#1Ā Blood cleaning

A growing health trend I’ve been eyeing lately is blood cleaning 🩸, aka therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE).Ā 

Plasma—the liquid part of your blood that comes with hormones and antibodies—also carries some unwanted stuff like microplastics, inflammatory proteins, and potentially even some toxins 😬. TPE removes that plasma and replaces it with a clean solution (usually saline or albumin), then returns your blood cells to circulation. Think of it like an oil change—but for your body šŸ‘.Ā 

A growing number of companies are now offering TPE. One company here in Austin, called Proxima Health, combines TPE with diagnostics and longevity coaching. Another company, Circulate Health, just raised $12M, indicating VCs are interested in the trend.Ā 

Circulate also recently published a study showing TPE (especially when combined with something called IVIG) significantly reversed biological age markers across 15 epigenetic clocks (basically high-tech ways to estimate how ā€œoldā€ your body really is) 🧬. If that holds up, that’s wild!

The science is still early, and the price tag is steep—$8-10K per treatment, not covered by insurance. But I could see a world where this eventually becomes as routine as an annual blood test. (Function x Circulate collab, anyone?) I haven’t tried it (yet šŸ˜…), but the idea of a full-body reset is tempting.

Now, this isn’t the same thing as the more headline-grabbing (and controversial) blood swapping, made famous by Bryan Johnson when he traded plasma with his teenage son. That’s a whole different thing—more experimental and inspired by parabiosis studies, where scientists literally connected old and young mice to share blood. Crazy, I know—but the results did show older mice lived 6-9% longer.Ā 

Overall, this whole area is fascinating to me (though maybe a little Frankenstein-y 😬), and one I’ll keep watching. Curious what 5HT readers think. If cost and access weren’t an issue…

#2 David selling cod

As you know, this newsletter is mostly dedicated to covering David protein bars.Ā 

They’re a little bit controversial, but there’s no way to argue against their macros (28g protein, 150 calories). To hammer this point home—and continue to embrace controversy—they’re now selling Wild-Caught Pacific cod šŸ¤”. Like the literal fish, flash frozen. And this isn’t a prank; you can buy them (and, of course, I have).

I frankly just love the audacity and what a PR play to show how difficult it is to get a nutritional profile similar to their bars.

Also, whenever I hear about cod, it’s hard for me not to remember how much cod Dwayne ā€œThe Rockā€ Johnson used to eat. (Spoiler alert: A LOT.)

#3 My personal health protocol: Morning routine

Yes, I’m one of those people who wakes up at 5am. šŸ˜…

But I fully get that it's not for everyone, and don’t believe it’s ā€œthe secret to success.ā€ It just works for me, personally 🤷. Getting up hours before my wife and kids also gives me some me-time in the morning before I connect with the fam.Ā 

As I continue to share my healthyish protocols, here’s what my mornings usually look like:

  • ā˜€ļø 5am: Wake up

  • šŸ‘“ 5-5:20am: Back exercises (more on why I do these below!)

  • šŸ§˜ā€ā™‚ļø 5:20-5:30am: 10-minute meditation (used to use Headspace, now I do this solo)

  • šŸ’» 5:30-7am: Deep work (paired with my trusty Costco cold brew and starting with 20 mins of my sun lamp)

  • šŸ‘Øā€šŸ‘©ā€šŸ‘§ 7-9am: Family time (making breakfast for the family, plus helping them get ready for school). I currently eat for breakfast a whole carton of egg whites (50ish grams of protein), chopped up veggies with spices, and sauerkraut or kimchi on top. If this sounds gross to you, imagine how my kids feel (they get something else).

  • šŸ‹ļøā€ā™‚ļø 9-10am: Workout in my home gym (not fancy), unless I’m rock climbing or working out with a friend!

  • šŸ’Š 10-10:30am: Get ready (including skincare and morning supplements)

What’s in your morning routine that I should add to mine? Hit reply with your rec. šŸ“©

#4 Holi (mane)

For the last three months, I’ve been testing holi (mane)—a hair/skin/nails supplement from Agent Nateur that’s heavy on ✨vibes✨ and even heavier on price.

It’s a powder you scoop into your bev or food of choice (I’ve been adding it to my smoothie) and is designed to support longer hair, brighter skin, and stronger nails. The two headline ingredients: Marine collagen and pearl powder. Sounds cool, right? I thought so—cool enough to drop $99 on this Vogue-backed product šŸ˜‚. I just figured I needed to take something for this stuff since everyone else is…

Anyway, let’s break down these two headliners:Ā 

  • Marine collagen (made from non-GMO, wild-caught, kosher fish) includes types I, II, III, and IV collagen associated with skin elasticity, joint health, and hair strength. If you remember this 5HT edition, collagen is an incomplete protein. Since I’ve been focused on upping my protein this year, I’ve been counting collagen toward my daily total šŸ’Ŗ, but haven’t relied on it for my macros.

