Busy
people may have better-functioning brains in
old age than those who are less busy, scientists have suggested.
A healthily busy
lifestyle is associated with improved cognitive function, the Dallas Lifespan Brain
Study found, particularly when it comes to working memory,
reasoning and vocabulary.
However, the
scientists were not able to say if the heightened brain function is caused
by being busy, or vice versa.
A total of 330
volunteers aged between 50 and 89 filled in questionnaires for the project,
which was published in the journalFrontiers
in Aging Neuroscience. The volunteers also completed a series of
neuropsychological tests which measured their cognitive performance.
Denise
Park, the director of the Dallas Lifespan
Brain Study, said she was surprised at how little research had been
carried out on the subject, given that being too busy "seems to be a
fact of modern life for so many".
And while the
research was not affected by an individual’s level of education and age, Ms
Park said that a link had been discovered between busy lifestyles
and superior processing speed of the brain, working memory,
reasoning and vocabulary.
In
particular, there was a strong association between busyness and memory
- specifically, the ability to remember certain events in the past.
Sara
Festini, lead author of the study, said: "We show that people who report
greater levels of daily busyness tend to have better cognition, especially with
regard to memory for recently learned information."
However,
the results also raised further questions – such as whether being busy improves
cognitive function or if people with heightened neurological
characteristics simply tend to be busier people.
The
researchers hypothesised another possibility: That busier people, by the nature
of their lifestyles, have more opportunities to learn through the wider variety
of situations they find themselves in, which results in stimulating cognition.
"Living
a busy lifestyle appears beneficial for mental function, although additional
experimental work is needed to determine if manipulations of busyness have the
same effect," said Dr Festini.
While being overly busy can lead to conditions like chronic
stress, other experts have supported the claim that
a healthy level of busyness can also be important for mental health. Doctors
often instruct patients with depression to keep busy to try to distract
themselves from their condition.
Clinical psychotherapist Dr Nikki Webber told Medical Daily: “Isolation is a leading contributing factor
to depression and leading a busy lifestyle can offer more opportunities to
connect to others, which many people underestimate the need for.”
Monday, May 16, 2016
"Fasting is a challenge to your brain."
Love this quote, "Humans live on one-quarter of what they
eat.On the other three quarters live
their doctor." Dr. Mark Mattson above explains the benefits not only to your overall health but also to brain health of fasting. Huh. Who would have thought?
In almost
all things established in politics, economics, history, and whatnot, what I
love most is questioning conventional wisdom. This presentation does just
that.
The presentation begins
by questioning the conventional wisdom of eating three meals plus one or two
snacks a day. One, who set this regimen? And two, who benefits
financially? To answer the second question I would think that the food industry
benefits, no? I mean wouldn't it get people addicted to, well, food, all
kinds of food from snacks to cereals to fruits even vegetables? And even
if one is not addicted to the foods, they can easily be keyed into the oversold
benefits of different kinds of foods and be thinking about food, about getting
to the grocery store, about preparing and cooking their next meal which if done
three times a day including snacks is only minutes away.
Why is it that the normal diet is three meals
a day plus snacks? It isn’t that it’s the healthiest eating pattern, now that’s
my opinion but I think there is a lot of evidence to support that. There
are a lot of pressures to have that eating pattern, there’s a lot of money
involved. The food industry—are they going to make money from skipping breakfastlike I did today? No, they’re
going to lose money. If people fast, the food industry loses money. What about the pharmaceutical industries? What if people do some intermittent
fasting, exercise periodically and are very healthy, is the
pharmaceutical industry going to make any money on healthy people?
That should be an eye-opener. Do you really need those three meals plus snacks? Hmm. Maybe. I know that Barry Sears' Zone Diet recommends three meals, light but functional meals mind you (and who also understands calorie restrictions--hence, the smaller sized meals), plus two snacks in his diet. I should I know. I studied it and followed it religiously until all the benefits, at least for me, plateaued. But I still observe many aspects of his Zone Diet. I still try to keep my hormones in balance with a low protein profile, a higher healthy fat content, and vegetable enzymes to break proteins down and enhance digestion.
One of the key points that Dr. Mattson makes above is that "fasting twice a week could significantly lower the risk of developing both Parkinson’sand Alzheimer’s disease." Okay, this should stand out as news
to anyone, I mean anyone concerned about their long-term health. I wonder
if one of the reasons that people who are very ill or injured tend to eat less
or don't want to eat at all. And folks who are healthier tell them,
"Well, you've got to eat." Ah, no, I don't.
The benefits of fasting to the brain are impressive.
Fasting does good things for the brain, and this is evident by
all of the beneficial neurochemical changes that happen in the brain when we
fast. It also improves cognitive function, increases neurotrophic factors,
increases stress resistance, and reducesinflammation.
