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Shout out to my new friend, Jordana S! Jordana is a reader who saw me at a coffee shop here in Austin and came over to my table to say hi. Honestly, such a fun moment 😄. If you everrr see me out in the wild, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself!
#1 Breathwork
I’ve meditated almost every morning for ten years 🧘♀️, and I’m fully bought into it. The research supporting memory, focus, and mindfulness is overwhelming, and I genuinely feel the difference. Breathwork, on the other hand, has always felt like meditation’s very, er, niche cousin: more intense, slightly performative, and a little TikTok dance-y 😬. When I thought of breathwork, I just pictured breath of fire in a new age yoga class.
Then I started getting PVCs ❤️—and the one thing that’s reliably stopped them is box breathing. The technique is simple: inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4—and repeat for 3-4 rounds. Also known as tactical breathing, it’s an official resource for military and law enforcement personnel to manage stress and maintain focus under pressure. Pretty cool.
Plus, there are cardiovascular benefits. According to the American Heart Association, regulating the breath this way not only stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system but it increases CO2 in your bloodstream which decreases your heart rate. Thisss likely explains why it was recommended to me by—who are we kidding—ChatGPT 😆 to help calm arrhythmia episodes. And I can honestly say I’ve felt its impact.
Sooo, when this topic was chosen for our 5HT+ Slack community, I went down a rabbit hole 🐰 to better understand breathwork. Turns out, breathwork isn't so much woo as it is physiology. One review even found diaphragmatic breathing consistently reduced stress, with improvements in cortisol levels, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and self-reported stress.
I explored a bunch of techniques (like alternate nostril breathing and bumblebee breath) and picked up some fun facts along the way—like how even Navy SEALs are trained on conscious breathing as a part of their personal survival tactics. But a few techniques stood out beyond box breathing… that I’ll share in a part II.
In the meantime, there are a buuunch of apps (like Breathwrk and Othership), people (like Samantha Kelly), classes (in Austin, there’s Lizard Yoga), and training (like SOMA Breath) that make trying this practice easier.
Between breathwork and my recent reckoning with grounding, my curiosity is piqued on practices I once wrote off as too “woo.” I’ve already got some thoughts on acupuncture coming, but what skeptical deep dive should I do next? 🤔
What "woo" do you want to see me do?
#2 Lightwork, part II
We all know the environment outside is increasingly toxic 😬. Buuut we don’t always notice the environment inside our homes can be toxic too 👎. When you buy a new piece of tech, you probably don’t think about what it’s emitting in your bedroom. When there’s a fire dozens of miles away, you likely don’t consider how it might affect the air in your kitchen. And yet, toxins are getting into our filters and plates each day.
So when I learned my friends had launched an at-home health assessment, I wanted in. A few weeks back, I shared what they found. This week, I’m sharing what we’ve done about it. (And, er, what I'm still working on.)
⚡To reduce elevated AC electric fields, I…
Purchased a zillion of these outlet timers and installed them on nearly everything plugged into the wall. (Especially in our daughters’ bedrooms, where the elevated AC electric field levels were supposedly highest.) This feels like by far the craziest thing I’ve done in my home. Basically, they’re kill switches that turn whatever’s plugged into them off at midnight and then on at 5AM (you can pick the times). I even did this for our Wi-Fi (see below)! It seems like a surefire way to stop these electric fields. We don’t need the power then anyway, so, IDK, yolo?
I also “grounded” the power in my office—a no-brainer I wrote about last week–and swapped our extension cords for this no-EMF power strip.
📡 To reduce radiofrequency radiation levels, I...
Lightwork suggested cutting power to the router, so the Wi-Fi now turns off overnight. I’ll share I do have some mixed feelings on this one—emergencies, Ring cams, etc. TBD on whether we'll keep doing it. The other option is hardwiring the house!
💡To reduce elevated flicker and blue light levels, I…
Replaced problematic bulbs. Lightwork identified nine bulbs we needed to replace (or at least avoid at night). They even made it easy by having us snap photos and organizing the replacements. Of everything we did, this had the most immediate effect.
