Good morning!

Here's your Saturday 7 roundup!

👅 Where gut begins:

Be careful about what you put in your mouth.

In a study that had volunteers brush after every meal, their Candida albicans (fungus) levels dropped in the mouth AND in the stool (10-100X) compared to those who just brushed once per day.  

What feeds Candida albicans?

Candida prefers simple sugars.

Add mouth breathing, which dries the mouth reducing saliva that washes away microbes and carries antimicrobial proteins, and you have a recipe for fungal proliferation.

Gut (and overall) health starts in the mouth. And it starts with proper diet and proper breathing.

☀️ Which sunscreen to use:

The FDA just approved the first new sunscreen ingredient in more than 20 years.

Bemotrizinol is a broad-spectrum UV filter (blocks both UVA and UVB) that has been used overseas for years.

Because of its large molecular size, it has low absorption through the skin, which reduces safety concerns compared to older chemical filters like oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, and octocrylene.

Still, the goal isn't sun avoidance.

Sunlight is more than vitamin D (something people falsely think they can replicate with a pill).

The sun is a master regulator of: 
• circadian rhythm 
• mood 
• nitric oxide 
• blood pressure 
• sleep 
• immune signaling

It's the conductor in the symphony of your physiology.

Hierarchy of solutions to avoid burns:
1. Get smart sun exposure
2. Gradually build a solar callus
3. Use shade, hats, and clothing first
4. Use mineral, non-nano zinc oxide

Because sunscreen has been regulated as an OTC drug in the U.S. (versus cosmetics in many other countries), bemotrizinol is one of the most thoroughly vetted sunscreen ingredients in U.S. history.

From what I’ve seen, it does appear to be a better option than many older chemical filters.

But personally, I still don't see a need for it.

👴 How to add 5 years to your life:

Last week I talked about how healthy sleep isn't measured by your time in bed. The goal isn't maximum sleep, it's quality sleep. Too little is bad. Too much can indicate something is bad.

Healthy efficient sleep can add years to your life in another way...

Consider this:

If you sleep 7 hours per night and die at age 84, you'll have spent just as many years awake as a person who sleeps 8 hours per night and dies at age 89.

But I still recommend most people shoot for 8 hours, which often lands them around 7 hours when taking into account sleep latency and efficiency.

💡 Is this the recipe for a happy life:

To create a great life, it's less about chasing rare spectacular moments, and more about making your average Tuesday one you'd be happy to keep repeating.

The formula:

1. Work hard on something meaningful to you
2. Take care of your body
3. Spend time with people you love

🧠 What 2 quotes I've been thinking about:

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

"I’d rather be a failure than a coward." 

– Alex Hormozi

📊 What split in 4:

The bitcoin community is split.

According to Saylor, bitcoin is no longer just a monetary protest or technical experiment; it is becoming global financial infrastructure, which has split the community into four ideologies. 

1. Maximalists: defend Bitcoin as sound money, 
2. Capitalists: push integration into banks and markets, 
3. Technologists: focus on improving the protocol, and 
4. Fundamentalists: protect self-custody, decentralization, and censorship resistance.

His message is that bitcoin needs all four: conviction, adoption, innovation, and preservation. 

The goal is not to choose purity over growth, or stability over innovation, but to let the world build on Bitcoin without compromising what makes bitcoin bitcoin. 

Price may be down, but its supply cap, block production, and institutional buildout remain intact.

😁 What is missing:

Nearly half of adults are experiencing a fun drought.

Some thoughts:

Overthinking, excessive caution, and adherence to social approval paralyze people and dim one's natural child-like zeal for life. 

• Action beats rumination: Thinking without acting leads to stagnation; movement creates momentum.
• Play and joy matter: Reclaim childlike experimentation and fun as sources of meaning and creativity.
• Reject external metas: Society’s routines, status symbols, and rules don’t fit everyone; find your own path.
• Embrace imperfection and risk: Learn by doing, stumble forward, and accept chaos as part of growth.
• Have a “soon”: A near-term goal or excitement is essential to stay alive and engaged.

Life is meant to be lived. 

As always, it's an honor getting to spend some time with you. 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Kevin

P.S.

Crazy fact: Shuffle a deck of playing cards. 

That exact order of cards has likely never existed and may never exist again in the history of humanity.

52! ≈ 8.07×10^67 = an unimaginably huge number: about 80 unvigintillion possible arrangements.

Dr. Kevin Stock
Meat Health

SnoreBuds
 

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