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Top Summer Fitness Tips

Summer is here and people are making vacation plans. In order to get ready for that cruise or family vacation, many are looking for ways to get lean, eliminate bloating and lose weight. Here are the top fitness tips to get in great summer shape:

Foods to Avoid

Losing weight and eliminating bloat are key to looking your summer best. Here are the top foods to avoid this summer:

Grains. Grains are found in a variety of products, including hamburger and hotdog buns. In the 1960’s, grains were hybridized, making them resistant to drought conditions and pesticides. Modern grains may be easier to grow and cultivate, but they are now extremely unhealthy and dangerous for human consumption. Grains should be avoided for the following reasons:

  • Spike in blood sugar. Grains have been called super sugars because of their effect on blood sugar and insulin. While many people consider whole grains healthy, eating two slices of whole grain bread raises glucose levels quickly in the same manner as drinking a 12 ounce soda. When blood sugar levels rise dramatically, they can fall just as quickly, causing a person to “crash,” with feelings of brain fog and sluggishness the result. They can also cause people to be hungrier than ever.
  • Gluten. Most grains contain gluten, which can cause bloating, inflammation, diarrhea and leaky gut syndrome in those who are gluten intolerant.

For more on the dangers of grains watch the CHTV episode featuring Dr. Stephanie Seneff, HERE.

In addition to hamburger and hot dog buns, other foods with grains listed in their ingredients that should be avoided are chips, crackers and cookies.

Vegetable oil. Before 1900, American households cooked with lard and butter. Today, most cookies, cakes, microwave popcorn and fast foods are made with vegetable oil. Even though they are called vegetable oils, they are extremely toxic.

Vegetable oils are used in most restaurants and households as well. Studies indicate vegetable oil has been linked to many health issues:

  • Heating up vegetable oil prompts a release of aldehydes, which have been linked to cancer, heart disease, inflammation and dementia.1
  • Vegetable oils can raise the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL’s) and decrease the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL’s) in the blood, which increases the risk of blood clots. This is also known as the “double deadly effect.”2
  • Studies indicate the consumption of trans-fats can increase a person’s risk of depression by 50%.3

Vegetable oils have been deemed toxic and unsafe for human consumption worldwide. They have been banned in Denmark, Austria, Hungary, Iceland, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. New York City banned the use of vegetable oils in 2012, and the FDA has given food manufacturers until June of 2018 to totally remove them out of processed and fast foods.3

Vegetable oils go by many names:

  • Soybean
  • Corn
  • Canola
  • Cottonseed
  • Safflower

Avoiding these oils is essential to good health.

Grilling. Grilling is one of the most popular summer events, but it’s also one of the most toxic. There are many studies citing the dangers of grilling:

  • When meat is charred on the grill, it creates heterocyclic amines, (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A report from the National Cancer Institute claims that rodents fed a diet of HCAs and PAHs developed tumors of the breast, colon, liver, skin, lung and prostate.4
  • The smoke from barbeques contains PAHs as well. The toxin can get inside the lungs when inhaled.

Conventional meat. Cows are meant to eat grass, but the majority of them are fed GMO and hybridized grain, which is not healthy for them. In addition to the cows being malnourished, the grains are laden with pesticides, which in turn affect humans when they are eaten. Remember, you are what you eat eats! Consumption of grain fed cows has been linked to the following diseases:

Cancer. Countless studies indicate that eating grain fed red meat has significant health risks.

  • A study published in the British Medical Journal showed that women who ate red meat had a slightly increased risk of breast cancer:5
  • Analysts at the World Cancer Research Fund analyzed over 800 studies on processed meat and conclude that bowel cancer is more common among people who ate processed meat. The researchers also believe there is a possible link between processed meat and cancer of the stomach, colon and pancreas.6

Increased risk of atherosclerosis. When eating grain fed meat, the gut can react in negative ways that may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease:

  • A study in the journal Nature Medicine claims that ingesting high levels carnitine, which is found in red meat, increases a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease.7
  • According to Victoria Taylor, a senior dietician at the British heart Foundation, “diets that are linked to good heart health are lower in foods like red meat, and include more pulses, nuts, seeds and fish as protein sources.”8

Diabetes. There is growing evidence that consumption of grain fed beef can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

  • A study of 149,000 American men and women found that the probability of developing Type 2 diabetes increased as the consumption of red meat increased.9

Humans have been eating red meat for thousands of years, but it was not until the cows were fed grains that these health problems started to occur. The grains are the root cause of the problem, and eating grass fed cows is the first step in eliminating these health issues.

Dairy. Due to its extreme toxicity, eating conventional dairy that is served in most restaurants and supermarkets may cause unwanted weight gain. Dairy products can be the root cause of other health problems as well:

  • A Swedish study claims that women who consume more than 3 glasses of milk per day had twice the mortality rate of women who drank less than one glass per day over a 20 year span.10
  • Many studies indicate dairy protein raises Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), which has been linked to various types of cancer, including prostate and ovarian cancer.10
  • Bloating, stomach pain, gas and diarrhea are common and all symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Many people are allergic to conventional dairy products, but like beef, the root cause is not the dairy but the grains that cows are fed. In addition to improved overall health, weight loss can occur when raw, organic, grass-fed dairy and grass-fed meat are consumed.

