Dr. Ray Sahelian seems like a health-conscious, ethically-centered physician who does a pretty good job of assessing the true effects of supplements.  I like his site because his language is thoughtfully circumspect.  If he doesn't know the benefits of a particular supplement, he'll state as much.  And his recommendations seem cautious or at least contingent upon specifics.  That is rare for the internet.  Below is a sample question and answer on the supplement Benfotiamine.

QUESTION

Vitamin Supplement Little More Than 'Snake Oil,' Researcher Claims. Science Daily (2008)  — A popular vitamin supplement is being advertised with claims that are demonstrably untrue, as revealed by research published in the open access journal BMC Pharmacology. Benfotiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). It is marketed heavily as a dietary supplement using a selection of unsubstantiated, 'not-quite-medical' claims that tend to characterize this field. A large part of this campaign has been built around the belief that benfotiamine is lipid-soluble and, therefore, more physiologically active. Scientific research led by Dr Lucien Bettendorff of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Liège, Belgium, has entirely disproved these claims. According to Lucien Bettendorff, "We suspect that those companies selling benfotiamine have poisoned much of the recent literature in an attempt to bestow it with properties that it does not have". Benfotiamine has been previously shown to prevent several diabetic complications in experimental animal models. The researchers carried out experiments in mice in which it was administered using several different techniques and the resulting levels of thiamine were measured in various parts of the body. Contrary to other claims about its solubility, the results show that it is only sparingly soluble in water under physiological conditions and cannot be dissolved in octanol or oils. As Lucien Bettendorff explains, "Benfotiamine is very often considered a 'lipid-soluble' thiamine precursor from the disulfide derivative family though it is neither lipid-soluble, nor a disulfide. Sometimes, it is considered to have more biological activity than thiamine disulfides, but our study shows that it does not even penetrate cell membranes, except in those cells containing an ecto-alkaline phosphatase. There is no evidence that benfotiamine would be more effective than other precursors as a therapeutic agent for complications of diabetes." Journal reference: Marie-Laure Volvert, Sandrine Seyen, Marie Piette, Brigitte Evrard, Marjorie Gangolf, Jean-Christophe Plumier and Lucien Bettendorff. Benfotiamine, a synthetic S-acyl thiamine derivative, has different mechanisms of action and a different pharmacological profile than lipid-soluble thiamine disulfide derivatives. BMC Pharmacology, 2008.     

ANSWER

As with many supplements or medications, it often takes many years of research from various centers to finally have a good understanding of whether the supplement or medication works or whether is is ineffective. We happen to be in the early stages in terms of benfotiamine research and it is not easy for me to predict the outcome.

Reverse Fatty Liver

The liver has 500 functions?  Never heard that before. 

It makes protein.  Controls blood sugars.  Controls detoxification.  It stores fat-soluble vitamins.  It makes certain hormones, growth hormone and Igf, and others.  It's a hub of health.  Thyroid uses the liver to convert T3 to convert to T4.

Folks with protruding guts have a fatty liver.  

How to heal it?  Consume bitter vegetables. You like spinach? That's bitter: eat spinach.

You like parsley? That's bitter: eat parsley too.

By the way, the same approach to reversing a fatty liver is the same for cleansing the liver--eat bitter green vegetables.  Radishes are good too.  I used to eat a lot of these as a kid.  Didn't like them so much then, but we'd add salt and that would make us happier.  

Ketone Bodies Protect the Brain

Fascinating interview on the value of living in high altitudes. Denver and Reno are two cities with high altitude. What are the benefits? Weight loss. Better recovery from injury.

Show notes:

Sustained exposure to hypobaric hypoxia results in cachexia. Muscle breakdown releases amino acids, whilst hepatic ketogenesis converts fatty acids and some amino acids into ketone bodies. These act as metabolic substrates, but also as metabolic modulators eliciting protective effects against hypoxic injury. In this video, Andrew J. Murray and Hugh E. Montgomery explain their hypothesis and propose that hypoxia-induced cachexia is protective.

Read the article here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10...

" . . . 95% of all tooth extractions result in a pathologic [bone] cavitation."

So, one, don't have your wisdom teeth extracted.  And two, don't get braces: orthodontists extract perfectly good teeth!!  Don't let them.  You need them for overall health. 

from Dr. Paul Genung's Holistic Dentistry in Seattle.

