Nourish Balance Thrive

Imagine you’re in the pub and you’ve just bumped into your friend Mario Roxas. Mario happens to be a naturopathic doctor and the director of research and development at Thorne, the Rolls Royce of supplement companies. Wouldn’t you want to know what supplements Mario takes? Me too, and so I couldn’t resist making that my first question. But what is it that makes Thorne Research different? Why not buy your supplements from Costco? Two reasons: research and quality. Thorne employ a team of medical and naturopathic doctor scientists that spend their time studying the scientific literature on the lookout for evidence supporting the decision to manufacturer a specific supplement. Secondly, there’s quality. Thorne cater to the sensitive customer likely to experience allergic reactions. The raw materials used to make a supplement originate from trusted sources, but Thorne validate the content of all their supplements no less than three times during the manufacturing process. Surprisingly, the FDA laws only require a supplement manufacturer to list the ingredients they added to the supplement, and there’s no guarantee that one or more of the raw ingredients used are free of potential allergens like lactose even though they’re not listed on the label. Are big supplement companies any different from big pharma? Allopathic medicine is often accused of being bought, but what makes alternative any different? Are the naturopathic doctors simply prescribing Meriva in place of Humira? I would argue no, absolutely not, and the proof is in the name supplement. As Mario points out, supplement is the perfect word. You can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet or lifestyle, and so the supplement is but one tool in the extensive chest of a good functional medicine practitioner. Three years ago I had never taken a nutritional supplement. Now I have a cupboard full of them. The reason is simple: they work. I used to take regularly chlorpheniramine for allergies. Killing off overgrowths of opportunistic pathogens and parasites with herbs like oregano and noni got me most of the way there, now I stay symptom-free by regularly supplementing with methyl-folate. The supplement didn’t just mask my symptoms; it corrected a deficiency and as a result, my red blood cells have become normal sized. Adverse events? Do you know of someone who had a serious adverse event as the result of taking a nutritional supplement free of contaminants? I don’t think this happens very often, if at all. Please let me know in the comments section below. Here’s the outline of this interview with Dr Mario Roxas, ND 0:00:42    Mario became interested in supplements whilst a resident at the National College of Natural Medicine. 0:02:12    Thorne Research are the Rolls Royce of supplements. 0:02:58    Mario takes the Basic Nutrients 2/day multivitamin. 0:03:15    Together with LipoCardia®, CoQ10, fish oil and NiaCel®. 0:03:58    Whey protein in a smoothie. 0:04:35    Interview with Bob Rountree on mitochondrial health. 0:05:15    Supplement design starts with research. 0:06:09    Thorne has a team of scientists and doctors, NDs, MDs and PhDs. 0:07:48    The product development cycle for nicotinamide riboside lasted two years. 0:08:43    Two years is a long time for a supplement. 0:09:30    When asked about supplements, what does Mario tell his friends? 0:09:37    Focus on the basics first, e.g. food. 0:10:12    Supplement is a perfect word. 0:10:41    Omega-3 fatty acids are important. 0:10:54    Also probiotics. 0:11:01    Things to help with digestion, e.g. enzymes. 0:11:25    Added fibre. 0:11:46    Chronic inflammation, curcum is helpful, e.g. Meriva-SR®. 0:13:08    What's the difference between a $60 per month Thorne multi vs. a $10 Costco multi? 0:13:45    Thorne use a capsule and there's multiple capsules. 0:14:03    The capsules easier to absorb. 0:14:23    Thorne uses no unnecessary additives, fillers or flow agents. 0:15:03    No tablets because binders. 0:15:54    There's nothing toxic about magnesium stearate, but it can interfere with absorption. 0:18:15    Flow agents and fillers may be a proxy for quality, but the type of ingredients used is probably more important. 0:18:43    The supplement manufacturer are only required to list on the label the things that they put in. 0:22:16    Thorne products are hypoallergenic. 0:23:23    The most expensive supplement is the one you don't absorb. 0:23:41    Methylcobalamin is an absorbable form of B12. 0:24:16    Originally I was iron deficient, I found out the hard way that cheap iron supplements don't work. 0:25:14    Are supplements hard on the liver? 0:25:54    By using the most bioavailable forms, the liver is unburdened of the job of conversion. 0:26:14    Some, like Meriva-SR®, are hepatoprotective (protective of the liver). 0:29:01    In the case of Meriva, the main ingredient is manufactured by a third party. 0:29:04    But even so, the raw material goes into quarantine. 0:29:27    Thorne evaluates through it's own lab to verify identity. 0:30:06    Every lot goes through at least 3 and sometimes 4 rounds of verification. 0:31:51    In house manufacturing provides a level of control. 0:32:33    If the manufacturer knows you don't have a QA department, what incentive do they have to deliver the goods? 0:32:47    Thorne calls this “trust but verify”. 0:33:19    The certificate of analysis (COA). 0:34:58    The COA shows what's in the product, and details of potential contaminants. Here’s an example for the AM part of the EXOS multivitamin. 0:36:51    The only way to make money selling supplements on Amazon is buy large quantities and then let Amazon do the fulfillment. 0:38:10    Thorne has been clamping down on Amazon sellers. 0:39:26    Thorne do keep track of adverse events. 0:39:58    This is part of FDA compliance. 0:40:17    Majority are upset stomach. 0:41:09    New IBD digestive support supplement EnteroMend®, Meriva, Boswellia, Aloe, partially hydrolyzed guar gum and glutamine 0:45:49    MCT powdered with bionic fibre. 0:47:52    Ketos OS gave me diarrhoea, KetoForce was fine (but tastes awful). 0:48:29    Creating palatability can cause problems with allergens.

Three years ago I went through round after round of blood testing until eventually I realised that the doctor was following a procedure laid out in a flow chart. Heck, he even showed me the flow chart. Two months and thousands of dollars of insurance deductibles later I was no closer to understanding the underlying cause of my fatigue, insomnia, brain fog and other symptoms. My doctor seemed somewhat willing to run any blood test I wanted but he held the results very close to his chest. Everything was normal, and the Google searches I made in an attempt to understand better my results yielded nothing useful. It’s not that sodium and potassium on a blood chemistry don’t mean anything, they do, it’s that you won’t ever be able to figure it out without some help. When I finally admitted defeat and looked outside the network of doctors willing to accept the insurance that was costing me a fortune and getting me nowhere fast, I found someone who wanted to run a urinary organic acids test. What is an organic acid? William Shaw, Ph.D., is board certified in the fields of clinical chemistry and toxicology by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry. Before he founded The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc., he worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr Shaw describes organic acids as “the stuff of metabolism”. Organic acids are surrogate markers that give valuable clues about what’s going on inside your body. Finally, I had a window on what was really going on. I don’t think anyone expected me to look at the result as a patient, but that’s what I did, and I was excited because now my searches started yielding useful information. Take for example vanillylmandelic, a breakdown product of epinephrine and norepinephrine, also known as adrenaline. Low levels of vanillylmandelic indicate little activity of a hormone that acts increases blood pressure, respiration rate, heart rate, increases glucose, and dilates the pupils, all for the purpose of enabling you to quickly and safely get out of a potentially life-threatening situation. Sounds a lot like adrenal fatigue, huh? But there probably wasn’t anything wrong with adrenal glands. In addition to low vanillylmandelic, I had (and have) high levels of HPHPA (3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxypropionic acid), a metabolite created by certain Clostridia species of bacteria (C. sporogenes, C. caloritolerans, C. botulinum & others). HPHPA looks enough like dopamine to downregulate the activity of the enzyme dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, but not enough to have the other biological effects, leading to a derangement of neurotransmitter balance. Your gut can mess with your brain! The fix? A high end probiotic containing 50-100 billion CFU of Lactobacillus rhamnosus. I’ve honed in just one example of problems that can be revealed and fixed easily using organic acids. Besides offering the most complete and accurate evaluation of gut yeast and bacteria, the test also provides information on important nutritional markers, glutathione status, oxalate metabolism, and much more. Download my full result By all means, order an organic acids test for yourself, and I will help you understand the results but know that this test is a single tool in our chest that includes other tests and diet and lifestyle modification. Book a free consultation and Amelia will walk you through the testing process. Here’s the outline of this interview with Dr William Shaw, Ph.D. 0:00:16    Dr William Shaw, Ph.D is the founder of Great Plains lab. 0:00:23    Formerly a clinical chemist and toxicologist at the CDC. 0:00:46    Using mass spectrometry on urine would allow Dr. Shaw to measure virtually anything in metabolism. 0:01:33    Dr Shaw has been highly motivated from the beginning. 0:02:00    It's rare for someone to do an organic acids test and not find something significant. 0:02:59    Organic acids are the stuff of metabolism. 0:03:50    The metabolites from bacteria and other microorganisms have a profound impact on human health. 0:04:49    The Great Plains OAT measures the complex balance of man and microbiome. 0:05:09    The wrong microorganisms can harm mental health. 0:05:34    Once you have the results, you can manipulate them. 0:05:47    The OAT takes out the guess work. 0:06:29    Why are GPs not running the OAT? 0:06:50    The OAT is complex. 0:07:24    A one day seminar is usually enough to cover the basics. 0:07:37    The insurance has become very tightfisted. 0:08:13    Even if you have to pay out of pocket, the test is not that expensive. 0:09:08    The OAT covers all systems of the body. 0:09:49    Mass spectrometry is the truth machine. 0:10:08    Mark Newman on my podcast. 0:11:04    The Khan Academy organic chemistry. 0:11:19    Metabolic Fitness Pro. 0:11:57    Dr Shaw has taught the grandson of Krebs. 0:12:26    My OAT result. 0:12:51    The GP has a lot more markers than the Genova equivalent. 0:13:10    Whenever you buy an OAT, you're buying some of Dr Shaw's experience. 0:13:56    The reference ranges come from healthy volunteers. 0:14:25    There's a statistical analysis, the ranges are based on the vast majority. 0:14:50    Only healthy individuals are included. 0:15:21    The Genova test use the conjugate base name. 0:16:10    Nobody is writing junk about organic acids, that makes research much easier. 0:16:44    The GP OAT has the most comprehensive coverage of the gut microbiome. 0:17:08    Some of the metabolites produced can affects neurotransmitters. 0:17:43    Marker #16 HPHPA. 0:18:15    HPHPA is very similar to dopamine. 0:18:23    This interferes with the conversion of dopamine to epinephrine and norepinephrine. 0:18:26    Most people have an equal amount of dopamine and epinephrine and norepinephrine 0:18:52    The clostridia inhibit dopamine beta dehydrogenase. 0:19:49    Markers #33 and #34. 0:20:12    High levels of dopamine are a problem. 0:20:29    Dopamine causes oxidative stress and can kill neurons. 0:21:01    10x my result have been seen in autism and schizophrenia. 0:21:32    The oxidative metabolite is called dopachrome. 0:22:29    Elevated HPHPA may start with GI symptoms. 0:22:42    Later this could become depression or obsessive compulsive behaviour. 0:23:20    The peripheral nervous system uses norepinephrine. 0:24:27    Norepinephrine is what you need at the start of a race. 0:25:18    OAT is almost like cheating. 0:26:10    The clostridial species are usually easily treatable with probiotics with lactobacillus. 0:27:19    L. rhamnosus. 0:27:42    Cresol has the same effect on dopamine but is toxic in its own right and can be smelled on the breath. 0:28:44    Cresol is made by C. diff. 0:29:04    14,000 people die of C. diff infection each year. 0:29:39    Cresol is common in anorexia. 0:30:36    We've tested for the A&B toxins in stool. 0:32:00    I've always had a yeast problem. 0:32:18    D-Arabinitol is different from D-Arabinose. 0:33:06    I have an overgrowth of Candida that can easily be treated. 0:33:22    Coconut oil or caprylic acid. 0:33:31    Nystatin. 0:33:43    Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia. 0:34:00    Sugar craving! 0:34:39    Evidence yeast can metabolize ketones. 0:35:11    Dr Shaw thinks that the ketones will not be fuelling the yeast. 0:35:27    Markers #47-49 carnitine deficiency. 0:36:13    Carnitine shuttles fatty acids into the mitochondria. 0:37:05    Fats are oxidized with less energy yield in the peroxisomes. 0:37:56    The GP test has 9 yeast markers, I'm used to seeing one. 0:38:08    Candida can metabolize isocitrate into oxalate. 0:38:44    Dr Shaw discovered that this week! 0:38:59    The research will take time, a year or longer before anything is in print. 0:39:20    Marker #21. 0:39:57    Candida metabolize isocitrate into oxalate and that's the connection between the yeast and kidney stones. Oxalates are also capable of crystallizing anywhere in the urinary tract, blood vessels, the blood brain barrier, the thyroid, liver and muscles. 0:40:44    Oxalates may turn out to be more important than cholesterol. 0:42:10    High oxalate foods, spinach and soy, nuts and berries. 0:42:29    300mg Calcium and 150mg magnesium citrate can be protective. 0:43:02    Great Plains have just started DNA testing and they look at oxalate metabolism SNPs. 0:44:33    Vitamin B6 deficiency causes oxalate production. 0:45:09    People with high oxalates should supplement with 100 mg per of B6. 0:45:53    Dr Shaw needs to write the manual. 0:46:54    Narrowing down a list of possibilities to a list of probabilities. 0:47:23    Order a Great Plains OAT. 0:47:45    There are currently 75 markers, more soon. 0:48:36    Great Plains are working on a test for jet fuel toxicity. 0:49:19    The Dreamliner has separate air system. 0:50:05    The Great Plains webinar archive. 0:50:59    The low cholesterol problem.

