Indubitably, some people find VLC "stressful" -- studies show elevated cortisol, which few of us need! I withhold judgement, myself, because i suspect that there are confounders in that kind of study. I mean -- a lot of "people" (lab rodents included) have a hard time adapting from a glucose metabolism to fat/ketone-burning, and among the two-legged kind, there's also environmental stressors which can make it even harder.
What i'd like to know more about, though, is comparative "stress" scores in those who have elevated glucose and insulin, compared with those who don't. It has borne in upon me that to process glucose places a huge burden upon our bodies! So why don't we ever hear paleos/Optimals talk about the stressfulness of a high-carb diet?
When we eat a very large amount of carbohydrates, many bodily resources are also eaten up! We have to supplement vitamins and minerals JUST TO BURN SUGAR that burning fatty meat does not require. We have to be concerned about acquiring vitC, which was a non-issue to early Native-American buffalo-centric eaters. We need magnesium, as well -- bigtime. We also know that more thyroid-hormone is REQUIRED to process the body's fuel, as more carbohydrate is consumed. More nutrients, too, but after my busy weekend i'm feeling too lethargic to want to hunt them down. ;-)
What brought this up is a 2010 discussion on Hyperlipid about how primary liver-damage is on obesity causation. Some folks seem to think that metabolic derangement comes first and fatty-liver and fibrosis follow behind, and others that all you have to do is insult your liver enough and the rest will happen as a result. "Associations" in diet and disease are a bitch! Elevated liver enzymes connect with all sorts of metabolic-syndrome correlatives, but that don't mean diddly-squat until someone runs a well-planned study that defines the mechanism.
It all just made me think that maybe the body's adaptive capabilities are extended sufficiently by dealing with this potentially-dangerous substance, but when you throw in even more stressors like a hepatitis-C infection or toxin exposure, it just becomes more than the poor liver (and thyroid and pancreas, etc) can reasonably handle. We can handle a dose of industrial pesticide, OR we can handle a bolus of glucose, but we can't handle both, maybe?
A massive cascade of Unfortunate Events leads to the kind of breakage that requires significant special knowledge and resolve and effort to undo -- and which you'll NEVER learn if your dietary advice comes from mainstream sources. And maybe not even then, as Peter points out that NAFLD is reversible but that fibrosis is forever.
EDIT: I typed too soon! George corrected that last statement ... so as Emily Litella used to say, "never mind!" :-)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
my favorite catsup recipe
Reading comments on Wooo's blog (always best after she's responded to everyone), there was a discussion of condiments for boosting vinegar intake. I have a favorite recipe for catsup myself, adapted from an early "Joy of Cooking." Quite easy for those like me who NEVER manage to raise them successfully.
4 cans diced tomatoes
2 onions (not the sweet kind), chopped coarsely
1 t. minced garlic
3 medium jalapenos, or to taste
Cook over very low heat for several hours till everything is quite mushy. Let cool, then blend till smooth. Return to the pot and add:
6 t. sugar's-worth in whatever sweetener you prefer (I use 6 drops of liquid sucralose)
1/2 c vinegar (I prefer ACV)
a sprinkle of celery salt
In a cheesecloth bag place:
1" cinnamon stick
1 t. whole cloves
1 t. whole allspice
1 t. black peppercorns
1 small nutmeg, broken up
Simmer to the desired consistency, remove the spice bag, then refrigerate, freeze, or can (if you know how).
4 cans diced tomatoes
2 onions (not the sweet kind), chopped coarsely
1 t. minced garlic
3 medium jalapenos, or to taste
Cook over very low heat for several hours till everything is quite mushy. Let cool, then blend till smooth. Return to the pot and add:
6 t. sugar's-worth in whatever sweetener you prefer (I use 6 drops of liquid sucralose)
1/2 c vinegar (I prefer ACV)
a sprinkle of celery salt
In a cheesecloth bag place:
1" cinnamon stick
1 t. whole cloves
1 t. whole allspice
1 t. black peppercorns
1 small nutmeg, broken up
Simmer to the desired consistency, remove the spice bag, then refrigerate, freeze, or can (if you know how).
are we done now? GOOD
I don't get off through being a bitch online, but i learned long ago that dealing promptly with [ahem] PROBLEMS is better than letting them hang around....
