DISEASES OF LIFESTYLE


chronic illness and alternative care [preventive medicine]

CFIDS [chronic fatigue]

chronic fatigue syndrome questionnaire

cancer as a disease of lifestyle

essential factors in a healthy diet

are we what we eat?

the transformation of our food supply

fact sheet

dysinsulinism, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease - the carbohydrate connection

case profile

Chronic Illness and Alternative Care (Preventive Medicine)

Recently, I have noticed an interesting shift in the meaning of common phrases. "Health care" is now synonymous with large impersonal institutions, escalating technology, toxic pharmaceuticals and surgery.

It seems to me the problems we have in health care delivery begin at the level of how we think about health and illness. We have been greatly influenced by Louis Pasteur and the germ theory - a great discovery in its own time. A microorganism attacks; the host becomes ill; the disease runs its course; the patient either survives or dies. This translates into the notion that each illness has a definite beginning and self-limited duration.

Unfortunately, this model breaks down with the majority of illnesses today. In America, chronic, debilitating, degenerative conditions are the most prevalent illnesses.

People with chronic illness are not well-served by the medical community. For example, rheumatoid arthritis sufferers face many long-term complications from steroid therapy, including crippling compression fractures due to the loss of bone density caused by the drugs. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) cause problems both with the kidneys and the gut. More and more evidence is accumulating that auto-immune conditions are food-allergy related and NSAIDs only make that situation worse. This is only one example of hundreds.

Unfortunately, our system is geared to intervention at a very late stage of pathology when extensive tissue damage has already occurred. A surgical team is a very good resource for life-threatening trauma or a quadruple bypass. But, how much help can they give in taking steps to avoid the surgery in the first place? And highly trained, specialized surgical teams require work to keep the team together.

This model holds true throughout the health care delivery system. Health insurance reviews look for discrete incidents of injury or illness with precise endings. Only recently has preventative medicine even been included in insurance coding.

My approach to health and wellness is entirely different. I believe that many debilitating conditions can be avoided if people have good information and guidance early - in the beginning stages. I see disease as a long runway where, over time, the body is subjected to one metabolic insult after another. Our bodies have fantastic adaptive abilities, but finally, the overload is too great and we get "sick." Really, there have been problems all along, but nobody took appropriate action soon enough to reverse the trend. The truth is - our environment is not very healthy. If it were healthy, we would have far fewer debilitating diseases. The good news is - there's a lot you personally can do to increase your level of health and well-being. The more information you have about how to live a healthy life, and the sooner you start, the easier my job becomes.

Does this apply to you? If so, see our information on Consultations.

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CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue)

Recently, I have been seeing a great many people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - now called "Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome," or CFIDS for short. In almost every case, they are medical "failures." They have gotten no relief; all they've been given is a diagnosis - as though categorizing and naming the syndrome afforded relief.

CFIDS is really a very old problem. It is a constellation of symptoms caused by disordered physiology. That makes it pretty easy to treat once you identify what specific parts of a person's metabolism need support. And, while there are similarities, each person is unique and needs a unique prescription. That very uniqueness means CFIDS does not match the medical model of one treatment per disease, regardless of who has it.

At its root, CFIDS begins as a stress disorder. Long-term stress exhausts the adrenal glands which become less and less effective in maintaining homeostasis (the balanced state of physiology where the body constantly corrects itself, coming back to normal each time).

The adrenals use the immune system as a primary tool in maintaining homeostasis; we call this the "immune response." And, as the adrenals weaken, the immune system deregulates. The result: chronic viral infections and, for most people, delayed hypersensitivity reactions. What makes the picture confusing from a medical point of view is that you have two seemingly contradictory states co-existing: hypovigilance (the inability to fight off infection) and hypervigilance (allergies) in the immune system. It only makes sense when viewed from the perspective of the immune response as effect - not cause.