Fastingis
a challenge to your brain, and your brain responds to that challenge by adapting
stress response pathways which help your brain cope with stress and risk for
disease. The same changes that occur in the brain during fasting mimic the
changes that occur with regular exercise. They both increase the production of
protein in the brain (neurotrophic factors), which in turn promotes the growth
of neurons, the connection between neurons, and the strength of synapses.
Challenges to your brain, whether it’s intermittent fasting
[or] vigorous exercise . . . is cognitive challenges. When this
happens neuro-circuits are activated, levels of neurotrophic factors
increase, that promotes the growth of neurons [and] the formation
and strengthening of synapses. . . .
Fasting can also
stimulate the production of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus.
He also mentions ketones (an energy source for neurons), and how fasting
stimulates the production of ketones and that it may also increase the number
of mitochondria in neurons. Fasting also increases the number of mitochondria
in nerve cells; this comes as a result of the neurons adapting to the stress of
fasting (by producing more mitochondria).
By increasing
the number of mitochondria in the neurons, the ability for nerons to form and
maintain the connections between each other also increases, thereby
improving learning and memory ability.
Remarkable. Think about what this means. You eat less you'll do better following an illness and injury. Eat less. A lot less. And when you do eat, eat functional foods. Think bone broth for recovery. Mattson refers to Upton Sinclair's essay, called The Fasting Cure. Give a read.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Our Food Supply Is Controlled by Chemical Giants
A
class-action lawsuit for false advertising has been filed against Quaker Oats
after traces of the pesticide glyphosate were found in samples of oatmeal.The
complaint is not that the levels were thought to be dangerous, but that the
company was not telling the truth when it labeled the product as 100% natural.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s weed-killer, Roundup.
Plaintiffs are seeking refunds and asking PepsiCo (Quaker’s parent company)
either to reformulate the product or disclose the presence of glyphosate in it.
Eater 2016 May 2
What follows are my notes from the show, from John Moody and Tom Woods. Enjoy.
3:15 Just last week 2.5 million
pounds of poultry were recalled because of what the FDA called "extraneous contamination," meaning
that when you bite your chicken nuggets [or some other chicken product], you get bits of plastic or rock.
Statistics show that it
has made our food supply less safe.
Why would the food be not
safe? Food system used to work and look, and legislation distorted the
food system and how it works. Cows used to be butchered at 10,000
locations and be fed a lot less grain. Meat in America used to be a
highly diversified and competitive industry. When you see all these
different labels and different products
Now we have it where 80%
of all meat in the US is controlled by 3 to 5 companies. With this
consolidation of control, you have consolidation of processing.
The meat you have in the
hamburger you ordered at a local restaurant comes from the beef of tens of
thousands of cows that have been all ground together, whereas in the old days
we had 10,000 different locations that used to butcher the beef. Today we
have only a few.
If there was one sick cow
or one sick employee or one improperly sanitized step in that process, with all
of these commingled cows, you now get the multi-million-pound food meat
recalls. Only way people could keep up with meat regulations and
additional costs they created was by consolidating to keep
up. And the consolidation made the meat supply less and less
safe. It's astoundingly sad to see an action how badly this legislation
turned out for the American people and the American farmer.
Meat wasn't unsafe before
the wholesome meat act. It was driven by the fictional writing by Upton
Sinclair. He had in his sites labor and not so much the meat
industry. If these foods meat and raw milk were so unsafe, none of
us would have ever gotten here. We're indoctrinated into believing that
before the government got involved in these industries, these industries were
killing people left and right.
If we want a safe meat
industry . . . , no such thing in a no-risk option, it would be a decentralized
meat system, where animals are not being commingled, where you're not putting
3000 chickens an hour through a multi-step chlorine bath from chickens that have
been raised in their own fecal matter.
Woods,
"this helps to account for the increasing interest of getting all
foods from local farms." It is illegal for farmers to choose where they have their animals butchered because of the Wholesome Meat Act, 1967. Some states for instance, one farmer lives right along the state line, he has to take his animals all the way to the
Custom slaughterhouse. He took two cows to be butchered. Took two weeks to pick them up when they're all done--they need to be hung and aged. the packaging said "Not for Sale." Because the meat was butchered at a custom slaughterhouse. It magically becomes unsafe when
Who is the beneficiary in all of this?
The processing cartels and the larger players in the meat industry. 80% of beef in America is controlled by only 4 companies. They enjoy cost advantages and economies of scale over small farmers that would not exist if local farmers were allowed to sell directly to the consumer. He can give the meat away, have friends over to eat that meat at this house, eat himself, but once he tries to sell it it becomes unsafe and he would be a criminal. Enjoy massive subsidization because of the Farm Bill.
Cans of Coca Cola are cheaper than carrots.