On the other hand i feel awfully buoyant today, despite the early onset of allergy season. Perhaps venting one's spleen occasionally is a "releasing" thing after all? That was the original concept, though 20th-century psychology told us at one point rage was a self-perpetuating "activity."
So we progress! Now that the after-affects of food-poisoning/gastritis are fading allergy season commences -- not even waiting for the snow to stop flying, here. Seems like every place we move I pick up a new pollen-sensitivity: oak in Texas, Bradford-pear in OK, sage in UT, and now elm. Hi-de-ho, life goes on....
Busy time ahead! I have a living-history event in TX, then a visit to my daughter. Later!
On the other hand i feel awfully buoyant today, despite the early onset of allergy season. Perhaps venting one's spleen occasionally is a "releasing" thing after all? That was the original concept, though 20th-century psychology told us at one point rage was a self-perpetuating "activity."
So we progress! Now that the after-affects of food-poisoning/gastritis are fading allergy season commences -- not even waiting for the snow to stop flying, here. Seems like every place we move I pick up a new pollen-sensitivity: oak in Texas, Bradford-pear in OK, sage in UT, and now elm. Hi-de-ho, life goes on....
Busy time ahead! I have a living-history event in TX, then a visit to my daughter. Later!
Monday, March 24, 2014
"Christopher" is a little shit ... and most likely Heavilyn herself
Some people don't seem to know what "fuck off" means. I told "it" I wouldn't tolerate the harassment the Wooo does, and that "it" wasn't welcome here, but some people don't know when others find them repulsive. "It" just HAD to come back for more! So here, as promised, i'm telling "Christopher" exactly what I think about "it," in public for the WORLD to laugh at it ... more than it does already.
"ChristopherMarch 24, 2014 at 5:24 PM
Such a nasty pottymouth, Tess... Why am I not surprised that alcohol is one of the things you refuse to give up"
OOOOOH! I'm a POTTYMOUTH! ...and this "thing" is supposed to be male? When was the last time you heard a man use the word "pottymouth"? It seems like the "precious" language of a fifth grade snotty little fat girl, to me.
I've suspected that ChriStopher was CarbSane for a long time. The same sort of prissy language, the rabid insistence that Heavilyn is always right and a "SCIENTIST!" and the same kind of petty malice and bitchiness underneath.
CarbsaneR, before she was OBVIOUSLY legally restrained, gave us reams of evidence that The Lying Obese One was in fact nothing she claimed to be, by scanning years'-worth of CS's OWN WORDS. HERE she claimed to be X and THERE she said she was NOT X, but Y, over and over and over and over again....
Oddly enough, the woman whose blog inspired me to begin my own was once an avid reader and believer in CS. On her prompting I made my first and only visit there. I read a few paragraphs and never returned. After the nice lady closed down her own blog, I googled her name and CS to see if she commented there still -- nope. Even Heavilyn's "friends" can only stand her for so long.
And her website!!! The tone of the whole is presumptuous and self-aggrandizing, and not one word I read that day contained any information worth spitting on. Her design and style are puerile, and her bunnies and butterflies are too much for an adult's stomach to bear. Her venom and obsessive return to JIMMY MOORE! is worthy of being reported as a cyber-stalker. I'm not surprised that other bloggers believe her to be quite literally mentally-ill -- that's how it comes across, but I don't have the background to make any judgment calls: they DO. No shit -- they believe her to be insane.
They may have a point.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
self-proclaimed "experts"
Alas, the self-publishing (and self-PROMOTING) world of blogging has promoted a huge set of wannabes into comparative prominence! I DEPLORE the mass of worldly fuck-ups who pretend to knowledge they OBVIOUSLY don't have.
