The Tom Brady Diet

A friend sent an article about "The Tom Brady Diet" (as opposed to Tom Brady's diet:), which he introduced in 2017 with the publication of his book “The TB12 Method”, which I have not read but am now curious about. Why? Well it appears, based on the article (link below), to be very close to the standard SOS free WFPB diet (sugar oil and salt free, whole foods, plant based).

The SOS free WFPB diet is the same diet advocated and prescribed by what I call "the disease reversal MDs" Neal Barnard, Joel Fuhrman, John McDougall, Dean Ornish, and dozens of other well known practitioners.

Brady adds some quality meat and fish, and I don't see anything wrong with that if one can keep the level under control. The article says 20% which is higher than I go, but there is no reliable science I know of that tells us optimal levels of animal product to add to the standard SOS free WFPB diet. That could be because there is little "mainstream" science centered on SOS free WFPB diets to begin with.

(I should add here that I see everything wrong with factory farming of animals. It's not just disgusting and horrific, it is, literally, killing us and the planet.)

And is it 20% meat and fish in terms of bulk or calories? The book probably gets into that, the article doesn't. If it's bulk than the calories from meat and fish go higher than 20% and IMO that gets back into the area where heart disease and diabetes begin to become problematic.

And it should be noted there are now hundreds of thousands of people who have recovered from diseases using the standard SOS free WFPB diet with no added animal product.

How does one know if they have "recovered"? Well first and foremost, symptoms disappear. Standard medical tests showing the condition go back to normal. Correct weight is easily and rapidly achieved and then maintained. And best of all you feel better than you have in a long time.

Brady is very youthful looking for his years, and his athletic performance speaks for itself. I have no doubt his diet plays a strong role in both.

The line in the article "critics point out that it’s unnecessarily complex, unsustainable in the long term, and not supported by strong science" is wrong on every point, the diet is simple and easy, very sustainable if one is using how they feel as the gauge (as opposed to how bad they want that chili dog:), and supported by a mountain of (real) science.

I am encouraged to see the basics of SOS free WFPB diet promoted by a celebrity athlete and in the mainstream. We need more of that.

Here's the article:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tom-brady-diet#the-diet

News out of California - broad based population tests for Corona antibodies are controversial

We've have no idea what % of population has been infected but never turned up at a hospital or even their doctors office. We've needed broad testing of the population for antibodies that gives up an idea of the % infected in the general population. Calif has just begun doing that now that fast blood tests for antibodies are available. If the initial numbers hold in expanded ongoing testing the ratio of death to infection is something like 0.2%, about the same as the seasonal flu.

Critics are having a hard time thinking this could even be close to true for understandable reasons. But epidemiologists have known this is a real possibility all along. Some worry these numbers will give the wrong idea and the rigorous standards in place to flatten the curve will relax with disastrous result. On the other hand it may turn out looking back with historic data we'll see the progression of the virus would have been about the same either way.

If so, why the big panic? Interconnectedness at new levels? (all news all the time and the internet).

https://reason.com/2020/04/22/critics-say-a-pair-of-california-antibody-studies-contain-critical-statistical-errors-that-produced-implausible-results/

What you should do if you find you have symptoms

This was forwarded to me along with a lot of other things, but this one seems potentially very useful if you or someone you love should find you have symptoms.

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Since they are calling on Respiratory therapists to help fight the Corona virus, and I am a retired one, too old to work in a hospital setting. I'm gonna share some common sense wisdom with those that have the virus and trying to stay home. If my advice is followed as given you will improve your chances of not ending up in the hospital on a ventilator. This applies to the otherwise generally healthy population, so use discretion. 

1. Only high temperatures kill a virus, so let your fever run high. Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen etc. will bring your fever down allowing the virus to live longer. They are saying that ibuprofen, advil etc will actually exacerbate the virus. Use common sense and don't let fever go over 103 or 104 if you got the guts. If it gets higher than that take your tylenol, not ibuprofen or advil to keep it regulated. It helps to keep the house warm and cover up with blankets so the body does not have to work so hard to generate the heat. It usually takes about 3 days of this to break the fever.

2. The body is going to dehydrate with the elevated temperature so you must rehydrate yourself regularly, whether you like it or not. Gatorade with real sugar, or pedialyte with real sugar for kids, works well. Why the sugar? Sugar will give your body back the energy it is using up to create the fever. The electrolytes and fluid you are losing will also be replenished by the Gatorade. If you don't do this and end up in the hospital they will start an IV and give you D5W (sugar water) and Normal Saline to replenish electrolytes. Gatorade is much cheaper, pain free, and comes in an assortment of flavors

3. You must keep your lungs moist. Best done by taking long steamy showers on a regular basis, if your wheezing or congested use a real minty toothpaste and brush your teeth while taking the steamy shower and deep breath through your mouth. This will provide some bronchial dilation and help loosen the phlegm. Force yourself to cough into a wet washcloth pressed firmly over your mouth and nose, which will cause greater pressure in your lungs forcing them to expand more and break loose more of the congestion.

4. Eat healthy and regularly. Gotta keep your strength up.

5. Once the fever breaks, start moving around to get the body back in shape and blood circulating.

6. Deep breath on a regular basis, even when it hurts. If you don't it becomes easy to develop pneumonia. Pursed lip breathing really helps. That's breathing in deep and slow then exhaling through tight lips as if you're blowing out a candle, blow until you have completely emptied your lungs and you will be able to breathe in an even deeper breath. This helps keep lungs expanded as well as increase your oxygen level.

7. Remember that every medication you take is merely relieving the symptoms, not making you well.

8. If you're still dying, go to ER.

EXERCISE MAY PROTECT AGAINST DEADLY COVID-19 COMPLICATION, RESEARCH SUGGESTS

From the University of Virginia:

"Exercise can prevent or at least reduce the severity of ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), which affects between 3% and 17% of all patients with COVID-19. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 20% to 42% of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 will develop ARDS.

Exercise stimulates production of an antioxidant known as extracellular superoxide dismutase, or EcSOD. This potent antioxidant hunts down harmful free radicals, protecting our tissues and helping to prevent disease. Our muscles naturally make EcSOD, secreting it into the circulation to allow binding to other vital organs, but its production is enhanced by cardiovascular exercise."

https://news.virginia.edu/content/exercise-may-protect-against-deadly-covid-19-complication-research-suggests

Who knew exercise makes you stronger? We did! (That includes your immune system.) Fresh air and sunshine are vitally important also. Get out there and walk, run, ride your bicycle. The out of doors is also the psychological antidote to shelter in place.

Accelerate your heart rate and respiration. Outdoors we are least likely to be exposed to Corona Virus (the solution to pollution is dilution). Still, be safe and keep social distance.

Eat plenty of the whole foods high in Vitamin C:

veggies - mild peppers, dark green leafy, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, tomato.

fruits - berries, papaya, citrus, bananas, cantaloupe, kiwi, mango, pineapple, watermelon.

An unusually intelligent perspective on "total harm" of Covid-19 by Dr. David Katz of Yale

Dr Katz is the founding director (1998) of Yale University's Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.

BTW, Dr. Katz's wife Catherine, a neuroscience among other things, has an interesting website all about making "good for you" foods taste good - hint, she was raised in France and loves French cuisine. Foodies may want to take note :)

https://cuisinicity.com/

Dr. Zubin Damania - Covid 19 will be the catalyst that burns this broken system to the ground

This is so good I can barely stand it :)

Godspeed Dr. Damania!

Breathholding is the new black

I thought this was fascinating. And it opened a new door for me to the benefits of meditation.

Meet Stig Severinsen: