Healthier Fatty Acids Found in Organic Milk

Organic milk contains a healthier balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids compared with milk from cows raised on conventionally managed dairy farms, according to a new study.

Add it to the list of things that are bad for you: milk!

The healthier fatty acid profile of organic milk is likely a result of cows foraging on grass, the researchers said.

The scientists took 400 samples of organic and conventional milk from multiple regions in the United States over an 18-month period, and looked for the levels of various fatty acids in the milk. In particular, they looked for the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 contents , essential fatty acids that the human body cannot make from other raw materials and needs to obtain from diet.

The lab results showed that organic milk had an average ratio of omega-6 fatty acid to omega-3 fatty acid of 2.3, whereas conventional milk had an average ratio of 5.8, according to the study published today (Dec. 9) in the journal PLOS ONE. The study was partly funded by two organic farmers' cooperative organizations, which were not involved in the design of the study.

A high ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids in people's diets has been linked to a higher risk of health problems, such as heart disease . Studies have suggested that the healthiest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the diet is about 2.3.

The results are in line with previous research showing that eating grass and legumes promotes cow health as well as improves the fatty acid profile of organic dairy products, said study author Charles Benbrook, of the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University.
"The impact of fresh grass on the fatty acid profile of the milk is a well-accepted phenomenon. It is rooted in the physiology and metabolism of dairy cows," Benbrook said.

"A conventional farm that provides their cows with access to grass would reap the same benefit in terms of the quality of the milk," Benbrook added.

Organic farmers are required to follow standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture. These rules include providing access to the outdoors, including to pasture for ruminants.

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New Study Suggests Low Vitamin D Causes Damage to Brain

Dec. 2, 2013 — A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers suggests that a diet low in vitamin D causes damage to the brain.

In addition to being essential for maintaining bone health, newer evidence shows that vitamin D serves important roles in other organs and tissue, including the brain. Published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, the UK study showed that middle-aged rats that were fed a diet low in vitamin D for several months developed free radical damage to the brain, and many different brain proteins were damaged as identified by redox proteomics. These rats also showed a significant decrease in cognitive performance on tests of learning and memory.

"Given that vitamin D deficiency is especially widespread among the elderly, we investigated how during aging from middle-age to old-age how low vitamin D affected the oxidative status of the brain," said lead author on the paper Allan Butterfield, professor in the UK Department of Chemistry, director of the Center of Membrane Sciences, faculty of Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and director of the Free Radical Biology in Cancer Core of the Markey Cancer Center. "Adequate vitamin D serum levels are necessary to prevent free radical damage in brain and subsequent deleterious consequences."

Previously, low levels of vitamin D have been associated with Alzheimer's disease, and it's also been linked to the development of certain cancers and heart disease. In both the developed world and in areas of economic hardship where food intake is not always the most nutritious, vitamin D levels in humans are often low, particularly in the elderly population. Butterfield recommends persons consult their physicians to have their vitamin D levels determined, and if low that they eat foods rich in vitamin D, take vitamin D supplements, and/or get at least 10-15 minutes of sun exposure each day to ensure that vitamin D levels are normalized and remain so to help protect the brain.

How to Heal Cavities Naturally

NOTE FROM TERRI:  I had the experience of changing from a life-long "problem" dental patient into someone with great checkups, and no gum disease or cavities.  What happened?  I started eating nutrient-dense foods.  Try it, you'll love how your mouth loves you now!

The world is slowly waking up to the fact that, when you give the body what it needs, it can heal things we previously thought were impossible. A fine example of what is often deemed as an incurable health problem is dental cavities, but extensive research is now becoming more public about the true nature of tooth decay and the fact that there are proven remedies that can remedy it.

The lies perpetrated about tooth decay

According to the American Dental Association, the reason we have tooth decay is as follows:

"[Tooth decay] occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) such as milk, pop, raisins, cakes or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay." 

There are a few problems with this theory, including:

• Groups of indigenous people who had fermentable carbohydrates stuck on their teeth all the time
  that did not brush or floss, and were mostly or completely free of tooth decay.
  
• Bacteria do not consume processed sugar or flour because of the lack of nutrients in them.
  
• Foods that bacteria like to eat, such as milk, vegetables, meat, fish and fruit, are not commonly implicated in causes of tooth decay.

So if the modern explanation of tooth decay is not accurate, what is the actual cause of tooth decay? 

What actually causes tooth decay
Tooth decay, as researched by Dr. Weston Price and other dental pioneers, boiled down to three factors:

• Not enough minerals in the diet.
  
• Not enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in the diet.
  
• Nutrients not being readily bioavailable, and your intestinal system not properly absorbing them.
  The presence of phytic acid largely influences this factor.

Over a period of time, if your diet lacks vitamins and minerals from a poor diet and/or contains high levels of phytates (from grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes), the blood chemistry and the ratio of calcium and phosphorous become out of balance, which results in minerals being pulled from bones, causing tooth and bone loss. 

So, the long-standing belief that sugar causes tooth decay is true, but as a result of it depleting nutrients from the body, not because bacteria eat it and produce acid that ruins your teeth. 

The food remedies that can heal cavities and tooth decay
In order to restore the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood, and to enable minerals to bond to our teeth, it is not enough to just avoid eating too many sweet or processed foods. We must also eat health-building foods, containing copious amounts of minerals and vitamins that will build a glassy hard tooth structure. 

Foods to focus on are:

• Coconut oil, grass-fed organic dairy (especially butter), grass-fed meats, seafood and bone broths.
  
