Why Low-Carb Diets May Be Ideal for Most People, Including Athletes

By Dr. Mercola

Jeff Volek, Ph.D., and registered dietitian and professor in the Human Science Department at Ohio State University, has done enormous work in the field of high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets, investigating how it affects human health and athletic performance.

Volek has published many scientific articles as well as several books, including "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living," and "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance."

Both of these books were co-authored with Dr. Stephen Phinney, a physician and true pioneer in this field, who has studied low-carb diets even longer than Volek.

Starting out as a dietician, Volek was taught that low-fat diets were healthy and that saturated fats and cholesterol should be avoided. But in working with diabetics, he kept feeling that something was "off." Why should diabetics eat so many carbs?

"In essence, it drove me to want to understand metabolism and nutrition at a much deeper level," he says.

"I was also into self-experimentation ... I was at the time into very low-fat diets, thinking that was how I would optimize my own health. But I decided to experiment with a very low-carb diet."

Low-Carb Diets Can Benefit Athletes and Non-Athletes Alike

His experimentation began in the early '90s and, to his great surprise, his low-carb experiment proved to be anything but harmful. This fueled his passion for understanding how humans respond to diets that are very low in carbohydrates, and led him to continue his education.

He has now spent the last 15 years conducting research in this area, and the outcomes from most experiments have been very encouraging.

"The science continues to point in the direction that there are a lot of applications for these diets for a large number of people.

We're still sorting out a lot of the details, but clearly we need to change the way we feed Americans and the way we think about nutrition in order to reverse ... obesity and diabetes."

He's also done research on low- and non-fiber carb diets and athletic performance, and here too results have proved quite positive — despite running counter to everything he was taught about diet and performance in school, and in most of the scientific literature as well.

"It's been an interesting journey to say the least ...The things I was reading, the things I was taught were not really based on a lot of science, and were a lot of half-truths and misinformation, which still persist today," he notes.

Is Your Diet Driving Your Metabolism in the Right Direction?

Most of the food (fuel) people eat these days is moving their metabolism in the wrong direction. The Westernized diet constantly biases you toward using more nonfiber carbs for fuel.

Most Americans are primarily burning glucose as their primary fuel, which actually inhibits their body's ability to access and burn body fat.

Healthy fat, meanwhile, is a far preferable sort of fuel, as it burns far more efficiently than carbs. As noted by Volek, humans evolved to primarily burn fat as fuel — not carbs — and yet that's not how we're feeding our bodies.

"As a result, we're running into a lot of metabolic problems, because we're constantly inhibiting our body's ability to burn fuel that we evolved to burn," he says.

We all have to eat; we need fuel to live. Without generating ATP you cannot survive at all. The question is how to do that efficiently, without generating harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can destroy your mitochondria and contribute to disease?

It's all about keeping your mitochondria healthy, and low-carb, high-fat diets tend to do that far more effectively than high-carb, low-fat diets.

Healthy Fat Is a 'Cleaner' Burning Fuel

An indirect measurement included in one of Volek's books shows that when people burn fat as their primary fuel, their respiratory quotient can go down as low as 0.7 as opposed to 1, which suggests they're generating less carbon dioxide.

Regardless of the fuel your body burns, you're going to generate carbon dioxide and water. But when you burn fat, you generate 30 percent less carbon dioxide, suggesting it's a lot "cleaner" fuel.

"To use the term 'clean,' that's kind of a provocative term, but I think it is an appropriate one because ... there's a lot of 'exhaust' associated with burning carbs for fuel ... free radicals, reactive oxygen species ... That contributes to the metabolic problems we're seeing in this country."

Also, the most efficient way to train your body to use fat for fuel is to remove some of the sugars and starches from your diet. According to Volek, that's true for everyone, whether you're an elite athlete or a sedentary diabetic.

In essence, the reason why low-carb diets work so well is because it helps you escape this non-fiber, carb-based metabolism that depends on insulin levels to drive blood sugar into cells and use carbs for fuel.

Volek also introduces another term: "carb intolerance" — a metabolic impairment that you suffer from if you're insulin resistant or prediabetic. As noted by Volek:

"It really makes no sense if you're carb intolerant to be consuming half your energy from nonfiber carbs, and to be trying to force your body to burn more carbs."

Healthy Versus Harmful Fats

Most Americans consume harmful fats like processed vegetable oils, which will invariably make your health worse. So when we're talking about dietary fats, we're referring to natural, unprocessed fat, found in real foods such as seeds, nuts, butter, olives, avocado, or coconut oil.

Another good one is raw cacao — it's a phenomenal source of healthy saturated fats and many beneficial polyphenols. Fats are critical for a number of health reasons. They contribute to the formation of cellular membranes, for example, and it's really difficult to have good biological function with impaired cell membranes.

So, dietary fat serves two purposes: it serves as fuel; but it's also a foundational structural component of your biology.

If you're trying to lose weight, training your body to access your body fat is key, or else you cannot shed it. So if you're overweight, you want to teach your body to burn excess fat, and then, once you've reached your maintenance weight, the majority of fat your body will be burning is that from dietary sources.

But how do you make this conversion — to allow your body to become adapted to burn fat as your primary fuel — starting with any excess body fat you already have?

How to Make the Conversion from Burning Sugar to Burning Fat

In short, the key is to restrict non-fiber carbohydrates. It's important to make the distinction about which carbs we're talking about here, as vegetables are "carbs" too, but fiber carbs will not push your metabolism in the wrong direction — only the non-fiber ones will (think sugars and anything that converts to sugar, such as soda, processed grains, pasta, bread and cookies, for example).

You calculate the dangerous non-fiber carbs by simply subtracting the grams of fiber from the grams of total carbohydrate in the food.

Another important point is this:

"Your body can burn both carbs and fat, but your body will burn carbs first. As long as you're eating carbs, your body will try to burn those first. They're like the bully cutting in line. You may just think of them as kind of a throw-away nutrient too, because your body cannot store high levels of carb.

You have to try to oxidize them and burn them first. But if you're carb intolerant, which is highly prevalent in this country, you can't burn carbs, by definition, very well.

Your body then only has one alternative, and that's to convert the carbs you eat into fat. That happens to a greater extent to folks who are insulin resistant or carb intolerant. That really sets the stage for a lot of metabolic problems. Again coming back to how do you train the body to burn more fat; it all starts with removing the availability of carbohydrate because, as long as it's there, it's going to take precedence, and will simultaneously inhibit burning of fat.

These are very sensitive and exquisite mechanisms in place for this to work. You eat just a single meal of carbs and your fat-burning shuts down right away.

This is why a low- nonfiber carb diet works so well to shift fuel use over to fat. You restrict the amount of glucose and starches that you're consuming, and your body naturally shifts over to preferring fat for fuel. It does take some time to adapt to that. Your cells have to shift over their machinery to handle the increased levels of fat and lipid-based fuels. It takes a matter of weeks to get that adaptation.

But once it's there, they're fairly robust adaptations that don't just go away. This is why there is an adaptation period to a low-carb diet. It can be disrupted though if you reintroduce carbs. But a lot of the adaptations do remain."

Finding Your Ideal Carb Level

According to Volek, a level of non-fiber carbs that allows you to enter into nutritional ketosis (a metabolic state associated with an increased production of ketones in your liver; it's the biological reflection of being able to burn fat) is on average about 50 grams per day or less of digestible or absorbable carbohydrates. However, we all vary how we respond to the same food, so this is not an exact recommendation.

Some people can be in a full fat-burning state with full ketosis at a level of non-fiber carbs that's higher than 50 grams; maybe 70 or 80 grams. Others, especially if you're insulin resistant or have type 2 diabetes, may require less than 40 grams or even 30 grams per day.

Again, it bears repeating that when we say carbohydrates, we're referring to non-fiber carbs only. If you look at the nutrition facts on a processed food package, it will list total carbs, and that's not what we're talking about. Don't get confused about this or you'll get really nervous. You do need carbs, but you need most all of them from vegetables.

By volume, vegetables are not very calorie-dense. You could have an 85 percent fat diet, and the volume of the fat would be one-tenth the volume of the vegetables you're eating.

To find your personal carb limit, it's important to actually measure your ketones, which can be done either through urine, breath, or blood. This will give you an objective measure of whether or not you're truly in ketosis, rather than just counting the grams of carbohydrates you consume.

"That even varies within a person over time," Volek says. "You may be able to tolerate more carbs when you're in your 20s, but suddenly now you're in middle age and the same level of carbs is resulting in a few extra inches on your waist, your blood sugars are creeping up, you now have prediabetes, or worse.

The appropriate level of carb for an individual is bit of a moving target, but it is a very important element to personalizing a diet, which I think is fundamental to this idea of personalized nutrition. It's finding the appropriate level of carb for you at any given point in your lifespan that allows you to maintain health."

