5HT: 5 Healthyish Things, including morning water and house burping

ICYMI: I had heart surgery last week. 

The procedure itself was a success and we’ll know in a couple of weeks whether my PVCs are gone for good 🤞.

I went to a local hospital here in Austin, where the surgery was performed by Dr J. David Burkhardt, who’s world-renowned for this procedure. He’s not a big talker, but he’s widely respected. Multiple nurses told me how good he is, which is exactly what you want to hear right before someone starts poking around your heart.

Once I arrived at the hospital, someone came in and shaved basically my entire body—except for a circular area around my belly button, which is… hilarious. I look a bit like a baby seal 😂 elsewhere. From there, they wheeled me into the OR, put on some ’90s music, and within minutes of the anesthetic… I was out.

While I was under, they made an incision in my right groin to get into the femoral artery and threaded a catheter up to my heart to track down the source of the PVCs. So fascinating and so crazy.

I was told afterwards that the surgery took a bit longer than anticipated because the focal point was harder to get to than they originally thought. They ended up having to ablate three different sides. 

But altogether it took 3 hours, annnnd then I spent the next 36 hours trying to get out of the hospital 🫠. They eventually let me out of hospital prison, and I've been recovering at home since.

The main thing I've been healing from is that incision in my right groin area, which is a bit sore and plenty uncomfortable. They also warn you your heart can be a little topsy-turvy for a couple of weeks after an ablation, and it’s been fascinating to watch that play out on my wearables. My HRV, for example, dropped from an average of ~80 pre-surgery to 25 last night 🤯. Just look at that dramatic post-January 21st surgery drop!

The good news: I haven’t felt PVCs since the procedure, which feels like a very good sign. We’ll know more definitively in a couple of weeks, but looking back, I’m really glad I did this—and I’m hopeful it solved the problem for good. 🤞

So many of you reached out to me with well wishes, and I want to express again how much I appreciate it. Thank you!

Every once in a while, something comes along in longevity science that sounds like sci-fi, but might not be. And right now that’s the Yamanaka factors. 

To bring you up to speed, we first have to go backwards. About two decades ago, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that by turning on just four genes (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc—or collectively OSKM), you could rewind an adult cell back into a stem-cell-like state. These genes—now called the Yamanaka factors—have been described as a cellular “factory reset,” a discovery that ultimately earned Yamanaka a Nobel Prize.

Fully applied, Yamanaka factors reset a cell completely—powerful, but risky. But if you partially reset it, that’s where things get interesting. They could essentially restore cells to a healthier state while preserving cell identity. Think of it as cells remembering how to be young again. 

I know this sounds wild—but stick with me.

David Sinclair, a well-known longevity researcher and thought leader, has spent the last decade pushing a controversial—but increasingly supported—idea: Aging isn’t damage, it’s a loss of information. In mouse models, his lab has shown that activating a subset of the Yamanaka Factors (just OSK instead of the full OSKM) can reverse biological age markers, restore tissue function, and reverse vision loss.

In a landmark 2020 experiment, elderly mice with damaged optic nerves regained vision after OSK activation 🤯. The cells weren’t replaced; they were reprogrammed. The way Sinclair explains it, “Genetic information is like hardware, and epigenetic information is like software.” And in theory, software can be rebooted.

Fast forward to today: Sinclair is now involved in the first human clinical trial of partial cellular reprogramming in patients with glaucoma. If this works—even modestly—it would be the first real evidence that epigenetic aging can be reversed in humans, not just mice. And that’d obviously be huuuuuuge . 

The work is starting with the eyes, but Sinclair has also suggested the brain—and eventually whole-body rejuvenation—could be possible. And as we increasingly learn that different organs age at different rates, resetting them individually may be key to extending healthspan. Heck, if this pans out, Bryan Johnson’s Don’t Die movement may not be a moonshot after all. 

I don’t think this means immortality. But it does mean our biological age is likely far more flexible than we once thought. And once you see aging as software—not just destiny—it’s hard to unsee the possibility. 

