In today’s post, I will discuss how the mouth plays a significant role in the production of nitric oxide (NO) through a process called the enterosalivary cycle of nitrate. This process involves friendly nitrate-reducing bacteria in the oral cavity, predominantly on the tongue, which reduce dietary nitrate (NO3) from vegetables, meat, and drinking water to nitrite (NO2). The nitrite is then further reduced to NO, which helps regulate systemic blood pressure. This pathway highlights how important oral health is to cardiovascular health. But can mouthwash damage this process?
Read MoreLectins are a type of protein found in various plants, especially grains and legumes, that can bind to cell membranes. They serve a protective function for plants as they grow but can also have negative effects on human health when consumed in large amounts. Despite their natural origins, dietary lectins can be damaging and unhealthy due to their resistance to human digestion and their ability to bind to the cells lining the digestive tract. This post covers the reasons behind the potential harm caused by dietary lectins and provides advice on how to minimize their negative impact on our health.
Read MoreI just watched the documentary "Bad Surgeon," which is available on Netflix. It details the privileged lifestyle and works of a physician, Paolo Macchiarini, who appeared to be pioneering groundbreaking surgeries that could help save the lives of people who otherwise would die. In the end, it is revealed that he skipped critical research, hid his devastating outcomes, used faulty techniques, and did not truly care for his patients, colleagues, family, or friends. In short, he was a sociopath only concerned with his reputation and lifestyle. He used the excuse that the people were going to die, so he thought his "experimental" procedures were an acceptable means of saving lives. His actions were no different than those imposed on us during the height of COVID by most of the governing bodies of the globe. They all tried to justify their ethical misconduct by telling us they were only trying to save us. This post will cover some aspects of medical ethics as they relate to the documentary and the COVID pandemic.
Read MoreYou may have heard of oxalate because it is infamously implicated in kidney stone formation. Oxalate is damaging in higher concentrations, cannot be metabolized, and needs to be excreted. Given their direct role in oxalate excretion, the kidneys often sustain the most severe damage in states of oxalate excess, but other tissues can suffer as well. This post will cover oxalate, what foods contain it, the problems it can cause, and what to do about reducing oxalate if you are experiencing a problem.
Read MoreIn our complex modern society, many of us overlook the interdependence that sustains our daily lives. The intricate web of connections involved in bringing food to our supermarkets, from farmers to transportation, illustrates our profound reliance on one another. Yet the web is so complex that we can't see the interdependence. Instead, we take for granted that the food appears ready for purchase as if by magic. Instead of actively participating in our very survival, we are left to pursue activities that have nothing to do with our survival. We don't even have to look each other in the eye as we purchase our food for the week. Our current lives are a far cry from the self-sufficiency of hunter-gatherer societies, where immediate survival needs drove relationships. Contrasting starkly with ancestral relationships that were once primarily familial and community-based, contemporary society fosters a diversity of connections, including friendships, romantic partnerships, and professional alliances, that don't have any connection to immediate or long-term survival. This disconnect can lead to problems in modern society. This post will cover why and what we can do to improve things.
Read MoreIn the world of nutrition and fitness, protein's role has been the subject of much debate. Common beliefs suggest that post-exercise protein intake only offers a temporary boost in muscle growth, with any surplus amino acids being rapidly expelled by the body. Consequently, many muscle-building enthusiasts opt for multiple small, protein-rich meals throughout the day to optimize muscle development and minimize protein loss.
However, recent findings from a study published in Cell Reports Medicine challenge these established views on protein digestion, particularly post-meal. The research unveils groundbreaking insights with far-reaching implications for those focused on health and wellness. Let's delve into the study's key discoveries and their potential impact.
Read MorePhysicians and dentists who embrace the potential benefits of addressing the root causes of health problems rather than merely treating symptoms can fall into functional medicine, ancestral medicine, or other holistic paradigms. However, our journey is fraught with challenges and obstacles, including skepticism and resistance from various stakeholders in the medical field and sometimes patients. So, why do healers who promote non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical, lifestyle-related cures receive pushback from mainstream practitioners, mainstream media, search engines, and the public? I will answer the question in this post, but what remains prevalent is that more and more patients believe that their medical care is not promoting their overall health.