• Organic cooked vegetables (soups with bone broth are ideal).
  
• Organ and gland meats, like liver.

Limit foods that are high in phytic acid, like grains, beans, nuts and seeds, as well as limiting processed food intake full of processed flours and sugars that upset blood sugar balance. 

Supplements to consider are:

• The fat soluble vitamins: A, D, E and K. Please use a natural form of vitamin A, or carotenoids, which convert to vitamin A in the body.   You also want natural vitamin E - please do not ever take synthetic vitamin E, as it can hurt your body.  The form of vitamin D to use is D3, cholecalciferol.  Fermented cod liver oil is one good source of vitamins A, D and K, or look for a good quality multivitamin with these forms in it.
  
• Magnesium - required to use calcium and phosphorous effectively. 
  
• Gelatin - if you don't have time to make bone broth, this is a good alternative and is great for gums and digestion.  Be sure to buy organic gelatin, made from healthy, grass-fed cows.

Now go get your pearly white smile back!

Similar Articles

• Foods that Keep your Pearly Whites White
• DIY Homemade Fluoride Free Toothpaste

Sources for this article include:
http://www.westonaprice.org
http://wellnessmama.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com


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Sweden Becomes First Western Nation to Reject Low-fat Diet Dogma in Favor of Low-carb High-fat Nutrition

Sweden has become the first Western nation to develop national dietary guidelines that reject the popular low-fat diet dogma in favor of  low-carb high-fat nutrition advice.

The switch in dietary advice followed the publication of a two-year study by the independent Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment. The committee reviewed 16,000 studies published through May 31, 2013.

Swedish doctor, Andreas Eenfeldt, who runs the most popular health blog in Scandinavia (DietDoctor.com) published some of the highlights of this study in English:

Health markers will improve on a low-carbohydrate diet:

…a greater increase in HDL cholesterol (“the good cholesterol”) without having any adverse affects on LDL cholesterol (“the bad cholesterol”). This applies to both the moderate low-carbohydrate intake of less than 40 percent of the total energy intake, as well as to the stricter low-carbohydrate diet, where carbohydrate intake is less than 20 percent of the total energy intake. In addition, the stricter low-carbohydrate diet will lead to improved glucose levels for individuals with obesity and diabetes, and to marginally decreased levels of triglycerides.” (Source.)

Dr. Eenfeldt also translated an article from a local Swedish newspaper covering the committee’s findings:

Butter, olive oil, heavy cream, and bacon are not harmful foods. Quite the opposite. Fat is the best thing for those who want to lose weight. And there are no connections between a high fat intake and cardiovascular disease.

On Monday, SBU, the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, dropped a bombshell. After a two-year long inquiry, reviewing 16,000 studies, the report “Dietary Treatment for Obesity” upends the conventional dietary guidelines for obese or diabetic people.

For a long time, the health care system has given the public advice to avoid fat, saturated fat in particular, and calories. A low-carb diet (LCHF – Low Carb High Fat, is actually a Swedish “invention”) has been dismissed as harmful, a humbug and as being a fad diet lacking any scientific basis.

Instead, the health care system has urged diabetics to eat a lot of fruit (=sugar) and low-fat products with considerable amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners, the latter a dangerous trigger for the sugar-addicted person.

This report turns the current concepts upside down and advocates a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, as the most effective weapon against obesity.

The expert committee consisted of ten physicians, and several of them were skeptics to low-carbohydrate diets at the beginning of the investigation. (Source.)

One of the committee members was Prof. Fredrik Nyström, from Linköping, Sweden – a long-time critic of the low-fat diet and a proponent of the benefits of saturated fat, from sources such as butter, full fat cream, and bacon. Some quotes from Prof. Nyström translated into English from Dr. Eenfeldt:

“I’ve been working with this for so long. It feels great to have this scientific report, and that the skepticism towards low-carb diets among my colleagues has disappeared during the course of the work. When all recent scientific studies are lined up the result is indisputable: our deep-seated fear of fat is completely unfounded. You don’t get fat from fatty foods, just as you don’t get atherosclerosis from calcium or turn green from green vegetables.”

Nyström has long advocated a greatly reduced intake of carbohydrate-rich foods high in sugar and starch, in order to achieve healthy levels of insulin, blood lipids and the good cholesterol. This means doing away with sugar, potatoes, pasta, rice, wheat flour, bread, and embracing olive oil, nuts, butter, full fat cream, oily fish and fattier meat cuts. “If you eat potatoes you might as well eat candy. Potatoes contain glucose units in a chain, which is converted to sugar in the GI tract. Such a diet causes blood sugar, and then the hormone insulin, to skyrocket.”

There are many mantras we have been taught to accept as truths:

“Calories are calories, no matter where they come from.”

“It’s all about the balance between calories in and calories out.”

“People are fat because they don’t move enough.”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

"Of course these are not true. This kind of nonsense has people with weight problems feeling bad about themselves. As if it were all about their inferior character. For many people a greater intake of fat means that you’ll feel satiated, stay so longer, and have less of a need to eat every five minutes. On the other hand, you won’t feel satiated after drinking a Coke, or after eating almost fat free, low-fat fruit yogurt loaded with sugar. Sure, exercise is great in many ways, but what really affects weight is diet.” (Source.)

Will the USDA Now Revise Their Guidelines?

