Tuesday, March 31, 2020

The Function of the Macro Nutrients - Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates

The macronutrients can be confusing as to their purpose. Here Doug Graham explains the function of the three macronutrients.

Friday, March 27, 2020

Time Restricted Eating in the Age of the Corona Virus

A presentation on fasting and time restricted eating by Dr Françoise Wilhelmi de Toledo, the Scientific Director of Buchinger Wilhelmi, a well known fasting clinic in Europe.


Saturday, March 21, 2020

How do estimates of US deaths from Coronavirus compare to other leading causes?

I was curious, looked it up found an article from NYT:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/16/upshot/coronavirus-best-worst-death-toll-scenario.html

Interesting. Seven of the ten leading causes of death per year are caused mostly by what we choose to put in our mouths. Take out Covid-19 and it's eight (renal failure becomes #10). 


About 1/3 of people in the developed world die prematurely of the leading killer, the cardiovascular diseases hypertension, stroke, and heart attack. There is no panic, the economy does not grind to a halt. Instead, perhaps ironically, our economy is fueled in large part by the production and treatment of diet related diseases.

Production includes animal and mono crop agriculture, the chemical industry with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides for the crops (I'll have a cide with that please), big pharma with antibiotics for the animals. And then production of final product into fast and processed foods, fast food restaurant industry, and supermarket sales.

Treatment includes medical insurance, doctor visits, "lifetime" medications (big pharma makes a killing twice, excuse the choice of words), and finally hospitalizations, surgeries and palliative care.

All told multi trillions flow into US coffers every year from heart disease alone. And most remain blissfully unaware a simple change of diet prevents (and reverses) heart disease. The elephant in the room goes unnoticed.


Theoretical reductions in total cost per year are massive...but the economy is fueled by poor diet and the (so-called) health care system. And the economy is fragile! Still recovering (barely) from the near collapse in the 2008 crash.

do - not - remove - any - source - of - revenue

Food for thought?

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Cancer Research for Development of New Drugs that Work

Research for development of new drugs that cure cancer ...

is like research for a drug that cures lung cancer so people can keep smoking.

Obviously we are collectively more stupid about food than we were about tobacco, right? Food is food. It's survival. What we grew up eating is hard to kick. Even if it is a toxic addiction. Or perhaps especially because of that.

But let's not forget how stupid we were about tobacco. I'm old enough to remember all the doctors who said smoking is not bad for you. And the literally thousands of studies that showed smoking caused cancer decades before government put the Surgeon General's Warning on every pack of cigarettes and banned tobacco advertisements. And then when the news was in, all the smokers who said they'd rather die than give up the pleasure of smoking. Really?

The weight of the evidence was massively one sided decades before the sea change in social attitude occured.

We know cancer is the result of toxic exposure right? It's not because of susceptible genes...it's susceptible genes + toxic exposure. And toxic exposure is the bigger part of the equation. We don't know what the precise ratio for that equation is. Don't be surprised if it turns out to be 80% on average. But don't count on big pharma being the messenger of that news. It will come out of small university labs, most of which are not in the US.

The weight of the evidence is already in IMHO. With all the noise out there you wouldn't know it. So I'm going to expand on Michael Pollan's dictum a bit: "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much".

Eat whole foods, or foods that are minimally processed. Processing includes cooking, blending, and juicing. How many steps away from whole is the final result? Three? Five? No clue?

How bout no steps?

Eat whole fruits and green salads as a big part of your diet. Let that form the bulk of what goes into your mouth.

Choose fruits and vegetables that are closest to meeting the five requirements for health: whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic (in no particular order).

Thanks to Doug Graham for tirelessly teaching the five food requirements for health.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Strength vs Size with Dr. Doug Graham

Doug Graham teaches powerlifting (among other things) at his FoodNSport.com retreats, and I am grateful for that everytime I go to the gym.

I've written about powerlifting in previous blogs, but some things bear repeating. Probably the most important thing is that most professional trainers agree powerlifting is the most effective thing you can do for your body and health. And this is even more true as we age.

