Category Archives: toxic chemicals

Antibiotic Resistant Infections: A growing threat

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  • At least 1.27 million deaths per year are directly attributable to AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance), according to global AMR estimates released earlier this year by IHME (Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation) and Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project partners.
     
  • The deadliest pathogen-drug combination globally was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which caused more than 100,000 deaths attributable to AMR in 2019.
     
  • MRSA can infect cuts or scrapes in the skin and then be passed through skin-to-skin contact or through items such as towels or clothing that have touched the infected skin.

There are several pathways converging on Anti-Microbial Resistance.

  • Misuse and Overuse of antibiotics in raising meat, farmed fish, dairy, poultry and eggs
  • Excessive use of antibiotics in Medicine
  • Lack of clean water and sanitation in many poor countries
  • Poor infection and disease prevention and control in health-care facilities and farms
  • Poor access to quality, affordable medicines and vaccines
  • Lack of awareness and knowledge

Emerging resistant strains include sexually transmitted infections (gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia), MRSA, tuberculosis, several bacteria that cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections and food poisoning.

Viral infections are also demonstrating antibiotic resistance including HIV (10% of cases in the majority of monitored countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America).

Malaria is also developing drug resistance and as global warming pushes this disease further north, soon greater parts of USA will be experiencing this mosquito vectored disease.

Drug resistant fungal infections (especially Candida which represents a major threat to immunocompromised individuals, especially in the hospital setting) are becoming widespread.

Antibiotic resistance in animal husbandry presents unique challenges.

Antibiotic resistance is of great public health concern because the antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with the animals may be pathogenic to humans, easily transmitted to humans via food chains, and widely disseminated in the environment via animal wastes. These may cause complicated, untreatable, and prolonged infections in humans, leading to higher healthcare cost and sometimes death.

One of the problems with the RWA designation (Raised Without Antibiotics) is that it does not distinguish between overuse (used for prevention, growth and output) and use to treat infections. There should be a category of RWA that indicates that antibiotics are used only to treat illness in animals, not to prevent infections or foster growth.

RWA programs are intended to supply customers, such as restaurants, grocers and other food service establishments, with meat, eggs, and dairy products that can be labeled as having never had exposure to antibiotics.

Research in animal husbandry has demonstrated that pork, beef, chicken, dairy, and eggs raised without preventive antibiotics following simple sanitary protocols can decrease total cost in the long run. (Taking into account costs of antimicrobial resistance) Yet farmers continue to utilize antibiotics routinely to prevent rather than treat infections, due to habit, marketing (pharmaceutical industry) and fear of change.

This raises the issue of free-range economics vs raising animals in crowded environments. Regenerative agricultural practice incorporates free-range animal husbandry into crop management in a manner that utilizes animal waste for fertilizer instead of fossil-based nitrogen sources (reducing carbon foot print and creating rather than destroying soil), and eliminates crowded conditions, decreasing risk of infection. In addition there are many other potential approaches to help solve the problem of AMR.

Phytochemicals added to chicken feed represents a possible alternative to antibiotics to control antibiotic resistance in poultry.

Altering simple practices in the dairy industry (changing the rate at which a slurry tank is emptied) can delay the proliferation of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

There are many potential approaches to animal husbandry that can mitigate the growing problem of AMR.

The use of antibiotics to enhance profitability margins in the animal production industry is still practiced worldwide. Although many technical and economic reasons gave rise to these practices, the continued emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria is furthering the need to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics. This will require improving on-farm management and biosecurity practices, and the development of effective antibiotic alternatives that will reduce the dependence on antibiotics within the animal industry in the foreseeable future. A number of approaches are being closely scrutinized and optimized to achieve this goal, including the development of promising antibiotic alternatives to control bacterial virulence through quorum-sensing disruption, the use of synthetic polymers and nanoparticles, the exploitation of recombinant enzymes/proteins (such as glucose oxidases, alkaline phosphatases and proteases), and the use of phytochemicals.

Studies investigating various alternatives to antibiotics use in livestock show promising results. These alternatives include the application of bacteriophages and phage derived peptidoglycan degrading enzymes, engineered peptides, egg yolk antibodies, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics, as well as quorum quenching molecules

Simple sanitation techniques in raising poultry can achieve benefit without the use of prophylactic antibiotics.

Keeping strict biosecurity in segregation, traffic control, cleaning, and disinfection, helps prevent a large proportion of harmful bacteria and viruses from entering poultry barns (Segal, 2013). Apart from good management practices, there are many alternative approaches proposed and explored by researchers worldwide to overcome bacterial infections in birds.

Likewise, eliminating antibiotics from pig feed does not reduce growth measured at the end of finisher stage, and eliminates the cost of antibiotics in the feed.

At the consumer level, purchase animal products raised without prophylactic antibiotics. This will protect your family and send a message to the marketplace. The more we demand food raised without preventive antibiotics, the more producers will be forced to change old-unsafe habits.

Buying meat, poultry, dairy and eggs from local farmers that do not utilize preventive antibiotic usage and practice regenerative agriculture, is a great way to shift the marketplace towards a safer and more sustainable food system that improves health and safety while addressing loss of soil and carbon footprint.

If you prefer watching documentaries there are several that address issues related to regenerative agriculture. Here are a few:

https://www.thepollinators.net/

https://www.biggestlittlefarmmovie.com/

https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/

https://www.sacredcow.info/about-the-film

In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic I will close with the usual summary.

  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels. Supplement with Vitamin D3 to get your levels above 30 ng/ml, >40ng/ml arguably better.
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Eliminate refined-inflammatory “vegetable oils” from your diet, instead eat healthy fat.
  10. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)
  11. Drink water filtered through a high quality system that eliminates most environmental toxins. (Such as a Berkey or reverse osmosis filter)
  12. HEPA filters or the home-made version (Corsi-Rosenthal box) used in your home or workplace can reduce circulating viral load by 80%. This works for any respiratory virus transmitted by aerosol and this winter we have the triple threat of RSV, Influenza, and SARS-CoV-2. It also decreases indoor air pollution.
  13. If you are eligible for vaccination, consider protecting yourself and your neighbor with a few jabs. Age > 50 and/or risk factors (Diabetes, pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, COPD, asthma, cancer treatment, immune suppression) suggests benefit from a booster. Risk for complications of boosters in adolescents, especially males, without risk factors, may equal benefit. Previous infection with Covid can be considered as protective as a booster. Discuss risk vs benefits with your doctor.

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

The argument for cattle grazing and meat consumption: COP27

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The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, is the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference and is being held from 6 November until 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The summit presented an opportunity for nutritionist and healthy food advocate Diana Rogers to offer an alternative to the false narrative so prevalent today regarding beef, global warming, and nutrition.

The false narrative states that methane released by raising cattle is a major contributor to global warming and meat is unhealthy. This narrative diverts attention from the real source of global warming, fossil fuels. Importantly this narrative ignores the importance of meat consumption for human health as well the importance of ruminant grazing for soil regeneration as well as economic and food stability for many poor people. Lastly it ignores the contribution of properly raised cattle, lamb and other animal food sources to carbon sequestration.