Of course, it's still wildly early. There are lots of unknowns. And this is most definitely not medical advice, but still very cool and very exciting. (And thanks to reader Will Y. for the initial share!)

I’ve learned “House burping” is the genius/hilarious name for letting fresh air into your home. Apparently this is very common and basically a meme in Germany, too.

I’ve been doing some field research in the world of woo lately (and getting some fun feedback from all of you—keep it coming). Next stop: Reiki.

Quick debrief: Reiki is an energy-healing technique originating from Japan. The way it works is that Reiki practitioners place their hands on or just above the body to work with the body’s energy field, also called “universal life force energy.” It’s most often used to reduce stress, promote relaxation, and support healing.

Fun fact: Some people say Mr. Miyagi used Reiki—not magic—to heal Daniel’s leg in this pivotal scene in The Karate Kid. I regret to inform you my experience was… not that 😅.

My first—and only—Reiki session happened at a hotel in Arizona that was supposedly known for this kind of thing… and I left feeling very annoyed.

I felt antsy right away and grew increasingly impatient as I waited for something to happen. Nothing did ☹️. There was no release, no touch, no obvious effect. I couldn’t help but think, is this a scam? I walked away kind of convinced it was. 

From a scientific standpoint, the evidence doesn’t exactly rescue it. There isn’t strong, high-quality data supporting Reiki as an effective treatment. There are some small studies suggesting potential benefits—especially around stress and mental health—but overall, the research is limited and more rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed to show effects beyond placebo.

Now—before all my Burner friends come for me 🫣—here’s where I level-set. Even if Reiki is a placebo, a placebo isn’t nothing. Safety, touch, and attention can all have real physiological effects. If someone feels deeply seen, relaxed, and safe during Reiki, their nervous system can shift, even if the explanation isn't mystical or, frankly, science-based.

And to be fair, I’ve met people over the years who seem to have what you might call “healing hands.” I think my wife is one of them. My mother-in-law, too. Some people calm babies instantly. Some make you feel grounded just by sitting next to them. History is full of stories about humans having a special ability to soothe or heal through presence and touch.

So yes—it’s possible my experience would’ve been different with another practitioner. Just like therapy, massage, or really any intervention involving human connection. I also went in skeptical, and Reiki feels like one of those modalities that’s highly dependent on both the practitioner and the expectations of the recipient. 

​Ultimately, though, it’s not for me, and it’s not one I’d recommend as a first-line treatment. But that doesn’t automatically make it truth or fraud, either. When it comes to woo, I’d probably put this closer to the fraud side 😬, but I think it depends on you!

If you follow health influencers online, chances are you’ve seen them recommend a buuunch of different morning water-inspired 💧“cocktails” to optimize hydration first thing in the day. From lemon water to olive oil and honey, it’s a whole thing. 

And it makes sense. Some evidence suggests restoring hydration after overnight fluid loss can improve cognitive performance and decrease fatigue, particularly when dehydration is present.

Recently, I came across a brand literally called Morning Water that’s seemingly building on that trend. (Naming it Morning Water is a smart move by the brand, btw.) It's founded by Austin Brawner (who lives here in Austin with me—I don’t know him personally, but he's a friend of a friend, and I’d like to!), and Blake Mycoskie (also don’t know him personally but he’s the founder of Toms Shoes and pretty famous). 

I’ve been taking Morning Water the last couple of weeks, and I’m into it. The ingredient stack is compelling—it’s basically like LMNT (but with French grey sea salt, oh là là!) plus creatine and amino acids.

Taste-wise, it’s also pretty good! It's sweetened with monk fruit, includes coconut water powder (which I’ve never seen before), and uses natural lemon and lime flavors. Net result: a genuinely nice upgrade to my morning routine.

Annnd you can get 10% off using code “5HT” at checkout!

Directions: Use Andrew Warner’s hack to build your very own Claude Code weight loss/food journaling bot. (I’ve been tinkering with something similar and will share soon.)

👋 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.