DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM? Articles and Information Collected by
David Pensgard
Obesity, Diabetes, Allergies, Asthma, Autism and a host of other health problems are dramatically on the rise in America. Consider the following statistics:

  • The number of adults suffering from asthma more than doubled from 1980 to 2000 with existing cases becoming more severe; steroid prescriptions have increased 6-fold.
    British Medical Journal July 8, 2000;321:88-92.

  • Obesity increased from 12% in 1991 to 18% in 1998. Increases were seen in both sexes and all socio-economic classes, with the greatest increase seen in 18-29 year-olds and in those who have achieved higher education.
    Mokdad AH, Serdula MK, Dietz WH, Bowman BA, Marks JS, Koplan JP. The spread of the obesity epidemic in the United States, 1991-1998. JAMA 1999; 282: 1519 -1522.

  • 30 years ago, 2% of all cases of new onset diabetes (type II) were in people between 9 and 19 years old. Now, it's about 30% to 50%.
    Dr. Gerald Bernstein, a past president of the American Diabetes Association (    ADA) and an endocrinologist with Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

  • The emerging epidemic of type II diabetes among children reflects a trend in the population at large.  There has also been a 70% rise in the number of 30-39 year-old adults with the disorder between 1990-1998. Over the same period, rates of the disease rose by 40% among those aged 40-49, and by 31% among those aged 50-59.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

  • 25-33% of the population now has allergies. A century ago that number was closer to 10%, and it is only expected to keep rising.
    Richard Weber, an allergist and professor of medicine at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.

This data should be a surprise. It indicates that some problems are getting worse. And it's not just data. You probably have personal experience. It may seem to you that all of your friends, regardless of age (even some children!), are on some kind of prescription medication (allergy meds being the most common). Yet, in the face of worsening health, Americans are following the official medical guidelines more and more closely!

How can it be that following the official rules is accompanied by a nationwide decline in health?

Let's fix this problem!

KEEPING IT SIMPLE: WHAT TO DO

For those who want to know what to do, but don't care about the details, this first section is for you. Try the advice below for a few months and see if your health improves:

  • Measure your Calories: Set a daily limit
    • Vary the calorie limit until you're weight is ideal. Take your time getting there. Once you're at that weight, keep counting calories at a maintenance level.
    • Never stop counting and limiting calories.
  • Minimize Body Weight
    • Not too thin, whatever that means for you, but try to be as thin as you can while still being healthy and without sacrificing nutrition.
  • Stop Eating Sugar:
    • Basically this is any carbohydrate that is removed from its fruit or vegetable.
    • Examples: table sugar, fruit juice, soft drinks, sauces, and also honey.
  • Eat More Vegetables - Make them 70% or more of your daily meals (by bulk)
    • Vegetables Should Be: colorful, from a plant, and low-calorie
      • Examples: broccoli, spinach, kale and other greens, red cabbage, zucchini, brussels sprouts, etc.
      • Also: lettuce, green cabbage, cauliflower (not colorful, but good for you)
      • Vegetables Are Not:
        • sweet (fruit is a different category),
        • roots, nuts, or seeds,
        • starchy (e.g., potatoes or corn)
  • Eat foods with live bacteria (yogurt, kefir, "smelly" cheese, etc)
  • Take the following Supplements, morning and night (2X/Day):
    • Fiber (insoluble)
    • Fish oil for Omega-3 fatty acids
    • Folic Acid
    • Vitamin D (specifically D3, cholecalciferol)
    • Glucosamine
      • Also take N-Acetyl Glucosamine if you can afford to do so.
    • Trans-Resveratrol (about 200 mg/day)
  • Don't be afraid to eat these (if you count calories):
    • eggs, meat
    • fresh or frozen fruit, the more exotic the better.
    • dairy (Cheese and Milk)
    • butter, lard, various oils
    • oats, grains
    • beans
    • nuts, seeds
  • If you cook with oils or fats, make sure it is a saturated fat.
    • Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (butter, coconut oil, lard).
    • Unsaturated fats (like olive oil, Peanut oil, Canola oil, etc.) form trans-fats when heated.
    • No, these fats won't clog your arteries!
  • Think carefully about the medical advice you're getting. Don't be afraid to question it or get multiple opinions.
  • Exercise a little, but don't obsess. Long walks are best.

  

Before you go on to learn why the suggestions above work, take a look at my list of the
 latest nutritional developments.

  

EIGHT LESSONS: WHY TO DO IT

For those who want to know how and why these principles work, the following eight lessons will give you all the details you ever wanted!


LESSON #1: EXPERTS, THEY MAKE MISTAKES TOO!

  • Don't worship your doctor(s). Keep in mind that they could be giving you bad advice.
     
