Dave Asprey should have been a raver. But, back in the early nineties when the rave scene was starting, he was waddling around in a mold-induced, body-and-mind-crippling fog.
Neil Strauss, former music writer extraordinaire for the New York Times and Rolling Stone, did make it to a few of those early raves (like Even Furthur ’96 which I -ahem- headlined with Daft Punk at) and Thursday night (April 6, 2017) shared the stage at Los Angeles’ Regent Theater with Asprey to talk about “relationships” and his latest book on the subject, “The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book on Relationships.”
This would appear to be an odd combination, considering Asprey was there to promote his new book about brain health, called “Head Strong”. But, it all made sense because of our cells’ mitochondria and their role in relationships.
While many of you older “Hard Data Heads” were trying out “smart drinks” with names like “Choline Cooler” and snorting Vasopressin up your nose during the “Smart Drug” craze that was an early part of the rave scene, Asprey was looking for answers to what was wrecking his body. When he should have been dancing, he was forced to look for answers as to why he couldn’t, or more accurately I suppose, probably didn’t really feel like it along with probably a thousand other things.
Fortunately for us, his searching hit gold. Well, gold-colored yak butter, that is. After taking one of those cheeseball trustafarian trips to the mountains of Asia searching for God-knows-what, he was treated to yak-butter tea, which then led him to the formulation of the now famous “Bulletproof Coffee” consisting of grass-fed butter and hi-grade coconut oil. Also, it led him to experiment with different doctors and approaches to medicine, and led him to explore nootropics, or “smart drugs.”
Frankly, the smart drugs and drinks of the early nineties were real hit-and-miss. Most had little noticeable effect, and it was only the scientific-minded that continued to pursue and perfect them after their initial, fleeting, interest from the public – mostly by ways of the rave scene.
As I looked back at the history of the rave scene, its abandonment of smart drugs and drinks was a critical, though understandable and maybe unavoidable mistake. So, it was with utter fascination and skepticism last year that I read the ingredients to the various nutritional supplements that Asprey had on sale at his Bulletproof Coffee shop in Santa Monica, CA. Many of these ingredients were quite familiar to me from my early rave days. After bugging store manager, John Brnak, for some free samples (no way I was going to spend money on this stuff) he finally gave in to my noticeably inquisitive nature and broke out some of his own supplements and told me to try ‘em out. Two got my attention. Unfair Advantage – rocked. Choline Force – rocked maybe even a little too well. I was totally impressed. Somehow, after two decades, the tech geeks actually got this stuff to work! I broke down and bought a box of Unfair Advantage and I’ve been a champion of the stuff ever since. It fulfills the early promises of the 90’s smart drugs and the rave scene’s more idealistic, early goals.
“Head Strong” is Asprey’s new book focusing on brain health. Every raver, old-school and new, should read it. One of its core messages is the role of your mitochondria (the powerhouses of cells in your body) and their behavior in relation to your overall mental and physical health –both of which are important if you want to keep dancing to a ripe old age.
A fascinating aspect of mitochondria is how they relate to one another and organize to get things done, such as healing and energy production. This explained why the audience was treated to an interview with Neil Strauss. As Strauss was relaying his findings on relationships in “The Truth” it served as a macro-perspective as to how our mitochondria manifest in our everyday lives.
For example, our mitochondria is greatly affected by light, sunlight, and the lack thereof. Light conditions play a role in how we humans form and conduct our relationships. Feeling blue on a rainy day and cancelling that date you were “on-the-fence” about, might be a good example.
It also explains a phenomenon I have written about concerning the Unfair Advantage supplement: It seems to make relationships better. I know this sounds like a wacky claim, but I have had remarkable success taking Unfair Advantage before engaging in business negotiations, and even negotiating with my ex-wife! Really, I’m not kidding. The stuff seems to aid in formulating solutions in which both sides benefit. After Asprey and Strauss’s talk, it became apparent to me that this is because of the product’s hinted ability to heal and stimulate the growth of new mitochondria! Your mitochondria, if given some support, can even positively interact with your ex-wife’s mitochondria! I swear, I’ve done it!
I anticipate that many of you reading this will be skeptical, and I believe that is only proper. But, if you get the chance to read Head Strong, or try Unfair Advantage, please do. Asprey gets a lot of criticism for “trying to make a buck” off all this, but I can honestly say the guy’s stuff has worked for me. And, I want to also say I strongly support his work and approach in the marketing of these supplements. Yes, some are pricey, but he’s up against a lot of embedded institutions when trying to bring these goods to the public. There is more money in keeping people sick than keeping people healthy. Cut the guy a break and look at the overall picture of what he’s trying to do. He’s not going to do everything right, but he’s already had some stunning successes that should keep our attention, and keep us wanting to see what else he has in store.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure, The Hard Data makes some money when you buy Bulletproof products after clicking through the web banners on our site. If you are a Bulletproof fan and want to support The Hard Data, please click through our links when buying those products. My mitochondria can assure you it’s a win for everyone involved!