It can feel a bit intimidating when you walk into a doctors office with an issue you want to raise, but you are unsure of how your physician will react.  I have personally experienced dismissal of symptoms or denial of requests for tests, and it can be difficult to stand up for yourself or others when a person who seemingly has authority shoots down your thoughts, feelings or requests.  I try and look at it from their perspective and your research into your symptoms may be more thorough and researched than what they have had the time, knowledge and training to do, and they know it.  You need to be your own advocate as you are the expert on you.  This does not mean you need to get adversarial with your doctor, but just be prepared to ask for what you think is necessary.  If they dismiss you out of hand, it is time to find a new doctor.

I want to reiterate that I am not a doctor and you should do your own research with your own trusted physician on any issues you have.  That being said, here are some things you consider discussing and tests you should bring up with your doctor to ensure you aren’t missing out on a fixable health issue.  Also, make sure that when you run blood tests that you reach out to your doctors office prior to your appointment and request a copy of your lab report.  You have a right to that information and if they resist giving you the report, I must reiterate that it is time to find a new doctor.  Much of the following information is not inclusive and is written in order to simplify often complex issues.  Also it would be really technical and boring, and you aren’t interested in this blog because you want to go to medical school…..unless you are.

Thyroid Tests

We discussed my thyroid issues (hypo) in a previous post but here is how you really determine whether or not you have a thyroid problem.  TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and is secreted by the pituitary gland. It is responsible for telling your body how much or how little thyroid hormone to make.  Higher amounts of TSH will often indicate that your body needs more thyroid hormone and lower amounts will indicate they need less.  The lab tests you should be requesting are

• TSH
• Free T3
• Free T4
• Thyroid Antibodies (Hashimoto’s)
• Reverse T3

While TSH tests are the standard way doctors determine whether or not you have a thyroid problem, TSH number doesn’t always ensure an accurate thyroid diagnosis.  The ranges doctors usually use for TSH are anything under 0.5 mIU/L and anything over 4.0 mIU/L to determine if you are hyper (too much) or hypo (too little).  Most holistic doctors say that their patients feel best anywhere between 1.0-2.0 mIU/L.  Patients, including myself sometimes have thyroid symptoms when TSH is higher than that.

The standard treatment protocol for doctors in cases of hypothyroidism is to prescribe a T4 only synthetic hormone like levothroid/levothyroxine etc.  However quite a few people including myself do not respond to T4 and this is a problem.  T4 is considered a less active form of the hormone and your body and organs are required to convert the T4 hormone to the active version T3.  For some reason some people, including myself, don’t convert the T4 into T3 efficiently which creates a major disconnect from how we feel vs. how your doctor thinks you should feel.  Since your T4 will be fine, your TSH will usually be fine, but you won’t actually be getting the active version of the hormone responsible for ensuring your metabolism is running at peak efficiency.  Confused yet? I am confused at how many terminator movies there are…5, 6?

Why do you need to make sure to have all the tests run above? Because your doctor can determine if the ratio between Free T3 and Free T4 is off which will then indicate, more than TSH levels, whether or not your body is running on all cylinders. If your ratio of those two hormones is less than 2 (FT3/FT4<2) it is an indication that your body is not making the active version of the hormone very well.  Now look what you made me do!  I hate math.  Another thing to consider is if you have high levels of estrogen and or testosterone those hormones can bind with your T’s and render them inactive. You will want to have more than just a thyroid panel when you see your physician but more on that later.

Cholesterol

We hear so much negativity about cholesterol and have for so many years most people aren’t aware how important cholesterol is to the functioning of our bodies.  Cholesterol is a precursor to 5 important hormones our body needs to survive including progestagens, glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, androgens, estrogens among other important hormones like vitamin D. Cholesterol is also a substance that is required in the creation of all cell membranes, is important to repair cell damage, and instrumental in the production of bile acids which aids digestion of fats and absorb nutrients.  Butter believe me that if you didn’t have cholesterol you would cease to function. Most people also think there are two types of Cholesterol called HDL and LDL and that one is good and one is evil.  I may not be the first one to tell you this but this is a gross misrepresentation of many incorrect assumptions/studies.

If you wonder why fat and cholesterol are considered evil, you can blame carnivorous bunnies.  Yup that’s right, scary carnivorous bunnies, just in time for Easter.  Back in the early 20th century, a Russian scientist named Ignatowski fed rabbits a diet of eggs, milk and meat and found that the diet caused damage in the poor creatures hearts.  I guess no one told the scientist that rabbits are biologically adapted to being vegan aka herbivores.  When you look up safe foods for bunnies to eat, nothing on the many lists I perused, including anything but grasses, veggies, herbs, and some fruits.  Another Russian scientist after him used a cholesterol rich diet diluted in vegetable oil to produce atherosclerosis in the hearts of more poor little bunnies.  Shocking that foods not meant for a species then fed to that species would cause health issues….said no one ever.  Also, why do Russians hate bunnies?

Then in 1955 a scientist named Ancel Keys furthered on the bunny research and postulated that fats, specifically saturated fats, raised levels of LDL (Low Dense Lipoprotein) which he claimed was “responsible” for the negative health outcomes in humans with elevated levels of this “bad” substance.  When Keys was looking through health data for his study, anything that didn’t fit this hypothesis was thrown out.  Keys picked 7 countries with data that supported this theory out of the 22 he had studied/access.  This means, if we do the math, 22-7=15 countries where the data indicated something other than his theory.  Let’s do more calculations together. Is 15 higher or lower than 7?  I’ll wait…….. If you did the calculation right, it means the study omitted twice as much data which showed something other than his fat/cholesterol theory.  And you wonder why I am such a skeptical person.  

So what is HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) and LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) and why is one considered good and the other bad?  Your liver makes both HDL and LDL daily.  Your body makes about 80% of the cholesterol you need to survive which can vary depending on how much you get from your diet. The substances HDL and LDL are a combination of a fat and protein and act as carriers for fats, cholesterol and other substances your body needs to survive or repair itself.  HDL is the anti LDL so to speak as it goes in and cleans out the old LDL or any that has stuck to the wrong spot and recycles it in the liver.  So really HDL and LDL are like little cars driving around your body, providing whatever hormones, fats vitamins or other important building blocks your cells need to function properly.  LDL is like a Subaru Outback ferrying passengers to places they need to go, and HDL is like a tow truck removing old, broken down or illegally parked cars. Continuing with the car analogies, trying to lower LDL artificially is like driving with the parking break on, because you are limiting or slowing the ability of your body to function or repair itself.

Sometimes LDL particles go bad and they become damaged small dense LDL (SDLDL). How LDL goes bad and either is created as small and dense or gets damaged and becomes short and stupid is still being studied since this particle size discovery is relatively new, but more on that later. These smaller naughty cholesterol particles can very easily buildup, and are being theorized as the real cause of the atherosclerosis we see commonly in those with heart disease, heart attacks and other negative health issues.  There are varying sizes and buoyancy of LDL particles. Those that are light and fluffy, just like vegan bunnies, are technically the good kind of LDL (type a).  So let’s say you are running low on vitamin D or estrogen, what do you think your body will do to ramp up production of one of these necessary hormones?  Studies have shown that people with low levels of vitamin D on average had higher levels of LDL and lower levels of HDL.  Inversely those with higher vitamin D levels had high HDL and lower LDL.  Let’s try to sum up why this is important.  Your body needs the LDL to do the work when there is damage or a hormonal need, but when the work is done HDL production ramps up to clean up the excess LDL that is no longer needed.

