Mark Sisson's Blog, page 177

I Didn’t Get a Migraine That First Week. Or That Second Week. Or Ever Again.

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

Five years ago, a young and “healthy” 22 year old, I was working as a groom at a high end horse ranch in Western Colorado. I suddenly found myself with debilitating migraines. I’d never had migraines before so it was a bit shocking for me. But they were bad. Really, really bad. Like, 10-14 days long. I couldn’t function. My boss was as understanding as can be so I didn’t lose my job (thank goodness), but I remember my head felt like it was splitting in two, even dim light was painful, and I’d have to get a horse, go into the barn, shut the doors, turn the lights off, wear sunglasses anyway, and try to do my job. That’s neither sustainable nor a solution. It was horrendous. And ridiculous.

But the many doctors didn’t have any solutions. Migraine meds didn’t do a thing. The neurologist ordered a battery of blood tests and an MRI of my brain. Everything normal, nothing to fix here. Just keep trying the migraine meds. In the meantime, I was frantically trying to find a way to improve my health. I figured, What do healthy people do? They run marathons right? Let’s google how to do that. I didn’t really want to run (who was I kidding, running sucks!) so when one of the results was an MDA article about training for marathons with a link to an article against chronic cardio I checked that one out. I figured it might give me an excuse to not have to take up running. Ha! I had no idea it would lead to something way better.

From there I checked out the rest of the site. So, if lions are designed to eat meat and zebras to eat grass, what are humans meant to eat? What a common sense question, why hadn’t I ever thought to ask that? I signed up for the introductory emails but didn’t even wait for them before I binge read everything on the blog, cleared my pantry, and started in. There was a local rancher that sold grass fed steaks at the grocery store. I liked veggies. I really liked bacon so if this new diet said that was in, I was in. It’s funny to think back to all that now.

But I tell you what, as much as that low carb flu kicked my butt, I felt better. And I didn’t get a migraine that first week. Or that second week. Or ever again.

Then I discovered the missing piece of the puzzle. On the way to the neurologist’s office to hear my MRI results, I hadn’t had time to eat at home so I grabbed some convenient chicken fingers on the way. 80/20, I figured. The neurologist was out of town so the nurse practitioner saw me. When she gave me a look over, my thyroid was swollen. Like, huge. Scary swollen. And I was starting to get a headache. We started talking. And then she figured it out. (I tell you, nurse practitioners can be pretty amazing people.) It was gluten. I was having an autoimmune reaction to gluten—celiac. I had celiac. As it turns out, and I later found a Chris Kresser article explaining it, the gluten protein looks similar to something thyroids are made of, so when your body attacks the gluten your thyroid can get attacked too. How about that.

It all made sense now. As a kid I had what I now know to be symptoms of celiac in children. Underweight, constant stomachaches, etc. And before I started getting those migraines, it was summer time so I was with the horses at the high altitude portion of the ranch living in a tiny 120 square foot cabin. The grocery store was a long trip down the mountain. And with only a small mini fridge and no freezer, I ate a lot of shelf stable food. Processed food. Mostly pasta and granola. Really, my diet was about 80% wheat. And my body had finally had enough.

So Mark’s Daily Apple led me to find that I was celiac. But just as important it gave me a way of eating that made me feel healthy.

But I also helped in a far bigger way. A year and a half ago my husband and I found out we were going to be parents. And I kept eating primally. And I had about the healthiest pregnancy I could imagine. Alright, so the morning sickness was miserable and persistent. But otherwise it was perfect. I was one of those “belly only” pregnancies I hear people aim for. I was like a walking beach ball. But I felt great. And the delivery went great. I chalk it up to good nutrition and faith in my body’s ability to do what it was made to do. We had our baby at home with a midwife because that’s what I was comfortable with. After a short 3.5 hour labor (which was uncomfortable but honestly not painful. I now hate the expression “the pain of childbirth.” I think it sends the wrong expectation to women about how birth feels but I digress) we had a healthy 7 lb 12 oz baby girl. She’s so perfect and so healthy. I feel so lucky.

