By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, two Stanford Medicine certificate programs: Nutrition Science and GLP-1s & weight loss. She is currently enrolled in a Stanford Geneticas & AI certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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The muscle problem nobody wanted to talk about

I have been biohacking since 1998, and if there is one thing 28 years of experiments on myself have taught me, it is this: muscle is the hardest asset to build and the easiest to lose.

I recently proved it the painful way. To test the yoga and Pilates crowd who swear you do not need weights, I stopped lifting for 12 weeks. I kept running, kept everything else in my protocol. My DEXA scan was brutal: 2 kg of muscle gone and 1.5% more body fat. When I walked back into the gym on October 15, my deadlift had dropped from 140 lb to about 80 lb.

So when I read about a drug that claims to strip fat while protecting muscle, I do not read it as a curious scientist. I read it as someone who has just watched her own muscle disappear on a scan.

In the BELIEVE trial, published in Nature Medicine in March 2026, about 28% of the weight lost on semaglutide alone came from lean mass. Add bimagrumab, and fat accounted for 92.8% of the weight lost. Lean mass loss dropped from 7.4% to 2.9%.

Muscle is not vanity. It is your glucose sink, your metabolic reserve, your fall insurance, and one of the strongest predictors of how long and how well you live. A drug that strips fat while sparing it changes the conversation. So let’s look at what bimagrumab actually is, what the data shows, and what it does not show yet.

Let’s do a deep dive together and see if bimagrumab is for you.

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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Winter is coming. Is your immunity ready?

Every year, it’s the same story. The days get shorter, the heating comes back on, offices fill with sniffles, and within a few weeks half the people around you are coughing. You tell yourself it’s just the season.

I’ve been biohacking since 1998.

If those years have taught me one thing, it’s that immunity isn’t built by swallowing a vitamin C tablet the day your throat starts to itch.

It’s built ahead of time, every day, through sleep, cold, movement, what’s on your plate, and an organ that medicine ignored for decades: the thymus.

In this article, I explain why we get sick in winter, what sabotages your immune system, why the thymus is becoming the star of longevity research, and above all what you can do, starting this week, to get through winter in great shape.

I haven’t caught a cold or a winter bug in more than 5 years, despite my nonstop travel. I’ve tested my approach on many people, with the same result.

A quick story: last December, our whole family was together in New York. Everyone came down with the bug. Everyone except Dad and me, because we followed these tips to the letter, and even more diligently once everyone else started showing symptoms. It barely touched us, then it was gone.

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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Everyone talks about HRV. It’s become the darling metric of the biohacking world, the number you check every morning before getting out of bed (well not me since I don’t sleep with my phone :), the data point that tells you whether to push hard or pull back.

I’ve been tracking both since long before wearables made it fashionable. And I can tell you that understanding the relationship between these two metrics changed how I structure my recovery protocols entirely.

What is this data that we all ignore?

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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Thank you for joining us live! For this free webinar, I was joined by sleep expert Mollie Eastman.

We talked about the different phases of sleep, the 8 hour night myth, some tribes who sleep way less than 8 hours, the impact of poor sleep on our health in general, on our metabolism, and longevity.

We explored techniques that can help us sleep better from temperature, light, modalities and only last, supplements.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask them under this post.

Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 2-week Longevity Experience - Mongolia (10-26 July)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

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The photo illustrating this article was taken right after a strength training session, and I’m flexing. At rest, my muscles didn’t look quite this defined. I’m sharing this photo so that, a few paragraphs from now, I can show you what my arm looks like after 6 weeks, then after 12 weeks.

Why I stopped lifting

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For 12 weeks, I put my weights away. No deadlifts, no loaded squats, no presses. Nothing. And believe me, for someone who loves to train, the first few weeks were a real challenge.

The protocol was simple: I kept everything else. Running, nutrition, sleep, my usual routines, but with yoga, Pilates and the gentle workouts that are all the rage on social media. I only removed weight training. One variable changed, to see what it really brings.

Here’s what happened to my body... get ready to be shocked! Let’s start with the photo after 6 weeks without weight training:

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

Thank you for tuning in!

Prefer to listen? This episode is also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts. Click the Apple Podcasts button on the right side of this page and you’ll be taken straight to the episode.

Today we covered the science behind our skin: how it’s built, why it ages, and what we can do to support it and turn back the aging clock.

I am chronologically 56 (biologically 33) so I need to work extra hard to keep a healthy skin.

The brands I mentioned

None of these companies sponsor me. I simply use them and love them.