The scientific literature implicating the dangers of refined carbohydrates and the benefits of healthy fats has been around for decades now. One probable reason why this study was done in Sweden is that a lot of people were obvious already following such a diet. Currently in Sweden, it is estimated that only 14 percent of the population are obese compared with one-third in the USA.

So will the U.S. follow suit and explore revising USDA dietary guidelines? Not likely.

As the recently published article YOU the Taxpayer are Funding the Agri Business Takeover of our Food Supply points out, the USDA nutritional guidelines favor the heavily subsidized crops of wheat, soy, and corn. The political forces are just too strong in the U.S. right now to allow any dietary advice that would cut into corporate profits and their production of cheap food to dominate world food supplies.

This dietary advice of a low-carb high-fat diet has been around since the 1920s, when the ketogenic diet was developed at John Hopkins Hospital to cure epilepsy in children who did not respond to drugs. With the advent of the USDA diet guidelines, starting with the McGovern Report in the 1970s, fat was condemned and the low-fat diet advice was promoted through the healthcare system. You can see original TV coverage of this report from 1977 in this YouTube clip from The Fat Head movie:

In 2002, science journalist Gary Taubes began writing on the dangers of the high-carbohydrate diet and benefits of a high-fat diet, and his work was published in both the N.Y. Times and Time Magazine. His article title was “What If It Were All a Big Fat Lie!”

With mainstream media now covering the truth about the fallacies of the low-fat diet in the early 2000s, Dr. Atkins and his low-carb high-fat diet, which had been around for many years, gained a huge following. Various forms of the low-carb high-fat diet exist today in the U.S., but they are still considered “fringe” and “extreme.” The low-carb high-fat diet is routinely attacked by the government and medical system, even as pharmaceutical companies rush to make patented drugs that mimic the ketone effects of the diet, particularly in cancer treatment, the largest market share for pharmaceutical companies.

So, while Sweden has taken a huge step forward in following a commission who looked at over 16,000 studies and confirmed science that has been around for many years, don’t expect the U.S. government to do anything similar anytime soon. It is up to you to do your own research to understand the REAL facts about a healthy diet.

RELATED ARTICLES
Saturated Fat Heart Disease 'Myth' 10/22/13
Gary Taubes Interview with Dr. Mercola 
Robert Lustig: Sugar the Bitter Truth 
Weston A. Price Foundation: Obesity and Weight Loss
The Skinny on Fats, by Mary Enig ph.d


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Robyn O'Brien at TedXAustin on GMO's, our food supply and what we can do!

Robyn shares her personal story and how it inspired her current path as a "Real Food" evangelist. Grounded in a successful Wall Street career that was more interested in food as good business than good-for-you, this mother of four was shaken awake by the dangerous allergic reaction of one of her children to a "typical" breakfast. Her mission to unearth the cause revealed more about the food industry than she could stomach, and impelled her to share her findings with others. Informative and inspiring.

About this speaker

Robyn authored "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It." A former Wall Street food industry analyst, Robyn brings insight, compassion and detailed analysis to her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of our children. She founded allergykidsfoundation.org and was named by Forbes as one of "20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter." The New York Times has passionately described her as "Food's Erin Brockovich."

http://allergykidsfoundation.org

http://twitter.com/unhealthytruth

Before we released our speaker's names, we featured a series of Speaker Teasers. Here, Robyn's:

Real food, is that too much to ask;

Big industry, I take to task;

It's time that we reclaim our plates;

from food forced into altered states.

How to Make your own Sleep Herbs

After the success of my homemade Adrenal Support herbs during the Summer, I thought it was time for another herb experiment!  I think this one may have turned out even better than the first.

What brought this on?  Well, I was just getting ready to spend another $24 on a bottle of Deep Sleep, which is a very nice herb sleep formula I've used, and decided it was time to save my dollars and try my hand at making my own sleep herbs.  I loved getting to know these herbs better, and I think it adds a very personal touch to my healing.  It's great to know that, even if the supplements weren't available anymore, I could make this for myself - very empowering.   The next step would be growing my own herbs.  Maybe next summer! 

STEP ONE: Get some herbs
Since I know which herbs work to help me sleep, it was fairly simple to make a list.  I chose herbs I have taken before, not too many, and fairly small amounts to make one jar of extract.  I spoke with my friend the Herbalist, to get a little guidance.  I keep glass spaghetti sauce jars, and for this project, I cleaned one out really well and ran it through the dishwasher to use to put this formula in.  I bought my herbs at the Herb Room, which is our best local herb place - open until midnight, if you can believe it!  Yes, Santa Cruz is that kind of town.  If I couldn't buy them locally, I would probably order them from somewhere like Mountain Rose Herbs.

I bought the following:

• CALIFORNIA POPPY, 1 ounce
• PASSION FLOWER, 3/4 ounce
• VALERIAN, 1/2 ounce

I had planned on also putting some other herbs in it - Milky Oats and Lemon Balm, but they were out of these, so I forged ahead without them.  I thought about adding Chamomile, too, but my herbalist friend informed me that Chamomile gets very bitter made into this kind of extract, so I didn't.  I thought about taking this in Chamomile tea, but it works great without it.

STEP TWO: Get some alcohol
I used brandy again.  Worked very well.  Still got more left for my next one!

STEP THREE: Sterilize a Glass Jar
Spaghetti sauce jar and top, very clean.