Research has shown that ketosis is a very safe and a therapeutic metabolic state to be in, especially if you're diabetic or suffering from carb intolerance. But there are people who are naturally very insulin sensitive and carb tolerant that don't need to be in ketosis to thrive. So there's certainly room for flexibility, depending on your individual situation.

Ketogenic Diet Can Benefit Many Chronic Health Problems

Beyond insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, there are a number of applications for a well-formulated ketogenic diet, including epileptic seizures, especially in kids who are unresponsive to drugs, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Cancer is another area where ketogenic diets show great promise.

"I think that is the next frontier of ketogenic diets," Volek says. "There are multiple reasons why many cancers would benefit from a ketogenic diet, not just the decreased glucose availability influx (which many tumors depend on) but also the lower insulin response and less inflammation, as many tumors thrive in a pro-inflammatory environment.

There are multiple potential mechanisms by which a ketogenic diet would benefit, including epigenetic effects. We now know that the principal ketone body, beta hydroxybutyrate, is more than a metabolite. It's more than just an alternative fuel for the brain.

It acts like a hormone or a potent signaling molecule that affects gene expression, including upregulating genes that are protective against oxidative stress and enhance the antioxidant status.

Our knowledge and perspective on ketosis is expanding almost daily. It's all pointing toward positive health effects, which is quite interesting considering that for the last three or four decades, we've been demonizing ketones because we only associate it with ketoacidosis."

Other benefits include the resistance to sugar and other food cravings, as you're never that hungry once you've made the shift. Mental clarity is another great boon. According to Volek, the U.S. military is showing great interest in ketones for this reason — along with the fact that it boosts physical stamina and endurance.

Being an efficient fat burner may also predispose you to a longer life. Dr. Ron Rosedale told me many years ago that the single most important variable for controlling the aging process is the ratio of fat versus carbohydrate you burn. The more fat you burn, the slower you’re going to age in general. More recent research supports this notion.

How Ketogenic Diet May Promote Longevity and Increased Muscle Mass

Recent research has found about a dozen genes associated with longevity. The primary function of one of these genes is to cripple the degradation of branched-chain amino acids, such as leucine, which can be useful for building muscle mass. Interestingly, in one of his books, Volek mentions that ketones share a close structural similarity to these branched-chain amino acids, and seem to be preferentially metabolized.

In other words, ketones spare those branched-chain amino acids, leaving higher levels of them around, which promotes longevity and increased muscle mass.

"We learned a lot about ketogenesis from the classic work done by people in the '60s studying starvation ketosis. One of the reasons why we can survive so long without food is we enter into ketosis, and ketosis spares protein breakdown. One of a more consistent effect we see in people on a ketogenic diet is that leucine levels go up in the blood, because they're not being oxidized to the same level.

Ketones are sparing oxidation and breakdown of important structural proteins, and therefore their levels or concentrations in the blood increase and allow them to do other important signaling-type functions.

I do see a very positive interaction here with nutritional ketosis and protein metabolism in general in sparing of the branched-chain amino acids in particular, which are unique in that they are a preferential fuel, unlike other amino acids, which don't really serve as a fuel substrate," Volek explains.

The Importance of Eating Moderate Protein

There's also a "sweet spot" regarding protein. You don't want more protein than your body actually needs. As noted by Volek, this is an important point because there's a common misconception that low non-fiber carb diets are high-protein diets. In reality, a ketogenic diet must actually be moderate in protein because excessive protein is anti-ketogenic.

On the other hand, you don't want to consume too little protein, as this may push you into a negative nitrogen balance. As a general rule, I recommend eating one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass per day, which for most sedentary folks is 40 to 70 grams, but this may be higher for athletes and larger individuals.

The best approach is to measure ketosis to know you are not over-consuming protein.  For details on how to calculate this, please see my previous article, "The Very Real Risks of Consuming Too Much Protein."

"It's also important to maximize the quality of the protein," Volek says. "I am a general proponent of high-quality protein sources [such as] whey protein. Most animal sources of protein maintain these essential amino acids [discussed above].

I do think, with the potentially unique characteristics of leucine and branched-chain amino acids, we may discover that it's beneficial to include extra leucine even within a context of a ketogenic diet ... Especially if you're an athlete wanting to enhance lean body mass, there could be some benefit to specific use of leucine in particular after exercise or even before exercise ...

I generally think including all three [is best]. Leucine is a potent stimulator of mTOR and protein synthesis in skeletal muscles. It's one thing to turn on the machinery, but you still have to have the building blocks in order to build proteins. I do think it's important that you have full complement of the essential amino acids to make sure that you have all the material there to take advantage of the signaling effect of leucine."

Low-Carb Benefits for Athletes

The dogma in sports nutrition for the last four decades has been that in order to perform at a higher level and recover adequately, athletes need to consume high amounts of (non-vegetable) carbs before, during, and after exercise. However, in more recent years, the understanding of how low-carb diets can augment performance in certain athletes is starting to catch on.

It has certainly gained a great deal of traction in the ultra-endurance world, where athletes are exercising continuously for several hours.

"To be quite frank, they're challenged from a fueling perspective," Volek says, "because if they're eating carbs, they're inhibiting their ability to burn fat optimally. They're putting themselves in a situation where they're increasingly dependent on providing more carbs.

You can only store a limited amount of carbs in your body as glycogen, about 2,000 kilocalories, and if you're exercising for more than a couple of hours, you're burning through the majority of that stored carbohydrate.

That's when an athlete hits the wall. We know that's associated with obvious decrements in performance. How do you avoid that? You can carb-load. That's been the traditional recommendation; to try to pack even more carbs into your muscles ... but that will only delay exercise fatigue by a half hour or so. That doesn't really solve the problem.

It actually exacerbates the problem in some ways. The alternative is to train your body to burn more fat. If you're burning fat and sparing carbohydrates, you don't hit the wall. That's one of the most commonly perceived benefits of a low-carb diet for athletes."

Athletes who adopt this strategy can become exceptionally good at burning fat. Even if they're not eating calories during exercise, lean athletes have at least 20,000 to 30,000 kilocalories on their body in the form of adipose tissue that they can access during exercise. That's more than enough to finish even a 100-mile race. So from a fueling perspective, it makes sense that you'd want to burn more fat as opposed to carbohydrate.

Ultra-endurance athletes who have switched to low-carb, high-fat diets are now winning races and, in some cases, setting new course records. They're also experiencing other benefits, such as speedier recovery rates, improved metabolic health, and a leaner body composition.

More Information

Mounting evidence suggests low- non-fiber carb, high-fat diets may be the key that many people have been looking for, as it solves more than one problem. Not only does it help you shed excess body fat, it does so while simultaneously improving metabolism, boosting overall energy levels, and promoting optimal health and maximizing longevity in a number of different ways.

It can also help ward off neurological dysfunction, boost mental clarity, and improve athletic performance.

For those who struggle with insulin resistance or diabetes, it's certainly one of the most efficient ways to reverse the condition. Even those suffering with more serious conditions, such as cancer, may reap significant benefits.

To learn more, I highly recommend picking up one or both of Volek's books — "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living," and "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" — the latter of which is geared toward athletes in particular.

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Luscious Healthy Lemon Curd Smoothie Recipe

If you ask me what the best fruit to use in your smoothies is, there’s one top choice that I would absolutely recommend: avocado. It’s incredibly versatile, has a mildly sweet (but not overpowering) flavor, and gives your smoothie a thick consistency. Plus, it’s brimming with health-boosting nutrients like B vitamins, fiber, and folic acid.   

 

You’ve probably tried my Avocado Super Smoothie recipe, but if you want another variation, here’s a delicious recipe from one of my readers, Mary Lyon. Her Lemon Curd Smoothie combines the tart flavor of lemon and pineapple with the rich goodness of avocado to create a unique but absolutely refreshing drink that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 organic pineapple

2 to 3 organic lemons

1 banana

2 avocados[JLS1] 

Handful of organic greens such as spinach or watercress

1Tbsp. coconut oil

 

Procedure:

1. Keep the rind on the pineapple and lemon. Cut in small pieces and run through a juicer to separate the juice from the pulp (rinds should not be blended into juice).
2. Combine pineapple/lemon juice, banana, avocados, greens, and 1 Tbsp. coconut oil in blender, and blend until smooth.

 

This recipe makes 4 servings.

 

 

Tip: Get Creative When Making Smoothies

 

Some people tend to drink only one type of smoothie all the time, and while it might seem healthy and convenient, I would advise you to switch up your smoothie ingredients regularly instead so you can get a wide variety of nutrients in your diet.

 

I highly recommend this smoothie recipe because it truly a packs a nutritional wallop. Not only do you get healthy monounsaturated fats from avocado, but also vitamin C and flavonoids from lemon and pineapple, which can combat inflammation. The latter also contains fiber, and bromelain, an enzyme that is found to have cancer-fighting benefits. 

 

Adding greens like spinach or watercress also upgrades the nutritional content of this smoothie. Many people dislike using greens in their blended drinks because they can be slightly bitter, but the lemon and pineapple will help mask their strong flavor.

