Healthy is Holy in The Season of Jolly

Did you know that the word Holy has the same root as whole and heal? They all come to us from Old English, traced back through Dutch and German and originally from Old Norse heill. If you consider this a holy season, then you are also saying that it is a season to be whole and heal. 

 The word “health” has the same root. No wonder that restoration to health can be considered a miracle when someone is suffering.

 So, now is a time to mention some healthy basics we can all agree on.

 The Christmas/Holiday winter season, even in warm LA, is hard on our health, for all the obvious physical reasons. If sugarplums only danced in our heads they wouldn’t be a problem. But they seem to magically turn into sugar cookies (and chocolate truffles, and candy canes) on our plates. Sugar has something in common with viruses-increased inflammation, and suppressed immune response. 

 Alcohol stresses the liver, one of the main detox organs, and a major player in our immune system. And it suppresses our central nervous system, impairing a control center that we need to function well.

 But, the biggest factor in general health is our emotional health. The holidays can carry us in either direction. Some people find joy and happiness, and others are haunted by the sadness of ghosts from Christmas past.

 The challenges to our immune systems are greater than ever, but are not the same for all. Recovery from the 2020 virus seems to impart a great deal of natural immunity, according to the studies I have seen. Injections of medical drugs, even when they are meant to help, generally offer the body challenges because they are never “natural” and compatible with body processes. 

 Regardless of what your status is regarding the 2020 virus, there are things you can do to give yourself the best chance of staying healthy and strong through this next winter. If ever there was a time to be proactive, this is it. Virus variants are always with us, whether flu virus or others. Antibodies aren’t even the first line of defense. Active T-cells are first way the body defends itself. Kids have significantly higher T-cell response to pathogens than adults. That is probably why kids had such mild symptoms from the 2020 virus.

 There may be a false sense of security for those who have gotten the injection. I have seen issues with the immune system for some. Just like when you take antibiotics, your innate immune system needs to be supported with probiotics and immune boosters like Immuplex, Congaplex, Cat’s Claw (a herb I have come to love!) and Andographis. Black Cumin Seed Oil and Wormwood are two specific herbs that I highly recommend, as prevention and as treatment.

 There are inevitably going to be new “variants” because viruses like to survive and find more hosts. Fortunately, many decades of research and observation tell us that mutations are often less strong and more contagious. Witness the humble and ubiquitous Common Cold, a coronavirus that we humans share with each other every year. Think about the logic here-weaker strains mean that more people get infected and spread the virus around, which is the general goal of any particular virus.

 But the best thing is to be able to handle the exposure without getting sick.  One study showed that 70% of people in LA had antibodies against the 2020 virus. Only a fraction of those actually got sick and showed symptoms. We have no idea how often we might feel a little more tired one day for no apparent reason, and our immune system is actually successfully fighting off an invading bug. Kind of a miracle how that happens.

 Our immune systems are very powerful survival tools. Maintaining that tool in the best condition is a gift to ourselves, and our families and friends.

 Many of you have contacted me directly with questions about your health and protecting it. There is no one-size-fits-all in health and medicine. We each have unique needs. But there is common sense and awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses. 

 For those of you who want greater natural immunity, I can recommend certain things. Right now I have a few bottles of homeopathic treatment available. Contact me if you would like to find out more. 

 If you know that you have extra risk factors, such as being overweight, Diabetes, allergies, smoking or vaping, heart conditions, I do recommend not relying on the injection to keep you well. 

 As always, I recommend staying away from the news channels, because scaring us is their bread and butter. Fear is the greatest enemy of human intellect and good sense, and leads to the Dark Side, as Yoda warned. 

 Eat a lot of greens with those sugar cookies, and explore some non-sugar options like monk fruit and stevia. 

Mostly, I hope you will find a lot to be happy about. Our immune system may be internal, but so is our capacity for joy. Funny how the two may be linked!

 As always, I am here to help. 

 Wishing you a Holy, Healthy, Merry Christmas, and the most Peaceful and Happy Holidays ever. 

Is the Keto Diet Right For You?

Keto stands for Ketogenic which is the formation of Ketones to use for energy/fuel in the body.  The Keto Diet is a way of eating that restricts carbohydrates (sugar, breads, pastries, and other grains) so that the body starts using fat for energy.