Healthy Summer Alternatives

The list of foods a person should avoid may be intimidating but there are countless delicious and viable options available.

Many people avoid fried foods because of the oil, but not all oils are bad. The following oils are healthy and are suitable for preparing dishes in a variety of ways:

Coconut oil is great for medium heat sautéing. It can help with weight loss, is good for the heart, boosts the metabolism and is great for the skin.

Olive oil. Olive oil has many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Best to use raw or for low-medium heat cooking.

Ghee. Grass-fed ghee is rich in vitamin A, D, K2 and conjugated linoleic acid. Best for medium heat cooking.

Butter. Like ghee, grass-fed butter provides the body with a variety of healthy nutrients, including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and is best for medium heat cooking.

Grilling. When it comes to grilling, the best advice is to cook the food inside and take it outside to enjoy. Grilling is discouraged, but the following tips may be helpful for those who insist on grilling outside:

  1. Marinate. Researchers at Kansas State University marinated steaks in different mixtures of vinegar, herbs and spices. After grilling, the carcinogens were decreased ranging from 57 to 88 percent. Use grass fed meats only.11
  2. Avoid flame flare ups. When the fat drips onto the flame, it causes flare ups. Lean meats have less fat, which helps minimize flare ups.
  3. Remove charred pieces. The charred pieces of meat are extremely carcinogenic. Dispose of those pieces immediately, and do not eat them.
  4. Cook quickly. The longer food is on the grill, the greater the probability of Heterocyclic amines, (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) forming. Remove food from the grill immediately after cooking.

  Indoor grilling tips. Grilling indoors is the preferred method of cooking because it avoids the dangerous carcinogens that are created when grilling outdoors. Here are a few tips on grilling indoors:

  1. Use your broiler. The fire on an outdoor grill is below food, while fire on the broiler is above it. This helps eliminate the threat of carcinogens forming while still providing flavor similar to the outdoor grill.
  2. Smoked spices. Using smoked spices will give food prepared indoors an outdoor flavor. Try adding smoked paprika, smoked olive or chipotle chilies or smoked sea salt to impart an extra punch.

Practice Diet Variation. Diet variation is the practice of changing the diet periodically and eating different foods for an extended period of time. It can also mean not eating for a predetermined amount of time (incorporating a technique called intermittent fasting).

Diet variation has been around for thousands of years, albeit involuntarily. In previous generations, as the seasons changed, certain foods came into season, while others went out of season. The weather affected the production of certain foods as well. As a result, people ate what was available at the time, or not at all. For example, during the winter season, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds were not available, so meat and fat were the primary foods eaten, which in essence was a low carb diet. In the summer, fruits and other high carb foods were available, so those were eaten primarily. This type of diet variation eating caused the hormones in the body to shift and go through ketosis.

Ketosis is defined as a metabolic state where most of the body’s energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood and can be an effective way to lose weight.

For more on ketosis, read Part One and Part Two.
And watch CHTV with keto expert Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, HERE.

While our ancestors dealt with real life feast or famine scenarios in their diet variation, incorporating intermittent fasting is an easy way to imitate this safe (and natural) type of eating into modern life.

Diet variation has two important benefits:

Eliminate allergies. By not eating certain foods for an extended period of time, a person can determine what foods they may be allergic to and allow time for the gut to heal as well.

The body burns fat. The body switches its energy source from glucose to fat, causing the body to work more efficiently and shed unwanted pounds.

Diet variation can be compared to exercise and working out: exercise routines must be changed periodically to stimulate muscle growth and increase performance. If the routine is not changed, the body will adjust accordingly and become stagnant.

When it comes to losing weight, the body will adapt if you’re eating the same foods day after day, week after week, month after month. When diet variation is incorporated, the body is force to change and adjust, which will stimulate weight loss and other positive changes.

There are several ways to partake in diet variation:

Vary the diet. Try eating high (healthy) carbs one day a week and/or a whole day of fasting once a week.

Try intermittent fasting. Skip breakfast and eat within a 4-8 hour time window daily, or a few days per week.

The body has been able to adapt to cycles of feast and famine since the beginning of time. Diet variation is an excellent way to lose weight and get fit for the summer.

Burst Training

Burst training and fasting go hand in hand and are powerful when done together, i.e. working out on a fasted stomach. Burst training is an exercise program where a person performs at 90-100 percent of their maximum for 30-60 seconds, followed immediately by 30-60 seconds of rest or exercise at lower intensity.

When a person exercises on an empty stomach, the body eventually runs out of glucose in the liver, which is its primary energy source. Once this happens, the body starts to burn fat not only during exercise, but up to thirty six hours after exercise.

Also known as high-intensity interval training or HIIT, burst training burns sugar, not fat. As a matter of survival, our bodies must replace that stored sugar. The body will increase its growth and anabolic hormones so it can become an efficient fat burner to replace it. As a result, it then burns the fat. It does not want to burn the muscle to replace the stored sugar that it needs to survive.

