Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #96 with Dr. Daniel Stickler, MD, a former vascular surgeon who concluded that traditional medicine is not the best route for ideal health. He is now the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of The Apeiron Center for Human Potential (Apeiron meaning Limitless) and is the visionary pioneer behind systems-based precision lifestyle medicine, which is a new paradigm that redefines medicine from the old symptoms-based disease model to one of limitless peak performance. His work now focuses on longevity, epigenetics and lifestyle optimization and along with his work at the Apeiron Center, he’s the Medical Director for the Neurohacker Collective, a Google consultant for wearable technology, AI in healthcare and a guest lecturer at Stanford University on Epigenetics in Clinical Practice.
Watch the interview on YouTube here.
I was introduced to Dr. Stickler from Luke DePron[i], whose interview opened up my awareness to a whole new level with even just a glance of the title “Limitless Peak Performance and Human Potential, Epigenetics, Aging and Anti-Aging, and the Future of Being a Healthy Human.” For those listening, I urge you to be open minded and think about your own potential. Wouldn’t you like to be limitless? Wouldn’t you like to improve your longevity? Turn back the hands of time a few years? Let me introduce you to Dr. Daniel Stickler, who has no doubt in his mind that these are all things that will be commonplace in the next 10 years, even the thought of living to and perhaps past 150 years of age. Get ready to have your mind expanded and pay close attention if you have been searching for ways to increase your productivity, well-being, and results
This is Andrea Samadi, on the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast and my guest today is Dr. Daniel Stickler, an author, speaker, medical pioneer and expert in human optimization.
Welcome Dr. Stickler, what an incredible honor to have this chance to speak with you today. Thank you so much for your time, and for all you doing to expand the world’s awareness of what is truly possible when it comes to human potential.
Dr. Stickler, I’m sure anyone listening will be as intrigued as I was at what exactly you are doing with this whole new paradigm of health and performance. Before we get to the questions, can we just start with the idea of your work being a new paradigm for health and performance and how what you are doing will change the way we perceive the world, just like when Roger Bannister ran the 4 minute mile and changed people’s perceptions of their ability to do the same?
Q1: Dr. Stickler, the reason I asked you to come on this podcast, is because I had been looking to dive deep into the TOP 5 health stapes that have been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease[ii] after I watched Dr. David Perlmutter’s Science of Prevention Documentary[iii] and was looking to learn more about each of these 5 health staples. When I saw your podcast with Luke DePron, I wanted to dig deeper into what you are doing, since it seems that your work takes these 5 health staples to a whole new level.
Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise
Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep
Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet
Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome
Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting
Can you explain how you discovered this new world that opened through the lens of genetics and epigenetics and how your fascination for personalized human systems led to the fact that we truly have the ability within us to take charge of our destiny and become the architects of our own future? What is our DNA is versus our epigenetics, and how we can change the expressions of our genes with the application of these health staples like nutrition, exercise, sleep, meditation?
THOUGHT: This is powerful right here! Most people are not optimizing these 5 health staples, but to make quantum leap changes like many of us want and believe is possible with our potential, this is where it all begins, at the level of gene expression.
Q2: I had no idea just how much my level of awareness would change before I began looking at your work and I came from the personal development world where we were conditioned to push our mental limits every day. I worked closely with this well-known speaker who challenged our thinking to look deeper at the world, he would say, don’t just look through the keyhole, but open the door, and see the possibilities that exist out there in the world. It’s why I’m doing what I’m doing today with a vision on the possibilities. I’ve heard you talking about this concept as “the 100th monkey theory” where there are enough people out there that believe what you are talking about that critical mass starts to occur. Can you explain this theory and where are we in the world right now when it comes to advancements in longevity and human potential and do you think the majority of the world is ready for what you are working on at The Apeiron Center? (Ap-eer-on)
THOUGHT: There’s always room for improvement whether we are regular people looking to take our results to a new level, or people that seek you out (pro athletes, those in special operations in the military). This is a whole new paradigm of health, productivity and results are possible. You are giving us a blueprint or model to think about, which is mind-blowing. “There’s no way to guess at what our limit is.”
Q3: You mention the importance of a concept called “interoception” or the ability to listen to the signals within the body that we have spoken about in a few episodes on this podcast (whether it was with Dr. Dan Siegel and his Wheel of Awareness meditation[iv] that strengthens this awareness) or personal trainer Jason Wittrock who talked about the importance of listening to your hunger cues to gain control over your eating habits. You talk about interoception as a skill used by pro athletes to achieve results with their athletic career, or with those in the special forces who must learn this skill since they are often faced with life vs death situations. What are some ways that we can learn this skill and how are you measuring important data points to get people to hit these higher levels of achievement using this skill?
Thought: Dr. Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation[v] has a segment where he takes us from head to toe, giving us access to listen to part the wisdom we feel in each part of our body. This helps us to become more aware of our organs, bones and muscles and parts of our body that we rarely ever put our focused attention towards.
Most people have not yet mastered these 5 health staples (exercise, sleep, nutrition etc) in order to reach the high levels of performance, health and longevity that you work with people on, but on the other hand, not everyone is a Google Executive, a Pro Athlete, or Special Operations in the Military, but there’s a craving in many people I come across to reach these higher levels. Can you take us through the process of how you optimize a person from where they are now, to where they want to go, and what/how you are measuring this?
Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise
Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep
Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet
Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome
Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting
Q4: I watched your interview with Brian Rose, on London Real[vi] where you give an incredible overview of the work you are doing taking people’s results to higher levels, and your podcast interview with Ari Whitten, who I’ve followed for years, on the topic of “The Best Peptides to Boost Mitchondria, Brain Health and Longevity.”[vii] I’ve provided links in the show notes for people who want to dive deeper into understanding what you do but can you give a brief overview of how you are using peptides to help people in ways that pharmaceuticals cannot?
What about the cognitive side? I’ve created this podcast to provide tools and resources for the most current neuroscience research as well as social and emotional learning skills for schools and the workplace. Did I hear this correctly? Is there REALLY a peptide that can enhance empathy and compassion in people? How does this work?
Q5: What is your vision for where you are going at the Apeiron Center?
For people who want to learn more and reach you personally what are the best places to go?
Apeiron.Academy https://apeiron.academy/ To learn more about being a Certified Epigenetics Performance Coach
Apeiron Center https://apeironzoh.com/center/ if you want to learn more about what Dr. Stickler’s team is doing with offices around the world.
Dr. Stickler, thank you so much for your time today. This is serious work, and I heard you say that you are a serious coach, who gives the guidance needed to get someone on the right path vs you are not a cheerleader who won’t call someone out on their crap. This is the only way to get serious results, and I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to learn from you. Thank you.
RESOURCES:
Importance of the Systems Approach Principle by Patrick Gleeson PhD. Published Jan.25, 2019 https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-system-approach-principle-81413.html
Garmin Fitness and Lifestyle watches https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/c10002-p1.html
Get your own genetic testing kit http://getmydnakit.com/ and access an epigenetics coach to guide you in the process.
Apeiron Zoh Collective Community Learn More Here https://www.lifeofexcellence.io/main-zoh
REFERENCES:
[i] Luke DePron and his Live Great Lifestyle Podcast with Dr. Daniel Stickler https://livegreatlifestyle.libsyn.com/limitless-peak-performance-and-human-potential-epigenetics-aging-anti-aging-and-the-future-of-being-a-healthy-human
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPSIODE #87 “The Top Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/
[iii] Dr. David Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention Documentary https://www.drperlmutter.com/alzheimers-the-science-of-prevention-2020-air-dates/
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPSIODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/
[v] Dr. Dan Siegel’s “Wheel of Awareness Meditation” https://www.drdansiegel.com/resources/wheel_of_awareness/
[vi] Brain Rose London Real Interview with Dr. Daniel Stickler Published on YouTube July 14, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynbaJ2038K0&feature=emb_logo
[vii] Ari Whitten and Dr. Daniel Stickler YouTube Interview Published June 29, 2019 “The Best Peptides to Boost Mitchondria, Brain Health and Longevity” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn6Q1Eh7uR0&feature=emb_logo
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