By and large they are all half-educated individuals who don't have the nous to attain excellence, but want us to think they do anyhow. They hide behind ancient photographs and exaggerated credentials. They think that because they've "studied" certain aspects of health for many years, they have a firm grasp of EVERYTHING that is to be known about it.
News flash, O thou pseudo-congnoscenti -- i'm intelligent and educated and interested in health and i don't know JACK SHIT, compared to the TRULY knowledgeable -- and i ain't talking about the walking JOKES who are the amateur gurus of the poorly-informed.
Who DOES know what they're talking about? Jan Kwasniewski, who has healed tens of thousands through a carefully-crafted nutritional plan. The Drs Eades, who have helped hundreds of thousands. Robert Atkins, who has probably helped MILLIONS by this time. I'm also very attached to Blake Donaldson, may he rest in peace. His book is an inspiration.
Who, whose mind-products are within daily reach of those with internet access, are to be relied upon? Drs Briffa and Kendrick in the UK are conventionally trained but are able to think for themselves and thus surpass the mass of plodding medicos to be found every day.
Over here, Kurt Harris wins the prize in my opinion. I recently read his entire archive, and i was impressed. I like Cate Shanahan too, but she hasn't yet reached his level of communication even if she does have the background and intelligence (give her time and experience...). Then, there is Chris Masterjohn, who was showing huge promise long before he got to put DR before his name. It's too bad he's not actually treating patients -- that makes a HUGE difference because otherwise people don't learn when their hypotheses don't work in practice, even if they sound good on paper.... I still grieve that Stephan Guyenet betrayed Truth for Gain; his first work, while working toward his PhD, was considered and highly intelligent, but when he latched onto a Trademark Hypothesis, he completely fell on his ass.
Special Mention absolutely goes to Peter Dobromylskyj! As a veterinarian, he got the same kind of education a human doctor gets, and less pressure to conform while speaking of human health. And he's bloody BRILLIANT. I can imagine how second-raters must hate him, because that's the way of the world....
I have a huge amount of respect for Itsthewooo, because she is this close () to slaying the Hydra and she lives to tell the tale. The battle has been long and bloody, but the obesity-aspect is dead on the ground, and all of the other physiological enemies are doomed. Her struggles continue to be painful, but her internet family is beside her all the way.
Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf hold a special place in my estimation -- i don't list their blogs myself, but i respect their good qualities. I often send newbies to their sites, because i know they provide a sound, approachable introduction to paleo/primal principles.
There are quite a number of other bloggers of whom i have a good opinion, but this post is getting a bit long. Allow me to move on to those who are ... um ... less impressive.
Some i used to have on my blog list, but have been removed because of their sloppily unprofessional ideas, include the Jaminets. They started out sound, but as they got rather swelled heads they went right down the tubes as far as i'm concerned. When they left the area in which they were PERSONALLY knowledgeable, and "progressed" to subjects in which they merely parroted the "knowledge" of others, they totally lost their believability. Ya gotta stick to what ya knows.... Ditto for Kresser -- he knows a bit, but not ENOUGH. I guess that's the difference between a thorough medical education and the shortcut version he had. Tell me, do "alternative" practitioners serve an internship and residency? Sounds like that's where the rubber hits the road.
Some bloggers have never been on my list and will never be on my list because they're IDIOTS with oversized delusions of their own significance. I'll only list them and tell why i despise them if pressed to do so by their protesting chelas. (A chela is the student of a guru, for those of you not interested in Eastern philosophy.) Chelas they are, because what these medical-wannabes preach is RELIGION, not science. And the louder they insist that yes they really are, really truly scientists, the more my BS meter alarms. Most of them are less-than-world-class jocks, ne'er-do-wells, and failed academicians.