STEP FOUR:  Measure out the Herbs.  Then measure out the alcohol - 1 to 2 times as much as the herbs by volume.
The strength of herbal extractions is measured in parts herb to parts alcohol, and it's not by weight, it's by VOLUME.  Put your dry herbs all together in a glass measuring cup and see what line they come up to on the cup.  Now pour that same volume of vodka or brandy into another glass measuring cup.  That's how much you would need for a 1:1 extract.   The more herbs compared to the amount of alcohol, the stronger the extract.  You will see lots of 1:1 or 2:1 extracts on the market.  1:1 is very strong.  2:1 is less strong, but still very good.  I added about one and a half times as much alcohol as the herbs, to make a 3:2 extract - get it, 3 parts alcohol, to 2 parts herbs, right?  My decision was kind of a compromise.  With a 1:1, it's sometimes kind of hard to get all the herbs saturated because there's so little alcohol, and my jar wasn't big enough for 2:1.

STEP FIVE: Put your herbs in the jar.  Add the alcohol.  Get it all wet.  Shake it up.  Label it well
Mix the herbs together, then put them in the jar.  Pour in the alcohol.  Take a clean stainless steel spoon and stir it around to get all the herbs wet.  Don't rush  - this will take a few minutes.  Wet down any little pockets of dry herbs remaining.  Put the lid on tight.  Label it carefully with exactly what's in it and the date.  Shake it up for around 10 minutes, at least 200 times, all around, upside down, until it looks super wet and saturated.

Don't forget to label your jar.  Write on it the name, the concentration, the date, when it will be ready, and what's in it.  One reason this is important is because the next time you want to make it, you will have forgotten what you used, I guarantee it!   Also it's nice to know at a glance if it's ready to use  And if you don't like how it turns out, you'll know what NOT to do next time!

STEP SIX: Put it in a dark cupboard for TWO WEEKS.  Shake it every few days.
Keep it in a dark place at all times.  Your extract will take a full fourteen days to be ready.  You will want to give it about 50 shakes every 2-3 days.  No big deal - Just slosh it around, up and down, upside down, and put it back in the cupboard.

SEVEN: Strain it sweeten it (optional), and USE it!
After two weeks, you can strain all or part of your extract.  It is ready to use.  I strained a couple ounces into an old glass dropper bottle I had, and left the rest to soak, which it is still doing.   Strain it through a coffee filter lining a strainer, into a glass container.  It will take awhile.

I did not sweeten this one - it actually tastes ok on it's own.  At first I tried adding it to chamomile tea, but didn't really want to make tea every night, and it didn't work great for me that way.  What I finally ended up doing with this is using the little dropper to squirt this into empty "00" veggie capsules, and taking it that way.  I found that for me, 1 capsule didn't get me to sleep, but 2 did the job really well!  So now I have almost a lifetime supply of sleepy support that works for me, for less than $10 in herbs and alcohol! 

You would always want to fill these capsules right before you take them.  They would probably melt after awhile, even though they don't have any water in them.  The professional capsule companies have special ways of making and sealing their liquid-filled caps that make them way more stable.








Happy herbmaking!

DISCLAIMER: Note that there's a lot to the herbmaking craft that is not included here.  It's important to extract each herb in the way that is well-suited to it, and to carefully construct your blends.  This is just an example of a good beginners blend that might be useful.  Please read up on any herb you plan to use and make sure it is appropriate for you.

5 Minute Daily Energy Medicine Routine

I just tried this and I really like it!  I've been getting into energy medicine lately, and it felt to me like this really did wake up my energy this morning, kind of like an early morning walk or workout does!  Give it a try. Takes five minutes or less!

Imagine a simple set of exercises done in minutes designed to clear and balance your energy in the traditions of energy medicine like acupuncture and acupressure--as easily as brushing your teeth in the morning.

Donna Eden, author of books such as Energy Medicine and Energy Medicine for Women, outlines this simple routine you can begin incorporating into your day.  I recommend at least doing this in the morning, but it can be done whenever you want. It is a good, overall body routine.

Below you will find a PDF instruction manual with photos and a YouTube video where Donna Eden demonstrates the routine for you.



Here's a written version  in pdf form that you can print out.

CBS Genetics

Here's another post that will make no sense to you unless you are a genetics Geek.  These are some illuminating comments made about a very misunderstood gene called CBS by phD researcher and Very Smart Person Susan Owens, who I have known for years in the autism community.  Genetics Geeks, enjoy! 

QUESTION: Not sure if anyone would know but trying to understand this. I have the CBS ++ but when tested i have under range ammonia levels. Does this mean my methyl is not upregulated?

Susan Owens Actually, the [CBS] SNP that Yasko was emphasizing so is actually viewed by scientists as an advantage, and not a problem. That is why it was being studied, because of its benefits!  Until the scientists figure out what was in linkage disequilibrium with it, we won't know what it's "thing" really is. I don't know if those studies will be done because I don't think scientists are finding that it is all that important. All we know right now is that it doesn't seem to involve this big upregulation that Yasko thought was there because she confused it with a more serious mutation, apparently....   

 Sara, the upregulation is GOOD for you, because it is upregulated to make more glutathione for you. This is what Yasko really had confused, and I'm afraid now that it has given CBS a bad name. It is a very beneficial molecule because it helps us combat oxidative stress!... 

I don't known if I am the only old person around here, but maybe some of the others of you remember that a group named the Byrds popularized a beautiful song out of Ecclesiastes 3 which says: There is a time for everything,and a season for every purpose under heaven. Well, there is a time for methylation, and there is a time for transsulfuration but when it is time for methylation, transsulfuration must wait; when it is time for transsulfuration, methylation must wait. This is how we are designed and it is a very good thing that we have this switch so that we can go to bat for ourselves when we are in oxidative stress....