The body can “burn” or utilize either sugar (glucose) or ketones for energy. Ketones are made by the liver and are formed when sugar-glucose is not readily available either because of fasting or a carb-restricted diet.

Fat burning has some significant advantages. The metabolism of sugars and starches produces more inflammatory compounds than the metabolism of fats. So, people who have inflammation and pain may benefit from switching their dietary choices from high-sugar to low sugar/high fat.

Reducing sugar and starch from the diet, forgoing candies, pastries, breads, and pasta, is generally a positive and healthy change. The high incidence of obesity in the Western world is primarily from eating too many of these highly processed foods that taste good, are addictive, but have low nutrient value and too many calories.

It is not just that these foods provide excessive calories and make us fat. The most serious diseases that confront us today are from disrupted metabolism. Dis-metabolism is what gives wide swings in the sugar/insulin balance that maintains brain and nervous system function, and is vital for every other organ and system in the body. Ever suffer from a blood sugar crash? That is a breach of the delicate blood sugar balance.

The Ketogenic Diet has been shown to help several medical conditions. These include epilepsy, which is excessive electrical brain activity causing seizures, polycystic ovary syndrome, characterized by multiple cysts in the ovaries causing hormone imbalances, some cancer tumors, which may feed off sugar, Diabetes, Autism, and obesity. Blood pressure and cholesterol may improve on a high fat/low carb approach. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-conditions-benefit-ketogenic-diet#section1

Fat distribution on the body is a sign of disrupted metabolism. Abdominal fat deposits and fat that invades skeletal muscle and the liver are considered general health risks for Diabetes Type II and Cardiovascular/Heart disease. Cognitive decline in the form of Parkinson’s, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s are also thought to be risks of our high sugar and starch diets.

There is also growing evidence that heart disease is actually a disease of inflammation, not a disease of cholesterol in the arteries. The blood vessels may become more brittle on a high carb diet. This is called atherosclerosis. Reducing carbs is of great benefit to the cardiovascular system. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124430.ht

So, is the Keto Diet right for you? If you suffer from any of the above conditions, the Keto approach may help. Keto Diet enthusiasts point out that people eating our American diet consisting of massive amounts of sugars and starches (from bread, pasta, and pastries) are destroying their bodies’ blood sugar balance.  Sugar and starches stimulate insulin to secrete into the blood. Insulin is the hormone messenger that opens the cell wall so that glucose is transported through the cell membrane into the cells. Eventually, the cells start to resist the insulin message, and that is the start of Diabetes Type II, or insulin resistance.

People do often lose weight and feel better because healthy fats are less inflammatory than sugary and starchy foods.

But the answer is not a one-size-fits-all. According to animal studies, it may depend on what kind of diet the individual was raised on. High sugar and high-fat diets in the formative years both may yield a lack of flexibility in how fat and sugar are later metabolized.

Beware if you have any symptoms of liver/gall bladder congestion such as bloating, gas, gall bladder cramping or pain, pale-colored stool, or difficulties with digesting fats, and get help before you launch.

In my experience with patients, I have seen that individuals who have gall bladder issues, such as stones or congestion from thickened or decreased liver bile, suffer when they switch to a high-fat diet. I have seen people who only had mild gall bladder symptoms turn on a firestorm with a sudden increase in dietary fat.

One of bile’s functions is to promote the emulsification of dietary fat, allowing it to be broken down and mixed with other fluids so it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. This can be imagined as similar to the way dish soap breaks down oil and fat on dishes so that the fat can be washed away.

The addition of Lecithin or bile salts supplementation may improve and assist bile formation.

Supporting the liver and gall bladder with natural remedies or cleanses may be enough. Or you may want to opt for a higher protein/moderate fat regime like Paleo or Mediterranean diets.