The merchants of crapola, who love picking fights online because they don't have to show themselves to do it, i PREFER not to discuss. They nauseate me (and since my bout of gastritis, my stomach is tender enough). I HATE to read their rantings, just like i hate to read politicians' material -- it's so full of transparent LIES, ignorance, exaggerations, and evidence of bad character traits, i feel like i've been rolling in feces if i open their websites. ...PLEASE don't make me go there to quote their inanities!
By and large they are all half-educated individuals who don't have the nous to attain excellence, but want us to think they do anyhow. They hide behind ancient photographs and exaggerated credentials. They think that because they've "studied" certain aspects of health for many years, they have a firm grasp of EVERYTHING that is to be known about it.
News flash, O thou pseudo-congnoscenti -- i'm intelligent and educated and interested in health and i don't know JACK SHIT, compared to the TRULY knowledgeable -- and i ain't talking about the walking JOKES who are the amateur gurus of the poorly-informed.
Who DOES know what they're talking about? Jan Kwasniewski, who has healed tens of thousands through a carefully-crafted nutritional plan. The Drs Eades, who have helped hundreds of thousands. Robert Atkins, who has probably helped MILLIONS by this time. I'm also very attached to Blake Donaldson, may he rest in peace. His book is an inspiration.
Who, whose mind-products are within daily reach of those with internet access, are to be relied upon? Drs Briffa and Kendrick in the UK are conventionally trained but are able to think for themselves and thus surpass the mass of plodding medicos to be found every day.
Over here, Kurt Harris wins the prize in my opinion. I recently read his entire archive, and i was impressed. I like Cate Shanahan too, but she hasn't yet reached his level of communication even if she does have the background and intelligence (give her time and experience...). Then, there is Chris Masterjohn, who was showing huge promise long before he got to put DR before his name. It's too bad he's not actually treating patients -- that makes a HUGE difference because otherwise people don't learn when their hypotheses don't work in practice, even if they sound good on paper.... I still grieve that Stephan Guyenet betrayed Truth for Gain; his first work, while working toward his PhD, was considered and highly intelligent, but when he latched onto a Trademark Hypothesis, he completely fell on his ass.
Special Mention absolutely goes to Peter Dobromylskyj! As a veterinarian, he got the same kind of education a human doctor gets, and less pressure to conform while speaking of human health. And he's bloody BRILLIANT. I can imagine how second-raters must hate him, because that's the way of the world....
I have a huge amount of respect for Itsthewooo, because she is this close () to slaying the Hydra and she lives to tell the tale. The battle has been long and bloody, but the obesity-aspect is dead on the ground, and all of the other physiological enemies are doomed. Her struggles continue to be painful, but her internet family is beside her all the way.
Mark Sisson and Robb Wolf hold a special place in my estimation -- i don't list their blogs myself, but i respect their good qualities. I often send newbies to their sites, because i know they provide a sound, approachable introduction to paleo/primal principles.
There are quite a number of other bloggers of whom i have a good opinion, but this post is getting a bit long. Allow me to move on to those who are ... um ... less impressive.
Some i used to have on my blog list, but have been removed because of their sloppily unprofessional ideas, include the Jaminets. They started out sound, but as they got rather swelled heads they went right down the tubes as far as i'm concerned. When they left the area in which they were PERSONALLY knowledgeable, and "progressed" to subjects in which they merely parroted the "knowledge" of others, they totally lost their believability. Ya gotta stick to what ya knows.... Ditto for Kresser -- he knows a bit, but not ENOUGH. I guess that's the difference between a thorough medical education and the shortcut version he had. Tell me, do "alternative" practitioners serve an internship and residency? Sounds like that's where the rubber hits the road.
Some bloggers have never been on my list and will never be on my list because they're IDIOTS with oversized delusions of their own significance. I'll only list them and tell why i despise them if pressed to do so by their protesting chelas. (A chela is the student of a guru, for those of you not interested in Eastern philosophy.) Chelas they are, because what these medical-wannabes preach is RELIGION, not science. And the louder they insist that yes they really are, really truly scientists, the more my BS meter alarms. Most of them are less-than-world-class jocks, ne'er-do-wells, and failed academicians.