Endurance sports are extremely popular, but studies indicate that burst training may be healthier and more beneficial than endurance training:

  • Endurance exercise elevates the stress hormone cortisol, which stores fat and breaks down muscle. On the other hand, burst training also raises growth hormone to balance out the cortisol levels.
  • Reports in the journal Clinical Science found that 93% of long term endurance athletes had gut problems.12

In addition to weight loss and fat burning, other benefits of burst training include:

Decreased risk of diabetes. Burst training can improve glucose control and metabolic function in those with Type 2 diabetes.

Heart disease. Much research has been performed on the benefits of burst training with promising results:

  • A study in the American Journal of Human Biology claims that burst training is a time efficient way to boost cardiovascular health in adolescents.12
  • Burst training “significantly enhanced VO2 max and O2 pulse and power output in active men and women” according to the Journal of Strength Conditioning and Research.12

  Burst Training Exercises.

The following exercises are great for burst workouts:

  • Jumping jacks
  • Running on treadmill
  • Riding a bike
  • Jumping rope

Watch my bursting workout video, HERE.

Burst workouts can be done for 10-20 minutes, 2-3 days per week. Less time, more results!

Diet: The Secret to a Lean Body

Public perception is when it comes to losing weight and having a lean body, exercise is key. A lack of exercise is the primary reason why they are overweight or obese. Exercise is an important component of good health, but diet is more important than exercise when it comes to how your body looks. It is estimated that 70-80% of the human body composition is really determined by what we eat. Exercise is an added bonus.

Most fitness professionals tell a person to exercise a minimum of 60 minutes daily and eat every 2-3 hours. In actuality, the opposite is true: eat 1-2 times per day and exercise less than half the time for best results.

Travel Tips

Many people have a difficult time staying on their diets while on vacation. Here are some great tips to stay on track:

Keep healthy snacks handy. Coconut butter, grass fed cheese and jerky, avocados, canned wild sardines, and mixed nuts are easy to carry and high in fat. They are energizing and keep blood sugars level.

Restaurants. More and more menus have healthy choices to choose from, including grass fed beef. Other options are chicken salad, lamb, omelets and veggies. Avoid bread and sauces that are high in bad fats and vegetable oil.

Airplane flights. When traveling on planes, take the glutathione supplement GCEL to keep your glutathione (GSH) levels high. Gcell raises intracellular GSH which is key to removing toxins from the body. GSH is in every cell in the body, and if levels get too low, the cell can die from toxic overload and inflammation. GSH is the strongest antioxidant in the world, and is has many healing properties. GSH is important for airplane flights because of the low levels of radiation that are on planes.

Following these tips will ensure good health for this summer and years to come.

  1. The Telegraph – Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic cancer-causing chemicals, say experts
  2. Vegetable Oil
  3. Be Brain Fit – 7 Reasons Canola Oil Is Bad for Brain Health
  4. National Cancer Institute – Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk
  5. Dr. David Perlmutter – Grass-Fed Matters: Red Meat Causes Cancer?
  6. Cancer Research UK – Processed meat and cancer – what you need to know
  7. Prevention – 10 Reasons To Stop Eating Red Meat
  8. Express UK – Red meat is direct cause heart disease, experts warn
  9. WebMD – Red Meat Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk
  10. T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies – 12 Frightening Facts About Milk
  11. Cooking Light – Nutrition Made Easy
  12. Livestrong – The Facts on Why Burst Training Beats Steady State Cardio
  • Skinny and Co. Coconut Oil
  • GCEL

The Truth About Cholesterol And Statins

High cholesterol: these are two words that many dread seeing on medical test results. Modern medicine contends that high cholesterol is linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease, which in turn increases risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Currently the most common treatment for high cholesterol is for your doctor to prescribe a medication from the class of drugs known as statins. There’s no doubt that statins measurably reduce cholesterol for some people. For the vast majority of doctors, even naturopathic ones, this is as far as they go. The risk of fatal heart attack or stroke is lessened, and that’s all that matters to them. But is this really a good approach to health? Patients given statin drugs to control cholesterol face taking them lifelong. and never get to the root of what’s going on inside their bodies. In Cellular Healing TV podcast episode 114, Meredith and I interview Dr. Jack Wolfson, author of “The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health.” We discuss some of the myths still being spread about heart health. The notion that cholesterol is bad and that statins are necessary to control cholesterol levels are two big ones.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is simply a fatty substance found in every single cell in your body, both in the cell membranes and within organelles inside the cell. Cholesterol is a vital substance, necessary for numerous functions, including:

  • Maintaining cell membrane integrity and fluidity within the cell
  • Assisting with cell signaling
  • Integral for hormone production, especially reproductive hormones
  • Vitamin D production
  • Used in bile acids production, necessary for digestion
  • Brain and neurological function (the brain generally holds about 25% of the body’s cholesterol)

Cholesterol is so vital to the body’s functions that your liver can make all that it needs to survive. It’s not reliant upon you to eat cholesterol to provide the necessary amount, though some of the cholesterol that you eat may make its way into the bloodstream. Looking at the importance of cholesterol, it’s difficult to imagine how modern medicine has come to vilify it. The answer to that involves a look at the plaque inside of hardened arteries (atherosclerosis).