There are other risks to be aware of. If the high dietary fat can be metabolized correctly because the bile and enzymes are present, the biggest risk of the Keto Diet is nutrient deficiencies. Minerals and vitamins are not present in large quantities in fats, except for Vitamins A, D, and F. Animal tissue and organs and plant foods are the dietary sources of vitamins and minerals. Supplementation cannot be provided sufficiently over a long period of time but can serve to assist short term. https://perfectketo.com/keto-micronutrients

The Keto Diet is high fat/moderate protein. Protein breaks down to amino acids and peptides, which are used for every process in the body. Sufficient protein is important on Keto regimens to maintain muscle mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat so eating protein is part of building and maintaining a strong, lean body. Calculating fat/protein ratios to be successful at Keto for weight loss and general health depends on your current body mass and activity level. Protein is measured in grams, and are listed here https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/All-You-Need-to-Know-About-Protein-on-a-Low-Carb-Ketogenic-Diet

People who follow Keto need to be aware of their protein/fat ratio. Too much protein can slow ketogenesis (the formation of ketones for cell fuel). The body uses glucose first, protein second, and fats last. Restricting carbs without sufficient protein may cause a breakdown of muscle tissue. And don’t forget that the heart is a muscle! There are formulas for determining the correct ratio of protein to fat. Click here for help calculating the ratio. https://perfectketo.com/keto-macro-calculator/

We can learn a lot about human dietary needs from studying native diets for people who lived off the land and had to survive on what Nature provided in their local habitats. The Inuit and Eskimos of the far North ate few vegetables due to the short growing season but escaped all modern diseases. The muscle and organ meats of fish and animals provided their vitamins and minerals.

According to Harold Draper, a biochemist and expert in Eskimo nutrition, there are no essential foods—only essential nutrients. And humans can get those nutrients from diverse and eye-opening sources. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-inuit-paradox

Check out Dietdoctor.com for recipes and videos about high fat/low carb diets.

Regardless, corralling your sweet tooth, and passing up the sweets and snacks, is the only way to travel the road to health. There is a reason sugar and junk food is so hard to give up. The lack of nutrients triggers biochemical reactions so that the body starts to crave more and more Frankenstein foods. So darn unfair but there it is.

The key is to be wise about your own body. If you are struggling to lose weight the Keto Diet may help. Assess your nutrients and be sure you don’t become deficient. I do not recommend the Keto Diet as a life-long regimen, unless you are handling a medical condition like epilepsy or cancer. Ancestral nutrition teaches us that human diets have rarely been so restrictive, and then only when the environment demanded it.

Humans are basically Omnivores, which means that we eat protein from plants and animals, fat from plants and animals, grains, vegetables, and fruits. This diversity has allowed humans to thrive from the desserts to the Arctic.

It is only in very recent history that we became Snackivores and Sugar Addicts. We would be wise to fall in love with real food again. All we have to lose is obesity, heart disease, cancer, and senility. Hmmmm.

What Does Prop 64 Really Bring to California?

Regardless of what you think about the legal use of marijuana for non-medical purposes, you should understand what Prop 64 really means.

Prop 64 is being pushed by big money interests to commercialize and market recreational marijuana. Many people think that no one should go to jail for smoking a little pot. That is not what this Prop is about. Commercialization and marketing of marijuana means that it will be marketed and advertised to adults. What does that mean for our kids?

Alcohol is not supposed to be marketed and advertised to kids. So, do kids turn off the TV when beer ads are shown? Apparently not, since alcohol is the most abused drug among California teen-agers.

Alcohol costs California billions of dollars for the social problems it creates, and leads the country as number one for alcohol consumption.

Background:

California is the largest alcohol market in the United States. In 2005 alone,Californians consumed almost 14 billion alcoholic drinks, which contributed to many severe and potentially fatal alcohol-related illnesses and conditions. Alcohol use also causes violent and non-violent crimes, as well as injuries and traffic collisions. While several studies have estimated the magnitude and cost of these problems nationally and others have analyzed underage drinking costs, no overall cost estimate at the state level currently exists for California. We present the first comprehensive estimate of the cost of alcohol consumption in California. 