So “high” LDL is a possible symptom of a hormone deficiency, inflammation or damage to cells, or an issue related to how much cleanup your HDL or liver is not doing.  How then do statin drugs, used to reduce cholesterol, work to distinguish the good and necessary LDL and target the small dense LDL?  The answer is they don’t. Statins can also come with some very dangerous possible side effects including nerve damage, diabetes and even cancer. Let’s Look at this another way, we have possibly confused the substance our body needs to function or heal itself with the actual cause of health issues.  This is the epitome of correlation does not equal causation.  When did you ever blame the band-aid for the cut to your finger?  “Reducing band-aids will lower the number of cuts” is a ridiculous idea, but not too far off with the prevailing cholesterol myth. How is treating a bodies reaction, but not the root cause of an issue going to solve anything?

So if high LDL is just a symptom not a cause of negative health issues, what is?  Scientists do believe one of the culprits is our old frenemy, sugar.  Triglycerides or the fat created by our sugar over-consumption is actually contributing to heart disease, inflammation, and diabetes.  While LDL carries fats, proteins and other substances, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) mostly carry triglycerides and for some reason triglycerides make it more difficult for the HDL to recycle VLDL.  Taking a quote from the link above about triglycerides “hypertriglyceridemic states are associated with increased VLDL production and delayed VLDL clearance from circulation.” AHA! So triglycerides created from excess sugar consumption increase VLDL and make it difficult to remove which would in essence increase your reported levels of LDL.  Trigyceride heavy VLDL is also the precursor to SDLDL. Is some of this starting to make sense now? Sugar makes it difficult to remove the bad form of LDL which is the kind that easily gets stuck in arteries.

The next time you see your doctor make sure they order a full panel of cholesterol tests which should include;

• Triglycerides
• LDL-c
• HDL-c
• CRP
• Homocysteine
• Lipoprotein (A)
• Apolipoprotein B
• Vitamin D
• LDL Particle Number
• LDL Small
• LDL Medium
• HDL Large
• LDL Pattern
• LDL Peak Size

We have discussed correlation does not equal causation but sometimes we do have to take notice of a statistic. Were you aware that most heart attacks occur in men and women with “normal” levels of LDL cholesterol?  Would you be surprised that women over 65 with higher LDL and total cholesterol on average live longer than those that have “normal” levels.  And would it be shocking to any of you that for decades studies have shown that total cholesterol has little to do with cardiac risk at all?  I personally have known three people to have had heart attacks.  Two of them had low or normal levels of LDL along with total cholesterol,  and the other has Familial Hypercholesterolemia. FH is a genetic trait which involves an inability to recycle LDL in the liver due to impaired cholesterol receptors. In FH more LDL is circulating than can be removed and as we learned from before, if you cannot clear LDL or it takes longer to recycle it like with triglyceride heavy VLDL, it then becomes damaged SDLDL, which is the dangerous cholesterol vehicle.  Gosh this is complicated!  All I really know at the end of the day is that I have not contributed financially to a Nicholas Cage movie in many, many years and so therefore I am saving lives.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is not really a vitamin at all but a hormone created in your skin from cholesterol and ultra violet light from the sun, specifically UVB.  We have discussed how important cholesterol is to vitamin D production, but why is vitamin D so important?  Vitamin D is another hormone that is pivotal to bone health as well as heart, kidney, lungs, muscles and brain, so basically it is important for everything.  Vitamin D is also important for weight maintenance as low levels affects your hormone leptin in a bad way.  Leptin is a hormone that tells you to stop eating when you are full.  Please don’t email me and say that your mother or spouse is named leptin as a joke…it isn’t funny.

So why are we so deficient in this all powerful sunshine hormone, even those who regularly sunbathe?  You can blame our obsession with cleanliness, sunscreen and windows as to why most are deficient in the all important hormone.  Your body uses cholesterol and other substances which reacts to UVB light to create vitamin D, but the catch is that it takes at least 48 hours to fully be absorbed in the body.  So that lovely soapy shower you took after your beach day is now killing you slowly….just kidding! What it is doing is reducing your vitamin D which can be absorbed and turned into calcitrol in the liver, which is its active form.  Sunscreen works to block UV rays and therefore less vitamin D can be created on the skins surface.  Most windows block UVB rays but do not block UVA light.  Why does that matter you say?  UVA light destroys vitamin D on the skin.  UVB makes it and UVA breaks it.

Most doctors will follow the party line and list that your vitamin D or 25-hydroxy should be 30 ng/ml for optimal health.  Other data shows that we should be getting around 50 ng/ml as that is what tribes that spend their days in the sun have on average.  Also, some doctors recommend even more than that to help prevent certain cancers.  No matter the levels that each recommend, the preferred method of getting your vitamin D is from the sun. Safe sun exposure can reduce the LDL naturally which could prevent levels being too high and prevent the creation of the SDLDL.  So go ahead and take your lunch outside or go for a walk, but please like I mentioned in my last post, I don’t want to know if you did or did not shower afterward.

Hormones

Hopefully you are all aware of the hormones testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, and if not, I don’t actually know you do I?  Both men and women have varying levels of all of these hormones and yes, that means men make estrogen and women make testosterone too.  Beta HCG is a hormone that can be found in pregnant women and it is this hormone that is detected with a home pregnancy test.  Some tumors including many testicular, and prostrate cancers secrete HCG.  So it may be possible to detect these cancers in men if they take a home pregnancy test.  In another blog post I will discuss why women are diagnosed more often with skin cancers while pregnant, and what it also has to do with pre-eclampsia, which I had as well.  Just repeat after me….everything is connected.  Some of the hormones you should be testing for are;

• Pregnenolone
• Progesterone
• Estrogen
• Testosterone
• FSH
• DHEA
• Cortisol

For men low levels of the hormone testosterone have been linked with high levels of triglycerides, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.  We have already discussed why high triglycerides are a problem because they assist in the creation of the really bad version of cholesterol SDLDL.  High testosterone in men can cause infertility, high blood pressure and aggression so there really does need to be a balance of this hormone.  Low estrogen in women before menopause can cause those same sort of symptoms normally found in older women including but not limited to weight gain, osteoporosis and hot flashes.  High levels of estrogen can cause chronic fatigue, loss of muscle mass and hair loss.  Also, as a cosmic joke, high estrogen can also cause weight gain.  There are a lot of other symptoms that come high and low hormones in both men and women and it would definitely benefit you to ensure your levels are in the sweet spot for your age and gender.

Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote “the object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”  If you feel you may have a health issue and your doctor is either dismissing you because your blood levels look “fine” or as an example they suggest you go on a statin as your cholesterol is getting “high”, please consider getting some of these other tests to make sure you aren’t missing something important.  Believe it or not, doctors don’t know everything, through no fault of their own, and research is constantly evolving.  What we know today will change tomorrow.  A famous non bunny torturing Russian, Leo Tolstoy said “wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.” Galileo could have used Tolstoy at his trial for sure.  In our lifetime we were told to eat margarine instead of butter and only recently we found that trans fat in margarine is very bad for our health as one example of majority wrong.  There are always a few brave scientists and researchers that go against the “doctrine” of the day and we should be listening for that voice of reason amongst the rantings of the insane.

 

 

 

Poisons and Toxins and Metals oh my!  Our bodies are amazing machines and we have many different pathways to stay healthy, upright and virus free.  However, there are many ways that our normal defense mechanisms and detoxification pathways can be hobbled, handcuffed and muzzled.  Items that are detrimental to our health often harm us over time and can sometimes take years to cause identifiable issues our bodies.  Before you try a “detox” or a “cleanse” you should focus on not ingesting or using these toxic items in the first place.  Give your body time to start working for itself and make sure you understand this will be a long term process that in essence, will never be over.  Much of this information you may already know, but some of this post might be a surprise to you as much of it was to me.  Fire in the hole!  This may blow your mind.

