THE DURA PROTOCOL

The DURA Protocol comprises the overarching strategy in comprehensively, and specifically, addressing every known health impacter. It is centered around the concepts of human evolution and ancestral wellness. The DURA Protocol is designed to accommodate our physiology which emerged from over 2.5 million years of human evolution, before agriculture and modern technology suddenly, and drastically, altered our environment and bodily inputs. Our modern environment exposes us to countless evolutionary mismatches that throw our bodies out of a finely-tuned homeostasis, leading to dysfunction and disease. Utilizing knowledge of the environment which produced our current physiological needs, the DURA Protocol addresses every health impacter to maximize the rate and depth of results. Only by leveraging all of the following health impacters to create a physiological synergy will health optimization become possible.

NUTRITION
Nourish your cells. To continuously grow and regenerate, all humans need a nutrient-dense, species-appropriate diet. We properly balance vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and trace elements to eliminate any deficiencies. Further, we minimize inflammation and toxicity caused by processed foods, refined sugar, industrial fats, and chemical ingredients. Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures, so we design an eating plan that gets you the most nutrients in the ways you most enjoy, crushing detrimental cravings and naturally regulating appetite. The DURA Protocol relies on nutrient-dense, in-season and local foods, utilizing a low-carbohydrate, nose-to-tail animal-based approach to diet.

TRAINING
We don’t stop moving because we get old - we get old because we stop moving. Your personal goals, whether they be fat loss, strength gain, injury recovery, cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, sports-specific, functionality, lean mass gain, or joint rehabilitation will require expert, customized programming and modalities for optimal results. We apply the right amount and right type of movements that will incur the adaptations you desire. We safely and calmly challenge our bodies a bit beyond their current limits, rest well, and repeat.

SLEEP
Your day truly begins at bedtime. Accommodating the body’s natural cycle is among the most powerful aspects of the DURA Protocol. Light exposure, sleep and wake regularity, and the timing of meals and other zeitgebers all promote proper cellular and mitochondrial function, and allow for regulated hormonal cascades that define our reality. Poor sleep will inhibit every bodily function, and establishing an optimal sleep practice is paramount.

LIGHT
Bright days, dark nights. Our light environment has changed dramatically in the past few decades and is significantly affecting our health and function. Artificial light at night is throwing our circadian biology into disarray. Light exposure activates or suppresses certain hormonal production, most importantly melatonin, needed for sleep onset, and cortisol, needed for wakefulness. Our physiology is very tightly tied to these hormonal shifts produced by the light or lack thereof over the day/night cycle, and depends on the right light spectrums at the right time to operate properly. Blue light exposure from screens and LED bulbs after sunset will harm sleep quality and have multitudinal downstream negative effects, while similarly a lack of bright red spectrum light from the sun in the morning and daytime will leave one tired and low energy. If our lifestyles inhibit us from morning sun exposure or total darkness after sunset, the DURA Protocol compensates with hacks and habits which mitigate this critical evolutionary mismatch.

SUPPLEMENTATION
Fill in the gaps, replenish your stores. Soil, the foundation of the food web, is now severely depleted of nutrients from monocropping, overproduction, chemical fertilization, and other industrial farming practices. The plants grown in it and the animals they feed do not contain the same vitamins, minerals and trace elements that they had in the past. Further, we do not typically get the amount of sun exposure for which we evolved, and our water sources are tainted. Therefore, in many cases, supplementation is useful to fill the gaps, and certain health conditions will improve with targeted nutrient repletion from key supplements.

STRESS
Simplify, and mind your surroundings. Minimize. Learn to say “no.” Carefully curate the people and objects with which you surround yourself. You control your to-do list, not the other way around. Nurture constructive relationships, and forego abusive ones. Acute, intermittent stressors can be healthful (hormesis), but chronically elevated cortisol will break the body down and harm one’s outlook on the future. The DURA Protocol includes practical, effective stress mitigation techniques.

WATER
Hydrogen, oxygen, minerals - only. Water is one of the most consistent inputs we give our body and therefore a huge health impacter, making it central to the DURA Protocol. Despite what you may hear, tap water is not harmless. While municipalities may rigorously filter out bacteria and viruses, most pharmaceuticals, microplastics, herbicides, and other harmful compounds are not yet considered. Harmful substances, such as fluoride and chlorine, are even intentionally added, and your Brita or fridge filter is largely ineffective. Finally, treated water must then flow through miles of questionable piping before reaching your tap. The DURA Protocol involves conscious water sourcing, defaulting to spring water or remineralized reverse-osmosis water. And oh yeah - buy a shower filter.

BREATH
Breathe better. The way you breathe effects your state of mind, mood, concentration, stress level, cardiovascular health, and even facial structure and devolopment. Proper breathing technique, both at rest and during physical exertion, are examined in the DURA Protocol. Breathwork can be used strategically to create intended effects, and many of Andrew’s clients have experienced major improvements in quality of life by building the habit of simply inhaling through the nose instead of the mouth, among other rewarding techniques.

HYGIENE PRODUCTS
Stay fresh without the downsides. Hand soap, facial cleansers, body wash, deodorant, moisturizers, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoos, conditioners, fragrances, gels, makeup and cosmetics, laundry detergent and household cleaning products… they all combine to comprise one of the biggest inputs to our physiology today. Our skin is our biggest vital organ and can absorb topically applied chemicals into the bloodstream, affecting our health and hormones. The DURA Protocol seeks to eliminate harmful topical ingredients from our hygiene practices through properly curated hygiene and household products.

QUANTUM BIOLOGY
We are electrical beings. Our technology-focused society has led to dramatic shifts in our everyday environment. Non-native electromagnetic frequencies (nnEMF) such as wifi and cellular radiation, artificial light at night (ALAN), and blue-lit screen usage, combined with a lack of sunlight, out-of-season eating, a lack of grounding to the earth, year-round climate control, and other technologies of convenience compromise our mitochondrial and cellular function, leading to lowered immunity, fatigue and energy issues, disrupted sleep, digestive problems, cognitive impairment, mood and anxiety issues, and so on. The evidence continues to mount that nnEMFs, light, and indoor lifestyles are affecting our biology, as more and more powerful versions of these technologies flood our environment every year. It is critical to be aware of the potential damage relating to our electrical nature, and the DURA Protocol seeks to mitigate these pervasive evolutionary mismatches.