Moved to lamps after sundown. Lightwork flagged overhead lighting in the evening is more disruptive and suggested using lamps instead. More reason to get that viral jellyfish lamp! 😂
💨 To improve air quality, I…
Added more Coway Air Filters. We already had purifiers in bedrooms and offices, but added two more in high-traffic areas like our kitchen and living room. Lightwork also recommended running them continuously (versus auto) and replacing filters regularly.
💧 WIP: improving our water quality.
Our drinking water passed the test, buuut our bathing water contains elevated levels of THMs 😬. The reco was to install a whole-home two-stage filtration system. I haven’t done this yet because we’re doing other house stuff, it’s expensive, and seems okay to deprioritize for now. But it’s on the list!
Have I felt different? Not definitively, but I have felt the oh-so-beautiful placebo effect of taking action. This year opened my eyes to how much our environment is hurting us, and this exercise really feels like we’ve actively made progress in a very cool way.
Founded by a couple friends of mine, Lightwork has made me a HUGE fan. Not everyone can afford them, duh, but they’ve actually agreed to give 5HT readers access to a ridiculously helpful guide with 40 ways to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins in your home. It covers EMFs, lighting, air quality, water quality, and mold. Definitely a home health flex.
#3 Social palette cleanse
So, last week Strava released its 12th Annual Year in Sport Trend Report and claims doomscrolling is out. I’m not so convinced 🤨, but I do love a good humor palette cleanse in the feed—and these from Katie Grossbard had me giggling.
#4 Clear protein
Everyone went all-in on protein this year. And if you saw last week’s edition (which of course you did 😏), you know protein landed in the top five 5HT trends of the year. Before we close things out, I’ve got one more protein trend to throw at you: Clear protein.
Basically, clear protein is whey protein isolate with the fat, carbs, and lactose stripped out—leaving it, you guessed it (!), clear 😮. The biggest differences come down to taste (refreshing vs. milky), texture (light vs. chalky), and appearance (transparent vs. creamy). It behaves way more like flavored water than a traditional protein shake, IMO.
I think it hit the mainstream when influencers discovered Genius Gourmet’s Sparkling Protein Blue Raspberry Lemonade at Costco with 30g of protein and 0 sugar, which went MEGA viral and had everyone panic-buying. (2025, amiright? 😂)
But my first taste of clear protein came from a company called gramms. I’m actually drinking their lemonade protein as I write this. They’ve also got peach tea, tropical punch, and strawberry acai if that’s more your lane. So far, I’m way more into it than I expected!
I’m especially into the idea of getting a solid dose of protein without chugging something thick and milky. Given clear protein is lactose-free, it likely plays nicer with my gut and inflammation—both big for me. It also tastes great.
Do I think it's game-changing? IDKID. But I do think it's a cool, healthyish alternative to traditional whey protein isolate—and I’d bet we’re about to see it show up in a looot more products next year. Check it out! (And no, this isn’t sponsored.)
#5 Food certifications
I’m working on a roundup of predictions for 2026, and one I feel increasingly bullish on is a new wave of certifications across the food industry—clear signals for what’s actually clean, safe, and healthy. Think B-Corp or LEED certified but for what’s healthy.
Zooming out, it increasingly feels food is out to get us 🫣. Our environment is getting more toxic, we’re learning how pervasive those toxins are, and a lot of them end up in what we eat. At the same time, our food has never been more nutrient-poor (which I got into in my comparison between food in the US and Europe).
This is where trusted, centralized certification bodies could get interesting. We already see versions of this working. Olive oil has designations like PDO and DOP to signal quality and origin. The USDA certifies “organic” foods against federal standards. Kosher certification signals compliance with a strict set of food laws. These systems aren’t without flaws, but they do create a shared language of trust—and a language that guides people to make different (even if sometimes misguided) decisions.
RFK Jr. is reportedly looking at a national standard of food labeling and safety according to Bloomberg, but that may just get us closer to European-style labels like the Nutri-Score (which I’ve also written about). I think there’s an opportunity to go further. (And it’s something I’m actively working on behind the scenes.)