When I was pregnant I read a lot of Weston A Price articles. They brag a lot about how their nutrient dense diet produces healthy pregnancies and healthy babies with a wide jaw (which is an indication that the mother had good nutrition, especially plenty of Vitamins A and K). While I was pregnant I did take dessicated grass fed beef liver, occasionally some Dr Ron’s freeze dried organs and glands, a high quality prenatal with 5-MTHF folate (as recommended by Chris Kresser), fermented cod liver oil, and some high vitamin butter oil in addition to the Primal diet. So I did follow a couple WAPF recommendations. But I was not interested in buying raw milk. I don’t even like drinking milk so I did not want to pay the local raw milk producer the equivalent of $25 a gallon. I didn’t want to hunt down fresh organ meats and eat them. Yucky taste, no thank you. And I didn’t bother soaking/fermenting grains because, well, I’m Primal and I don’t even really do grains. Occasionally I do rice but it’s not that exciting so meh.

I know every parent says this, but my baby is the cutest little sucker in the world. I don’t think it’s just luck either. I think the nutrient dense diet I learned from MDA and the PB are why I’m so healthy and why my daughter is so healthy and so beautiful.

I’ve lost all the “baby weight” with zero effort. I actually weigh less now than I did before I was pregnant. I walk my daughter in the stroller a few times a week for 5 miles while she naps. She keeps me active and busy. I never have time to sit down. Lift heavy things? That baby’s a heavy thing and I carry her constantly. Sprints…Well I’ll get back to those and normal workouts eventually. But I’m not worried about it. I’ve got my walks and my yoga for now.

So I might catch a little flack for my five toe shoes and my obsession with bone broth but gosh dang I couldn’t be happier or healthier. Thank you again and again Mark, you changed my life.

Kate

The post I Didn’t Get a Migraine That First Week. Or That Second Week. Or Ever Again. appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

CrossFit’s Criticism: How Do I Eat Enough Carbs on Primal?

By far the single most common criticism levied against paleo by CrossFitters is that it’s too damn difficult to eat enough carbs to maintain performance during workouts. There is definitely truth there.

First, let’s establish something. Do CrossFitters indeed need more carbs than your average Primal bear?

Yes.

CrossFit workouts are intense. Your muscles need fuel to support intense movements, and they need it immediately and repeatedly. Glycogen just works better for that. It’s a matter of logistics. Glycogen is right there in the muscle, ready to go. It’s settled, sedentary, tethered. The fatty acids we burn are unencumbered, nomadic, going where they’re needed. That’s why we call them free fatty acids.

Furthermore, glycogen requires less oxygen to burn than fat. As your average CrossFit workout has you out of breath within the first minute or two, glycogen is a CrossFitter’s best friend.

If you don’t believe me, perhaps this 2016 study will convince you. It was a unique one because they took actual CrossFitters following a moderate-low-carb diet (around 200-ish grams per day) and separated them into two groups. One group stayed moderate-low, the other bumped their intake up to 400-500+ grams per day. Both maintained normal 3 on, 1 off CrossFit training schedules. They gave performance tests before and after the diet shift, using the Rahoi WOD (as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of 12 box jumps, 6 95-lb thrusters, 6 bar-facing burpees). The higher carb group saw bigger improvements than the moderate carb group—an 11.1% improvement vs a 4.5% improvement.

Clearly, both groups were able to improve performance. However, if performance is your PRIMARY goal, then more (especially quality) carbs are likely to help. I’ll cover more on goals in a future post….

But isn’t Primal low-carb?

Standard Primal defaults to lower carb because it’s enough for most people. If you take a look at the Primal Blueprint Carb Curve, you’ll notice that 150 grams/day is the recommended level for people interested in maintaining body weight and supporting an active lifestyle. As anyone with a decent head on their shoulders, a cursory knowledge of how fat, carbs, and protein work, and functioning eyes can tell you, the vast majority of the population has no business consuming a high-carb diet. Few people do the type of work that requires “carb-loading.” As a result, 150 grams is plenty for your average man or woman.

Many of my readers got into Primal looking to lose weight, and low-carb, high-fat is the simplest, most effective way for most people to do that. 

I’m doing a keto experiment right now, and I’ve got a keto book coming out in a few months that will talk more about that choice and the science behind it. Personally, I run best on high-fat. It works for my goals, desires, and predilections. 

But the beauty of this way of life is that what I or anyone else eats does not determine what you “have to” eat.

Primal’s flexible, remember?

Allow me to dispense with some common misconceptions about Primal eating and carbohydrates that CrossFitters might hold:

We’re not against carbs. Carbs are an elective source of calories to be divvied out according to training volume, performance goals, and individual variation in tolerance/desire. If you’re regularly engaging in CrossFit WODS or other types of anaerobic activity (e.g. HIIT, sprinting, heavy lifting, mid-to-high intensity endurance training, sports like soccer, basketball, football), you should probably eat around 100 extra grams per hour of anaerobic output. If I come off as a carb basher, it’s only because I assume that most people aren’t doing the kind of activity that warrants carb-loading. CrossFitters are not those people. They can use the carbs.