Sara, you can help reduce oxidative stress with supplements like N-acetylcysteine, and glutathione, and alpha lipoic acid, vitamin E, CoQ10, ascorbic acid, melatonin, selenium, etc. By restricting these, you just keep the body trying to cope with more efforts to convert methionine to glutathione, keeping methylation on hold. Methionine synthase cannot work when there is too much oxidative stress. It turns off on purpose.

Lustig on Sugar and Chronic Metabolic Disease

Another very important video from Dr. Robert Lustig from the kids obesity unit at UCSF.

I really admire Robert Lustig's clarity, his scientific background and his stand for people's health and continuing to speak out about the obesity crisis, despite mass apathy and media-driven confusion.  

Here are some highlights from this excellent video:

(On whether obesity is just due to behavior)

"How do you explain obesity in six-month-olds?  They don’t diet and exercise.

Obesity is occurring in countries that still have malnutrition.  This looks much more like an exposure, than it actually does, like changing behavior.

There’s really no such thing as behavior.  There’s really just biochemistry.   Biochemicals change in the brain, driving behavior.

In obesity, what is driving that behavior?  I can sum that up in one word:  Insulin.  Insulin does two things:  Drives energy into fat cells, thereby increasing the amount of energy stored, therefore the obesity.  But, the other thing that Insulin does is it blocks the signal in the brain that would normally convey satiety and signalling energy adequacy.  That signal is called Leptin, and Leptin is a hormone that’s made from your fat cells, goes to your brain and tells you you’ve had enough.  But insulin blocks that signal.  So by doing peripheral changes which drive energy deposition and inducing central changes that drive starvation at the level of the brain you can see how that would turn into a vicious cycle of consumption and also disease.  So what we have learned is that Insulin is the bad guy in this story.

Q: So what can families and individuals to do change their biochemistry, or is this not something they shouldn’t be worried about at all?

The question is, what caused the Insulin rise?  If you look at studies from the 1970’s  in terms of how high your insulin went in response to a glucose challenge, maybe 50 microunits per ml.  Now we’re up to 100, 150, sometimes even 250 microunits per ml (for the same test), in kids.  So the question is how come kids are releasing twice or 3 times the insulin they were before.  And that is the crux of the obesity question. 

So, what’s changed during that time?  Certainly our genes have not changed.  But our diet has clearly changed.  And, what makes insulin go up?  Sugar.  But what kind of sugar.?  Well, there are three molecules that constitute the standard sugars.  There’s glucose, which is absolutely essential for life.  It’s so important that if you don’t get any, your body makes  it in order to keep your blood glucose level up.   There’s galactose, which is in milk sugar, which is immediately converted to glucose in the liver… 

And then there’s the last one - Fructose.  Fructose is the sweet part of table sugar.  It’s in sucrose.  It’s in hfcs, it’s in maple syrup, it’s in agave nectar and it’s the thing we seek, virtually every caloric sweetner,  it’s the thing we like.  The problem is that fructose is not glucose, never was, never will be.  Glucose is a 6 membered ring, fructose is a 5 membered ring.  Glucose is regulated by insulin.  Fructose is not regulated by insulin.  Glucose goes to glycogen or liver starch in the liver for storage and that is a non toxic storage form of energy in the liver, which is good, and it’s what you want to make, so you have ready energy for exercise, so if you’re glycogen depleted from either starvation or from severe exercise, you can rebuild glycogen with fructose.  

But, what happens if you’re not.  What happens if you’re at rest… and you take in a large sugar load, say a soft drink or a sports drink, or one of these energy drinks, which has an enormous bolus of sugar.  What happens is that the fructose is not converted to glycogen.  It has no choice to go down to the energy mitochondria, the little energy burning factories in the cells.  They overwhelmed, these mitochondria, and they have no choice but to take the extra energy that’s been provided by the fructose and turn it into liver fat.  Liver fat drives all the other chronic metabolic diseases, by inducing insulin resistance in the liver, liver fat drives cardiovascular disease, lipid problems in the blood, hypertension, diabetes.  And possibly cancer and dementia as well.  So that’s where the problem is.  The overload of Fructose to liver mitochondria, driving chronic metabolic disease. 

....

Q: What do you recommend that the patient who is concerned about the health risks of obesity do?

I can sum it up in three words: eat real food.  Real food has fiber and real food is primarily low in sugar.  … The problem is, when we purify [food] the stuff, that concentrates the dose and ultimately leads to an over-the-threshhold effect, and once you achieved the threshold in the liver for fructose, you start getting disease.  The question is where is that threshold.  And it’s probably different for different people.  It seems to be lower for latinos.  Anything you can do to increase your threshold would be good.   One of those things is fiber and the other one is exercise.  And that’s what we say.  Eat properly.  Eat real food.  Exercise.  And you’re good to go.   And that’s what I espouse as well.  But I do it based on the science.

A couple of points I got from this video that hadn't occurred to me before: 

1. Adding fiber to foods doesn't really work.  Fiber, as it occurs naturally in food, is a combination of soluble and insoluble, and they are together that way for a reason.  Watch video for more details, but basically, foods with fiber added and taking supplemental fiber is not the same as eating food with fiber intact.

2. Making a smoothie out of a fruit destroys the fiber in it.  Eat the fruit, don't drink it, even as a smoothie (goes for juicing too).

  

Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free)

We love these, and they're gluten free and egg-free. If you need to make them without casein, just use your favorite butter subsitute instead of the butter.