The merchants of crapola, who love picking fights online because they don't have to show themselves to do it, i PREFER not to discuss. They nauseate me (and since my bout of gastritis, my stomach is tender enough). I HATE to read their rantings, just like i hate to read politicians' material -- it's so full of transparent LIES, ignorance, exaggerations, and evidence of bad character traits, i feel like i've been rolling in feces if i open their websites. ...PLEASE don't make me go there to quote their inanities!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
reading inspires yet more speculation
Hyperlipid is endlessly illuminating! In "Cirrhosis and Fructose" Peter goes looking for endotoxin in the bloodstream of the experimental rats; he says:
Hmmmm.... Hypothyroidism is largely an autoimmune problem these days, implying a leaky gut. Hypo people are renowned for their high LDL. Could this, perhaps, be one reason WHY (beyond the receptor's need for T3 to activate)?
As the best bloggers repeatedly say, Nature didn't evolve processes which have become modern problems, simply as a way to mess us up. Things like physiological insulin resistance started out as adaptive processes, and just got out of hand when we started thinking that we could improve on Nature (margarine, anyone?).
There is absolutely no doubt that LDL isn't out to kill us, but to repair our interior damage. If the body makes a lot of it, surely it perceives that there's a lot of damage that needs to be ameliorated. In the end, does a high-carb diet raise LDL because it (and the attendant insulin) is harming tissues which then need repair?
Seems to me that removing the signposts of trouble (lowering TC) is a really dumb way of dealing with our health problems. We're not eliminating police departments in our cities as a way to reduce crime, for a very good reason. Artificially changing lab numbers doesn't make the underlying problem go away.
So here's another technique to improve health in hypothyroidism -- it seems that alcohol and fructose both contribute to a leaky gut, and polyunsaturated fats don't help the situation. Saturated fats DO, and glycine helps. and taurine as well. And zinc....
Again -- hmmmm....
*******
A "wrong" restaurant choice seems to have given me a bad case of gastritis yesterday! I haven't felt such pain since childbirth....
Everything i ate yesterday went down the sewer, one way or another. This morning i've been cautiously sipping things to try to avoid the same miserable results i got yesterday -- even from a small tub of gelatin! I'm hungry enough, even being fat-adapted -- glucose-burners in my position would be ready to chew on the woodwork, i imagine! Chicken broth with parsley added has been soothing but not very energy-providing. Cola was a no-go. Still feeling weak and shaky, i just sucked on a ribose tablet and felt a little better.
It's gonna be another long day....
"Endotoxin (gram negative bacterial wall components) belongs in your gut, not in your bloodstream (if endotoxin is in your blood stream one function of LDL cholesterol to mop it up...)."
Hmmmm.... Hypothyroidism is largely an autoimmune problem these days, implying a leaky gut. Hypo people are renowned for their high LDL. Could this, perhaps, be one reason WHY (beyond the receptor's need for T3 to activate)?
As the best bloggers repeatedly say, Nature didn't evolve processes which have become modern problems, simply as a way to mess us up. Things like physiological insulin resistance started out as adaptive processes, and just got out of hand when we started thinking that we could improve on Nature (margarine, anyone?).
There is absolutely no doubt that LDL isn't out to kill us, but to repair our interior damage. If the body makes a lot of it, surely it perceives that there's a lot of damage that needs to be ameliorated. In the end, does a high-carb diet raise LDL because it (and the attendant insulin) is harming tissues which then need repair?
Seems to me that removing the signposts of trouble (lowering TC) is a really dumb way of dealing with our health problems. We're not eliminating police departments in our cities as a way to reduce crime, for a very good reason. Artificially changing lab numbers doesn't make the underlying problem go away.
