The reason I've invested so much time and effort developing an opinionated stance on health is because: 1. I was fed seed oil formula as a baby and received 40+ vaccinations. 2. My dad grew up dirt poor and was proud to provide all-day access to ultra processed junk food. We ate school lunch. My step mom mostly fed the family box foods. 3. I grew up in a cold, low sun area, and was too inflamed to get sun anyways. Always assumed I was "just too white". 4. I had chronic constipation, a hernia surgey, and a massive amount of antibiotics all before I was 13. 5. I abused weed, alcohol, party drugs, and pharmaceuticals as a kid and throughout my career. Parents divorced young; I see now I was coping, deep down I felt abandoned and angry. Substance abuse got me through it, providing some fun and pleasure. An escape. 6. I spent most of my time in front if TVs and computer screens. Stayed up all night. Never woke up early with energy. 7. Conventional medicine constantly failed me (prescription antacids, antibiotics, pharma, etc) and my problems became severe into my 30s. Of all the interventions I've experimented with, including prolonged water fasting, keto, and carnivore: the only camp that's provided lasting relief and real improvement to my underlying health is the Ray Peat / bioenergetics community. Focusing on metabolism gave me a foothold to reinvigorate motility, which gave me the forceful downwards digestion needed to effectively clear my own dysbiosis, which made probiotic therapies actually work, which made anti-stress therapies have a lasting effect, which allowed sugar to provide warmth and energy (the way it's supposed to), which made body fat melt off, which improved hormones, which provided an inner calm, etc, etc... And it all started with this video. #Peatstr