We know that heart disease arises from hardened arteries, called atherosclerosis. In those with atherosclerosis, plaque builds up along arterial walls, diminishing both the elasticity of the artery and the space available for blood to flow through it. When doctors analyzed the plaque itself, they found that it was made up of several components, including calcium and, you guessed it, cholesterol. This led to cholesterol eventually being declared dangerous at high levels in the blood, and the development of drugs to lower cholesterol, like statins.

When looking at cholesterol levels, doctors further subdivide it into LDL (low density lipoproteins), HDL (high density lipoproteins), and triglycerides (not actually a cholesterol, but another kind of blood fat, involved in energy storage). A lipid panel is the usual test for establishing blood cholesterol levels, and measures total cholesterol in the blood. The results are compared against a range of norms for each type. Depending on where you fall compared to these “normal” ranges, your doctor could advise the use of statins and/or a “heart healthy” low fat diet.

Learn more about cholesterol sulfate and the dangers of glyphosate here.

Cholesterol can’t travel alone through the blood, because it’s water insoluble. Once it’s manufactured in the liver, cholesterol is combined with other compounds like sulfur or protein to transit through the bloodstream. The protein in a lipoprotein surrounds the cholesterol kind of like passengers in a car, hence the word lipoprotein. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is considered the bad cholesterol, the most involved in damage to the inner walls of blood vessels. In actuality, LDL isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s sent out from the liver to perform the many functions that cholesterol performs, as noted. HDL (high density lipoprotein) is in many ways LDL’s balance. HDL’s are on their way back to the liver, and are involved in healing damage to vessel walls (plaque removal) and latching on to spent or oxidized LDL particles in order to return them to the liver for reprocessing. This is why HDL is considered the good cholesterol. HDL levels are what doctors are looking for when they test total cholesterol. Statins come in when doctors want to lower LDL levels in the blood.

How Do Statins Work?

Statins are basically enzyme blockers. They target a reductase enzyme, specifically HMG-CoA reductase (abbreviated to HMGCR), which sends the trigger to the liver to produce cholesterol. Normally this process happens naturally in the body, and is balanced by other triggers, which induce the liver to break down LDL particles. Statins inhibit HMGCR production, which reduces the amount of cholesterol that the liver can produce, often resulting in lowered total blood cholesterol. Sounds good, right? Here’s the catch…

Mainstream doctors will tell you that high cholesterol will increase your risk of heart attack or stroke, and so, therefore, taking a lipid lowering drug like a statin will reduce that risk. Then they use the standard lipid panel to determine cholesterol levels, and a whole lot of people end up on statin drugs. But did you know that many people who have heart attacks don’t have high cholesterol levels? A very large study using data from the WHO established that only about half of the people who suffered from a heart attack had elevated LDL levels at the time. About 20% of those in the study were taking lipid lowering meds and still had a heart attack. This calls the effectiveness of statin drugs into question.

Now let’s look at the side effects of statins. We learned earlier that cholesterol is vital to the proper functioning of our cells and numerous systems of the body. Inhibiting the production of cholesterol can have some very negative effects, and we see this borne out in the listed side effects of statin drugs which include:

  • Myalgia (muscle pain or weakness) and muscle damage, potentially severe
  • Insomnia
  • Headaches
  • Rashes
  • Digestion problems
  • High blood pressure
  • Type 2 diabetes (increased risk)
  • Neurological problems, including memory loss, brain fog, mental confusion, cognition problems

Now, scroll back to the top of the article where I listed a few of cholesterol’s vital functions in the body. Can you see the connection? A lot of these side effects are exactly what could happen in a body with a reduced ability to produce cholesterol. That’s what statins do.

A Better Solution to High Cholesterol

The problem with modern medicine’s approach to balancing cholesterol levels is really the same problem that we see time and again in mainstream medical practice: it doesn’t get to the underlying cause (R1). Be sure to listen to our podcast with Dr. Wolfson where we go into detail on what we believe to be the true cause behind LDL build-up in the blood. If inflammation and toxicity came to mind, then you’re on the right track.

I’ve spoken and written about inflammation countless times because it’s vital to understand the relationship between cellular inflammation and malfunction in the body. There certainly is a connection between LDL levels in the blood and arterial damage, but doctors aren’t testing properly or offering treatments that can help you get well.

To illustrate the importance of the right tests for cholesterol, and the right way to be thinking of LDL/HDL levels, review this short, classic video.

I described the lipoprotein as a car with the cholesterol as the passengers inside the car. The number of passengers determines the density of the lipoprotein (the car). Imagine that your blood is a highway, and that there’s a traffic jam. What matters more in clearing the traffic jam, the number of cars on the highway, or the number of passengers in each car? It’s the number of cars on the highway, and their size, that matters more in establishing cholesterol levels and inflammatory damage to the blood vessel walls. That’s the number you need, and what must be evaluated to determine what steps to take to decrease that inflammation.