A cavitation is an unhealed hole in the jawbone caused by an extracted tooth. Since wisdom teeth are the most commonly extracted teeth, cavitations are most frequently found in the wisdom tooth sites. Please see the graphic and photo at the right to get a glimpse of what may be in your mouth and the effects it is having. The photo and diagram demonstrate the destructive and pathologic consequence of a routine tooth extraction. Dentists are taught in dental school that once they pull a tooth, the patient’s body heals the resulting hole in the jawbone. However, approximately 95% of all tooth extractions result in a pathologic defect called a cavitation. The tooth is attached to the jawbone by a periodontal ligament which is comprised of “jillions” of microscopic fibers. One end of each fiber is attached to the jawbone and the other end of the fiber is attached to the tooth root. When a tooth is extracted, the fibers break midway between the root and the bone. This leaves the socket (the area where the root was anchored in the bone) coated with periodontal ligament fibers. There are specialized cells in the bone called osteoblasts. Osteoblasts make new bone. The word “osteoblast” means bone former. They are active during growth, repair and maintenance. However, the periodontal ligament prevents the osteoblasts from filling in the tooth socket with bone since the periodontal ligament fibers lining the socket act as a barrier beyond which the osteoblasts cannot form bone. In other words, an osteoblast “sees” a tooth when it “sees” periodontal ligament fibers. Since there are billions of bacteria in the mouth, they easily get into the open tooth socket. Since the bone is unable to fill in the defect of the socket, the newly formed “cavitation” is now infected. Since there is no blood supply to the “cavitation” it is called “ischemic” or “avascular” (without a blood supply). This results in necrosis (tissue death). Hence we call a cavitation an unhealed, chronically infected, avascular, necrotic hole in the bone. The defect acts to an acupuncture meridian the same way a dead tooth (or root canal tooth) acts. It causes an interference field on the meridian which can impair the function and health of other tissues, organs and structures on the meridian. Significantly, the bacteria in the cavitation also produce the same deadly toxins that are produced by the bacteria in root canals (see Root Canals). These toxins are thio-ethers (most toxic organic substance known to man), thio-ethanols, and mercaptans. They have been found in the tumors in women with breast cancer.

VITAMIN C: YOUR INVISIBLE TOOTHBRUSH

Dr. Emmanuel Cheraskin presents evidence that serum vitamin C levels are just as important as brushing for the prevention of tooth decay.

NATURAL VERSUS SYNTHETIC VITAMIN C

By Thomas Cowan, MD

This is remarkable:

It is common these days to use the terms vitamin C interchangeably with ascorbic acid. In fact, there are numerous differences between these two very distinct biological entities. Vitamin C, found in numerous plant and animal foods, is a necessary nutrient for humans in that we make none of our own vitamin C. Natural vitamin C is a complex mixture of at least 9 or 10 distinct molecular entities. These include ascorbic acid (the preservative part of the complex), tyrosinase (an enzyme), rutin, bioflavenoids, copper, manganese, and other enzymes and minerals. Each of these compounds has a synergistic effect with the other substances, the end result being a potent and complicated compound that has far-reaching biological effects. Some of these effects include reducing capillary fragility (thus reducing the tendency to bruising or bleeding), improving the integrity of the collagen fibers, binding and thereby neutralizing histamine (lessening allergies), and many other vital functions. Ascorbic acid has only one effect, that is anti-oxidation. While many nutritionists and physicians sing the praises of anti-oxidants in our diet, the fact is that excessive anti-oxidation inhibits our cellular mechanisms from digesting and disposing of unwanted tissue. This is perhaps why the latest studies on excessive use of ascorbic acid show that it may contribute to the development of coronary artery disease. This situation would never arise from the use of the whole vitamin C complex as found in natural foods.  

 You might find this list fascinating.

"LEPTIN EVEN FREES UP TESTOTERONE, IMPROVING MUSCLE TO FAT RATIO"

"Leptin even frees up testosterone, improving muscle to fat ratio . . ."

By Kat James via Lew Rockwell titled there as "Harnessing the Power of Leptin to Transform Your Body, Your Brain, and Your Life."

Ready or not, the science is in: The largest dietary studies in history, such as Stanford’s A to Z study and the Swedish Council on Health and Technology Assessment review of 16,000 dietary studies, have clearly shown that low-carb diets reign supreme for both weight loss and health. Sweden has declared “LCHF” (Low Carb High Fat) as their official diet. Norway followed. The USDA won’t “go there” yet, but they did strike cholesterol from their list of things to avoid for the first time since 1980. Ivy league cardiologists are admitting being wrong for forty years. Time put a pat of butter on the cover last year and reported that fat-phobia (in both culture and the medical world) was based on… um… flawed science.

