• More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese.
  

• The number of states with an obesity prevalence of 30% or more has increased to 12 states in 2010. In 2009, nine states had obesity rates of 30% or more. In 2000, no state had an obesity prevalence of 30% or more.
  
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, TYPE II DIABETES and certain types of cancer ---- some of the leading causes of death.
• In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs paid by third-party payors for people who are obese were on average $1,429 higher per person than those of normal weight.
  

• By state, obesity prevalence ranged from 21.0% in Colorado to 34.0% in Mississippi in 2010. No state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri (30.5%), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.
• The South has the highest prevalence of obesity (29.4%) followed by the Midwest (28.7%), Northeast (24.9%) and the West (24.1%).

Don't kid yourself.  We all know plenty of horrendously unhealthy folks whose weight is not an issue; unless you want to talk about being underweight.  But health is not just a matter of you being able to fit into a certain pair of jeans ---- or onto the perfect spot on your doctor's height-weight chart.  Far too many of these charts ignore common sense in determining ideal weight.   BMI (Body Mass Index) is probably the best attempt, short of actually doing an underwater measurement of body fat composition, to get at least some sort of idea of where you are as far as your weight-related health risks are concerned.

The scientific and medical communities often use a formula based on your height and weight called the BMI (Body Mass Index). Although the chart cannot determine your body composition or tell if you are actually overweight, it gives the average person an idea of where they are at and where they probably should be.  And unless you are trained strength athlete (I treat a few bodybuilders, weightlifters, power-lifters, etc), most adults with a BMI of 30 or higher are obese. Extreme obesity, also called "severe", "morbid", or "gross" obesity, occurs when you have a BMI of 40 or more.   Although definitions vary, if you are 30% above your ideal weight, you are considered to be obese, while 50% over your ideal weight is usually considered “Grossly Obese” ("Morbidly Obese").  In other words, if you should weigh 150 and you weigh 225; you fall into this category. 

BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR):
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the average amount of energy (calories) your body uses just to stay alive each day.  A lot of people will refer to BMR as your "metabolism".  It is important to remember that the best way to increase your metabolism is to increase lean body mass (muscle).   Why?  Because muscle burns up to fifty times more energy (calories) than fat --- even at rest.  What is the best way to increase metabolism?  Lifting weights with some cardio training thrown in (more on this topic later).  HERE is a BMR calculator.  It tells you how much energy it takes (calories) just to keep you alive every day, without breaking down your own body for energy.  Although BMR is regulated by numerous glands and organs in the body, no gland does so more than the THYROID.

CALORIES:
A calorie is defined as the amount of energy that raises one kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.  Stop.  Forget this definition.  It is meaningless as far as your diet is concerned.  Let me show you why.  A Big Mac, fries and shake are going to run you in the neighborhood of 1,500 Calories.  Syracuse University researchers recently said that men burn an average of 124 calories per hour while running, and 88 while walking; while women burn 105 and 74 respectively.  If we were to use these numbers, you would have to walk the better part of a Marathon just to work off that crappy lunch you ate yesterday.  Thank God it does not work that way!

The truth is, all Calories are not created equal.   This is why tracking Calories is largely a waste of time, and rarely results in long term control on one's weight.  If you want to find out how eating bacon, eggs, cheese, meat, and mountains of vegetables can actually help you lose weight (and lower your cholesterol), you need to keep reading.  Calories have no meaning to your body unless they are first utilized by your body.  Certain foods trigger the release of specific hormones in your body, and this is where things start to get interesting.  Depending upon which of these hormones is dominant in your body will determine whether or not you are fat.   How about a short and simple biochemistry lesson to learn how this all works. 

Everyone has heard of insulin and knows that it has something to do with regulating and controlling blood sugar.  But the truth is, very few people (even diabetics) really understand insulin, particularly the consequences of having it frequently present in your body in mass quantities.   Insulin is a “storage” hormone that is made by your pancreas. It is the single most anabolic (makes you bigger) hormone in the body. Here is a simple truth for 99% of the population. Control insulin, and you can control your weight as well as your health.

Glucose is the only sugar that your body can use for energy.  When you eat a meal that is high in either sugar, or starchy foods that convert to glucose very quickly in your body (breads, pancakes, pastas, white potatoes, etc), you get a sharp spike in blood sugar.  Although your brain and body both need blood sugar in the form of glucose to survive, they cannot tolerate overly high levels of glucose.  Because the body wants its blood sugar levels to be very even and constant, something must be done to deal with high blood sugar levels and get them back down to normal ---- quickly.   Enter insulin.

The pancreas makes insulin to go after the excess sugar and remove it from the blood. The more blood sugar you have, the more insulin your body must produce.  Where does your body move the excess blood sugar to?  Into your cells.   Insulin moves sugar into the cells and drops your blood sugar down to normal ranges.  And at least according to the blood test you just took last week, all appears grand.  Our hero, insulin.

There are several problems with repeating this scenario on a regular basis.  For one, sugar is not stored in the cells as sugar ---- that would take up far too much space.  It is stored as ------ you guessed it....... fat.   Think about the process for a moment (this is very over-simplified but will do for our purposes). Starchy or sugary foods are eaten ----- There is a sharp spike in blood sugar ------ The body cannot tolerate this, so it causes the pancreas to release extra insulin ------- Insulin corrals excess blood sugar and moves it out of the blood and into the cells ------ Blood sugar levels return to normal -------- The sugar is either burned for energy or it is converted to and stored as fat.    If you understand this cycle, you are ahead of 95% of the population. 

Some of you out there are saying to yourself, "This does not pertain to me.  I can eat anything I want and not gain a pound."  While this may be true now, it never lasts.  And even if it does, you will likely end up with FIBROMYALGIA. 

READ MORE ON THIS SUBJECT OF UNCONTROLLED BLOOD SUGAR BY READING MY MOST POPULAR BLOG POST EVER ---- THE NUMBER ONE HEALTH PROBLEM FACING AMERICA TODAY.

Your body is involved in a constant battle to maintain its appropriate acid / base balance (bases are frequently referred to as "alkali"), which is measured by something we call pH. Everyone has a general idea of pH: "Acidic" means things like vinegar, Coke, or battery acid. Alkali is the opposite --- things like baking soda or Tums. You can not ignore pH if you wish to have optimum health and immunity!  But those are not what we are here to discuss today.  We are dealing with the relationship of pH and proper weight.  

Acidity and its opposite, alkali, are measured on a scale of 1 to 14 with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkali (7 is neutral).  The pH scale a log scale.  This means that a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7.   It also means that 3 is 1,000 times more acidic than a 6 (10 to the third power or 10 times 10 times 10). The lower the number, the more acid; the higher the number, the more alkali ---- exponentially.  In other words, a pH of 1 (stomach acid – hydrochloric acid) is 1,000,000 times or 10x 10x 10x 10x 10x 10 times stronger than the neutral pH of 7.

Note that various organs of the body, including the blood, have very different pH's. The stomach is supposed to have a very low pH (between 1 & 2), while the body, for instance, should carry a slightly alkali pH of 7.1 to 7.5. The blood must maintain a narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45 or death will follow rapidly. When the body gets too acidic (which can happen easily), it becomes a fertile field for both disease and weight gain. The more acidic the body becomes, the more cells die, making it that much more acidic, and perpetuating the vicious cycle of acidity, disease, and weight gain.  Some of the health problems associated with acidosis include,

• Digestive problems and an inability to absorb minerals (mineral absorption occurs optimally in an extremely acidic environment)
  

• Calcium is used to buffer acids ---- In the case of an over-acidic body, it is leached from bones causing OSTEOPOROSIS and Osteopenia.
  

• Virtually all chronic, inflammatory, degenerative, diseases (cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, obesity).  More coming on Inflammation shortly.
  

• Decreases ability of cells to maintain proper levels of oxygenation.  This is why OXYGEN is part of our BRAIN BASED THERAPY program, as well as most of our SPINAL DECOMPRESSION THERAPY protocols.
  

• Burns the walls of blood vessels, which is in turn repaired with cholesterol, causing atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries).
  

• Greatly enhances the body's ability to convert sugars and starches to fat. (HERE)
  

• Weight gain and obesity.
  

• Deposition of calcium into soft tissues (Kidney Stones, Gout, Arthritis, etc.).
  

• Chronic yeast (Candida), viral, or bacterial infections --- many of these are sub-clinical.  As crazy as it sounds, this is because most people with high body acidity, actually have low stomach acidity.  This is one of the main causes of DYSBIOSIS --- systemic overgrowths of all sorts of nasty organisms.
  