Run a blood test, find low levels of a hormone. Prescribe synthetic version of said hormone. Two weeks later your patient is back with a slightly different set of symptoms. Run another blood test, prescribe another hormone. If there's too much, block it, if there isn't enough, just add more. Rinse and repeat for hypothalamic pituitary adrenal, thyroid and gonadal axes. Refer out to a gastroenterologist for chronic diarrhoea. Gastroenterologist diagnosis is “irritable bowel syndrome”, says it’s nothing to do with diet, suggests colonoscopy, anti-inflammatory drugs, possible surgery. This sounds like a parody. But this is what happened to me, and it’s still happening to other athletes. Finding a better solution inspired me to quit my day job as a computer programmer at a hedge fund and start a new business with my wife (a food scientist) and a medical doctor. 2015 was our first full year in practice. At the time of recording, we’ve helped over 600 athletes with their diet and lifestyle. We’ve gotten great results and get tremendous satisfaction from each and every success story that we receive. Our success has been in large part due to the significant research and development efforts of our new Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tommy Wood, and by the tireless efforts of our single employee and registered nurse, Amelia Luker. Our gross revenue was nearly $500,000. Unfortunately, Julia and I only took home $90,000 of that as profit, and that’s with both of us working full-time. If I hired two members of staff to replace us at the going market rate, we’d be making a significant loss. Health coaching is hard because not only do you have to be a great practitioner, you must also be a good business person and marketing expert. On the plus side. Quitting my job has enabled us to move from a condo on a busy main road in Oakland, to a small house amongst the trees in a town called Bonny Doon, not far from Santa Cruz, in California. I get a quarterly email from the recruiter at Google, but if I were to go down that route I’d be leaving to commute to an office before my daughter got up in the morning, and I’d be lucky to get home before she went to bed at night. I don’t wish to be mean but… I could train a monkey to run a blood test and prescribe a hormone. Doctors are being made prisoner to a system that prevents them from making proper use of their education and spending an appropriate amount time with their patients. People don’t even know how much their health insurance costs and half the time it doesn’t cover what they need. I’m still slightly angry about the current standard of care, and I’m looking forward to being made redundant; I rather miss computer programming. Are you a financially successful health coach? Please let me know in the comments section below. Here’s the outline of this interview with Julia Kelly: 0:01:09    Was it fun? 0:01:33    It was a shock to the system. 0:02:04    The sudden changes are stressful. 0:02:48    We were living in Oakland. 0:03:04    Quitting my job enabled us to move to Scotts Valley. 0:03:44    We've bought a house in Bonny Doon. 0:04:10    Ours is the only WiFi signal. 0:04:46    We can grow our own food. 0:04:57    Starting a business is a double edged sword. 0:05:27    Looking after a 2 year is hard! 0:05:46    Cheating at parenting. 0:06:29    Working at home I get to see my daughter all day long. 0:07:29    I'm still slightly angry. 0:07:50    I've stopped doing free consultations now, but you can still do one with Amelia. 0:08:25    Run a blood test, find low hormone, prescribe the hormone, rinse, repeat. 0:08:44    Nobody is doing the proper investigation. 0:09:38    The low hormones are symptoms. 0:10:55    We're waiting to be replaced. 0:11:14    Julie feels the same about saturated fat. 0:11:58    Tommy is planning on doing another residency. 0:12:21    Tommy is now our Chief Medical Officer. 0:12:55    We hope that the people we help go on to spread the word. 0:13:54    All diseases are complex with many underlying causes. 0:14:41    One over the treatment is not necessarily the cause. 0:15:42    Julie doesn't do diet plans, instead she teaches. 0:16:33    Everyone else wants to hold the cards close to their chest. 0:17:09    You can check your own blood glucose. 0:17:24    By now you should have done a Google search for 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine. 0:18:15    Is this working? 0:19:13    We have more follow-up calls then we have time to publish. 0:19:56    Of course it worked! 0:20:43    We don't have a magic formula yet. 0:20:59    We've tested 605 athletes as of yesterday. 0:21:42    At this point, our programs don't resemble anything we've been trained in. 0:22:21    Social isolation with Bryan Walsh. 0:22:35    Our gross revenue for 2015 was nearly $500,000. 0:23:11    Mark Newman of Precision Analytical. 0:23:44    There's almost no markup on our tests, we're passing those on at cost. 0:23:59    Most of our money comes from selling our time. 0:24:20    We do make some money from selling supplements. 0:24:54    Amelia ships all the supplements. 0:25:20    Making money selling supplements requires the economy of scale. 0:25:52    Bob Rountree talked about NiaCell® (nicotinamide riboside). 0:26:17    Between the two of us we took home $90,000 before tax. 0:26:54    In a way, we have achieved the four-hour work week. 0:27:26    I should have a master's degree by now. 0:28:05    If you really want to get better as a practitioner you must continue your education. 0:28:35    My education is problem driven. 0:28:47    I'm racing pro again this year. 0:29:06    Computer programmers are lazy. 0:29:54    I take the same approach with my training. 0:30:46    Necessity is fantastic teacher. 0:31:17    I won the series points competition at our local cyclocross races in the elite men category. 0:32:13    The Colnago days. 0:32:57    NorCal cross is bumpy. 0:33:25    Now I can sleep after a bike race. 0:33:41    The sugar monster has slayed. 0:34:08    Tommy is a big fan of carb cycling. 0:34:42    The average power in cross is meaningless. 0:35:05    I've been supplementing with exogenous ketones. 0:35:24    Volek showed no difference in glycogen. 0:35:48    Carb cycling made no difference to me. 0:36:38    My path is becoming a theme. 0:37:17    Know who you want to help! 0:37:29    The Practitioner Liberation Project. 0:38:00    I haven't done all of the course. 0:38:10    The most important lesson is be specific. 0:39:14    The people we work with are exactly like me! 0:40:41    We haven't borrowed any money. 0:41:18    Our Concierge Clinical Coaching group. 0:42:12    Now I can answer questions without going bankrupt. 0:42:59    My education is now available for $99 a month. 0:43:55    Please let me know if you found this helpful in the comments section below.

My sister called me looking for help with her son’s science project. “William has some questions about the paleo diet and how it affects the health of cells.” It soon emerged that he had a particular list of questions that he wanted answering, and initially I thought I should do some research and answer them to the best of my ability just as I would with any list sent to me. The longer I thought about the list of questions, the more I thought it looked like the outline to a great podcast, and who better than Dr. Tommy Wood to provide the answers? But why care about cellular health in the first place? We tend to think of health in terms of big things, but a living organism is just a collection of organ systems. An organ system is a set of organs, and those organs are made up of tissue. Drilling down beyond the tissue, we arrive at the smallest level of organisation able to sustain life: the cell. We’re all just a big bag of cells, trillions and trillions of them! Happy cells make for happy bodies, so it makes sense to care about the cell. Can your diet affect cellular health? Yes! Absolutely. Certain oils are capable of damaging the DNA that codes for the proteins manufactured inside of the cell. Don’t eat deep fried food. Other omega-3 fats are essential for healthy mitochondrial membranes. Do eat small fatty fish. Around 10,000 years ago, fossil records show that we became shorter, and our dental health deteriorated. At the same time, we transitioned away from hunting and gathering and became agriculturists. It seems at least possible that a switch to a grain-based diet had a deleterious effect on our health. What about ketosis? I’ve talked a lot about high-fat ketogenic diets on the podcast, and those shows garner a lot of interest. But do we all need to be eating ketogenic diets? Tommy thinks not, but there may be some benefits to cycling intake to mimic what would have been the natural seasonal variation of carbohydrate availability. Beyond diet. Through his careful research and chemical engineering inspired systems analysis, Tommy has shown that although important, diet is not the only determiner of health. Well tuned circadian rhythm and adequate sleep, appropriate stress management, time spent outdoors in nature and being part of a strong social group are also important. Did you find the fresh, unbiased perspective of an inquisitive 12-year old helpful? Please let me know in the comments section below. Here’s the outline of this interview with William Chatterton and Dr. Tommy Wood: 0:00:22    William Chatterton's list of questions for a school project should make for an interesting interview. 