By most estimates, the number of ruminants roaming our plains and forests before the industrial era was equal to the number of wild and domestic ruminants in the US today.

Global warming was not a problem before industrialization. This simple fact should belie the false narrative.

Diana Rogers has been a champion for honest science in this debate. She is the only nutritionist to present information at the conference. She has recently posted on twitter the slides presented at the global COP27.

Here are some of her slides that speak for themselves.

Well managed cattle when raised in an integrative fashion with crops in a process called regenerative agriculture:

  • sequester carbon
  • regenerate soils
  • provide high quality nutrition to an increasingly diseased and nutrient deficient population
  • Reduce the need for fossil fuels and fossil-based fertilizer, providing natural fertizlizer

Mono-agriculture, which predominates US farmland (90%)

  • destroys soil, killing essential microbes and converting soil to dirt
  • converts cropland to desert contributing to air pollution (dust storms), soil erosion and floods
  • releases carbon into the atmosphere during tillage
  • utilizes Roundup-ready crops that are sprayed with roundup before harvest (carcinogenic, endocrine disruptor which contaminates our food and water)
  • consumes large amounts of fossil fuel and fossil-based fertilizer creating a large carbon footprint.
  • Kills more innocent bystander animals directly (during tillage, planting, and harvest) and indirectly (habitat destruction), then the number of animals slaughtered for human consumption (are cattle more worthy of protection than rabbits, squirrels, mice, birds, snakes etc., all of which are killed by mono-agriculture practices?)
  • Depletes our soil, and therefore our food, of nutrients, reducing the nutrient content of vegetables and fruits. (example: 8 oranges today have the same nutrients as 1 orange 100 years ago)

Animal protein offers twice the bioavailability of plant protein.

Malnutrition is rampant throughout the world.

This affects health, brain development and educational achievement.

Livestock contribute to food security.

It is time for the narrative about eating and raising animal sources of protein to change. We need to produce rather than destroy soil, enhance rather than degrade the nutrient value of crops, sequester rather than release carbon, utilize ruminant waste for fertilizer instead of fossil based fertilizer, and provide our children and adults with nutrient dense healthy food that includes animal sources of protein.

The cow-methane narrative ignores much of science and diverts our attention from the source of global warming, the burning of fossil fuels.

To learn more about this topic visit the Global Food Justice Alliance

The Global Food Justice Alliance advocates for the right of all people to choose nutrient-dense foods such as meat, milk, and eggs, which are critical for nutritious, environmentally sustainable, and equitable food systems that can sustain both human life and the planet.

Here are some of the bullet points from Diana Rogers’ presentation at COP27

  • Many are claiming meat is unhealthy, unsustainable, unnecessary and unethical, but are these claims justified? Are we looking at livestock agriculture in a holistic way? What strong evidence do we have to prove this?
  • Or are policymakers and others pushing for the removal or dramatic reduction in livestock suffering from “carbon tunnel vision”? Are they failing to account for the value meat plays to human health, rural economies, and overall ecosystem function?
  • Worldwide, 1 in 2 children and 2 in 3 women have at least one micronutrient deficiency, wreaking havoc on immune systems, hindering growth and development, and limiting human potential.
  • These deficiencies are not limited to low- and middle-income countries. Iron deficiency alone impacts 1 in 5 women in the US, where we’re told to eat less meat, which is the best source of iron.
  • The leading micronutrient deficiencies are: iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A, vitamin D, and B12. As many as 40% of children and 70% of women have multiple deficiencies at the same time. Animal-sourced foods are the only or best source of all those above except folate (which is found in liver, but plant-based foods like lentils are also a good source).
  • If we are to discuss a “climate friendly diet”, we need to consider not just “emissions” but the nutritional value of the food per serving (not per calorie), because a further shift away from meat will do more harm, especially to women and children.
  • The evidence against meat for health reasons is based on shaky science. There are no experimental studies showing meat causes harm, only associations, but we know typical meat eaters also tend to partake in other unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drinking. When accounting for these factors, red meat has not been found to cause ill health.
  • When it comes to processed meat, the science is also not significant. Your overall risk of getting colon cancer is 5.6% and eating 5 slices of bacon every single day for your whole life would raise your risk to 6.6%. This is not statistically significant. However, the media reports this as a 20% increase, which is misleading to consumers.
  • We only have one experimental study looking at meat vs. less meat, which was done in Kenyan school children. It proved that adding meat increased their academic scores, their physical ability, and their behavior.
  • Because livestock can “up-cycle” nutrient poor food (food scraps, waste from the plant-protein industry, and grains) into protein, iron, B12, and other critical nutrients, they are a net win for our food system.
  • Livestock are less susceptible to drought or extreme weather.
  • 12% of the world’s population rely solely on livestock for their livelihood.
  • Women in ½ the countries worldwide are unable to own land, but in many cases, they can own livestock, improving gender equality and household nutrition.
  • Plus, most of our agricultural land is too dry, brittle, or rocky to crop, but livestock thrive on this marginal land.
  • Food choice is a privilege. Those with the means to push away nutritious food like meat should not be creating policies limiting access to nutrients in meat, which is also a culturally appropriate food to most. This is moral and cultural imperialism.
  • We need a lot more recognition that livestock can provide critical ecosystem function and micronutrients.

Check out the work of Diana Rogers

info@sacredcow.info
sustainabledish.com

In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic I will close with the usual summary.

  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels. Supplement with Vitamin D3 to get your levels above 30 ng/ml, >40ng/ml arguably better.
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Eliminate refined-inflammatory “vegetable oils” from your diet, instead eat healthy fat.
  10. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)
  11. Drink water filtered through a high quality system that eliminates most environmental toxins. (Such as a Berkey or reverse osmosis filter)
  12. HEPA filters or the home-made version (Corsi-Rosenthal box) used in your home or workplace can reduce circulating viral load by 80%. This works for any respiratory virus transmitted by aerosol and this winter we have the triple threat of RSV, Influenza, and SARS-CoV-2. It also decreases indoor air pollution.
  13. If you are eligible for vaccination, consider protecting yourself and your neighbor with a few jabs. Age > 50 and/or risk factors (Diabetes, pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, COPD, asthma, cancer treatment, immune suppression) suggests benefit from a booster. Risk for complications of boosters in adolescents, especially males, without risk factors, may equal benefit. Previous infection with Covid can be considered as protective as a booster. Discuss risk vs benefits with your doctor.

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

Nutrition and Lifestyle vs Pandemic

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Earlier this year I gave 2 presentations on this topic at the (virtual) annual meeting of Physicians and Ancestral Health, a physician organization dedicated to incorporating evolutionary biology and lifestyle recommendations into the practice of medicine. Here is the first slide:

And here are some very important references:

Please note that this lecture was given before the delta variant arrived so the data applies to the pre-delta period.