So here's another technique to improve health in hypothyroidism -- it seems that alcohol and fructose both contribute to a leaky gut, and polyunsaturated fats don't help the situation. Saturated fats DO, and glycine helps. and taurine as well. And zinc....
Again -- hmmmm....
*******
A "wrong" restaurant choice seems to have given me a bad case of gastritis yesterday! I haven't felt such pain since childbirth....
Everything i ate yesterday went down the sewer, one way or another. This morning i've been cautiously sipping things to try to avoid the same miserable results i got yesterday -- even from a small tub of gelatin! I'm hungry enough, even being fat-adapted -- glucose-burners in my position would be ready to chew on the woodwork, i imagine! Chicken broth with parsley added has been soothing but not very energy-providing. Cola was a no-go. Still feeling weak and shaky, i just sucked on a ribose tablet and felt a little better.
It's gonna be another long day....
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
is it "stressful" to have raised "stress" hormones?
Some weeks ago, i began the monumental adventure of reading the Hyperlipid archives from the beginning. I'm still only in 2009. :-)
I just finished the post which is an overview of "the dark side of ketosis." Peter's regular readers will be aware that he flirts with the borderline, but largely TRIES to stay OUT of it. And that, largely because Kwasniewski recommends it. The comment section was full of people agreeing AND disagreeing.
We're all genetically different, and have different starting-points when boarding the low-carb train! I've always thought it bizarre that some people find ketosis stressful (or at least describe it so), when it's the hugest reliever of physical discomfort that i've ever found!
One person thought that ketosis is fine for those with healthy adrenal function, but questionable for the less hardy. Peter observed that certain stress hormones are raised by entering ketosis, but diminish with time. Other people pointed out various difficulties that they or their friends have observed, only to have it pointed out that they were not natural results of VLC, but confounded by other behaviors or dietary factors.
Obviously, some of us thrive on ketosis, and some have more trouble with it. Some also adapt more slowly and with more difficulty, but end up feeling better if they persevere. I rather suspect that the raised cortisol, adrenaline, etc FEEL worse to people who aren't accustomed to the keyed-up energy that comes with things like ghrelin also. I get it with supplementing tyrosine or DLPA -- if i'm active that day, these supps (like caffeine) are a great boost. But if i sit down to read after taking them i get way too much mental agitation. Is it REALLY stress, or is it energy that we interpret AS stressful?
I don't know. I DO however take it with a grain of salt when some people (bread-lovers especially) call a moderate LC diet "stressful"....
I just finished the post which is an overview of "the dark side of ketosis." Peter's regular readers will be aware that he flirts with the borderline, but largely TRIES to stay OUT of it. And that, largely because Kwasniewski recommends it. The comment section was full of people agreeing AND disagreeing.
We're all genetically different, and have different starting-points when boarding the low-carb train! I've always thought it bizarre that some people find ketosis stressful (or at least describe it so), when it's the hugest reliever of physical discomfort that i've ever found!
One person thought that ketosis is fine for those with healthy adrenal function, but questionable for the less hardy. Peter observed that certain stress hormones are raised by entering ketosis, but diminish with time. Other people pointed out various difficulties that they or their friends have observed, only to have it pointed out that they were not natural results of VLC, but confounded by other behaviors or dietary factors.
Obviously, some of us thrive on ketosis, and some have more trouble with it. Some also adapt more slowly and with more difficulty, but end up feeling better if they persevere. I rather suspect that the raised cortisol, adrenaline, etc FEEL worse to people who aren't accustomed to the keyed-up energy that comes with things like ghrelin also. I get it with supplementing tyrosine or DLPA -- if i'm active that day, these supps (like caffeine) are a great boost. But if i sit down to read after taking them i get way too much mental agitation. Is it REALLY stress, or is it energy that we interpret AS stressful?
I don't know. I DO however take it with a grain of salt when some people (bread-lovers especially) call a moderate LC diet "stressful"....
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