  • Doctors are usually good, decent people. They are hard-working, intelligent, and often hold themselves to a strict moral code. However, things still go wrong on a regular basis. Here are two reasons why:
    • The system can be "broken" even while the doctors within it are doing their best.
    • A broken system affects both the initial education as well as the on-going education of medical professionals.
      • A good doctor, like the rest of us, can be led astray by erroneous trends in his field.

In addition:

  • No doctor or researcher knows everything. In fact, they are continuously learning new things... which means that they didn't know those things before.

  • At any given time, experts are in disagreement about many important medical "facts."

  • The medical establishment takes time (sometimes decades) to adjust to new information. If you read about a new way to treat your ailments, don't wait! Try to find a way to test the new information safely.

  • Pride can come between a doctor and his ability to change his mind when the evidence truly warrants a change.

Therefore:

  • Don't assume that anyone or any system knows best. No individual doctor is all-knowing and no system is above reproach. Don't fall for the "He's an expert; he can't be wrong" fallacy.

  • Make sure medical advice works for you. Be ready to stop accepting advice that isn't doing you any good or is making you worse. Following medical advice should be better than doing nothing.

  • Medical services have their place. Visit a doctor when you have need... just don't assume they have it all figured out.

However, on the other hand:

  • Beware of quick fixes and scams. If you decide that a doctor's advice isn't working for you, you may think that the answer lies with another expert or another kind of advice.
    • As bad as official experts may be, they are still usually better than the fringe. Don't take too many risks or waste too much money following expensive dreams.
    • You are at your most GULLIBLE when you are suffering.
       
  • What about this website? Does the above advice mean all websites are full of lies?
    It depends... you need to be able to judge for yourself.
    Here are some reasons to trust the advice on this page:
    • Nothing is for sale. There are no ads. There is no profit being made in any way.
    • This advice requires self-discipline. These are not quick fixes.
    • This site has the new research that works and the old wisdom that has been working.
       
  • Also, be aware that your illness may not be curable. Desperately trying new things can make a situation worse. Remember that we're all mortal, sometimes you just have to stop searching for a cure and make the best of your remaining years.
    • Nonetheless, when you have an incurable illness, eating well and other forms of self-discipline can help to delay or stop the worsening of symptoms.
    • Giving up your "radical" search for a cure doesn't mean giving up on life. It means returning to a more even-headed approach to health.

LESSON #2: FAT IS NOT BAD FOR YOU... IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR HEALTH

  • There are two real problems with dietary fat:

    1. It is high in calories

    2. Many fats turn toxic when heated (trans-fats)

  • The deception surrounding fat:

    • Fat doesn't clog healthy arteries, neither does cholesterol
    • The fat and cholesterol you eat is digested; it does not stick to your arteries.
    • Don't think about fat or cholesterol in arteries in crudely mechanical terms: it doesn't lubricate or clog like your house's plumbing!
    • Cholesterol does clog arteries, but the cholesterol that does so is manufactured by the body (which is normal). It sticks to the walls of arteries only when those arteries are already diseased...
      • The cholesterol that does clog arteries is manufactured by your body. Therefore, you can die of coronary artery disease on a low-fat diet!

      • Diseased arteries are caused by high insulin and blood-sugar levels.

  • Read This Article to Learn More Details:
    The Soft Science of Dietary Fat by Gary Taubes, Science 2001 March 30; 291: 2536-2545.
    Freelance writer Gary Taubes (pictured) won his third Science-in-Society Award with this Science magazine story, "The Soft Science of Dietary Fat." Following his prize winning technique of evaluating how inadequate scientific tools are used to dictate important national health issues—what people should eat—he once again shows there is still much to be mined in a topic long considered settled and indisputable. Gary Taubes has written about science, medicine, and health for Science, Discover, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, GQ, and a host of other publications. He is currently a contributing correspondent with Science and a contributing editor with Technology Review. Taubes has won numerous awards for his reporting including the National Association of Science Writers Science-in-Society Journalism Award in both 1996 and 1999.

    • He's an expert... but he has a divergent opinion. This is a great way to detect holes in the mainstream's position on any matter.


LESSON #3: SUGAR CAN CAUSE DISEASE

  • Do You Know What a Carbohydrate Is?

    • There are three major kinds of food: Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates
    • Examples of foods with Fats and Proteins include Meat, Eggs, Cheese
      • Fats and proteins are almost always found together.
    • Examples of foods with Carbohydrates include Sweets, Starches, Potatoes, Bread, Pasta, and Fruits.
      • Sugars are the simplest and the most rapidly digested of the carbohydrates.
         

  • Why Are They a Problem?