The single most important physiologic function to support in CFIDS is the adrenal gland. Secondarily, the gut and digestion need to be normalized and, for many, allergies identified. The longer CFIDS has gone on the higher the likelihood of allergies and the greater the number of reactive substances.

Once your physiology starts to normalize, you can get back in control of your own life by
beginning to notice what factors trigger an attack of fatigue. The trigger may be environmental; it may be emotional; it may be a lifestyle issue.

The key factor is feeling well enough to notice the differences and having enough information about yourself to know what to look for. Once you reach that point, you can make decisions that are more effective in managing your life. Most people see marked improvement in 6 months to a year. For some, the results come even faster.

If you've been diagnosed with CFIDS and have had unsuccessful treatment - don't suffer needlessly any longer. Call the office and make an appointment today.

Does this apply to you? If so, see our information on Consultations. You may also complete the following Questionnaire.

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Questionnaire

Note: we suggest that you select the text of this questionnaire and copy it to a word document so that you can answer the questions and determine your score.

This symptom checklist cannot be used to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome unless other disorders have been ruled out by physical examination and appropriate laboratory tests.

___ 1. Fatigue (95%) - usually made worse by physical exercise

2. Cognitive function problems (80%)
___ a) attention deficit disorder
___ b) calculation difficulties
___ c) memory disturbance
___ d) spatial disorientation
___ e) frequently saying the wrong word

3. Psychological problems (80%)
___ a) depression
___ b) anxiety - which may include panic attacks
___ c) personality changes - usually a worsening of a previous tendency
___ d) emotional lability (mood swings)
___ e) psychosis

4. Other nervous system problems (75%)
___ a) sleep disturbance
___ b) headaches
___ c) changes in visual acuity
___ d) seizures
___ e) numb or tingling feelings
___ f) dysequilibrium
___ g) lightheadedness - feeling "spaced out"
___ h) frequent unusual nightmares
___ i) difficulty moving your tongue to speak
___ j) ringing in ears
___ k) paralysis
___ l) severe muscular weakness
___ m) blackouts
___ n) intolerance of bright lights
___ o) intolerance of alcohol
___ p) alteration of taste, smell and/or hearing
___ q) non-restorative sleep
___ r) decreased libido
___ s) twitching muscles ("benign fasciculations")

___ 5. Recurrent flu-like illnesses (75%) - often with chronic sore throat

___ 6. Painful lymph nodes especially on sides of neck and under the arms (60%)

___ 7. Severe nasal and other allergies often worsening of previous mild problem (40%)

___ 8. Weight change - usually gain (70%)

___ 9. Muscle and joint aches with tender "trigger points" or fibromyalgia

___ 10. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, intestinal gas - "irritable bowel syndrome" (50%)

___ 11. Low grade fevers or feeling hot often (70%)

___ 12. Night sweats (40%)

___ 13. Heart palpitations (40%)

___ 14. Severe premenstrual syndrome - PMS (70% women)

___ 15. Rash from herpes simplex or shingles (20%)

___ 16. Uncomfortable or recurrent urination - pain in prostate (20%)

17. Other symptoms seen in less than 10% of patients
___ a) rashes
___ b) hair loss
___ c) impotence
___ d) chest pain
___ e) dry eyes and mouth
___ f) cough
___ g) TMJ syndrome
___ h) mitral valve prolapse
___ i) frequent canker sores
___ j) cold hands & feet
___ k) serious heart rhythm disturbances
___ l) carpal tunnel syndrome
___ m) piriformis muscle syndrome causing sciatica
___ n) thyroid inflammation
___ o) various cancers (rare)
___ p) periodontal (gum) disease
___ q) endometriosis
___ r) easily getting out of breath ("dyspnea on exertion")
___ s) symptoms worsened by extremes of temperature
___ t) multiple sensitivities to medicine, food and other substances

With thanks to Daniel Peterson, MD, Paul Cheney, MD, PhD, and Jay A. Goldstein, MD

To Score: more than two positive answers on questions 1-5 plus more than four positive answers on questions 6-17 indicate a high probability that your symptoms may be due to chronic fatigue.