ACORN BIOLABS
Not available to buy as an individual. Ask your provider to offer the Acorn protocol, or find a provider near you at acorn.me.

KLOTHO SKIN
I use three products from this brand: the face serum, the eye serum, and the night cream (which I also use in the morning). Use code VALERIE10 for 10% off. Buy the full set and you get 10% off plus a free eye serum, so you go home with two.

MITO RED LIGHT
I use their products extensively: full-length red light panels, the quad belt, the small travel device, and of course their new red light therapy mask. Exclusively for my community, they’re offering 15% off until October 30 with code VALERIE15 at checkout. After October 30th, 2026, use ORSONI for 5% off.

ZELL NOVA
My very own clean, made-in-the-USA supplements. Use code VB20 for 20% off.

MUSELY
Custom-made prescription creams with estradiol, rapamycin, peptides and more, prescribed by a licensed provider.

I hope you enjoyed this live and its content. Cannot wait to see you next week,

If you liked this webinar, can I ask you for a favor? Like it, restack and comment….This is how Substack know you love my content :)

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Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 Hololife Summit - Amsterdam (Nov. 15-15, 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 Mongolia Exclusive 2-week Longevity Experience - Mongolia (10-26 July)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

The part I usually don’t show you

You usually hear from me after the win. “Here is how I reversed the irreversible.” What you don’t see is the messy middle: the dead ends, the wrong hypotheses, the specialists who shrug.

This article is the messy middle, written in real time, before I have the answer.

For two years I have had pain on my right side that nobody can explain. I have not solved it yet.

But I want to show you exactly how I hunt for a root cause, because the method matters more than any single answer. And thanks to my method…I did find the root cause, after 2 years of searching!

The pain

The pain lives on my right side, in a band that runs from the middle of my glute up toward my right kidney. It started about two years ago, with no trigger I can recall: no fall, no race, no new training block. One day it was simply there.

It is a dull, deep ache, never sharp. And it comes and goes: I can be pain-free for three days, then have it for a full day. Sitting for a long time is the main trigger. Running doesn’t hurt, and neither do long strides. On a bad day, stairs can. A figure-four stretch eases it.

It hasn’t stopped me. I simply train around it: on pain days, upper body and abs; on good days, legs. But manageable is not the same as solved, and I want to know why.

Three countries, many experts, no answer

Over two years I have had physical exams, X-rays and two full-body MRIs, and seen osteopathic doctors, chiropractors and my family physician in three countries: France, Germany and the US. The imaging never showed anything.

I don’t blame any of them.

Each one looked through the lens of their own specialty, and the problem may simply sit between those lenses.

That is a pattern I see again and again in hard cases.

The Corsica session stands out. Four days of pain, then six months of none. Something in that deep manual work changed the mechanics, and that is a clue in itself: it points to a structural, local problem rather than something systemic.

The thigh exercise taught me something too. It brings instant relief, and for a while I took that as proof it was working. Then I asked myself why. Raising my knee flexes my hip, and hip flexion opens the space deep in the buttock where things can get pinched. So the relief may simply mean I’m taking the pressure off for a moment, not fixing anything. I don’t read relief as a cure anymore. I read it as data: it tells me where the problem lives.

How I research a mystery: My fail-proof method

Applying the following process led me to two suspects: one my doctor raised…after 2 years of research (!), and one no practitioner had mentioned, whose map matches my pain almost exactly.

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Reassessing your supplement protocol is a biological necessity — not a whim

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I reassess my supplement protocol every single month.

I spend about 4 hours over a weekend doing so. This does not include the time spent reading and analyzing studies throughout the month.

This approach may surprise some people, but it is based on a very simple biological reality:

👉 The human body is not a static system.

Needs evolve depending on:

• environmental stressors (toxins, infections, travel, mycotoxins)

• inflammatory status

• gut permeability

• mitochondrial function

• autonomic nervous system balance

• and the adaptations induced by the supplements themselves

A protocol that made perfect sense three months ago can become useless, excessive, or even counterproductive today.

To those who believe that “eating well is enough,” my answer is twofold:

First, our soils are severely depleted, meaning the foods we eat today are far less nutrient-dense than they once were.

Second, while a perfectly balanced diet allows you to live a normal life, a balanced diet plus intelligent supplementation allows you to live an optimal life.