Healthy people generally look healthier than their unhealthy peers.  There are some differences in people with specific genetic variations and health history, but for the most part you control how you look on the outside by ensuring you are as healthy as possible on the inside.  Slathering on the most recent moisturizer recommended by the Kardashian’s is not going to help sagging and wrinkling skin due to early osteoporosis, which can cause bone loss in your face along with other areas.  Most of us want to look good as well as feel good which is why the global cosmetic market is expected to reach 805.61 billion by 2023.  I am not immune to this desire either. I am a woman, not a saint. During my emergency c-section in 2012 I may have asked the doctors “Can you do a bit of liposuction while you are down there?” I blame the drugs.

Our bodies have a need for some heavy metals in order to function efficiently like zinc, copper, iron, manganese and selenium although higher doses can be toxic.  The heavy metals we need to try and avoid include mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and chromium.  However other lighter metals are linked to dangerous bio accumulation and damage like aluminum, barium and titanium.  In normal circumstances our bodies have many filters to ensure that toxic accumulations of any one of these can be removed through our liver, kidneys, intestines and lungs. However, if there is any issue with your genetic ability to detoxify, or you are dealing with an illness, taking certain medications or as we already know from the last post, if you are exposed to glyphosate, your body may accumulate metals in your organs, tissue, fat and bone instead of getting rid of them.

Your body is very good at protecting itself and will often store toxins in fat as a way of protecting your vital organs.  Your body responds to the toxins in many ways and the exact reason and mechanism of why and how some toxins are stored in fat are still being researched.  So much of what we know about health, wellness and our own organs are still being discovered.  We are continually having to re-evaluate what we know about our bodies and medicine as a whole. For example, it turns out that our appendix does serve an important function after all. It has been learned that both our appendix and our tonsils serve as a backup storehouse for good bacteria. Hell, scientists can’t even agree on whether Pluto is a planet or not……so it should not surprise you when things we have long held to be true, turn out to be nothing but the last best guess.  What we do know is that when your body cannot handle the amount and types of toxins, poison’s and chemicals it can be extremely detrimental to your health.  This is why it is so important to steer clear of these unhealthy substances as much as possible once we learn about them.

Aluminum

Aluminum is so prevalent in our environment and it is virtually impossible to avoid.  It is found in many items we eat or use daily and our increasing exposure to it has been a cause for concern among many scientists and researchers.  Some studies even suggest that excess aluminum may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease, as it has been found in the brains of those with symptoms the disease.  Aluminum can be found in varying amounts in drinking water, antiperspirants, cookware, baking powder, makeup, certain medications (tums, buffered aspirin) and vaccines.  There has been some discussion on whether or not aluminum deodorants and antiperspirants could be causing the increasing breast cancer rates.  Some data shows that significant numbers of breast cancers start in the area where the application of aluminum based deodorants and antiperspirants are applied.  Whatever the research shows about this particular issue, excess aluminum is toxic to our bodies and we should be trying to avoid it to keep our bodies healthy.

Mercury

Mercury is a very toxic metal and not unlike lead, this metal is known for its negative health effects and is less likely to be used/abused as much as 50-100 years ago.  The most common sources of mercury exposure are fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, fish and seafood, vaccines, some foreign herbal supplements and dental fillings.  Mercury is also released in our environment via coal use and mining as well as gold mining.  Mercury is lipophilic which means it concentrates in fatty tissues. Losing weight without knowing you have excessive mercury stores could cause damage by releasing the toxic metal back into your system. And yes, I did publish this post while mercury is in retrograde.

Your brain is mostly made of fat which make it an easy target for mercury buildup and damage.  Some of you may know the phrase “Mad as a hatter,” and the famous Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter character. What you may not know is the stereotype is due to mercury poisoning symptoms as the metal was commonly used in the creation of hats in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.  Some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning are nervousness or anxiety, irritability or mood changes, numbness, memory problems, depression, physical tremors, nausea and vomiting, lack of motor skills, changes in vision, hearing, or speech, difficulty breathing and difficulty walking or standing straight.  These all sound like super fun symptoms to me.  How I avoid this toxic metal is by not getting cavities, not eating sushi and I hide in my house and burn candles all the time.  No, not really! Except for the part about sushi because I don’t like fish.  I do however buy incandescent light bulbs online instead of buying the compact fluorescent or LED’s.  Just make sure if you do have a cavity to request resin or porcelain instead of dental amalgam’s  which can contain more than 50% mercury.

Fluoride

Put on your foil hats, because this one is not going to sit well with a lot of people.  Wait, scratch that. The foil you have is most likely aluminum which we recently learned is not so good for you.   Go to the mirror and look at your teeth.  I am serious go RIGHT NOW! Do you see any mottling aka brown or white spots on your teeth?  If you do, you have something called dental flourosis meaning fluoride poisoning.  What you see in your teeth is also present in your bones and is a visual indication of damage.  I could write a whole post on how bad fluoride is and how to avoid it, but I have a life and don’t want to take 2 months to write this post. You can read many of the links that I post and go down that rabbit hole on your own.  If you are not irate after reading through some of it then you are probably “on the dope” or you are already dead.

Most people think that the fluoride that is added to our water supply and toothpaste is mined by happy magical dwarves in Colorado from the source of a trickling mountain spring.  That is a load of crock, dwarves don’t exist since they prefer to be called little people.  You might also be horrified to learn that what you may actually be ingesting is something called hydrofluorosilicic acid which is a toxic industrial bi-product of the phosphate fertilizer industry and in some cases aluminum processing plants.  As such it also contains other nasty poisons like arsenic and can leach other harmful metals from pipes like lead and aluminum.  If you really want to read something that will make you angry you can read The Fluoride Deception which basically details how the US government along with large companies conspired to avoid litigation from the damage caused by their industrial fluoride waste by re-branding the poison as good for your teeth and adding it to our water supply.

Fluoride is found not just in drinking water and toothpaste but in pesticides, rat poison, antibiotics, non-stick pans, mechanically de-boned meat, frozen foods, processed foods and beverages, green and black tea and in fluoridated salts.  Some symptoms/diseases linked with fluoride poisoning beside fluorosis are arthritis, kidney disease, thyroid disease, cardiovascular disease, bone fractures, diabetes and cancer.   And all of this is from long term small doses of the substance.  Even if you avoid all the above items you are still being exposed to fluoride every time you take a shower.  Please don’t message me and tell me you don’t shower….I don’t want to know.

There are many incidents where fluoride accidents have occurred and sickened people, animals and the environment with large doses, one most recently in Utah in February.  If you read the story about the incident in Utah they indicate fluoride was accidentally released in large quantities and the water tested after this release was high in arsenic, lead and aluminum in addition to other metals.  You don’t need to be a member of MENSA to understand that the metal contamination goes hand in hand here with the fluoride use.  As you can read in some of these articles, the fluoride chemical routinely eats through concrete and pipes which can lead to additional contamination of the water supply.  Anyone want to contact Erin Brockovich and get her help on this?

PFOA/PFOs/PFAs

You know these chemicals PFOA/PFOs/PFAs etc. as they are often what makes your non-stick pan, well…not sticky.  They are also found in tap water, and strangely in microwave popcorn bags.  PFO stand for Perfluorooctanoic which sounds like a great name for a dinosaur or type of rock, but definitely not something you should consume.  The P dino is a man made chemical that is made with the help of our old friend from before, fluoride. I feel like I keep repeating myself and I am getting a bit dizzy.