Once you know those numbers you can begin to use natural methods and a Multi-Therapeutic Approach to bring your cells back to health, and reduce the factors that led to the inflammation in the first place. Remember, just because you have high cholesterol doesn’t mean you are at risk for a heart attack, just as having low cholesterol doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk. Fix the cell, get well. I can’t tell you get off statins, only your doctor can do so. I can suggest you educate yourself about statins, cholesterol’s true function, inflammation, and root causes of disease.

Stem Cell Injections for Back Pain: Dr Harry Adelson

Stem Cell Injections for Back Pain: Dr. Harry Adelson: If you’ve been following my story for a while, it’s no news to you that I’ve been dealing with lower back problems for a long time. Despite being a functional medicine practitioner, I’ve dealt with back pain that no holistic method or device could relieve more than temporarily. My discs were so damaged (I’m talking desiccated and black) that I recently had to stop skiing (one of my life’s passions!), even more recently the pain was getting so severe that I had to stop riding my bicycle.

Watch my testimonial to Dr. Adelson's amazing work above.


Debilitating Back Pain: A Thing of the Past

The pain was so debilitating that year ago I had to take action. Instead of getting the commonly prescribed surgery, I decided to get stem cell injections for back pain instead. My procedure was spearheaded by Dr. Harry Adelson, who explained that there is really no good conventional treatment for a dehydrated disc other than fusion—and that fusion is a terrible option.

When you look at a dehydrated disc on an MRI, the discs look white, white, white, and then black. There's just no hydration in there whatsoever, and what stem cell therapy does is inject that site with fresh stem cells (collected from bone marrow as well as body fat).

It was about a year ago that I live-streamed the procedure on Cellular Healing TV (you can still watch the injection procedure online), and although the procedure takes months to come into its full effect— the results last for years.

About six months ago, I got a second injection done. When Adelson injected the disc the first time, the contrast material spread quickly throughout the entire disc, which is typical of a dehydrated disc. For the second injection, the contrast material did NOT spread, telling us that the disc had healed (evident from my dramatic reduction in pain).

Since my first injections, I’ve reclaimed parts of my life I didn’t even realize had suffered. Not only am I able to be fully active again— but little things like sitting in the couch and not having to fidget every 5 minutes to find a comfortable seat, are a thing of the past.

Recovery from Stem Cell Injections for Back Pain

My first stem cell injections happened while under anesthesia, so the entire procedure was painless and fast. Anesthesia is required because the extraction of stem cells from bone marrow (also known as lipoaspiration) is quite painful. It’s essentially a bone marrow aspiration, followed by multiple injections into sensitive areas of the back.  This includes a stem cell epidural to put stem cells in the interface between your disc and spinal cord, followed by all the ligaments of your lower back.

Two hours later, the procedure is done and there is very little post-injection soreness. The recovery recommendations include talking it very easy for one week, taking it reasonably easy for a second week, and then two months of avoiding injury-inducing activities like mountain biking or water skiing.

Dr. Harry Adelson and the C-Arm Procedure

Dr. Adelson is the Michael Jordan of the stem cell needle. He has worked with the likes of Ben Greenfield and Dave Asprey. He uses a device called the C-Arm. The C-Arm is very low radiation, video X-ray that allows the doctor to ensure 100% accuracy with all injections. If you're going to go through the time and emotional and financial investment of having your stem cells harvested, you want to be certain they are put exactly where they're needed!

Above and Beyond with Exosome

Another way Dr. Adelson goes above and beyond is the use of exosomes in this procedure. If stem cells are the future of medicine, well exosomes are the future of stem cells. Exosomes are actually the active ingredient of stem cells; they are responsible for communicating with the stem cells in the microenvironment that you're trying to treat. So, what this lab does is take placental stem cells. These cells are these very young and robust— they manufacture and excrete these vesicles filled with growth factors that are called exosomes.

Next, they separate the stem cell from the exosomes (discarding the other person's genetic material and DNA). They are left with the substance that your own stem cells are lacking. The exosomes are then added to your own stem cells, in a sense turbocharging them. This makes them functionally behave like a younger person's stem cell. This is important because our exosomes decrease with age (making the stem cells of an older person much less ‘powerful’ than that of a younger person). By supercharging them with young exosomes, we reinvigorate our own stem cells.

Are Stem Cell Injections a Good Option?

This procedure is quite elaborate and does require a fair amount of financial investment. Some good news? The costs are dropping the more popular it becomes. To find out more you can reach out to Dr. Adelson at DocereClinics.com, where their team will have you fill out a few short forms. They will look at your MRI and offer you a free assessment to see if you are a good candidate for the procedure.

Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Blueberry Sauce

Keto Lemon Cheesecake

Crust:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup xylitol
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder

  Cheesecake filling:

  • 3 packages full-fat, organic cream cheese
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup xylitol
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 8-10 drops lemon essential oil (suggestion: doTerra)
  • Garnish: organic lemon zest

  Blueberry topping (optional):

  • One 10oz. bag frozen blueberries
  • 2 Tbsp. xylitol
  • 2 Tbsp. arrowroot

For crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
  2. Mix all ingredients together. Add more butter or coconut oil if too dry.
  3. Evenly distribute crust mixture into a 9″ x 13″ pan.
  4. Bake crust for 18-20 minutes.