Do you think you have this condition? If so, see our information on Consultations.

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Cancer as a Disease of Lifestyle

The Global 2000 Report to the President, states that "envlronmental (l.e., exogenous non genetic) factors contribute 80 to 90% of the present cancer cases.

RISK FACTORS	% OF ALL CANCERS	SITES
Diet	35-50%	colon, breast, uterus, ovary
Tobacco	18-30%	lung, esophagus, bladder, kidney & pancreas
Asbestos and other exposures	3-18%	lung, other sites
Alcohol	1-15%	stomach, larynx, liver
Infection (e.g.chronic papilloma virus)	1-15%	cervix, prostate
Sexual development, hormones and practice	1-13%	breast, uterus, ovary, cervlx, testis
Pollution	3-5%	lung, bladder, rectum
Medicines & radiation	1-4%	breast, uterus, ovary, thyroid, bone, lung, blood
Natural radiation	1-3%	breast, thyroid, lung, bone, blood
Consumer products	1-2%	possibly all sites

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Essential Factors in a Healthy Diet

Whole Unprocessed Foods - High Fiber
Paleolithic diet contained 5 times the amount of fiber we consume; most of it was in the form of fiber from fruits and vegetables, both soluble and insoluble. These fibers have been shown to nourish beneficial bacteria in our intestinal tract - e.g., protecting against reproductive cancer.

Today, in the US most of the fiber consumed is insoluble fiber (bran) from grains. Their action in intestinal tract is irritating.

Good quality protein - lean meat, fish and fowl
Paleolithic diet included game animals that ran free and were range fed; the meat contained large quantities of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. The meat was very lean, containing only 21% fat, maximum. Also, no dairy products or isolated oils were consumed with it.

Today, US domestic animals are grain-fed and raised on feedlots or in factories with no exercise. The meat contains too much fat and high quantities of inflammatory fatty acids.

Balanced Fat Consumption
Paleolithic Diet verses US Diet
Hi cholesterol intake approx. _ the cholesterol
Omega 6: Omega 3 = 2:1 Omega 6: Omega 3 = 11:1

NO FAT DIETS ARE NOT THE ANSWER! These diets call for simply substituting more sugar and carbohydrates for oils. Americans already consume 100 lbs of sugar/year.

Decrease Sugar Consumption
In addition, the single greatest risk factor for cancer mortality is sugar consumption.
Dental Caries (3rd molar)
Paleolithlc man 2%
l000 A.D. 10%
1900 A.D. 70%

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables
In Paleolithic times, man ate what was gathered. Food was freshly picked with all nutrient value intact.

Today, in the supermarket, the best you can hope for is that the fruits and vegetables are less than a week old. In some cases, they are actually taken from cold storage and placed on the racks. Food imported from foreign countries has been picked in a very immature state and shipped long distances.

THE BOTTOM LINE ABOUT DIET
Eat a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables (preferably organic), whole unrefined grains, nuts and seeds. Use meat as a supplement, and make certain it is either raised organically or range-free. Take supplemental vitamins and minerals, as needed. Your individual needs are best determined by blood tests so that your program can be customized to your biochemical individuality.

Contact the RFHC for a copy of the Cave Man Diet.

Would you like more information? If so, see Consultations.

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Are We What We Eat?