PFOS, PFOA and PFAS and any other acronym starting with a P are found in teflon coated items as well as fire fighting foams, stain resistant carpets, leather, pesticides and other textiles.   While the US has attempted to remove these chemicals due to their dangerous health effects, the companies have replaced them with other chemicals with questionable health affects as well.  These chemicals are also pervasive in our environment and they do not easily break down and can be found in soil groundwater, air and have even been detected in 98% of blood samples that were tested in a recent study.  Scratch the above comment about acronyms as PSAT’s and the PGA don’t have the dinosaur rock in them…I don’t think.

Pesticides

I think we all know that we should wash our fruits and vegetables prior to eating them due to pesticide residue and other contaminants.  This is another subject I could make excessively long, but I will keep it as short as possible since I think most everyone is aware of most of their dangers.  Neonicotinoid pesticides are getting a lot of media attention as they have been linked to the massive bee die-offs that have been seen in North America and other countries over the last several years.  I really feel like I am repeating myself here as several pesticides also use fluoride as a main ingredient.  Fluoride contamination has killed livestock, fluoride is currently used to kill bugs, fluoride is used to kill rodents, fluoride is used to kill…….?  It is illegal to dump hydrofluorisilicic acid into lakes, rivers or streams, it is illegal for it to be vented into the atmosphere, but it is ok for us to eat, drink, breathe and use?

There is an interesting theory about Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) which postulates that it is/was actually caused by toxic uptake of manganese in the brains of cows after exposure to a pesticide.  An organophosphate pesticide, Phosmet, was sprayed/poured on the backs and spines of cows in the mid to late 80’s through the 90’s to combat the warble fly infestation in the UK.  One organic farmer refused this insecticide mandate and his cattle were the only ones spared in the Mad Cow or BSE epidemic.  Interestingly no one has come up with a reason as to why the epidemic hit at that time and why the brain proteins deform like they do in cases of BSE.  During the height of the epidemic the UK was mandating a higher dose of this pesticide than all other countries around the world.  The farmer who won his case against the government mandate, Mark Purdy, made it his life’s work to research the true cause of Mad Cow Disease. You can read the book that was published by his brother after his death based on his extensive travel and research titled “Animal Pharm.”  It is a very compelling read and an interesting take on a subject you don’t hear much about anymore.  You can also read shorter excerpts and other takes on his research here and here.

You may have organophosphate chemicals in your home as they are commonly used as pet flea treatments and chemicals to treat head lice in children and adults.  These types of pesticides are highly neurotoxic and are closely linked with nerve gases like Sarin and VX.  “Here you go fluffy, fleas are so much worse than brain damage aren’t they smoochiboos.”  Oh, and if you do read some of the information about manganese toxicity online, the symptoms including tremors, loss of balance, walking problems, drooling, fixed gaze and slurred speech (except cows don’t talk) and are almost if not identical to Mad Cow Disease, BSE and the human version called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

BPA, B, C, D, S or whatever other version they come up with next

BPA and all its red headed step children are often used to strengthen plastics, coat aluminum cans and other metals to prevent corrosion and can even be found on the paper receipt you get at the grocery store (weird right).  Research has shown that BPA et al. are endocrine disruptors and cause hormonal issues and can be linked to health issues ranging from obesity to infertility.  With the backlash over BPA companies have been replacing it with chemicals like BPS, but they are learning that they are not any safer than BPA and in some cases worse.  So when that plastic bottle or can says BPA free that doesn’t mean it is any healthier for you as it still most likely contains a toxic inbred relative of that maligned substance.  My suggestion is to limit exposure to all the BP’s by only purchasing items that are fresh and if you need shelf stable items purchase those that are housed in glass or other non-toxic containers.

Aspartame, Sucralose and other artificial sweeteners

If salt is just angry sugar, many artificial sweeteners are straight up vengeful. Just hearing how they created some of these sweeteners in the lab and their approval for use is scary.  Aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal) was created by accident when a scientist was trying to create a drug for ulcers and accidentally got some on his fingers, licked them and noticed the sweet taste.  First of all I question a scientist who is so sloppy to get an unknown substance on him and then proceed to ingest it “accidentally” or not.  Sucralose (Splenda etc.) was created, again accidentally, by someone who was told to “test” the compound and he misheard it as “taste.”  I suppose that accidents are a part of science but seriously????

Aspartame was approved for use back in the 1960’s but by 1980 it was banned due a myriad of reported side effects that led to an independent study done on it that showed its toxicity along with the company that created it having questionable testing practices.  Through some political maneuverings in the early 80’s by Donald Rumsfeld and Ronald Reagan….yes really, the substance was re-approved.  Aspartame has been linked with headaches, seizures along with Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors among other.  By 1998 80% of the complaints regarding food additives to the FDA were regarding aspartame.

Sucralose has been linked to liver, and kidney damage and kills off beneficial intestinal bacteria.  This damage to gut bacteria has been linked to weight gain in humans and animal studies and is the exact opposite of what people think they are getting by ingesting this sugar substitute.  So basically with sucralose you are getting fat by going diet.  While there are alternatives to these sugar alternatives like xylitol, erythritol they also have some side effects including intestinal discomfort and bloating if you ingest too much.  I would suggest stevia or monk fruit extract if you just have to use a sweetener in your food or beverages.

Reduce your exposure

While we might not be able to avoid all of these toxins all of the time you can take steps to reduce your exposure by switching out toxic products with healthier alternatives.  I have purchased Xtrema pans, and Corning Vision pots for healthier and tastier food. I stopped using antiperspirants with aluminum and switched to non-toxic deodorants like North Coast Organics.  I switched to fluoride free toothpaste and started filtering my shower water.  I replaced all of my plastic food storage with glass jars and containers. And last but not least I started purchasing organic meat, cheese and produce free of toxic synthetic pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. You don’t have to make these changes all at once, as that can be difficult if not extremely expensive.  However, by making small changes to what you purchase day by day you may notice the healthy side effects and maybe even become best friends with your body again.

 

 

In part one we discussed one of the factors that sent me down the path of healing with my hypothyroid diagnosis. This post will discuss my second experience with autoimmune diseases and my epic battle against the sources of evil.  Okay maybe these sources are not really evil, just unhealthy.  I do have a tendency to exaggerate…

In 2011 I had to have surgery for a pregnancy that unfortunately did not make it past 20 weeks.  It was in the weeks and months following where I found myself very ill with a particularly nasty adenovirus and I was not recovering like I should. I followed up with an alternative doctor to determine what could be the causes of my ongoing issues.  I considered ignoring my symptoms as I had been through a lot in the previous few months, and the likelihood of there being any reason beside me just needing to rest was in my opinion slim.  The doctor ran a battery of tests including a very interesting test for IgA anti-gliadin antibodies. Gliadin is not the name of a wizard or a fairy princess but a protein more commonly known as gluten which is found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats.  The IgA test is one of the first steps to determining if you have celiac disease.  When my results came back they recommended taking a biopsy of my intestines as my antibodies were extremely high which meant I was reacting very poorly to gluten.  For many people testing high for these antibodies is a sure sign that you have celiac disease.

I see articles on the internet frequently stating that most people should continue eating gluten unless they are diagnosed officially.  They call gluten avoidance a fad and make fun of anyone making that choice. They shame anyone following a gluten free diet as being ridiculously naive and often call it unhealthy.  This is really sad because some people will listen to this uninformed view of the subject and miss out on an opportunity to limit foods which are actually harming their health.  The whole shaming and bullying that goes on with everything from parenting to lifestyle choices is quite silly as everyone is made up of different building blocks and therefore reacts differently to food, drugs, vaccines, weather or M. Night Shyamalan movies.