Read MoreIn a recent New York Times piece by Katie Baker, titled "Downsides For Plus-Sizers Who Size Down," the narrative unfolds around plus-sized influencers facing backlash from their community for losing weight. The author uses the term fat phobia several times. One poignant story is that of Dronme Davis, a beacon of body positivity, who shared her personal journey only to be met with hostility for becoming thin. Worse, she had to suffer criticism while experiencing an eating disorder relapse. This situation illuminates the nuanced and often polarized landscape of body positivity, where the intention to embrace all bodies somehow loses its inclusivity when those bodies change in ways that don't align with the expected narrative. This post will cover the ins and outs of the obesity epidemic, the body positivity movement, and how we can improve things.
Read MoreI have a morning routine that I've been doing for years, but I only recently shared it with a stranger while we were discussing our daily habits. It occurred to me that my routine is quite ritualistic and resembles a luxurious spa treatment. As I was describing my routine, I thought about how I sounded like Christian Bale's character, Patrick Bateman, from the movie American Psycho, when he described his morning routine and saw the humor in it. As much as I see the benefits to doing it, it also sounds comical, so I am going to share it in this post in hopes of amusing most of you and, maybe, enlightening some of you to some lesser-known health interventions. I hope you enjoy it.
Read MoreBy now, you may have heard that diets of processed carbohydrates can lead to weight gain. The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity (CIM) posits that processed carbohydrates like bread, bagels, pasta, crackers, chips, and pretzels promote fat storage in adipose tissue, leading to overeating and weight gain. This is one of those chicken-or-egg theories. In the CIM, the diet leads to a situation where the body first wants to store fat, leading to the spontaneous desire to eat more calories. Therefore, a diet high in processed carbohydrates, as recommended by MyPlate/My Food Pyramid, may inadvertently contribute to obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and other health issues by disrupting normal metabolic processes and promoting an imbalance in energy intake and storage. Furthermore, the effects linger after diet changes, as determined by a reanalysis of a feeding study I will discuss in this post today.
Read MoreMost people alive today would probably agree that organic, pesticide-free, whole wheat, grain-based diets, low in animal-based foods, richer in plant proteins from lentils and beans, and consisting mainly of vegetables are ideal diets. The ancient Egyptians ate this way. To repeat, it was organic, pesticide-free, and whole-grain. Ask the folks who made the food pyramid (My Plate) and the Eat Lancet Diet, and they will love it. Does it sound amazing to you? Well, not to me. My Plate has adult men eating around ten slices of bread per day, or the equivalent of 47 teaspoons of table sugar! I wrote about how the Eat Lancet Diet causes malnutrition on January 1, which is a similar diet to My Plate. If you are interested in their recommendations—the Lancet's diet causes protein deficiency, among other things. Let’s see how the ancient Egyptians who ate the same way fared.
Read Morehen I was young, I loved everything about water, especially its abundance. I lived near the ocean and loved going to the beach. I had a pool and swam in it every day. Lastly, drinking water was abundant and cheap. I laughed when I began to see bottled water; I thought, "Why would anyone purchase water when it is practically free everywhere?" Much to my surprise, it is here to stay.
A few years ago, I came across the concept of structured water, which claimed to be much healthier for us than regular water. Though it sounded plausible, I never really researched it since I felt perfectly fine most of the time. However, recently, I watched a video by Dr. Gerald Cowan discussing the heart's function and structured water, which piqued my interest. After some investigation, I was surprised to find very little scientific evidence supporting the idea of structured water. In this post, I'll be discussing the properties of plain old water and its miraculous benefits. I'll also be comparing it to structured water and the claims that it's better for our health.
Read MoreCognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time. The psychologist Leon Festinger came up with the concept in 1957. Festinger believed that all people are motivated to avoid or resolve cognitive dissonance due to the discomfort it causes, and it can prompt people to adopt certain defense mechanisms when they have to confront it—namely, avoidance, delegitimizing, and limiting the impact. The last thing people seem to want to do is confront the conflicting ideas and change their beliefs. Sadly, scientists are not immune to this phenomenon. Today I am going to present some recent studies that are generating cognitive dissonance even though they do a better job of explaining phenomena related to cholesterol levels than the traditional theories.