• Arthritic processes and INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES, FIBROMYALGIA / ADRENAL FATIGUE.
  

A major observation concerning the “Standard American Diet” (SAD) is our massive over-consumption of acid producing foods. I have created a short list (very short) of both alkali ash foods (which should make up 80% of our diet) and acid ash foods (which should make up 20% of our diet).  Be aware that foods are not spoken of as being “acid” or “alkali”. They are spoken of as acid ash foods or alkali ash foods. This is because sometimes foods that are acidic when they go in your mouth (citrus for instance, or raw Apple Cider Vinegar), actually break down into alkali ash in your body.  This is why Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is such a great pH modulator.

ALKALI ASH FOODS

• Fruit including citrus (except cranberries and plums)

• Virtually ALL vegetables and greens (raw is better)

• Sprouted grains, beans, or seeds

• Human or goat’s milk, whole cheese, or plain yogurt

• Herbs and Spices (except garlic)

• Honey is slightly alkali.

• Mineral or well water (especially around here)

***** For quick alkalizing power, Figs, Cantaloupe, and Watermelon are best.


ACID ASH FOODS

• High protein animal foods (eggs, dairy and meat).
  

• All nuts except almonds

• Sugar, sugar substitutes, syrups, soda pop, alcohol

• Most lentils and beans

• Virtually ALL drugs, SYNTHETIC SUPPLEMENTS, smoking

• Junk foods, preservatives, additives, processed foods

***** Stress, anger, rage, depression, and suppressed emotions (although not a food, causes body acidity as well)

When your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs, it produces something called Ketone Bodies.  Some doctors regard diet-induced ketosis as dangerous because they tend to associate it with Ketoacidodis; the thing that happens to Type I diabetics who do not get their insulin.  This is hooey.  The Eskimos and Inuits lived for thousands of years eating a diet of almost nothing but fish, caribou, seal, and whale blubber.  As a culture, they were some of the healthiest people the world has ever seen.  But guess what happened to them as they moved off the Frozen Tundra and into the towns, and started eating the same processed foods that everyone else was eating ---- mostly junk carbs?  You guessed it.  As a people, they got fat --- really really fat.

Be aware that burning fat for energy can make your body more acidic.  However, checking your pH is as easy as getting some pH paper at your local Drug Store.  Dealing appropriately with low pH (acidity) is as easy as taking a spoonful of Raw, Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar with each meal, and eating lots and lots of alkalizing vegetables.  How does something acidic like Apple Cider Vinegar normalize a low pH?  Follow along.

It is interesting to note that many common digestive problems are now being labeled as “diseases” (GERD for instance ---- instead of heartburn we now have "Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease). Although sometimes there are inherent problems in the body that cause digestive issues, usually these problems are related to lifestyle choices. I have created a list of things which people can do deal with digestive problems other than years of Tums, Mylanta, Prevacid, Prilosec, Nexium, and the dozens of other antacids and acid-blockers.  Be warned that long term use of antacids and acid blockers leads to numerous chronic health conditions, and an inability to properly digest food, as well as mineral deficiencies (especially Osteoporosis --- remember; minerals can only be absorbed in a highly acidic environment). 

Believe it or not and as crazy as it sounds, many of you actually need a stomach acidifier to help your chronic digestion problem.   For many years, experts in the field have been saying that many of the digestive problems that have become so common today, are not caused by too much or too strong stomach acid. They are actually caused by too little or too weak stomach acid.  

Let me explain. Stomach acid should be in the neighborhood of pH 1-2.   Due to any number of reasons (often some of those stated in the list below) people do not make enough strong acid to thoroughly digest their food.  Instead, their food sits in their stomach and churns while going through a process more like fermentation than digestion.  This process actually has a name ----- "putrefaction". This partially digested mess creates organic acids which, when churned around by the stomach, can be extremely irritating to the digestive tract and esophagus.  The first part of the Small Intestine senses that the food is not acidic enough, and attempts to block transit by keeping the entrance valve closed.  The result is acid reflux.

Long term use of acid blocking drugs weaken stomach acid even further. This leads to chronic mineral deficiency problems (Osteoporosis, and various kinds of anemia are two of several).  The solution?  How about acidifying the stomach.  Two stomach acidifiers that can be taken with meals are raw, unpasteurized apple-cider vinegar, or, if that is not strong enough; hydrochloric acid (HCl) tablets.  We use a product that also contains digestive enzymes for digesting protein. 

What are some other things you can do to make sure that stomach acid is at proper strength, and proper digestion is taking place?

• Have your spine checked by a chiropractor:  The entire upper mid-back sends out nerves that affect and control the stomach as well as digestion. Vertebrates in those areas can be misaligned or restricted in their movement, putting interference (similar to static on an old AM radio) into the corresponding nerves.  People usually think of nerve interference as causing pain.  While this is frequently the case, it also creates certain digestive problems.  I cannot tell you how many hundreds of patients over the two decades that I have been in practice, have gotten relief from their chronic digestive issues thanks to chiropractic adjustments.  And truth be known, rarely was a stomach problem what they actually came in for (SEE HERE).
  
• If you are overweight…….Lose it:  Overweight and obesity are known causes of digestive problems.
  
• Avoid processed foods, chemicals, sugar, and soda:  Chemicals of all kinds (including prescription and non-prescription medications) have a tremendous potential to wreak havoc on the digestive system.  I have a webpage on this very topic (HERE).  Soda is particularly bad for decreasing pH and acidifying the body.
  
• Eat natural, Whole Foods:  There are essentially two kinds of food --- foods by God and foods by man. Avoid the latter! Organic (or as close as possible) vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, eggs, etc. are the way to go. Oh, and by the way; fresh fruits and vegetables contain the enzymes that allow you to fully digest and absorb your food.  WHOLE FOOD NUTRITION is always the safest bet!
  
• Take digestive enzymes:  The worse your diet is, the less natural enzymes you get from food.  ENZYMES will come naturally from raw fruits and vegetables.  Most people have trouble getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets.  Enzymes are a great boost to digestive health, and interestingly enough, they frequently help with Chronic Pain. 
  
• Take a good Probiotic:  Antibiotics kill the good bacteria in your digestive tract. PROBIOTICS restore good bacteria to the digestive tract.  Unless you are making it yourself, don't use yogurt to get your bacteria.   If you have been on antibiotics --- ever ----- you need a probiotic with numerous soil-based (HSO) bacteria like the one we carry.  By the way, this is a bigger deal than most people have any idea about.  Why?  Because 80% of your entire immune system is contained in your gut (HERE)! 
  
• Increase fiber:   Eat more raw fruits and vegetables! I take flax meal every day. Put some flax seeds in a coffee grinder (15 bucks at Wal-Mart) and grind it up and mix it with water or juice and drink it. It actually tastes GOOD. You can also sprinkle it on salads (HERE). Just don’t heat it!
  
• Drink more Water:  8 to 12 eight oz glasses of pure water (not other liquids) is a must. If you are not drinking your water, you will have digestive problems! Stomach acid is Hydro (water) chloric acid (HCl). It takes water to make good quality stomach acid.  Make sure that your water has the Fluoride and Chlorine filtered out.
  
• DO NOT SMOKE! and if you drink, do so moderately:  Smoking and anything over and anything above moderate alcohol consumption (a drink or two a day) has been shown to contribute to digestive problems.
  
• If you are diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, there are things you can do:   Ask me next time you are in the office.
  

ALKALI WATER:
I am asked all the time what I think about "structured" alkali water (Kangen is the most common brand, although there are several others out there).  Truthfully, I think that it's great.  However, I am not yet personally convinced that it is $4,000.00 dollars worth of great (knock offs are about half that). These companies all tell people that if they'll just drink a gallon of their special alkali water each day, it will cure whatever ails them.   My opinion is that in many ways this is sort of like the story of "Stone Soup".   Change your diet and drink a gallon of unchlorinated / unfluoridated water each day (around here, the karst / limestone makes our water extremely alkali naturally), and you will likely get similar results.  If you don't believe me, read the story of DR. BATMAN.

Although I am not delving into all the multitudes of reasons that sugar is bad for you (SEE HERE), I am going try and touch on a few of the reasons that both sugar and artificial sweeteners will both ruin your health and make you fat.  For a more in-depth look at sugar, please read Dr Tim O'Shea's SWEET THIEF OF LIFE).   If you have read what was written so far, you not only know that sugar causes obesity, you understand the mechanism (unbridled insulin release). The more sugary and starchy foods you eat, the fatter you will eventually be. If you want to maintain a healthy weight, you had better seriously limit your sugar intake as well as limiting the foods that convert quickly to sugar!