Celiac disease is one of those pesky autoimmune diseases we discussed last time where your immune system damages your intestines due to the consumption of gluten.  The only way to confirm a celiac diagnosis is to examine your small intestine in most cases this involves a biopsy (aka cutting and taking a portion of your gut…no thanks) to determine if those antibodies are an indication of damage.  Some people can have high antibodies for gluten and be experiencing the symptoms of celiac disease, but not have damaged intestines for whatever reason.  I chose to keep my guts intact and opted to remove the offending gluteny products.  Then I cried for months because I could never again have cake.  Actually I am crying right now as someone just offered me donuts.

So you say, I don’t have that, or they tested me several years ago and I was fine.  A little known fact about celiac disease is that it can be triggered/activated after a surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe physical or emotional stress.  If you remember from reading this post two minutes ago, I experienced 4 out of the 5 possible causes listed here.  Also, celiac disease is more common in those suffering from autoimmune thyroid disease…check and check. Just because you have never had a reaction or problem with gluten or other grains does not mean it will stay that way.  I highly recommend that if you are having any one of the 300 possible symptoms of celiac disease, you ask your doctor to run at least one of the gluten antibody tests.

So you haven’t tested positive for gluten intolerance or celiac disease, but still find that wheat is triggering some health issues. This could be due to a pesticide called glyphosate, more commonly known as Monstanto’s Roundup.  You can read some technical sciency information here about what the chemical can do to human intestines.  Roundup is an herbicide used to kill weeds on crops designed (aka genetically modified) to resist dying with the application of the chemical. Crops designed to resist Roundup include corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugar beets and alfalfa.  Wait a second…..why isn’t wheat listed? Is it a typo? has she lost her mind?  No it is not a typo and the jury is still out on the other question.  What most people don’t know is it has been a common practice over the last 10-15 years, and as far back as 1980 for US farmers to to spray Roundup on their wheat crops right before they harvest. The reason for this is it kills the plant and allows the wheat to dry evenly so when they harvest, their yield is improved.

Now you are saying, so what. I don’t have any issues with wheat or gluten.  Here is where I am going to tell you that you are wrong.  Let’s go back to this link and the information about what glyphosate does to your intestines and in particular the specific fact about Roundup inhibiting cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are responsible for detoxification.  If you are still confused as to why this is important, here is where I drop the mic. Gluten intolerant, celiac or not, eating almost any wheat or other grain sprayed with Roundup in the US of A will impair the ability of your gut to produce enzymes critical to detoxify chemicals, toxins, heavy metals, viruses, bacteria….you name it.  Every one of you reading this not currently completely avoiding anything with Roundup contamination (a difficult task) is affected by the toxic effects of a very nasty chemical.  It just so happens that wheat is one of the only grains sprayed with the chemical so close to harvest and therefore more likely to contain higher amounts of it when it reaches your plate.  Here is a staggering document that lists some common prepared foods that contain glyphosate and it is by no means inclusive of everything that has traces of the nasty chemical. How many of these did you eat today?

A UCLA study recently reported that the keto diet specifically affects human gut bacteria in a positive way.  While the study was mainly looking at why the keto diet reduces seizure disorders in those affected, we can infer that the positive changes in gut bacteria are affecting more than just conditions related to seizures.  While I am not a doctor, scientist or writer, could some of the beneficial health outcomes from the keto diet possibly be because we are removing not just sugars (which promote bad bacteria) from our diet, but all grains that are heavily sprayed with a chemical that is known to cause negative changes to your gut bacteria?

There are many articles you can read about how important our gut bacteria is to our health and emotional well being and how it can even determine if we maintain a health weight or an unhealthy one.  Also there are many articles discussing how bad bacteria or a reduction in the “good” bacteria can open up holes in your intestines (increase intestinal permeability if you want a more appropriate term) which can cause inflammation and can open you up to many other fun health issues.  Reading these articles I experienced a strange sort of deja vu as they kept showing evidence that an unbalanced microbiota is linked to a higher occurrence of celiac disease and diabetes along with other autoimmune diseases.

Here is something to think about. Every person comes pre-programed genetically with different strengths and weaknesses.  Some people can’t drink coffee past 11am without buzzing around the house at 2am vibrating and sparking like metal in a microwave. Others can drink two gallons of the stuff at 10:00pm and hit the pillow at 10:05pm like they’ve just taken valium.  Some people may react negatively to gluten or glyphosate and have the typical intestinal symptoms, while others might get recurring sinus infections or itchy rashes on their elbows.  Others won’t have symptoms, but the low levels of systemic inflammation for 55 years could cause cancer in a susceptible organ. You can see how complicated this can be and how easy it is to dismiss the cause or combined causes of an illness that has a delayed vs. acute onset.  Also there is more than just gluten to contend with in the causes of inflammation and disease.  This is just layer one in a very large scary toxic onion.

Another problem is that wheat, grains and gluten are found everywhere, and it isn’t just cross contamination that you have to deal with. Salad dressings, prescription drugs, supplements, soy sauce, shampoos, conditioners, gum, toothpaste, ice cream, sauces, deli meat, spices, shredded cheese, makeup, Playdoh and even some alcoholic beverages distilled from grains contain the illness triggering gluten.  You think you might be safe getting that omelette at your favorite greasy spoon, think again. Many of those establishments use a pre-made egg mixture and often add pancake batter or wheat to make the eggs fluffier.  I recently enjoyed this phenomenon when visiting a restaurant and forgot to request real eggs in my omelette. I experienced a very nasty surprise later that day and for the rest of the week.

So what does one do when confronted with this unfortunate information about a significant portion of the food we eat on a daily basis?  Is it easier to ignore if you aren’t currently experiencing the typical digestive symptoms?  What about those migraines you get regularly?  What about that cystic acne or psoriasis? How about that anemia that you were diagnosed with, or your intolerance to lactose? Oh and don’t forget your seasonal allergies, hair loss, arthritis, osteoporosis, liver failure, infertility, heart disease and cancer diagnosis all with links to celiac disease and gluten intolerance.  You may be young right now and a lot of these things are often linked to old age, but if you were to meet yourself 40 years older right now, would you be able to say that you tried your best to keep healthy?  Would your older self thank you?  I have to start a new paragraph as I just reached the maximum allowed amount of questions in this one.

Some fascinating research by one of the UCLA Anderson Professors Keith Chen postulates that the language we speak can affect our behaviors like saving money for retirement or current health choices like diet and exercise.  He has shown significant data that languages that don’t use future tenses have populations with better savings rates along with health choices.  For your information, the English language requires a distinction between past, present and future.  Put simply, by speaking English, we might have a tendency to separate what we do now with future consequences or benefits according to this research.   Another Professor from UCLA Anderson Hal Hershfield has research to suggest that if we think about and visualize our older selves now we are more likely to make healthy choices today rather than putting them off.  I am urging you to think now about whether you are ignoring a possible sensitivity, because you are afraid of how that might inconvenience your life going forward.  To me inconvenience is osteoporosis or cancer and I will gladly forego eating those pancakes knowing the danger that gluten and glyphosate pose to my health.

So what do you do if you think that you may need to get checked out for gluten intolerance or celiac disease?  I would speak to your doctor about the IgA test and hope they are supportive of your request.  Before taking the test you need to be eating gluten for the results to be accurate.  If your doctor is not on board or thinks the test is unnecessary you can skip the doctor and use one of several companies that offer direct consumer testing like www.healthcheckusa.com or www.directlabs.com.  I have used Health Check USA and I found it very reliable.  Your insurance may cover these services but you should go in assuming to pay out of pocket. You should always ask your health insurance company if they will reimburse you for these costs as well.