Results:

Alcohol consumption in California led to an estimated 9,439 deaths and 921,929 alcohol-related problems, such as crime and injury in 2005. The economic cost of these problems is estimated at between $35.4 billion and $42.2 billion. Our main estimate is $38.5 billion, of which $5.4 billion was for medical and mental health spending, $25.3 billion in work losses, and $7.8 billion in criminal justice spending, property damage and public program costs. In addition, alcohol is responsible for severe reductions in individuals’ quality of life in California. We estimate that the disability caused by injury, the personal anguish of violent crime victims, and the life years lost to fatality are the largest costs imposed by alcohol. The total value for this reduced quality of life in California is between $30.3 billion and $60.0 billion. Our main estimate for quality-of-life costs is $48.8 billion

 ://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/wpcontent/uploads/CostAlcoholCaliforniaSimon.pdf

Do you think that legalizing marijuana will give us less of a drug problem? Do you want your kids eating THC-laced gummy bears on the way to school? Just as alcohol is regulated, so would pot. But the kids don’t seem to have much trouble getting their hands on alcohol, and there is no reason to think they could not figure out how to get marijuana, particularly when the edibles come in the form of candy bars, “pot tarts”, and chewing gum. A young patient of mine from Colorado Springs told me that pot shops are now as common as 7-11’s in Colorado.

Sound public drug policies are supposed to encourage less addiction and abuse. More drug use of any kind creates social problems that harm communities and families and clog social services. Regardless of whether or not you think that pot smoking should be decriminalized, realize that Prop 64 is not sound policy because it puts big money interests ahead of the well-being of families, kids and the community. It will allow George Soros, the largest investor in Monsanto, and Sean Parker (cofounder of Napster and first president of Facebook) to make billions of dollars when pot is advertised like cola drinks. Marketing is always aimed at the most vulnerable and gullible populations, so targeting young people, minorities, and under-served communities makes good business sense if money is your sole motivation. http://wakeup-world.com/2016/07/20/monsanto-big-pharma-george-soros-and-the-push-to-legalize-marijuana/?doing_wp_cron=1469633726.8202860355377197265625  It is speculated that Monsanto will create GMO marijuana seeds and may even intend to corner and patent the seeds in order to dominate the world market.

80% of addictive substances like tobacco and alcohol are consumed by 20% of the population. Drug manufacturers never want you to be responsible in your behavior. They want you dependent so they can have you as a life-long customer. Check this out to follow the money on Prop 64. http://theweedlynews.com/2016/08/28/when-you-follow-the-money/

This is not about adult freedoms. It is about the “freedom” of greed and vested interest to market their wares to vulnerable people. Watch the celebrities and sports stars get on board for marketing purposes if Prop 64 passes. And what will our kids think about drug use then?

How harmful is marijuana to developing children? This has been a controversial topic, but it makes sense to be concerned about any chemical substance that is introduced to an immature system. For details about neuropsychological decline and decline in IQ for heavy users who started as adolescents see this study. chttp://www.moffittcaspi.com/sites/moffittcaspi.com/files/field/publication_uploads/Meier_PNAS_Cannabis_2012Published_0.pdf

This is not your grandmother’s pot anymore. I recall observing motivational issues in heavy pot smokers among my college classmates in the 70’s when the THC content was 1%. Through years of hybridization and sharing of seeds and plants, the marijuana growers have created plants that have a THC content that ranges from 16 to 32%, and may go even higher, as will you, if you smoke it. It would take 17.5 joints of the 1975 vintage to equal 1 joint today. http://herb.co/2015/09/30/modern-day-weed-vs-hippie-weed/

Marijuana plants do have medicinal properties and one company in particular is in late-stag testing. But guess what? It is not THC that is medicinal- it is another component of the plant called cannabidiol or CBD. When THC goes up, CBD goes down and vice-versa. So, the hallucinogenic and “high” aspect is not medicinal, but just the opposite. CBD has anti-inflammatory effects that hold promise for the treatment of pain and inflammation and a variety of conditions. We don’t need commercialized high dose THC marijuana for that purpose. https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/whats-the-deal-with-these-high-cbd-strains/

We may need reform regarding our laws about marijuana, but only 1% of our prison population is incarcerated for possession. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/top-10-marijuana-myths-and-facts-20120822/myth-prisons-are-full-of-people-in-for-marijuana-possession-19691231

Since marijuana is already easily available in California, Prop 64 is not needed and, if passed, may cause great harm to our kids and teenagers at a time when their developing minds and neurological systems are most vulnerable.