MI= Myocardial Infarction (heart attack with loss of muscle), PE=Pulmonary Embolus, DVT= Blood Clots in legs, SIRS= Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

I will skip several of the slides and get to the nutritional immunology and other lifestyle factors.

This slide shows many lifestyle factors that interact with the immune system. The “12% metabolic health” refers to a study demonstrating that only 12% of American adults are metabolically healthy, which will be explained later. Dysbiosis refers to an imbalance in gut bacteria favoring inflammation and immune compromise. The rest should be self explanatory but discussed in detail later in this series.

Here is the very busy slide that summarizes nutritional immunology:

w3/w6 refers to the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio in the diet, ROS= Reactive oxygen species (oxidative stress), CH: carbohydrates; GALT: gut-associated lymphoid
tissue; GPRs: G-protein-coupled receptors; FA: fatty acids; GI/GL: glycemic index/load; RAR/RXR:
retinoic acid receptor/retinoid X receptor; SCFA: short-chain fatty acids; TF: transcription factors; VDR:
vitamin D receptor.

Key points in this slide:

  1. Omega 3 fats from fatty fish fight inflammation, excess omega 6 fats from refined “vegetable oils” (corn, soy, cotton seed, sunflower seed, safflower, etc.) contribute to inflammation and blood clots, contributing to cytokine storm and bradykinin storm.
  2. Vitamin D interferes with the virus at multiple points.
  3. Adequate iron (Fe) from meat and seafood is essential for immune function (Iron from plant sources is much less bioavailable compared to meat and seafood.)
  4. Adequate complete protein (not available from vegan diets) is essential for immune function.
  5. Zinc and selenium (both found in seafood and meat) are essential for multiple protective pathways in the immune system (enhancing response to infection and mitigating excessive inflammatory response as cofactors for antioxidant enzymes)
  6. Sugar and high glycemic foods cause inflammation, high blood sugars suppress the immune system
  7. Dietary fiber supports a healthy gut microbiome which in turn suppresses inflammation and provides the gut lining with SFAs (gut epithelium requires SFAs for energy and function, gut barrier function needs SFAs)
  8. Phenolic compounds in colorful vegetables and berries modulate multiple essential immune pathways that can inhibit viral replication.
  9. Carotenoids, phenolics support several vital immune pathways.
  10. Omega 3 fats are the building blocks of chemicals that help resolve inflammation and mitigate against cytokine storm and bradykinin storm.
  11. Multiple vitamins and phenolics support our internal anti-oxidant system.
  12. To get a balanced protein intake we should eat “nose to tail”. Include connective tissue (home made bone broth is a great source) and organ meats (from grass fed/finished ruminants) in addition to muscle meat.

Here is another busy slide that presents more detail, note the reference at the bottom of the slide to read more.

Sorry for the small print but you can see the blow up on line by going here.

http://A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System-Working …

So does the “Standard American Diet” meet these nutritional needs to support a healthy immune system?

The % above represent the % of American adults with intakes BELOW the EAR (Estimated Average Requirement) for various vitamins and minerals. But note the definition of EAR:

“nutrient intake value that is estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals to avoid symptoms of a clinical or subclinical deficiency” (NOT OPTIMAL LEVELS for immune function)


Note also that this study did not consider omega-3s, phytonutrients, flavonoids, polyphenols, fiber, etc., all of which are essential to a robust immune response to any virus including SARS CoV-2.

With regards to omega 3 vs omega 6 fats:

Omega 3 fats (EPA and DHA) found in seafood fights inflammation, blood clots. DHA and EPA are the building blocks of SPMs which help RESOLVE INFLAMMATION (MITIGATE CYTOKINE STORM)

We will return to this topic in my next post. We are just scratching the surface of a complex system.

In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic I will close with the usual summary.

  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels. Supplement with Vitamin D3 to get your levels above 30 ng/ml. (read this Open Letter)
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Eliminate refined-inflammatory “vegetable oils” from your diet, instead eat healthy fat.
  10. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)
  11. If you are over age 12 and eligible for vaccination, consider protecting yourself and your neighbor with vaccination.

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

Soil vs Dirt, our future depends on REGENERATIVE FARMING AND RANCHING.

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If we continue to grow crops and raise animals the way we presently do, our topsoil will be gone in 20 years! There will be another dustbowl but this time it will be NATIONWIDE.

Shocking? Yes.

Fake news? NO.

Watch this 2.5 minute trailer to understand the scope of this problem and the simple proven solution that will not only lead to carbon sequestration in the ground but will create soil and improve the profitability of farming and ranching.

Watch this movie to understand why we must create soil with regenerative farming and ranching.

When we destroy soil and turn it into dirt we release CO2 into the atmostphere.

When we create living soil, returning insects, microbes, viruses, worms, fungi and water to their proper ecosystem role, we capture CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester it in the newly created soil through the crops. Moving CO2 from air to plant to soil through the roots, that is the path to saving out planet and providing for world-wide food security.

Biosequestration is the process of using plants, trees, and techniques of farming and raising animals, to capture carbon and store it in the soil. Restoration of grasslands along with regenerative agriculture can accomplish this much quicker and with greater return on investment than planting trees. Of course restoring forests should also be part of a global effort to save our planet from destruction. But the quickest, most efficient way to solve multiple problems at once is to convert present day mono-agriculture system that destroys soil releasing CO2 into the air with the opposite and more profitable system of regenerative agriculture and ranching.

But what about eating meat and raising cattle? We have heard that is bad for the planet. THE SCIENCE SAYS OTHERWISE.

You can watch this BRIEF TRAILER:

That is the science.

Plants capture CO2 and put it back into the soil. Plants and soil capture and sequester rain water as well as CO2, further preventing erosion and runoff. But to create soil we need ruminant animal poop!!!!!!!!!!!

Regenerative agriculture and ranching avoids fossil-fuel based fertilizer and toxic chemicals and uses instead manure from grazing animals to fertilize crops and convert dirt into living soil. This process creates life and habitat for numerous species of animals, plants, microbes etc.

This is a win-win scenario.

What stands in the way?

Ignorance, habit, and Federal subsidy of corn, wheat, soy.

Most (>90%) of the (subsidized) grains grown in the US go into feeding cattle and pigs which are raised on factory farms. After grazing naturally during their early life, most cattle are then moved onto feedlots to be fed GMO glyphosate-resistant grains which degrade the quality of their fat and protein and transfer toxic glyphosate from grain to animal. Those cattle stand in their own excrement and require antibiotics to fend off the inevitable infections that come with feedlot conditions.

The pigs live their lives in a warehouse standing on grated floors dropping their excrement into methane producing lakes of pig poop which overflow into streams and rivers when heavy rains fall.

Antibiotic resistant organisms are created in our feed lots and contribute to our epidemic of antibiotic resistant infections in humans.

But it need not be that way.