If nothing else I would recommend you get extra nutrients through foods or supplements whether or not that sandwich you ate for lunch gives you trouble or not. Most recently diagnosed celiac patients are often deficient in fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.  It is also not known if the trigger of celiac could also be caused by a nutrient deficiency and if so which one.  It is the age old question of which came first the chicken or the egg that is a hotly debated topic in the online celiac community.  Actually I don’t think people argue too much about this issue online as I am sure they are all nice reasonable people. Whatever the controversy, there is consensus that damage to the intestines occurs with celiac disease, which means the reduction in ability to absorb nutrients. Could a pre-existing deficiency in say zinc or vitamin D increase your chances of triggering celiac disease or is it just the symptom of damage?

So we have damage to our intestines and a reduction in ability to detoxify, that is the end of it right?  There is nothing else scary out there that could cause problems? Part 3 of this exceedingly long and getting longer by the minute saga will discuss more things we can do to stay healthy, happy and ensure that we don’t cry every time another M. Night Shyamalan movie comes out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A long time ago (2018), in my first blog post, I hinted at my many years of struggle with health issues and I promised some personal backstory so here it is.  Hindsight is so illuminating and some of my health issues were evident in middle school and high school.  I think everyone, including myself, felt the myriad of symptoms came from stress rather than from a medical issue.  I hear stories of people seeking answers and if their doctor can’t find a solution that entails a medication or modern medical treatment they often determine that the patient is stressed, depressed or assume they are a hypochondriac.  The doctor might then suggest a therapist or antidepressant and send them on their merry way.  Not that this isn’t the correct diagnosis at times, and I don’t fault all doctors for this as most are trained to test for certain known markers, prescribe a pill or surgery for the marker or condition then lather, rinse, repeat.

It would have been really nice to know back in my 20’s what I know today, as I could have avoided so much pain and frustration by asking for the correct tests from doctors and playing a much more active role in my health.  You might think my situation is extreme and you don’t or could never have any of these issues, but I think that some ailments can slowly erode your health over time and we often don’t recognize that we are hurting until until it becomes debilitating.  It really is the classic Boiling Frog scenario. “The boiling frog is a fable describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to, or be aware of sinister threats that arise gradually rather than suddenly.” (1)

The first time I ever received some sort of an actual medical diagnosis of an issue came  at 18, while I was a runner at UCLA.  A doctor was doing a bone density study on female athletes and I was part of a group who participated in blood tests, exams and had our bone density measured by all this neato hi-tech equipment.  One of the blood tests came back that showed that I had something called hypothyroidism.  The doctor running the study immediately called me in a prescription for something called levothyroxine so that I could begin treatment.  Some of the common symptoms of this thyroid disease are weight gain, fatigue, depression, joint pain, hair loss, cold extremities, brain fog and difficulties concentrating.  Of course I would have never known there was an issue because as an athlete I was working out intensely twice a day and because of this I didn’t have weight issues.  Any of the other symptoms I had from the thyroid disorder were written off by me as due to being a young, stressed student athlete.  Follow up tests were run and it turned out I had a specific type of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto’s which is an autoimmune disease where your body treats your thyroid like the enemy and attacks it as a foreign invader.

Some common examples of autoimmune diseases are:

1. Celiac Disease
2. Multiple Sclerosis
3. Type 1 Diabetes
4. Hashimoto’s Thyroditis
5. Lupus
6. Rheumatoid Arthritis
7. Psoriasis

You might be surprised at how many common diseases can be caused by our own bodies immune system.  Some of you might be wondering why our bodies are frequently turning against us at all.

What caused this specific autoimmune disease in me I will probably never know for sure, but there is information on some of the possible causes of autoimmune diseases here.  If you viewed the link you can see how many of them are environmental toxins or additives in the food we eat and many of products we come into contact with daily.  In the second part of this post we will come back to why this is so important and what you can do to avoid the slow but inevitable decline in your health and happiness by limiting some of these external factors.

Several years after my diagnosis of hypothryoidism, I stopped running track and field due to a spinal disc injury.  For a good 10 or so years I was basically sedentary which wasn’t a good thing for my body either, but I wasn’t feeling much like doing anything as my body was slowly turning on me with one problem after another.  I was seeing doctors and telling them about my symptoms of intense fatigue, hair loss, night sweats, all over body and joint pain, migraines, depression and multiple stomach issues.  They could not diagnose a single thing wrong with me and claimed that everything in my lab work looked fine.

Knowing that there is something wrong and feeling like no one is listening, or believing there is an issue is one of the most infuriating things you can go through. Doctors prescribed me pill after pill of things that masked one symptom, but caused nasty and sometimes painful side effects.  The side affect from one medicine created another issue and they would prescribe me another pill to treat the side effect from the first drug.  Does anyone notice an infuriating pattern?  I was on the modern medicine hamster wheel, running really fast, getting dizzy trying to find a solution, but getting nowhere and exhausting myself emotionally and physically in the process.  The root causes of my problems were not being diagnosed.

I was fed up, angry and ready to try anything.  I know many people look down on people who research or attempt a self diagnosis via the internet.  Searching the internet for health info is often linked to folks who are hypochondriacs and crazy people. If you walk into some doctors offices with health information on hand it can get pretty adversarial really quickly.  I think if you find something on the internet in your quest for health you should always talk to your doctor and push for any tests if it is something you feel strongly about. If your doctor dismisses your perspective or at any point questions how you feel, it might be time to find a doctor who will work with you.  With that in mind I often tell people that if I had found something on the internet that said Panda urine would cure me of all my ills, I would be completely on board with it.  Don’t worry, it wasn’t a Panda cure that I discovered, but information on probiotics that set me on the path to recovering my health.  I discovered a specific probiotic meant specifically to make it through the digestive system and repopulate the gut with healthy bacteria and weed out the nasty ones.  I purchased the supplement and thankfully it was what started my healing process, but more than that, it started me on my alternative romance.

As mentioned previously, autoimmune diseases have a lot more to do with what our environment around us looks like than most of us realize.  More and more we are learning that what we eat, drink, breathe, wear, use can be linked to these sometimes debilitating illnesses.  We often try to find one single cause for any one illness, which is an effective way of not finding a solution. Many of these diseases have no one cause, but a combination of them that can be triggered based on what your individual weak spot is in your genetic makeup or current health state.  They can be triggered when the body is overwhelmed with either a virus, bacteria, toxin, heavy metal or any combination when the timing is right or more appropriately when the timing is wrong.

Since my first forays into the world of self health and alternative treatments I have learned quite a bit that has made me both angry and thankful.  In my next post, you might go through what I did when I started much of my research, which was to panic, get angry and word vomit to anyone about what is really in our air, food, water, makeup, deodorant, medicine, cookware, plastic, shampoo, carpet, beds, wifi, perfume, clothes and many, many, many other common items.  I can tell you that once you learn about some of this information, you may feel like preaching to the masses, but you may look like the lunatic yelling at people on the street corner about the end of days.  It is a recipe for disaster as I can attest to personally. People will start to ignore your angry conspiracy ravings, true or not.  This information can be overwhelming and many people confronted with these unfortunate truths will often decide that it is too much, too daunting and easier to just ignore.

Another thing to know before taking the red pill and going on a lifelong journey of health and wellness is that it can be an extremely painful process.  A lot of people give up on changing their healthy behaviors as often a true cure involves more pain before the healing.  This healing crisis phenomenon is called a Herxheimer Reaction.  Depending on your level of health, the healing process could cause enough discomfort to make you assume that the healthy things you are doing are actually hurting you.  The pain or negative reactions some people experience will often make them quit treatment or healthy behaviors when that may not be the right decision.  Often the more unhealthy, inflamed and toxic individuals will experience the worst symptoms so it can seem like a no-win scenario.