The three power lifts are called "compound lifts" because they each work most of the body at once. These lifts are bench press, back squat, and deadlift. Here's what is not all that well known about these lifts: almost anyone can do them. They are not just for muscle building!

That last one may sound a little strange...but for most people more is to be gained with the strength building approach. So there's a difference between strength and muscle building?

Yes, there are two distinct approaches to powerlifting, muscle building (visually bigger muscles), and strength building (more toned looking muscle structure, but not bigger looking muscles). It boils down to this one thing basically - to build big muscles you do sets of 20 lifts with lighter weight, to build strength you do sets of 5 with heavier weight.

Doug Graham is a big fan of the strength building approach for a number of reasons.

He explains why in this presentation:




Fasting for Viruses?

According to at least one study (link below), running a glucose metabolism (high carb-low fat) is protective against viral infections. Here's the cliff notes version:

When animals are infected they stop eating and they switch to a fasting metabolic mode,” Medzhitov said. “The question was whether fasting metabolism is protective or detrimental.”
When the researchers fed the animals, they found that those with viral infections survived, but the bacterially infected ones succumbed to the illness. By testing individual nutrients (fat, protein, and glucose), they determined that glucose was responsible for the opposing effects of nutrition on infection.
The team then repeated the experiment, but used chemicals to block the glucose metabolism. The results were reversed.
During a viral infection, eating provides glucose, which may be necessary for survival," Medzhitov said.
https://news.yale.edu/2016/09/08/listening-body-study-examines-effects-fasting-infections

Me again...some other things that might help. Sunlight is a known antiviral, the UV and heat from the sun penetrates the skin sufficiently to "cleanse" the blood. Sun exposure also produces Vitamin D, thought to be an anti-cancer agent and important for good health in general.

Fresh fruit is the whole food highest in vitamin C, and many feel we should be getting good levels of vitamin C from whole food sources to maintain good health. There are many studies showing whole food sources to have the advantage when comparing efficacy of supplementation vs nutrients from whole foods.

A glucose metabolism is of course high in carbs and low in fats. Most people consume high levels of fats and carbs in their diets. High levels of both in the same diet can cause problems that are completely or partially resolved with 80/10/10 or keto diets.

It's becoming clear either is better for overall health than high levels of fats and carbs in the same diet. Unfortunately restaurant food is the worst in terms of nutritionally advantageous food. Can someone fix that please?

Food that's good for you does not have to taste bad.


Covid-19 Precautions #2

A friend forwarded this, it blew up on the internet, and as a result the WHO has come out debunking some of this information, specifically the idea that holding one's breath for 10 seconds every morning upon rising may be an early indication of Covid-19.

But it's important to understand what they are debunking:

It's not false that Covid-19 fatalities are caused by pulmonary fibrosis, or that in the earlier stages of PF it begins to become more difficult to breathe, or that holding the breath for extended periods becomes more difficult. All the WHO is saying is that an inability to hold the breath without difficulty and coughing is not a definitive test for any specific pulmonary disease, and that is true. BUT, it is a reasonable indication of some kind of pulmonary dysfunction. The WHO is apparently trying to prevent unnecessary panic due to non-definitive ad hoc methods. And there is nothing wrong with that.

But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater either. The correct way to say this would be: inability to hold one's breath for 10 seconds without coughing >>may be<< an early indication of Covid-19 progression. Or it may not be. IMHO one should still feel free to do this simple test, but be aware it is not definitive. And let's not forget Covid-19 is new in human experience, and we are learning more about it literally everyday at this point. Here for example is a very recent paper published by a group of MD Clinicians with "boots on the ground" in Wuhan China (ground zero) describing the progression of Covid-19 in the context of pulmonary pathology.

https://ascopost.com/news/march-2020/pulmonary-pathology-of-early-covid-19-pneumonia-identified-retrospectively-in-two-patients-with-lung-cancer/

Pulmonary fibrosis is already well understood, a web search turns up various papers on it. Acute cases require ventilation and are frequently fatal.