The physiological reasons behind changes in my protocol

Monthly adjustments are mainly driven by three situations:

1. A therapeutic objective has been reached

Example: Vitamin D and Vitamin A had reached their therapeutic target (full repletion), which makes the maintenance dose I was running now excessive rather than useful. Same underlying logic as the mycotoxin work I’ve written about before, becomes unnecessary once biomarkers return to normal, except this time it’s a nutrient overshoot rather than a toxin clearance.

2. Controlled exploration of new molecules

Example: R-Alpha Lipoic Acid for glycation control, and standalone fisetin, pterostilbene, and rhodiola at real, research-backed doses instead of the token amounts buried inside a proprietary blend. Some emerging supplements show interesting mechanisms of action (mitochondrial, inflammatory, neuro-immune). I choose to test them in a measured, monitored, and controlled framework.

3. Conditions poorly or insufficiently addressed by conventional medicine

Example: a TSH sitting at 3.19 and an HbA1c at 5.8% both read as “within range” on a standard panel. Neither would trigger a conversation with a conventional GP. Both are addressed here. Or situations where I aim to avoid treatments with heavy side effects, when structured alternatives exist.

This protocol is personal, experimental, and monitored

The protocol presented here is strictly my own.

It is:

• not a recommendation

• not a model to replicate

• not medical advice

It is an individual case, based on:

• specific medical history

• specific symptoms

• biomarkers that are regularly tracked

I share it solely because so many of you ask me what I take, why I take it, and how.

Prescription molecules: framework and precautions

This protocol intentionally includes prescription-only molecules, known for their powerful systemic effects.

Example: colchicine

It is used here to modulate chronic inflammation, notably via inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, which is now well documented in inflammatory, metabolic, and neurodegenerative conditions.

👉 But colchicine is not benign:

• it can impact pancreatic function

• it requires regular lipase monitoring

In my case:

• a moderate elevation in lipase led to an initial 75% dose reduction

• that reduction was accompanied by a rebound in inflammatory markers

• a subsequent adjustment to 50% of the dose was then implemented

This is exactly how any serious approach should work: observe → measure → adjust → reassess

Formulation logic: absorption and digestive load

One often overlooked aspect: the form of supplements.

Whenever possible, I favor:

• powders

• liquid forms

• transdermal forms

Objectives:

• reduce digestive burden

• improve bioavailability

• avoid excessive capsule ingestion (currently ~80–100/day)

“What about your liver? Your kidneys?” — a biological answer, not an emotional one

This question comes up often, sometimes sarcastically, often from people sipping cocktails or enjoying processed foods.

My answer is simple:

👉 I measure.

• Liver function

• Kidney function

• Inflammatory markers

Everything is tracked and documented.

And most importantly: I publish the results, unfiltered, no storytelling, no spin.

Supplement quality: a central issue

The scientific literature is clear:

👉 Supplement quality varies enormously.

That is why:

• I detail my choices on valbiohacker

• I am using as much as I can my own products, though my line is very short, on ZellNova.com (made in the USA, no fillers, clean)

Few products, but:

• verified manufacturing chains

• maximum traceability

• coherence with a serious biohacking approach

October protocol: intentionally restricted access

The detailed protocol (timing, dosages, combinations, prescription molecules) is placed behind a paywall.

Not out of elitism. But to avoid:

• superficial reading

• misuse

• and, above all, dangerous misinterpretations

👉 Only those truly committed to understanding can access it.

In this protocol, you will not see the BioBloom NADH patches I use twice per week. Nor will you see the peptides I use under fairly complex protocols.

Follow the links to access the exclusive discounts I negotiated for you.

Those require a dedicated article. If peptides interest you, head to the PEPTIDES section on valbiohacker.com

Why this protocol is heavily modified this month

My last full recheck came from the YEARS clinic in Berlin, and it surfaced three things I wasn’t watching closely enough.

My Vitamin D had climbed to 81 ng/ml, well past the optimal 30 to 50 range, on a dose I’d stopped reassessing. However, though 80 is out of the range it is considered by biohackers as optimal.

My retinol was sitting just above reference too, same story.
My HbA1c came back at 5.8% (a surprise since 3 months prior it was at 5.2%), technically into the prediabetic range, despite completely normal fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, which means it’s a glycation signal, not insulin resistance, and nothing in my stack was built to catch that distinction.
My TSH was gray-zone at 3.19 with free T3 sitting low-normal. And my ionized calcium came back below range while I currently have zero supplemental calcium in the protocol, a deliberate choice I made months ago because of an active biofilm concern, but one that now needs a real conversation with my physician rather than staying on autopilot.