    • Because they raise blood sugar and blood insulin. Insulin causes artery health to decline. It should be minimized.

    • Sugars are the main problem. Breads, pasta, and potatoes are safe in reasonable quantities. However, sugars should be eaten only on special occasions, that is, very sparingly.

    • Eating or drinking sugar raises blood sugar too quickly. This results in a spike of insulin. Insulin in high doses shocks the cells and causes them to withdraw receptors for insulin from their outer membranes. This, in turn, causes the body to secrete more insulin as it tries to get the signal through... the cycle repeats and insulin levels increase each time. This process slowly grows out of control until Type II Diabetes results. (Though the onset of diabetes is complex and not thoroughly understood, the above is an excellent description of how the process works in practical or experiential terms.)

    • How Insulin Harms Artery Health:
      Insulin is similar in structure to a growth factor called, Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF). In fact, when you have too much insulin, the body reacts in a similar way to having too much IGF. A great example of this is the length of the eyeball. Why do you need glasses? The most common form of eye disease involves an overly elongated eye leading to myopia (near-sightedness). In most cases, this is caused by blood insulin that was consistently too high. This leads to the eye continuing to grow when it should have stopped. Since insulin mimics IGF, it tells tissues to grow in inappropriate situations. (see article on Near-Sightedness below)

    • A similar process occurs in your arteries... have you ever noticed that most of the diseases that plague the elderly involve poor blood vessel health?

      • Heart Disease (coronary arteries hardened and inflamed)

      • Thromboses (clots in arteries)

      • DVTs, or "blood clots" (veins)

      • Strokes (arteries in brain)

      • Aneurysms (arteries with weakened or ruptured outer walls)

      • High Blood Pressure (arteries inflamed all over)

      • Macular Degeneration (arteries in retina of the eye)

      • Loss of Limbs (diabetics have problems with circulation in their feet and hands... due to poor capillary and artery health).

    • Arteries are damaged by insulin, and this damage leads to the diseases above. Clearly, they are all part of the SAME DISEASE. The disease is caused by insulin. Insulin is increased by sugar (and also by eating too many calories overall).

  • Speed Counts the Most:

    • Some foods raise blood sugar slowly, others raise it quickly.
      • Insulin is produced in response to sugar to help process it.
      • More insulin is produced when blood sugar is raised quickly than when it is raised slowly.
         

    • Therefore, the more quickly that sugars enter your blood, the higher the insulin response. It over-responds because of the suddenness of the spike in blood sugar.

    • Sugars raise your blood sugar the fastest, and as a result, raise your insulin levels the most.

    • Complex carbohydrates like pasta, bread, or potatoes take longer to digest. This means they are not as bad as simple carbohydrates like sugars. In reasonable quantities, and as part of a low-calorie diet, they don't do any harm.

    • Fat and fiber, when mixed with sugar, slow the absorption of carbohydrates to a safer rate. Thus, vegetables are safe despite containing some carbohydrates. Fruit is safer than fruit juice because the fiber in fruit slows the absorption of the fructose. Fruit juice is almost as dangerous as soda pop despite its source.

    • Speed of carbohydrate absorption is measured by "glycemic index." Removing fat and fiber from sweet foods increases the rate of sugar absorption... that's another reason why "low fat" foods are not healthy, they are actually high-sugar or high-carbohydrate with a higher-than-usual glycemic index.

      • When fat is reduced it leaves a void that must be filled. If your food weighs 5 ounces and you take out 2 ounces of fat, this mass is replaced by more of whatever is left, protein and carbohydrate. This replacement is accomplished by increasing the portion size of a low-fat food. Therefore, low fat means high carbohydrate.

  • The Effect Builds with Time:

    • Repeated exposure to sugary and starchy foods causes insulin levels to be chronically high (high all the time) which desensitizes your body to insulin.

    • This insensitivity is often compared to "deafness." The insulin is like a signal to the cells of the body. When the signal becomes too "loud," the cells have a way to "cover their ears." This results in more insulin being produced. When someone is hard of hearing, you speak louder to them. In order to get the signal across to the cells that are "deaf," the body increases the signal to get the message across--more insulin.

    • This effect compounds with time. More insulin results in more deafness (insensitivity to insulin) and more deafness results in more insulin. When your blood insulin and sugar go high enough, you become diabetic (Type II). Fortunately, this kind of diabetes can be reversed by eliminating starches and sugars from the diet. Keeping total calories low is also very important.
      • This process goes by a few different names. Metabolic Syndrome, Pre-Diabetes, and Low-Blood Sugar. These can be "treated" by eating less sugar and keeping calories low.eft" class="style1">HoHow do you know if you have it? You may be overweight, have poor circulation, or get "jittery" when you don't eat for a few hours. Being jittery along with being hungery is not normal. It is a sign that you are stuck in this sugar-insulin cycle that leads to diabetes.
    • High insulin levels shorten lifespan significantly and create many horrible health problems
      • Obesity
      • Heart disease
      • Diabetes, etc.
         