It may also be worth repeating that Covid-19 has the potential for exponential progression, and medical triage may become necessary at some point. For those who do not qualify for medical attention in that situation (older people) information will be our best defense.

My next post will ask whether diet can play a role in defending against viral infection.

Here is some of what has been circulating on the internet, you may have already seen some of it. Let's remember none of these suggestions are physically harmful, and that's something. And they may be helpful, and that's also something.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The new Coronavirus may not show sign of infection for many days. How can one know if he/she is infected? By the time they have fever and/or cough and go to the hospital, the lung is usually 50% Fibrosis and it's too late. Taiwan experts provide a simple self-check that we can do every morning. Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you complete it successfully without coughing, without discomfort, stiffness or tightness, etc., it proves there is no Fibrosis in the lungs, basically indicates no infection. In critical time, please self-check every morning in an environment with clean air.

Advice by Japanese doctors treating COVID-19 cases: Everyone should ensure your mouth & throat are moist, never dry. Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Why? Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach. Once there, your stomach acid will kill all the virus. If you don't drink enough water more regularly, the virus can enter your windpipe and into the lungs. That's very dangerous.

1. If you have a runny nose and sputum, you have a common cold.

2. Coronavirus pneumonia is a dry cough with no runny nose.

3. This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the Sun.

4. If someone sneezes with it, it takes about 10 feet before it drops to the ground and is no longer airborne.

5. If it drops on a metal surface it will live for at least 12 hours - so if you come into contact with any metal surface - wash your hands as soon as you can with a bacterial soap.

6. On fabric it can survive for 6-12 hours. normal laundry detergent will kill it.

7. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink liquids with ice.

8. Wash your hands frequently as the virus can only live on your hands for 5-10 minutes, but - a lot can happen during that time - you can rub your eyes, pick your nose unwittingly and so on.

9. You should also gargle as a prevention. A simple solution of salt in warm water will suffice.

10. Can't emphasize enough - drink plenty of water!

THE SYMPTOMS

1. It will first infect the throat, so you'll have a sore throat lasting 3/4 days.

2. The virus then blends into a nasal fluid that enters the trachea and then the lungs, causing pneumonia. This takes about 5/6 days further.

3. With the pneumonia comes high fever and difficulty in breathing.

4. The nasal congestion is not like the normal kind. You feel like you're drowning. It's imperative you then seek immediate attention.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

The Beauty of Mastery

Mastery, in whatever form it takes, is beautiful. I came across a short video (below) that illustrates this principle perfectly.

Some forms of mastery will have visceral appeal, others will have cerebral appeal. There will always be a mix of both in mastery, which can be more or less obvious. Take chess for example, where is the visceral appeal in chess? Perhaps one has to know a little about the game to find the visceral hiding within. The movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer" illustrates that, it's a biopic of a real person (Josh Waitzkin) about his early years as a chess prodigy. An even better illustration of the beauty of mastery is the book written by Waitzkin himself about his journey titled "The Art of Learning".
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743277465/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Because mastery is ultimately all about learning.

I really enjoyed this short video titled "What Does it Take to be a Shen Yun Dancer". I think you will too.





Covid-19 Precautions

This was forwarded to me by a reliable source, the authors name had been removed so I cannot give credit here. The idea that Covid-19 is not much worse than a common flu is apparently not true.

The letter is directly below, but I want to add a few common sense things I'm going to do myself in case there is a need to stay at home for an extended period.

Stock in rice and beans in dry bulk, Costco / Sam's Club sized bags of frozen fruits and veggies, a sufficient quantity of peanut butter, jelly, and bread, freeze the bread until needed.

Let's hope for the mildest manifestation of this as possible. Your comments are welcome.

Here's the forward:

Date: February 26, 2020 at 2:35:50 PM EST

Subject: What I am doing for the upcoming COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

Dear Colleagues, as some of you may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources.

The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.

Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.

2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.

3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip - do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.

4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.

5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.

6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home's entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can't immediately wash your hands.

7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!

What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.

Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average - everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you - it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth - it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY "cold-like" symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.

I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.

End of forward.