“Other symptoms of Colorado’s pot culture include increased use among teens, resulting in educational problems in middle schools and high schools, a spike in “edibles”-related emergency room visits, consumption by children and pets resulting in illness and death and regulatory confusion surrounding public consumption and enforcement.” http://www.newsweek.com/unexpected-side-effects-legalizing-weed-339931

“Marijuana-related emergency room visits grew 57 percent in two years, from 8,198 in 2011 to 12,888 in 2013, the study found, with a 29 percent increase in emergency room visits for teens. The report also found that drug-related suspensions and expulsions increased 32 percent between the 2008-2009 and 2012-2013 school years. The majority of expulsions were for marijuana violations.” https://www.rt.com/usa/316148-marijuana-related-deaths-injuries-study/

Raising teenagers is difficult enough these days. I am very grateful that my sons’ schools did not have more of a drug problem. It is now up to us to decide what kind of drug problems our kids and grandkids will face going forward. Prop 64 will surely make them worse.

What We Learned From Cats

In the 1950’s a medical doctor named Francis Pottenger, Jr. was conducting research into the endocrine (hormonal) systems of cats in an attempt to standardize dosages of hormones needed to sustain their lives.

The cats in the study were being fed a seemingly healthy diet of raw milk, cod liver oil, and cooked meat scraps of liver, muscle, and other organs.  Organ meat contains the highest quality nutrition. Cats are strict carnivores (meat eaters) so this diet was considered to be the best for them. However, the cats were not thriving and more cats had to be added to the research, straining the food budget. Dr. Pottenger ordered raw scraps of meat from a local meat plant.

The raw scraps were fed to one of the animal groups. In very short order Dr. Pottenger and his research assistants noticed that the kittens born to the mother cats being fed the raw meat were friskier and better formed than the cooked meat group.

The teeth, skeletal formation, and tone of the musculature of the raw meat group were superior to the cooked meat group. Dr. Pottenger became so interested in the evidence of nutritional superiority of the raw meat group that he began to document his findings and his famous “Cat Study” was begun.

Although Dr. Pottenger never said that cats were exactly like humans, the evidence of the importance of the quality of nutrients in physical health is too startling to be ignored. The vitamins, minerals, and protein quality of the raw meat were clearly of much greater benefit than the cooked meat.

What this says for human health is that paying attention to the source of the nutrients may be vitally important. It is pretty easy to figure out that a well-done hamburger from a fast-food chain might be of inferior nutritional quality to a hamburger from a higher end restaurant. But how about a hamburger from a fully grass-fed cow cooked rare or even served raw? Restaurants used to serve raw meat as “Steak tartare” often.  The Tatars were a warring tribe and legend has it that they did not stop to cook their meat, but preserved it under their saddles as they rode. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/60315/original-steak-tartare/

Some of the healthiest cultures in the world have eaten raw animal products. Sushi is a prime example. African tribes have been known to drink the blood of their herd animals for a meal. Native Americans cut the hearts from animals killed in hunts and served them up to the warriors of the tribes.

Perhaps one of the reasons red meat has gotten a bad rap is because we so often eat it cooked to the point of protein-death, and eat far too much at a time to be able to digest it.

If you do indulge in raw animal foods, you may have a higher number of parasites, since little critters like sushi, too. Strong stomach acid, herbal preparations, and avoiding sugar and processed foods can all help keep down the population of hitch-hikers, but everyone has some in their body. You just want to keep them from getting out of control. So, cleanses, probiotics, and herbal preparations should be part of your regular health regimen. You change the oil in your car, and doing a cleanse is just as important.

Nature does not demand that foods be cooked or processed to be nutritional. Our modern diet of processed and chemical foods is too far from a natural state to maintain the kind of robust health that makes life fun and a body disease-resistant.

Even if the idea of raw meat does not appeal, take a cue from Dr. Pottenger’s kitties and include raw foods every day. Vegetables and fruits, unrefined oils, and raw cheese are all good choices. Even raw honey has benefits, as long as it is used in moderation because of the natural sugar.

Live cells need living food. In Nature, big cats are always sleek and svelte. It is only when domesticated cats eat commercial food that they get chubby and develop Diabetes.  So we can learn something from our feline friends. Play a lot, sleep a lot, and eat plenty of raw foods. Purrrrfect!