"The human body evolved over millions of years, ingesting seeds, grains and plants containing certain complexes of nutrients. By the natural selection process of evolution, the body developed the mechanisms necessary to use these nutrients simultaneously, each one being essential in a chain of interactions. Only in this century has technology enabled us to make grain and cereal products that have been stripped of their nutrients. Such products have never occurred in nature, and therefore the body has never had the opportunity to develop mechanisms to deal with them. We have the same digestive system, the same biochemical system as our ancestors. Evolution is very slow. Perhaps in another hundred thousand years we could develop mechanisms that would enable us to survive on white flour carbohydrate. Today, we cannot." Michael Colgan, Visiting Scholar, Rockefeller University, (1982) The Kellogg Report, p. 42

Our food sources have been changed beyond all recognition. Professor Ross Hume Hall (1976:vil) Food for Nought, commented "Man can never be more than what he eats, and one would expect that a phenomenon with such profound effects on health and well-being as a radically changed system of supplying nourishment would be thoroughly documented and assessed by the scientific community. Such is not the case. The transformation has gone unmarked by government agencies and learned bodies." Ibid., p. 120

Would you like more information? If so, see Consultations.

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The Transformation of Our Food Supply

I. GENETICS:
A. Breeding for convenience and yield, without regard to nutrition.
B. Breeding for uniformity in shape and appearance.
C. Breeding for disease resistance and the ability to grow in unfavorable terrain.
D. Breeding for ease of transport (tomatoes that are high in vitamin C don't ship well; new varieties have thick skins, less water and less vitamin C).
E. Genetic engineering, introducing "foreign genes" into foodstuffs.
F. Shrinking of the gene pool in food plants; many varieties have been lost because they did not conform to "marketability standards."

II. SOIL DEPLETION
A. Intensive farming.
B. Poor crop management.
C. Erosion.
D. Commercial fertilization (loss of micro nutrients, esp. minerals) -- the result: large, nutrient poor fruits and
E. Vegetables.
F. Pesticide use.

III. HARVESTING
A. Loss of nutrients due to unripe harvesting to meet marketing and transportation dictates.
B. Nutrient density increases with ripeness - losses include minerals and vitamins.
C. Feb. 20, 1996, news reports that frozen vegetables have no more nutrient content than fresh supermarket vegetables. Freezing destroys > 95% of nutrients - documentation of loss of nutrients in our food supply.

IV. TRANSPORTATION, HANDLING & STORAGE
A. Year-round availability means many months of storage and concomitant loss of nutrients.
B. Fluctuations ln temperature and humidity result in nutrient losses.
C. Bruising; and microbial contamination also reduce nutrient value.

V. REFINING
A. "Refining is a nutrient-devastating series of industrial procedures." Kellogg Report, p. 125.
B. "lndustrially workable material" is extracted from foodstuffs and, after being stripped of most nutrients, ils then sold as "refined." Ibid., p. 125
C. Refining increases shelf-life. Because refined products are nutrient poor they neither spoil nor attract pests.

One example: Refined Wheat Flour
"The milling of wheat into refined white flour removes 40% of the chromium, 86% of the manganese, 76% of the iron, 89% of the copper, 78% of the zinc and 48% of the molybdenum, all trace elements essential for life or health. Likewise, most of the bulk elements are removed from wheat: 60% of the calcium, 71% of the phosphorus, 85% of the magnesium, 77% of the potassium [and] 78% of the sodium." Dr. Henry Schroeder, Dartmouth Medical School, 1973b:152.

The loss of vitamins is equally stunning: 82% of the B1, 67% of B2, 80% of B3, 50% of B5, 83% of B6, 75% of folic acid, 80% of bilotin, and 76% of vitamin K, 50% of linoleic acid (EFA) and 98% of vitamin E. (Davis 1981). Total protein losses range from 15% to 20%, but the loss of certain essential amino acids reduces the utilizable protein by over 50%. The loss of fiber is about 85% (Davis 1981). Due to the removal of protein, fiber and minerals, white flour has about 7% more calories!

D. Enrichment is a fraud: 25 nutrients are lost during refining; only 4 are added back in.

E. Refined sugar, over the last 200 years, has become a universal staple of the diet in developed countries. "Let me point out that sugar is a new food. It didn't exist in the diet in the West until the seventeenth century. And the argument that sugar is an essential food is a lot of nonsense." Jean Mayer, A Diet for Living, 1977, p.9

RAW SUGAR is already 96% sucrose (refined sugar), 1% water and 3% residue (Yudkin, 1973:30). The residue is "the trace elements necessary for the metabolism of the sugar: 93% of the chromium, 89% of the manganese, 98% of the cobalt, 83% of the copper, 98% of the zinc and 98% of the magnesium. These essential elements are in the residue molasses, which is fed to cattle." Schroeder 1973b:152

Sugar is added to all processed foods. Industrially added sugar (mostly corn syrup) is rising twice as fast as the decline in personal use.