  • Higher blood insulin levels, ironically, INCREASES your appetite while simultaneously causing you to convert and store those excess CARBOHYDRATES as BODY FAT.

  • Near-Sightedness Linked to Excess Sugar in Diet of Children.

    • This is a study by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.  et al, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University (pictured)

  • Sneaky Sugars:
    • Some sugars and carbohydrates are hard to detect:
      • Avoid foods that include: Fructose, Cane Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Molasses, Sucrose, and Honey.
         

    • Don't be tricked into thinking that "natural" sugars are healthy. ALL SUGARS ARE NATURAL ... and they are all dangerous if eaten too often or in high quantities.

  • What About Fruit Juice?

    •  
    • Soda Pop is sweetened with fructose in the form of corn syrup. Yet, the sweet substance in orange or apple juice is also fructose! It's the same molecule, and it doesn't matter which type of plant produced it.
       
    • It still causes disease. The extra nutrients in fruit don't prevent this.
       

    • Don't give fruit juice to your kids! Yes, you should give them some fruit for the nutrition, but keep the fruit in its original, unprocessed state and limit the quantity. We should all be eating more vegetables than fruit.


LESSON #4: LOW-CALORIE DIETS MAXIMIZE LIFESPAN AND HEALTH

  • IF... and its a big if ... If you get adequate nutrition, THEN you may actually increase your otherwise normal lifespan by minimizing calories.

    • Lab animals all see an amazing increase in health and lifespan when kept on a very low calorie, highly nutritious diet. Most seem to live from 1.5 to 2.0 times as long as normal! It hasn't been done on humans yet, but they're currently doing a study with primates that is showing promising results so far.

  • How does it work?

    • The researchers are not sure how, just yet. However, it is probably much more than a coincidence that insulin levels are kept as low as possible on this diet. (see lesson #3 above)

    • There is also some indication that a set of genes called "SIR2" are activated when calories are kept low. These are thought to activate stem cells to regenerate old tissues more than they would otherwise. (Other names for SIR2 include: SIRT1, SIR2L1 or Sir2-alpha which are all abbreviations for "sirtuins"

    • It has also been suggested that cells enter a "protective mode" when calories are low. This limits the amount of damage that can be done to the cells' DNA. Some scientists think that DNA damage in stem cells is the root cause of aging and I agree. I subscribe to this theory of aging and I think this best describes why low-calorie diets increase life span.

    • Scientists are currently testing to see if it is possible to limit certain amino acids instead of total calories. I.e., to have a "normal" calorie intake, but limit, for example, methionine. Until this is better understood, it is best to limit total calories.

  • Do you have to starve yourself? Who wants to live like that?

    • If you eat nutritious foods, and plenty of vegetables, then your appetite will naturally decrease. But, it can be a rough start so do it very slowly. If you're counting and limiting calories anyway, why not try to slowly minimize them?

    • If you eat a steady amount of calories each day, even if its low, then your appetite will behave itself.

    • If you are losing weight, your appetite will be stronger than usual, once you stabilize (regardless of your weight), your appetite will decrease to normal levels even if you're very thin.

    • Some foods are known to decrease appetite: Apple Cider Vinegar, cinnamon, fiber (e.g. as from vegetables, beans, or raw oats), chromium supplements, and even turmeric. You can use these to help manage appetite.

  • How low should calories be?

    • Start by realistically measuring what you currently eat. For most men, this runs between 2000 and 3000 calories per day. Women average between 1000 and 2000.

    • Next, reduce it by 100-300 calories and try to stick with that level for a while, maybe a year or so. Your weight should slowly go down and then gradually stabilize at a new, lower weight.

    • Finally, after your body weight is down to a fairly low level, try to go a little lower. The lower you can go, the better (within reason, and without sacrificing nutrition). The lower you can go safely, the longer the lifespan will be.

      • Is this Anorexia? No, anorexia is a pathology of eating very little without any concern for nutrition caused by a false view of one's appearance and attractiveness to others. The result of anorexia is a reduction in health and a premature death.
        • Ironically, both groups of people (anorexics and those on a highly nutritious but low-calorie diet) can appear quite thin.
        • People have different ideas of what a healthy weight is. Most think that you need some "meat on your bones" to be healthy. However, this isn't borne out by the data. The low-calorie, high-nutrition strategy is not about appearance, it's about longevity and health.

        • Make sure you're doing it right. Visit your doctor to get a checkup once your weight gets low.