The Federal Government recently approved American raised chicken can be killed in America and frozen, then shipped to China, unfrozen there and processed, then refrozen and shipped back to the United States, and allowed to be labeled "Raised in America." You as a consumer will not know it is Chinese processed chicken. The feds will allow the chicken to be labeled "Grown in America" or "Raised in America."
You as a consumer will not know. Cheaper for a chicken to cross the road to China and back than it is for a chicken to come from a local farm.
WHAT COULD THE MOTIVATION BE BEHIND THIS FEDERAL ACT?
To create trouble for small business owners. Temporary inspector was so bad, that a few employees quit in tears. How does this affect the big players? They're having 3,000 chickens an hour going through the process line. How much control is the inspector exerting on the large farms?
Only when undercover whistle blowers have recorded abuses by the Federal food inspectors. If the animal is 30 months or older, that animal must be condemned. This is for animals with the best cuts of meats. Smaller and local farmers don't use grain. It takes longer. Here's a regulation that tilts in favor companies he's competing against. If the inspector decides that the animal is older than 30 months, the small farmer can lose all those good cuts of lucrative meat. Those Chinese chickens receive literally billions of dollars per year in government subsidization before they go to China through the perverse incentives of grain subsidization. See Denis Minger's, Death by Food Pyramid. No section of the economy that has been as tampered with as food and farming. So you have these massive grain subsidies that prop up the feeding of animals who aren't designed to eat grain feeding them grain. Then you have these regulatory frameworks that favor massive consolidation as the only way to comply with these huge costs of these regulatory structures for the butchers. And every step of the way, small farmer can't externalize his cost onto others. As a small farmer, manure is an economic benefit, not an economic liability. CAFO's, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, have manure lagoons that contaminate ground water, causing the collapse of aquifers all over the country and externalizing all of these environmental costs onto their communities in terms of gobbling up all of the groundwater, contaminating ground water supplies, odor issues, other noxious issues. His friends in Indiana where the farmers can't go outside their homes because the smell of the manure is so bad and the government protects this pollution. Property rights are being denied to them because of big agra businesses. Subsidization to the Agricultural giants. "Beef: it's what's for dinner." Industry trade groups? No. Quasi governmental trade group that the supreme court ruled can force all farmers to contribute to them. They're called "Check-offs." The Supreme Court said these check-off programs can force all farmers in the nation to contribute money to them even if you don't agree with them, even if you don't want to support them. They're basically a government mandated cartel. The Supreme Court treats it as a tax. These programs are shielded from FOIA requests. Because the check-off programs are using the money they're extracting from all farmers to basically lobby against and hurt others who are forced to contribute to them.
WHAT IS THE PRIME ACT? WHAT WOULD THIS DO AND WHAT'S DESIRABLE ABOUT IT? The Prime Act would be the first rollback to federal meat inspection in history. Called the Prime Act. Would allow individual states to opt out of the requirement for USDA Inspection for by-the-cut meat butchering sales. If he were trying to sell ground beef from a cow he butchered, he would become a criminal. So his meat would have to go to a USDA meat-inspected facility. If that were to pass, it would allow farmers to sell meat from custom slaughterhouses. It's a bill. Not law yet. Done fairly well in the house. Thomas Massie introduced the bill. Found sponsors and co-sponsors in the Senate. It would have traction because people on both sides see this bill as being a win. For Republicans, it's a limited-government bill. On democrat side, it's local government. His site is a 501C4, Not for Profit. It advocates for a truly free food system to protect consumers and producers and access to food with no government regulation and regulations. Taking away the ability of government to be taken away from corporations. Wants people to have the ability to opt out of the regulated food system. Engage in lobbying, litigation, and education. 1960, 10,000 to 20,000 of butchering options to now less than 3,000. Went from a beef industry with thousands of players and businesses to a beef industry of four. None of this would have ever happened had the government not stacked the deck to eliminate competition to encourage and create consolidation. Woods shows how government inhibits competition.
He points to probiotics and bone broth, two of my favorite foods. He begins by defining what a leaky gut is:
Leaky
gut syndrome is a condition also referred to as
increased intestinal permeability where the “net” in your digestive tract gets
damaged which allows proteins (like gluten), bad bacteria, and undigested
particles to pass into your blood stream. These particles cause systemic inflammation and an immune
reaction over time.
Where does a leaky gut begin?
The leaky gut disorder begins in a very important organ your
small intestine. The small intestine is vitally important because the
majority of the vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat are absorbed there.
In order for these nutrients to be absorbed, the small intestine
contains very small openings so the nutrients can be transferred into the
bloodstream. Once transferred, the nutrients are then shuttled and deposited
all around the body by the blood.
But isn't the intestinal wall already a little permeable so that food can pass through it into the bloodstream? Yes, it is.
The wall of the intestine is considered a semi-permeable. This
means the pores (junctions) only allow certain things to enter the bloodstream
and block other things from entering the bloodstream.