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VI. FOOD PROCESSING
Includes canning, freezing, dehydrating' irradiation and home food preparation
A. Each of these processes destroys nutrients, and each nutrient is affected differently;
B. Some authorities report that canning destroys >98% of the vitamin C content; while freezing destroys >95%. Other vitamins are affected, although not as severely;
C. Food irradiation has been banned in the European Common Market due to concerns that nutrient molecules are damaged, resulting in unusual types of cancer; and
D. Micro waving food also denatures molecules. It has been demonstrated that proline (an ubiquitous amino acid) creates a carcinogen when micro waved.

Portrait of a Vegetable: The Tomato
History: Only recently a staple in the Western diet, the tomato was introduced into Europe from Peru and Mexico in the 16th Century and not widely accepted, even in Italy where it was used as a decoration (Rick 1978). At first it was believed to be poisonous (it is a member of the toxic nightshade family, along with its cousins tobacco and petunias - and belladonna and mandrake). The French regarded it an aphrodisiac, calling it pomme d'amour or love-apple. As late as 1820, the tomato was still a novelty in the US Thomas Jefferson was supposedly among the first Americans to dare eat one (Ensminger et al)

1983: 2110) and it only became popular in the late 1800s after Robert Gibbon Johnson, in front of an aghast crowd, calmly ate one on the steps of the Salem, N.J., courthouse and survived (Goodwin to Goodwin 1981).

Today: The tomato remains an anomaly: a fruit everybody treats as a vegetable, a perennial everybody plants as an annual (Rick 1978). In tonnage the tomato now ranks third of all edible crops in the country, after potatoes and oranges (Stevens 1974) and second among vegetables. California supplies 80% of the US crop. Of some 55 varieties, the most prevalent is the ultra-hardy, square type developed by the University of California at Davis for machine-picking and long-haul transport and storage (Rick 1978).

Reputation: The modern mass-produced tomato has been reviled for years as a tasteless shadow of its former self - the large, juicy-sweet beefsteak variety. Critics observe it can be dropped from a height of six feet without damage, exceeding auto-bumper standards 2-1/2 times (Kramer 1982). The industry admits it's usually picked green and sprayed with ethylene gas (a chemical it produces naturally when ripening on the vine) or with the chemical ethepon to redden it. For optimum quality and nutrient value, tomatoes must be picked only when fully ripe (Rick 1978).

Contribution to the US Diet: Of the 39 most commonly consumed fruits and vegetables, tomatoes rank first in "relative contribution to nutrition" (Stevens, 1974). Feared and uneaten a hundred years ago, the tomato is now - by sheer quantity -the #I source of vitamins and minerals in the US and one of the country's most popular fruits and vegetables, being processed into far more forms than any other.

Nutritional Value: Tomatoes rank 16th (of the 39 major fruits and vegetables) for vitamin C concentration and 11th for niacin (Stevens 1974). Although modern picking methods and breeding for toughness reduce nutritional values (Lee, Chichester 1974), to this date there has been little attempt to market a more nutritious tomato. More nutritious strains have been developed (Harris 1975b), but there is little or no demand for them (Baker 1974).

Uses: About 75% of the US crop is processed: for example, canned with preservatives, made into catsup (of which two-thirds of the calories are sugar), converted to juice crystals (through vacuum puff-drying) or powder (through foam-mat drying). This latter item, in great demand for pizza mixes and spaghetti-sauce powder, is often extended with cheaper ingredients such as beet powder, red dye, food acids, sugar, starch, gums, and powdered seed hulls (Ensminger et al. 1983: 2112). The tomato also surfaces in everything from aspic salad the night before to Bloody Marys the morning after.