2 1/2 cups almond flour*
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix almond flour, salt and baking soda. Cut in cold butter until it makes small crumbs. Stir in agave, vanilla and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, pressing down each one with your palm. Bake 9-11 minutes, until golden . Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes, until set.

* For these to turn out well, you need very finely ground almond flour, finer than the kinds sold at most health food stores. We buy ours at nuts.com.

This week in Autism 8/3/13

From time to time, we see some really significant news in the autism world.  This week was one of those times!  For more autism news, all the time, see my Autism Page on Pinterest, where I pin important Autism artcles the moment I find them.

Courts Quietly confirm MMR causes autism - Austin. After decades of passionate debate, parents probably missed the repeated admissions by drug companies and governments alike that vaccines do in fact cause autism. For concerned parents seeking the truth, it’s worth remembering that the exact same people who own the world’s drug companies also own America’s news outlets. Finding propaganda-free information has been difficult, until now.   READ MORE

Asperger's and Autism: Brain Differences Found - Children with Asperger's syndrome show patterns of brain connectivity distinct from those of children with autism, according to a new study. The findings suggest the two conditions, which are now in one category in the new psychiatry diagnostic manual, may be biologically different. READ MORE

And the really BIG news - we may soon have an objective way to diagnose autism, and maybe even a way to detect it early on...

Chemical Changes in Brain Identify Autism - Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have brain chemical changes between the ages of 3 and 10 that distinguish them from children with other forms of developmental delay, researchers reported. 

In particular, concentrations of N-acetylaspartate, which plays important roles in several brain functions, rises over time to near-normal levels in ASD children, according to Stephen Dager, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues.

In contrast, the compound remains at a low concentration in children with non-autism developmental delays, Dager and colleagues reported online in JAMA Psychiatry.   The pattern of changes of several other brain chemicals also differed between the groups, and between both groups and children with typical development, in a study that combined longitudinal and cross-sectional features, the investigators reported.   READ MORE   PUBMED REF

Making your own Adrenal Support Herbal

As most of you know, I have fought my way back from adrenal fatigue, and now I help other people to do the same.  Adrenal support supplements of various kinds are very useful tools in this process.  Many of them use herbs that support the adrenals, such as ashwagandha, siberian ginseng, schisandra and rhodiola.

I decided recently to try my hand at making my own herbal extract for adrenal support.  This allows me to get to know these herbs better, save some money on supplements, and, my favorite part, to feel more in touch with my own healing.  I consulted with an Expert Herbalist who is a friend of mine in designing this remedy.

STEP ONE: Get some herbs
I chose the following for my herbal.  Mainly, I chose herbs I have taken before, not too many, and fairly small amounts to make one jar of extract, as this was kind of an experiment for me.  Where I live, I can buy raw herbs like these. Your other option would be to order them online.

I bought the following:

• ASHWAGANDHA 1 1/4 ounce
• SIBERIAN GINSENG 1 ounce
• SCHISANDRA BERRIES 1 ounce
• ASTRAGALUS 1 ounce
• MILK THISTLE 1 ounce

I had planned on also buying 3/4 ounce of Rhodiola, but the store was out, so my mixture does not have any Rhodiola in it.  Just a caution, some people really feel great taking Rhodiola and others don't, so make sure you have taken something containing Rhodiola with success if you plan to put it in your mixture.

STEP TWO: Get some alcohol
My herbalist friend told me that brandy and vodka are great types of alcohol to use to extract herbs.  She thinks brandy works particularly well, and I had some in the cupboard for cooking, so that's what I used.  So basically, get yourself some brandy or vodka, it doesn't have to be particularly good quality to work well for this purpose, just whatever you can get.

STEP THREE: Sterilize a Glass Jar
You always want to extract herbs in glass, not other type of container.  Grab yourself a glass jar with a good lid, and get it very clean - put it through the dishwasher, or boil it.

STEP FOUR:  Measure out the Herbs.  Then measure out the alcohol - 1 to 2 times as much as the herbs by volume.
The strength of herbal extractions is measured in parts herb to parts alcohol, and it's not by weight, it's by VOLUME.  Put your dry herbs all together in a glass measuring cup and see how much volume they have.  Now pour that same volume of vodka or brandy into another glass measuring cup.  That's how much you would need for a 1:1 extract.   The more herbs compared to the amount of alcohol, the stronger the extract.  You will see lots of 1:1 or 2:1 extracts on the market.  1:1 is pretty strong.  2:1 means twice as much alcohol as herbs.  I added about one and a half times as much alcohol as the herbs, to make a 3:2 extract - get it, 3 parts alcohol, to 2 parts herbs, right?  Mostly, I did that because that's how much my jar would hold.

FIVE: Put your herbs in the jar.  Add the alcohol.  Get it all wet.  Shake it up.
Put the herbs in first.  Stir them to mix them up together.  Pour in the alcohol.  Take a clean stainless steel spoon and stir it around to get all the herbs wet.  It will take a few minutes.  Wet down any little pockets of dry herbs remaining.  Put the lid on tight.  Label it carefully with exactly what's in it and the date.  Shake it up for around 10 minutes, at least 200 times, all around, upside down, until it looks super wet and saturated.

SIX: Put it in a dark cupboard for TWO WEEKS.  Shake it every few days.
Keep it in a dark place.  Your extract will take a full fourteen days to be ready.  You will want to give it about 50 shakes every 2-3 days.  It doesn't need as thorough a shaking as you just did, just slosh it around, up and down, upside down, and put it back.

