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Sunday, January 28, 2018

Make Your OWN Supplements!

Really- make your own supplements! 

It’s not hard, and it will save not only your health, but money too.  The secret is to replace or at least add to one meal each day a glass of a smoothie that you make yourself.  I call mine the paleo green smoothie, and I have made it for quite a few years- changing up the ingredients from time to time, depending on what foods I have handy in my refrigerator and freezer. 

For, make no mistake: good, healthy foods are the very best “supplements” you can consume!  You simply take wonderful ancestral types of foods, and combine them in a high speed blender to make the healthiest beverage ever.  Let’s go over what I made today, to last me for at least 4 days:

I always start with a full fat kefir, since it is a great probiotic, and is liquid.  I never measure, just going by intuition.  About a cups worth or more to start.  Then, I add in Vitamin D liquid, ginger powder, turmeric powder, and often kelp powder.  I keep them in spice jars near my blender, so it just takes a moment to shake them all in.

Then, I carry my Vitamix canister around to my refrigerator, and add a couple of raw pastured eggs, apple cider vinegar- just a healthy splash (another great probiotic), some kelp sprouts I had in there I added today, and then I open the freezer.

I add in a healthy pour of California Mix, which is widely available in big frozen bags, and then some greens- today, I had some kelp that I had frozen before so it wouldn’t go bad when I had too much of the fresh stuff.  Then, I added in some frozen cantaloupe, and some mixed frozen berries, along with 1/2 of a banana my wife had left from her own breakfast.  Oh, I also threw in one beet- I discard the greens, since they are loaded with oxalates and are to be avoided.  I kind of ‘forage’ for stuff in my fridge, since I hate for good food to go to waste!

It wasn’t quite as liquid as I’d have liked, so I added in some green tea from my thermos, and blended it up.  I drank a healthy glass, while I poured the rest of the smoothie into clean canning jars that I keep just for that purpose, and stored it all in the fridge.

The whole process takes less than 10 minutes, and is quite enjoyable, since I listen to a podcast or music while I do it- and then- I have my supplements ready for the week.  Much better than pills or potions, and easily obtainable at the grocery store. 

The one thing you do need to have is a good quality, high speed blender- your old $20 cheapie is not going to cut it here.  Vitamix is best, but there are others that will work- I’ll leave it up to you to choose the right one for you and your budget.

Just remember one thing, though: a good blender will last you for at least 10 years- and that’s 10 years of excellent, health producing smoothies!  Pro-rated, it is really a minimal investment overall.  Cheers!

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Grounding for your Health!




I hope you have heard of grounding.  It is quite crucial to health, and yet almost unknown to most people, even those of the paleo persuasion.  It may sound ‘out there’ to you if you’ve never heard of it, but trust me, it is quite real, and can make a huge difference in your health, both physical and mental!

We are electrical creatures- our various bodily functions happen with electrical connections and stimulus.  Our hearts are functional only through electrical stimulus, as our all of our other circuitry in the body- especially, the brain is complicated memory circuit, and when off-kilter, it can go into dementia, Parkinson’s, and other mood and regulatory problems.  It is as if your brain is ‘shorting out’.

The main wake up call of most of the paleo/ancestral lifestyle is to bring us back to basics!  When we started making plastic and rubber soles to our footwear, we cut ourselves off from the grounding of contacting mother earth.  This, along with the fact that most of us started living unnatural, cut-off from nature kinds of jobs, sitting at climate controlled desks, barely moving throughout our days- well, we are just asking for trouble, evolutionarily speaking.

Just as we need to get vitamin D by getting out in the sun, and exercising daily, along with walking in Nature to keep our sanity and health- we need to be in regular contact with the earth, with the planet, by actually grounding ourselves to the actual soil itself.  Barefoot walking and running, on the earth, grass, or sand accomplishes this very well in Spring, Summer and Fall- but what about here in the north country, when snow and ice cover the ground?

It’s actually easy to fix this problem, even in Winter.  If you wear leather soled shoes, boots, or moccasins, you are grounded every time you are outside.  But such footwear is actually very uncommon nowadays, although you can find it if you look online for grounding or earthing shoes.  It tends to be pricey, though, and you definitely won’t find it at Wal-Mart!  

Here is an easy work around: today, for instance, I hiked around my woods with ski poles on the snow.  Although my shoes were not earthing shoes, every time a planted my ski poles, I was grounded- again and again and again!  And you can also ground yourself easily from time to time, simply by grasping a tree trunk.  Or a pole in the ground, whatever.  Or, if you have a concrete floored basement, walking barefoot on that can accomplish the same thing.  It’s not that hard, but it is super important, whatever anyone else tells you.

Most of humanity today, at least in western countries, are completely cut off from contact with the earth!  They wear plastic-soled shoes constantly, live in totally artificial man-made environments, and also eat grains and sugars almost exclusively, along with grain fed/sick animal products.  Even the nutrients to feed their food are from unnatural sources for these animals!