On top of the lab-driven changes, I finally sat down and broke apart NOVOS Core, a sachet I’d been taking daily without questioning what was actually in it or at what dose. Some of it I was already covering elsewhere at real doses. So I dropped the sachet and made an ingredient-by-ingredient call on each component instead of letting a proprietary blend decide for me.

I’m also reintroducing binder rotation at 6:30am. I’d reduced everything down to charcoal-only for a while, which was right for that phase. But running one binder daily, indefinitely, has its own cost: binders aren’t selective, and continuous single-binder use quietly depletes minerals you actually want to keep. So it’s now a rotation across three binders, five days on, two off, rather than the same one every single morning.

Biofilm disruptors stay off this round. Still waiting on a fresh GI-MAP before reintroducing those.

Here is my updated list, morning only (6:30am to 10am). Midday and evening are coming in separate posts.

Supplement quality: a central issue

The scientific literature is clear:

👉 Supplement quality varies enormously.

That is why:

• I detail my choices on valbiohacker

• I am using as much as I can my own products though my line is very short on ZellNova.com (made in the USA, no fillers, clean).

  

  

Few products, but:

• verified manufacturing chains

• maximum traceability

• coherence with a serious biohacking approach

October MORNING stack: intentionally restricted access

The detailed protocol (timing, dosages, combinations, prescription molecules) is placed behind a paywall.

Not out of elitism.

But to avoid:

• superficial reading

• misuse

• and, above all, dangerous misinterpretations

👉 Only those truly committed to understanding can access it.

In this protocol, you will not see the BioBloom NADH patches I use twice per week.
Nor will you see the SomaPeptides peptides I use under fairly complex protocols.
Follow the links to access the exclusive discounts I negotiated for you.

Those require a dedicated article.

If peptides interest you, head to the PEPTIDES section on valbiohacker.com

Read more

Get more from Valerie Orsoni Biohacker in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Thank you for joining me live!

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We talked about peptides but in the classical way. I am always excited to share what has not been shared before, like here the origine of Ozempic. And I can guarantee you have not heard about it before.

We explored the common mistakes, the questions to ask ourselves, and more.

If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask them under this post.

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Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 2-week Longevity Experience - Mongolia (10-26 July)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

My mission: reversing the irreversible

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Every year, I get a full-body MRI. And every year, I hear the same comments: “It’s a waste of money.” “There are too many false positives.” “If you don’t have symptoms, there’s nothing to do.” “You’re getting way too much information from all these tests.”

The false positive argument is, in my opinion, the weakest of all. A false positive means a moment of worry, followed by a few extra tests that give you exactly the information you were missing. Compare that with a real finding caught early, which can change everything. These scans can literally save your life.

July 2023: Where It All Started

On my very first full-body MRI, the radiologist found 15 small white spots in my brain. I was told that 3 or 4 would be completely normal. But 15? That’s a lot.

At the time, the report called them “ischemic lesions.” When I showed the scan to a French neurologist, he called them “microangiopathy.” Two different words for what I was looking at. It isn’t always easy being a patient when even doctors don’t use the same language!

In fact, both terms point to the same problem, seen from two angles. “Ischemic” describes the damage: areas of brain tissue that didn’t get enough blood flow. “Microangiopathy,” known in the US as cerebral small vessel disease, names the cause: the tiny blood vessels that should be supplying those areas.

MRI slice (FLAIR sequence) of my brain in 2022. The arrow points to one of the white matter hyperintensities. The other lesions appear on different slices.

What Exactly Is It?

Cerebral small vessel disease (doctors also call it cerebral microangiopathy) affects the tiny arteries that supply blood to the deep parts of the brain. Their walls thicken and stiffen, the space for blood flow narrows, and the barrier that protects the brain becomes leaky. Plasma seeps into the surrounding tissue, causing swelling and inflammation, while the brain cells get less oxygen. On an MRI, these areas show up as small white spots called white matter hyperintensities. Over time, they’re linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline, balance problems, and stroke.

Where Do These Lesions Come From?

The main known risk factors are high blood pressure (even mildly elevated), vascular aging, poor blood sugar control and insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, high LDL cholesterol, elevated homocysteine, sleep apnea, smoking, and sometimes migraines.

In my case, most of these just don’t apply. I’ve never smoked. My LDL isn’t high, and neither is my homocysteine. No migraines, no sleep apnea, no high blood pressure, no blood sugar issues or insulin resistance.