  For cheesecake, topping and assembly:

  1. While crust is baking, place all filling ingredients in large mixing bowl and combine with hand mixer until fully incorporated.
  2. Once crust is lightly browned, remove from oven (leave oven on).
  3. Spread cheesecake mixture evening over crust.
  4. Garnish with lemon zest.
  5. Bake cheesecake at  325° F for 45 minutes.
  6. Make topping: put blueberries, xylitol and arrowroot in saucepan and heat over medium. Stir intermittently until warm and gooey.
  7. Once down, allow to cool and then set in fridge for 1-2 hours, or until firm.
  8. Slice into bars. Top with blueberry sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt.
  9. Enjoy!

  Variation without crust:

  1. Make filling and pour into ramekins.
  2. Bake at 325° F for 45 minutes.
  3. Top with blueberry sauce and enjoy.

Diet Variation Strategies, The Quickest Ways To Lose Weight

I coach many individuals who suffer from hormone dysregulation and the inability to lose weight, regardless of following a strict diet and exercise regime. From these clients, I’ve learned effective techniques to break through the frustrating state of weight loss resistance, as we simultaneously work upstream to identify the real cause (R:1) of why they can’t lose weight or don't feel well. Since studying and experimenting with many ancient health principles and ancestral lifestyle habits, I discovered a strategy that is one of the quickest ways to lose weight, and also supports healing at the cellular level. I’ve observed outstanding results with very challenged clients, but the tactic is great for anyone who wants to get leaner and feel better in the modern age of GMOs, toxic foods, and numerous physical, chemical, and emotional stressors. I’m excited to share this information with you in the second installment of the series on my Top Five 180 Degree Solution™ Strategies for Your Best Ever Health. And if you missed Strategy #1, you can read the article here.

Diet Variation Strategies the Quickest Ways to Lose Weight.
Strategy 2 of the Top 5 Strategies for Your Best Health Ever!

180° Solution™ Strategy #2: Diet Variation

Reflection upon our rich history, there is plenty to be learned from our ancestors to live healthier modern lives. During time spent visiting beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I came across some powerful principles that I’ve implemented with the clients I coach, and in my own life, with great success. One of the strategies I call diet variation, an adaptive technique that takes advantage of the body’s innate desire to survive. I’ve found that when we vary our diet, the hormonal shifts for adaptation re-establish and trigger the body’s ability to burn fat for energy. Diet variation is one of the quickest ways to lose weight! Pretty cool, eh?

Upon studying our ancestors’ lifestyle and eating patterns, I noted that they didn’t eat the same foods 365 days a year. During the cold season they would stockpile meat and animal fat to provided hardy sustenance for energy and it was food that could be stored and used throughout the season. Once spring and summer returned, vegetables and fruit were abundant, which they consumed to their heart’s content. Nature’s perfect timing provided a high-fat diet in the winter for strength, and shifted to a lighter, plant-based diet in warmer months to provide other key nutrients. The variation delivered the nutrition needed to survive each season, thereby keeping them healthy and adapted year-round. This is how our bodies were designed to thrive: eating seasonally, locally, and exclusively whole foods.

Why Eating 3-5 Meals a Day Could Be Aging You

Our bodies were also set up to survive and thrive in times of both feast and famine. Eating in correspondence with the seasons was the first thing our ancestors did right (not that they had a choice). In addition, they did not sit down to 3 squares meals plus 2 snacks per day, at regular time intervals. Their ever-changing environment required them to follow a feast or famine style of life, characterized by alternating periods when food was either in abundance or short supply. Therefore, they ate when food was available and fasted when food was not. Contrary to popular thought, the periods of lack and abundance of food were actually beneficial to their health because the body was designed for it. It’s perfectly natural to be physically uncomfortable at times and experience true hunger, a feeling to which many today are unaccustomed. And going without food for short periods has some extraordinary health benefits, such as re-booting the immune system, improving insulin sensitivity, promoting longevity, repairing the digestive tract, increasing anti-aging Human Growth Hormone (HGH), and most importantly, reducing cellular inflammation, the root cause of most present-day disease.

A modern application of this principle is intermittent fasting (IF). I’ve written many times about the advantages and styles of IF in previous posts (click here for more information) and am a huge believer in fasting as a tool for restoring health. There are different ways to approach fasting: one can choose to eat within a compressed time window each day (daily IF), fast a day or two each week, or do longer block fasts for 4 or more consecutive days. Fasting helps to diminish food cravings, the need to eat on a regular schedule, and can help you look and feel younger (via the boost in HGH). Since implementing fasting with my clients and myself I’ve observed incredible benefits, and truly believe it’s one of the most unappreciated and under used healing tools available.

Becoming a Fat-Burner

Before our ancestors started growing grains for food, most were in a state of ketosis many times a year. When in a ketotic state, carbohydrate intake is so low that the body shifts over from burning glucose as a primary source of fuel to using fat its own fat stores for energy. Essentially, when in ketosis you become a “fat burner” instead of a “sugar burner.” Our ancestors remained in ketosis during the cold season, eating a low-carbohydrate diet of mostly meat and lots of quality fat, and then naturally shifted out of ketosis in the summer due to the consumption of plentiful seasonal produce.