Unfortunately, limiting sugar is not enough. You must avoid Aspartame and other chemical sweeteners altogether. If you are not aware how dangerous Aspartame is, I beg of you to do some research (HERE). However, I am going to confine our discussion on Aspartame and other artificial chemical sweeteners to how they effect your weight.

Why do people drink diet soda? It surely is not because it tastes good! It is because they have believed the lie sold to them by people who make lots of money to market their products. People are told that because Aspartame contains no calories, it will keep you from “packing on the pounds” like you otherwise would with sugar-sweetened products.  But believe it or not, several recent Scientific Studies have proved that people who drink diet soda are actually more prone to weight gain than if they drank regular soda (not that I am condoning regular soda)!

Despite the fact that diet soda has been touted as a safe and effective alternative to regular soda, nothing could be farther from the truth.  And not only that, it causes you to gain weight instead of lose it!  HERE & HERE.

When your body is exposed to bad things, it mounts an immune system response against what it perceives as a threat.  Because the body's response is often over-the-top in relationship to what it is actually fighting, it frequently tends to make far more inflammatory chemicals than are actually needed (allergies are a great example of this). 

These chemicals invade the blood stream in larger-than-necessary amounts to create a "systemic" (whole body) effect.  Although doctors never educate their patients about the way that Inflammation really works, these chemicals that we refer to collectively as "Inflammation" (prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, cytokines, chemokines, certain enzymes, kinnins, histamines, eicosanoids, substance P, and dozens of others) are being touted by the medical community as a primary culprit in virtually every disease known to man.   Let me repeat that.  Inflammation is likely a primary factor in your physical problem(s). 

It is not that Inflammation is a bad thing in and of itself.  These chemicals that make up "inflammation" are actually considered to be part of your normal immune system response.  In the correct amounts, these chemicals are crucial to insuring a proper immune system function when your body is attacked by various bugs, or it is injured.   However, as these chemicals become increasingly elevated (think of high histamine levels that people try and control with anti-histamines), they drive the body's Immune System Response to higher and higher levels causing scads of major health problems ---- including obesity.  This is because Chronic (long term) Inflammation (itis) is characterized by destruction and healing in the affected tissue ---- at the same time!

For more about Inflammation including how to control it, please read my INFLAMMATION POST as well as the way to combat that via an ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET.

Stress.  We live a pedal-to-the-metal society that never seems to let off the gas for very long.  We also happen to live in a society where Fibromyalgia runs rampant.  What is the connection between stress and Fibromyalgia?  Stress (physical, emotional, dietary, etc) is actually the known cause of Fibromyalgia; an illness that used to be called "Adrenal Fatigue".  There is something called the "Hypothalmic - Pituitary -Adrenal Axis" which, when malfunctioning, will cause multitudes of problems.  When this area of your body goes haywire, you will end up with both Fibromyalgia, and obesity.  Not to mention problems with all the other things that the HPA Axis regulates: digestion, immune system function, mood / emotions, sexuality, energy levels, energy expenditure, etc. 


FUNCTIONAL ILLNESS & THE HPA AXIS:
Problems in the HPA Axis lead to "Functional Illness".  Functional Illnesses are very specific health problems that have a specific enough set of symptoms to be given a name, but no clear-cut set of positive findings on the standard diagnostic testing used within the medical community to make a definitive diagnosis.  In other words, even though there is a specific set of symptoms for Fibromyalgia, the standard tests run by your doctor will not show a group of positive findings or pathologies that can be definitively pointed to as being "Fibromyalgia".  Notice that I am not saying that the positive findings are not present; but that the medical community is largely relying upon the wrong tests to diagnose these problems. 

They are looking for gross pathology, when they should be looking here (BLOOD CHEMISTRY, LABS, & METABOLIC TESTING).  Some of the more common "Functional Illnesses" related to the HPA Axis includes things like Anxiety, Bipolar, Insomnia, ADD, ADHD, Depression, PTSD, Insomnia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, MIGRAINE HEADACHES and of course FIBROMYALGIA. 

Several NEUROTRANSMITTERS that you have likely heard of are important in regulating the HPA Axis (dopamine, serotonin, norepinepherine, etc).  And although different kinds of stress (chemical, emotional, physical, dietary, etc) effect very different metabolic pathways, they all end up in the same place ----- activating the HPA Axis.  So, if you go to your doctor with any one of the problems listed above, you already know what you are going to be prescribed ----- Antidepressants.  It is the medical community's best attempt to regulate the HPA-Axis.  That's right; with many functional illnesses including Fibromyalgia, the doctors do not even believe that a cure is even possible.  Their goal?  Alleviate symptoms at all cost!  Believe it or not, I saw a new patient recently who had recently had his THYMUS GLAND removed because of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.


STRESS, CORTISOL, OBESITY, & THE HPA AXIS:
Scientific Studies have been done that show a distinct relationship between stress, over-stimulation of the HPA Axis, and Obesity.  Throw food addictions (junk, sugar, carbs) into this mix, and you have a recipe for all kinds of diseases and health problems --- not to mention problems controlling your weight.  Two University of California Psychiatrists researching this very subject in 2007 published an article that stated, "People may very well choose to trade years off their life, or the possibility of disease or injury, in exchange for the current pleasure, excitement, or stress relief they get from food."  They went on to say that, "The addiction literature suggests that the brain reward circuitry may be a key player in stress-induced food intake. Stress as well as palatable food can stimulate endogenous opioid release. In turn, opioid release appears to be part of an organisms' powerful defense mechanism protecting from the detrimental effects of stress by decreasing activity of the HPA axis and thus attenuating the stress response. Repeated stimulation of the reward pathways through either stress induced HPA stimulation, intake of highly palatable food or both, may lead to neurobiological adaptations that promote the compulsive nature of overeating. Cortisol may influence the reward value of food via neuroendocrine/peptide mediators such as leptin, insulin and neuropeptide Y (NPY). Whereas glucocorticoids are antagonized by insulin and leptin acutely, under chronic stress, that finely balanced system is dysregulated, possibly contributing to increased food intake and visceral fat accumulation. While these mechanisms are only starting to be elucidated in humans, it appears the obesity epidemic may be exacerbated by the preponderance of chronic stress, unsuccessful attempts at food restriction, and their independent and possibly synergistic effects on increasing the reward value of highly palatable food."


WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
Great Question!  What can you really do to deal with this issue when even your doctor says that there are no tests that show Fibromyalgia or many other "Functional Illnesses".  The same thing is true of the Thyroid Gland.  I had a conversation today with a local MD who told me that 99% of the Thyroid Tests he performs in his office are "normal".  According to him, they all need to eat less and exercise more.  While I had to agree with him that there are definitely a significant number of people that need to exert themselves physically and do some push-aways from the table, there are many others for whom this approach will never work.  Why not?  Because when the HPA Axis gets fouled up, it literally starts to foul up everything in the body.  To understand this, you simply need to read Dr. Datis Kahrazzian's $10 paperback that can be found at THYROID BOOK.  This is not a book that is solely about Thyroid Problems.  This is an HPA Axis / Endocrine masterpiece that explains how it all fits together!

Let us take a moment and look briefly at some of the underlying dysfunctions of the gut that can leave one with both compromised immune function and obesity. BE WARNED:  these various "Gut Dysfunctions" often travel like wolves ---- in packs.  It is not uncommon for testing to verify several of the following......

• DYSBIOSIS:  DYSBIOSIS includes intestinal over-growths of yeast (Candida), molds, fungus, and "bad" bacteria --- often referred to as poor gut flora.  Be aware that poor flora actually creates toxins that can severely affect the liver, causing hydrogenation (Trans Fats) of healthy unsaturated fatty acids.  Some of these nasty bacteria have some repulsive-sounding names ---- "Scatol" and "Cadaverol" are two that come immediately to mind.  As you might imagine, the smell produced by these two bacteria is absolutely disgusting.  Could be the reason that one of the most common symptoms of Dysbiosis is bloating and smelly gas ---- the kind of foulness that could gag a maggot!  If you have a true "Dysbiotic Gut", you will not be able to fix this by simply taking probiotics.  A perfect example is the bacteria Yersinia Enterocolitica.  Those who test positive are 14 times more likely than the general population to have HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS ---- one of America's most common AUTO IMMUNE DISEASES.
  