One company already raising the bar here is Seatopia, who I first wrote about in March and then met at Eudēmonia in November. They deliver omega-rich, sushi-grade seafood sourced from aquaculture farms 🐟—and test every product to confirm it’s omega-dense, mercury-safe, and free from detectable microplastics. I actually just got my first box from Seatopia and can’t wait to try it (will report back).
This is a perfect example of why trusted certifications could make a difference. Fish is objectively a super healthy food, yet I know some very smart health people who won't eat tuna (at all) because of its mercury content. While that feels a little extreme to me, they’re not wrong. Fish can be fishy! Mercury exposure is very real… Yet most fish you buy (even at places like Whole Foods!) isn’t tested in a way that truly feels third-party verified.
Making transparent standards and clear testing the standard would put pressure on the industry to produce healthier foods and empower consumers to make healthier choices. Plus it’d increase the demand for better-for-you food from suppliers, farms, you name it. Point is: it sounds certifiably better 😏 than where we’re at now.
⚡ Neural signals
Okay, you now know what I’m curious about—but here’s what everyone else is Googling, according to a few trusty platforms.
1️⃣ Mastic gum. This is a resin from a mastic tree known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial qualities—and it’s getting quite the upswing in search interest. 👀
2️⃣ Figdet ring. I’ve seen these allll over my Instagram but honestly have never been tempted to get one. I’ve also learned about something called stimming (fidget toy use is one example) and how it can help those with autism regulate their emotions.
3️⃣ Labneh. People are searching for this tangy, creamy Middle Eastern dairy product, with something called “labneh balls recipe” seeing the highest searches.
4️⃣ Tiimo. This app markets itself at making planning easier for people with ADHD using things like with visual timers, AI checklists, and flexible scheduling.
5️⃣ Kosterina. Hey! Looks like people are searching for my favorite olive oil, whichhh was most definitely included on this year’s holiday guide. 😌
🍿 Brain snacks
Next up for pilates: pilates… with red light therapy.
Lumati launches the world’s first at-home saliva microplastics test. I think testing microplastics will be a huge thing next year.
Ohm Health formally launched their Ohm Resonance Lamp. Tried this at a few conferences and thought it was a cool product!
Radial (a company I've written about before and am very proud to work with) announced their $50M fundraise 💰 led by General Catalyst this week. Nbd.
Relatedly, the FDA officially approved a device designed to treat depression by sending electric current into a part of the brain known to regulate mood. 👏
The FDA alsooo announced its advancing sunscreen innovation, meaning more European and Asian-style sunscreens are coming. 😎
Parsley Health launched BYO labs reviews for $250. This was a product I helped a little in the making of and I love it—bring your own labs (yes, from Function or wherever) and get them reviewed with a best-in-class functional medicine clinician. So cool.
Leona Health, the world's first AI co-pilot for doctors built on WhatsApp, officially launched in 14 countries. Very cool, accessible idea.
Data shows less than 13% of people achieve the recommended sleep duration of 7-9 hours per night and 8,000+ steps/day… which oddly makes me feel way better! 😆
New research shows aspartame, a widely used sweetener, can trigger an inflammatory response, cause metabolic dysregulation, and more.
Noom enters "longevity" with a new GLP-1s Rx program that pairs microdosed weight-loss drugs with biomarker testing and behavior change. Interesting!
Valerie, a company building a full-stack, AI-native front office 🤖 for independent practices, raises a $30M Series A. (Looots of fundraise announcements this time of year.)
And a bummer in cannabis news: a new review published in JAMA of 15 years of research concludes that the evidence of its benefits is often weak or inconclusive. ☹️
I was hoping someone would do a Spotify-esque Wrapped for health and my friends at Fitt Insider pulled through!
Supplement patches continue to grow in popularity and our 5HT+ Slack group had mixed opinions. What’s your take?
Most clicked last week: The official healthyish gift guide has been poppin’ off 🔥🎁.
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👋 Who are you again? I’m Derek Flanzraich—founder of two venture-backed startups in Greatist (👍) and Ness (👎). 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.)
And oh, you also feel strongly about some health things? Hit reply—I’d love to hear it.