - NCBI
 

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