I think it’s important to point out that healthy humans have the ability to burn both fat and glucose for energy, but because glucose is potentially damaging to the cell it will burn the glucose first to protect itself. Pretty smart, right? But what happens when we consume a high carb diet rich in grains (even whole), fruits, and modern day carbs like sports drinks and bars as our daily routine? You end up stuck in sugar burning mode with no hormonal ability to burn fat for energy.

The constant glucose spikes drives cellular inflammation and our cells ability to hear the hormones we need to burn fat. Thyroid hormone, leptin and insulin all play a significant role in our ability to use our fat for energy. When our cells can’t get the message from these hormones due to an inflamed cell membrane (driven by a constant high carb diet), you can’t burn stored fat despite what you eat and how much you exercise… AKA “weight-loss resistance”.

Today, nearly all Americans are stuck in a sugar-burning state, which promotes chronic inflammation, cellular oxidation, and premature aging. The state of ketosis, conversely, helps to slow down the body’s aging process because it downregulates inflammation and oxidative stress. Ketosis also positively impacts many common and chronic health conditions, and I’ve found it to be especially helpful for neurodegenerative diseases and weight-loss resistance. The high intake of good dietary fat helps the brain function better via an increase in ketones, which are the byproduct of fat metabolism and the brain’s preferred source of fuel. Eating lots of good fat also helps to fix the hormone receptors located on the cell membrane (also made of fat) which supports hormone balance to produce weight-loss (for more in-depth info on ketosis and the diet, read my two part series: part 1 and part 2). I’ve used ketosis as a tool with some of my most challenged clients, and myself, with great success. Once cellular inflammation is down-regulated remarkable things start to happen, and the body can begin to heal itself.

A permanent keto-adaptation diet is not for everyone; however, utilizing the diet as a tool to move in and out of has been a little miracle I discovered by chance. There are those who struggle to get into ketosis for reasons such as perimenopause, thyroid conditions, and/or toxicity. There are also those who get in to ketosis that still don’t lose weight. Read on, there is still hope!

The Magic Bullet for Weight-Loss Resistance 

But what’s one to do if the ketogenic diet isn’t producing weight-loss? Enter diet variation. I began implementing the method of diet variation because I had clients who were simply not able to keto-adapt or lose weight when in ketosis. In a healthy individual, ketosis should be one of the quickest ways to lose weight; however, if suffering from certain hormonal challenges, typically driven by cellular toxicity, one does not easily shift into the fat burning state. The keto-adaptation phase, i.e. shifting from a sugar burner to a fat burner, normally occurs in 2-3 weeks (confirmed by measuring ketones with a blood ketone meter), but I’ve had clients take as long as 2-3 months before they adapt and get results. However, there are some folks who never fully adapt, and others who do adapt yet disappointingly experience no weight loss or results.

If you’re following the ketogenic diet and not seeing results, you must incorporate diet variation to “mix it up” and trigger a metabolic shift. The method has worked like magic for clients who were stuck in a state of weight-loss resistance. Here’s an example of how it works: follow the ketogenic diet for a few months, then switch to a higher carb version of the Cellular Healing Diet (up to 150 grams/day), still avoiding all grains and sugars but including “safe” starches like berries, sweet potatoes, squash, plantains, etc. for a few months. Then, once again shift back into the keto diet and…BAM! Weight finally starts to shed. Overtime, weight-loss may plateau again; if this occurs, simply shift back to the Cellular Healing Diet, and weight loss should resume. I’ve repeated this cyclical diet variation method with several cases seeing consistent, excellent results.

Boosting Weight-Loss with Another Type of Diet Variation (the 5:1:1 Rule) 

Here’s a special bonus tip. After plenty of self-experimentation, I created a tool to include along with diet variation to support breaking through the plateaus of weight-loss resistance. I call it the 5:1:1 Rule. Here’s how to implement it: for 5 days of the week, consume a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (testing ketones to confirm you’re in ketosis); 1 day per week do a full 24 hour water fast or intermittent water fast, consuming high quality fat (like raw coconut oil or grass-fed butter oil) throughout the day if needed for energy; and 1 day a week do a carbohydrate or protein “load day,” in which you dramatically increase carbs or protein for diet variation and also to remind your body it is not starving. Depending on your health condition, a carbohydrate or protein load day may be preferable, and load days may also be altered weekly. The key is in the variation! For more on this rule, read the article here.

Why You Stop Losing Weight or Hold on to Fat In That One Area You Hate 

It’s always about survival. The body will hang on to that last 10-15 lbs, especially in that area we hate the most. It does this just in case it needs the energy for future emergencies like times of famine. When carbs intake is low for long enough the body gets fearful, and becomes very efficient at burning fat. I have found it slows the fat burning down in two ways. One, by plugging up the fat cells with water to slow down the burn. In this case, you get a weird, loose, cellulite type of fat right where you hate it the most. And two, by blunting the insulin receptors, which makes you store more fat and stops fat burning.