We don’t carb-load with kale. All those horror stories of paleo CrossFitters trying to replenish glycogen by eating four pounds of broccoli in a single sitting? That doesn’t happen on Primal. Around here, above ground vegetables—leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, summer squash, mushrooms, asparagus, and other non-starchy plant matter—are fair game. They don’t “count” against your carb intake, either because it’s more fiber than glucose or because it takes more glucose to digest than it provides.

We’re more concerned with carb quality, not quantity. Nutrient-poor, refined sources of carbohydrates might refill glycogen, but that’s about all they do. If you need more glycogen, it’s far more advantageous to your health and your performance to get it through nutrient-dense, whole sources of carbohydrate. To do otherwise is just missing an easy opportunity for more micronutrients.

What are some starchy or carb-rich foods one can eat on Primal?

Potatoes. Long maligned on orthodox paleo, potatoes are totally fine on Primal. If you cook, then cool them, they’ll generate resistant starch, a prebiotic that feeds healthy gut bacteria. And the basic white potato is far more nutritious than most people claim. It’s high in potassium, magnesium, and it’s even a source of complete protein.
Sweet potatoes. Purple, white, orange—they’re all good. If you’re putting your body through the wringer, eat purple sweet potatoes; the polyphenols offer protection against exercise-induced oxidative stress.
Bananas. Eat ’em ripe and you’ll get a big dose of glucose. Eat ’em on the greener side and you’ll get a big dose of resistant starch. Either way, you get the potassium—a crucial electrolyte.
Plantains. You’ve probably had them at a Cuban or Jamaican restaurant. You loved them, didn’t you? Get yourself to a Caribbean market and buy some plantains, gently sauté them in a little fat, and eat with some good sour cream on the side. Your glycogen-starved muscles will thank you.
Rice. Pure glucose. Little in the way of micronutrients, but you can amend that by cooking the rice in bone broth, adding trace mineral drops to the cooking liquid, and cooking and cooling the rice to increase the resistant starch content.
Legumes (if tolerated). Check out my recent post explaining why I changed my stance. Excellent sources of fiber, minerals, and phytonutrients (particularly the colorful ones). Plus, legume protein, while not complete, can supplement and augment the animal protein you eat.
Dairy. Lactose is half glucose, half galactose; a similar mix was recently shown to enhance glycogen repletion after exercise. And milk drinking improves muscle protein synthesis after exercise and performance during exercise. Dairy also provides protein and calcium, which you need to stem the exercise-induced increase in parathyroid hormone and to strengthen your bones.

By now, it’s clear that you can eat as many carbs as you need on a Primal eating plan. There’s nothing stopping you. You won’t butt up against any rigid ideology.

However, there are some things to keep in mind before you start mainlining Japanese sweet potatoes.

Once replenished, muscle glycogen doesn’t disappear. If you refill your glycogen stores with a huge post-workout sweet potato, walking the dog, playing with your kids, or going shopping will barely budge your muscle glycogen. When the next workout rolls around, you’ll be ready.

Carb cycling is an option. Eat high carb on training days, low carb on rest days. It works for elite athletes’ performance just as well as around-the-clock high-carb.

I can’t tell anyone what to do. I can give good information that represents the science as I understand it, and the rest is up to you. And I always recommended an N=1 experiment. Take careful note of of how many carbs you ate on any given day, when you ate them, and how you felt, performed and slept. See what you notice.

For what it’s worth, I have it on very good authority that you can get enough carbs while staying Primal to support and improve your performance in CrossFit.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Stay tuned for the next installment of the series next week.

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Are CrossFit and Primal Compatible?

Back when they were infants, CrossFit and paleo were the best of friends. Robb Wolf was giving CrossFit nutrition seminars. CF boxes were running paleo challenges and offering meal plans to clients. Tens of thousands of people were introduced to paleo through CrossFit and CrossFit through paleo.

Over time, however, they drifted apart. CrossFit met and fell in with the Zone Diet—a calm, well-mannered lad with impeccable balance, and paleo’s dad got a job in another city. They ended up going to different schools. These things happen. It’s fine. Both CrossFit and paleo are better versions of themselves for having met each other.

