Dr Wahls Healing Nutrition

For those of you who have not watched Dr. Terry Wahls testimony on how she was cured of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by nutrition, please take 18 minutes of your busy day and watch this life-changing video. I know you might be tempted to watch only the first 5 minutes, but I urge you, please just hang on till the end. I could tell you all day long what she said, but I think hearing it from "the horse's mouth" gives the testimony the credibility it needs; you might not believe me otherwise. I want you to watch this in particular because, of the other two sources that I've referred to in the past (Tom Naughton and Gary Taubes), neither has been a medical professional, and I know that for most people, a story carries more weight when the source is considered credible, in other words, the source is an expert in the particular line of work of the topic at hand. Not to say that Tom and Gary are not credible, just that Dr. Terry Wahls' profession as a medical doctor gives us her expertise, and her perspective from the medical side. She actually confirms what Tom and Gary have also discovered on their own.

Now, whether you watched it or not, I'd like to give a textual summary of her video in this post, as I think it is very useful to see "on paper" what she says. I do warn you, however, that I will go into more detail than she did, but it's for your benefit. So, don't get too caught up in the technical, scientific terminology; just understand the concepts of what's happening in the body. Visualize the various activities your body performs and the reactions your body produces when it has the right nutrients. It will help you understand why the body cannot do its job when it doesn't have the nutrients it needs. In fact, Dr. Wahls points out that if the reactions your body requires don't happen properly, you set the stage for chronic disease.

So, let's get started...

Testimony Spelled Out

Dr. Terry Wahls battled MS (Multiple Sclerosis) for about 7 years before she realized that her fellow doctors and their latest chemotherapies and drugs were doing nothing for her. That's when she took things into her own hands. She realized her brain was deteriorating, and she needed to do something if she was ever going to help herself get better. She was the guinea pig, but she had no choice, and she had nothing to lose if her hypotheses and experiments failed. This disease was considered incurable to modern medicine anyway. If there was any way that she could improve her quality of life, that would be an accomplishment for her.

So after researching the crucial elements, vitamins, and minerals her body required, she began to take vitamins and supplements in pill form, but she quickly realized that nutrition was the better way to take in the vitamins and minerals her body was lacking. As she began to change her diet, she found that her body began to heal itself. From a tilt-reclined, zero-gravity wheelchair in 2007 and with a frail body barely able to walk (with two canes), she went down to one cane after 3 months of her new lifestyle. At month 4 she no longer needed a cane. At month 5, she took her bike for a spin around the block after not riding in 10 years. At 9 months, she took an 18-mile bike ride. One year after her lifestyle change, she did a trail ride in the Canadian Rockies. In November of 2011, when she gave the talk at TEDx, you could see that her health was restored. Today, she seeks to help others who are battling such diseases, and she seeks to raise awareness for prevention of such diseases. She teaches the public about the healing power of food and she conducts clinical trials using the nutrition guidelines that saved her life.

How did she do this? Before going into detail about the nutrition, I will cover her explanation about how our bodies work, as I think it's vital for you to understand. As I've said before, knowing is half the battle. Not only that, knowledge is power, and being aware of how your body works will help you realize why the foods she recommends are essential to your well being.

Our Brain and our Body's Cells

Myelin

Let's start with the brain, one of the main components of the central nervous system. Did you know that our brains contain 1 billion cells and 10 trillion connections? This network of connections consists of special cells called neurons that transmit the signals between different parts of the body via their axons, or the connective wiring. These signals take place just fine when the connective wiring is surrounded by a fatty substance called myelin, but when this wiring (the axon) is not insulated by myelin, these signals cannot take place. In other words, myelin is absolutely essential for the central nervous system to work properly. So if our bodies need it, how do we obtain it? It's actually simple. Our bodies can make myelin! However, our body requires the following elements before it can produce healthy, robust myelin.

A neuron with its axon insulated by myelin

• Vitamin B1 (Thyamin)
• Vitamin B9 (Folate)
• Vitaimin B12 (Cobalamin)
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Iodine

Neurotransmitter

Next, we'll look at neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a chemical that transmits signals from the neuron to the receptors of a target cell. The synapse is the space where this signal transmission takes place. As we saw above, these signals are vital to the functioning of our bodies, and the signal is not valid if the neurotransmitters are not there to take the message across. Thus, we require these neurotransmitters, so they can relay messages throughout our bodies. Just as our bodies can make myelin, they can also make neurotransmitters provided we have the following things in our nutrition:

• Sulfur
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

A neuron transmitting signals via electrical impulses to a target cell. In the synapse, the
neurotransmitters send messages via the receptors of the target cell.