After viewing the trailers linked above, watch the movies KISS THE GROUND (already released and available on Netflix) and Sacred Cow (soon to be released) you will learn the path to recovering the health of our planet and the health of our human population.

If you still do not believe this narrative or want to dive deeply into the science, read the book:

Filled with scientific references.

Visit the http://The Carbon Underground and read their decisive scientific review:

https://regenerationinternational.org/2020/09/28/regenerative-agriculture-and-the-soil-carbon-solution-new-paper-outlines-vision-for-climate-action/

The full PDF for a deep science dive is here:

Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution

“Data from farming and grazing studies show the power of exemplary regenerative systems that, if achieved globally, would drawdown more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions.”

That is a very bold but hopeful statement, backed by solid science. It will improve the bottom line for farmers and ranchers by increasing production per acre with non-toxic, soil producing simple farmer’s almanac based technology already being practiced and proven today.

“Actual yields in well-designed regenerative organic systems, rather than agglomerated averages, have been shown to outcompete conventional yields for almost all food crops including corn, wheat, rice, soybean, and sunflower.”

A good short read on the topic can be found here:

Desertification is turning the Earth barren – but a solution is still within reach by David R Montgomery. 

Finally, the scoop on methane produced by cattle and the difference between that and fossil fuel generated CO2 is discussed in this very brief animation.

How can livestock be a part of the climate solution? The natural carbon cycle explained. Often missed in climate change discussions is the natural carbon cycle. There’s a huge difference between fossil fuel carbon emissions and methane from cattle. Perhaps short animations like this will help change the narrative around meat.

In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic I will close with the usual summary.

  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels.
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Eliminate refined-inflammatory “vegetable oils” from your diet, instead eat healthy fat.
  10. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

Three Major Threats to Global Health

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Our world faces three major threats.

  1. Global Warming
  2. Daily loss of nutrient rich top soil with desertification of arable land
  3. COVID-19 pandemic

The first two threats are intimately related to each other. As the climate and our oceans warm and seas rise, the ecologic and economic consequences will be profound. Species are threatened and become extinct, biodiversity which sustains the global ecology and global economy diminishes on a daily basis. Loss of trees and native plants accelerates global warming. Melting of the polar ice caps and mountain glaciers results in less reflectance of solar energy back into space and more absorption of solar energy by the planet, producing a positive feedback loop that is cooking our planet.

Warming climate combined with loss of habitat (especially loss of rainforests) has produced a non-sustainable advance that has already caused tens of thousands of insect species to become extinct. Loss of insects, at the base of the food chain, and loss of essential microbes in our soil, threaten all species on earth, including humans.

Mono-agriculture has produced quantitative and qualitative loss of topsoil and arable land. Soil is a living organism. Arable land requires not just nutrient rich topsoil but also a diverse abundance of microorganisms that support agriculture, native plants, and the entire food chain. Ditto the effects on the health of our oceans, seas, rivers, streams and lakes.

There has been a pseudo-scientific movement away from raising animals as a food source. We have been told that only a vegetarian or vegan diet can sustain the planet. Nothing can be further from the truth!

Creation rather than destruction of arable land requires animal waste. Feeding the world with health-supporting food will require animal and plant foods. Sustainable agriculture requires animals and their poop.

To be blunt, the future of the world’s food supply and arable fertile land depends upon the poop of wild and domestic animals, the elimination of Monoagriculture, GMOs, Roundup-ready crops, and deforestation as well as addressing the threat of global warming.

How many news headlines, films, books and friends of yours say that beef is the unhealthiest and environmentally destructive foods you could be eating? Have you cut down on your meat consumption or feel frustrated about the vilification of meat, something humans have eaten for millions of years?

The most pivotal food and environment book of 2020 is coming soon!

My friends Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf have been trying to get the word out for years about the importance of sustainability when it comes to diet, and have just finished a new book (due out July 14) and documentary film (slated for Fall release) that addresses this complex, yet critically important topic.

What is Sacred Cow? 

Beef is framed as the most environmentally destructive and least healthy of foods, but while many argue that greatly reducing, or even eliminating it from our diets, Sacred Cow takes a more critical look at the assumptions and misinformation presented about meat – and has the science to back it up!

Where can you get it? 

Sacred Cow is available now for pre-order everywhere books are sold. They’re also offering over $200 in pre-order incentives, including a free sneak peek preview link to the film Sacred Cow! Click here for more info.

After spending years analyzing the science, the book presents a solid case that: 

  • Meat and animal fat are essential for our bodies 
  • A sustainable food system cannot exist without animals 
  • A vegan diet may destroy more life than sustainable cattle farming 
  • Regenerative cattle ranching is one of our best tools at mitigating climate change 

Sacred Cow proposes a new way to look at sustainable diets. The book takes a deep dive into the nutritional claims against meat, why cattle raised well are actually good for the environment, and address the ethical considerations surrounding killing animals for food. The truth is, you cannot have life without death, and eliminating animals from our food system could cause more harm than good.  

But even if this way of raising animals is better than our current system, surely you can’t feed the world this way, right? Yep, they tackle that too!

Order it today and get all of your questions about the impacts of eating and raising meat answered in one place.   

Have a great week! 

PS – Don’t forget to order Sacred Cow today to take advantage of their valuable pre-order incentives and the preview link to the film. Receipts must be submitted to sacredcow.info/book by July 14th!

In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic I will close with the usual summary.

  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels.
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Eliminate refined-inflammatory “vegetable oils” from your diet, instead eat healthy fat.
  10. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

COVID 19 UPDATE: What have we learned?

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I was recently interviewed by a health blogger, Dmitri Konash, with specific questions about COVID 19. The podcast link is below.

Here are the questions and answer notes from the podcast.

QUESTION #1: It has been almost 4 months since Covid19 was declared a global pandemic. What are the main things which we have learned about the virus over these 4 months?

Very contagious, spread by droplet AND aerosol as well as fomites (CLOTHING, surfaces, pillows, blankets, etc). Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air for hours following a sneeze or cough or possibly yelling or singing. Droplets are larger particles that fall to the ground or onto surfaces. Depending on the surface the virus can remain infectious for up to 72 hours following droplet spread.

Individuals without symptoms can transmit disease (unlike most viruses) so this in combination with degree of contagion is very dangerous.

The average time from exposure to develop symptoms is 5 DAYS, 97.5% of people who develop symptoms do so within 11.5 days.

Some individuals never develop symptoms but can transmit disease for 2 or more weeks.

Infected individuals can carry the virus for up to 36 days (but we do not know how long an individual can transmit the disease) Average time to clear the virus is 14 days. (nasal PCR test)

Cough and sneeze can project 26 feet through the air, that is why masks can decrease risk but decreasing projection distance and viral load.

Masks Work, they decrease risk of disease transmission and probably decrease viral load, so if transmitted the recipient is probably less likely to develop severe complications (not proven but likely true).

Most infections are transmitted in closed spaces where many people are congregated and socializing such as parties, social gatherings, meetings, bars and restaurants.