  • Similar techniques:

    • Fasting produces similar effects in the body even if it does not result in an overall reduction in calories (i.e., you make up for it later). Fasting means that you don't eat any calories at all. There is not such thing as a "Juice Fast." If you're drinking juice, you're not fasting!

      • Fasting is very good for you, but it can be hard to drum up enough will power. It's actually easier to keep calories steady and low for long periods of time.

      • You can fast for short or long periods. Even exercise is technically a fast because it lowers blood sugar it actually  burns it off for fuel) and then your body runs out of calories in the liver after about 30 minutes of exercise. This forces the body to burn fat just like it does when you fast.
        People have been known to fast for more than a year! These folks start out obese and supplement with essential nutrients as needed.

      • Using exercise to increase health is a two-edged sword. Doing it with diet is preferable. Of course, light exercise can complement a diet plan, but it also increases appetite. In any case, some activity is necessary.

      • A reasonable fast duration to start is one 24-hour day. If this does not cause problems for you, then you can try longer fasts. Note that, after about two days you will become very weak. This is not a bad thing, but it can be very inconvenient or even dangerous depending on what you need to be doing. The risk of fainting is significant. So, for example, don't ride a bicycle!

      • Regular fasting increases lifespan and health.

    • Mice that were forced to fast every other day, but allowed to eat as much as they wanted on the days they did eat, lived about 1.25 times as long as average, but were still fat! ...

    • Fasting can increase appetite. So, you need more discipline to fast than to eat right all the time.

LESSON #5: TRANS-RESVERATROL: MAYBE A MAGIC BULLET!

  • After reading lesson #4, you will be delighted to know that there is a chemical produced in grape skins and some other plants that activates the SIR2 genes (or similar gene complexes in other species). It goes by the name "Resveratrol." (rez - vare' - ah - trawl)
  • Mice fed high levels of this compound live longer than normal despite a normal diet. If they are put on a high-calorie diet, resveratrol allows mice to live normal life spans. Both groups avoid disease for longer than their counterparts.
    • There is a real-world example of this happening in the human population. Because this compound is found in red wine, populations that regularly drink it tend to have healthier people. This is sometimes called the "French Paradox" because the French, and many other Mediterranean cultures, eat what is considered to be an unhealthy diet, yet remain fairly healthy.
  • How to get it, pitfalls to avoid:
    • The compound that you need is called trans-resveratrol. Don't be fooled by cheaper products promising "resveratrols" or "grape skin/seed extract." The real deal is expensive. You need about 100 or more milligrams per day. Also, grape seed compounds are entirely different.
    • It doesn't matter if the compound comes from grape skins or not. Just be careful that the chemical name is exactly correct (except maybe for the dash)... trans-resveratrol.
  • Why is this enzyme such a big deal?
    Well, let's see... This is the only, THE ONLY, substance ever found to increase lifespan significantly. This is a first for history. It should be much bigger news than it is. (Do you wonder why it's not?) In any case, take advantage of it now that you know!
     
  • Does it make a good diet obsolete?
    • No! Resveratrol will enhance the effects of a good diet. Do both!
       
  • Should I drink more red wine?
    • Not really. If you're drinking 1-2 glasses a day you should not increase that amount.
    • However, the co-factors in wine will help you to use resveratrol more effectively. So, you should drink some red wine (ideally one glass per day with dinner), and also supplement with resveratrol pills.
    • Wine alone is not as effective, but if you can't afford both, pick the wine.

LESSON #6: FADS & OTHER KINDS OF MISINFORMATION
  • Certain ideas come and go while others stand the test of time. How can you know the difference now?
    • The advice on this page is either very old and merely against the fads of today, or
    • It is backed by remarkable empirical evidence (e.g., resveratrol, and low-calorie diets).
    • Following these ideas is hard work. It will not make you popular and it will not benefit any large industry. In fact, it will likely hurt the processed food and medical/pharmaceutical industries and increase world population (if enough people do it). So... "they" don't want you to follow this advice!
    • The only benefit will be a longer, healthier life and a probable reduction in the diseases you already have.
       
  • Fad Diets Are Based On The Idea of TEMPORARY FIXES:
    • The plain truth is obvious... if you ever go back to eating the way you do now, then you'll go back to looking and feeling the way you do now. No fad diet, done temporarily, will fix you for the rest of your life.
    • You can never go back to eating the way you did when you were a kid.
    • Life rewards self-discipline and hard work. Your diet and health are no exceptions.
       
  • Hiding Health Information:
    • There is some reason to suspect that some information is being suppressed that might help us live healthier lives. Other information is made to seem unimportant or wrong when it is actually very important and right. We have to be concerned with the way in which information is reported to us. This goes for the public as well as for doctors. Drug reps visit doctors regularly. Funding is a major complication for medical research.
       
