Blog

Hello friends: As you might guess from the title, pesticides have the unfortunate side effect of creating cancers of several types as well as other health problems. Here is what the medical news reveals: “Pesticides have transformed modern agriculture by boosting production yields and helping alleviate food insecurity amid rapid global population growth. However, from a public health perspective, exposure to pesticides has been linked to numerous harmful effects, including neurologic disorders like Parkinson's disease , weakened immune function, and an increased risk for cancer. Pesticide exposure has been associated with cancers such as colorectal cancer , lung cancer, leukemia (in children and adults), lymphoma, and pancreatic cancer . But these studies primarily have focused on specific groups of individuals with known exposure to certain pesticides or cancer types, thus offering a limited perspective.” “The researchers also estimated the additional cancer risk related to smoking, using the same model. They found that pesticides contributed to a higher risk for cancer than smoking in several cases. The most significant difference was observed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, where pesticides were linked to 154.1% more cases than smoking. For all cancers combined, as well as bladder cancer and leukemia, the increases were moderate: 18.7%, 19.3%, and 21.0%, respectively.” https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/cancer-risk-are-pesticides-new-smoking-2024a1000h2n?ecd=wnl_dne1_240920_MSCPEDIT_etid6844079&uac=428598BV&impID=6844079 Bottom Line: The best solution is to avoid contaminated food as much as possible. There are convincing studies showing that by switching to organically produced foods you can lower your pesticide burden relatively quickly and substantially…within weeks the amount found in your body will be incredibly lessened. It may not be feasible to consume only organic, so it is a good practice to use the Environmental Working Group’s guides called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. The dirty dozen are foods that are so contaminated that they should only be consumed if they are organic. The Clean 15 are foods that may be commercially grown yet have little to no pesticide contamination and therefore do not have to be purchased in the organic form. Here are two links to that valuable health preserving information, and at that first link, you can click to view vital information about food and the second link to get a free digital copy of the 2024 Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php You can click here to get your PDF of the guide.

Hello everyone: This topic continues to appear frequently in the medical research news, and there are increasing numbers of papers that reveal that no amount of alcohol has any benefits except no alcohol. There is no level of alcohol consumption that does not increase the risk of dementia among drinkers, according to a new study. Using statistical methods based on genetic analyses, the authors of the study found that alcohol heightened dementia risk in proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed. This study contradicts earlier research that suggested light to moderate drinking may protect against dementia. “For many years,” said Toy, “it used to be believed that moderate alcohol intake could be beneficial for heart health, but recent research has debunked this . There is no good reason to drink alcohol for health reasons.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dementia-risk-rises-with-any-amount-of-alcohol-use?slot_pos=article_1&utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=MNT%20Daily%20News&utm_content=2024-09-14&apid=41304130&rvid=a32216b5e1c0c5df3c84080e2b2e161318206dbce6fd663dd747aa557a4753cd Bottom Line: There is a bit more nuance to this issue. What I mean by that is, while there is no known benefit to the consumption of any level of alcohol, we should look closely at several issues: 1. What is the overall nutritional pattern for a person consuming alcohol? In other words, if someone is overweight, eating a poor or Standard American Diet (SAD) pattern including drive thru and processed foods, then the alcohol will have a much more devasting effect on their long-term health. A drink every day or weekend binges have proven adverse health effects. If your goal is to be a good steward of your Temple, and to be of good service in this life, alcohol should not be consumed. 2. What is the person’s health history and family history? If overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, cancer, heart disease, any autoimmune condition, any digestive disorder, any depression or anxiety, then alcohol (a known carcinogen and neurotoxin) should be avoided. Alcohol damages the gut lining (leaky gut) and alters the microbiome, stresses the cardiovascular system, is a toxin, alters blood sugar, hormones, damages the brain and immune system, induces poor sleep as well as depression, lowers cognitive abilities, and harms the liver and other organs…even a little buzz is damaging. 3. Why is someone drinking? The most common response I get is that the person says they need to relax from the stress in their life. It would be a good idea to find an alternate way to alleviate stress such as mindful meditation, exercise, yoga, therapy or whatever it takes. There are no positive health effects from alcohol consumption, but unwinding with alcohol eventually has the opposite effect.  4. Is there any addiction in the family, or does someone have addictive tendencies? Just say no to alcohol. If you do drink, take a good inventory of your current health status and stop drinking any alcohol for 3 months and see how you feel. I am sure there are other issues, but these are the primary ones that I see. What do you think about alcohol? Because it is essentially a significant poison and drains health away, it is best to avoid it.