Outdoor activity is safer.

The longer the contact between individuals the greater the risk.

The closer the contact the greater the risk.

Anyone can die from the virus but risk increases with age, diabetes, pre-diabetes, obesity, heart and lung disease, immune-compromise.

Any organ can be affected, lungs, brain, heart, kidneys, blood vessels.

Hyper-coaguable state can cause blood clots in the legs, lungs, heart and brain, any organ.

After recovering from infection individuals can suffer permanent damage to these organs.

We do not know how many people who recover will be immune or how long immunity could last. Already one case of re-infection has been reported.

The infection fatality rate (IFR) for COVID-19 IS 25 times greater than the H1N1 FLU pandemic.

A recent analysis comparing the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic to COVID 19 suggested this:

 Case Fatality RateInfection Fatality Rate
2009 H1N1 Virus (flu)0.1% to 0.2%0.02%
COVID-19 New York8%0.50%
CFR is # deaths/#cases identified by nasal PCR, IFR is # deaths/actual # cases in a given population, estimated by antibody testing of a large population

For a discussion on the difference between CFR (case fatality rate) and IFR (infection fatality rate) see my previous post.

https://practical-evolutionary-health.com/2020/04/25/stanford-study-on-santa-clara-county-very-questionable-conclusions/

QUESTION #2: We reached the new high of newly diagnosed cases on June 28th. It looks like the virus is not subsiding. What is the status re drug and vaccine development?

Vaccine will likely take at least a year to develop, test, then manufacture and distribute.

Initially most vulnerable will probably take priority for vaccination. Massive vaccination will take longer.

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A SUCCESSFUL CORONA VIRUS Vaccine. There are many corona viruses. They mutate quickly and a vaccine that works initially may become ineffective if/when new strains emerge.

Decadron (dexamethasone) IV decreases mortality rates in very sick patients.

Remdesivir shortens illness and might decrease mortality rate (the reduction compared to placebo fell short of statistical significance, p=0.059, cut-off for statistical significance is usually P=0.050)

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have failed to show any benefit. A prevention trial remains underway.

There is no “cure”, just risk reduction.

QUESTION #3: What are the latest recommendations on prevention?

Social distance

Mask

Frequent hand washing

Get adequate sleep, sleep deprivation impairs immunity

Avoid alcohol which suppresses the immune system.

Get sunshine (vitamin D)

Develop a social “bubble”, limit contacts to close, reliable (responsible behavior) individuals

Exercise out of doors.

If overweight or obese, LOSE WEIGHT (Low Carb High Fat diet is MOST EFFECTIVE in combination with time restricted eating)

IF diabetes or pre-diabetes, carbohydrate restriction can rapidly achieve better blood sugar control, which is linked to risk reduction. Regular exercise can also improve insulin sensitivity, as can improved sleep habits.

QUESTION #4: There was some information recently about potential long-term impact on vital body organs for patients who had only mild symptoms. What actions do people who were tested positive for COVID19 should take to minimize long term impact to their health?

Follow general principles of healthy living (visit my website)

Sleep

Nutrition-anti-inflammatory diet

Exercise

Sunshine

Stress reduction

Social-community support

Minimize environmental toxin exposure (organic foods, safe personal and home-care products, visit EWG.org)

QUESTION #5: What actions should be taken by people who have been tested negative for COVID19 ? 

Same answer as question #4 above, lifestyle changes to enhance immune function and reduce systemic inflammation.

On July 10, a review article on COVID 19 was published in JAMA.

Pathophysiology, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment
of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Here is the link.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2768391

The case-fatality rate for COVID-19 varies markedly by age, ranging from 0.3 deaths per 1000 cases among patients aged 5 to 17 years to 304.9 deaths per 1000 cases among patients aged 85 years or older in the US. Among patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit, the case fatality is up to 40%

And here is a link to the JAMA patient information page for COVID 19.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2768390

In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic I will close with the usual summary.

  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels.
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Eliminate refined-inflammatory “vegetable oils” from your diet, instead eat healthy fat.
  10. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

Chronic Inflammation, the silent killer

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I was recently interviewed by a health blogger for his podcast. The topic was chronic inflammation. Here it is.

I prepared some notes for the interview. Here are the questions and answers.

What made you so interested in the topic of chronic inflammation?

Interest in chronic inflammation:

  • Emerging evidence, source of most chronic disease including mental health (depression, etc.) is inflammation
  • family health issues experience personally
  • health care policy interest since graduate school
  •  First started to question USDA dietary advice after reading GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES, by Gary Taubes,
  • Experienced Statin myopathy, researched statin drugs, bad data, financial conflicts of interest. Sought alternative approaches to Coronary Artery Disease prevention.
  • In USA, Profit driven health care system evolved from more benign not-for-profit earlier system in medical insurance and hospital system. Drug and surgery oriented. Corporate ownership of multiple hospitals, concentration of wealth and power in the industry and in society in general
  • Saw this every day: growing obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, DMII, auto-immune disease. Root causes NOT ADDRESSED.
  • While recovering from surgery attended on line functional medicine conference on auto-immune disease, covering diet, sleep, exercise, sunshine, Vitamin D, environmental toxins, gut dysbiosis, intestinal permeability (THE GATEWAY TO AUTOIMMUNITY IS THROUGH THE GUT).
  • Introduced to EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY and Paleo Diet by my son

What diseases does chronic inflammation typically lead to? 

  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity epidemic, DIABESITY
  • Hypertension
  • Metabolic Syndrome (3/5: HTN, insulin resistance/high blood sugar, abdominal obesity, high TGs, low HDL),
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Degenerative arthritis
  • Neurodegenerative disorders (dementia, Parkinson’s, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis)
  • Works of Dale Bredesen (dementia, “The End of Alzheimer’s”), Ron Perlmutter (Grain Brain), Terry Wahls (The Wahls protocol for MS), all FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE looking at root cause of illness, common-overlapping threads.
  • Interplay between sleep, circadian rhythm, exercise, sunlight, stress, environmental toxins, diet, processed foods, nutritional deficiency, gut microbiome, endocrine disruptors, intestinal permeability, oral and skin microbiome, social disruptors, GUT BRAIN AXIS. These are all part of one large ECOSYSTEM.
  • Positive and negative feedback systems requiring a SYSTEMS ENGINEERING approach to understanding root causes.
  • Butyrate is the preferred substrate for colonocytes, providing 60-70% of the energy requirements for colonic epithelial cells1,2. Butyrate suppresses colonic inflammation,3 is immunoregulatory in the gut,4 and improves gut barrier permeability by accelerating assembly of tight junction proteins.5,6
  • Improves insulin sensitivity, increase energy expenditure, reduce adiposity, increases satiety hormones,
  • HDAC activity inhibitor, PROTECTS GENES from removal of necessary acetyl groups.
  • Butyrate also influences the mucus layer. A healthy colonic epithelium is coated in a double layer of mucus. The thick, inner layer is dense and largely devoid of microbes, protecting the epithelium from contact with commensals and pathogens alike. The loose, outer layer of mucus is home to many bacteria, some of which feed on the glycoproteins of the outer mucus layer itself. Both of these mucus layers are organized by the MUC2 mucin protein, which is secreted by goblet cells in the epithelium. Supplementation of physiological concentrations of butyrate has been shown to increase MUC2 gene expression and MUC2 secretion in a human goblet cell line.7,8

What are the population groups which have higher risk of chronic inflammation? 