Cells and Mitochondria

A typical animal cell. (9) shows the mitochondria

As you may already know, our bodies are made of countless cells. What you may not know are the subcellular components of a cell (right). These tiny structures are to the cell what organs are to the body, and so they're called "organelles" (tiny organs). For the moment, ignore all the numbers except for (9) which shows the mitochondria.

Mitochondria are critically important to our health. They are often called "cellular power plants" because they generate most of the cell's supply of chemical energy, but that's not all they do. They are also responsible for processes such as cell communication, differentiation of cells, cell death, and controlling cell cycle and growth. It is no wonder that when mitochondria cannot perform their jobs properly, neurological diseases occur (like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's) and also diseases like cancer, where programmed cell death never occurs and cell-division continues.

A mitochondrion (singular for mitochondria)

So, what nutrients should we consume for the countless reactions of the mitochondria to happen properly?

• B Vitamins
• Sulfur
• Antioxidants

Nutrition

Dr. Wahls noted that as societies become more affluent, they tend to eat more processed foods, which in turn, causes a decline in their health. As they eat more foods rich in starch and simple carbs (sugars), their children are born with smaller brains and smaller jaws (leading to crooked teeth), their blood vessels stiffen earlier in life, they and/or their children potentially become obese and/or develop diabetes, their children are diagnosed with learning disorders and severe behavioral problems, and a myriad of other negative effects that emerge over time.

The solution she proposed was to go back to the lifestyle of our Paleo ancestors, who for nearly 2.5 million years foraged (hunted and gathered) for their food. Dr. Wahls points out they knew more about eating for optimal health than modern physicians and scientists. From her experiments on her own body, she developed a method for eating for the benefit of the brain and the mitochondria (the power generators of your body).

Dr. Wahls' nutrition guidelines stem from the healing effects they generated in her own body. She believes wholeheartedly in the Paleo method of nutrition, which I described in my last post. Now keep in mind that eating a Paleo diet is viewed by followers of this lifestlye in a few different ways. For example some people include fats like nuts or even dairy in moderation in the Paleo lifestyle, but the main point to understand is the return to eating food in its most natural state, so there is definitely a complete emphasis on eliminating processed foods as much as possible. Dr. Wahls points out that this lifestyle is more nutritious than the diets of the AHA (American Heart Association), ADA (American Diabetes Association), and USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), as it has the following effects:

• Dramatically increases vitamin and mineral content of your diet
• Dramatically lowers risk of food allergies and sensitivities (more common than we realize and difficult to diagnose)
• Gluten Sensitivity (the protein in wheat, rye, and barley)
• Dairy Sensitivity (the casein protein)
• Both of the above are associated with a wide variety of health problems including:
• Eczema, Asthma, Allergies, Infertility, Irritable bowel, Fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue, Arthritis, Chronic headache, Neurological problems, Behavior problems

What to Eat

So now that we know what our bodies require to function properly, what are the foods that contain these elements? Dr. Wahls' proposed the following guidelines in order to receive the nutrients the body needs for all the functionality mentioned above. On a daily basis, one should eat the following:

• 3 Cups of Green Leaves
• Dramatically lowers risks of cataracts and macular degeneration (leading cause of blindness in the US)
• Rich in:
• Vitamins A & C - support immune cells
• Vitamin B - protects brain cells and mitochondria
• Vitamin K - keeps blood vessels and bones healthy
• Minerals - cofactors (essential to the function of an enzyme) for hundreds of different enzymes in the body
• Kale has the most nutrition per calorie of any plant
• Parsley also has countless benefits

• 3 Cups of Sulfur-Rich Vegetables
• Sulfur supports:
• Brain
• Mitochondria
• Liver & Kidneys (for toxin removal from bloodstream)
• Cabbage family (including but not limited to)
• Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Turnips, Rutabaga, Radishes, Collards, Kale
• Onion family (including but not limited to)
• Garlic, Leeks, Chives, Shallots
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus

• 3 Cups of Bright Color
• Colors contain flavonoids and polyphenols (potent antioxidants) that support:
• Retinas
• Mitochondria
• Brain cells
• Toxin removal
• Vegetables (including but not limited to)
• Beets, Carrots, Peppers, Red Cabbage
• Fruits (brightly colored) and Berries (including but not limited to)
• Peaches, Oranges, Blackberries, Blueberries,
  Raspberries, Strawberries

• High Quality Protein Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• To produce myelin
• Critical to jaw development
• For straight teeth
• Larger brain
• Wild Fish (including but not limited to)
• Salmon, Herring
• Grass-Fed Meat (including but not limited to)
• Lamb, Beef

Also, once a week, one should eat:

• Organ meat
• Concentrated sources of:
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Coenzyme Q
• Particularly potent for supporting mitochondria
• Examples:
• Liver, Heart, Tongue, Gizzards, and other Sweetbreads - culinary name for animal glands

• Seaweed
• Rich source of selenium
• Rich source of iodine
• Brain needs it to make myelin
• Body needs it to remove toxins
• Mercury
• Lead
• Heavy Metals
• Adequate iodine lowers risk of breast and prostate cancer
• 80% of Americans have low iodine

That about sums up what her testimony was about. I want to point out once more that Dr. Wahls brought her body back to a healthy state in less than a year after being sick for 7 years. So keep in mind that the body is resilient. You might feel like healing is impossible, but getting back to a healthy state is possible. You can bounce back.

If you're still discouraged, try to keep in mind what she said about paying now or later. Yes, eating this way may prove to be more expensive than eating all the processed, quick and easy-to-obtain foods you are accustomed to consuming, but you will either pay now, or you will pay later with medical bills, doctor visits, prescriptions, surgeries, missing work, forced early retirement, and nursing-home care. As healthcare costs continue to rise exponentially, it seems imperative to be healthy now, if only to avoid all the extra costs that come with being unhealthy.

One more thing before I close this post. This may be a drastic change for many of you and it is definitely overwhelming, but again, don't let it stress you out. Do the best you can, and take things a step at a time. It's what I do, and it's all we can be expected to do. You have to cut yourself some slack here and there, but as long as you achieve the healthy state you want for yourself, that is what is important.

Good luck! I look forward to posting more...

Going Back to Natural

After watching the documentary "Fat Head" back in November, I began to follow the lifestyle immediately, and I began to tell others about it just as quickly. I told my family, my friends; I even told people I didn't even know. Some accepted it immediately, just like I did. Others were hesitant, and some were skeptical and downright defiant, but honestly, I can understand why. No one wants to believe that the government, doctors, and other "authorities" have been lying to us (knowingly or unknowingly) all these years. I personally felt betrayed after having watched the movie; it was disenchanting. And I knew just how difficult it was to believe this "revolutionary" concept I had found, a concept you will soon see was actually not revolutionary at all.

My zeal for this new concept was evident throughout my daily discussions with people. It's funny because it's all I really wanted to talk about, and I began to feel like a preacher! (Can I get a witness?) One day, it dawned on me that I should start a new blog, one where I shared my newfound passion: the good news about nutrition. At the same time I realized that I wanted to incorporate not only nutrition, but also natural remedies. With that said, I knew I should choose my blog name carefully. I wanted to convey a sense of going back to nature, while at the same time connoting a religious fervor I had for evangelizing the message I believe—that nature holds the healing to not just some of our ailments, but all of them.

The Revolutionary Concept

Speaking of 'nature' let's explore that first half of my blogname—since the last half is self explanatory. What kinds of things does the word 'natural' conjure up in your mind? Let's take a trip to the past and go tens of thousands or even millions of years back and take a peek at our ancestors. How did they nourish their bodies? How did they self sustain? It so happens that during these prehistoric times, humans actually had to hunt and gather their food. These people fed off wild and local animals, fish, vegetables, roots, fruit, and nuts. That may sound simple and perhaps boring, but surprisingly enough, their fossils indicate that they rarely if ever encountered the modern diseases we have all come to know so well: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and even gum disease, to name a few. In other words, we can assume they were quite healthy. Looking at the list below, can you see why eating this way this is not such a revolutionary concept after all?