The 5-1-1 rule, or even just adding in a carb day a week, tells the body it has plenty and the fat is good to burn. This works like crazy and it makes staying on the diet so easy knowing this day is coming. My high carb day is always Saturday. I even eat breakfast on this day, which because I intermittent fast daily I never eat breakfast, so it’s a great day. Well, sometimes… Caution: Don’t go overboard or you will regret it. I know now that if I over do it, I walk around full and tired all day. The good news? Two days afterwards (even after the days I overdo it) I am visibly leaner. It works.

Why You Need Stress to Be Healthy 

Another example of the magic of variation for increased health is the principle of stress and rest as it applies to exercise. Consider our ancestors: one day they climbed a mountain to kill a wild beast, and the next day they feasted on the kill and restored by celebrating the achievement. Stress and rest involves periods when the body is pushed to the physical limit (stress), followed by time for the system to recover (rest). Modern translation: if you’re always doing the same routine at the gym or jogging route around the neighborhood, progress will halt as the body soon adapts to a predictable regime. Therefore… Mix. It. Up. Then take time to recover from training. The most efficient and effective exercise regime for rapid weight-loss includes intervals of intense workouts, followed by a day or two of rest when the body is given sufficient time to recover. Periods of proper rest are vital to peak performance, and promote both physical and mental fortification.

A perfect contemporary way to put the stress and rest principle into action is a type of workout called Burst Training (or High Interval Intensity Training). Burst training mixes bouts of high intensity, short duration exercise with periods of rest. For example, try sprinting for 30-60 seconds then resting for 60 seconds, and work up to doing this cycle for ten minutes. There’s no need to spend hours pounding the pavement or at the gym. Try following this workout 3-4 times a week—that’s only 40 minutes a week!–and you’ll be shocked with the results it brings in short periods of time. Burst training is my favorite type of exercise for efficient fat burning, weight-loss, longevity, and even offers anti-aging effects because it helps to boost HGH production. It allows you to work out smarter, not harder, and makes the body very metabolically efficient. A win-win!

Variation: The Key to Your Healthiest Life

I believe this principle works so well because of our body’s basic innate intelligence to survive. Healthy bodies thrive when forced to adapt both physically and mentally. The diet variation, just like exercise variation, works because the body will adapt by raising life saving hormones. Hormones, like human growth hormone, maintain valuable muscle the body may need in flight or fight and cause the fat it stored for energy to be burned and used. Whether it’s single days of variation, like the high carb day in the 5-1-1, or months of a low carb diet and shifting to a healthy higher carb diet, it works because of what I call “hormone manipulation”. After all, weight loss and aging slower are more about hormones than how much we exercise or even the foods we eat.

Our ancestors followed the way of life for which our bodies were designed: a life of variation. They spent most time outdoors, in tune with nature and the seasons. They consumed fresh, seasonal, and indigenous foods, and if there was no food to eat, none was eaten and they fasted. Conversely, if food was in abundance, they feasted. They went on physically demanding quests, pushing their bodies to the limit, and then rested. Our ancestors were forced to live a life of unpredictable variety, and were healthier for it.

This is why variation in both diet and exercise work so well for supporting modern health challenges (like weight-loss resistance) and keeping our bodies in a peak state of health: it takes advantage of how we were built to function. If you’re not seeing results with your current diet and exercise regimen, try shifting between ketosis and periods of higher healthy carb intake, experiment with intermittent fasting, and change it up at the gym. I believe one of the worst things we can do is stay on one diet or one exercise program. You’ll not only become a more efficient fat burner, but it will positively affect your whole body and mind. And speaking of fat burning, I’ll next let you in on the most significant thing I do each day to maintain a lean, healthy body….

Stay tuned for the next 180° Solution™ strategy #3 for your best health ever!

Other Articles in this Series:

Strategy 1: Controlling Blood Glucos

Strategy 4: Burst Training

Strategy 3: Intermittent Fasting

Strategy 5: PompaCore Cellular Detox™

Key Takeaways for Implementing Diet Variation:

  1. If you’re looking to lose weight, increase brain function, and decrease inflammation, experiment with the ketogenic diet.
  2. Once in ketosis, switch from the keto diet to the Cellular Healing Diet.
  3. Continue the diet cycling every few months, or seasonally to leverage the body’s innate adaptive mechanisms for survival.
  4. Experiment with intermittent fasting (“feast or famine” principle).
  5. Remember to “stress” the body with healthy exercise, and provide adequate rest time for physical and mental restoration.

Top 5 Strategies for Your Best Health Ever Part II
Edited by Meredith Dykstra 

Orange Vanilla Dream Smoothie

orange-vanilla-dream-smoothie

  • 2 oranges, peeled
  • 1 can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp. grass-fed collagen powder
  1. Put all ingredients, excluding collagen, in a high-speed blender and mix on high speed.
  2. Once thoroughly mixed, add collagen and incorporate at low-speed.
  3. Garnish with orange zest.
  4. Enjoy!
  5. Serves 2