 

I recommend using organic fruits (and vegetables) when making smoothies, as conventional produce are usually loaded with pesticides and genetically engineered. Plus, if you’re insulin or leptin resistant, I advise you not to overdo the fruit. In fact, you should limit your fructose intake to 15 grams of fructose per day from ALL sources, including whole fruit.

---

 [JLS1]This would give each serving ½ an avocado.. Doc would say the avocado is the healthiest part of this smoothie so would recommend increasing the amount. Plus it seems like the amount listed wouldn’t yield 4 smoothies as is or they’d be pretty small.

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How to gently & safely exfoliate without microbead products

There has been a lot of talk lately surrounding the banning of microbeads in our cosmetic products, so I wanted to give you some natural alternatives on how you can gently and safely exfoliate without the use of products containing microbeads. Continue Reading →

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8 Easy Ways To Energize Naturally

Many people treat their body’s a lot like they do their car: they don’t bother to understand the inner working, don’t fill the tank, don’t change the oil, drive it into the ground, take it to the mechanic and say, “Fix it.”  Hardly a way to treat the vessel of your soul. Everything from daily […]

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My Favorite Foundations

Green beauty has come a long way since I first started researching, e-mailing and googling my way to safer, better beauty products in 2012. Less than a handful of years later and we have some of the most effective and amazing beauty products there are to use! Just ask Vogue, Marie Claire, or Cosmopolitan. I […]

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Get Your Act Together. Part 3 : Beauty Cabinetization

Well, January is close to it’s wrap. I hope your 2016 is off to a great start, and my Get Your Act Together series are helping you to find your most organized and well focused state of mind. We’ve already covered the importance of organized work space and a stress-free wardrobe. Today, we’re digging deeper and opening up our Beauty...

Read More »

The post Get Your Act Together. Part 3 : Beauty Cabinetization appeared first on TLV Birdie.

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HAIRCARE | INNERSENSE BEAUTY

INNERSENSE BEAUTY – Created in sunny Walnut Creek, California. I had the immense pleasure of meeting the Founders: Greg and Joanne Starkman (as well as the lovely Laure Doko who […]

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For Optimal Health and Weight, Eat Real Food

By Dr. Mercola

Michael Pollan's PBS documentary "In Defense of Food" is based on Pollan's book by the same name. The title may seem odd at first. What kind of defense might food be in need of?

According to Pollan, food must be defended for the simple reason that the majority of what people eat today is not actually real food: it’s "edible food-like substances" that have no counterpart in nature.

You don't have to go very far back in history to get to a point where "what should I eat?" was a nonexistent question. Everyone knew what "food" was. They harvested food off trees, bushes and out of the ground, and they ate it, either raw or cooked in some fashion.

Our current confusion about what to eat is basically the result of forgetfulness. The food industry and nutritional science both stand to gain from this kind of confusion.

They keep trying to "help" you, yet for all their expert help, people have only gotten sicker. Neither of these industries has outsmarted or outperformed nature as of yet.

Pollan also argues that you cannot divorce yourself from the health of the food chain of which you are a part. Soil health, for example, is a crucial component as it affects the health of the food grown in it, so how and where food is grown is a factor to be taken into consideration.

A Healthy Diet Cannot Be Reduced to Individual Nutrients

The food industry has radically altered — or as Pollan says, destroyed — our diet; reducing "food" to a list of individual nutrients listed on a box. Some of these nutrients are said to be "good," whereas others are said to be "bad." And, which is which changes at regular intervals.

Advertising also plays a role, with all manner of junk food being presented as having some sort of benefit. The tendency to think about food in terms of nutrients is also fueled by the food industry's practice of making health claims for specific nutrients added to or removed from their products.

As a result, confusion reigns when it comes to what foods should be on the plate. Pollan refers to this as "The American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become."

The Key to Healthy Eating — Eat REAL Food

The success of the processed food industry has come at a tremendous price. As noted in the film, diet-related disease is at an all-time high, and people's lives are at stake. But while many realize that their health problems are in fact related to their diet, they're at a loss as to the changes that need to be made.

"We're looking for dietary salvation," Pollan says.

What is the answer to our problems? Many are convinced that eating healthy is a complicated equation requiring loads of nutritional data. But they're wrong. As noted in the film, "You don't have to be a scientist to know how to eat."

It's actually much simpler than you might think. Pollan offers the following seven-word guide to healthier eating: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I would specify that further by pointing out that what he's talking about is REAL food, i.e. food as close to its natural state as possible.

Other practical advice offered throughout this program includes the following:

• Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.
• Eat only foods that will eventually spoil or rot.
• Treat meat as a flavoring or special occasion food.

• While Pollan focuses on the links between red meat and cardiovascular disease, I believe the most important points to remember when it comes to meat are:

1. Eat only organic grass-fed and grass-finished meats, as conventional meats are qualitatively inferior.
2. Limit your intake to around one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. While you need protein, most Americans are simply eating too much, and of a low quality.

Real Food Diets May Differ, but Most Are Healthy

Science actually confirms that a wide variety of diets can be healthy — provided they're based on real food, as unadulterated foods contain all the nutrients your body needs, and in far more ideal ratios than nutritional scientists can guesstimate.

In the film, Pollan journeys across the world, looking at people's diets and the results thereof. Repeatedly, he confirms this truth: Those who eat historically traditional diets are healthier and live longer.

This holds true for hunter-gatherers on the plains of Tanzania, Seventh Day Adventists in California who are primarily vegetarians, and the French, whose diet is still steeped in culture and tradition. The specific foods and ratios thereof may differ, yet they all reap the benefits of good health.

Another example is the Mediterranean diet, of which there are many variations. But the primary hallmark of all of them is again fresh, whole, minimally processed foods.

Vitamins and Other Nutrients Are Best Obtained From Real Food

Pollan also explores the trends of vitamin supplementation, showing that while vitamins are indeed good for you, the best way to obtain them is from real food. One of the primary reasons we have to supplement with vitamins in the first place is because they've been removed or destroyed during processing.

The other challenge is that industrial farming practices have radically diminished the minerals in most soils, which secondarily depletes the nutrient density of many foods. Take beef for example.

Beef raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) doesn't have the omega-3 and CLA content of organically raised, grass-fed beef, because the animals are fed an unnatural diet of grains and other additives, including sugar (molasses) and artificial sweeteners.

Hence, many processed foods make bold health claims based on the vitamins added back in; some of which are more nonsensical than others. For example, Schlitz once advertised Vitamin D beer! Other examples include breakfast cereals boasting heart-healthy fiber and vitamins, despite the primary ingredient being sugar — one of the most health-harming substances on the planet.

Ditto for yogurt. While most commercial yogurts contain beneficial bacteria, they can also contain as much sugar as a can of soda, which effectively counteracts any good those microbes might do.

Moreover, commercial yogurts are almost always pasteurized, which kills off any and all bacteria. Select groups of bacteria are then added back in, but the end result is a far cry from traditionally cultured yogurt made from unpasteurized (raw) milk, in which the bacteria are allowed to multiply and thrive normally.

The Cornucopia Institute has evaluated 130 different commercial yogurt brands, scoring them based on information from ingredient labels, independent testing and, in the case of organic brands, the score brands achieved on Cornucopia's organic dairy scorecard.

So before you buy another commercial yogurt, take a look at their Yogurt Buyers Guide, and remember, your healthiest option is to buy yogurt made from raw milk from your local farmer or farmer's market.

How Nutritional Guidelines Have Decimated Public Health

While nutritional guidelines have often been less than ideal, influenced as they are by various industries (such as the sugar and beef industry), perhaps one of the most serious flaws has been the recommendation to avoid dietary fats. It's difficult to estimate just how many premature deaths have resulted from the low-fat diet recommendation, but my guess is that this is easily into the hundreds of millions.

Many studies have confirmed the disadvantage of low-fat diets. As just one example, a 2013 Spanish trial,^1,2 which included nearly 7,450 volunteers between the ages of 55 and 80, was halted for ethical reasons after eight years, as the control group was deemed to be at a dangerous disadvantage.

The two intervention groups ate a Mediterranean-style diet — low in red meat, sugar, processed carbs, and junk food; and high in most everything else, including healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and seafood, supplemented with either 30 grams of nuts per day (15 grams walnuts, 7.5 grams almonds, and 7.5 grams hazelnuts), or 50 ml of virgin olive oil per day instead of nuts. The control group ate a low-fat diet.

There were no calorie restrictions for any of the groups, nor was physical activity promoted or required. Compliance with olive oil and nut consumption was tested via blood and urine analysis. The primary end point was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death from cardiovascular causes. Secondary end points were stroke, myocardial infarction, death from cardiovascular causes, and death from any cause.