Hello again: I just saw this great article on dietary cancer risks, and it focuses on A.G.E.s which was a topic in the October 7 th blog. If you recall, A.G.E.s are Advanced Glycosylated End products and are toxic to our system. This article is from our local V.C.U college of medicine and is very informative: “Food is more than just fuel for the body. It’s often about the experience, the panoply of flavors and aromas — from the simple browning of a crispy slice of toast to the sweetness of caramelized onions. But behind the most delicious foods and flavors is a source of cellular inflammation that has led to growing concern among top cancer prevention researchers. Nearly every food naturally contains what’s known as advanced glycation end products (A.G.E.s). The amount of these metabolites can be supercharged depending on how food is processed and prepared. A raw apple, for example, contains 13 A.G.E.s. Cooking leads to the formation of new A.G.E.s, especially when food is cooked at higher temperatures for a long time. The amounts can increase depending on the method. In addition to being consumed through food, A.G.E.s are formed within the body as sugar combines with fat, protein and even genetic material in a complex series of reactions known as glycation. Human bodies are only capable of eliminating a fraction of the A.G.E.s they consume. Over time, they accumulate in tissues and organs, causing increased oxidative stress and inflammation that research suggests contributes to chronic diseases throughout the body. “Advanced glycation end-products” is hardly a household term … yet. But a pair of researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center are working to create greater awareness of the role they play in driving the body’s inflammatory responses, more rapidly aging the body and increasing cancer risk.” https://www.mcvfoundation.org/news/stories/boiling-down-dietary-cancer-risks Bottom Line: This should all be very familiar to you if you have been following my blog for a while (thank you!) …it is all about chronic low-grade inflammation and how it has multiple negative effects on our health, including cancer induction and aging. The reason it is important to mention aging is that aging is a known risk factor for all chronic and degenerative diseases. The more we can age optimally and reduce inflammaging, the longer and better both our healthspan and lifespan will be. Go to this link below that I previously shared to learn about how to lower your exposure to A.G.E.s (less is better) …hint: go plant based with low temperature cooking. https://anti-ages.org/a-g-e-s-in-food-1

Hello again to all: Thanks for reading my blogs, I appreciate your interest and hope you are doing well. Here is some important news to help you improve your health and the planet as well:  “A prospective cohort study of adults in India has found that those following a predominantly plant-based diet had lower risk of cardiovascular events than those eating an animal-based or mixed diet. Researchers followed nearly 10,000 participants and found that the plant-based group also had lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and body weight.” Conclusions: Adherence to a plant-based diet was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and more favorable changes in cardiovascular risk factors compared to mixed or animal-based diets. These findings suggest that promoting plant-based dietary patterns could be an effective strategy for cardiovascular disease prevention. https://www.afjbs.com/uploads/paper/f8bde8394713a15bb662ddfb27c1b07a.pdf?emci=ffdcbf05-be6b-ef11-991a-6045bdd9e096&emdi=11567917-546c-ef11-991a-6045bdd9e096&ceid=11731638 Bottom Line: This topic is not without controversy, as there are studies that do not reveal much of any difference between plant-based or animal-based diets and their effects on different markers of health or disease. However, as the research slowly improves and more big data is available, there is a consensus emerging as to what type of food plan is best for mankind and the planet. The preponderance of evidence that I have seen coming out recently consistently favors going plant-based, and that is what I am doing. I strongly recommend the ‘Nutritarian’ approach that is most eloquently articulated by Joel Fuhrman, MD in his many books. Perhaps the best one is a summary of his work: “Eat for Life”. I also invest in cookbooks and Smither-ize the recipes but stay plant based. If I could briefly summarize the best health promoting strategies into a short list, it would be this: · Flexitarian, mostly vegan food plan: whole unprocessed foods, chew slowly, & savor. · Exercise consistently: at a minimum, walks and body weight exercises (yoga) 4 days/wk · Do not sacrifice rest and sleep: consistent time to bed · Meditation and prayer daily routine. Find a way to be of service that you like. · eTRF: early time restricted feeding: all of my daily calories within a 12-to-14-hour window with 80% of total calories by 2 PM, and dinner as early as possible and the lightest meal of the day (only 20% of daily calories). Stop eating at least 4 hours before bed whenever possible. · Read widely and keep your brain active: avoid sitting as much as you can. · Have a hobby or two…have some fun! · Get outside into nature every day…a short walk after every meal is especially smart. · If your life is feeling unbalanced, step back and see what moves to make to restore balance.

Hello again friends: This should come as no surprise, especially if you have been reading my blogs you already know that science has confirmed the following: inflammation will cause, perpetuate, and/or aggravate every known chronic illness as well as make the severity or recovery from an acute illness or injury problematic. This principle even includes aging…now known as inflammaging. Thus, avoiding added sugars of all types (including alcohol) is a fundamental step in health promotion. And as I have said before, food is fundamental to the prevention of chronic illness (which is the leading cause of death and disability!!!) as well as optimal recovery and stability. Without a great food plan, even the best functional medicine and supplement protocols will be only partially effective. This is because every biochemical reaction in the body depends on nutrients derived from nature and not some industrially processed food like object. Ok, enough ranting…if you think science loves sugar because it is still allowed in everything, then think again and get rid of it: “Eating too much added sugar and other refined carbs is linked to inflammation in the body — which may lead to health problems. But eating more fiber may be a powerful way to reduce inflammation, with other lifestyle changes. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing process. During injury or infection, the body releases chemicals to help protect it and fight off any harmful organisms. This can cause redness, warmth and swelling. Some foods, like sugar, can also cause inflammation in the body. But this is not acute inflammation, like the type you’d get with an injury, which comes and goes quite quickly. It’s chronic. And chronic low-grade inflammation can increase your risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies, according to research in humans and animals.” SUMMARY: Consuming too much added sugar and refined carbs is linked with elevated markers of inflammation in the body, as well as insulin resistance and weight gain. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sugar-and-inflammation Bottom Line: Just avoid added sugars of all types, processed grains and carbs, and seek out whole food sources of nutrition filled with fiber, phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, and co-factors needed for optimal health expression. There truly is no other way to promote health as effectively as a healthy food plan. Do some research, invest in cookbooks, learn to become a really good chef and heal your household.