• HYPOCHLORHYDRIA:  This is decreased stomach acid that we talked about in the acid / alkali section earlier.  Although most people are told that the reason they have indigestion, heartburn, gas, etc, is because they have too much or too strong stomach acid, the truth is probably 180 degrees reversed ---- they do not have enough stomach acid.  The pH of normal stomach acid is supposed to be between 1 & 2.  You cannot go lower than this on a pH scale.  It is literally impossible, in an otherwise healthy individual, to have stomach acid that is too strong.  Weak stomach acid (or not enough stomach acid) causes a process the medical profession refers to as "Putrefaction".  This lovely sounding process is where improperly or partially digested proteins churn and boil around in your stomach, creating a bubbling mash of organic acids that can actually "reflux" up the esophagus like a volcano and burn the lips! Particularly when blocked by a duodenum (1st part of the small intestine) that does not like to handle "chyme" that is not acidic enough.  Because the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) wants to deal with fully digested proteins (as opposed to partially digested proteins), it tries to keep "block" the partially digested food from leaving the stomach and entering the small intestine, thus backing up this undigested mess sometimes to the point of regurgitation.  Weak stomach acid is also a big cause of Dysbiosis because it is not strong enough to kill pathogens and bugs in the stomach
  

• H. PYLORI INFECTION:  Heliobacteria Pylori is the name of a bacteria that commonly overgrows the stomach.  There are ways to deal with this bacterial overgrowth that do not involve the thing that probably caused this infection in the first place ---- antibiotics.
  

• VARIOUS PARASITIC INFECTIONS:  We live in America.  We are clean.  We don't get parasites.  Wrong!  Parasites are common ---- dog common (no pun intended).  If you have an underlying parasitic infection, it could be completely derailing your health.  By the way, this is a common factor in Adrenal Fatigue (FIBROMYALGIA) 

• LEAKY GUT SYNDROME:  LEAKY GUT SYNDROME is caused by out of control INFLAMMATION, which itself is caused by many of the things above (particularly Dysbiosis and Parasites).  The various dysfunctions of the digestive system work together like a pack of wolves to attack from many different angles.  This can produce lots of different problems in the gut, as well as the rest of the body.  When the "gut" and digestive tract are not working properly, how in the world is the rest of the body going to function properly?  It cannot!  No way!  Poor gut health is where numerous other health problems (including obesity) typically begin!  It is important to remember that 80% of your entire immune system is found in the gut.

I am not sure what more I can say about processed foods to make you understand that they will kill you in a slow, miserable, fashion. Foods are processed for one of two reasons.

• To Addict You to Them
  
• For Longer Shelf Life
  
  

SHELF LIFE
In the 1900's, more Americans died of heart disease than any other single cause.  Yet in the early part of the century, the term “heart attack” didn’t exist.  These days, however, the CDC's website tells us that 1 out of 2 of our countrymen are dying of heart failure ---- a statistic that according to the U.S. Statistical Abstracts, has not changed since the 1970s.  The #1 cause of death in the US (not counting the side effects of prescription drugs ---- see the amazing 2004 scientific study by Dr. Gary Null called DEATH BY MEDICINE) is heart disease.  And in almost 40% of acute heart attacks, the first symptom is death.

As modernization took place and Americans moved off their farms and into the cities, the food industry had to come up with ways to bring inexpensive foods to urban America. Profit at any cost became the unspoken mantra of the Food Industry.  And what were the foods that were (and still are) the most profitable?  The foods that can sit for the longest periods of time on a shelf without spoiling.  Unfortunately, foods with the longest shelf life are dead foods.  This means that all of the living parts of the foods; the Natural Vitamins, Whole Food Nutrition, Enzymes, Good Bacteria, Healthy Oils, etc, had to be removed.  All of this was accomplished by refining, milling, chemically altering, preserving, bleaching, pasteurizing, hydrogenating, genetically modifying, gassing, and radiating our food supply.   What has this done to shelf life?  Foods that used to spoil within days, can now last for weeks.  And foods that used to spoil within weeks now last for months ---- or even years. 

You can only imagine what this did to our health. Americans spend more money, both grossly and per capita, on healthcare (sickness care) than any other country on the planet. You would think that this would rank us right up there at the top of the chart as far as health is concerned? Not even close! According to the organization that ranks various health categories of the world's countries (the World Health Organization or WHO), we rank 30th overall.   And as if that is not bad enough, when it comes to Chronic Inflammatory Degenerative Diseases, America ranks a dismal 86th. This category includes all the heavy hitters for morbidity (sickness) and mortality (death). Things like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, all sorts of neuro-degenerative diseases, as well as dozens of others.   Try listing even 50 countries.  If you can, you only have 36 more to go before you get to where we rank in this category!  

What can I say? We are not only the unhealthiest people in the civilized world, we are also the fattest ---- and it's not even close. Other countries refer to us as “The Balloon People”.   A significant part of this is the result of unbridled consumption of processed food.  And leading the list of chemical additives is an unholy product called MSG (Monosodium Glutamate).



MSG--The Deadly Excitotoxin
We just got finished discussing the first reason that food is processed ---- Shelf Life. Remember the second? That's right ---- “Addiction”.   If food companies can addict people to their products, think how much more money they can make!  If you simply start surveying them, you will quickly find out that sugar is like heroin, crack cocaine, or meth, to tens of millions of Americans (particularly females).  Sugar can be small potatoes, though, compared to the addictive nature of MSG.

MSG, Mono Sodium Glutamate, Mono Potassium Glutamate, Disodium, Inositate, Glutamate, Guanylate, Glutamic Acid, Vegetable, Protein (any kind of protein found on a food label “list of ingredients” is MSG), Extract, Gelatin, Hydrolyzed, Autolyzed, Sodium Casienate, Natural Flavor, Artificial Flavor, Flavoring, Textured, Nutrient, Enzymes, Yeast (all kinds), Senomyx, Maltodextrin, Stock, Broth, Bullion (pure MSG), Whey, Isolate, Concentrate, Modified, Soy Sauce, Seasonings, Concentrate, Fermented, Starch, Cornstarch Fructose, Lecithin, Carrageenan (sea weed/algae), Gluten, Spices, Fermented, Enzymes, Solids, Modified, Annatto............

These are a few of the more commonly found “catch words” to search for when looking for hidden MSG on food labels. Scary is it not? Pull a bag of Doritos off the shelf; or salad dressing; or maybe some dry-roasted peanuts; or even certain types of baby foods, and be prepared for the shock of your life. If you start looking at labels of processed foods, you will frequently find 10 or more forms of MSG (most brands of Ranch dressing have about 15 different forms of MSG in them). I know that in your mind you are asking a question. Why does it matter? Who cares? What difference does it matter how much MSG is in the food I feed my children?  Allow me to answer that for you.

Because obesity is such a “growing” problem in the Western world, scientists are doing a lot of research on the subject.  And since they cannot (at least initially) run experiments on the general population (that comes later on), they need lab rats for study purposes.  However, it is interesting to note that there is no strain of rat or mice that is naturally obese. Scientists must create them. So, just how does one go about creating obese rats? Easy.  Rats can be made morbidly or grossly obese (50% or more over ideal weight), simply by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. What is the mechanism?  From what I have deciphered, the mechanism is two fold.  The MSG can cause lesions in the brain's hypothalamus. But also,  MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates; causing the rats to become obese!

Remember, insulin is a storage hormone that moves excess sugar out of the blood, and stores it as..... you guessed it – fat.  The scientists even have a name for the fat rodents they create in this manner: "MSG-Treated Rats".

Oh, you don't believe me do you? You think that this is all hype ---- conspiracy theory stuff.  You still believe fairy tales ---- that governmental agencies such as the FDA are here to protect us from things like this.  Think again.  I honestly did not believe this either when I first heard about it almost 20 years ago.  But simply go to Pub Med, Medscape, Medline or any of the huge websites that contain databases of millions of medical studies for review.   Now type into the search bar, "MSG OBESE RATS" or “MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE OBESITY” or other similar combinations (there are many). You will see hundreds of examples. Oh; and just one more thing. It's not only rats that MSG makes obese. Scientists (including those who work for food manufacturers) are well aware that MSG makes humans obese as well. Gulp!