Future: In 1982 two of the largest users of tomatoes, Heinz and Campbell, inaugurated gene-splicing programs designed to produce a "supertomato," one with much less water than at present. Normally, tomatoes are 95% water; in commercial canning that water is not needed while a higher solids content would be extremely profitable, if not extremely palatable ("Race" 1983).

E. Fats and oils are among the most severely affected nutrients in processing. We require essential fatty acids; they might be termed our "fat vitamins." We also require Vitamins D, E and A - all fats.

The processes used in the manufacture of foods destroys the integrity of the fat molecules, and worse, converts them into toxic forms. "The extreme heat, oxidation and other chemical interactions generated during the processing wreak havoc on oil's nutrients. Vitamins A, K, B12 and E are destroyed by the heat and oxidation (Davis 1965:41, Harris 1975a), as are elements such as chromium, manganese, cobalt, and copper. (Chromium and manganese are essential for glucose and cholesterol homeostasis and deficiencies are though to be factors in heart disease (Schroeder 1971b, Mertz 1981). As for the essential fatty acids (EFAs), they are so reactive with oxygen that, 'when oxidized, they become inactive biologically and may even be toxic' (Harris 1 975a: 1 )" Kellogg Report, p. 138

The worst stage of oil processing is "hydrogenation." This is the hardening of the oil product into solids to serve as imitation butter (margarine) or imitation lard (Crisco). Listed on labels as ''vegetable shortening or "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil." The molecular structure of hydrogenated oils has been so radically disorganized that they are largely unrecognizable and unusable by the body. (Ibid, p. 138) The process creates unnatural molecules, "trans-fats'" which the body cannot recognize. When incorporated into cells membranes, trans-fats actually block the body's utilization of essential fatty acids. (Ibid, p. 139)

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VII. FABRICATED FOODS
A. Food technology is now creating artificial fats, fat substitutes and a variety of ingredients to satisfy "palatability" and "marketability." Little or no attention is being paid to nutrient values.
B. Examples include: processed cheese food, hydrolyzed starch, Mocha Mix, Olestra.

Recent Evolution of the Orange
America's food production system today offers a wide spectrum of foods and food products:

From raw whole foods (like fresh oranges), To prepared whole foods (like peeled and separated orange slices) - To the refined (like fresh orange juice) -To the refined and lightly processed (like unsweetened frozen orange juice concentrate)-To refined, processed foods (like canned, sweetened orange juice)-To refined, highly processed food products (like canned, sweetened, artificially colored and flavored orange drink)-To fabricated products never known before (like Tang, an orange-flavored, sweetened, artificially colored powder that can be mixed with water to yield an "orange breakfast drink").

Each step in this modern evolution of an orange means the loss of more nutrients. And the later stages also mean an increasing number of synthetic additives.

Everybody knows what an orange is. But what - really - is a powdered and reconstituted "orange breakfast drink"?

MAN (AND RATS) CAN'T LIVE BY BREAD ALONE
To show the difference complete enrichment would make, Williams put one group of lab rats on standard supermarket "enriched" bread and another on bread that had been supplemented on the basis of current nutritional knowledge. The results?

"After 90 days on the commercial bread diet about two-thirds of the animals were dead of malnutrition and the survivors were severely stunted, whereas practically all the animals on the improved bread were alive and growing."

Roger Williams (ts73b: 317), "Should the Science- based Food Industry be Expected to Advance?"

ROLL OVER IN YOUR GRAVE, SYLVESTER GRAHAM
The Rev. Sylvester Graham was a pioneer in the struggle against refined white flour. As early as 1825 he foresaw the spread of debased flour throughout the nation's diet. To counter the argument that only refined flour baked well and to popularize a return to whole-grain baked goods, he invented his unsifted, coarsely ground whole-wheat "gra-ham" flour and the cracker' made with it.