That left one last, lesser-known factor: repeated exposure to high altitude. Studies of mountaineers who climbed extremely high peaks, and of pilots regularly exposed to low atmospheric pressure, show more white matter hyperintensities. Low oxygen and low pressure weaken the barrier that protects the brain, and repeated exposure seems to matter most. And in less than ten years, I climbed 45 peaks above 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). Low-grade inflammation and altitude: those are most likely the two factors behind my case.

A neurology professor told me: “Ma’am, I’m a professor of neurology. I know this subject well. There’s nothing to be done.”

I haven’t told you about this until now. First, because I didn’t want to worry anyone. Second, because I wanted to see whether my efforts would pay off.

August 2025: Three Years Later (MRI done as part of my yearly longevity evaluation at the YEARS CLINIC in Berlin)

The number of lesions had dropped to 11. Not bad for a condition considered irreversible. But skeptics might say: “That’s just a reading error. Let’s see if the trend holds.”

May 2026: Just Nine Months After the 2025 MRI (MRI done as part of my yearly longevity evaluation at the YEARS CLINIC in Berlin)

I was down to 9.

The Meeting Last Week

Last week, I met with Dr. Jordan from the Regenesis HQ in Los Angeles, who looks 15 years younger than his chronological age!

He reviewed my last two MRIs in detail. He spent more than an hour on them and took the time to walk me through everything. He was surprised and genuinely congratulated me. Then came the question: “So what did you do?”

And here’s the kicker: this protocol also had an impact on a second condition, which I’ll cover in an upcoming article. Again, a dramatic improvement.

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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Have you been told that cartilage cannot regrow? That’s false.
Have you been told that osteoarthritis is inevitable: “It’s your age, ma’am. There’s nothing we can do”? That’s false.
Are you being given painkillers or, worse, corticosteroid injections? That makes the problem worse.

Watch this video, or listen to it as a podcast while running or walking.

Enjoy listening!

P.S. If there’s a specific topic you’d like me to cover in a future podcast, let me know!

For private consults, click here: Longevity Coaching & Consultations

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Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Los Angeles (10-11 Jul 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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“Your skin looks amazing, what did you do?”
I’ve heard it several times over the past few weeks. And it’s true: I just looked at videos and photos of myself from last year, and the difference is striking!
I already published a more general article a few weeks ago… this time, we’re zooming in on complexion and skin texture.

🔒 The rest is for paid subscribers. No sponsors, no ads: your subscription is what lets me read the studies, test on myself, and tell you the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Thank you for supporting this work 🙏

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

One hour talking about the change of season, loss of energy, perimenopause and menopause—and what you can do to feel energized again!

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I also answered many questions throughout the live about menopause, low energy, magnesium fighting calcium for the same pathways, and more

I introduced you to the main supplements that can support you during this important transitional phase.

You can find some of them on ZellNova.com (100% made in the USA, vegan, no fillers).

I’ll be meeting you here every Wednesday at 12pm PT/3pm ET for a weekly live session dedicated to biohacking and longevity!

Are there any specific topics you would like me to cover during these lives? Let me know in the comments below this post.

For private consults, click here: Longevity Coaching & Consultations

Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Los Angeles (10-11 Jul 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

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ValBiohacker.com has been growing thanks to your incredible support and, yes, thanks to a tremendous amount of work on my side too.

As you may know, META banned me from going live on Instagram and Facebook for 365 days. Yes, one full year.

I was formally accused of promoting illegal substances. I appealed the decision, spoke with my META consultant, and received dozens of messages informing me that they were “investigating” my activity. Seriously? Don’t they have better things to do with their time?

Long story short, META decided to uphold the ban.

My answer?

That’s all right. If you close the doors, the windows, and even the chimney, I’ll simply build a new house.

And that house is right here on Substack, at ValBiohacker.com.

IT IS FREE! Every Wednesday, I’ll go live and dive deeply into a specific biohacking or longevity topic.

To join, you simply need to become a member. A free membership is enough. You’ll receive an email as soon as the live is about to begin.

Subscribe now

This week’s topic is:

“Fall, Energy, and Menopause”

Is there a specific subject you would like me to cover in a future live? Tell me in the comments!

Feel free to share this post and my future lives with your friends. Together, we grow!

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Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Los Angeles (10-11 Jul 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

You measure your HRV every morning. You know your fasting glucose, your deep sleep minutes, maybe even your biological age. But the factor that 85 years of Harvard research ranks above cholesterol in predicting how well you’ll age doesn’t show up on any wearable. It builds silently, year after year, and only reveals itself decades later. The good news: you can start moving it in the right direction today.