Remarkably, in less than five years, the two intervention groups achieved a 30 percent relative risk reduction for cardiovascular disease, and stroke reduction was an impressive 49 percent. According to conventional wisdom, such benefits have been seen in the low-fat group, but the converse turned out to be true, and the study was stopped early to protect the health of the control group.

As a General Rule, Whole Foods Contain Healthy Fats

So for the last 60 years, people have been admonished to eat a low-fat diet to protect their heart health. Unsurprisingly, all this time, that dangerous recommendation has actually fueled the very problem it was said to treat — a sad testament to the dangers of following nutritional guidelines based on ideas about nutrients rather than real food. Low-fat foods exist in abundance in nature, and they're called fruits and vegetables.

Other foods, such as olives, avocados, coconut oil, butter from raw milk, and beef, are high in fats, and that's a good thing. Your body needs fat for energy, the production of hormones, nerve and brain function, vitamin conversion, mineral absorption, and a host of other biological processes. As a general rule, if the fat comes from real food, it's "good."

The real problem with dietary fat arises from the processing. Harmful trans fats, for example, are formed when vegetable oil hardens, a process called hydrogenation. Science has now confirmed that the health risks previously attributed to saturated fat are actually caused by trans fats, and this includes raising your LDL cholesterol, lowering HDL, clogging your arteries, and promoting heart disease and other serious health problems.

Fat Versus Sugar — Which Actually Causes Obesity?

Reducing fat in our diet has also increased obesity — another health problem the low-fat diet was said to solve — and the reason for this is because the food industry replaced the fat with sugar. The documentary "The Secrets of Sugar," which you can view in my previous article, "Sugar Industry Secrets Exposed," tells the story of how the food industry has known for decades about the links between a processed food diet and disease.

On a mission to change how the sugar industry operates, Colorado Community Care Dentist Cristin Kearns Couzens stumbled upon evidence that they were already worried about sugar's role in heart disease as far back as the early 1970s.

She unearthed more than 1,500 pages of internal memos, letters, and reports, buried in the archives of now-defunct sugar companies, as well as in the recently released papers of deceased researchers and consultants who played key roles in the industry's strategy.

The sugar industry was sweating the impending book, "Pure White and Deadly," (1972) by British nutritionist John Yudkin, in which he presented decades of research pointing at dietary sugar — rather than fat — as the underlying factor in obesity and diabetes.

The Sugar Association secretly funded a white paper called "Sugar in the Diet of Man" that claimed sugar was not only safe and healthy, but important. Not only did they fund it, but they made it appear to be an independent study.

The Sugar Association's biggest apologist was Ancel Keys who, with industry funding, helped destroy Yudkin's reputation by labeling him a quack. The smear campaign was a huge success, bringing sugar research to a screeching halt. Keys' flawed research was also used as the basis for the low-fat recommendation.

Today, the research overwhelmingly supports Yudkin's initial warnings about sugar being a primary culprit in obesity, diabetes, and related health problems, including cancer and heart disease — two primary killers of modern man.

The Links Between Your Gut Microbiome, Diet and Health

Pollan's film also delves into some of the latest studies showing the role your gut bacteria play in your health, the importance of a plant-based diet, and how the Westernized diet has altered our gut microbiome in ways that beget poor health.

Fermented foods are important for gut health, but so is fiber. Soluble fibers, such as psyllium, are probiotics that help nourish beneficial bacteria. These beneficial bacteria assist with digestion and absorption of your food, and play a significant role in your immune function.

When it comes to fiber, the food industry and nutritional sciences have again done more harm than good by promoting grains as an ideal source. While this may have been true 100 years ago, agricultural practices and modern food processing techniques have made most grains less than beneficial.

For starters, many modern grains, including non-organic wheat, are contaminated with glyphosate, which is now recognized as a probable human carcinogen. Glyphosate has also been linked to celiac disease and other gut dysfunction, which is the exact converse of what you're trying to achieve by adding fiber to your diet.

Secondly, most grain products on the market are highly processed, which further deteriorates their value. Instead, focus on eating more vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The following whole foods, for example, contain high levels of soluble and insoluble fiber.

Psyllium seed husk, flax hemp, and chia seeds	Berries	Vegetables such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts
Root vegetables and tubers, including onions, sweet potatoes, and jicama	Almonds	Peas
Green beans	Cauliflower	Beans

Feed Your Children Real Food From Birth

It's bad enough that most children are eating processed foods and junk food by the time they're old enough to chew, along with excessive amounts of sugary beverages like sodas and fruit juices. What's worse is that sugar addiction is in many cases promoted from day one.

There's a big difference between breast milk and commercial baby formula — the latter sometimes containing concerning amounts of added sugars^3,4 (beware that the amount of sugar is typically not listed on the label).

Sadly, many women do not have access to the truth about breastfeeding and have been misled by infant-formula marketing to believe they must spend thousands of dollars a year to provide the best nutrition for their babies. In reality (and barring any extreme exceptions such as certain transmittable diseases or drug use), breast milk is the best food for babies, period.

As noted by Pollan, the more we discover about breast milk, the more we realize that formula just isn't as good as breast milk. For example, breast milk contains undigestible oligosaccharides — sugars unique to breast milk alone — that nourish healthy bacteria in your baby's gut.

Ideally, you'll want to strive to breastfeed your baby exclusively for the first six months, at which point you can begin to supplement with solid foods and continue to breastfeed for a year or longer. But remember, even breastfeeding for as little as one month can impart great health benefits for both you and your baby.

The next best alternative to breast milk is to make a healthy homemade infant formula. There may be others, but here is one recipe for homemade formula created by the Weston Price Foundation, which I believe is sound.

'Eat Real Food, Mostly Plants'

Pollan covers a number of other topics in his film, including the impact of sugary beverages, which is a major source of calories for most Americans, including kids; New York City mayor Bloomberg's attempts to limit soda sizes in restaurants; and Mexico's national soda tax, which I discussed in a recent article.

There's no doubt that cutting out sweetened beverages of all kinds, including fruit juices and artificially sweetened drinks, can go a long way toward warding off unwanted pounds, insulin and leptin resistance, and related diseases. Remember, when it comes to diet, eating healthy is really not such a complicated affair. It's simply a matter of remembering to eat REAL FOOD. To recap the advice given by both Pollan and myself:

• Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants
• Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food
• Eat only foods that will eventually spoil or rot
• Go easy on the meat, and eat only high quality grass-fed/grass-finished or pastured meats

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How Important Is It to Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them?

By Dr. Mercola

Raise your hand if you're guilty of bringing home a new shirt or pair of pants from the store and wearing them, sans washing. It's very common, maybe even typical, as many fabrics look pristine when they're fresh off the rack.

You probably assume they're clean or at least relatively so, but tests conducted by Philip Tierno, Ph.D. director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University, at the behest of Good Morning America, uncovered some disturbing compounds lurking on clothing.

And this is only one reason to consider washing before wearing. Many clothing items are also contaminated with chemicals and dyes that may lead to irritation or other health issues.

Even insects (like lice) could potentially be transmitted on new clothes. If you're currently not a washer-before-wearing type, you may change your mind by the end of this article.

Feces, Respiratory Secretions, Vaginal Organisms and More

Tierno tested pants, blouses, underwear, jackets and other clothing items purchased from chain clothing stores (including both high-end and low-end options). The tests revealed a number of unsavory compounds lurking on the "new" clothes, including:¹

• Respiratory secretions
• Skin flora
• Fecal flora
• Yeast

Perhaps not surprisingly, swimsuits, underwear and other intimate items were the most heavily contaminated. Tierno told ABC News:²

"Some garments were grossly contaminated with many organisms … indicating that either many people tried it or ... someone tried it on with heavy contamination …

In a sense, you are touching somebody's arm pit or groin. So you want to be protected that's all … You may not come down with anything and, most cases you don't, but it's potentially possible."

What types of illnesses could you potentially get from trying on contaminated clothes? Organisms that cause hepatitis A, traveler's diarrhea, MRSA, salmonella, norovirus, yeast infections and streptococcus are all fair game when it comes to clothing items tried on by multiple people.

Even lice and scabies could potentially be transmitted by trying on clothes. Is it likely? No. Possible? Yes, particularly if your immune system is not functioning up to par. Tierno told The Huffington Post:³

"The good thing is that most people have a very robust immune system, so they can usually fight off the small number of organisms they may get on their body … The fact that you come into contact with one doesn't mean you're going to get sick."

Chemical Contaminants: Another Reason to Wash New Clothes

Depending on what country your new clothes were manufactured in, they may contain multiple chemicals of concern. Among them are azo-aniline dyes, which may cause skin reactions ranging from mild to severe.

If you're sensitive, such dyes may leave your skin red, itchy and dry, especially where the fabric rubs on your skin, such as at your waist, neck, armpits and thighs. The irritants can be mostly washed out, but it might take multiple washings to do so.