  • Obese
  • Sedentary
  • Poor-urban-polluted environment dwelling (air, water, noise, crowding, violence, racism, oppression)
  • Divergence from ancestral evolutionary biology
  • Working environment: indoors, polluted, oppressive supervisors, no sunlight, noise pollution, air pollution, toxic social situations, repetitive motion, bad ergonomics,
  • night shift, disruption of circadian rhythm
  • both parents working, no time for real food and family interaction, supervision of children.
  • screen time- sedentary behavior, lack of outdoor activity
  • Stress of social inequality, food insecurity, violent neighborhoods, nutritional deserts

What are the “danger signs” or typical symptoms which may signal a chronic inflammation? 

DANGER SIGNS:

  • Waistline (waist to height ratio, BMI)
  • Sarcopenia (muscle as an endocrine organ)
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Pain
  • Headaches
  • Depression
  • Lack of joy.
  • Brain fog, fatigue

What are the typical biomarkers of chronic inflammation?

  • METABOLIC SYNDROME (3 or more of the following: high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, elevated Triglycerides, low HDL, obesity)
  • CRP predictive of cardiovascular events,
  • ESR associated with arthritis
  • Stress hormones (morning cortisol levels)
  • Resting Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability

What are the typical sources of systemic chronic inflammation?

Sources of Chronic Inflammation:

Diet

  • N6/N3 FA ratio determined by too much Refined Easily Oxidized Vegetable Oils, not enough marine sources of N3 FA,  grain fed vs grass fed/finished ruminant meat. Loren Cordain research wild game FA composition = grass fed. Margarine vs Butter. Fried foods using Vegetable oils. Oxidized fats/oils, oxy-sterols in diet.
  • Sugar excess leading to insulin resistance
  • Refined carbs leading to insulin resistance (dense acellular….)
  • Disturbance of gut  microbiome from poor nutrition (sugar, refined carbs and vegetable oils all disrupt the microbiome)
  • Gut brain axis.
  • Food ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES
  • Trans Fats (finally banned)

Endocrine disruptors/ BIOACCUMULATION

  • Plastics (microparticles in our fish, food and bottled water)
  • Plastic breakdown products
  • Phthalates added to plastics to increase flexibility ( also pill coatings, binders, dispersants, film formers, personal care products, perfumes, detergents, surfactants, packaging, children’s toys, shower curtains, floor tiles, vinyl upholstery, it is everywhere) 8.4 million tons of plasticizers produced annually. EWG.org
  • Pesticides, herbicides, glyphosate (Monsanto), DIRTY DOZEN, CLEAN FIFTEEN EWG.org
  • Medications
  • ABSORBED skin, eat, drink, breath,
  • BPS is as bad as the BPA it replaced
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls used in INDUSTRIAL COOLANTS AND LUBRICANTS
  • Flame retardants (PBDEs, polybrominated dipheyl ethers) are ubiquitous in furniture and children’s clothing. Also linked to autoimmune disease
  • Dioxins
  • PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
  • Sunblock
  • CUMULATIVE BURDEN, INTERACTIONS, SYNERGY?

SLEEP DEPRIVATION CHRONIC IN OUR SOCIETY

Eating late vs time restricted eating

Gut Microbiome disrupted by

  • 1/3 of prescribed medications disrupt the microbiome AND increase intestinal permeability
  • Stress
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Sugar
  • Refined carbs
  • Refined veg oils
  • Over exercise and Under exercise, both are bad.
  • Environmental toxins

Gut dysbiosis and infections include (often chronic, low grade, not diagnosed)

  • Pathogenic bacteria, infection or overgrowth/imbalance
  • SIBO
  • Parasites
  • Viruses
  • BAD bugs > good bugs
  • Good bugs make vitamins and SCFAs required for colonocyte energy
  • Gut-Brain axis huge topic, VAGUS NERVE COMMUNICATION both ways, SCFA in gut and in CIRCULATION (butyrate, propionate, acetate), NEUROTRANSMITTER PRODUCTION (SEROTONIN, OTHERS), enterochromaffin cells producing > 30 peptides.
  • Overuse of antibiotics in medicine
  • AND use of antibiotics in raising our food.
  • Vaginal delivery vs C-section
  • Breast feeding vs bottle feeding

INCREASED INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY:

  • Caused by all factors above
  • Leads to higher levels of circulating LPS-endotoxin, bacterial products that create an immune-inflammatory response.
  • Incompletely digested proteins with AA sequences overlapping our own tissue causing autoimmunity/inflammation through molecular mimicry

Heavy Metal toxicity

  • Lead
  • Mercury
  • Cadmium
  • Arsenic

MOLD TOXICITY (> 400 identified mycotoxins, can cause dementia, asthma, allergies, auto-immunity)

  • At home
  • At work

What are the most efficient natural (non-medication) ways to address chronic inflammation?

  • Anti-inflammatory Diet, real whole food that our ancestors ate through evolutionary history (grass fed/finished ruminant meat, free range poultry, antibiotic free, and pesticide free food, wild seafood (low mercury varieties), organic vegetables and fruit, nuts, fermented foods, eggs)
  • Low mercury fish and seafood for omega three fatty acids
  • Sleep hygiene
  • Exercise, not too much, not too little, rest days, out of doors, resistance training, walking, yoga, Pilates, tai chi, chi gong, dancing, PLAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Stress reduction: meditation, mindful living, forest bathing, sunlight, Playing, music, praying, SOCIAL CONNECTION, laughter, comedy, quit the toxic job, quit the toxic relationship, SAUNA/SWEAT, heat shock proteins, exercise
  • Vitamin D, sunshine, check levels
  • PLAY, PLAY, PLAY, LAUGH, DANCE, ENJOY, LOVE
  • Be aware of potential dangers of EMF, WiFi, hand held devices, blue tooth headphones.
  • Address environmental justice
  • Address social inequality, food insecurity
  • Tobacco addiction
  • Ethanol
  • Other substance abuse
  • Agricultural subsidies in US distort the food supply
  • Loss of soil threatens food supply
  • Suppression of science (global warming, environment, etc.,) worsens environmental degradation, creating an EXISTENTIAL THREAT.
  1. Avoid alcohol consumption (alcohol wreaks havoc with your immunity)
  2. Get plenty of sleep (without adequate sleep your immune system does not work well )
  3. Follow good sleep habits
  4. Exercise, especially out of doors in a green space, supports the immune system
  5. Get some sunshine and make sure you have adequate Vitamin D levels.
  6. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet rich in micronutrients.
  7. Practice stress reduction like meditation and yoga which improves the immune system
  8. Eliminate sugar-added foods and beverages from your diet. These increase inflammation, cause metabolic dysfunction, and suppress immunity.
  9. Clean up your home environment and minimize your family’s exposure to environmental toxins by following recommendations at EWG.org with regards to household products, personal care products, and organic foods. (https://www.ewg.org/)

THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Eat clean, drink filtered water, love, laugh, exercise outdoors in a greenspace, get some morning sunlight, block the blue light before bed, engage in meaningful work, find a sense of purpose, spend time with those you love, AND sleep well tonight.