What next, you say? Are they going to tell us lard is healthy? Well… yeah. Lard recently won out over other common “healthy” oils for promoting the most longevity in calorie-restricted rodents. Low carb was the diet that allowed cancer-fighting herbs like turmeric to actually work (they could not in the presence of sugar). Very low carb diets are being used as cancer treatment. Will this “craziness” stop? I hope not. I’ve been waiting for this truth to come out for twenty-five years.

Maybe you’re hip and have already adopted some incarnation of a low-carb, low-glycemic, grain-less, or even Paleo (the little black dress of semi-low carb diets) eating style. If so, you’ve probably reaped many rewards. But what if you could feel even better? Even freer of cravings, stubborn “soft spots”, sleep, joint, or mood problems or things you’ve chalked up to just getting older. And if you still have “issues” with food, you really need to know this: You’re about to learn about the granddaddy of “weird tricks” that every human has in their genetic toolbox, yet few of us utilize, even in our advanced pursuits of health. It’s a mechanism you can turn on or off for the rest of your longer, more vibrant life. Here’s how 

I know…

FUMBLING TOWARD BIOCHEMICAL ECSTASY

Way back in 1990 I woke up from my own fat-phobic trance as a twelve-year eating disorder digressed into autoimmune thyroid and skin syndromes, then near liver failure. With no internet I researched the notorious immunosuppressant drug I was supposed to take, finding that there was not much hope for healing my liver unless I looked at alternatives. I was skeptical about herbs but wound up surprising both my doctor and myself by bringing my sky-high liver enzymes back to normal over a few months by taking them.  But my bingeing, even on organic “health foods”  continued hopelessly, in spite of “white knuckling” my way through each day, determined not to succumb… Then several months later, on two occasions, while traveling, I experienced strange, fleeting periods of respite from the usual cravings, energy slumps, and moodiness. These two, distinctive “incidents” were so bizarre to me that I became obsessed with replicating that unforgettable feeling for more than a year, writing down any food combination, omission, or addition that preceded the phenomenon, but unable to sustain it continually. The one food that always preceded that elusive, deeply-sated, calm state, was the last food I would have imagined would soon become my go-to “sanity” food: Fat. I had not been eating much fat but had noticed that feeling throughout midday when I ate fat instead of grains at breakfast. I added fat to my quinoa or sprouted bread at lunch with my salad and with my stir-fry at night.  I’d been vegetarian for seven years. I was amazed at how each time I decreased grains and upped the fat I felt better and sustained that “freedom feeling” longer and longer. I did not imagine ever cutting them out altogether, though. And more unimaginable than that would be cutting out dozens of other health foods I would learn could yank me out of this new way of feeling.

My weight loss and skin changes had become significant just from these changes, but nothing prepared me for what would happen when I finally got up the nerve to cut out not only all my grains, even at lunch and dinner, but also anything else that I’d been eating prior to any energy lulls. About two days into this drastic experiment, several truly shocking things happened: 1) My appetite suddenly dropped by about half. I found myself staring at the remainder of my mouthwatering lunch and could not eat another bite. It was surreal. 2) My energy suddenly became so steady that I forgot about the time of day or when the next meal was. 10am felt the same as 3pm and 9pm. 3) A sudden loss of facial and body-wide swelling—previously unmoved by years of intense exercise—visibly reduced overnight. My rings spun in the morning. Clothes were immediately loose, and finally: 4) My body suddenly demanded much more fat. This was not premeditated or learned, but an unexpected, “primal” physical demand that stunned me. My body no longer “saw” most of what was in my refrigerator as food.  I was bewildered by this new urge. No meal was complete without ample fat anymore. A week or so later, I was compelled to eat meat again. Not long after that, I remember washing off my makeup and seeing a different person looking back at me in the mirror.

And so began my “incredible shrinking woman” phase, which continued, uninterrupted, for two more years until I’d lost 10 dress sizes. I became literally unrecognizable, even to a high school friend at a reunion, who wouldn’t believe it was me standing two feet in front of him, even after a conversation. In addition, virtually every chronic head-to-toe condition I’d accepted as my fate fell away during this phase, including the painful canker sores, bladder infections, bloating, black moods, sniffling, flaking, red-eye and chin rashes and dry skin, dizziness upon standing, and blurry vision. Last but not least, the bingeing demon that had controlled me for more than a decade vanished, never to return, not even for a day in the twenty-five years since. Family and colleagues assumed it was willpower. It wasn’t. It was a profound, permanent, mind-blowing biochemical peace.