Formaldehyde resins are also used in clothing to cut down on wrinkling and mildew. Not only is formaldehyde a known carcinogen, but the resins have been linked to eczema and may cause your skin to become flaky or erupt in a rash.⁴

Nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE), meanwhile, is a toxic endocrine-disrupting surfactant used to manufacture clothing.

You certainly don't want to be exposed to NPE if you can help it, but when consumers wash their clothes, NPEs are released into local water supplies where wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove them.

When NPEs enter the environment, they break down into nonylphenol (NP), a toxic, endocrine-disrupting chemical that accumulates in sediments and builds up in fish and wildlife.

Chemicals May Lurk in Your Clothing Even After Washing

Unfortunately, washing won't remove all the chemicals in your clothing. For instance, the antimicrobial triclosan is sometimes added to fabrics, including clothing. Research has shown that triclosan can alter hormone regulation and may interfere with fetal development.

Animal studies have also raised concerns about its ability to affect fertility, and bacteria exposed to triclosan may also become resistant to antibiotics. Even an increased cancer risk has been suggested.

Stain-proof clothing, meanwhile, is a common source of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are toxic to humans and the environment. You'll most often hear about PFCs in relation to non-stick cookware, but they're also common in fabrics.

Unless the clothing you buy is organic, it also is likely made from genetically engineered (GE) cotton that is heavily treated with pesticides and other chemicals during production. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) explained:⁵

"The chemicals used in cotton production don't end with cultivation. As an aid in harvesting, herbicides are used to defoliate the plants, making picking easier.

Producing a textile from the plants involves more chemicals in the process of bleaching, sizing, dying, straightening, shrink reduction, stain and odor resistance, fireproofing, mothproofing, and static- and wrinkle-reduction.

Some of these chemicals are applied with heat, thus bonding them to the cotton fibers. Several washings are done throughout the process, but some of the softeners and detergents leave a residue that will not totally be removed from the final product.

Chemicals often used for finishing include formaldehyde, caustic soda, sulfuric acid, bromines, urea resins, sulfonamides, halogens, and bromines.

Some imported clothes are now impregnated with long-lasting disinfectants which are very hard to remove, and whose smell gives them away. These and the other chemical residues affect people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.

Also, people have developed allergic reactions, such as hives, to formaldehyde through skin contact with solutions on durable-press clothing containing formaldehyde."

Conventionally Grown GE Cotton Is the 'World's Dirtiest Crop'

You might be surprised to learn that cotton is considered the world's dirtiest crop due to the cotton industry's heavy use of hazardous herbicides and insecticides, including some of the most hazardous insecticides on the market. According to the Organic Trade Association:⁶

"Cotton is considered the world's 'dirtiest' crop due to its heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous pesticide to human and animal health. Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop.

Aldicarb, parathion, and methamidopho, three of the most acutely hazardous insecticides to human health as determined by the World Health Organization, rank in the top ten most commonly used in cotton production.

All but one of the remaining seven most commonly used are classified as moderately to highly hazardous.

Aldicarb, cotton's second best selling insecticide and most acutely poisonous to humans, can kill a man with just one drop absorbed through the skin, yet it is still used in 25 countries and the US, where 16 states have reported it in their groundwater."

As you might suspect, this is hazardous on multiple levels — for the farmers working with these chemicals, the people living nearby, the consumers buying the cotton and virtually everyone else, who will eventually be impacted by this widespread environmental pollution.

This is one reason why I strongly encourage you to choose organic cotton clothing whenever possible — it will not be genetically engineered and subject to this onslaught of toxic exposures.

Top Tips for Safer Clothing

Looking for clothing made from organic cotton is an excellent start to finding safe, non-toxic clothing (for you and the environment). You can also look for the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 label, which is indicative that it has been tested by an independent laboratory and found to be free of harmful levels of more than 100 substances, including:

• Azo dyes
• Phthalates
• Heavy metals
• Pesticides
• Allergenic dyes

Finally, many experts do recommend washing new clothes when you bring them home from the store, maybe even twice. If the article of clothing cannot be machine washed, consider running it through a cycle in a hot dryer before wearing it.

You may also want to keep on some clothes while trying on new clothing at a store (at least leave on your undergarments, and then wash those too when you get home). Washing your hands after shopping is also a good idea, as you've been handling clothing that could have any number of chemicals and other contaminants on them.

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The Best Bay Tacos Recipe

I cook a lot.  Just about everything that goes into my tummy has some element taken from my garden or has been formed in some way with my own hands.  And while perhaps 3/4ths of my diet is raw (including eggs), I have approached life with a semi-flexitarian nutrition plan because a few months ago […]

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Happy Friday Deal from Zweena!

Got Valentine’s Day plans? How about a date with yourself and a gorgeous bottle of oil? We know what you’re thinking. A little facial massage, a nice hair treatment—and all while enveloped in the intoxicating scent of true Moroccan rose. While Zweena makes a fine date for special occasions, these products will bring a love to your everyday routine. This well-edited line has been reviewed by both Nicolle and Alexandra, who each have their “winter must have” favorites from Zweena. Alexandra loved the Argan Rose Rejuvenating Serum and Nicolle thanked her lucky stars for the Argan Rose Lustrous Hair Elixir and Argan Ultra-Nourish Eye Serum. Check out their reviews here and here for […]

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Fair Squared - All Natural Me

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Information: 
This post does include products sent for consideration.
The links are not affiliated.
All opinions are honest and my own, any suggestions made are based on my own experiences and are meant as a guide. Please always take care when making any DIY products and patch test to rule out an adverse reaction.

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Reader Poll: What Was Your Favorite Clean Beauty Discovery of 2015?

We’re just about a month into 2016, and my head is already spinning with excitement over the new product releases we’re expecting (and already seeing) this year from some of the most innovative brands in clean beauty. Last January we did a little check in with this fun reader poll and got a huge response, so tell us… What did you discover in 2015 that changed your routine or lifestyle for the better? If not a favorite product, how about a favorite DIY, resource or beauty tool you ran across? At the time of our last poll, we predicted 2015 would be the biggest […]

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Clean Beauty Finds: Creamy Facial Cleansers

Greener, cleaner beauty products. I’ve talked to a lot of you who are looking for better versions of conventional products you use every day – from shampoo to eye shadow to... Read More

       

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Who to Follow on Periscope for Green Beauty & Wellness

Social media is expanding rapidly these days, so no wonder that apps like Periscope are becoming so popular. Seriously, if you don’t know what a Periscope is by now, you must get out from that rock you’ve been living under! For those who are hesitant about getting another social media app for your phone, I...

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Studio Republic Photo Shoot

I was lucky enough to have a photo shoot with the team at Studio Republic on the Sunshine Coast. I had an amazing experience on the day and wanted to share some behind the scenes footage to show you how much fun we had and what is involved on the day of the shoot. Continue Reading →

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Drugs for Physical and Emotional Pain Change Your Brain

By Dr. Mercola

Prescriptions for opioid painkillers have risen by a staggering 300 percent over the past 10 years.¹ This drastic increase in the number of opioid prescriptions written and dispensed is thought to play a major role in the global problem of addiction to opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain relievers.

In the U.S. alone, 2.1 million people suffer from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers, while an estimated 467,000 are addicted to heroin.² Prescription pain relievers are considered a “gateway drug” to heroin. Over the past five years, heroin deaths have increased by 45 percent.

This increase is blamed on the rise of addictive prescription drugs such as Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, codeine, and Fentora, all of which are opioids. (The reason for the resurgence of heroin is in large part due to it being less expensive and, sometimes, easier to obtain, than its prescription counterparts).

Despite the prevalence of the problem, why some people become addicted and others do not remains a mystery. It’s known, however, that such drugs lead to neuroplastic changes in animals when taken long term, and now new research shows they also occur in humans, even after short-term use.

One Month of Morphine May Change Your Brain

In a study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, people with chronic low back pain received either morphine or a placebo daily for one month. Both groups experienced similar reductions in pain, but there was a major difference among those taking morphine — changes in the brain.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed the patients taking morphine had a 3 percent reduction in gray matter volume over the course of the study. The reductions occurred in regions of the brain that regulate emotions, cravings and pain response.³

Further, the morphine group had increases in gray matter volume in areas related to learning, memory and executive function. Lead study author Joanne Lin told Reuters:⁴

“Because we are seeing that opioids rapidly change the brain, our take-home message is that opioids should be reserved for cases when most other treatment options have failed.”

A similar study published in 2011 also found daily morphine can cause neuroplastic changes in the human brain after only one month of use. According to that study:⁵

“Several brain regions underwent volumetric change over the morphine use period … Following the month of morphine administration, reduced gray matter was observed in the right amygdala.

The amygdala, together with the hippocampus, drive reward-related learning processes via modulatory influences on the nucleus accumbens.

The amygdala is involved in drug-induced associative learning, drug craving, reinforcement, the development of dependence, and the experience of acute withdrawal.

Atrophy in the amygdala was found in a previous study to be an important area of morphologic difference distinguishing opioid-dependent individuals from healthy controls.