Read MoreOn January 17, 2024, a groundbreaking study titled "Increased Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol on a Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Adults with Normal but Not High Body Weight: A Meta-Analysis" was published by Adrian Soto-Mota, Dave Feldman, Nicholas Norwitz, and others. This research provides new insights into the effects of low-carbohydrate diets on cholesterol levels, with a particular focus on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), commonly known as 'bad' cholesterol. In this blog post, I will explain the study's design and results, which refute the current medical thinking that saturated fat has the most significant effect on raising cholesterol. The authors found that body weight is much more significant than saturated fat. Their findings suggest that we have things backward.
Read MoreHuman breast milk is a complex and dynamic fluid that plays a pivotal role in infant development, providing essential nutrients, immune factors, and a variety of bioactive compounds. Fatty acids are one of the crucial components of breast milk which contribute significantly to the overall health and well-being of the newborn. In recent years, scientific exploration has delved into the intricacies of these fatty acids, uncovering their diverse roles and potential therapeutic applications, including the unexpected benefits of trans-fats and Trans-vaccenic Acid in the fight against cancer.
Read MoreWater, which is also known as H2O, is made up of two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O). The hydrogen atoms in water are mainly composed of protium, which is the lightest and most abundant isotope of hydrogen. Protium contains only one proton in its nucleus.
Deuterium, on the other hand, is an isotope of hydrogen that is heavier than protium because it contains one proton and one neutron in its nucleus. It is symbolized as 2H or D. When deuterium replaces protium in a water molecule, it creates what is called heavy water or deuterium oxide (D2O).
Deuterium has a larger relative change in atomic weight compared to other isotopes like protium. This leads to a phenomenon known as the kinetic isotope effect that influences reaction rates. Typically, heavier isotopes tend to cause slower reaction rates. These effects can impact various biological processes, including metabolic pathways and cellular function.
Consuming low-quality cattle feeds may lead to the production of intracellular water that is rich in deuterium, which can pose health risks for both the animals and humans who consume the resulting products. As I mentioned, its elevated presence in metabolic processes has been associated with various health concerns. This post will cover what deuterium is, how it affects our health, and how to avoid it.
Read MoreThe Lancet is considered one of the premier medical journals in the world. However, you may have yet to hear of the Eat Lancet Diet if you live outside of the UK. Their dietary recommendations should be spot on. However, adherents to the diet were examined and found to have deficiencies in several nutrients, including protein, selenium, zinc, iron, and folate. The subjects also reported a poorer mood. 1 Therefore, the people eating the Eat Lancet Diet may experience some diseases or symptoms caused by nutrient deficiencies. The problem is that they will more than likely think their problems come from disease rather than their diet. After all, why would The Lancet be recommending a diet that causes numerous nutrient deficiencies? Shouldn’t they know better? This post will cover why diet is overlooked by many healthcare practitioners, leading to misdiagnosis, erroneous medication prescriptions, and unnecessary medical treatments.
Read MoreThis post will cover a new phenomenon that describes the disparity between healthy years of living and death. We are all familiar with lifespan, but the number of years we live as healthy individuals is called our healthspan. Since modern medicine and sanitary conditions have increased our lifespans almost 3 times, the disparity between healthspan and lifespan is increasing. Read on for more information.
Read MoreDr. Matthew Budoff presented data on December 9, 2023, demonstrating that a subgroup of individuals with very high total cholesterol and LDL do not seem to develop heart disease. The subjects are known as "Lean Mass Hyper Responders." The group became notable during the rise in popularity of ketogenic diets. This post will cover what a ketogenic diet is, what a lean mass hyper responder is, the possible mechanism of why they seem to be immune to heart disease, and the study itself.
Read MoreIn the world of healthy living and dieting, the language used to describe deviations from a recommended eating plan plays a crucial role in shaping attitudes and perceptions toward it. While some people might argue that going off a diet is a form of cheating, a closer examination reveals that the term "cheating" may not accurately capture the essence of such deviations. Instead, it could be more accurately described as sabotage, given the notable difference between cheating's connotations of a strategic shortcut and sabotage's implication of intentional harm. This post will talk about how to reframe your thinking to help you stay on track.
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