MEDIA INTOLERANCE for TRUTH

During this metamorphosis, I was working as a celebrity makeup artist with top magazines. The photo crews became extremely inquisitive about my weight loss, interrogating me for my peculiar food selections.  Cosmetic company spokesperson contracts and offers came in for me to “talk beauty” on camera (the superficial kind, of course) and flash my “before and afters” for spectacle. I was to be interviewed on the top morning show by one of America’s favorite anchors….as long as I didn’t get specific about diet. I was specifically warned not to talk about supplements. A major magazine ran a vanillafied version of my story with my photos and some Stuart Smalley-type stuff, but they “didn’t need” any dietary details, which they found mildly disturbing. An “extreme makeover” reality show wanted me to play the “lead motivator” role. The show would be about calorie counting (and low fat), shaming weigh-ins and plastic surgery. I passed, knowing that no reality show was interested in something that would make all the suffering, shame, and drama obsolete.

DISCOVERY of the HORMONE I'D ALREADY HARNESSED

At a function in 1994, I met scientist Jeffrey Friedman, who’d just discovered a hormone called leptin [Greek word for "thin"]. When I heard about its effects in rodent studies, which had the pharmaceutical world salivating for a blockbuster weight loss drug, I did not make the connection between leptin and the countless way in which it had transformed me. Those vast capabilities of leptin—beyond its weight and satiety-regulating affects—were yet to be discovered.

As years passed I kept waking up to the same secret dream of physical freedom and healing, I read many health books no dietary information resonated. And with the new explosion of fat-free fanaticism, I felt an increasing sense of urgency to share my experience, as I knew that widespread biochemical (and thus, psychological) enslavement would come of it (beyond “diabesity,” fat phobia spawned the psyche drug epidemic too). I watched my savior, fat, become demonized more than ever, and watched healthy people coerced to eat rice cakes and Snackwells, bringing on the same food obsession and weight struggle in the average person that I’d so narrowly escaped when it was still rare.

MY REAL LIFE LAB

Publishers were interested in a conventional “beauty book” from me. But I finally found one who would let me write The Truth About Beauty. Seven years of research included conducting “transformation cruises” for men and women where I quickly confirmed that what I’d done for myself could work for others. After years of calibrating and eliminating surprising foods that hindered success or threw off peoples’ glucometer readings—such as juices (even vegetable), coffee and even most coffee substitutes, nut flours and milks, most protein powders and even alcohol in flavorings and tinctures—I could predictably help others achieve the same set of sudden changes I’d had, consistently on the third or fourth day. I’d come to call that set of sudden changes, the “flip.”

SCIENTIFIC VINDICATION: THE MASTER HORMONE WHOSE TIME HAS COME

I was describing this phenomenon to a group at a book signing in 2004 when the foremost expert on the hormone, leptin, Dr. Ron Rosedale—whose book signing coincidentally followed mine—heard me talking about shocking appetite and weight drop-offs, bizarre calmness… the end of portion control, “as long as carbs were radically cut, and you eat a lot of fat.” At that, his jaw dropped. I figured a heated debate would follow, but instead, he said: “You’re resensitizing people to the hormone leptin. You’re one of the only ones.” He’d been doing it, too at his clinics all those years.

From that day, knowing about this “master hormone” secreted by every human’s white fat cells, gave me a new perspective on each area of health recovery I continued to witness, whether it was thyroid, mental clarity, weight, ADHD, fertility, energy, digestive, mood, skin, allergies, or other issues, the emerging science on leptin (as a quick Pubmed search on it will show you) explains it all. More than 8000 studies show leptin’s functions to date, confirming its hormone-regulating, tissue-healing, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Not surprising to me was it’s impact on eating disorders and all addictions, via its balancing effects on dopamine pathways and ability to grow the cerebral cortex (our self-control center). Or its ability to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, explaining why most people who resensitize to it describe a sudden clear-headedness and calmness. And its immune-modulating effects explained why my autoimmune thyroid and skin problems cleared up and why so many quickly lose their food sensitivities—even to dairy. Leptin even frees up testosterone, improving muscle to fat ratio independent of exercise as well as libido, in both men and women. For me, the mystery was over. And you wonder why no one hears of this hormone whose recovered function—achieved only by dietary avoidance of blood sugar and insulin spikes and plenty of fat— could make every blockbuster drug obsolete.

Kat James [send her mail] is an award-winning author, health journalist, and syndicated radio host and has been called a master of self-transformation by SELF magazine. Her controversial and pioneering dietary method —now recommended at top neurologic, fertility, functional medicine, bariatric, and metabolic clinics— has left countless dramatic success stories in its wake and been featured at top spas and institutions as well as on Today, Fox, and, PBS among others. To learn more about her original Total Transformation® Programs, a radio show on XM/SIRIUS, or her Silver Nautilus award-winning bestseller, The Truth About Beauty, visit her website since 1998, www.InformedBeauty.com.