• Wild/Local animals
• Fish
• Vegetables
• Roots
• Fruit
• Nuts

Now, you may have actually heard about this type of diet. Today, there are many variations of it. Some call it "Paleo," "Primal," or even "Caveman" because our ancestors during the Paleolithic Era ate this way. Others may not necessarily give it a name, but they use some of the similar concepts like eating greater amounts of protein and animal fat and drastically limiting their carb/sugar intake. In addition, diets like "Atkins" and "South Beach" are a bit similar, although they tend to be short-lived and they vary in several ways from a traditional "Paleo" diet. Personally, I think the "Paleo" lifestyle comes the closest to the ideal. Now, you might wonder if this is what "Fat Head" was all about. To answer that question, yes, it was, although the word "Paleo" was never mentioned (that I know of). With that said, I want to reiterate that Tom Naughton of "Fat Head" and Gary Taubes of "Good Calories, Bad Calories" are not the only advocates for such lifestyles. There are countless proponents out there. If you suspect this "diet" is a craze and a passing fad, I assure you that for some people it will be, but for people whose lives have been changed, whose diseases have been healed, whose bodies have been restored, this is and will always be a lifestyle.

One such person of noteworthy mention is Medical Doctor Terry Wahls, and in the following inspiring, 18-minute video, she presents the power of nutrition, and how it restored her body. She has been healed of MS (Multiple Sclerosis) that ravaged her body for 7 years. Healed? you ask. Yes! It seems unbelievable, doesn't it? I truthfully had always wanted to believe that the healing of every ailment was found in nature, but it wasn't until I saw Dr. Wahls' testimony that I fully realized it was true. I wasn't so much a "doubting Thomas" as I was afraid that over time we'd lost the answers to the cures—whether no one remembered them anymore, or they were being kept secret from the public, or perhaps because the particular herbs had become extinct over time. Whatever the case was, I was hesitant to believe that the "cure" was so readily available to whomever was willing to seek and find. Now I am certain the "cure" does, in fact, exist, and it is readily available, so I'll leave you with this amazing testimony, hoping that it inspires you as much as it has inspired me. If any youtube video in this world should go viral, it's this one, so I urge you to please share it, spread the word, the gospel, if you will. Everybody ought to know...

And don't worry, I'm not done talking about this, and I'm not done answering some of the questions I've posed in my previous posts. So, keep your eyes peeled for another post coming soon!

Weight-Loss Journey

Muscle vs. Fat

5 lbs Fat (top) vs. 5 lbs Muscle (bottom)

You've probably heard people say "muscle weighs more than fat" and it probably reminds you of the joke you heard as a kid, "What's heavier? A ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?" Neither right? A ton of each weighs the same: one ton. What people really mean is that by volume, muscle weighs more than fat. If you put 5 pounds of muscle next to 5 pounds of fat, you'll see that the muscle is more densely packed and is smaller by volume than the fat, which takes up more space.

Recently, people have asked me if I've lost a ton of weight, and the truth is, I really haven't lost as much as people might think. I guess the concept of looking slimmer always makes people think of drastic amounts of weight. But being that you now understand that fat is lumpier and bulkier than muscle, you can see why a person who has slimmed down may appear to have lost a lot of weight. Actually, it really all depends on the amount of fat and/or muscle lost. If someone loses a lot of muscle and not a lot of fat, they may not appear much slimmer, but the scale has made them think they "lost a lot of weight" and this may, in turn, make them think they're doing a great job of trimming down, which is not true. Losing muscle is the last thing you want to do. The best scenario is when you lose fat and gain/maintain muscle. If this is the case, you will not seem to lose much weight on the scale, but you will definitely appear more trim. How do I know? I know because that's exactly what happened to me.

My Journey

Over the last several years my weight crept up till I was the heaviest I'd ever been in my life. Mind you, I wasn't morbidly obese, probably only 20-30 lbs above my normal average, but I was disappointed with myself. It was 2007, and I had just gotten married to the love of my life. Whether it was the neglect of my health during this time or perhaps my intense happiness for finding my soulmate, I gained excess weight. (Sometimes I blame "the pill" because so many other women do, and it's probably not far from the truth. It's completely unnatural, and I will never, ever take it again.)