SEVEN: Strain it sweeten it, and USE it!
After two weeks, you can strain all or part of your extract.  It is ready to use.  I strained about 1/3 of mine, and left the rest to soak longer.  It's fine to do that.  My herbalist friend says you can leave it to soak for as long as you want.  Strain it through a coffee filter lining a strainer, into a glass container.  It will take awhile.  After that, you can cook it to reduce it down, or just sweeten it and use it as is. 

Add something to sweeten it to taste.  You can make up little "shots" to experiment with various sweeteners, such as agave, vegetable glycerine or palm sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, maple syrup, etc.  Many herbalists will use a mixture of sweeteners to make it palatable.  I added a touch of molasses and some honey.  It tastes ok to take a dropper or two at a time, which is how much I take.

Put it in a sterile glass bottle with a dropper - I boiled an empty one I had from another herb.  Make sure to label and date your new bottle so you know what's in it.  Alcohol extracts stay viable for quite a long time, at least 3 years.  They do not need refrigeration.

At a professional herb company, they would typically strain the extract at least twice, to get it clear, flavor it, and bottle it into glass bottles that have been boiled. 


Note that there's a lot to the herbmaking craft that is not included here.  It's important to extract each herb in the way that is well-suited to it, and to carefully construct your blends.  This is just an example of a good beginners blend that might be really useful to you.


Happy herbmaking!

What you need to know about Jenny McCarthy, autism and the Press

Many of you know that I have long personal experience with autism in my family and my business.  Here's my reaction to the press "kerfuffle" about Jenny McCarthy joining The View.  Btw, I don't agree with everything Jenny says, but I do think she has been courageous in shining a light on the issue of autism and vaccines.

Despite the fact that the press has decided it’s out of fashion right now to think that vaccines are related to autism:

• My son developed autism not long after his vaccines, and was later confirmed to have mercury toxicity.  He got a lot better when we got mercury out of his body.
• As president of a vitamin company for kids with autism, I talked to literally hundreds of other moms who had the same experience.
• There are many (70) scientific studies that do support the link between autism and vaccines, contrary to the consensus in the popular press, which is fad-driven and doesn’t know or care much about science.  There is a HUGE investment in the medical status quo to not allowing people to know this.
• There is no healthy amount of mercury to put into a human body.
• Autism is now 1 in 50 children.  We are losing our next generation to it.
• The public seems to be asleep to this fact.  Some of us wonder, what will it take to wake people up?
• Jenny is not alone, and we (the thousands of moms and dads who have seen the connection between autism and vaccines with our own eyes) have her back.
• The more press attention this issue gets, the more the truth will come out.  We say, bring it on!

Sleep Hygiene

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is a variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness.

What are some examples of good sleep hygiene?

The most important sleep hygiene measure is to maintain a regular sleep and wake pattern seven days a week. It is also important to spend an appropriate amount of time in bed, not too little, or too excessive. This may vary by individual. Research tells us that it is best to spend between 7 and 9 hours a day sleeping.

In addition, good sleep hygiene practices include:

• Avoid napping during the day; it can disturb the normal pattern of sleep and wakefulness.
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol too close to bedtime. While alcohol is well known to speed the onset of sleep, it disrupts sleep in the second half of the night as the body begins to metabolize the alcohol, causing poorer quality sleep.
• Exercise can promote good sleep. Vigorous exercise should be taken in the morning or late afternoon. A relaxing exercise, like yoga, can be done before bed to help initiate a restful night's sleep.
• Food can be disruptive right before sleep; stay away from eating close to bedtime.  And, remember, chocolate has caffeine.
• Ensure adequate exposure to natural light. This is particularly important for older people who may not venture outside as frequently as children and adults. Light exposure helps maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
• Establish a regular relaxing bedtime routine. Try to avoid emotionally upsetting conversations and activities before trying to go to sleep. Don't dwell on, or bring your problems to bed.
• Limit screen time later in the evening.  Try to “wind down” and do relaxing activities not associated with TV or computers.
• Make sure that the sleep environment is pleasant and relaxing. The bed should be comfortable, the room should not be too hot or cold, or too bright.  You spend a third of your life in your bed... make sure you feel good there!
• Minimize sources of EMF’s in your bedroom, especially near your head.  Use a battery alarm clock.  Don’t sleep with your head near your cell phone, laptop, TV, etc.

  

Why is it important to practice good sleep hygiene?

Sleep is important for everyone, from childhood through adulthood. A good sleep routine promotes healthy sleep, daytime alertness, and has many health benefits, from supporting hormones such as melatonin and cortisol, to allowing your body a chance to recharge and replenish minerals and heal itself.  Good sleep hygiene practices can help prevent the development of sleep problems and mood disorders.

How does someone know if his or her sleep hygiene is poor?

Sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness are the most telling signs of poor sleep hygiene. If one is experiencing a sleep problem, he or she should evaluate their sleep routine. It may take some time for the changes to have a positive effect.

How do I know the best sleep hygiene routine for me?

If you're taking too long to fall asleep, or awakening during the night, you should consider revising your bedtime habits. Most important for everyone is to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule throughout the week and consider how much time you spend in bed, which could be too much or too little.

If I still can't sleep well, what should I do?
If you have worked on your sleep hygeine, and continue to have problems getting good sleep, give us a call.  We can discuss other underlying reasons your body may not be able to sleep, such as hormone and adrenal imbalances, and suggest some Functional Diagnostic Nutrition treatment for you.