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🔒 This deep dive is reserved for subscribers. Unlock the full article and you’ll get:

• The complete breakdown of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and the 148-study analysis linking social ties to a 50% greater likelihood of survival

• The biology behind it: how connection and isolation affect cortisol, inflammation, gene expression, sleep, and blood pressure

• The surprising link between your relationships and the vagal tone you already track

• An exclusive quiz to assess your own “connection score” and see where you stand

• A practical protocol to strengthen the longevity factor no app can measure

👉 Subscribe now to keep reading.

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She has completed a Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certificate, a Stanford Medicine Nutrition Science certificate program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine GLP-1s & weight loss certification program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

I love the Amish. I mean that sincerely, not as a quirky aside. I visit friends in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania every single year, and a few years back I even went on Fox TV as an “Amish expert” to talk about their culture. (Yes, I was wearing a wig for that interview. Don’t ask, it’s a long story involving a some genetic issues that led to me losing my hair. Photos below, judge me gently.)

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Now here’s why I’m writing about them today, and it has nothing to do with quilts or buggies.

Amish communities are small and tightly closed, most descend from a tiny handful of 18th-century founding families, outsiders essentially never join, and everyone marries within that same small circle, generation after generation.

This is exactly why Amish communities have some of the highest documented rates in the world of certain rare, and often devastating, inherited conditions: Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, maple syrup urine disease, glutaric aciduria, a lethal form of microcephaly, and elevated cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy in some groups. It’s a well-documented pattern, serious enough that specialized clinics for Amish genetic health exist in places like Lancaster County and Ohio.

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So when the founder effect hands you something protective instead of something devastating, that’s rare enough to stop and pay real attention to. This is the story of exactly that.

A family, a bleeding disorder, and a mystery that took decades to pay off

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She is recently completed her Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certification program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine nutrition science program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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Want to move again? Ready to shake off the sedentary stretch? Good for you. But watch out for the mistakes that send you right back to square one.

You stopped moving. Not out of laziness:

• a professional burnout that took over everything

• perimenopause or menopause that upended your sleep, energy, and motivation

• an illness

• a schedule so packed that exercise ended up at the very bottom of the list

This happens to hyper-capable, hyper-busy women who managed everything, except that one slot for themselves.

And then one day, you decide to start again.

You climb a flight of stairs and your legs protest.
You lose your balance putting your pants on standing up.
You can’t touch your toes anymore.

This is exactly the moment most women get it wrong.

Why your body doesn’t respond the way it used to

During perimenopause and menopause, the drop in estrogen accelerates bone loss: studies on the menopause transition show bone density decline speeding up sharply in the years around the final period, not gradually or in a straight line.

That same hormonal shift weakens muscle mass and changes how you recover from effort.

The good news: a recent clinical trial (STOP-EM, conducted in peri- and early post-menopausal women) shows that properly dosed strength and impact training protects both bone and muscle through this window.

Add months or years of inactivity on top of that, and balance (proprioception, your ability to sense where your body is in space) is the first thing to decline, often before you even notice it.

The result: you restart at the exact moment your body is least equipped to absorb a shock.

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The 3 mistakes that sabotage the comeback

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1. Too fast. You pick back up at your old pace, as if the months off changed nothing. Except your tendons, ligaments, and nervous system can’t keep up with that tempo anymore. This is the classic recipe for the sprain, the strain, or the tendinitis that benches you again three weeks later, usually more discouraged than when you started.

2. Too heavy. You come back with the loads or distances you used to handle. A deconditioned muscle hit with a pre-break load doesn’t “catch up” to its old level, it gets injured. In extreme cases, an intense, unaccustomed effort after a long break can trigger rhabdomyolysis (acute muscle breakdown): rare, but documented in people who jump back into intense exercise with no transition.

3. Too intense. You go straight into HIIT or a full-throttle group class, because “no time, might as well make it count.” Except during a hormonal transition, your recovery capacity is already stretched thin. Stacking a maximal training stress on top of that adds up as fatigue instead of building anything. The result: soreness that lasts a week, total burnout, and a reset back to zero.

The common thread in all three: they start from a good intention (”I want to get back to my old level fast”) and produce the opposite effect.

The right method: think in stages

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I’ve climbed more than 45 high-altitude summits and done polar expeditions. In the mountains, you never gain altitude all at once: you climb in stages, let your body acclimate, and that’s precisely what lets you go further, faster, safely, afterward. Getting back into exercise follows the exact same logic.