Like the Kobayashi Maru test, sometimes trying to be healthy can seem like a no-win scenario. I believe that when you decide to improve your health, even small victory’s should be counted, and the only time you really lose is if you choose not to try.  If you don’t know what the Kobayashi Maru is, then you are not geeky enough to be reading this blog post.  Come back when you have seen Star Trek….ALL OF THEM! Except Deep Space Nine, which isn’t really a Star Trek since they are just sitting there in space and not trekking anywhere….but I digress.

Part 2 of this post will be about the small changes you can make on your way to becoming your healthiest self.

So for those of you who don’t care what your skin looks like, this is not the post for you. You could read it anyway if you are looking for gifts for those friends and family that are skin obsessed this holiday season.

I often have to bite my tongue when I am involved in any conversation where someone says they want to age gracefully. I usually think to myself, I am not going down without a fight. I imagine myself grabbing a virtual sword and battling the aging process like it is a villain that requires vanquishing.  I didn’t always care about my skin like this though.

It wasn’t until I woke up over a year ago and realized that I was in my 40’s, had no skin care routine, and it showed on my skin.  The worst part about the aging process for me is that I cannot cover up my tired face with its sags and wrinkles with traditional makeup, since the titanium dioxide found in practically every single brand and type, makes me very sick.  Also as a cosmic joke while I was waiting for the stork to pass out knowledge and skills, I was busy with something else. I was most likely watching science fiction movies and missed the girly tutorial on how to apply makeup. Therefore skin care and makeup have never really been part of my non-routine. So what did I do? I decided to go on a skincare quest.

I am an online research junkie. When I get onto a subject I want to learn more about, I am like an internet bloodhound, seeking out every piece of information that I can find on any website, book or article.  I read publications by doctors discussing the latest research in science journals just as often as I read the less than reputable ones that for example, claim their alien abduction is the reason for their acne (Not a real story…I don’t think). I read everything I can find and sometimes it is on those obscure sites that you find something that could take you down a rabbit hole that could lead you to your own personal holy grail.  It has worked for me with my own journey with health care, so why not skin care?

It was during this research in August of 2017 that I stumbled across a relatively new item on the market called the ZIIP device. I did some research and found that many Hollywood folks, who always seem to look flawless, were some of the first adopters of these facials and science fiction looking facial tools. These gadgets and others like them (NuFace) use micro or nano electrical currents to increase blood flow and ATP to the skin. This assists your body in healing itself at the cellular level while increasing collagen and elastin production.  I decided to book an appointment with the famous aesthetician and the creator of the device, Melanie Simon, to see what these facials were all about and I purchased the device.

After a little over a year of consistent use, which for me means at least once and more often than not three times per week, I can say that the ZIIP device has worked miracles on my skin.  Yes, people will ask you why you are rubbing your face with a computer mouse, but trust me they will eat their words when they see the results. You really should commit to spending the time using the device, as you will notice better results cumulatively.  The app that you will download with the device contains different electrical cocktails for things like acne, pigmentation or just a full face energize treatment.  The programs last anywhere from 1 to 12 minutes depending on the one you choose.  I will often pick two or three different cocktails every other day and I can watch whatever geeky sci-fi program I want at the same time.   I will never ever need or want to get a facial again (excluding Melanie Simon’s) as I can give myself an at home treatment several times a week with better results.

You will also need to purchase one of the conductive gels that go with the device in order for the electrical currents to penetrate your skin and provide the appropriate electrical juju. There are two versions available the Golden Gel and the less expensive but no less effective Silver Gel.  These both contain all sorts of neat-o fancy ingredients and are made without any nasty oils that could cause a breakout.  These gels are a pretty powerful anti aging tool in and of themselves and I am pretty sure Melanie created them by collecting the snot of angels.

The ZIIP device appealed to my desire to support skincare naturally from within using food, supplements and other alternative methods to change what the skin looks like on the outside.  I also think much of the skincare and plastic surgery industry is moving to more natural looking ways to turn back the clock.  I find that you are less and less likely to see people who have had too much Botox or plastic surgery even in Los Angeles these days.  You can still pick these people out easily though as they look like the Joker or sound like they are talking with a retainer in their mouth.

I also continue to see Melanie Simon for her in person facials and will drop everything to see her if she has a cancellation, which she rarely does.  If Melanie suggests a product for my skin, I will buy it.  For those of you who know me, this is a rare thing as I usually have to research everything excessively and rarely trust what I am being told.  When Melanie says jump, aka here is a good product for you, I ask how high, and then I buy.  She has introduced me to my new favorite skin care line Biologique Recherche.  I purchase my products either from Melanie in person or from Rescue Spa which is an online store setup for those of us that cannot go to their spas in New York or Philadelphia.  I want to warn you about sticker shock with these products.  They are not cheap, but I feel that they are very much worth the price…at least for me.  In another post I can review some of the products I use and how they have benefited my skin.

Now I am not completely delusional and I get that there is no way to literally reverse time and not age, but I have found that there are some pretty interesting ways to cheat, fight, steal, kick and scream time into doing your bidding so that your skin can look younger and healthier than it has in a long time. The ZIIP device is definitely one of the most powerful weapons I employ in this ongoing battle.

It is almost Thanksgiving, and those of you just starting keto are probably wondering what the heck you are going to do come Turkey Day.

Some of you will say, to hell with it and fall off the fat wagon, which I might add is a valid choice considering all of the yummy food that will be available.  Some of you however might be in panic mode as you do not want to derail your progress thus far.

Well I have some very yummy alternatives that you can include with the rest of the Thanksgiving fare that will help you enjoy the day without feeling awful.  Obviously you don’t need to do anything different for the Turkey as it doesn’t contain carbs unless you are making it glazed, but why…why would you ever do that?  It is all the fun side dishes that will make you feel like you are missing out unless you can keto them up so you too can enjoy.

Mashed Cauliflower – This one is easy and there are many recipes on the internet, but my preference is to simmer the cauliflower in a good chicken or turkey stock that will add yummy flavor to this mashed potato alternative.  All you will need is your choice of broth, one cauliflower head or a bag or two of fresh cauliflower florets, butter, salt, pepper and chives to garnish. This is really easy to make in advance and reheat gently in the oven on Turkey day.  You can also dress it up with garlic, wasabi, Parmesan cheese or whatever you would like with your mashed notatoes.

1. Chop up cauliflower head into even florets and place them in a pot.  Cover them with the stock/broth and season with salt.
2. Set the stove to medium heat and put a cover on the pot making sure that you check it periodically to see that it doesn’t boil over.
3. Once the cauliflower is fork tender remove from heat and drain.
4. Place the cooked cauliflower in the blender with some butter (2-3 tablespoons) and salt and pepper and puree until it is creamy smooth.
5. Once you have it blended and have the correct seasoning, garnish with chopped chives.

Creamed pearl onions – This is one of my go to Thanksgiving recipes whether I am on keto or not.  Make sure to have frozen pearl onions, butter, cream and salt and pepper.

1. Melt a tablespoon of butter over low to medium heat in a pan and place frozen or thawed pearl onions in a single layer.
2. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper.
3. Slowly caramelize the onions while stirring periodically. This will take a different amount of time based on whether the onions were frozen or thawed.
4. Once the onions are a lovely shade of caramel brown reduce the heat to very low and add 1/2 cup of cream and stir until it simmers slightly.
5. Turn off the stove and season again to taste.