Anyway, in 2008, I'd had enough. Desperate about my weight, I wanted any help whatsoever, and I was a bit vulnerable and probably depressed. I had been slim my whole life, and being heavy was something I had never experienced. I developed a deeper compassion than I already had for people who tried to lose weight and could not. (I know now why they could not, but more on that later.) One day, I was talking to one of my girlfriends, and she told me about Nutrisystem. She had lost 20 lbs in about 3 months, and she was super happy. This was too tempting to pass up at that time, and I signed up for 4 months. I will never use it again, mind you, and I wouldn't recommend it now that I have learned more about nutrition, but I did manage to drop about 12 lbs in about 3 months (if it was 12 good pounds or 12 bad pounds, I don't know). If you're wondering what happened to month 4, you may have guessed right. I could not finish it. As you may have guessed (perhaps from your personal experience) I got depressed. I felt restricted. I ate the same stuff all the time, while Wesley ate whatever he wanted. Plus, I never ate out, so I felt like a hermit. At least I had Wesley to keep me company, though.

For about a year and a half to two years, I didn't do much else. I was focusing on Wesley at the time, who was going through chemotherapy treatments and drug trials. When he passed away Independence Day 2010, my need for distraction was great—probably the denial/ignore stage—and tackling the weight loss seemed like a good idea. Soon after, I met a chiropractor who specialized in weight loss in a more natural way, by cleansing/detoxifying the body. I decided it sounded better than anything I'd done before, so I planned to do a 5-week cleanse, and I blogged about it to keep myself motivated. The detox diet consisted of fresh foods including vegetables, fruits, meats, and oils like nuts, avocados, olive oil, but it restricted dairy products, plus any high-carbohydrate foods like bread, rice, pasta, starchy vegetables, and anything processed. Yes anything processed. Sometimes a bit of rice or lentils was allowed but very little, and I had to calorie-count everything. Needless to say, it was very difficult. So much so that I couldn't complete my 5th week. I did lose some weight, maybe 10 lbs, and I was happy about this, but I was also depressed because, once again, I felt restricted. I could eat almost nothing that I liked or wanted, and my social life felt nonexistent. I ate every meal at home... and alone.

Now, I may be digressing, but I'd like to say something in regards to dieting and depression because I think it is important to mention. No matter how good or healthy your diet is, if you are unhappy or depressed about it, you will be less likely to continue with it. You may go as far as never doing it again. Yes, it sounds obvious, but the point I want to make is that if you want your diet to become your lifestyle, it should not be extreme for you. It should be something that you can do for the rest of your life, and no one forces you to do it, you want to do it. And because it's not extreme, you cut yourself a little bit of slack every once in a while.

For me, the "detox" diet got a little bit closer to what I was searching for in a lifestyle change, but it wasn't quite perfect yet. It was too restrictive for me at the time. More importantly, I honestly didn't understand the reasons for cutting out so much. I'm a dairy lover, and not being able to add cheese to anything was nearly unbearable. I was a bread lover too, so I had a hard time with that, too. And then there was the calorie counting. I can spreadsheet anything, but calorie counting every single ounce I ate?... Really?? That was just a bit too much for me. The most positive thing I did notice from the "detox" diet was that, as I lost "weight," it wasn't so much the weight I was losing, as I was losing "inches" around my midsection. Most interesting was the drastic reduction in, get this... cellulite! Yes cellulite!! Something I eliminated from my diet had stopped the production of that bulky, lumpy, dimply substance that is known as fat. My body was now using the fat instead of storing more on top what I already had. The less fat I had, the fewer dimples of cellulite I had. I know it sounds gross, but it's true. The problem was that I didn't know what had caused this positive reaction (the loss of cellulite) because I had cut out too much at once. Today I can tell you what it is (and it's probably not what you're thinking), but I will save it for a future blog post, I promise. (Hint, if you watched "Fat Head,"mentioned on my previous post, you might already know.)