0:00:27    Let me know (in the comments below) if you found this podcast interesting! 0:00:47    Levels of organisation in biology. 0:01:54    Can your diet affect the health of new cells? 0:02:09    We're constantly growing cells, throughout life. 0:02:32    There's a very rapid turnover of cells in the gut. 0:02:48    At the same time we're constantly getting rid of the junk. 0:02:59    The building blocks are important. 0:03:18    We measure DNA damage as 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine. 0:03:29    DNA is the code that controls the manufacturer of proteins. 0:03:46    It's important then that the DNA doesn't get damaged. 0:04:00    Certain oils can cause oxidative damage to the DNA. 0:04:28    DHA is very important for mitochondrial membranes. 0:05:08    The fats story is complex. 0:05:18    Saturated fats. 0:05:31    A fatty acid is a long chain of carbon atoms. 0:05:59    The double bonds are delicated and can be broken to create a free radical. 0:06:11    Fatty acids that have carbon–carbon double bonds are known as unsaturated. 0:06:29    Polyunsaturated fats are unstable. 0:07:00    When omega-6 fats are carried around in the body, they're unprotected. 0:07:39    Omega-3s are better protected. 0:07:59    Don't eat deep fried stuff! 0:08:26    How direct is the link between diet and cell health? 0:08:49    The link is incredibly direct. 0:08:56    Food is the most important determiner of cell health. 0:09:17    Circadian rhythm and stress is important. 0:09:30    Being part of a social group. 0:09:52    Don't focus just on food. 0:10:04    Food is the first thing people figure out. 0:10:35    Everybody wants one thing they can fix. 0:10:52    Being sociable can be easier than you think 0:11:05    Give your mum a hug. 0:11:50    What is the most nutrient dense meal you could eat for cell health? 0:12:02    Small fatty fish. 0:12:13    DHA, selenium, iodine. 0:12:25    Collagen. 0:12:34    Eggs with yolks and liver. 0:12:43    Dark green leafy vegetables. 0:12:54    Preferably wild grown plants. 0:13:30    The new surf and turf! 0:13:57    Not being squeamish about certain foods at certain times of day. 0:14:39    How does a ketogenic diet affect the health of a cell. 0:15:01    Adding fat doesn't necessarily make it ketogenic. 0:16:16    My diet has zero refined carbohydrates. 0:16:30    Still lots of vegetables. 0:16:40    At this point, you've gotten rid of most of the crap. 0:17:15    Ketogenic diets can cause an increase in oxidative stress inside of the mitochondria in the short term 0:17:42    Reactive oxygen species are signalling molecules. 0:17:59    ROS Goldilocks principle. 0:19:14    Some people will say that the ketogenic diet is bad because of this initial increase in ROS. 0:19:55    Should everyone be eating a ketogenic diet? 0:19:58    No, certainly not all of the time. 0:20:11    Sodium and potassium and selenium can be difficult to hold onto in ketosis. 0:20:38    The extra stress of the diet can also be problem. 0:21:13    Seasonal ketosis. 0:22:00    Wills is already eating a high-fat diet. 0:22:21    What happened to our diet in between the paleolithic and the era of the Food Pyramid? 0:23:32    Carbohydrate consumption may have changed. 0:23:53    Access to fire and cooking has made a difference. 0:24:10    Eating fish. 0:24:19    If you didn't live near the sea, you ate brain. 0:24:40    Around 10,000 years ago, we became agriculturalists. 0:25:04    Seeds and grasses like wheat. 0:25:19    Where there is a fossil record, we see health deteriorated. 0:25:43    People got shorter and had worse teeth. 0:25:57    We can't say definitely that farming was the cause. 0:26:23    There's no benefit from eating wheat. 0:26:59    When the food shows up in front of you, that's what you eat. 0:27:36    1980 saw the first dietary guidelines with grains as the foundation. 0:27:53    Part of this decision was driven by economics. 0:29:00    The perfect storm of refined carbohydrates plus vegetable oils and refined sugar. 0:29:51    This combination used to be impossible to obtain. 0:30:26    Will the Food Pyramid change soon? 0:30:44    People are working on this problem. 0:31:04    People don't eat according to the food pyramid, but it is used to create the foods that we eat. 0:32:05    Farming is heavily subsidised, this creates momentum. 0:33:16    Nothing is going to change any time soon. 0:33:26    Wording has changed around the word saturated fat and the caution on cholesterol has been removed. 0:34:00    Tommy's two presentations on MS and dairy. 0:34:22    Terry Wahls has largely reversed her MS with her protocol. 0:35:00    Tommy comes from a family of chemical engineers. 0:35:04    His stepbrother has MS. 0:35:11    Chemical engineers are problem solvers. 0:35:27    They built a root cause analysis for MS. 0:35:42    Gluten and casein allergies. 0:35:56    Mitocondria that are not working properly. 0:36:14    Terry also advocates ketosis. 0:36:27    Tommy and Terry represent two groups of people that came up with the same conclusion using different methods. 0:37:09    Do you think that Terry Wahl's work is original? 0:37:31    There's nothing new under the sun. 0:37:53    Tommy has ideas, and then doesn't want to tell anybody about it for fear they will steal it. 0:38:21    Terry is the first person to apply these principles in MS patients and in clinical trials. 0:39:24    I had tremendous results eating the AIP diet. 0:39:40    The book The Paleo Approach. 0:39:48    Personalising the Wahls Protocol. 0:40:14    This would look like a high-plant, dairy-free, low-carb diet. 0:41:07    Not everybody needs to be that strict. 0:41:32    Eat the yolks. 0:42:11    Start with the basic elimination diet. 0:42:23    Reintroduce later. 0:42:55    You can go too far, but most people don't go far enough. 0:43:12    Be really strict for two months and then reintroduce. 0:43:56    Then the signal ratio is great enough for you to know what's causing the problem. 0:44:41    Are there any other diets that can produce the same results. 0:45:03    Yes, the Swank Diet. 0:45:25    This is the most successful diet for MS patients. 0:45:33    Terry Wahls doesn't have that much data yet. 0:45:50    The problem is the diet is a very low fat vegan diet. 0:46:14    The stricter you were with the diet, the better you did. 0:46:34    Actively engaging in your treatment has a positive effect. 0:46:58    Recent research is not impressive. 0:47:53    The Swank Diet is probably better than what people were eating before. 0:48:33    It's impossible to create a blinded trial. 0:49:11    Swank is better than standard American but perhaps not the best. 0:49:22    If these diets are so successful, then should doctor be making dietary prescriptions? 0:49:47    Yes they should, but doctors are not trained in nutrition. 0:50:18    Tommy is a traditionally trained doctor. 0:50:42    We are in an era of evidence-based medicine. 0:51:12    Clinical trials are not going to happen for diet. 0:51:35    Therefore, the doctors are not going prescribe a diet. 0:51:58    There's always confounding factor. 0:52:08    Someone will always say the evidence isn't good enough. 0:52:35    Nowadays you can use clever statistics to show that your new drug is not inferior. 0:53:03    Rather than showing superiority. 0:53:49    You cannot control for diet and lifestyle. 0:54:29    Is there any one simple takeaway message? 0:54:52    Yes, just eat real food. 0:55:04    Go to your local grocery store and buy ingredients. 0:55:19    Turn that into food and you will avoid all of the trouble. 0:55:37    Even better, go to the local farmer's market. 0:55:54    Getting enough sleep. 0:55:57    Being part of a social group. 0:56:01    Don't worry about the things you can't control. 0:56:08    Occasionally lift heavy. 0:56:16    Circadian rhythm.