In practice:

→ Start with mobility and balance before strength or cardio: these are the first capacities you lose, so they should be the first you rebuild.

→ Increase volume or intensity gradually, never both at once.

→ Aim for consistency (2 to 3 short sessions a week) rather than intensity in a single session: the body responds to regularity, not to heroics.

→ Soreness that clears in 48 hours is normal. Soreness that stops you from moving for a week is a sign you went too far, not proof that it worked.

How to actually ease back into a fitter life

You don’t need a comeback plan that looks impressive on day one, you need one that’s still running in six months. That means giving your body a real on-ramp instead of a cliff edge.

Start with two weeks of mobility and balance work alone, nothing else: ankle circles, single-leg stands while you brush your teeth, hip openers, a few minutes of stretching before bed. It looks too easy. That’s the point, you’re rebuilding the sensors before you rebuild the engine.

From there, add short strength sessions, bodyweight first (squats, wall push-ups, glute bridges), twice a week, with a full day of recovery in between. Only once that feels genuinely easy, not “I can push through it” easy, do you add load, distance, or intensity, and even then, change only one variable at a time.

Track how you recover, not just how you perform: if you’re bouncing back within a day or two, you’re in the right zone. If you’re wiped out for a week, you jumped a stage. There’s no prize for getting there fastest. The only version of this that works is the one you’re still doing a year from now.

If you recognized your own situation in this article, that’s probably where to start.

And remember….you can do it!

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Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Corsica Longevity Week — Corsica (12-19 June 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Los Angeles (10-11 Jul 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

This is NOT a sponsored post. I have tested this modality for months and I truly love its impact on my sleep.

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Some people have a smartwatch, others a smart ring, and others still have gadgets that make life easier or workouts more enjoyable (my AI bike, for example). But for me, sleep remains the foundation of any longevity protocol. It’s a bit of an obsession of mine.

Here’s the thing though: when it’s cold, unless you have a nice heavy comforter and warm socks (which you end up kicking off in the middle of the night because you get too hot), sleep gets disrupted.
And when it’s hot, or you’re having hot flashes, or dreams and nightmares that leave you rattled, your nights turn into an outright disaster.

The truth is, to fall asleep, the body needs to cool down slightly: it’s this slight drop in body temperature that triggers the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. In other words, a body that’s too warm sends the wrong signal to the brain and delays falling asleep.

So I thought to myself: why hasn’t anyone invented a mattress that cools itself down? Not an air-conditioned mattress that makes you cold, just a mattress capable of dropping a few degrees at the right moment.

I searched everywhere, and I finally found the perfect solution. Well, not a mattress exactly, but a mattress topper: cutting-edge technology, used by top athletes (including my darling, F1 driver Leclerc), and it emits very low electromagnetic waves (yes, that’s another one of my obsessions).

The name of this miracle: Eight Sleep.

I have been testing it for months now. You know me….I do not share a new modality unless I have thoroughly tested it.

As for setup: super easy. You receive two boxes (see the photo in this article). Everything is very well organized, and the app guides you step by step. Plan on about 30 minutes to get everything properly set up.

At first, I was skeptical: more electronics, do I really need this? But then, as the days went by, my nights got longer and most importantly I got more deep sleep.

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Every morning, my Eight Sleep (yes, that’s the product’s brand name) tells me it made 25, 28, or 32 (the number obviously varies) temperature adjustments overnight to keep me asleep, neither too hot nor too cold. The mattress can raise or lower its temperature by 5°C (about 9°F) in just a few seconds.

It also tracks sleep quality and snoring. I can proudly report that except for one night when I snored for 45 minutes following a biohacking protocol to eliminate an aspergillus colony in my sinuses (an article on that is coming soon), I never snore more than 1 to 6 minutes a night.

In short, I now understand my friends who tell me they can’t live without theirs anymore, to the point of installing one in their primary residence and another in their family vacation home.

The fully immersive thermal comfort adapts in real time to keep you in deep sleep longer, you and your partner both. Yes, the mattress knows who’s sleeping where, so both sides can have two different temperatures.

The smart Base automatically adjusts the incline (up to 5 degrees) to relieve back pressure and reduce snoring, all while you sleep. Measured impact, impressive results!

The immersive sound built into the Base helps you relax, block out background noise, and keep your sleep environment stable all night long.

I also use it to recover after workouts. Why? Your muscles recover while you sleep. The Pod lowers your body temperature to reduce tension and tracks indicators like your heart rate and sleep depth. So you’re doing more than just resting: you’re actually recovering.