    • As a key example researchers recently found a substance called "acrylamide" in virtually all processed foods. It is a known carcinogen. It was announced in all the newspapers and TV news shows for a few days. Then, as if a switch had been flicked, the story disappeared! The removal of the story was surprisingly complete. It seems that the food industry realized that they would be ruined if the public ever started to cry for its removal.  Since the media are fueled by advertisements and much of that revenue is provided by the food industry, it seems unavoidable to conclude that this is an example of a financial reason to suppress important health information. (I am aware that some later research seemed to indicate that it was not a problem, but I am not yet convinced.)
       
      • In any case, vegetables don't have any acrylamide in them!
         
    • Generally speaking, the following factors might warrant some vigilance:
       
      • The health industry would be financially reduced if health improved. While the idea of deliberately maintaining levels of medical dependence is abhorrent to most health care professionals (their motto is: "first do no harm"), the prescription drug industry is known to maximize profit by various unethical means, which I need not go into.
         
      • Besides money, another reason to withhold important health information is that many social engineers fear high population. If a magical cure was widely available, or if a commonly absorbed toxin were suddenly removed, the population would begin to increase faster than it already is. To avoid the "problem" of your long life, I think that there are efforts in place to withhold many different kinds of aids: medicines, foods, health information, etc.

LESSON #7: EXERCISE?
  • Yes, you should exercise... a little.
     
  • Exercise increases insulin sensitivity by producing a mini-starvation in your body. By using up all of your muscles' and liver's calorie reserves, exercise causes the body to react as it would on a fast... which is a good thing.
     
  • Ironically, high blood sugar and insulin levels make you feel good and low levels make you feel very bad. So, the healthy state feels bad, and the unhealthy state feels good. That's part of the reason that exercise is both painful and good for you. Your body is trying to keep you from using too much energy by making it hurt. Since you don't have a fuel gauge, your body communicates the "danger, low-fuel" message by causing you to suffer as the tank nears empty.
     
    • There are many fuel tanks in the body. The first is your blood sugar, second is the energy stored in the muscles, the third is the glycogen in the Liver, and the last resort is in body fat. You have to use up the first three before the last is tapped. And all of these "fuel tanks" like to stay full... so they resist you when you try to lose weight... that's why it hurts!
       
  • Regarding health and longevity, everything that you can do with exercise can be done better with diet. It is true that increases in strength and stamina require exercise. But, obtaining health through diet is safer and leads to a longer life span.
     
  • Mild exercise can compliment a good diet, but intense exercise can also do damage. Don't obsess! I would suggest mainly productive activities like gardening, house work, and even real work. Do everything at an even pace. Bicycling and walking are also good when done in moderation. Some weight lifting can be good too, and can be good for strengthening weak body parts, like a "bad back."
     
  • HOWEVER,
    exercise increases your metabolic rate which makes you hungry, causes you to metabolize more food and this increases the rate at which you age. Most people will say that exercise helps you to live longer. However, this is only true in comparison to a typically fat, lazy, gluttonous person (i.e., a couch potato).
     
    • The truth is that your stem cells (the source of your ability to renew tissues) have a limited number of divisions and exercise causes them to go through their divisions more rapidly. This is what is behind the rate of aging.
       
    • Low-calorie diets help you to live longer, partially, because they slow the rate of cell division.
       

LESSON #8: FIBER REDUCES INFLAMMATION
  • Fiber is digested by bacteria in our intestines. The byproducts of this process calm our immune systems so that they will cause less inflammation.
     
  • This is not anecdotal! Not any more. Australian scientists Charles Mackay (pictured), and Kendle Maslowski, both research PhDs working at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, have determined that human immune cells have a specific receptor (GPR43) for short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). These SCFAs are produced in the gut by bacterial digestion of insoluble fiber.
     
  • Thus, eating insoluble fiber feeds the bacteria in our intestines and causes them to produce SCFAs. In turn, the SCFAs stimulate the GPR43 receptor on immune cells. This, reduces the inflammatory processes of these immune cells.
     
  • There is a definite link between eating fiber and reducing inflammation.
      
    • These researchers also showed how fiber encourages the right kind of bacteria to flourish in the intestines. This helps to keep appetite under control.
       
    • In a related science-news article, Maslowski stated:
      "We're also now beginning to understand that from the moment you're born, it's incredibly important to be colonized by the right kinds of gut bacteria. The kinds of foods you eat directly determine the levels of certain bacteria in your gut. Changing diets are changing the kinds of gut bacteria we have, as well as their by-products, particularly short chain fatty acids. If we have low amounts of dietary fiber, then we're going to have low levels of short chain fatty acids, which we have demonstrated are very important in the immune systems of mice." - physorg.com (color added for emphasis)
       
    • View the Garvan Institute press release on this study.
       