Something wonderful is happening in Iceland, and it has nothing to do with geysers, volcanoes or even Björk. A group of medical doctors led by Dr. Guðmundur Jóhannsson are actively engaging in a discussion of the utility of high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein diets for treating some of the chronic health complaints they see in practice. Imagine for a moment you’re a doctor working in emergency care. How frustrating must it be only to see the end stages of the diseases caused by insulin resistance? You’d be just like a mechanic working on the damage done to an engine caused by failure to change the oil. Not only is the situation potentially preventable, it’s also expensive enough to bring down the entire national health service. My question is why Iceland? Is it the manageable size? Dr. Jóhannsson has been able to bring around 200 doctors to the discussion on a Facebook group. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s a significant proportion of all the doctors on the island. Is it because they have nationalised health care? Nationalised means there’s a finite budget, and that may be relevant here, but I don’t see this happening in the UK, and they also have a national health service. For now, we may have to accept that the Icelandic people are smarter than the rest of us. I’m hoping we will follow their lead. I’m still excited about geysers and volcanoes because this May I will be visiting Iceland with my wife and food scientist Julia and chief medical officer Dr. Tommy Wood. Tommy will be speaking alongside Gary Taubes, Professor Tim Noakes and many other like-minded experts in the field at the Icelandic Health Symposium’s Foodloose conference. Please let me know if you will be there! Here’s the outline of this interview with Dr. Guðmundur Jóhannsson and Dr. Tommy wood: 0:01:00    Dr. Guðmundur Jóhannsson is a medical doctor from Iceland, trained in Sweden. 0:01:46    Guðmundur was overweight in medical school. 0:02:05    He quickly figured out it was the carbohydrates that were causing the problem. 0:02:45    I've visited Sweden on several occasions and the Swedes are not fatphobic. 0:03:13    The Icelandic people have started consuming more carbs in recent decades. 0:04:02    Guðmundur is an emergency doctor. 0:04:22    It's frustrating to only see people at the end stages of disease. 0:04:39    Some of this could be prevented. 0:05:10    With the right information, diabetes is preventable. 0:05:35    I work with registered nurse Amelia Luker, her motivation for a career change was similar. 0:06:08    It's so much more costly to treat once the disease has developed. 0:06:27    From insulin resistance to injecting insulin is a long process. 0:06:51    Tommy's mum is from Iceland. 0:07:25    Is the health care system in Iceland similar to those in the US or UK? 0:07:33    Tommy sees it as very similar to the NHS in the UK. 0:07:39    The Icelandic people have upgrade options. 0:08:02    Would an Icelandic doctor ever talk to a patient about food? 0:08:14    Doctors are not trained in nutrition biochemistry or exercise physiology. 0:08:38    More and more doctors are choosing to further their education. 0:08:55    In Iceland, there is a Facebook group for doctors. 0:09:18    200 doctors is a significant number. 0:10:14    Why is this situation unique to Iceland? 0:10:31    Iceland is so small, news travels fast. 0:10:49    Where did the idea for the Foodloose conference come from? 0:10:53    Book: Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. 0:11:15    The problems extend further than diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 0:12:15    Professor Tim Noakes has been on my podcast. 0:12:28    Why do people want to come to Iceland? 0:13:26    The Icelandic doctors are not necessarily on board with low-carb, but they are taking part in the discussion. 0:13:46    Tommy will be speaking alongside Gary Taubes and Tim Noakes. 0:13:52    Axel F. Sigurdsson. 0:14:00    Aseem Malhotra. 0:14:05    Denise Minger. 0:14:13    Maryanne Demasi will be moderating. 0:14:19    ABC Australia Catalyst Program. 0:14:28    The presenters will present and then give the audience a chance to ask questions. 0:14:57    Tommy has been on a panel with Aseem Malhotra before. 0:15:07    Tommy and Guðmundur will be publishing a paper with Axel Sigurdsson soon. 0:15:43    Gary Taubes will be talking the carbohydrate insulin hypothesis. 0:15:57    Aseem Malhotra will be talking about sugar and more. 0:16:08    Sigurdsson is going to talk about diet and heart disease. 0:16:20    Denise is going to bring in the opposing viewpoint. 0:17:53    Denise has dug up some interesting data. 0:18:10    Everybody else is going to talk about food, Tommy is going to talk about all the other things that we've found to be important. 0:18:58    Diet is the first thing people figure out. 0:19:10    Everything else is important! 0:19:38    May 26 is the main day, workshops will take place on the 27th. 0:19:52    There will be culinary workshop for people that would like to meet with the speakers. 0:20:13    High-fat, low-carb, moderate protein cooking classes. 0:21:11    What else should people see and do in Iceland? 0:21:18    Iceland is all about nature. 0:21:22    You don't go for the weather. 0:21:23    It's like a sample from all parts of the world. 0:21:45    Hiking, kayaking and biking. 0:22:08    Tommy and my family will be doing touristy stuff, come join us! 0:22:33    The Golden Circle. 0:22:42    Gullfoss waterfall. 0:22:47    The first parliament in the world. 0:22:57    The Blue Lagoon. 0:23:26    Day trips to hike up glaciers. 0:23:34    Not far Reykjavik. 0:23:51    If you're going to Iceland you have to be .prepared for anything. 0:24:06    Probably around 10c 0:24:35    The difference between summer and winter in Iceland is that in the summer you can see the rain. 0:25:12    If you're going to the conference, please email me. 0:25:32    foodloose.is 0:25:56    Updates in our Concierge Clinical Coaching group. 0:27:01    Tommy recently posted his talk for doctors on insulin resistance. 0:27:17    All the members have done testing with us. 0:27:52    Physicians for Ancestral Health. 0:28:18    Modelling insulin resistance. 0:29:03    Guðmundur and Bob Hanson has been sending the studies to put into the model. 0:30:11    It's not as simple as restricting carbohydrate. 0:30:51    Wasting is saving study. 0:31:08    The ketogenic diet may be an advantage at altitude. 0:31:36    Ketones create the same amount of energy using less oxygen. 0:32:15    Too much muscle mass could be a disadvantage at altitude. 0:32:41    People have been asking about adaptogens.

This podcast explores the metabolic theory of cancer and its implications in treating the disease. It discusses the atavistic model of cancer, the complexity of oxidative stress and its connection to exercise, challenges in conducting biology and nutrition research, flaws in dietary recommendations, and the potential of implementing dietary changes in cancer studies. It also highlights the admiration for scientist Dominic Dagestina and the potential of collaboration on a book.

Cortisol: the emergency responder hormone that when chronically elevated, makes you fat, stupid and unsexy. Nobody wants an excess of cortisol, but like all things in physiology there’s a sweet spot; low cortisol doesn’t feel right either. Which you have? Symptoms of high cortisol Symptoms of low cortisol Fatigue Extreme fatigue Muscle weakness Muscle or joint pains Depression, anxiety and irritability Depression, irritability Loss of emotional control Salt craving Cognitive difficulties Abdominal pain New or worsened high blood pressure Low blood pressure, even fainting Glucose intolerance that may lead to diabetes Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) Headache Nausea, diarrhea or vomiting Bone loss, leading to fractures over time Weight loss and decreased appetite Source: Mayo Clinic Both sets of symptoms are very similar, in fact, all of these symptoms could be attributable to half the diseases known to man. The only way to know for sure what’s going on with your cortisol is to do the test. I tested over 500 endurance athletes And all but a handful had low free cortisol. Free cortisol is the active fraction of the hormone, but it only accounts for 1% of the total cortisol production and so forms just part of the puzzle. I can’t give you any more information than this because free cortisol is all a saliva test measures. Luckily the testing has gotten more sophisticated Mark Newman is an analytical chemist and the founder of Precision Analytical, a lab using GC and LC-tandem mass spectrometry to measure not just free cortisol, but also the metabolites tetrahydrocortisol and tetrahydrocortisone. Their DUTCH test is a game changer. The extra information in this test enables me to be a better detective. Now I can differentiate between problems with cortisol production and cortisol clearance. The two have very different implications. Not just cortisol The DUTCH also measures no less than eight androgens, eight oestrogens and two metabolites of progesterone. The results can be overwhelming at first, but as you begin to appreciate the pathways that these hormones take, the picture becomes clear. Testosterone Testosterone can metabolise down one of two pathways: the more androgenic alpha pathway that leads to the hormone DHT, thinning scalp hair and prostate problems for older men or a potentially more desirable and less androgenic beta pathway. The good news is that once you understand your metabolism, there are nutritional supplements that you can take to inhibit the alpha pathway. Oestrogen Saliva isn’t a very accurate way to measure oestrogen. Not only is urine more precise, but it also enables us to test the metabolites that tell us all about both phase 1 and phase 2 metabolism. Oestradiol is the most abundant oestrogen, and its friend oestrone breaks down in one of two different directions. This can produce two very different, and not always desirable outcomes. The only way to know what’s happening to you is to do the test Establishing a baseline During this interview, Mark makes an important point. Let’s say you feel good right now. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the complete picture of your hormone metabolism for future reference? Or perhaps you suspect a problem. Either way, you can order a DUTCH though me and then together we figure out a plan to optimise your hormones. Don’t be that guy guessing using the list of symptoms you found on the Mayo Clinic website. Here’s the outline of this interview with Mark Newman: 0:00:50    Mark Newman is an analytical chemist with a master's degree in forensic science. 0:01:07    Mark started with urine testing then moved onto saliva testing. 0:01:41    DUTCH stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones. 0:02:11    The DUTCH combines the best of saliva and urine. 0:02:51    Educational videos. 0:03:32    The DUTCH is the culmination of Mark's life work. 0:05:01    My first saliva test showed high cortisol at night, and low cortisol during the day. 0:05:51    We've run over 546 saliva tests now. 0:06:12    All the results look the same. 0:06:31    The question is WHY low cortisol? 0:07:01    Mark has managed data from one million saliva results. 0:07:23    Mark started with the idea that cortisol makes you fat, yet salivary cortisol isn’t higher in fat people. 0:07:40    The free cortisol is just one piece of the puzzle. 0:08:07    With urine testing, you also get to look at the metabolites. 0:08:24    Free cortisol is only about 1% of the total. 0:08:53    40% of patient that have low free cortisol do have elevated production (metabolites). 0:09:45    What drives cortisol production also drives clearance. 0:10:00    In obesity there is high production AND clearance, overall free cortisol is often low. 0:10:33    In hypothyroidism cortisol clearance is sluggish. 0:11:06    The DUTCH is the only way to get all three dimensions. 0:11:51    I get the impression all the tests will look dated in 10 years time. 0:12:32    Mark is skeptical when I say "everybody's low". 0:13:01    Reference ranges can be very problematic. 0:13:38    You cannot easily compare results from different tests. 0:14:13    Not everybody has low cortisol. 0:14:55    Morning serum cortisol is better than nothing. 0:15:08    Saliva is better still and DUTCH better yet. 0:15:27    The term adrenal fatigue needs some work. 0:15:44    Adrenal glands are not like ovaries (they don’t tend to give out with age). 0:16:16    The problem with cortisol is probably often in the brain, not the adrenal gland. 0:17:01    The misinformation has been driven by oversimplification. 0:18:03    How are the reference ranges for the DUTCH defined. 0:18:20    You start with a bunch of healthy people. 0:18:35    The range is then two standard deviations either side of the mean. 0:18:53    This is useful for finding pathology. 0:19:17    Reference ranges require more thought than simple maths. 0:20:00    Some reference ranges are set up so that everyone is low. 0:20:23    The analytes are unique and so are the reference ranges. 0:21:07    People are critical of blood tests, both blood is very well established and standardised. 0:21:35    Saliva testing has some shoddy standards for some tests. 0:22:06    Intranasal ACTH experiment. 0:22:30    If the lab is not curious enough to do that type of experiment you have to wonder. 0:23:16    Everyone should get test to establish a baseline. 0:23:30    Hormonal symptoms overlap a lot. 0:23:51    Then when people read or hear about symptoms, they say gee that's me. 0:24:18    Lots of things can drive cortisol. 0:24:59    Hormones are worth exploring around menopause. 0:25:28    Everybody is tired. 0:26:17    Mark's sister-in-law is healthy in spite of low hormones, should anything happen in the future, having the baseline would be important. 0:27:20    DHEA comparison. 0:27:34    Mark is a skeptic when it comes to labs, he always suspects they could be wrong, even his own…that’s why having multiple markers (as in DUTCH) for hormones can be helpful. 0:28:19    Etiocholanolone and Androsterone. 0:28:43    Inflammation blocks sulfation DHEA à DHEAS. 0:29:24    The DHEA-S can misrepresent what's really going on. 0:29:55    The DUTCH represents 14 hours worth of DHEA production. 0:30:31    The DUTCH paints the big picture of hormones. 0:31:01    Iron overload in master's athletes. 0:31:24    The DUTCH helps me be a better detective. 0:31:36    Inflammation makes prostaglandins that drive aromatase. 0:32:19    Narrowing down a list possibilities to a list of probabilities. 0:32:43    DHEA and women. 0:33:03    DHT is three times as potent as testosterone. 0:33:18    Insulin can push alpha metabolism. 0:33:36    The beta pathway is less androgen. 0:33:42    Saw palmetto, nettles, pygeum, EGCG, progesterone, zinc, finasteride all block the alpha pathway. 0:33:48    DHT can cause acne, thinning scalp hair. 0:34:37    The DUTCH has 4 alpha pathways measured. 0:34:59    PCOS is a leading cause of infertility. 0:35:36    Could we take supplements without doing the tests? 0:35:59    Mark thinks that's a bad idea in some cases. 0:36:50    Pragmatism can work. 0:37:05    Thinning scalp hair can have a number of causes. 0:37:29    If you can afford the test, do it. 0:37:42    Some of the supplements are also expensive. 0:37:51    DIM for oestrogen metabolism. 0:38:03    Pushes oestrogen down the 2-OH pathway. 0:39:11    DIM as a goitrogen. 0:39:39    I3C metabolises to DIM. 0:40:52    Mark's testing matrix. 0:41:18    People take progesterone at night because it helps with sleep. 0:41:27    Oral progesterone is gone four hours later. 0:42:09    Saliva and serum are not good ways to measure oral progesterone supplementation. 0:43:13    Mark has spent 10 years putting the testing matrix together. 0:43:43    What testing oestrogen can tell you about your methylation status. 0:43:47    Oestradiol is the main oestrogen. 0:44:01    Saliva testing for oestrogen is almost useless. 0:44:20    In serum and urine there's a 10 fold difference in oestrogen between pre and postmenopausal women. 0:44:23    In saliva, it's a 2 fold difference at best. 0:44:44    This is one of the main reasons why Mark switched to urine. 0:45:11    DIM acts on phase one metabolism. 0:45:23    Phase two includes methylation. 0:45:34    Genetic defects affect phase two. 0:45:51    Methylation is an important thing to do well. 0:45:56    Mark has two very messed up COMT genes. 0:46:04    Mark's MTHFR genes are fine. 0:46:17    On the DUTCH test, Mark is a poor methylator. 0:47:40    The DUTCH is cheap to ship (filter paper is light). 0:48:07    The test is still expensive, unfortunately. 0:48:33    Precision Analytical uses GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS. 0:49:14    Providers should go to dutchtest.com. 0:49:26    Five tests at half price. 0:50:12    Mark will help doctors interpret the results. 0:50:28    Testing (lab testing, not sample collection) is a four day process. 0:50:55    Organic acids tests are run in batches. 0:51:10    Mark developed organic acids testing for BioTech Lab  (US BioTek). 0:51:49    You can order a DUTCH though me and then I can connect with you on the phone or Skype to explain what the results mean

Have you ever been trapped in a small meeting room with a guy in a grey shirt with sweat marks under the arms? The meeting has a clear agenda, but all you can think about is that smell. Yikes, just thinking about this is enough to make me want to take a shower, scrub my armpits and apply some deodorant. Is the problem an antiperspirant deodorant deficiency? Why have humans evolved to a strong revulsion complex to what is a normal human smell? Have artificial fragrances warped our sense of smell? It’s not normal For our teenage boys to smell of basil, lavender, and rich vanilla. It’s not normal for women to emanate Daisy Fresh, Peach Burst, Blossoming Orchid, Tropical Rush, and Berry Cool. These are all things that have been impressed upon us by the companies that make person care products, and I think it’s important that we are aware of it. Are you telling me I should stink? Yes, a little bit, sometimes. But also I want you to think about where the smell is coming from, and I want you to think about how the smell differs when you change your diet. I noticed a significant reduction in my body odour after adopting a minimally processed, real food diet. Beyond diet You’re probably familiar with the problems surrounding the overuse of antibiotics. Certain of the bacteria that live in our guts are considered keystone species, and without them, we’re in trouble. Bees are also a keystone species crucial to the survival of plants in agriculture. The same problem is happening on our skin. Jasmina Aganovic is a chemical and biological engineer from MIT And she’s here to talk about how the preservatives in our personal care products maybe killing a particular keystone species of ammonia oxidising bacteria that should live on our skin. These bacteria help us by eating something harmful (ammonia) and producing something beneficial (nitric oxide). Mother Dirt Is the name of the company that manufactures a skin probiotic product called AO+ Mist spray. I’ve been using the spray for the past couple of months and so far, so good. No stink! Here’s the outline of this interview with Jasmina Aganovic: 0:04:25    Why would you care about the skin microbiome? 