So first, eat real foods.  Hopefully, you know the drill- grass fed meats, wild caught seafood, and grass fed dairy along with non-GMO vegetables.  Most fruits should be organic, especially berries and apples, which are heavily sprayed and have skins that we consume.  Exclude all vegetable oils, sticking to coconut oil, Ghee, pastured butter and beef tallow and other animal fats from healthy animals.  Eliminate all grains, especially wheat!

Second, ground yourself, daily!  Go out into nature, even in the worst of weather, because just like good nutrition- you need grounding just as much.  And also, whenever you are inside your home- go barefoot!  I cannot express how important this is, for the health of your feet.  Oh, socks are fine, you just need to get the muscular/skeletal structure of the foot to be working on a daily basis.  Our balance, the arch of the foot, and our entire base of the human structure needs to have gentle exercise and stimulation regularly, or it inevitably starts to break down.

So go ahead.  Start to rebuild your health.  It all starts with a bare foot, from the ground up.









Thursday, January 18, 2018

Don't Be a New Year's Resolution Exerciser


Now is the time when most folks are exercising.  And I do mean now- for the first week or two of the New Year.  I drive by local gyms, it seems there are endless versions all over my little community, all of whose parking lots are full.  For now.

I always wonder, ‘if there are all of these gyms, almost everywhere, and all of these people belong and go on a regular basis- why do I rarely see a fit looking person?’   It is a legitimate question to ask, but unfortunately I already think that I know the answers:

First off, these people are going to commercial gyms.  They have to drive there, change clothes, shower, change back, and then drive home.  This is a major time commitment, right off the bat- also, usually a major financial committment. 
Secondly, they are working out on lackluster exercise equipment, result producing-wise.  Treadmills, ellipticals, resistance machines, free weights- they are all not much bang for the time spent kinds of tools.  These are the kind of exercise equipment that, to get any real results, takes tons of time on a regular basis!  And, in the case of the treadmills et al, results will be very, very little regardless of the time spent! 

Ever notice that people with really physically demanding jobs tend to have much better physiques and useful strength and endurance as opposed to gym rats?  Look around- it really it true.  Also, the ones that work hard jobs tend to keep their useful sort of fitness their whole life long!

There are a few real ways to ensure that you become fit, and stay fit, very fit- off the charts for your age group fit- simply by following a few simple guidelines:

Work out at home.  This is really the main ideal and directive.  Working out at home, early in the morning before the rest of the family is up, not only makes sure that you get the workout in and done each and every day, it also makes it: 1. actually enjoyable- something you will look forward to each day.
2. Takes a fraction of the time.

Try the PaleoJay approach- you go to bed early, early enough that you get a good 8 hours of sleep in a totally blacked out room.  Congratulations- that alone is the hardest part of the whole approach!  Because once you get those 8 hours, you will be ready to get up and go, whether it is 6:00 AM, 5:00 AM, or 4:30 AM, which is the time I got up for many years each morning.  Now I’m retired, and can work out anytime, but I still work out the very first thing every morning- the only difference now is that- I work out longer!  Because I have the luxury of time. 

I used to work out for 45 minutes each morning.  Doing Perfectly Paleo Exercise of virtual and self-resistance exercise, coupled with isometrics, rebounding,  pushups and straight-legged sit ups, interspersed with stretching- 45 minutes is plenty of time to really get fit.  And, it is really fun to do in front or your television, in your living room! 

You just need a yoga mat, (I used to use a big towel, but a mat is better since it is cushioned and it doesn’t slide).  A rebounded can be had for around $30, and lasts indefinitely.  Also, ideally you will have a strong strap, like a cargo or moving strap of thick nylon strapping (around $10 or so), and I have two other things that I like but that aren’t absolutely necessary:  The Perfect Pushup device of rotating handles for doing high volume pushups without irritating your shoulder, wrist and elbow joints, and an ab wheel, which is just a wheel with handles sticking out of the axle for doing ab roll-outs.  That is really all that you need, and it can all be stashed behind a chair or under the couch.

Pull out of your gym membership- they are actually counterproductive towards fitness!  Take walks in the woods instead all winter long, ski poles make all your limbs work, and help you not slip around so much as well.  Or cross country ski- but you need enough snow for that!  Come spring, don’t buy expensive running shoes- do your feet a favor, and get out for some barefoot sprinting- 10 -15 minutes is about the best workout you can have for the total body and getting ripped!

My favorite “fun addition” for extra workouts is a set of gymnastic rings, hung up in my basement on the rafters- they are the best way to work your whole body, quickly and safely and effectively that I have found.  One other thing: heavy hands walking, where you swing small dumbbells or handles of 5 pounds or so, as you walk through the woods.  Not much time is needed, and it is a blast to do!

But for now, you don’t need any of this stuff- save it until you’re old and retired like I am, and you’ve developed the habits to love being fit and healthy, and enjoy fine-tuning it.  Now, you’ve got work, or studies, and a family perhaps, among other things to take almost every minute of your day (and night!).  Just resolve to do the basics:  8 hours sleep, workout in the living room, shower, and then you will feel not only ready, but eager to take on the rest of your day- because you will feel great- every single morning from now on- GUARANTEED!!