Doctor Bob

Study shows only 12% of US adults are metabolically healthy!

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What does this mean? The authors of this study looked at several important markers of health: waist circumference, fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL, and whether someone was taking any medication related to these markers. They used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2016. Only 12.3% of US adults qualified as healthy on all measures. So how did we get into this horrible situation?

Let’s step back and look at modifiable factors that play into these health measures.

  • Adequate restorative sleep
  • Stress
  • Nutrition
  • Exercise
  • Sunlight (Vitamin D)
  • Social connection
  • Environmental toxins
  • Rest

I have discussed the importance of sleep in several posts. Following this link you will find recommendations for good sleep habits that can enhance the quality and duration of your sleep.

If you have not watched Dan Pardi’s discussion of “HOW TO OPTIMIZE LIGHT FOR HEALTH” I recommend you watch this.

STRESS

Stress reduction is a huge topic. Managing stress involves so many areas it deserves a separate discussion. But here are some basics. Getting adequate sleep is the place to start. Activities like Meditation, Yoga, moderate exercise (walking outdoors in a green space) Tai Chi, music, practicing Mindfulness, and spending time with family and friends are all potential avenues to reduce the deletrious effects of stress in our lives.

NUTRITION

I have presented one approach to an anti-inflammatory diet  and if you have not read through the details just follow the link. The low hanging fruit begins with elimination of processed foods, sweetened beverages, and pro-inflammatory “vegetable oils” (OILS made from corn, soy, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, canola, margarine). EAT WHOLE FOODS.

TO LEARN ABOUT THE ILL-EFFECTS OF “VEGETABLE OILS” LISTEN TO NINA:

EXERCISE

My post about exercise as medicine can be found here. 

The best way to exercise is to play as described by my friend Daryl Edwards in his TED talk.

 

Most Americans do not get enough, but some get too much. Moderation is important.

SUNLIGHT

Getting outdoor light exposure early in the day and avoiding the deleterious effects of artificial light in the evening (wear blue light blocking glasses in the evening) are two important ways to get the most benefit from light exposure, improve your sleep and enhance your Vitamin D level. Exercise outdoors in a green space provides more benefit than walking the treadmill indoors.

SOCIAL CONNECTION

Blue Zones are areas in the world that have the greatest numbers of individuals living to age 100. The climates and food varies among the various areas. They  all have two things in common. First is a high degree of social connection, strong family ties, lifelong friends. Social connection within a supportive community is arguably one of the most important factors affecting health, longevity, and healthspan. Second, they eat REAL WHOLE FOOD.

blue zones longevity hotspots.jpg

 

ENVIORNMENTAL TOXINS

Part of eliminating environmental toxins includes consuming organic fruits and vegetables and eating meat, poultry and eggs from hormone-free, antibiotic-free, free- range/pastured sources. (ALL PART OF AN ANCESTRAL/PALEO DIET) If you are not familiar with the “dirty dozen” and the “clean 15” head on over to EWG.org where you will learn not only about what foods have the most/least residual pesticides, but also what personal care products and household cleaners are safe for you and your family.

WATER: Because humans have spent the last 4-5 decades polluting our air and water there is probably no water supply that is totally free of enviornmental toxins. To minimize your consumption of enviornmental toxins, filter your drinking water through a high quality system.

REST

Matthew Redlund MD has written a great book “THE POWER OF REST”. Here he discusses why sleep is not enough.

The fact that only 12% of American adults are metabolically healthy should be cause for great alarm. All chronic and degenerative  diseases including dementia, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and cancer rise as metabolic health deteriorates.

Remember, this website offers educational information only. Consult your health care provider for medical advice.

Sleep well, exercise outdoors, laugh, love, engage in meaningful work, drink filtered water, eat clean, eat whole foods, get plenty of sunshine, spend time with those you love.

Doctor Bob

 

My Autoimmune Disease: remission with the AIP (and one medication)

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In September of 2018 I awakened with swollen, red and painful hands. I could not make a fist. I could not grip a steering wheel without extreme pain. I left dropped items on the floor because it was too painful to pick them up. All of my joints were painful and stiff. My legs were swollen. My wife had to help dress me so I could go to work. The simplest hand techniques to perform nerve blocks were painful. Just putting on sterile gloves caused severe pain. This happened just a few days after a week of camping. I felt weak all over and had trouble sleeping, unable to find a comfortable position.

(My camping vacation included digressions from my typical paleo/ancestral diet. I drank wine, ate some gluten containing foods and some dairy. I ate some wheat and sugar containing deserts.)

As a physician I ordered a variety of blood tests for tick born illness (such as Lyme’s Disease), rheumatoid arthritis, and other disorders that could cause my symptoms. All tests were negative except for an inflammatory marker (hsCRP) which was very high.

I queried physician friends about something I may have overlooked. No suggestions were forthcoming above and beyond what I had already done.

I prescribed myself a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug  NSAID. That provided modest relief but I was still suffering severe symptoms.

After 6 stubborn weeks I consulted a rheumatologist and he diagnosed me as having  “sero-negative” rheumatoid arthritis. Given the choice of several pharmaceutical interventions I chose the least toxic and started a drug called hydroxychloroquine. I was told it would take about 3 months to produce results, and in the meantime should continue the NSAID.

I immediately started to follow the Autoimmune Protocol AIP

Within one week of the AIP the redness in the joints of my hands was gone.

Within 2 weeks the pain in my joints was significantly reduced.

Within 3 weeks the swelling in my hands/fingers was completely gone and I stopped the NSAID. I no longer had pain in my hands and fingers while doing every day tasks.

Within 4 weeks I was able to resume my daily yoga and Pilates routine.

Within six weeks I felt in complete remission.

My rheumatologist agreed that I appeared to be in remission at follow up visit (no signs of inflammation, synovitis, etc., on examination with resolution of presenting symptoms) but he was and remains skeptical about the auto-immune protocol.

My clinical response was clearly way ahead of the expected time sequence for hydroxychloroquine. I concluded that the AIP was a major factor in my recovery.