0:05:54    Why do we shower as often as we do? 0:07:34    Bad bacteria were the first to be found. 0:08:10    Now we have a new appreciation of the microbiomes. 0:08:56    We've been programmed since childhood on how we should smell. 0:09:55    What is it about teenagers? 0:10:45    Skin care products for acne. 0:11:29    How the skin microbiome affects acne. 0:12:03    Acne seems to be lasting until later in life. 0:12:54    The bacteria typically linked to acne is P. acne and is not problematic. 0:13:37    But when you introduce harsh soaps and skin care products into the environment, you remove the keystone peacekeepers. 0:15:07    Are skin care products antibiotics? 0:16:06    The preservatives in skin care products may be problematic. 0:16:29    12% of children now have eczema. 0:17:07    Now we can manipulate the skin microbiome. 0:17:29    AOBiome founder David Whitlock noticed animals rolling in dirt. 0:18:12    Soil based ammonia oxidising (AO) bacteria. 0:19:25    We've wiped out the AO bacteria in the last 50-70 years. 0:19:44    The bacteria is very sensitive to surfactants and preservatives. 0:20:44    The AO bacteria is a keystone species for the skin. 0:21:30    AOBiome have been investigating the possibility of reintroducing the AO bacteria. 0:22:45    AOBiome are in a phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of acne. 0:24:03    C. diff treatment with S. boulardii. 0:25:41    The AO bacteria do take up residence, but you'd need a very sensitive test to find it. 0:26:23    Bumblebees are keystone species like the AO bacteria. 0:27:04    It's important that you use products that are compatible with the bacteria. 0:27:39    Even if you do still use soap you will still see benefit. 0:28:39    Stinky armpits. 0:29:17    Natural deodorants can contain aluminium. 0:29:51    Food choices affect body odour. 0:30:27    60% of AO Mist users are able to give up deodorant. 0:31:07    Is clean really the smell of freesia? 0:31:32    Part of this is coming to terms with the way humans smell. 0:32:02    Triclosan persists in the skin. 0:32:41    AO Labs helps with product development. 0:34:18    Laundry detergents stink in the US. 0:35:55    Humans were not supposed to have body odour. 0:36:18    There is a plausible mechanism for reduction in body odour. 0:37:10    Bacteria consumes ammonia in sweat, that's what smells. 0:37:58    AO bacteria consume ammonia and produce nitric oxide. 0:38:24    The nitric oxide could become systemic. 0:39:04    Diaper rash. 0:39:33    People who use the most amount products also have the most problems. 0:40:36    Spending time outdoors is beneficial. 0:41:35    The name Mother Dirt is deliberate. 0:42:25    People who are forced to use sanitisation. 0:43:14    Certain situations require a sterile environment. 0:43:49    You can still benefit from AO Mist. 0:44:17    Hand sanitizer will wreck your hands. 0:45:15    The potential effect of the product on eczema. 0:45:44    Mother Dirt cannot make any claims before FDA approval. 0:46:13    Inflammatory skin disorders are the primary focus. 0:47:03    Where to find out more about AO Mist and the skin microbiome. 0:47:27    motherdirt.com 0:47:35    aobiome.com 0:48:08    Mother Dirt special offer. 0:48:23    AO+ Mist spray. 0:48:40    Discount code NBT25. 0:48:58    Code expires at the end of February.

The monotone of an EKG machine detecting flatline. It doesn’t get any worse than that. For realtor Douglas Hilbert, the list of low points doesn’t end there. Doug filed bankruptcy at the age of 28, had his home foreclosed on, had two vehicles repossessed, lost multiple businesses, lost 130 “investment” properties and ended up in drug rehabilitation numerous times. Each day was a rollercoaster ride of caffeine and nicotine highs followed by alcohol induced lows. Back then, depression and anxiety were the norm. Now aged 37, Doug feels better than at any time in his life. So what did Doug do? Doug describes exactly what he did in his new book Letters to My Son: Choosing Yourself First, and I am honoured to get more than one mention. It starts with food. Doug had good results eating a low-carb paleo diet but has found a high-fat, low-carb, moderate protein ketogenic diet to be even better. If there’s one lesson to be learned, it’s just eat real food. Prioritising sleep. Our modern environments are seldom conducive to quality sleep, and Doug has been able to improve his sleep by hacking his environment. Avoiding light at night, especially from the screens of electronic devices, has helped tremendously. A dark and cool bedroom has also enabled Doug to get the sleep he so desperately needed. Expressing gratitude and guided meditation. It’s so easy to get caught up in the trivial and the negative. Doug has found that by focusing on the positive things, people, events or anything that are actually present in his real life taps into the positive energy in himself and gets his brain to attach to something with a lasting effect. How do you tap into the positivity? You write down a list of all the things you’re grateful for. Sometimes it's brutally difficult to come up with anything, and things such as air make the list. It’s not about getting the perfect list, it is about the practice. Doug practices Vipassana, which is "insight" meditation. He has practiced with Buddhist monks, nuns and lay persons at temples and other centers, as well as on extended retreats. From day one Doug was taught to focus on the breath and just observe the thoughts, feelings, emotions and sensations that arise. Six years later he’s doing the same thing. There’s no goal; he just observes what goes on, and every once in awhile, he picks up something insightful into the nature of the mind and existence. Eliminating the guesswork and getting himself tested. Like me, when Doug started to feel so much better, he developed a burning desire to know what was going on inside his body. After all, biochemistry drives behaviour. Doug tested saliva, urine and stool and corrected the problems he found using nutritional supplements. He then went on to become a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner and now runs a health coaching business of his own. Here’s the outline of this interview with Douglas Hilbert: 0:00:00    Letters to My Son: Choosing Yourself First by Douglas Hilbert 0:01:12    Doug's low point was an EKG flatline. 0:01:58    Overeating, smoking, drugs, working 100 hours a week. 0:02:22    Terrible physical shape. 0:02:31    Failed business, lost a ton of money. 0:02:43    Doug quit racing triathlon to try and save the business. 0:03:02    When the business still failed, Doug was left with nothing. 0:03:26    Using drugs to lose weight. 0:05:00    Doug has been in rehab three times. 0:05:26    Cycling and triathlon as a way to channel energy. 0:06:05    Spiritual based rehab didn't work, finally a science based approach worked. 0:06:34    “Biochemistry drives behaviour” - Dr Robert Lustig. 0:07:16    Even in sobriety, Doug still had a lot of anxiety and depression. 0:07:48    Doug now feels the best he ever has at 37. 0:08:46    We've recently tested Doug's cortisol, and whilst it's not perfect, it's better. 0:09:13    Doug feels fantastic without taking any prescriptions. 0:10:15    Doug was 50lb overweight at the start of the book, but never had much trouble shedding the extra. 0:11:23    Doug is using Elite HRV to guide activity. 0:11:52    Leanest ever through eating rather than exercise. 0:12:41    Doug has been prescribed a statin but refused. 0:13:54    Peter Attia's YouTube videos. 0:14:16    Despite exercise, Doug's triglycerides were once 459. 0:14:47    Doug has been doing very well on a ketogenic diet. 0:15:18    Doug wasn't performing or thinking well on 150-200g of carbs per day. 0:15:41    Doug's organic acids result showed an elevation of ketones the first time we tested. 0:16:08    A ketogenic diet has enabled Doug to write a book. 0:17:21    All the men do really well on a ketogenic diet. 0:18:22    Doug's triglycerides are now 88. 0:18:52    Ketosis is for keeps. 0:19:04    Vegetarianism lead to the worst test results. 0:19:45    Diet is not the only part, but it's the foundation. 0:20:04    Try meditating on a high-carb breakfast. 0:21:25    Doug is going to keep testing, and if anything changes, he'll make another decision. 0:22:17    The only thing that has got me into trouble is being close-minded. 0:23:23    Just eat real food! 0:24:37    NBT programs always include diet, rest walking and some kind of stress management. 0:25:21    Doug has writing in his family. 0:26:19    For Doug, writing is cathartic. 0:27:51    Publishing creates accountability. 0:28:39    Writing a gratitude list. 0:29:16    Appreciating the things you really need. 0:30:05    Doug will express gratitude and meditate as required every day. 0:31:54    Humans invent something to worry about in the absence of something really worth worrying about. 0:34:55    Doug's podcast habit. 0:36:27    Reading can be hard when you're not feeling good. 0:36:49    Podcasts are great if you have a job that requires you travel a lot. 0:39:53    Simon Hunter recommended Overcast. 0:43:18    Doug mentions me and my podcast in his book. 0:44:00    Doug is a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner. 0:46:23    Not getting too caught up on the physical. 0:49:08    Email Doug: douglashilbert@yahoo.com. 0:49:21    Doug on Facebook. Are you a busy realtor struggling to cope with the pressures of your work? Book a free consultation and we’ll help you figure out the way forward.