… Learning involving the amygdala may lead to long-term behavior patterns that continue even as pleasurable effects subside; perhaps forming the basis for opioid misuse in some individuals.”

Your Brain Has Specialized Opioid Receptors

In 1972, Johns Hopkins University researchers discovered that your brain’s neurons have specific receptor sites for opiate drugs, including heroin, morphine, hydrocodone and oxycodone.⁶ Such drugs exert their effects by attaching to the opioid receptors found in your brain and spinal cord.⁷

Why would your brain have a specific site for binding to opiate drugs? The sites are actually there for another purpose, including to bind to endorphins, your body’s “natural opiates.”

As it turns out, opiate drugs have a chemical structure that’s very similar to your body’s natural feel-good chemicals, endorphins. This allows them to partake of the endorphin receptors and ultimately overtake their place in your body. PBS Frontline reported:⁸

“Like an evil twin, the morphine molecule locks onto the endorphin-receptor sites on nerve endings in the brain and begins the succession of events that leads to euphoria or analgesia.

This imposter is more powerful than the body's own endorphins because the organism can actually control how much of the feel-good chemical hits the brain.

Since we are all pleasure-seeking organisms, the motivation to self-administer such a drug is easy to understand. The drawback, of course, is addiction.”

Americans Risk Becoming Drug Addicts to Become Pain-Free

Pain is one of the most common health complaints in the U.S., but record numbers of Americans are, sadly, becoming drug addicts in an attempt to live pain-free.

According to 2010 data, there were enough narcotic painkillers being prescribed in the U.S. to medicate every single adult, around the clock, for a month.⁹

By 2012, a whopping 259 million prescriptions for opioids and other narcotic painkillers were written in the U.S., which equates to 82.5 prescriptions for every 100 Americans.¹⁰ And those narcotics are responsible for 46 deaths each and every day.

Americans use the most opioids of any nation — twice the amount used by Canadians, who come in second place in terms of prescriptions.¹¹

The problem has become noticeable enough that even U.S. officials now warn that narcotic painkillers are a driving force in the rise of substance abuse and lethal overdoses. The rise in heroin addiction in the U.S. is linked to dependence on prescription opioids.¹²

Indeed, what many fail to realize is that opioid prescription painkillers are very similar to heroin. This is part of why so many painkiller addicts end up using heroin when their tolerance level surpasses their allotted prescription dosage, or when they can no longer refill their prescription.

Heroin use can quickly turn deadly, but please don’t be mislead that it takes heroin use to cause a fatal overdose. All opioids depress your heart rate and breathing. Large doses can cause sedation and slowed breathing to the point that breathing stops altogether, resulting in death.

Stopping the drugs on your own, meanwhile, is difficult and causes significant withdrawal symptoms, including flu-like symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and muscle cramps) that may last for up to 10 days. According to PBS Frontline:¹³

“The phrase 'cold turkey' probably comes from the appearance of goose bumps all over the body, which resembles a plucked turkey. Muscle spasms in the legs produce kicking movements, and this may be the derivation of the expression 'kick the habit.'”

Painkillers and Sedatives Linked to Increased Risk of Committing Homicide

The use of mind-altering drugs has risen along with the number of mass shootings and other homicides in the U.S. Antidepressants in particular have a well-established history of causing violent side effects, including suicide and homicide. A 2015 study published in the journal World Psychiatry found, however, that painkillers and sedatives are linked to homicide. 

Researchers analyzed data involving nearly 1,000 people who had been convicted of homicide, including studying police reports to determine if narcotics were being used at the time of the murders.¹⁴ Surprisingly, commonly used pain relievers, including acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen, were associated with a more than 200 percent increased likelihood of committing homicide. Other drugs also increased the risk, including:¹⁵

• Opiate pain relievers (raised the risk by 92 percent)
• Benzodiazepine sedatives (Valium, Xanax, etc. raised the risk by 45 percent)
• Antidepressants (31 percent)

The researchers concluded that the increased risk of committing a homicide associated with opioid and non-opioid pain relievers deserves further attention, including whether such drugs should be used for the treatment of pain among people with a criminal history.¹⁶

If Drugs Alter Your Brain, They Could Potentially Alter Your Behavior Too

It’s not altogether surprising that opiates could alter behavior.¹⁷ Painkillers work by interacting with receptors in your brain resulting in a decrease in the perception of pain. They are inherently addictive, as they also create a temporary feeling of euphoria, followed by dysphoria that can easily lead to physical dependence and addiction.

Perhaps this state of unease may drive violent behaviors as well. We also know they lead to physical changes in your brain, the consequences of which are unknown. Withdrawal from antidepressants has also been linked to severe psychiatric problems.

Further, please note that these are not the only type of drugs associated with violent, homicidal behavior. A 2010 study by the Institute of Safe Medication Practices identified no less than 31 commonly prescribed drugs that are disproportionately associated with cases of violent acts.¹⁸

Topping that list were the quit-smoking drug Chantix, followed by Prozac and Paxil, and drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Given the significant neurological effects that may occur when you take medications like antidepressants, sedatives and opioids, they should be used as a last resort, not a first line of treatment.

Are You in Severe Pain?

I strongly recommend exhausting your options before resorting to a narcotic pain reliever, and I'll list a number of alternatives at the end of this article. That being said, if you’re in severe pain I agree that these drugs do have a place, and can be a great benefit when used cautiously and correctly. It's quite clear that these drugs are being overprescribed, and can easily lead you into addiction and other, more illicit, drug use.

I strongly suspect that the overreliance on them as a first line of defense for pain is a major part of this problem. So if you are dealing with severe or chronic pain, my first suggestion would be to see a pain specialist who is familiar with alternative treatments and the underlying causes of pain.

You need a knowledgeable practitioner who can help you attack the pain from multiple angles, giving you both relief and healing. One option that is receiving increasing attention in the U.S. is cannabis. It’s the cannabidiol (CBD) in cannabis that has medicinal properties. CBD is an excellent painkiller and has been used successfully to treat a variety of pain disorders.

In states where medicinal marijuana is legal, such as California, you can join a collective, which is a legal entity consisting of a group of patients that can grow and share cannabis medicines with each other. By signing up as a member, you gain the right to grow and share your medicine.

I do, however, still recommend working with a health care practitioner who can guide you on the most effective dosage and form of use (cannabis may be inhaled, smoked, vaporized, taken orally or even applied topically (in oil form).

19 Non-Drug Solutions for Pain Relief

I strongly recommend exhausting other options before you resort to an opioid pain reliever. The health risks associated with these drugs are great, and addiction and overdose are very real concerns.

Below I list 19 non-drug alternatives for the treatment of pain. These options provide excellent pain relief without any of the health hazards that prescription (and even over-the-counter) painkillers carry. This list is in no way meant to represent the only approaches you can use.

They are, rather, some of the best strategies that I know of. I do understand there are times when pain is so severe that a prescription drug may be necessary. Even in those instances, the options that follow may be used in addition to such drugs, and may allow you to at least reduce your dosage. If you are in pain that is bearable, please try these first, before resorting to prescription painkillers of any kind.

1. Eliminate or radically reduce most grains and sugars from your diet. Avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels and decrease insulin and leptin resistance, which is one of the most important reasons why inflammatory prostaglandins are produced. That is why stopping sugar and sweets is so important to controlling your pain and other types of chronic illnesses.
2. Take a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat. My personal favorite is krill oil. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. (In fact, that is how anti-inflammatory painkillers work, they manipulate prostaglandins.)
3. Optimize your production of vitamin D by getting regular, appropriate sun exposure, which will work through a variety of different mechanisms to reduce your pain.
4. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a drug-free approach for pain management of all kinds. EFT borrows from the principles of acupuncture, in that it helps you balance out your subtle energy system. It helps resolve underlying, often subconscious, negative emotions that may be exacerbating your physical pain.

   By stimulating (tapping) well-established acupuncture points with your fingertips, you rebalance your energy system, which tends to dissipate pain.

5. K-Laser Class 4 Laser Therapy. If you suffer pain from an injury, arthritis, or other inflammation-based pain, I’d strongly encourage you to try out K-Laser therapy. It can be an excellent choice for many painful conditions, including acute injuries.

   By addressing the underlying cause of the pain, you will no longer need to rely on painkillers. K-Laser is a class 4 infrared laser therapy treatment that helps reduce pain, reduce inflammation, and enhance tissue healing — both in hard and soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, or even bones.

   The infrared wavelengths used in the K-Laser allow for targeting specific areas of your body, and can penetrate deeply into the body to reach areas such as your spine and hip. For more information about this ground-breaking technology, and how it can help heal chronic pain, please listen to my previous interview with Dr. Harrington.

6. Chiropractic. Many studies have confirmed that chiropractic management is much safer and less expensive than allopathic medical treatments, especially when used for pain, such as low-back pain.