Since that "detox" diet, though, I was determined to lose the rest of the weight, but dieting was just not working for me. For one, "dieting" is so short lived. I knew I would revert to my old habits, and that was the problem. I longed to find the most natural way to be healthy, and I wanted the plan to be doable, but no diet was convincing. There were so many diets out there, and none of them made any logical sense to me. I didn't really know nutrition. I didn't understand how food was broken down once it entered my body. No one had taught me, and I didn't know who to ask. My doctors had never taught me, and plus, I had lost a lot of faith in them. I knew they did their best, and they don't usually have ill intentions, but since doctors learn everything through Medical School, very few, if any, question what they learn because they assume the "medical" system has already "proven" it to be true. Those who do question it—whose research results go against the medical textbooks—get banned from their universities for publishing information that goes against what the "medical system" has supposedly proven. Having said that, my little inquisitive mind didn't even know where to start asking or who to trust. The only thing I thought I could do was pray, and ask God to please help me find the most natural way to lose the excess weight.

In late November of 2011 (as I explained in my first post), my prayers were answered. I heard about the documentary "Fat Head" and as I watched it, I knew it was life-changing. This movie confirmed everything I ever wondered about nutrition. Nothing has ever explained to me in the most basic way how our bodies are affected by the things we eat like this movie. It laid the groundwork for the research I began to do regarding nutrition, and it led me down the path to seek natural remedies for my ailments and to blog about it. My life has never been the same since, and I'll never go back to the way I used to eat before. I highly recommend watching this movie, and again, watch it with an open mind. Many people I've told to watch the movie never get past the first half. If you suspect this might happen to you, start halfway. You can always go back and watch the beginning. The meat of the movie (no pun intended) is the last half, so please watch that, at the very least.

Since I found this new lifestyle, I drastically changed my diet immediately, but I did so because I wanted to; I knew it was imperative for my health. Mind you, I have been eating this way for over 4 months now. Yes, I get tempted to eat what I used to eat, and sometimes I allow myself a little bit, just so I don't feel deprived, but then I go on with my lifestyle happily. I have lost about 8 pounds in these 4 months, but what's more obvious is the fact that I have slimmed down, and it's drastic enough that people notice it, and they ask me about it. Strangely enough, a couple of close friends have pointed out that I used to appear "puffy" or swollen. Again, that makes me think of bulky fat. Nevertheless, what's more important is that after eating this way for almost 2 months, I had my blood work checked during my annual physical, and my triglycerides went down significantly from the year before (from 77 to 43, where <150 is considered good). If you didn't know, triglycerides are basically fatty deposits in the body, so it's no wonder to me that these went down, as the fat on my body started to "melt" away. As far as other numbers go, my cholesterol, which had always been within the normal range, did not change much (137), and the rest of my blood work was normal, as well. Having said that, I know my new lifestyle is not affecting my health negatively, and seeing how I've lost more "inches" around my midsection, I can suspect that I'm doing something right...

Are you ready for more naturEvangelism?

Getting Religious

In my first post, I mentioned that I hadn't stopped talking about this topic since I'd heard about it and that I felt like an evangelist because of it. But another reason I used the word 'evangelist' to describe myself was that the topic I will be discussing is very "religious" in nature, and when I bring it up, I find that many people are skeptical. I am not offended in the least bit, as I too was "once blind, but now I see!" I have found the "gospel" of food. We can return to where we were; we can get back what was taken from us. There is a "straight and narrow way" off the beaten path, there is healing for our disease-ridden bodies, there is a way of escape, there is restoration, and there is salvation! (Sounds like evangelism at it's best, doesn't it?)

The reason people are skeptical to believe the gospel I preach is that they have always believed and trusted in the medical system and their doctors. Unfortunately, these very people are the ones lying to us every day  (doctors, researchers, science, the government, etc.). In many cases it's not intentional, but the lie has been propagated so much until it has become an undeniable truth in society that no one questions it, not even most doctors. Sadly, it reminds me of the fiction novel 1984 by George Orwell. In this book, the entity of "Big Brother" (i.e., the government) continuously rewrites history to conform to the current ideology, and does away with the true historical records so as to brainwash people so they forget their real memories of what truly happened.

