BJJ Caveman

Cheaper Alternatives to Blood Ketone Testing

Posted on August 24, 2015July 16, 2017 by BJJ Caveman

I’ve had a couple readers reach out to me asking if there were any cheaper alternatives to blood ketone testing. My most recent check on Amazon.com shows the Precision Xtra Blood Ketone strips going for a whopping $4-$5 per strip, although as you see from the picture above, some places exorbitantly charge up to $9.99 per strip!

This post is my attempt to go through some of the cheaper options that are available if you’ve decided that tracking ketones is important to your goals but you can’t afford the cost of these strips.… Read More

MyPerioPath Results

Posted on August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

A few weeks ago I wrote about the relationship between gum disease, cholesterol, and inflammation which motivated me to go to the dentist for a long overdue visit. This week I want to go over the results of the MyPerioPath test.

The reason I wanted to get the MyPerioPath was to have a better understanding of what’s happening with my oral biome. I wanted to know if I had any bacteria that could potentially explain my elevated cholesterol and Lp-PLA2. I also wanted to know if there were organisms that were putting me at risk for other diseases.… Read More

Muse Headband Review

Posted on August 10, 2015July 28, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

In the past year, one of my goals has been to meditate regularly. Every article I read and podcast I listened to seemed to so vehemently extol the amazing benefits of meditation that I just couldn’t ignore it.

Here’s an article interviewing a neuroscientist from Harvard Medical School discussing how meditation can literally change your brain!

So I gave it a shot. I tried a couple of different guided meditation apps on my phone. My favorite was Headspace, which offers 10 free guided mediation sessions lasting 7-10 minutes each (more are available as in-app purchases).… Read More

Cholesterol, Inflammation and Gum Disease

Posted on August 3, 2015July 26, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

In my last couple of blood tests, along with my elevated cholesterols, I discovered that despite having a normal CRP of less than 1.0, my Lp-PLA2 levels were high (March 2015 and May 2015). This was extremely puzzling to me. CRP is a very sensitive marker for inflammation, so if there is any underlying inflammation in my body, it should be elevated. Lp-PLA2 on the other hand is marketed as a marker that is specific for vascular inflammation.

Here’s a brief review about Lp-PLA2:

The Lp-PLA2 test is used for assessing cardiovascular risk. … Read More

Diving Deeper into Cholesterol: Sterol Testing with Dr. Dayspring

Posted on July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

One of the tests I came across to help figure out more of what’s going on with my cholesterol status was sterol testing. What this test does is measure particles in your blood that tell you whether the changes in your cholesterol are related to too much absorption or too much formation.

Here are some of the labs that offer this type of testing.

Unfortunately none of this was taught… or even available when I was in med school, so I didn’t know much about this. … Read More

The Gut Biome and Cholesterol Connection

Posted on July 20, 2015July 16, 2017 by BJJ Caveman

My past few posts have been pretty cholesterol centric and I just have to warn you that there will be more to come. Obviously this is a topic that is important to me, and unfortunately at this point science doesn’t have a good answer yet as to what the heck is going on in my particular case.

I’m doing what I can to self experiment (most recently by taking anti-inflammatory supplements and increasing more carbs… and then adding in even more carbs while cutting back saturated fat) and to dive into more research.… Read More