  • As was noted at the top of this page, there are a number of health problems that are on the increase throughout this country. Inflammation is a main component of almost all of them. So, reducing inflammation is something everyone should be trying to do as much as possible.
     
    • IBS and IBD (irritable bowel syndrome and disease, respectively) are helped especially by intake of large amounts of insoluble fiber. Also, for some reason, marshmallow root helps these problems noticeably.
    • The benefits come from long-term use, this is not a sudden fix.
       
  • Therefore, eat vegetables. Eat beans. Eat oatmeal.
     
  • Supplement with a fiber powder like Metamucil several times a day. Be sure that your fiber supplement contains mainly insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is easier to take, but it is not as effective.
     
  • Yes, this causes gas. But, your body adjusts with time so that it isn't too bad. Some gas will always be produced, however, since gas and SCFAs are both caused by bacterial action. You'll just have to get used to it!

OTHER IMPORTANT LESSONS: MISCELLANEOUS
  • New Studies Support a Link Between Antibiotics and Allergies/Asthma:
     
    • These new studies, out of Germany, tested both mice in the lab as well as the human population of Germany. Thus it was a two-sided approach.
       
      • In the Lab: The mice that had taken antibiotics developed allergies more readily than the other mice later in their life.
         
      • In the Population: People receiving antibiotics, especially as children, were more likely to develop allergies during their lifetime.
         
    • Could antibiotics be the cause of our allergies and other autoimmune problems?
      • An immune system that attacks the wrong things can be very inconvenient (allergies), disabling (asthma), or lethal (MS).
          
    • Eating foods with live bacteria can help alleviate the problem after antibiotics have done their damage. If you can't avoid them, due to a life-threatening illness, then eat high-quality yogurt like crazy and take probiotic pills at 3X the recommended dose. Also, be sure to eat plenty of fiber to keep the bacteria well fed.
      • Because antibiotics kill "friendly" bacteria, your immune system loses touch with the first "outsiders" with which it learned to co-exist after birth.
      • Try Try to overwhelm your system with friendly bacterial substitutes. This may help it reestablish the ability to recognize biomolecular friends without attacking them.
         
  • Glucosamine and N-Acetyl Glucosamine prevent and ameliorate auto-immune disease:
  • The Truth About Salt by Ted H Spence, DDS, ND, PhD/DSc, MH
    • Salt (especially sea salt) is good for you and causes no health problems.
       
    • Remember, having unhealthy arteries (from a lifetime of sugar) often leads to increased blood pressure. Salt in the diet can make this worse, but it is not the cause of the problem.
       
    • All inflammation is made worse when the body retains fluids. Salt causes your body to retain fluids. So, it can appear that salt causes problems. But, if you're healthy, salt is perfectly safe... salt to taste!
       
  • Do Not Eat Artificial Sweeteners
    • You can't fool your body for long. People who use artificial sweeteners tend to be very fat and show no signs of getting thin.
       
    • There is some indication that even sweet tastes can increase blood insulin levels. This might explain the difficulty that people have losing weight while using sweeteners. Insulin increases appetite and initiates fat storage mechanisms.
       
    • Aspartame (NutraSweet), Sucralose (Splenda)
       
  • Vaccines: Good and Bad
     
    • Consider this carefully: vaccines do some good and some bad. Several factors are involved in making a personal decision.
       
    • The evidence against vaccines in general is fairly weak, but there is some evidence that they can lead to particular health problems.
       
    • I do not think mercury was ever the problem. Instead, the problem is the ability of vaccines to create auto-immune responses (the body is inadvertently "trained" by the vaccine to attack part of itself instead of the disease the vaccine is supposed to protect against).
       
    • No doubt, vaccines help to eradicate disease at the population level (e.g., polio). But, there is also no doubt that there is some risk that they will facilitate an auto-immune disease at the individual level.
       
    • Therefore, I recommend that, in a society that is widely vaccinated, individuals should avoid getting vaccinations. And, in a situation where there is a lot of dangerous disease, it is better to get the vaccine. It's a matter of managing risk and playing the odds.
       
    • If the disease that the vaccine protects against is not dangerous (e.g., the flu), then it is not worth the risk unless the flu might kill you due to your weakened state. If the disease is virtually eradicated, then the vaccine may be unwarranted.
       