What some researchers on this topic have done within the last 100 or so years is this very thing. They have tried to prove an untruth, and the only way they have "proved" it is by omitting data that contradicted their hypothesis simply because the data didn't "fit" their model. This goes against the very scientific method they are supposedly using. A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a particular circumstance. It is not true until it is proven. In fact, when using the scientific method, you specifically look to disprove your hypothesis. If you cannot disprove it by any way, then you know it is true. Let's go through an example. There's a lot that goes into research, but for the sake of saving time, we'll make it simple. So let's say there was a hypothesis that stated "goats always get rashes when they eat poison ivy." You, as a researcher, would then take goats and feed them poison ivy (of course, in accordance with the scientific method). Let's then say that, of the goats that ate poison ivy, half of them got rashes, but the other half did not get rashes. According to the scientific method, you have disproved the hypothesis because your study did not show that all the goats got rashes. In fact, half of them did not get rashes. You would have to then formulate a new hypothesis about what was going on with goats and poison ivy, if there was such a hypothesis to make (because perhaps there was another factor you were not seeing that was causing the goats to get rashes, not necessarily the poison ivy itself). Again, with your new hypothesis in hand, you would try to disprove it and continue the scientific method until you found a hypothesis that you could not disprove.

Another important part of the scientific method is to remove one's personal emotions and partiality from the hypothesis and to look at both sides without becoming biased toward one side or the other. Unfortunately, researchers of the topic in question have also been so smug to believe their hypothesis is correct, so much that they look for ways to prove it. If they find data in their studies that doesn't match, they think it must be some rare anomaly, and they throw it out. (That's like saying "all goats absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, get rashes from poison ivy, and the ones that don't are some rare anomaly). The sad part is that all their data seemed to have these "rare anomalies" they had to throw out. To this day, they have never been able to prove their hypothesis. Why did it reach the stature of "truth" you ask? The reason that it was propagated as a truth was that the media got wind of the hypothesis and they disseminated false information without further research and proof. This misinformation spread like wildfire until even the whole world today believes this way. We used to be able to rely on the generation that still knew the truth, but as the older generation has passed away, they've taken with them the memories of what truly happened, and society has forgotten some basic principles we always knew to be true. 

The Truth is Out There

In this blog, I do not intend to argue to prove my point. The point has already been proven by many others. My intention is, and has always been, to give the good news and to tell others about how it's helped me. If you want to know what I'll be discussing in my blog, I urge you to start by watching the documentary by Tom Naughton, "Fat Head" (free on Hulu, also on Netflix Instant Play). It's an eye opener, and it is the very movie that turned my life around. Once you've seen the movie, the first book I recommend reading is "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. In this book Gary starts by providing countless reports of studies that "researchers" threw out, but he goes on to explain many important aspects of nutrition including topics about cholesterol, fat, triglycerides, carbohydrates, sugar, insulin, and topics about such things as aging, dementia, and cancer and how nutrition affects these things. It's a big book, but don't be intimidated. If all you get from reading this book is understanding how your body works with regards to nutrition, it was worth it.

For more suggested reading material, visit the "Fat Head" blog. The reason I suggest material by Tom and Gary is that, first of all, their material is what led me to truth, second of all, the material is in a format that is relatively simple to understand. These men are not doctors nor are they medical professionals, but they are humble seekers of truth, and their research has led them to unashamedly expose what has happened. I say they are humble because they have not kept this information to themselves, but they have shared it with the world, understanding they too would be shunned and made a laughingstock. Nevertheless, in order to understand their own questions about nutrition, they consulted and interviewed doctors and other medical professionals. In some cases, these medical professionals had published material related to the topic in question and were shunned from the medical/pharmaceutical community.  Unfortunately, there is no room to mention all of these medical professionals in this small blog post of mine, but if you too are a seeker of truth, you will find it. I personally don't claim to know it all; I am, however, willing to learn.

I have also learned that you can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. One must be mentally ready to do anything. I am a case in point. I have always eaten whatever, whenever, and it wasn't until I gained weight and didn't know how to lose it, that I began to search for answers. I knew all those crash diets and diet pills weren't doing anything for people, and in some cases, exercise was overrated, too. The truth was out there... I just had to find it.

Update: 3 July 2012

Gary Taubes has written a condensed version of the 600-page book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" (GCBC) called "Why We Get Fat" (WWGF), and I highly recommend this book as an alternative to GCBC as it relays the same important message that GCBC does in a more reader-friendly way, whereas GCBC is more geared to the medical professional, researcher, or the seeker of "evidence" to prove the point in question.