   Qualified chiropractic, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians are reliable, as they have received extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of graduate healthcare training, which lasts between four to six years. These health experts have comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management.

7. Acupuncture can also effectively treat many kinds of pain. Research has discovered a "clear and robust" effect of acupuncture in the treatment of: back, neck, and shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and headaches.
8. Physical and massage therapy has been shown to be as good as surgery for painful conditions such as torn cartilage and arthritis.
9. Astaxanthin is one of the most effective fat-soluble antioxidants known. It has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and in many cases works far more effectively than anti-inflammatory drugs. Higher doses are typically required and you may need 8 mg or more per day to achieve this benefit.
10. Ginger: This herb has potent anti-inflammatory activity and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.
11. Curcumin: In a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility. A past study also found that a turmeric extract composed of curcuminoids blocked inflammatory pathways, effectively preventing the overproduction of a protein that triggers swelling and pain.¹⁹
12. Boswellia: Also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," this herb contains specific active anti-inflammatory ingredients. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many rheumatoid arthritis patients.
13. Bromelain: This enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form but eating fresh pineapple, including some of the bromelain-rich stem, may also be helpful.
14. Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a "joint lubricant" and an anti-inflammatory. I have used this for myself to relieve ganglion cysts and a mild annoying carpal tunnel syndrome that pops up when I type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards. I used a topical preparation for this.
15. Evening Primrose, Black Currant and Borage Oils: These contain the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
16. Cayenne Cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body's supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain.
17. Medical cannabis has a long history as a natural analgesic, as mentioned.²⁰ At present, 20 U.S. states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes. Its medicinal qualities are due to high amounts (about 10 to 20 percent) of cannabidiol (CBD), medicinal terpenes, and flavanoids.

    As discussed in this previous post, varieties of cannabis exist that are very low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the psychoactive component of marijuana that makes you feel "stoned" — and high in medicinal CBD. The Journal of Pain,²¹ a publication by the American Pain Society, has a long list of studies on the pain-relieving effects of cannabis.

18. Methods such as yoga, Foundation Training, acupuncture, exercise, meditation, hot and cold packs, and mind-body techniques can also result in astonishing pain relief without any drugs.
19. Grounding, or walking barefoot on the earth, may also provide a certain measure of pain relief by combating inflammation.

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Galentines Day with Red Apple Lipstick

"What is Galentines day?" I hear you ask...

"Oh, it's only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, Leslie Knope and her lady friends leave their husbands and their boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!"

- Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

Click here to watch.

I've teamed up with Red Apple Lipstick to tell you about Galentines day and share my 'look' with you. I jumped at the chance to be involved with a day aimed at empowering and celebrating women.

"You can always tell who the strong women are... They are the ones you see building each other up instead of tearing each other down."

Check out my video to find out more and see the look I created for Galentines Day...

Information: 
This post does include products sent for consideration.
The links are not affiliated.
All opinions are honest and my own, any suggestions made are based on my own experiences and are meant as a guide. Please always take care when making any DIY products and patch test to rule out an adverse reaction.

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La Mav Meets: Oly Shamrik from TLV birdie

Simple Living, Love For Nature & Finding Inspiration In Everything Around You

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Have you ever visited  TLVBirdie.com? If you haven't, let me warn you - once you enter Oly's world, you won't be able to escape! So much inspiration in one place that you don't even know where to start from... 

Oly Shamrik is simple living enthusiast, blogger, photographer, stylist, visual merchandiser for fashion and lifestyle brands, hand embroidery artist, mixed media explorer, and many other titles. Is you ask me, I'd say that she is the bohemian version of super woman. A few years ago, Oly started blogging about natural skin care and makeup and her blog is slowly but surely turning into a beauty encyclopedia. 

Let's jump into the word of one of the most inspiring women on the internet and see what makes her everything that she is and how she manages to find inspiration everywhere.

I am Oly Shamrik and I love.. simplicity. In everything from food to wardrobe. I believe in simple, raw materials that we wear, surround ourselves with and consume on a daily basis.

I trust in.. the power of good cup of coffee, refined wardrobe and spontaneous getaway to the nature. All those things that help to clear mind and focus on things that matter.

I adore my job because.. it’s a 24/7 commitment. Building your own brand is not an easy thing to do, but when you see it’s success - it’s a priceless feeling of fulfillment. Also, because from time to time the pajamas dress code is allowed (working weekends mostly).

The skin care item I can’t live without.. good cleanser. Very basic, yet very crucial step.

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What To Try: La Mav Sweet Orange Foaming Cleanser

Get It Here

I find it hard to.. find time for sports. That’s my goal for the upcoming year to set up a  physical discipline.

I feel frustrated when.. I repeat my previous mistakes. Like ordering jeans online.

I am thankful for.. all the unexpected turns life threw my way. Especially those that I’ve jumped on without much of a second thought. Like changing three continents in the past 5 years.

When I go to bed, I think about.. my to-do list for tomorrow. It helps me to go through all the necessary tasks that I aim to accomplish the next day and I have a visualized plan for what I am gonna do when I finish my morning cuppa.

I have chosen to support the natural beauty trend because… I don’t see it as a trend actually. Natural beauty regimen literally changed my face. I’ve been going through tough times trying to overcome occasional skin disasters and reaching out to every single product on a drug store shelf, full of hope for a better and  cleaner skin. I wish someone would told me everything I know now about the green beauty, let’s say, 10 years ago.

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My favorite makeup item is.. BB Cream. It takes me less than a second to reply to this question. It is a life saver! I also wish it was developed somewhen back in my teen years.

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What To Try: La Mav Organic BB Cream

*Image via Don't tell anyone

When I have to do my makeup in less than 5 minutes, I always apply.. BB cream + mascara + blush or contouring bronzer, and I am ready to go. Makeup almost never takes me more than 5 minutes (not in the eyes of my husband though...)

I am obsessed with…organizing. I need everything to be clean (it can be messy in the studio, but it has to be clean). I need things to remain on their places. Yeah, I can relate to Monica from Friends.

I want to.. see myself constantly growing, developing new skills and experimenting with new techniques.

And I don’t want to.. ever get bored.

My mantra for happiness is… Craft Your Days! This is one of the core messages behind our lifestyle brand Knot To Self that we brought to life together with my husband less than a year ago. This quote is how we see ourselves happy, fulfilled and proud of our lifetime long projects.

Beauty is.. balance. I believe in a connection between clear,  balanced skin and balanced mind. That eventually created a well-balanced personality.

Don’t forget to.. celebrate little achievements (big ones come without saying). If you don’t measure your success by little steps, how can you see the whole picture from the starting point?!

For more from Oly, visit her social channels:

Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
Facebook

If you liked this post, let us know by sharing it! Share and get $5 off for your next order with La Mav!

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Kate’s Morning Skin and Hair Routine…Exposed!

When a Morning Routine includes the phrase “slather my face in honey”, you know we’re all in. Enjoy this lovely walk through Kate’s routine—she’s full of green ideas.  Name: Kate Age: 28 City: Calgary, Canada Weather: We’re in the middle of a chinook right now, so despite the snow on the ground it’s actually quite pleasant! Skin: Fair, normal-to-sensitive Hair: A mess of waves and curls that look quite nice when they’re taken care of. Unfortunately, they take everything personally. I will never get second day curls. Favourite Star from the Past: Katharine Hepburn (Editor’s note: Let it be known […]

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Meds Killing Children - OTC Drug Kills, NAC Supplement Saves

By Dr. Mercola

Commonly used over-the-counter medications can be deadly if they fall into the wrong hands, like those of children.

Pediatricians generally begin advising parents on poisoning prevention when their children reach about 6 months of age, the time when many infants become more mobile and begin to increasingly explore their environment.

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics suggests poison prevention education should begin even sooner. Researchers from Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix in Arizona reviewed calls to poison control centers across the U.S. related to infants younger than 6 months old.¹

A surprisingly high number of calls were made — more than 270,000 in all, 97 percent of which were unintentional.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Accounts for Most Accidental Infant Poisonings

Unintentional ingestions, including exploratory exposures, made up the majority (50.7 percent) of the calls.

However, a sizeable portion (nearly 37 percent) of the calls were the result of therapeutic errors, including giving infants a different dosage of medication than was intended or giving a medication twice, too soon, via the wrong route or administering the wrong medication entirely.

Acetaminophen was the medication involved in the most accidental poisonings, accounting for 22,000 medication exposures and close to 5,000 general exposures.² Acetaminophen is often recommended for infants instead of alternatives like ibuprofen.

In fact, acetaminophen is the most common pain reliever given to U.S. children, and it’s estimated that more than 11 percent of U.S. children take the drug during any given week.³ In adults, taking just a bit too much can have significant health risks, particularly for your liver.

Acetaminophen poisoning is responsible for nearly half of all acute liver failure cases in the U.S.⁴ Among adults, taking just 25 percent more than the daily recommended dose — the equivalent of just two extra strength pills per day — can cause liver damage after just a couple of weeks of daily use.⁵

When taken all at once, just under four times the maximum daily dose can be lethal to adults.