"This MSG-induced obesity is characterized by a preference for carbohydrates and an aversion for more nutritious foods, just as we are now witnessing in our youth. Also, excess weight was extremely difficult to exercise off or diet off in these experimental animals.”
Russell L Blaylock, Neurosurgeon

"Particularly disturbing is the later obesity after MSG exposure during the neonatal and infant period even after only a short or limited exposure......    The obesity effect of MSG in animals requires evaluation since unexplained obesity is increasing in our population, along with hypertension and diabetes. MSG-induced obesity in animals may carry long-term significance for humans."    George R Schwartz MD

Dr. Ka He of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health studied more than 750 Chinese men and women, ages 40 to 59, in three rural villages in China. A majority of the study participants prepared their meals at home without commercially processed foods, but 82 percent used MSG in their food. The researchers said they chose study participants in rural Chinese because they used very little commercially processed food, but many regularly used MSG in food preparation. Those who used MSG were divided into three groups, based on the amount used. The study, published in the peer reviewed journal Obesity, found the one-third who used the most MSG were nearly three times more likely to be overweight than non-users. "We saw this risk even when we controlled for physical activity, total calorie intake and other possible explanations for the difference in body mass," He said in a statement. "The positive associations between MSG intake and overweight were consistent with data from animal studies."   Taken from a recent article on Yahoo News.

“Sufferers of monosodium glutamate (MSG) toxicity syndromes have long been dismissed by the makers of glutamate and food additives and by the FDA, whose labeling standards for foods containing the controversial flavor enhancer are fairly lax. For many of these MSG sufferers, the experience of coping with the ambiguities of food labeling leaves them feeling like Han Solo navigating his way through an asteroid field. Not only is it confusing -- it can be very dangerous.” ~WebMD

“Since his early observation, other studies have confirmed that MSG causes gross obesity in animals. At an international neuroscience meeting, Dr. Olney [a neuro-biologist at Wash U. Med] was asked if he thought the reason Americans were so obese was, in fact, due to their high consumption of MSG additives. The question was never answered, but since that conference in the 1970s, America has undergone this virtual epidemic of gross obesity, especially among its youth........... With all of these endocrine malfunctions you would expect these mice to develop abnormally, and they do. Consistently, the animals exposed to MSG were found to be short, grossly obese, and had difficulty with sexual reproduction. One can only wonder if the large number of people having difficulty with obesity in the United States is related to early exposure to food additive excitotoxins since this obesity is one of the most consistent features of the syndrome. One characteristic of the obesity induced by excitotoxins is that it doesn't appear to depend on food intake. This could explain why some people cannot diet away their obesity. It is ironic that so many people drink soft drinks sweetened with Nutrasweet® when aspartate can produce the exact same brain lesions as glutamate, resulting in gross obesity. The actual extent of MSG induced obesity in the human population is unknown.” Russell Blaylock, Neurosurgeon, from Excitotoxins, the Taste that Kills

Shocking is it not? Are you unsuspectingly making sure your children will end up obese? Just do a quick check of your cupboards, pantry, and the fridge.  Using the list I gave you earlier, I would challenge you to find packaged or processed foods that are not loaded with multiple forms of MSG. The items that don't have MSG listed on the product label (most do not) will have things like ''Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein'' (HVP), “Autolyzed Yeast Extract”, “Spices”, "Vegetables", or one of the other monikers which are just a few of the dozens of aliases that food manufacturers can legally hide Monosodium Glutamate behind --- even for those of you who have been dietarily diligent.  Isn't it a real kick in the teeth to realize you have been hoodwinked by the food industry yet again!

Why is MSG in so may of the foods we eat ---- especially in such mass quantity?   MSG is added to food for one reason and one reason only ------ the addictive effect it has on the human body. Shoot, even the propaganda-laden website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group --- a group that supports and promotes MSG ---- has a website (MSG FACTS) explaining that the reason they add it to food is so that people will eat more of their products.

Who could forget the old ads for Lays Potato Chips.  'Betcha can't eat just one', takes on a whole new meaning in MSG laden foods!   In similar fashion to sugar, people become addicted to the very thing that is making them obese!  Since the beginning of its being added to our food supply well over fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger amounts to the processed foods that Americans tend to live on. And how much is too much?  No one with any power really seems to care.  The FDA has no set limits on how much MSG can be added to our food. And why not?  Because they claim it's safe to eat in any amount. Can they really claim it is safe when the world's top peer-reviewed journals are churning out hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these?

• 'The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity'. A 2002 issue of Community for Molecular Pathological Pharmacology. 2002.
  

• 'Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats'. August 2002 issue of Brain Research Bulletin. 

• 'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: an animal model of multiple risk factors'.  Hypertension Research from March of 1998.
  

• 'Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity'.   The October of 1978 edition of Experimental Neurology. 

Yes folks, that last study is not a typo, it was published when I was eleven years old!  This tells us that the people who make our nation's food as well as the people in charge of protecting our food supply have known about true nature of MSG for decades!

Are you shocked yet? Are you ticked off? Are you downright p----d? If not, you should be! Carol Hoernlein was too. Hoernlein, a former Food Processing industry insider (scientist) has created a website on MSG called MSG TRUTH. Knowing what she did, she could not sit idly by and give the MSG and food industries a free pass to continue destroying people's lives and health with their products. Do you think that her crusade against the food industry has made her life easier? Has it made her more money? Has it endeared her to people within the food industry and research communities? Has it made it easier for her to find work? No, No, No, and No. And if you think that Carol has not done her homework, just check out some of the studies listed on her website ---- studies from the most prestigious peer reviewed research journals on the planet (HERE).

In case you missed it, MSG (in virtually the exact same manner as Aspartame) causes brain lesions that cause you to overeat.  It also causes the pancreas to release insulin ---- according to some studies, over three times the normal amount (If you do not understand insulin, go back and reread the beginning of this post).  Again, insulin is a storage hormone that moves excess sugar out of the blood and into the cells ----- and then stores it as fat. Please become a label reader and learn how to avoid MSG. If you refuse to deal with MSG and other similar excitotixins such as Aspartame in the foods you eat, you cannot hope to ever win the battle of the bulge!

My goal is not to go into great deal about the technicalities of dietary fats.  I just want to leave you with some information that you can use in your personal Battle of the Bulge.  Be aware that even though all fats are high in calories (9 cal / gm) as compared to 4 calories / gram for both carbs and proteins), they are not all the bad guys that they have been made out to be.  But sometimes they are.  You have to learn to tell the difference. 

And as for our initial premise ---- Control Insulin and you can Control both your Weight and your Health ------- it holds true when dealing with dietary fats. Be aware that even though the bad fats do not increase Blood Sugar Levels, there are numerous studies showing that these bad fats (specifically trans fats) change the way your cells --- particularly the cell membranes --- function.  This change causes Insulin Resistance (high levels of both insulin and sugar in the blood at the same time).  What does this mean for you and your health?  Think of the Eskimos here.   Most now live on the same processed foods the rest of us do, and look like the rest of us ---- fat.  However, when they used to eat a high fat diet consisting almost totally of whale blubber, fish, meat, seal, etc, they were not only lean, they were extremely healthy, showing little evidence of the Chronic Degenerative Inflammatory Diseases so prevalent in America today.

• GOOD FATS

• BAD FATS

• CHOLESTEROL & TRIGLYCERIDES

• PHAMACEUTICAL GRADE FISH OIL

While I was attending Kansas State University in the mid-late 1980's and working on dual degrees in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition, I learned a lot of really bad (false) information.   Interestingly enough, most of the information being promoted back then was that any and all dietary fats are bad ---- really bad!  Avoid them at all costs because they will kill you!  I was also taught that dietary fat is the thing that makes you fat ---- who can forget the "Low Fat" / "Fat Free" craze of the 80's and 90's?   I always wondered about the guys I knew with "beer guts" but never got a good explanation when I asked my professors.  I did not understand much of anything dietarily until I started learning about WHOLE FOODS, and studying the pancreatic hormone Insulin.  If you have been on our CONTROLLING INSULIN page, you are beginning to grasp the co-dependent relationship between refined carbs and obesity.

I am going to make things extremely simple for you as far as the "Good Fats" are concerned.  When you go to the grocery store, you do not want to buy 20 different products if 2 or three can get the job done best.  I am going to tell you what works, and send you to some great websites for more information should you choose.

• FISH:   Fish is great --- as long as it is wild, cold-water fish (not farm raised).  Be aware that many experts, including the author of Inflammation Nation, Dr Floyd Chilton, are saying that farm-raised salmon is worse than not eating any fish at all.  Know your source!   We will cover Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil in a moment.
  

• ANIMAL FATS (Lard / Butter):  Yes, I realize that animal fats have gotten a bad rap over the past 50 years.  Please be aware that much of the information you have heard about animal fats is not true.  We all realize that the Eskimos ate a diet high in saturated fats ---- and were some of the healthiest people on the planet.  But do not forget that just a few short generations ago, your Great Great Grandparents also ate a diet high in saturated fats.  The term "Heart Attack" was not invented until after grains were being processed and refined on a large commercial scale (early 1900's).  It is important to remember though, that if you are not careful, today's animal fats will be saturated with hormones (estrogens), ANTIBIOTICS, as well as harmful chemicals of all sorts.  You also have to be careful of things like bacon grease.  Not because it is a saturated fat, but because of the massive amounts of additives, preservatives, and MSG that is added to it.  As far as butter; if you can get your hands on unpasteurized cream, use your blender to make your own.  For a great overview of fats in general (but particularly animal fats), please read Dr. Mary Enig's The Truth about Saturated Fat.  For those who cannot get it through their heads that animal fats are not the problem, I am leaving you with a couple of links on the topic.

****   A study called Saturated Fat, Carbohydrates, and Cardiovascular Disease was published in the March, 2010 of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  This was a Meta-Analyisis of 21 Peer Reviewed studies, involving more than 350,000 individuals.  The conclusions of the research done by Dr. Ronald Krauss of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute stated, "Our meta-analysis showed that there is insufficient evidence from prospective epidemiologic studies to conclude that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of stroke, or heart disease."

****   A Research Symposium was held in early 2011 with Dr Arne Astrup and Dr. Walter Willette heading up an "invitation only" conference of the biggest names in dietary fat research ---- those "recognized as authorities in their field ".  By the way, these were not alternative practitioners.  These were mainstream scientists from some of the most prestigious institutions on the planet.  What were their conclusions?  Saturated Fat raised HDL levels the most in all 27 studies that were reviewed.  HDL is the so called, "Good Cholesterol".

• EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL:  By now everyone knows that this is a good fat.  This is the fat that my wife uses to make her world famous salad dressing.  Mix your EVOO with some red wine vinegar.  Add your favorite spices and store in the fridge (I like mine cold).  Shake before using.  The only rule to remember when using EVOO is not to heat it more than just slightly.  Cooking with oil requires Animal Fat (butter, lard, etc), or........

• COCONUT OIL:  Coconut Oil was, along with animal fats, vilified because it is a saturated fat (it is solid at room temperature).  Let me just say that coconut oil is not only delicious and easy to use, it is also healthy. Again, if you are cooking, this is the oil to use.  For lots of great information from the world's foremost expert on dietary fats, Dr. Mary Enig; please visit COCONUT OIL.COM.

Yes, there are other good fats out there.  Get on your computer and research.  Dr. Mary Enig's work is always a great place to start.  However, if you stick with the basics you can't go wrong.

Although there are several fats that are certainly not as good for you as others, we are going to focus on the "Great Satan" of all dietary fats ---- Trans Fats.  The first thing to remember about Trans Fats is that they occur naturally in small amounts.  These naturally occurring Trans Fats have been found to actually have health benefits.  These are not the Trans Fats we are going to discuss.  Please be aware that if you are consuming dietary Trans Fats (dozens of studies have shown that there are no "safe" levels), all bets are off as far as a low carb diet is concerned.  Not only will you not be able to lose or maintain your weight, you will put on fat ---- abdominally.  You will also become Insulin Resistant.  This means that you have high blood sugar and high blood insulin levels --- simultaneously.

Trans Fats are almost exclusively a man made product.  They are made by taking polyunsaturated oils (soy, corn, canola, etc) and driving hydrogen atoms into them under high heat and pressure.  This is why you will see Trans Fats usually referred to on food labels as "Hydrogenated" or "Partially Hydrogenated".  This means that a liquid fat (oil) has been solidified by adding hydrogen atoms to it via the process above.  Sounds rather harmless, does it not?  I mean, we get tons of hydrogen atoms daily in the form of H2O (water), don't we?  The truth is that Trans Tats are not only harmful, they are deadly.  And the biggest thing to remember about dietary fat intake, is that it is all about the kinds of fat you eat ---- not just how much fat you eat (i.e. Eskimos).

"The total amount of fat you eat, whether high or low, isn't really linked with disease. What really matters is the type of fat you eat."  Harvard School of Public Health Website

Trans Fats have been associated with almost every conceivable health problem imaginable.  We will get to some of these in a moment.  But before I do, we need to understand why?  It all has to do with cell membranes.  If you close your eyes and allow yourself to travel back in time to your High School Biology Class, you might recall studying cells. 

Cells of plants have walls.  The over 100 trillion cells of human beings have double-layer cell membranes.  A basic understanding of cell membranes is important for understanding why trans fats are not only making you fat, but are making you sick as well.  Follow the diagram below as it highlights the various parts of the cell in a systematic progression.  By the way, guess what a healthy cell membrane is largely made from?  That's right; cholesterol.  Could be why study after study shows that dietary cholesterol is not really linked to disease but Trans Fats are (see above quote from Harvard Medical School).

Every cell in your body has a membrane around it.  These cell membranes are all made up of something called a "Lipid Bilayer".  In the third diagram above (green border), you see a picture of this (Phospolipid Bilayer).  The "head" of the individual Phospholipid molecules (the red balls) are said to be hydrophillic because they are attracted to water.  The "tail" of the individual Phospholipid molecule (the yellow tails) are said to be hydrophobic because they repel water. 

These cell membranes keep the fluid from outside the cells (extracellular fluid) from freely mixing with the fluid from inside the cell (intracellular fluid).  Cell Membranes are what keep you from looking like a water balloon every time you go swimming!  Like the rest of the body, a healthy cell membrane must have a delicate balance between structure and function.  It must be fluid enough to wave back and forth like a flag softly blowing in a gentle breeze; but it must also provide enough support to give strength and a degree of solidity to the cell as well.  We don't want to end up sloshing around like an amoeba, but we do not want to end up like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz either.  Like I said, it's a very delicate balance.

Now notice the Integral Globular Protein right in the middle of the center diagram (red border) above --- it's the blue "bean-like" structure.  This protein provides a channel for things to cross back and forth through the cell membrane --- things like nutrients, hormones, ions, etc.  Just understand that these channels only allow things to pass if they have the secret "chemical" password.  Trans Fats not only create cell membranes that are stiffer and less flexible than they should be, they create "Stupid Cell Membranes".  These stupid cell membranes are like security guards who spend all their time texting.  If they are not careful about checking the "chemical password" of things trying to get into the cell, they end up allowing things into the cell that should not be there.  Stupid Cell Membranes also let things out of the cell that should be in the cell.  Although this may not seem like a big deal, it is a very big deal, and plays a significant part in numerous disease processes and health problems.  In fact, lots of scientists are saying that this is part of the reason that one in five Americans suffers from some sort of AUTOIMMUNITY related condition.  

In Fats That Can Save Your Life, Robert Erdmann, Ph.D., writes that when the integrity of cell membranes is compromised, the lungs, digestive tract, and internal cells wind up, "admitting allergens, undigested foods, viruses, and even potential carcinogens."  Your body then begins making antibodies to these things, and you soon have an escalating war on your hands (SEE ENDOGUT).  Despite that fact that there are literally thousands of scientific studies chronicling the terrible health problems associated with Trans Fats, little real headway seems to be made.

On January 12, 2005, Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of Health & Human Services under George W. Bush, stated at a Trans Fats Guidelines news conference that the, "FDA may recommend that daily intake of trans fat be less than 2 grams, perhaps less than 1 gram".  Recommendations like this are not coming from thin air.  There is lots of research telling us that these things will not only make us fat, they will kill us!  Simply search the internet and you will find enough of it to keep you reading for hours.

Unfortunately, we still have a huge portion of the medical community living in the past when it comes to fats.   I wrote a short blog article criticizing Dr. Oz's Time Magazine article on this topic (HERE).   When we compare the biological effects of Trans Fats versus Saturated Fats, we see that........

• Saturated Fats (animal fats) raise HDL cholesterol, the so-called good cholesterol.  Trans Fats lower HDL cholesterol.

• Saturated Fats (animal fats) lower the blood levels of the atherogenic lipoprotein.  Trans Fats raise the blood levels of athrerogenic lipoprotein.  Atherogenic Lipoproteins are molecules that carry cholesterol.  Under certain conditions, they can become stuck to artery walls, causing arteriosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries).  One scientific study published in the official journal of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes stated, "Obesity and Insulin Resistance are both associated with an atherogenic lipoprotein profile".

• Remember the Stupid Cell Membranes?  Saturated Fats conserve the good omega-3 fatty acids.  Trans Fats cause tissues to lose omega-3 fatty acids.  This is the reason that Trans Fats are implicated as a contributing factor in ADD / ADHD / Depression, as well as numerous other brain-related issues (the brain is over 70% fat).  Could be why there is so much research showing the benefits of using Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oils to treat these problems as well.
  

• Saturated Fats do not inhibit insulin binding.  Trans Fats do inhibit insulin binding.  This always leads to Insulin Resistance (early stage Diabetes).  Remember; Insulin Resistance is when you have high levels of blood sugar and insulin in your blood at the same time.  When Trans Fats tie up insulin, the body must create more and more and more to deal with excess blood sugar.  Just remember that Trans Fats are linked to Diabetes.
  

• Saturated Fats do not increase C-reactive protein (one of two critical blood markers of INFLAMMATION), but Trans Fats do increase C-reactive protein.  This results in arterial inflammation / damage, which is subsequently repaired by ---- you guessed it --- cholesterol.  Another way that Trans Fats cause hardening of the arteries.
  

• Saturated Fats are the fats that your body is naturally made of.  They do not interfere with enzyme functions.  Trans Fats are not made by the body naturally, and they do interfere with many enzyme functions.

• Some Saturated Fats are used by the body to fight VIRUSES, BACTERIA, & PARASITES.  They actually support Immune System Functions.  Trans Fats can only hinder Immune System Function.

How Prevalent are Trans Fats in our Food Supply?
If you can call the following items "foods" you are doing better than I.   Just look at this list and think long and hard before taking your family for fast food.

• McDonald's large fries --------------------------------- 8 grams of trans fat.
• McDonald's apple pie ---------------------------------- 4.5 grams of trans fat.
• Four Girl Scout shortbread cookies ---------------- 1.5 grams of trans fat.
• KFC Popcorn Chicken --------------------------------- 7 grams of trans fat.
• KFC Chicken Pot Pie --------------------------------- 14 grams of trans fat.
• KFC Extra Crispy combo meal ----------------------15 grams of trans fat.

You might be saying to yourself right now that you never eat fast foods.  That's great.  Let me give you a couple of other things to avoid.  Never eat anything that has the words "Hydrogenated" or "Partially Hydrogenated " on the label.  and for heaven's sake, do not be fooled by labels that say, "Contains no Trans Fats".  The FDA bowed to the Processed Food Industry and created rules that allow this label even though there can be (by law) up to half a gram per serving of Trans Fats present!  This can present real problems with something like commercial peanut butter, where one serving is one spoonful.  Never eat margarine or anything with shortening in it, as it is pure Trans Fat.  For more reading on Trans Fats, simply go HERE.

Cholesterol gets a bad rap.  It shouldn't.  As crazy as it sounds in this age of "cholestrophobia", cholesterol plays a critical role in keeping you healthy.  Cholesterol is a waxy lipid (fat) that is produced mostly by the liver.  It is a primary component of many hormones, and the key player in maintaining the proper permeability and fluidity (flexibility) in your cell membranes that we just talked about.  It is also an important component of digestive juices, sex hormones, and Vitamin D as well.  To learn more about cholesterol, here are a few links.

• CHOLESTEROL & HEALTH

• THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF CHOLESTEROL SKEPTICS

• THE CHOLESTEROL MYTHS

• STATIN DRUG ALERT

CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING DRUGS:
A paper co-authored by Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and director of UC San Diego's Statin Study Group, cited almost 900 peer-reviewed studies on the adverse health effects of Statin Drugs.  The study was called, Higher Statin Doses and More Powerful Statins are Linked to Greater Risk of Developing Side Effects.  (American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs 2008;8(6):373-418).  Interestingly enough, she places most of the blame on Statin's propensity to destroy Mitochondrial Function.  To see how important increased Mitochondrial Function can be in any healing process, visit our website, COLD LASER CURE.

For over a decade, our clinic's number one selling supplement (by far) is refrigerated, PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE FISH OIL.  Sure; I would love to have a regular diet of sea food like in the picture above.  It's simply not going to happen here in the Ozarks.   Allow me to use this space to answer the questions that you have concerning fish oil, and the reason it has to be "Pharmaceutical Grade":

• WHY FISH OIL?  According to virtually every major peer-reviewed study on Omega 3 intake in Americans, we are eating about 1/25th to 1/30th of the amount that we should be eating.  Although Flax Seed Oil is a great source of Omega Three Fatty Acids, it does not take the place of fish or high quality (Molecularly Distilled) fish oils.  This is because the two active ingredients (oils) that make certain Omega Three's much more potent / efficient than others (EPA & DHA) are found only in fish.  Just remember that Omega Three's act like a fire extinguisher that puts out the internal fire of INFLAMMATION.   Low amounts of dietary Omega Three's lead to a whole host of health problems brought about by high levels of inflammation.  When it comes to Chronic Health Problems, most of today's "heavy hitters" fall into a category known as Chronic Inflammatory Degenerative Disease.  Some of these include things like Cancer, Diabetes, Arthritis, and Heart Disease.
  

• WHY ONLY PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE FISH OIL?  Fish or Fish Oil only provide benefit only if it comes from wild, cold-water fish.  This means that the farm-raised fish (or their cheap oils that can be found in every health food and grocery store) are not only not good for you, they are often quite bad for you.  Many of these cheap fish oils provide thousands of milligrams of fish oil (look on the label), but little or no EPA & DHA.  This is simply because the product comes from farm-raised fish. 

• PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE FISH OIL ATTACKS INFLAMMATION AT ITS SOURCE.  WHAT IS INFLAMMATION?  Inflammation is not swelling, it is a chemical process that is actually part of your your immune system response that has gone haywire.  Certain foods (namely cruddy fats and refined carbs) drive the machinery that manufactures the chemicals we collectively call INFLAMMATION.

• I CAN GET FISH OIL AT ALDI FOR $2.53 A BOTTLE.  WHY SHOULD I SPEND TEN THAT AMOUNT FOR YOUR FISH OIL?  WHAT MAKES YOUR FISH OIL BETTER?  See above.  Our fish oil is Molecularly Distilled, and comes from wild, cold-water fish caught in the North Atlantic.  One serving has 750 mg of DHA, and over 1,000 mg of EPA.  I recently went around to numerous drug stores, health food stores, and grocery stores, trying to see how these off-the-shelf products stacked up to our refrigerated, Pharmaceutical Grade product.  Conclusion:  It will take anywhere from 10 to 30 capsules of the cheap stuff to equal one serving of our Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil.  This does not even take into account that the cheap stuff is full of heavy metals (mercury, and lead), PCB's, toxic chemicals.  CRITICAL POINT:  If it has not been refrigerated, it is likely spoiled.  When highly unsaturated fatty acids spoil, they do not simply go rancid like other fats.  They actually begin throwing off cancer-causing "Free Radicals".  Your best bet is to stick with the good stuff. 

• SHOULD MY CHILDREN BE TAKING FISH OIL?  The nervous system is made of Omega Three Fatty Acids.  EPA & DHA are critical in the neuro-development of children!  Remember the statistic above?  Americans are currently getting about 1/25th to 1/30th of the daily Omega Three's they need to be healthy.  Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil, along with CATALYN, and our GREENS PRODUCT, help to make up for dietary shortcomings ---- particularly dangerous in children.  Just remember that many of today's obese adults started out as skinny little kids.

• I HAVE HEARD THAT THE FISH OIL YOU CARRY IS IN A LIQUID FORM (BOTTLE).  IS THAT TRUE?  Yes.  But we also carry it in capsules as well!  By the way, if you are "burping" our product, it means that you are having a problem digesting fat.  You may burp other fish oils because they typically contain a fair bit of fish protein.  The Molecular Distillation process removes this protein from our product.  If you are burping our fish oil, talk to us.  It is usually a fairly simple fix involving SUPPLEMENTAL ENZYMES.
  

• IS THERE ANY GOOD RESEARCH OUT THERE ON PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE FISH OIL?  There sure is.  Retired Engineer, Hans Larsen, has put together a website that is absolutely amazing called OIL OF PISCES.  His site breaks down the peer-reviewed research into categories such as heart, weight, skin conditions, etc.  Interestingly enough, the #1 reason that Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil is our #1 selling supplement; arthritis (RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS).

Please understand that I am not convinced that you need to exercise one hour a day to be healthy (I try and get by with an intense half hour a day, at least four days a week).  For some of you with severe METABOLIC ISSUES or FIBROMYALGIA, there is no way that you can exercise for an hour --- or even a half hour a day.  I understand that.  For this group (at least to start out), just make sure you are doing something to get your blood pumping and increase your metabolism every day --- it can be very easy / low impact.  As your body responds to all the changes you have been making, you will begin to see changes in your ability to exercise as well. 


A FEW OF THE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN BENEFITS OF EXERCISE:
I have always said that if I could bottle the effects of exercise, I would be an overnight billionaire!  The list below are things that have been "proven" by medical studies and found in the peer-reviewed scientific literature to occur because of the physiological effects of exercise.  Be warned, however, that too much of a good thing is bad.  Too much intense exercise can actually cause the opposite of many in the following list.

• Exercise Increases Energy
  
• Exercise Increases Self-Esteem
  
• Exercise Increases Ability to Focus on Mental Tasks
  
• Exercise Decreases Risk of Heart Attack & Stroke
• Exercise Decreases Chances of Osteoporosis
• Exercise Reduces the Risk of many Types of Cancer
  
• Exercise Increases Strength
• Exercise Reduces Depression / Better Mood
  
• Exercise Decreases Stress Levels
  
• Exercise Increases Stamina
  

• Exercise Improves Digestion / Bowel Function
• Exercise Helps You sleep Better
  
• Exercise Leads to a Better Sex Life --- on Many Different Levels
  
• Exercise Improves Body Shape & Physique
• Exercise Firms and Tones Muscles
• Exercise Aids in Weight Loss & Weight Maintenance
  
• Exercise Improves Flexibility
  
• Exercise Improves Endurance
• Exercise Improves Circulation of both Blood and Lymph
• Exercise Improves Immune System Function
  
• Exercise Helps to Reduce Blood Pressure.
• Exercise is Motivational
• Exercise Increases Energy Levels
  
• Exercise Increases Metabolism
  
• Exercise Enhances Coordination
• Exercise Improves Balance, Stability, and PROPRIOCEPTION
  
• Exercise Improves Posture
  
• Exercise Helps with Back Problems and other Chronic Pain Syndromes
  
• Exercise Lowers Resting Heart Rate
• Exercise Helps Reduce Arthritis Symptoms
• Exercise Improves Athletic Performance
• Exercise Helps Increase Ranges of Motion
• Exercise Increases the Body's Ability to Burn Fat
  
• Exercise Increases the Number and Size of MITOCHONDRIA in Muscle Cells
• Exercise Enhance Oxygenation throughout the Body
• Exercise Improves Liver Function
• Exercise Increases Speed, Strength, and Control of Muscle Contraction
  
• Exercise Decreases Reaction Times
• Exercise Increases Nervous System Function
• Exercise Strengthens the Heart

The benefits of exercise are almost endless.  My favorite way to exercise is to alternate a little bit of cardio (walking, swimming, tennis, etc) with strength training (resistance training , lifting weights, etc). This not only increases your metabolism here and now, it creates the lean body mass that will boost my metabolism over the long haul.  Again, I don't so much care what you are doing, as long as you are doing it on a regular basis!  Just be aware that when it comes to exercise STRENGTH TRAINING BEATS CARDIO every time in almost every objectively measurable category.

WHOLE BODY VIBRATION THERAPY
I would like to take just a moment to talk about Whole Body Vibration Therapy.  There is Scientific Research that shows that ten minutes of exercise on a Whole Body Vibration Platform is in many ways the equivalent of one hour of regular exercise.  It also aids in weight loss.  This could be great news for those of you unable to exercise for various reasons. Visit our Whole Body Vibration Page HERE.

Xeno-estrogens (aka Xeno-hormones) are chemical compounds that contain large amounts of the six sided ring structure Benzene (a common petro-chemical).  Benzene, when strung together into longer chains, looks suspiciously similar to estrogen (see pics below).   In biology, looking similar can be a problem.  In the same way that many GLUTEN SENSITIVE people are CROSS REACTIVE to all sorts of foods that merely have a similar shape to gluten (coffee, eggs, milk, etc, etc, etc), there are many things that have a similar shape to Estrogen.  This is because most biological compounds are recognized by the body according to their shape. 

What does this mean as far as Estrogen is concerned?  Only that Xeno-estrogens are known to act in similar fashion to estrogen. This leads to a common problem in our society called Estrogen Dominance, which in turn leads to numerous female problems (not to mention male problems). You can read all about this phenomenon online, or in our coffee table book on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). However, what we are concerned with in this Blog Post is how estrogens of all types effect your weight.

FAT CELLS PRODUCE ESTROGEN:
As everyone knows, estrogen is the chief female hormone. It is the hormone that essentially makes a woman look like a woman. Part of the function of estrogen is to make sure that women have more body fat than men ----- about 8-10 percent more on average (this is why commercially-raised cattle are given estrogen). A woman needs to carry at least 15 percent body fat in order to be able to produce proper amounts of estrogen, a hormone that's essential for conception.  On average, women carry (or should carry) about 20-23% body fat.  Much of a woman's estrogen is produced in her ovaries. However, unbeknownst to most of the female population, a significant percentage of their estrogen is produced by their fat cells. If a woman is not carrying enough body fat (cross country runners for instance), she is not going to have periods (amenorrhea). Unfortunately, if she carries too much body fat, it automatically cranks up her estrogen-producing ability.

Think about this one for a moment. For any number of reasons, a woman gains some extra weight (fat).  Fat cells do what they are supposed to be doing and manufacture estrogen.  Estrogen is the very reason that women are supposed to be, by their very nature, “softer” or "fatter" than men.   Unfortunately, the increased estrogen causes women to put on more weight ---- as fat.   Fat cells produce estrogen.  Estrogen causes women to gain more weight ---- as fat.  Repeat.  It is a vicious cycle that must be broken in order to get to a healthy weight.

Oh, and if you think that xeno-hormones are not a problem ---- or only a problem for women, read this piece excerpted from Britain's longest-serving environmental correspondent, Geoffrey Lean's December 7, 2008 article in the UK Independent.  IT'S OFFICIAL: MEN ARE THE WEAKER SEX.

Although it is impossible to stay completely away from these compounds if you live in America, it is important to limit their effects on you and your family as much as possible.  You must realize that anything that is made from petroleum, or anything that has an artificial or chemical smell (even if it is a "good" smell) is very likely to be a xeno-estrogen.  Whether it is real estrogen or substances that simply mimic estrogen, it is important to avoid excess estrogen whatever its source!  Again, be aware that the hormones that are given to beef cattle to make them gain weight --- estrogen.

• DO NOT NUKE ANY PLASTIC SUBSTANCE OR CELLOPHANE-LIKE WRAPPERS IN YOUR MICROWAVE OVEN:

• BEWARE OF COMMERCIALLY RAISED MEAT OR POULTRY PRODUCTS:

• USE SOMETHING OTHER THAN "THE PILL":

• BEWARE OF PERFUMES, SCENTS, AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS:

• BEWARE OF HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS THAT HAVE "NICE" SMELLS:

• AVOID HERBICIDES AND PESTICIDES:

• AVOID PHTHALATES & METHYL PARABEN:

• KNOW YOUR SUNSCREENS:    Five chemicals to avoid include benzophenone-3, homosalate, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC), octyl-methoxycinnamate and octyl-dimethyl-PABA.

Let me throw in a quick warning about Soy.  For years and years, soy was promoted as a "health food".  Unless it has been fermented, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Why?  Soy is a Phyto-Estrogen.  This means that it is a plant source of estrogen.  For more information, you can read Dr. Tim O'Shea's paper called THE MAGIC BEAN.

One last word on natural Progesterone Creams.  In the distant past, I have given the nod to over-the-counter Progesterone Creams for women suffering from a variety of Estrogen Dominance-like symptoms.  Because of what I have heard several experts, including Chiropractic Neurologist / Endocrinologist, Dr. Datis Kahrazzian say, you need to avoid these even though they may temporarily relieve symptoms of Estrogen Dominance.  The progesterone is broken down in your body to ------ you guessed it; estrogen ---- and then stored in your fat cells.  For a very long time!  The end result?  Estrogen Dominance!

If you feel like your weight issues are hopeless, come in and talk with me.  We just watched a young woman drop 40 lbs in about two months (no special supplements) and get rid of some major female problems in the process.