No sugar cranberry sauce – Cranberry sauce is the easiest to make as it only requires cranberries, your keto sweetener of choice and water to make.  I find that getting the cranberry sauce out of the can could actually take you longer than cooking your own due to the vacuum seal on those things.  I use powdered erythritol like swerve to sweeten my homemade sauce.

1. Put one 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries in a pot and add between 3/4 cup to 1 cup of water.  It won’t cover the cranberries completely.  Make sure to rinse the cranberries first to make sure no little icky stems accidentally mar your cranberry perfection.
2. Heat on medium heat until the cranberries pop and thicken up to the desired consistency.  This should take around 10 minutes.  Remove from heat
3. Stir in 3/4 cup to 1 cup of your powdered swerve or other natural keto sweetener to taste.  I will warn you that different sweeteners have more or less sweet to them, and if you try putting the same amount of Monk Fruit Extract as I have listed for swerve, well……I want to hear how badly it goes in the comments.  Here is a sweetener conversion chart and you will see why you can’t just throw in the same amount of each alternative.  And yes, I did make this mistake once with Monk Fruit extract. I didn’t realize my taste buds could taste something that powerful as the sweetness literally went to 11.

 

Keto Turkey Gravy – There are quite a few options to thicken gravy instead of using wheat or rice flours.  The ones that are often used for gravies are Xanthan, Guar and Locust Bean gums.  The key with thickening using these are using small amounts.  I can attest to using too much Xanthan gum in a recipe once and if you don’t want it to turn out like snot, less is more.  You can also use cream or cream cheese to thicken your turkey gravy if you do not want to use a thickening agent like those listed above.  Also taking more time to reduce your turkey drippings/broth will also help with the thickness and flavor.

Keto Bark – No oven required.  I purchased this Keto Bark pictured below and it is quite simply Inconceivable!  Yes, I know what that word means! People who have tried it can’t tell the difference between regular dark chocolate sweetened with sugar and this yummy treat that is sweetened with Monk Fruit Extract.  It is simply beyond belief that this chocolate has 2 grams net carbs per ounce and can taste so good.  If people around you are constantly noshing on lots of sweets and treats you can stay strong with these glorious chocolate bars.

Keto Pumpkin Pudding – For those that have to have their pumpkin at Thanksgiving here is a great keto option.  I have not yet tried this recipe but I plan to make it this Thanksgiving.

 

So no matter what route you choose this Thanksgiving, please know that infrequently indulging in a few extra carbs, is not the end of the world.  There are plenty of online resources that discuss a cyclical keto diet and even though they are tailored more toward athletes that are working out fairly heavily, I know that anyone really committed to changing their health with keto will bounce back to strict keto come Black Friday.

 

 

“But isn’t it unhealthy? You are going to die of a heart attack. What about kidney damage? You can’t eat out. People will think you are weird. You need carbohydrates to survive. You are going to break out. You will eat too much meat.”

Let me set the record straight.  Keto does not mean I am eating bacon, sticks of butter and drinking olive oil with my heavy cream filled coffee every day, or any day for that matter.  If you must know, I eat more vegetables on keto than when I was eating according to the USDA’s food pyramid.   Is it a coincidence that the acronym for the standard american diet is SAD?  I think not since I don’t believe in coincidences.  I am not really sure where all these misconceptions about keto started but let me tell you how I keto and you can decide how healthy it might be for you. Oh, and about the above statement regarding coincidences, I do believe in them, but I just wanted to write it that way because it sounded better.

From most keto advice I have found, they state that you should be eating anywhere from 65-85% of your calories from fat, 15-25% of calories from protein and 5-15% from carbohydrates.  If you are checking my math, please note I consistently cried in middle school while doing math homework, and these are just approximate percentages.

 

Where people get confused is that it is not 65-85% of fat by volume, it is the calories derived from these macros.  The calories in a gram of fat is approximately 9 where both protein and carbohydrates have about 4.  So if you think about it using a calculator, divide by 9, carry the one, add my tears about math, you learn that you will need to eat less fat by volume than protein or carbohydrates on keto.  Yes I do use butter, cream and olive oil regularly, but it isn’t as if I am sipping drawn butter out of a tea cup while nibbling on bacon for breakfast.

The other misconception that people have about keto is that you are eating large amounts of meat or other proteins, which is just plain silly.  I think the misunderstanding comes from the whole caveman/paleo eating movement, and for some reason people got it in their heads that we all needed to walk around eating our torso’s weight in meat every day, which I might add, is not really what the paleo diet is either.  We should be eating “moderate” amounts of protein, or approximately 15-25% of our daily calories on keto.  Any more than that and your body can turn that protein into carbohydrates through the process of Gluconeogenisis, and any less and you could start converting your own muscle into the carbs your body still requires in parts of your brain and muscles.

Here is a sample list of what I am eating on a daily basis.  Obviously this is not an all inclusive list of everything I have ever eaten on keto, but just enough to give you some ideas and to show you keto can actually be pretty healthy if done right.

Breakfast

• Bulletproof coffee or a cappuccino with half-and-half.  When you are starting out on keto, half-and-half can be risky because it contains a lot of carbohydrates, but once you are fat adapted, a few months in, you can often handle a few more carbohydrates.
• Omelette with veggies and cheese.
• Scrambled eggs on a bed of lettuce with avocado and ham or bacon.
• ProGranola with Macadamia or Almond milk (read my first post).
• Keto Maple, Bacon Pancake Muffins (read my first post!)

Lunch

• Cobb Salad, but hold the dressing if you are getting it from a restaurant.  Salad dressings are risky to get at restaurants as they will often have thickeners like wheat and more often than not, contain sugar.  Bring your own, verified extra virgin olive oil or other homemade dressing. (Seriously? You still haven’t read my first post?)
• Taco salad with ground beef, avocados, tomatoes, onions and homemade cheese sauce dressing.
• Another miscellaneous salad….I eat a lot of salads.

Dinner

• Cauliflower crust pizza with turkey pepperoni, olives, red onions and of course cheese.
• Pan fried riced cauliflower with Applegate Organics Spinach and Feta Sausage.
• Spaghetti’d zucchini squash with, roast chicken and homemade Alfredo sauce.

Snacks

• Macadmia Nuts
• Dried meats without added sugar
• Cheese cubes or string cheese
• Dried pumpkin seeds
• Celery with dressed up cream cheese or store bought Boursin

As you can see, there are no bullet points above that list deep fried, macadamia nut crusted butter sticks or bacon wrapped mozzarella with hollandaise sauce.  These items however will be available at your next county fair, as they will deep fry or bacon wrap anything.  I try and ensure that if I am eating cream or cheeses in one meal, my next meal will be light or absent those fat choices and include more olive oil or avocado for example. Variation is key.

The other strange thing that I have read as a reason not to start the keto diet is that it is hard to follow for most people.  Seriously? That is what they come up with as a reason not to try keto?!?  Having kids, working out and holding down a job is also difficult at times.  I still see parents with babies roaming the streets like unwashed, half asleep zombies.  There are also 24 hour fitness locations every 2 square miles in Los Angeles, and people get jobs so they can eat and put a roof over their heads.  There is a payoff to keto just like with those other “difficult” things that we do regularly and don’t think too much about.  Dissuading people from trying keto just because they think people can’t follow through with the diet is the most patronizing, ridiculous and dare I say desperate reason to poo-poo something that they often have never tried themselves.

Keto, like any healthy lifestyle change, is a bit tough in the beginning, but once you find what works for you, it becomes easier every day.  I also no longer play the mid-morning hunger games or get the afternoon “food coma” anymore. Am I going to continue with the keto diet forever? Probably not, but I think it has definitely changed my view of how to stay healthy by “eating to live” rather than “living to eat.”