I just listened to a recent podcast with Dr. Dom D’Agostino, whom I’ve been following for almost two decades and whose opinion I highly value. If I understood correctly, he doesn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about ketone esters. (I know this may be related to the promotion of ketone salts, but he is probably the most important ketone researcher at the moment.) His reasons: a) The rapid and excessive rise in ketones triggers an insulin response, which in the context of fasting and a ketogenic diet is not ideal. I assume it may make sense post-workout, when glycogen stores are being replenished. In addition, this insulin release suppresses endogenous ketone production. b) The second reason seems more concerning. Ketone esters are said to be metabolized by the liver in a way similar to alcohol, and if used too frequently or long-term, they could place a heavy burden on the liver—especially in older individuals or those on multiple medications. He also mentioned a new triester, without the alcohol part, as a potentially better next-generation option. Overall, he seems to favor a combination of MCTs and ketone salts, which both boost endogenous ketone production and provide some exogenous ketones. The electrolytes included are not a problem ( within a ketogenic diet—in fact, they are beneficial) .

Thank you

By the time you’ve completed the first three weeks, you’ll have built clarity, learned to see patterns, and trained your brain to become resilient under stress. The final phase of the program is about synthesis pulling all the pieces together, integrating what you’ve learned, and turning it into a living operating system for your mind. This is where scattered insights become a framework you can use long after the 30 days are done. Week four introduces the lens of first principles thinking. This is the discipline of stripping assumptions down to their most basic truths and rebuilding from the ground up. Instead of accepting received wisdom or half-formed beliefs, you ask: “What do I know for certain?” and “If I rebuilt this idea from scratch, what would it look like?” This lens forces deep clarity and often uncovers surprising solutions. The reading for this week comes from The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist. The book explores the divided modes of the brain the detail-focused left hemisphere and the context-seeking right hemisphere and how balancing them changes the way we perceive reality. The point isn’t to get lost in theory, but to see how attention, perspective, and context shape your daily decisions. Memory practice in week four focuses on teaching back. The best way to prove you’ve learned something is to explain it to someone else or even to an imaginary student. Each day, take one idea from reading or journaling and explain it out loud in plain language. This cements knowledge and builds the skill of translation: turning complex ideas into simple, actionable language. The prompts for this week invite integration. Ask yourself: “What’s one idea I can integrate across fields?” and “How can I reframe this problem as an opportunity?” The goal is to combine what you’ve learned into something practical bridging concepts from psychology, philosophy, and personal experience into one system. Rest practices shift toward reflection. Long walks, sauna sessions, or quiet yoga give you space to process and connect dots. Unlike earlier weeks where rest included hormetic stressors, this week’s rest is about deep integration slowing down enough for the pieces to fit together.

Most people focus on training their bodies but rarely put the same discipline into training their brains. Yet the brain works like a muscle—it responds best when challenged, stressed, and given time to recover. The 30-Day Brain Upgrade is built on that principle. In less than an hour a day, you can rewire your mental routines, sharpen memory, and expand creativity. This first part of the series lays out the weekly structure, the five core pillars, and the first two weeks of practice. The weekly rhythm is simple. Days one through five are work days, focused on thinking routines, reading, and memory practice. Day six is an experiment day, where you apply creative prompts or break patterns. Day seven is integration, where you step back, rest, and reflect. This cycle repeats each week with added complexity so your brain adapts progressively. The five pillars are the scaffolding of the program. The first is high-IQ thinking routines—different mental lenses applied each week: asking five whys, steel-manning the opposite side of an argument, mapping systems, and breaking ideas down to first principles. The second pillar is daily journaling prompts like “What would my life look like if I doubled my learning speed?” or “Which belief of mine might be outdated in five years?” The third pillar is advanced reading, one book per week that challenges and expands your mind. The fourth is memory techniques, beginning with the method of loci and progressing to chunking, dual encoding, and teaching back. The final pillar is strategic rest short daily practices like box breathing or NSDR, a weekly digital fast, and consistent sleep. Week one is about foundations: clarity and focus. You ask “Why is it so?” on daily observations, read chapters from Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, and build your first memory palace. Each day ends with a short rest practice. On day six you do a mental fast, avoiding input for two hours and journaling the ideas that surface. On day seven you unplug for several hours and write a one-page summary of three insights and one action to apply. By the end of the week, you’ve sharpened attention and cleared space for deeper learning.

I have a client whose HTMA shows a slow oxidizer pattern with low sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and copper, alongside signs of adrenal/thyroid stress and some heavy metal presence (aluminum, mercury, arsenic). We’re focusing the first 90 days on mineral repletion, adrenal/thyroid support, and stabilizing the system before moving into deeper detox work. For those of you experienced in heavy metal detox, what additional strategies (nutraceutical, lifestyle, or peptide-based) have you found helpful in supporting safe and effective detox once mineral status is restored? In particular, I’d love to hear thoughts on peptides that may assist with binding, mobilizing, or mitigating the effects of heavy metals.