Today, American children love Graham crackers. Sadly, the modern version has only one thing in common with Graham's ideal - his name and a pinch of graham flour. The product is all he despised: refined processed, and sugar-loaded. Nabisco's "Honey Graham Crackers," for instance, consist of (in descending order):

"Enriched" white Flour, sugar, lard or hydrogenated oil, graham flour, honey, corn sweetener, salt, sodium bicarbonate, and artificial flavor."

Made principally of the refined flour, Graham crusaded against, these crackers that fly his name also contain more sugar than graham flour (or honey), along with processed oils, artificial flavor, and two additional sweeteners. (three separate sweeteners, one fears, because otherwise sugar as a whole would be the leading component.)

In fairness to Rev. Graham, shouldn't the name be changed to what they really are Depleted-Flour Sugar Crackers (with Additives)?

GETTING THE TERMS RIGHT
"People who eat brown rice and whole wheat bread are called food faddists, while children who gobble Fruity Pebbles and Sir Grapefellow are considered normal, red-blooded Ameri-cans. " Opening of Michael Jacobson's Nutrition Scoreboard (1975).

Would you like more information? If so, see Consultations.

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Fact Sheet

Annual deaths in the US (all age groups)
Heart disease & stroke more than 1,000,000
Cancer approx 500,000
Accident approx 100,000
Pneumonia & Flu approx 100,100
Diabetes less than 100,000
All other causes approx 350,000

Fat intake is believed to be a contributing factor in the 2 leading causes of death (heart disease & stroke and cancer) in this country

Percentage of all deaths due to heart disease (by age group)
702 75 and above 59%
703 65 - 74 50%
704 55 - 64 42%
705 45 - 54 29%
706 35 - 44 13%
707 25 - 34%

Recent studies have documented that lifestyle change (including nutrition and exercise) and meds are just as effective as bypass surgery. Surgery needs to be repeated in 3 to 5 years without lifestyle change.

How much fat is safe?
1. No more than 15x of total calories should come from fat. Fats cause damage by:
a. preventing efficient sugar metabolism
b. forming a sticky film around formed elements in the blood particularly read blood cells.
c. Increasing total cholesterol or triglyceride levels in the blood stream
d. Promoting tissue anoxia which as much as a IOx reduction in oxygen to the cells

2. Of that amount, less than IOx of your total calories should be polyunsaturated oils
a. It is important to balance your unsaturated oils; equal amounts daily of Omega 3 vegetable oil (preferably safflower or sunflower) and Omega 6 fish oil
b. At values greater than IOx of total calories, polyunsaturated oils contribute to liver cancer, liver disease, blood dyscrasias and vitamin deficiencies (particularly fat soluble vitamins)
c. Polyunsaturates are harmful because they Increase triglycerides, Increase LDL, decrease vitamin E, produce free radicals, and promote peroxidation (tissue destruction)
d. Never fry in polyunsaturated oils; when heated to 1400, they are carcinogenic. For many years, researchers have been Injecting laboratory mice with heated oils to study tumor production and carcinogenesis; fry or cook only In monounsaturated oils (olive, peanut or sesame)

Good Sources of Fish Oils = OMEGA 6 Fatty Acids
Cold water fish - only sources (best to worst)
Eel, fresh Mackerel, fresh Salmon
Large Drop in Amount of Omega 6 Fatty Acids (1/2 or less)
Fresh Herring, Whitefish, Carp,
Large Drop in Amount of Omega 6 Fatty Acids (1/3 or less)
Canned Sockeye Salmon (w/pink), Catfish, Perch, Tuna in Oil (not Albacore), Bass

Vegetable Sources (very minor amounts)
Beets, cooked beet greens, carrots, celeriac root, ginger root, jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, yams, rutabaga, turnip/turnip greens, winter squash

What does an ideal diet look like?
If you eat 10 bites of food, those 10 bites should break down:
4 bites of vegetables
2 bites of fruit
1 bite of skim milk
1.5 bites of seeds and whole grains
1.5 bites of fish, fowl and lean meat

Contact the RFHC for a copy of the Cave Man Diet.