Are there any danger signs to watch for, with regard to my sleep?
If you snore loudly, and feel sleepy or tired during the day, you should get screened for Sleep Apnea.  Sleep Apnea is a serious medical condition in which your body does not get enough oxygen during the night.  It is associated with elevated odds of heart problems and other serious health issues, up to and including death.  It should not be ignored.

Consult with Dr. Nancy Mullan

Consult with Dr. Nancy Mullan 3/7/13 phone

Some folks up on Facebook asked me to post these notes.  They will mean nothing to you unless you are a methylation genetics geek.  If so, enjoy!

To do:

-         Look at CYP1B1.  This points to detoxification of phytoestrogens.  Nancy’s suspicion is that R_M’s issue has to do with this. [figured out that R_M has +/+ for CYP1B1 R48G, other 2 are -/-   EMAIL Dr. Mullan about this result]

-         Read article “GI balance and neurotransmitter formation” on Dr. Mullan’s blog “ChronicDiseaseTalk.com”

-         Read up on Dr. Amy’s forum.  Dr. Mullan says the approach has changed a lot, is “much simpler now”, doesn’t start with the long way on MTHFR (B12/folate) anymore.

-         Go to DirectLabs, price the first 4 tests.  Ask Brie about running them too.

-         Look up prices for all the Yasko products Dr. Mullan mentioned.

Advice:

-         Stay away from dairy – numerous problems, including estrogens

-         Figure out if there’s an issue with phytoestrogens – this is Dr. Nancy’s suspicion, because of her age and timing coincidence with menarche.

-         Take cal-d-glucarate to detox estrogen

They do several tests when they check the gut – (Genova and GI Effects?) look for aerobic and anaerobic, h.pylori – they spend a lot of energy trying to figure out if there is h.pylori present – apparently very hard to find, hides in deep crypts, etc.

CBS mutation – look for high taurine to see if this is causing issues

Dr. Amy now does 9 tests.  Starts with first 4, all run on the same day:

1. Hair analysis
2. Urine toxic elements
3. Urine essential elements
4. Urine amino acids
5. Genetics
6. Tests for only 4 neurotransmitters: norepinephrine, tryptophan, serotonin, epinephrine

Fundamental changes to Yasko approach:

-         They don’t treat the “long” leg of methylation first anymore – they start with the BH4 route now. 

-         They use SAM-E instead of Methyl B12 these days but not sure she would give R_M this, at least not to start.

-         They don’t use Yucca for CBS anymore – used to think high ammonia was due to CBS, figured out it wasn’t.

General order of treatment:

1. Gut
2. Minerals
3. RNA
4. Phos-serine, choline, ethanol
5. DHA neuromins

Order of specific supplementation:

1. CBS RNA – To control “down the drain” effect of CBS (she says there is no other way)
2. “BHMT MTHFR Support” – I think this is a product – Did she mean MTHFR RNA?  R_M does not have any BHMT snips.
3. A1298C Support formula – This is a product
4. Digestive enzymes (optional)
5. Gut support (probiotics, pathogen killing etc. I assume)
6. Vita Organ -  A product
7. Leaky Gut RNA – A product
8. Minerals - Zinc/lithium/mag – can get a serum lithium, sounds like they give this a lot, plus an ionic trace mineral supp.
9. Phosphatidylserine, then phosphatidylcholine than phos-e______
10. DHA Neuromins

CBS RNA $85.00

http://www.holisticheal.com/cbs.html

MTHFR RNA? $85

http://www.holisticheal.com/mthfr-3.html

A1298 Liver Support $54.95

http://www.holisticheal.com/mthfr-a1298c-liver-support-bh4-function-2.html

Vita Organ $74.95

http://www.holisticheal.com/vita-organ-sample.html

Leaky Gut RNA $85

http://www.holisticheal.com/leaky-gut.html

The GMO Menace

I hate to be all doom and gloom, but this GMO thing is getting way too real:

1. The evidence is piling up fast that Glyphosphate really does present as big a risk to health as we had feared (or bigger).  

 AND

 2. Monsanto is doubling down, rapidly increasing the numbers and percentages of dangerous crops that are landing in our grocery stores.  

Here's some wonderful, dense science about the glyphosphate threat.  In the video below, researcher Jeffrey Smith interviews Dr. Stephanie Seneff about the dangers of glyphosphate.  They really get into it - connections to autism, cancer, the gut biome, it's all there.  Dr. Seneff is absolutely brilliant and concerned about the future of our planet.  She's so clear, and honest - a breath of fresh air!

I consider it my duty to KNOW about this and to TALK about it, to protect my health, and that of my family, my friends and my clients.  I think it's going to take all of us who are concerned about making our bodies healthy for future generations and the future of the Earth to fix this dangerous situation.  

Also, please remember that we are not powerless in the face of giant Monsanto.  No matter what the government, or big business or your neighbor does...

HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS: You still have the power to choose what goes in your shopping cart, and what goes in your mouth!  Nobody can take that from you. 

Check out my article on How to Avoid GMO Foods for more details.  Hidden bonus:  Some of the same measures you can take to avoid GMO's will help keep your body healthier over all, for the long haul!



RESOURCES

Glyphosate Found to Fuel Cancer Cell Growth, Pose Carcinogenic Threat

How the Farm Bill could undermine the future of GMO labeling by individual states 

Organic farmers go to war with Monsanto in court and lose - but this fight is not over!

Genetically-modified eggplant found to be unsafe for human consumption, environment