  • Pearl powder (made from, yes, crushed pearls 🦪) has supposedly been used for over a thousand years in Chinese medicine, from beauty care to healthcare. It's rich in calcium and amino acids and thought to be beneficial for skin regeneration. (Though the science is still early, I tend to believe Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine know what’s up šŸ‘€. )

Buuut as interesting as that sounds, after three months, I’m not convinced šŸ˜•. I’ve been on a mission to simplify my supplement stack, and this one ultimately didn’t make the cut 😬. I wasn’t quite seeing/feeling results, and I didn’t really enjoy supplementing with it (its super fine particles kind of got everywhere), plus ultimately couldn’t justify the heavy price tag. Sorry, holi (mane)! 🤷

#5 Myo

I have a lot of experience with PT, including having a reallyyy tough time finding one I could trust.Ā 

Years ago, when I first hurt my back, I went to a PT that was basically a sad little room inside a doctor’s office ā˜¹ļø, and it took about three seconds for me to realize I wasn’t coming back. Unfortunately, that was a huge mistake. I spent years trying to fix what could have been resolved then, all because that first experience gave me the ick. (Am I using this right?)

Eventually, I tried again. This time, I went to three different providers before finding one I felt okay sticking with. But once I did, it made a genuinely huge difference. My back went from ā€œDon’t even think about bending overā€ to ā€œYeah, okay, I can do this.ā€ šŸ˜†

When you stick with it, PT is pretty amazing—especially if you struggle with any MSK (or musculoskeletal, think back, knee, neck) issues. And given that most of us sit hunched over a desk all day with pretty questionable posture 🤨, it’s becoming even more essential. Unfortunately, finding the right PT is tough. Along my journey, I’ve found some to be too sterile. Some, too woo. Some, too impersonal. And that’s why I’m so glad Myo is doing things differently and offering a more modern take on physical therapy. Finally.Ā 

Myo’s approach to movement care is designed to help you better understand your body so you can improve how you move. Each 1-1 session with an expert clinician is meant to help you boost your body IQ. No machines. No assistants. It’s how PT should be, and I’m so excited about what they’re building.Ā 

I've also known Scott (Myo’s founder) for a long time. He has an amazing vision, has built an experience people love, and it’s no wonder it’s growing. They just opened their newest location in New York City, adding to their clinics in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Calgary, and Toronto. Annnd, if you’re in NYC or LA, they’re offering 50% off your first session—exclusively for 5HT readers 🌟. So cool.

My advice? Don’t let years go by before you do PT…because life is too short to have a bad back. 🫠

Other things happening now

  • Fire&Spark released a list of the biggest winners in digital health SEO in 2025 annnd two of our partners at Healthyish Content, Oshi and Midi Health, are in the top 3. Very cool validation for my agency’s model! 🄳

  • Rhode Island becomes the first state (!) to require employers to provide workplace accommodations for employees experiencing menopause. I hope other states follow.

  • You can now track your sun exposure and vitamin D levels in a new app brought to you by Twitter’s co-founder, Jack Dorsey. I feel like Jack is always ahead of things. And you can be, too, because SUN is the theme of the next 5HT Special Edition, coming next week.

  • ICYMI, Fitt Insider published their Wellness 2.0 Playbook earlier this month, highlighting what’s what in health and wellness. They’re the best.

  • This guy lost 12lbs and cut his body fat by 7% eating ā€œmountains of honeyā€ for 90 days šŸÆ. Pooh approved, of course.

  • Bryan Johnson shares what benefits he felt from 48 (!) sessions of 200F, 20 min, dry sauna 🄵. Hard not to be convinced by all the data on Finnish saunas…

  • Most clicked last week: Denmark’s secret to happiness.

If you think being healthyish is cool, share this newsletter with your health-curious friends, fam, and...that one coworker who also wakes up at 5am.

{{rp_personalized_text}}

Copy and paste this link: {{ rp_refer_url }}

šŸ‘‹ Who are you again? I’m Derek Flanzraich—founder of two venture-backed startups in Greatist (šŸ‘) and Ness (šŸ‘Ž). I’ve worked with brands like GoodRx, Parsley, Midi, Ro, NOCD, and Peloton. I now run Healthyish Content, a premium health content & SEO agency (among other things).

Every Thursday, I share 5 health things I feel strongly about so you can live healthyish. (Disclaimer: I’m more your friend with health benefits. None of this is medical advice.)Ā 

And oh, you also feel strongly about some health things? Hit reply—I’d love to hear it.

Keep Reading

No posts found