For instance, specific molecules and nutrients are allowed to
pass through but toxins and large undigested food particles are blocked.
That last bit is a word of good news.
The first symptom I would presume of a leaky gut would be inflammation. But where? I've experienced inflammation the lower legs and hip.
With leaky gut, your pores can continue to widen (like getting a
larger hole torn in your net). And as this happens, the undigested foods
particles that are supposed to be kept out pass through into your bloodstream
and then circulate throughout the body. This causes systemic inflammation
and leads to an immune reaction.
This doesn't sound too good:
Often times then your body will begin to recognize certain foods
as toxic and will facilitate an immune reaction whenever you eat the food.
If this problem continues, leaky gut can then progress to autoimmune
disease.
Some of the initial symptoms of leaky gut can include food allergies,
skin issues like acne and eczema, digestive issues like bloating, gas and IBS.
In order to repair leaky gut you must make specific diet
changes and look to leaky gut syndrome natural cures.
FOODS THAT REMEDY A LEAKY GUT
Here is a list of foods on the leaky gut diet. These foods support healing because they are easy to digest and can help repair the lining of the intestines.
Bone broth – Bone broth (made from scratch) provides important
amino acids and minerals including proline, glycine and potassium that can help
heal leaky gut and improve mineral deficiencies.
Raw cultured dairy – Probiotic rich foods like kefir, amasai and
yogurt can help heal the gut by destroying bad bacteria like candida.
Fermented vegetables – Try to add fermented foods such as coconut kefir,
kvass, sauerkraut or kimchi. These fermented foods contain probiotics
essential in helping repair a leaky gut that work by balancing the pH in the
stomach and small intestines.
Steamed vegetables – Non-starchy vegetables that are cooked or steamed are easy
to digest and are an essential part of the leaky gut diet.
Healthy fats – Consuming healthy fats in moderation like egg yolks,
salmon, avocados, ghee and coconut oilare easy on the gut and promote healing.
Fruit – Consuming 1-2 servings of fruit daily is good on a leaky gut
diet. You can steam apples and pears to make homemade apple sauce or
fruit sauce. Fruit is best consumed in the morning and not later on in the day
and keep fruit intake in moderation.
FOODS THAT CAUSE A LEAKY GUT
Here are the biggest culprits that cause a leaky gut by creating intestinal inflammation and candida:
Gluten – A gluten free diet can help improve the symptoms of
leaky gut. Gluten is the sticky protein found in most grain products including
wheat and is difficult to digest unless it’s been brought through a sourdough
or sprouting process. On the leaky gut diet you will want to avoid all foods
that contain gluten and wheat products.
Cows Dairy – The protein in cows dairy, called A1 casein, can trigger
a similar reaction as gluten and therefore should be avoided. In fact, A1
casein may be 26x more inflammatory than gluten!
Sugar – Feeds yeast and bad bacteria that can damage the
intestinal wall creating a leaky gut. If you are going to use a sweetener raw
local honey is your best option but even that should be consumed in moderation
at 1 tbsp daily.
Unsprouted Grains – Grains and soy when unsprouted and unfermented
contain phytic acid which can irritate the intestines causing leaky gut.
GMO – Genetically modified organisms contain herbicides and
pesticides that damage the gut lining. Studies out of the Journal of Environmental Sciences have found GMO
foods destroy the probiotics in your gut and cause organ inflammation.
TOP 5 REMEDIES FOR A LEAKY GUT
In following a leaky gut treatment plan you will want to take specific supplements to support digestion as well as protect the gut lining from further damage. Here are the most important leaky gut supplements you should consider taking:
#1 Probiotics (50-100 billion units daily)Probiotics can help
re-colonize the gut with healthy bacteria.
#2 L-glutamine powder (5 grams 2x daily)Glutamine is an
amino acid that helps repair the digestive tract, especially important for
people with chronic diarrhea.
#3 Digestive Enzymes (2 before each meal)
These enzymes will improve nutrient absorption and help break down food
particles.
#4 Aloe Vera Juice (1/2 cup 3x daily)
Aloe is healing to the digestive system.
#5 Fish oil (1000 mg daily)
Fish oil contains the essential fatty acids EPA/DHA which reduce inflammation.
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR A LEAKY GUT
I've never heard of using essential oils for a leaky gut, but the ones he selected absolutely do sound promising. And he suggests adding them to a beverage that you can drink. I never would have thought of imbibing essential oils. Put into baths and apply on compresses, yes, but not drink them. So that is interesting.
Essential oils of ginger and peppermint can
soothe intestinal inflammation and support the healing of leaky gut.
Interesting. But I would suggest his next suggestion would work better if done at night or in the morning where you know you're not going out of the house for a few hours.
Take 2
drops of of each oil internally in a glass of water. Also mix 3 drops of
oils with coconut oil and rub over abdomen 2x daily.