All X-rays and MRI scans of my joints (which have suffered from osteoarthritis) were negative for the typical findings associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

The autoimmune protocol is a combination of lifestyle modifications involving diet, sleep, exercise, and stress reduction. It goes beyond the paleo diet. The paleo (ancestral) diet  eliminates processed/refined foods,  grains, legumes, dairy, added sugar, and refined vegetable oils. It stresses the consumption of a variety of organic vegetables and organic fruit, grass-fed meats, organ meats, free range poultry and eggs, wild seafood. The auto-immune protocol adds further restrictions: no nuts, eggs, nightshades, seeds, spices from seeds, and absolutely no alcohol.

There are many reasons for the added restrictions under the AIP. The added dietary restrictions are important for what they avoid but also important for the resulting increase in other beneficial foods that are allowed. The foods are omitted because they can cause or contribute to: gut irritation, dysbiosis, act as carrier molecules across the gut barrier, increase gut permeability, and/or cause inflammation. In theory, by eliminating those foods (hopefully on a temporary basis) and substituting nutrient dense less potentially harmful foods, we reduce some of the contributing factors to autoimmunity and inflammation.

For a detailed discussion of the AIP I suggest you visit Sarah Ballantyne’s  website and read her book: The Paleo Approach, Reverse Autoimmune disease and Heal Your Body.

Avoiding potentially harmful foods and beverages while increasing healthy nutrient dense foods represents the major focus of many individuals following the AIP. But equally important are the other lifestyle components. These include obtaining adequate  restorative sleep, reducing/managing stress (Stress Reduction and Health), getting reasonable amounts of playful exercise (this should be fun and occur in a green space as much as possible), sunshine, eliminating exposure to  environmental toxins, drinking filtered water, and frequent contact with supportive family and friends. Without addressing all of these areas one is not likely to succeed in achieving remission from an auto-immune disease.

In addition to Sarah’s Ballantyne’s book and website, if you have an auto-immune disease I recommend Dr. Terry Wahl’s website and book. Dr. Wahl’s, a medical school faculty physician, teacher and researcher,  was wheelchair bound with Multiple Sclerosis and facing death having failed all available medical treatments as well as some experimental drug protocols. She read about functional medicine, paleo nutrition and evolutionary biology in order to create her own treatment plan. One year latter she was in remission and riding her bike 20 miles. She subsequently raised money to do clinical research using her version of the AIP and has published a successful clinical trial.

There have been few controlled clinical trials of the AIP for auto-immune disease, largely because it does not involve drug research (no profits to be made) and because the NIH does not like to fund studies that alter multiple parameters at one time. Unfortunately, NIH funding has followed a drug and surgery model of medical treatment and does not look favorably on lifestyle interventions (one exception being the Mediterranean diet). I hope that bias changes in the future. In the meantime, physicians and scientists like Terry Wahls MD and Dale Bredesen MD, PhD (neurologist/researcher/author, The End of Alzheimer’s) remain pioneers in functional medicine and lifestyle interventions, being left to start their own foundations and raise money to fund medical research.

Both of these physicians have conducted clinical trials of lifestyle interventions (see below) that have produced revolutionary results, largely ignored by major medical societies and medical organizations. Progress occurs slowly, today’s iconoclasts are often tomorrows Nobel laureates.

Sometimes, despite significant clinical improvement with the AIP, some medication remains necessary with an auto-immune disease. If the auto-immune disease has been present for a long time, permanent damage may be present. That does not represent failure. If one can reduce drug doses, eliminate one or more drugs from a complicated medical regimen, and improve symptoms beyond what drugs alone achieve, I would call that success. Anecdotal reports from many patients (including my own) with auto-immune disease, suggest that it is not a cure-all, and those that show significant clinical improvement demonstrate various time responses ranging from weeks to several months in order to see results. But there are no down-sides to the AIP, no bad side-effects, no dangerous drugs, and only potential for clinical improvement. That seems like a no-brainer to me.

After eight weeks of strict dietary adherence, having achieved remission and appearing to be stable, I slowly added back small amounts of eggs, nuts and some nightshades (one at a time, observing for negative responses). I have been successful with that approach. I have not suffered any symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis since my initial remission. I remain on a paleo/ancestral diet and remain very cautions with regards to sleep habits, exercise, stress reduction, and social support. I try to laugh frequently and continue to engage in meaningful work. All of these components are essential to the AIP and to healthy living in general.

The following are links to published studies on the auto-immune protocol as well as links to a similar lifestyle intervention for Alzheimer’s disease. Another link is an editorial on inflammatory bowel disease and diet. The Autoimmune Protocol has been studied for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In a peer reviewed published clinical trial it improved symptoms and inflammation seen on endoscopy, even producing remission in some patients. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5647120/) It has also been studied for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and found to be effective .(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6592837/)

Efficacy of the Autoimmune Protocol for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Efficacy of the Autoimmune Protocol for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Randomized control trial evaluation of a modified Paleolithic dietary intervention in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.

Multimodal intervention improves fatigue and quality of life in subjects with progressive multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.

Diet and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A Multimodal, Nonpharmacologic Intervention Improves Mood and Cognitive Function in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

Reversal of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.

Inhalational Alzheimer’s disease: an unrecognized – and treatable – epidemic.

A colleague and scientist (Pedro Bastos), after reading my post, sent the following links to related articles (two by Loren Cordain, and a Master’s Thesis by one of his graduate students). For those interested in understanding the theories of molecular mimicry as triggers and mechanisms in autoimmune disease, Cordain’s work is outstanding.

Cereal grains, double-edged sword, Loren Cordain, 1999, Evolutionary Aspects of Nutrition and Health.

Rheumatoid Arthritis, molecular mimicry, dietary lectins, Loren Cordain, 2000, British Journal of Nutrition

Master’s Thesis, auto-immune disease and Paleo Diet, Trevor Connor

Eat clean, sleep well, exercise out-doors, get sunshine, love and laugh.

Bob Hansen MD

Roundup (Glyphosate) Cancer and Monsanto

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I just received this notification from EWG.org.

“Hundreds of cancer victims and their families have filed lawsuits alleging that Monsanto’s signature pesticide Roundup causes cancer.

Now a U.S. judge has denied Monsanto’s attempts to throw out these claims and will allow the case to move forward including expert testimony that links glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, to cancer. These suits allege that Monsanto knew about glyphosate’s cancer risk and failed to warn consumers.

Now hundreds of Americans are seeking to hold Monsanto responsible.

Monsanto has been waging a war on science for years. Just last year, Monsanto colluded with the Environmental Protection Agency to cover up glyphosate’s cancer risk and attacked EWG’s pesticide work, calling it “propaganda.””

I have discussed the risks of glyphosate before. You can read about it here

Glyphosate is a dangerous toxic substance. Most Americans will test positive for glyphosate in the urine. No levels in your body are safe.

It can cause cancer, disrupt your endocrine system, and interfere with brain development in children. There are many other problems with glyphosate. I encourage your to read about the hazards of glyphosate and protect your family. Support the efforts of the environmental working group. (EWG.org.)

Be safe, live clean, shower love on those you love.

Dr. Bob