Green Pill 001: Welcome to Green Pill by Alex Shinkarovsky

Long time no see! Welcome to my new short-form newsletter!

I will share short stories of people who changed their health & lives (taking a 'Green Pill')..

...and the means by which they did so!

You will get:

1. Stories (especially re. emotional health)

2. Weekly Quick Recs (Meme, Health Hack, What I'm Reading/Listening To)

3. Deep Dive (a specific article, podcast or scientific study with actionable advice)

I will also focus on how to green pill your loved ones, especially older relatives.

So, Eric was referred to me by his psychiatrist.

He called and said - I'm only sleeping 4 hours a night, and I'm a corporate lawyer who works all the time.

Eric is 57 and very successful, but does not exercise, eats a lot of sweets and is overweight.

He was on meds for depression and anxiety for 10 years+.

I often see highly successful people ignoring their body's signals.

He was basically interrupting his sleep by eating dairy & sugar @ 8PM, resulting in terrible cramps and sweating during the night. He also had to be on call 24/7 and had his phone in bed, amongst construction noise. He was not exercising or doing any mindfulness.

The short story:

• I had Eric install blackout curtains

• change sweets for dark chocolate

• make his room cold (68 degrees)

• install f.lux to darken his laptop screen

• get a manual (non-phone) alarm

• use a Dowdow pre-bed breathing device

• wear a WHOOP to track correlations between habits & sleep.

Eric now sleeps 7 hours a night (I still have his data)...

And he reduced his psych meds by 75%, and no longer sees his psychiatrist!

"If you’re not taking care of your sleep, exercise and nutrition, you’re not giving yourself a fighting chance against depression and anxiety."

Meme of the Week:

Health Hacks I’m Testing: Magnesium before bed. As someone who is very active and also sits a lot at the computer, electrolytes every AM [I make a homebrew version of LMNT to save $] + magnesium before bed have been gamechangers for cramps & muscle soreness. Magnesium supports muscle & nerve function, as well as energy production (Mayo Clinic). Dr. Gabriel Suarez, a mentor of mine, recommends MagMind, because it crosses the blood brain barrier, helping you calm down and speed up sleep onset.

What I’m Listening To: David Goggins on Joe Rogan. Love him or hate him, David Goggins is just like one of us. And that is inspiring. If you feel stuck, he keeps his method for getting out of it simple and straightforward. It may not be for you, but you will be inspired.

What I’m Reading: Poisonwood Diaries by Barbara Kingsolver, a fiction book based on historical realities, describes a family of Christian missionaries who moves to the Belgian Congo in 1959, against all advice to the contrary, and their journey and struggles adjusting and living with Congolese people. It touches on stereotypes, the Western perspective & political turmoil. Uniquely, each chapter is written from a different person's perspective (like Hero of our Time by Mikhail Lermontov).

Quote I’m Loving: "The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed" - William Gibson

Sponsored by...me!

I help my clients get from where they are, to where they want to be.

Check out my prices and services here!

I provide weekly accountability, remote physiological monitoring using wearable devices, and recommendations on specific action items to improve sleep, food choices, movement & emotional health.

Podcast: Alex Shinkarovsky interviewing Andres Preschel, KnowYourPhysio. My first podcast! Andres is a mentor to me, and someone who lives his mission: helping the world get healthier by making science accessible. He is a top 5% podcaster worldwide!

Thanks for reading. Let me know how you liked it, and any feedback, please!

You may find out more about my lifestyle adjustment & coaching services at my site, or read a Case Study here.