Apple Frudel. Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. Cinnamon French Toast Bread. Blueberry Snack’N Waffle. Cocoa Puffs Cereal Bar. Cheerios Cereal Bar. Cinnamon Pop Tart. Strawberry Splash Pancake. Super Donut. All these “food” items were taken from the breakfast menu for my nephew’s school. Presumably an expert designed this menu because it bares the logo of ChooseMyPlate.gov. If you can't trust the experts, who can you trust? How do you protect yourself from misinformation that has the potential to hurt you and your children’s health? There is only one way, and that’s to learn how to evaluate scientific evidence and think critically. Danny Lennon is a nutrition educator and critical thinker, and his Sigma Nutrition podcast is a powerful platform. As you can probably tell from his accent, Danny is from Ireland. After completing a degree in biology and physics, Danny worked as a teacher for a while before returning to the University of Cork to complete a master’s degree in Nutrition Science. After failing to achieve the results he deserved from training, Danny set out to discover the truth about what works in nutrition and health. His goal is to teach us how to be our own expert, to enable us to separate the brilliant from the misleading, even if the difference is more subtle than a Super Donut on your breakfast menu. If you’re listening to this interview, my guess is that you’re already an accomplished nutrition critical thinker. My question to you is how do we get this message out there more efficiently? Please let me know in the comments section below. Here’s the outline of this interview with Danny Lennon: 0:00:00    Danny Lennon's Sigma Nutrition Radio podcast. 0:00:51    Sigma Nutrition Radio has helped me professionally. 0:01:10    Why is Danny interested in nutrition? 0:01:33    Danny has always been an athlete. 0:01:41    Danny studied biology and physics. 0:02:06    Boyd Eaton paper on evolutionary biology. 0:02:06    Necessity is a great teacher! 0:02:34    Danny taught science for a while. 0:02:50    Danny was born just outside London, grew up in Dublin, now in Limerick. 0:03:36    I have Kelly on both sides of my family! 0:03:53    Is there an obesity problem in Ireland? 0:04:35    Danny is a type-A! 0:04:57    Danny was eating a very low-fat diet with lots of whole grains, something with hindsight he wouldn't recommend. 0:05:52    Danny wasn't as lean as he should have been given how much training he was doing. 0:06:38    I used to eat a completely fat-free diet, thank you Teflon! 0:07:07    Danny has a classical education. 0:07:55    Danny started to wonder who else he could help. 0:08:15    Vitamin D research at the University of Cork under Prof. Kevin Cashman 0:08:44    Understanding individuality. 0:09:28    Biochemistry in a master's degree is fine. 0:09:59    But the public health education is questionable. 0:10:25    The falsely claimed dangers of red meat consumption as an example. 0:10:54    Danny did his own research and sent them to his professor. 0:11:22    The 80s and 90s were the nutritional stone age. 0:11:59    Robb Wolf interview with RD who struggled (Laura Schoenfeld). 0:12:30    My wife Julia decided not to become registered or licensed. 0:12:54    What motivates Danny to teach. 0:13:25    The podcast allows Danny to educate at a level he enjoys. 0:14:18    Danny likes to inspire people to think critically for themselves. 0:15:00    Danny's podcast on calorie restriction and longevity with Dr. Eric Ravussin. 0:15:29    An upcoming interview is a powerful motivator for learning. 0:16:04    My social isolation podcast with Bryan Walsh. 0:16:50    Sarcopenic obesity. 0:17:12    Danny aims to provides the best platform for getting the information out there. 0:17:36    The dangers of "canned answers". 0:18:18    Danny does not write down a list of questions. 0:18:36    My interview with Jason Fung. 0:18:58    A list of questions didn't work for me. 0:19:24    Danny picks guests to create a narrative that spans multiple episodes. 0:20:32    The narrative clusters two or three podcasts. 0:20:32    Adrenal fatigue with Bryan Walsh. 0:21:05    How do you reconcile when a guest says something you think is wrong and unhelpful? 0:21:51    A podcast interview is not a debate! 0:22:11    Practitioners talk about what they do. 0:22:29    Danny can still raise counterpoints. 0:23:06    I've had guests that have said things I've thought was questionable. 0:23:44    How does the information you glean from the podcast fit into your practice. 0:23:53    There's a common core consensus e.g. sleep, minimally processed foods. 0:25:18    It's OK to change your mind based on the new information. 0:25:29    Danny is always thinking about key messages, and he would like you to do the same. 0:26:05    Getting caught up in the details. 0:27:26    The basics come first. 0:27:52    Snowing people with everything you've learnt is a mistake. 0:28:45    My fictitious example: overtrained half marathon runner. 0:29:27    Initial starting point is to look at the big picture. 0:30:00    No need to jump into test until you've addressed the basics. 0:30:29    The test results are not going to change what we do first until we've addressed the basics. 0:30:57    Depending on the person, changing one thing at a time can be helpful. 0:31:26    Sleep and diet first. 0:32:21    Regaining weight and regressing because people think they need to make changes all the time. 0:33:05    Modification in preference to complete overhaul. 0:33:47    Usually people come to me having already done the basic stuff. 0:34:11    Some people seem better able to make change once they've seen a test result. 0:34:52    Getting emotional commitment is important. 0:35:39    A diagnosis is a powerful motivator. 0:36:31    Getting to the underlying goals. 0:36:51    Quantification can be important 0:37:24    Danny sets up a series of consultations. 0:38:11    Avoids snowing. 0:38:11    This adds accountability. 0:38:28    12 week block of coaching. 0:38:43    Danny works with a lot of boxers and MMA fighters. 0:39:14    Maybe I've been doing this wrong: too many things at once. 0:39:58    I do get great results but we spend so much time following up. 0:40:47    The intermediates and advanced people might do better with taking it all on at once. 0:41:36    Every coach should have a coach. 0:42:00    Otherwise you end up second guessing. 0:42:40    I love ticking boxes and following plans. 0:43:04    I have at least one example of a person that did better with weekly contact. 0:43:35    Lacking the call to action. 0:44:16    Sign up at sigmanutriton.com. 0:45:01    Danny's article on key fundamentals. 0:45:33    Danny finds writing harder. 0:45:56    Danny tends towards perfectionism and long articles. 0:48:23    The Ridiculously Simple Guide to Sustainable Fat Loss. 0:48:47    The 2016 Sigma Nutrition Conference is in February. 0:49:42    For fitness professionals. 0:50:02    In Dublin. 0:50:15    Possibly one or even to in England.