Previous research has also shown that taking just a little more than the recommended dose over the course of several days or weeks (referred to as "staggered overdosing") can be more risky than taking one large overdose.⁶

Children metabolize acetaminophen differently than adults, and the risks of liver failure from too much acetaminophen are thought to be lower among children than adults.⁷ However, liver injury has been reported among children given repeated doses.⁸

NAC Is an Antidote to Acetaminophen Overdose

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an antidote for acetaminophen toxicity and is well worth knowing about if you ever use acetaminophen or keep it in your house. NAC is administered as part of standard care in cases of acetaminophen overdose.

While I generally do not recommend using acetaminophen-containing drugs for minor aches and pains, they are sometimes necessary to temporarily suppress severe pain, such as post-surgical pain. For those instances, I recommend taking it along with NAC.

It is believed the liver damage acetaminophen causes is largely due to the fact that it can deplete glutathione, an antioxidant compound secreted by your liver in response to toxic exposure.

Glutathione also helps protect your cells from free radical damage. If you keep your glutathione levels up, the damage from the acetaminophen may be largely preventable. NAC is the rate-limiting nutrient for the formation of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione, which is why it's such an effective antidote.

Mortality due to acetaminophen toxicity has been shown to be virtually eliminated when NAC is promptly administered in cases of acetaminophen overdose. So whether you are taking Tylenol in prescription or over-the-counter form, I strongly suggest taking NAC along with it.

And, if you have children and keep acetaminophen in your home, I strongly recommend keeping a bottle of NAC as well in case of accidental overdose. NAC therapy should be initiated within eight hours of an acute overdose for best results. If you suspect an overdose has occurred, seek medical help right away.

If this isn’t an option, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the following protocol:⁹

“Oral administration is the preferred route for NAC therapy unless contraindications exist (e.g aspiration, persistent vomiting). The usual recommended loading dose is 140 mg/kg followed in 4 hours by a maintenance dose of 70 mg/kg orally given every 4 hours.

This dosing is commonly recommended to be continued for 72 hours; however more recent clinical experience supports tailoring the duration of therapy to the patient’s clinical condition.”

Other Dangers Include Cough/Cold Meds, Ibuprofen, Diaper Rash Creams

The featured Pediatrics study noted other medication risks to infants aside from acetaminophen. Poison center calls were also made due to ingestion of:

H2 blockers (for acid reflux)	Gastrointestinal medications	Combination cough/cold products
Antibiotics	Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, etc.)	Diaper creams
Plants	Creams and lotion	Makeup

Researchers were surprised to find ibuprofen on the list of calls related to infants six months and younger, since this medication isn’t recommended for this age group.

Cough and cold medications are also not recommended for children under the age of 6, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration even warns that for infants and children younger than 2, these medicines may have serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.¹⁰

Unfortunately, unintentional poisoning due to medications occur all too often among children. The U.S. Poison Control Center receives nearly 500,000 calls per year related to young children accidently getting into medicine. This works out to one call every minute of every day.

In 2012, 64,000 kids were treated in emergency rooms for medicine poisoning; that’s one child every eight minutes, according to a report from Safe Kids.¹¹

Most Child Medication Poisonings Occur From Parents’ or Grandparents’ Drugs

In 3 out of 4 cases of child drug poisonings, the medication belonged to a parent (39 percent of cases) or grandparent (38 percent of cases). The fact that grandparents’ medication represents this much of a poisoning threat is due to the changing nature of typical households in the U.S.

There’s been a 23 percent increase in the number of grandparents living with their grandchildren since 2005, and 1 in 8 grandparents provide regular care for their grandchildren.

Considering that older adults are among the most heavily medicated populations, with the average adult aged 65 and older taking 28 prescription per year,¹² this factor alone significantly increases children’s risk of accidental drug poisoning. While both parents and grandparents acknowledged that the safest place to keep medications is “up and away” from children, many were making exceptions that would put kids at risk.

When asked what grandparents worried over in terms of keeping kids safe, more identified electrical outlets than medications. Yet, 36 times more children visit emergency rooms due to medication poisoning than electrocution.¹³

The fact is medication usage is so common that many become complacent, neglecting to regard their pills as potential killers. Adding to the problem, many seniors take medications multiple times a day and purposely keep them in easy-to-access, prominent locations so they don’t forget a dose.

These 7 Common Medications Can Be Deadly to Kids

In many cases, just one pill — or less — can cause permanent or life-threatening damage in a small child. The following seven medications are examples; if you have any of these in your home, please keep them safely out of the reach of children living in or visiting your home:

Heart Pills — In children, they can cause dangerously low blood pressure and heart rate, and even lead to shock.	Muscle Rubs — Camphor is especially dangerous because ingesting it works so quickly. Symptoms occur within 10 to 20 minutes, and often children can go into seizures without any warning.	Prescription Pain Medications — For an infant, even half a tablet of hydrocodone can be lethal.
Aspirin and Oil of Wintergreen — Oil of wintergreen is particularly hazardous because its pleasant smell tempts toddlers to ingest it. But one teaspoon of oil of wintergreen is the equivalent of nearly 90 baby aspirins. This is a life-threatening dose for a toddler or child.	Antidepressants — After pain medications, antidepressants are the second-highest cause of accidental death from poisoning in children younger than 6.	Blood Pressure Patches, Eye Drops, and Nasal Sprays — These medications are designed to be absorbed over time through your skin. They can lead to serious consequences when ingested by a toddler. As little as 6 ml can lead to a coma.
Diabetes Drugs — As these medications are more commonly prescribed, the incidence of pediatric poisonings has also increased.

If you see your child ingest a pill or medication of any kind, don’t wait to take action. Your child may appear fine at first, but deadly side effects can appear hours later when it’s too late.

If you’re in the U.S. call 911 or the National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 if you even suspect your child has eaten an adult (or unknown) medication. If you’re in another country, contact emergency help immediately. Likewise, if your child is displaying any of the poisoning symptoms below, you should call for help immediately.

Seizures	Low blood pressure or heart rate	Delirium
Unusual sleepiness	Lethargy	Nausea or vomiting
Agitation	Coma

5 Tips for Preventing Medication Poisoning

Any time you give medication to a child, carefully consider the risks versus the benefits, and be sure to carefully follow dosage instructions. Do not give more than the recommended dose, double-up on doses or use for longer than is recommended.

Often, preventing medication poisoning in children is as simple as keeping these drugs safely out of children’s reach at all times. Safe Kids recommends the following common sense precautions:

1. Keep all medicine (including children’s medicine) up and away when young children are around, even medicine you take every day.
2. Be alert to potential hazards of medicine stored in other locations, like pills in purses, vitamins on counters, and medicine on nightstands.
3. Even if you are tempted to keep it handy in between doses, put medicine out of reach after every use.
4. Choose child-resistant caps for medicine bottles, if you're able to. If pill boxes or non-child resistant caps are the only option, it's even more important to store these containers up high and out of sight when caring for kids.
5. If you live in the U.S., program the U.S. Poison Help Number (1-800-222-1222) into your phones.

Top Natural Tylenol Alternatives

Tylenol and related products are familiar household items for many, but as mentioned they are a top source of poisonings among children and adults. Further, they are not the only option when you need relief from pain. For instance, the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) works very effectively for relieving pain and can be used for children as well.

The Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT) helps treat muscle injuries and pain as well, while these simple exercises may work wonders for treating back pain. No matter what your reason for taking Tylenol, type it into the search box above and you’ll likely find a natural alternative.

And if chronic pain is your problem, the following options provide excellent pain relief without any of the health hazards that acetaminophen and other pain relievers carry.

• Astaxanthin: One of the most effective oil-soluble antioxidants known. It has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and in many cases works far more effectively than many NSAIDs. Higher doses are typically required and one may need 8 mg or more per day to achieve this benefit.
• Ginger: This herb is anti-inflammatory and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.
• Curcumin: Curcumin is the primary therapeutic compound identified in the spice turmeric. In a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility.¹⁴ In fact, curcumin has been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory activity, as well as demonstrating the ability in four studies to reduce Tylenol-associated adverse health effects.¹⁵
• Boswellia: Also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," this herb contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which have been prized for thousands of years. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many rheumatoid arthritis patients.
• Bromelain: This protein-digesting enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form, but eating fresh pineapple may also be helpful.
• Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a "joint lubricant" and an anti-inflammatory. I have used this for myself to relieve ganglion cysts and a mild annoying carpal tunnel syndrome that pops up when I type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards. I used a topical preparation for this.
• Evening Primrose, Black Currant and Borage Oils: These contain the fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
• Cayenne Cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body's supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain.
• Therapeutic modalities such as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, hot and cold packs, and even holding hands can also result in astonishing pain relief without any drugs.

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