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But this time, I’m won over, and I’m panicking because after writing this article I was leaving for a month in Tahiti, and of course, I could not bring my Pod with me! Should I have canceled my trip? #JustKidding

Want to try it: the manufacturer offers a risk-free 30-day trial, which I find very convenient and, above all, honest. I’ve noticed that high-quality brands readily offer this kind of trial because they know their product is top-notch.

Valerie Orsoni

Biohacker since 1998 | Longevity Expert
University of Hartford Hall of Fame
Top 50 Longevity Leaders (by Lifespanning Magazine)
Explorer: Skied to the South Pole, Climbed 45 peaks over 16k ft
Instagram : Valerie Orsoni
My fave brands + super promo codes here ==> ValerieOrsoni.com
My made-in-the-usa, clean, no fillers supplement line ==> ZellNova

🎙 HealthSpan Summit — Los Angeles (2–4 oct. 2026)
🎙 Reclaiming Health & Longevity Symposium — El Salvador (8–9 nov. 2026)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Miami (Jan. 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — San Francisco (13-14 Mar 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Chicago (8-9 May 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — Los Angeles (10-11 Jul 2027)
🎙 Biohackers World Conference — New York (18-19 Sept 2027)

By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She is recently completed her Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certification program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine nutrition science program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

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Warning: This is a LONG piece with a ton of info…take your time reading it. Sit down….drink some water….breathe…and read :)

Lung function is one of the biomarkers almost nobody in the longevity space tracks.

We obsess over HRV, glucose, telomeres, epigenetic age.

I had a full pulmonary function work-up done in Berlin in August 2025 at the YEARS CLINIC: whole-body plethysmography, spirometry, diffusing capacity, respiratory muscle function, FeNO for airway inflammation, the whole battery.

I had no problem and no symptoms.

Nothing on that panel would have raised a flag with a pulmonologist, and I wasn’t chasing a diagnosis.

But a handful of markers, specifically airway resistance, gas transfer efficiency, and respiratory muscle strength, weren’t sitting where I wanted them: below the reference range instead of comfortably inside it.

Nothing was broken.

That’s exactly the point. I didn’t wait for something to break, or for a symptom to show up, before I acted.
I decided to make my lungs a dedicated 12-month focus anyway, because this is what biohacking actually is: acting on the earliest, quietest signal of a potential future problem, years before it would ever surface as a symptom, instead of waiting for a diagnosis to force your hand.

Again, I had no lung disease, no symptoms and nothing a pulmonologist would have considered alarming.

I focused on four specific interventions, including one unusual daily practice from a country most of us totally ignore when it comes to longevity. I believe this particular intervention played a major role in my biggest improvement.

Here is exactly what I did, what each test revealed and what the science actually supports.

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By Valérie Orsoni — Biohacker & Longevity Expert
Valérie Orsoni is a biohacker, author of 56 books, and founder of biohacker.fr. She has been tracking her biology through N=1 self-experimentation protocols since 1998. She is recently completed her Stanford Genetics Longevity Research certification program and is currently enrolled in the Stanford Medicine nutrition science program. She was named in the Top 50 Longevity Leaders by Life Spanning magazine and is currently the #1 on the Longevity Cup Leaderboard (chronological age -23 years).

Every year, Prescrire, a French medical journal funded exclusively by its subscribers, without a single cent from the pharmaceutical industry, publishes its blacklist of drugs it considers to have an unfavorable risk-to-benefit ratio.

For 2026, 108 drugs made this blacklist, the 14th year in a row.

If you're American and have never heard of Prescrire, that's kind of the point.

There's no real equivalent inside the US government: the FDA's drug review program is partly funded by the industry it regulates, through what are called user fees. The closest thing we have is Public Citizen's Worst Pills, Best Pills, an independent, donor-funded watchdog doing similar work.

One important note before we start: in drug safety science, not every risk comes with a clean, single number attached.

Some drugs have been studied in massive cohort studies with precise relative risks. Others only have scattered “reported cases,” with no known denominator, which doesn’t mean the risk is low, only that it hasn’t been publicly quantified yet. I’ll flag this every time rather than inventing a percentage that doesn’t exist.

But, let me tell you…..fair warning, the numbers are scary.

One very commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory is linked to

Another extremely common drug increases bone fractures by 200%.

Yet another, prescribed very casually for digestive issues like nausea, is linked to an estimated 200 sudden deaths a year in France alone.

You probably don’t know what’s coming in this list and believe me, you will be shocked!

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