    • Infant vaccination is an added complication. I suggest getting a few different books on the issue. Some vaccinations are more important than others. And, many doctors are sympathetic to the need to limit vaccinations and to spread them out in time. It will still be best to minimize the number of vaccinations your child receives in total. "Minimize" means that you get only the ones that you can't imagine not getting. Keep in mind that, no matter what you do, you cannot eliminate risk. Vaccines may help, and they may hurt.
       
    • Of course, avoiding vaccination removes a form of protection against disease! So, either decision has its risk. If you avoid vaccines, you should also find other ways to protect your child from the more dangerous illnesses:
       
      • Wash hands after exposure to people (dirt and the "great outdoors" are not as dangerous as people. You should not provide a sterile environment for your child.)
         
      • Avoid exposure to people when possible (stores, church, schools, etc.). If it can't be avoided, limit duration of exposure, wash hands and faces afterwards, and never leave your child in a nursery. If you don't vaccinate, think seriously about home schooling.
         
      • Try to avoid nose blowing. Children force bacteria into their middle ears through the eustachian tube this way and get ear infections that often require antibiotics (which should also be avoided).
         
      • Keep your child in good health by providing good nutrition.
         
    • I have an old document about legal issues that might help:
      How To Avoid Being Legally Forced To Take A Vaccine/Immunization
       
  • Maybe avoid Fluoride in your water and toothpaste
    • If you ate a tube of toothpaste, the Fluoride would probably kill you! Fluoride is very toxic!
    • If you need to use it because your teeth rot without it, try using a non-fluoride toothpaste four days per week or some similar method.
    • For most, brushing regularly and eating well does the trick.
      • Sugar in the diet diminishes the natural, cavity-fighting functions of your teeth.
      • Carbonated Soft Drinks, containing both sugar and acid, are the number one enemy of your teeth. If you must drink them, immediately brush your teeth with baking soda to neutralize the acid.
      • Low-calorie diets have been rumored to improve the condition of "bad" teeth by allowing them to re-enamelize. I cannot verify this, but it sounds plausible.
         
    • Normally filtered tap water still contains Fluorine; Use Reverse Osmosis Filtration or use bottled or well water.
    • Europe took fluoride out of their public water because it was toxic.
    • The Complete Fluoride Debate (PDF format) compiled by Anita Shattuck
       
  • Religion Maximizes Life Span

References and Recommended Reading:
These resources aren't 100% correct, but they are generally informative. Above all else, get a wide exposure to ideas so you can compare them and start thinking for yourself!

  • "Trust Us, We're Experts : How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles With Your Future" by John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton (pictured left to right); Publisher: J. P. Tarcher; ISBN: 158542059X; 1st edition (December 22, 2000). (Pictured)
     
  • Low Grain and Carbohydrate Diets Treat Hypoglycemia, Heart Disease, Diabetes Cancer and Nearly ALL Chronic Illness by Joseph Brasco, MD
    Dr. Joseph Brasco, M.D. is board certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology. Dr. Brasco went to medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and did his post graduate training at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He has been in private practice in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago for the past 10 years and is known as one of the leading nutritional GI specialists in the country. Dr. Brasco strives for cures rather than treating symptoms with drugs.
     
  • 108 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health Referenced List compiled by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D.
     
  • We Eat Far Too Many Polyunsaturated Fats in the US by PM Kris-Etherton, Denise Shaffer Taylor, et. al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71, No. 1, 179-188, January 2000. Penny M. Kris-Etherton Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, University of Minnesota, 1978. Dr. Kris-Etherton is Didactic Program Director for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
  • Tripping Lightly Down the Prostaglandin Pathways by Sally Fallon, M.A. and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Journal Vol. 20, #3 FALL 1996
    Sally Fallon is a food historian and nutrition journalist; She is President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and editor of 'Wise Traditions', the Foundation's quarterly magazine. Mary Enig is a nutritionist/biochemist of international renown for her research on the nutritional aspects of fats and oils. She is a consultant, clinician, and the Director of the Nutritional Sciences Division of Enig Associates, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland.
     
  • Green Tea, Fluoride, and the Thyroid by Andreas Schuld, Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children (PFPC)
     
  • One Doctor's Eating Plan: Dr. Joseph Mercola. Eat what your body was made to eat: Raw Unmodified Vegetables, Grass-Fed Meat, Eggs, Nuts and Seeds... It's a lot like turning the USDA's Food Pyramid upside down!
     


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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
Please be sure to understand that the advice on this site is not intended to be a substitute for a physician's advice. These articles are collected from the medical research extant, but are not necessarily accepted by the medical community. One should always consult a physician before beginning a new diet or exercise program. The articles on this site are mostly from peer reviewed journals and/or make reference to the same. As such, the research is primarily from medical doctors and research PhDs. Other articles are by David Pensgard, who was educated at Northwestern University, B.A. Neurobiology.