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Sunday, January 7, 2018

Statins are a Symbol podcast




What do I mean by saying that statins are a symbol?  Well, I mean that the widespread, in fact almost universal prescribing of such a drug is symbolic of what has happened to modern medicine.  Medications are routinely prescribed to patients, whether or not that medication will actually help the person or not!

Let’s look at the case of statins: if you are a man of any age without existing heart disease, statins won’t extend your life span.  And if you are over the age of 80, with or without heart disease, there is no benefit to be had from a statin.  In addition, although the chances of you benefiting from a statin are quite slight, the chances of bad side effects are quite great.  10% of statin users are inflicted with muscle damage and pain, and there is also risk of kidney damage as the breakdown of muscle tissue overloads the kidneys with deteriorated muscle tissue in a condition known as rhabdomyolysis.

Personally, I know how important muscle tissue is for health, particularly as a person ages.  When you see older people hunched over, barely able to walk or even get up out of a chair, much less off of the ground or a floor- this is because of sarcopenia, which is just a simple term for muscle wasting as people age.  But I am here to tell you that muscle wasting is not only something to avoid at all costs, but you certainly don’t want to cause it to happen faster by taking a statin!

For women, especially women over the age of 60- statins have not been shown to be of any benefit whatsoever.  In fact, a higher cholesterol level amounts older women seems to be very protective in terms of overall longevity, rather than the reverse.  Also, for women, a 9% increased risk for diabetes is another side effect of statins.  Men also get an increased risk of diabetes, but more in the area of 6%.  

While there are some rare instances when a statin is appropriate, the key word there is rare.  For the vast majority of us, the risks are not worth the small advantage- especially in light of the fact that, while statins do lower the “magical” cholesterol numbers- this works out into no longer life expectancy.  So, really, what is the point?

And that is why I think that statins themselves are a symbol- a symbol of the vast overuse of medications, for pretty much everyone, all the time.  Medications that just treat symptoms (like a high number on the cholesterol chart), but deliver no increases in health or wellness.  Depression medications, stomach acid reducing meds, drugs for this, drugs for that- overall, I would estimate that over 95% are either totally unneeded and very expensive (hence big pharma’s vested interest in having a lot be sold).  Also- usually the side effects are worse than the symptoms of the disease they are supposed to treat.

In light of all of this, I am starting to think that the traditional Rod of Asclepius, which is a staff surrounded by  a twisting serpent, is starting to really be a good representation of modern medicine today.  I don’t mean to be harsh, but really, I often see the big medical clinics, along with their legions of drug peddlers as more of an adversary than as a wise counselor.



Thursday, January 4, 2018

How to Ruin Your Health with Over the Counter Drugs



NSAIDS- Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.   You can get them over the counter, and there are others that you need a prescription for, but the bottom line is this: the short-term pain relief they offer comes at a huge price: the high risk of ruining your health!

I have posted an infographic from mercola.com that details the many problems with taking these drugs at www.paleojay.com.  The sad thing is that there is a quite natural alternative to these synthetic, damaging drugs.  White Willow bark is the original form of aspirin, and it is literally derived from the bark of the willow tree.  It takes longer to be effective when you take it, but then when it does take effect, after being safely absorbed within your gut rather than destroying parts of it to be instantly absorbed, it remains in your system- safely- for much longer.  I can see no reason not to substitute this inexpensive, natural, readily available pain reliever to that of any and all of the damaging NSAID drugs!

The damage to your precious gut lining is the most obvious and unavoidable result of taking these drugs, from ibuprofen, to tylenol, to aspirin, and all the lesser known names.  Our gut lining, and the health of the gut itself is crucial for the very health of our whole body!  The gut biome is where our gut buddies live, digesting our foods, manufacturing vitamins, and even regulating our mood and body composition of fat versus muscle.  Do you really want to send in a veritable carpet bomb of chemical “agent orange” to decimate this population with so-called “friendly fire”??   Because that is just what NSAIDS are to your gut biome!

Also- a 25% chance of hearing loss for men?  80% chance of miscarriage for women?  And a 60% chance of heart and cardiovascular problems- is alleviating pain on a temporary basis really worth such a huge risk??

No, it’s not- not even close.  Your best bet is to try to live an ancestral sort of life, with ample sleep and appropriate, natural, perfectly paleo types of exercise that keeps you grounded to the earth and nature by getting outside barefoot in a natural setting.  By strengthening your core and back by doing such exercises that gently and effectively keep you healthy and strong. 

And by eliminating grains and sugars, which are highly inflammatory!  And mediating stress by meditation and/or prayer.  And with gentle stretching coupled with walking and rebounding. 

And then- if on an occasional day you experience unavoidable pain, if you need to take a couple of white willow bark tablets.  They will work just as well, and are not harmful, which after all is Hippocrate’s first order for physicians: FIRST DO NO HARM.

It’s sad how far modern medicine has fallen from that core principal!




















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