Would you like more information? If so, see Consultations.

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Dysinsulinism, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease - the Carbohydrate Connection

The current mythology about health might lead you to believe that, if you avoid fat, limit your intake of meat, and eat a diet rich in carbohydrates you can live forever. After all, fat causes cardiovascular disease and makes you gain weight. Eat plenty of carbohydrates for health and stamina, and to control your weight. Unfortunately, those statements are almost totally wrong.

In actuality, it is carbohydrates that increase our blood lipid levels and our body fat, strain our pancreas and promote the development of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease - not to mention obesity.

In my experience, particularly with older patients, increasing protein consumption actually improves overall energy and strength. As biological entities, we require protein for a variety of essential functions: to build tissue, make hormones, and synthesize blood, to name just a few. Interestingly, protein cannot be created in the body from either carbohydrate or fat. On the other hand, both fat and carbohydrate readily interconvert - one to the other.

Where fat is concerned, we need some essential fatty acids for life. Cholesterol is also vital for our existence. Every cell in your body contains cholesterol as an integral part of the cell membrane. Yet, you might think "cholesterol is poison," is your only sources of nutritional information were the popular media and advertising. Currently, the US is being inundated with "no fat" or "low fat" foods which have been engineered for mouth feel, taste and palpability - not nutrition. Most of these foods substitute carbohydrates for fat. Remember, in your body, excess carbohydrate is immediately converted to fat.

When we eat a meal high in carbohydrates (either sugar or starch), several things happen:
1. Your blood sugar rises precipitously, resulting in a surge of insulin production;
2. The insulin surge initially suppresses your adrenal function;
3. The blood sugar peak later overstimulates the adrenals to produce glucocorticoids, resulting in a precipitous drop in blood sugar;
4. The insulin surge stimulates fat cells to convert glucose to fat - saving it for a "rainy day;" and,
5. The insulin surge activates a section of the brain to increase consumption of carbohydrate rich foods.

The result is a vicious cycle spiraling into ever-increasing levels of carbohydrate consumption. And, unfortunately, in America these are often refined carbohydrates which are nutrient-poor, and readily converted to sugar - resulting in an even higher insulin peak.

The bottom line: A diet rich in vegetables and good quality protein with limited amounts of complex carbohydrates and fruit. For more details, request The Cave Man Diet from our office. This is a dietary program which runs very contrary to popular wisdom!

Contact the RFHC for a copy of the Cave Man Diet.

Does this apply to you? If so, see our information on Consultations.

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Case Profile

Case Profile (CFIDS and Immunune System Collapse)
"Your wife is a very sick woman. She's been through too much and I don't expect her to live more than three to six months." This was my forecast, given to my husband, after my surgery in July of 1990. With that prognosis, I was then given nominal care in preparation for my demise. In January of 1991, my immune system collapsed. However, I felt that I wanted to live and continued to struggle.

I first saw Dr. Richards in April of 1991. She was thorough in both examination and testing, but more than that, she was thorough in gleaning medical history from me. The road has been rough, but her care brought me through and was most comprehensive. As a friend stated after I described the care I was getting, "She's helping your body to heal." She was so patient because I was suffering both physically and emotionally. I had been the victim of surgeries and the ramifications from them, some serious medical neglect, over-medicated, over-worked, and stressed to the max. It took a long time, but life is so precious and I wanted to treasure any extension of time I could have with my family. It means a lot to have a doctor who is willing to help you fight to live, rather than one who doesn't care enough to try. Standard medical training and treatment does not have all the answers. I'm living proof of that. --EK

EK has made a remarkable recovery, with very little support from her medical practitioners. She has wonderful determination and her courage has been a large factor in her recovery. --Dr Richards

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