I’ve been interested in CrossFit for the better part of a decade. I’ve been to several of the Games. One of CrossFit’s best (and best-known) coaches, Kelly Starrett, was a presentee at PrimalCon Oxnard and a contributor to MDA. The infamous Grundler Brothers were early supporters of the Primal Health Coach certification program. Without CrossFit’s early endorsement, I’m not sure ancestral health would be as big and influential as it is today.

For the past year, my Primal Health Coach team and I have been working with Absolution CrossFit (of LaGrange, IL) co-owner and coach Laura Rupsis to understand what CrossFit athletes are missing in their diets and lifestyles. We’re convinced we can help them. I’m convinced we can help coaches help their clients using a Primal approach.

CrossFitters want:

To perform better. They’re interested in eating healthy food, but they don’t want their performance to suffer because of it.

To lose body fat and gain muscle. Who doesn’t? Losing body fat can improve performance in exercises where you manipulate your own body weight, but not if it means losing muscle and strength.

CrossFitters worry about:

Getting enough calories. With Paleo diets it’s notoriously hard to overeat, which is great if you’re trying to lose weight, but not so great if you’re trying to support an active training and competing schedule.

Getting enough carbs. I don’t blame your average CrossFitter for giving up on paleo. Keeping up with WODs while eating lean meat and getting your carbs from broccoli and asparagus sounds like hell. It doesn’t have to be that way on Primal, and I’ll show you how.

Burning out. CrossFit is taxing. There’s no way around that. And our real lives are busier than ever. Between kids, work, commuting, cooking, cleaning, and, hell, living, we all have a ton on our plates. Throwing one of the most intense training programs in the mix can push people to the breaking point. I’ll explain how going Primal can help prevent or mitigate burnout.

Many of the top CrossFitters have given up on paleo, opting for more flexible diets. Orthodox paleo just doesn’t work for the highest level of CrossFitters, who expend a ton of energy and eat a ton to compensate. And we can guess that this isn’t a spurious breakup. CrossFitters are students of the body and the inputs that make it run smoothly. If they’re moving on from paleo, something isn’t working.

But there’s a problem: Many of the most influential CrossFit bloggers, thinkers, and coaches are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. They assume if paleo doesn’t work, Primal doesn’t either. Researchers even released a study showing that paleo eating undermines the benefits of CrossFit training. It was just retracted for being, well, completely wrong, but it goes to show the forces arrayed against the union of CrossFit and paleo.

Although paleo and CrossFit have drifted apart, parallels remain. CrossFitters don’t fear fat, eat plenty of animals, understand the importance of plants, and love them some bacon. Even the movements prescribed by CrossFit are ancestral at their core—squatting, picking things off the ground, running, jumping, bending, reaching, climbing, hoisting, pressing things overhead, pulling—only performed at greater intensities.

Rather than merely recreate the paleolithic movement milieu, CrossFit transcends it in many ways.

CrossFit asks you to go as hard as humanly possible without breaking down, sacrificing your quality of movement, and hurting yourself, all while paying homage to your heritage as a human animal. That’s no joke, man. And they take it seriously. All the CrossFitters I know spend almost as much time warming up and doing “prehab” mobility work than they do working out. Sure, people get injured—as they do in every sport. Contrary to popular belief, CrossFit has never been shown to be more dangerous than other types of training. Recent studies show that CrossFitters experience no more shoulder injuries than other athletes, for example. If anything, CrossFitters get fewer injuries than athletes on other programs.

My point is this: CrossFit asks a lot of your body. I’m here to argue that Primal eating and living can help you answer. There are many reasons why the Primal Blueprint, in contrast to paleo, can make CrossFitters fitter, faster, and recover better. I’ll just list a few for now:

Primal is a more flexible version of paleo. It’s more malleable, allowing use of some of the most potent foods for recovery from intense training—dairy, whey protein, and dense starchy carbohydrates. Early incarnations of paleo restricted dairy, assuming universal intolerance, and cautioned against starchy plants, assuming everyone was sedentary.
Primal isn’t paleo. Paleo is a great approach to diet for most people. You could do a lot worse than eating animals and plants and avoiding potentially allergenic foods. But the paleo diet people are criticizing is an archaic, narrow version that just doesn’t apply to the Primal Blueprint. As new evidence unfolds, Primal adapts. It’s the only way to stay honest in this business, even if it means dining on crow (which, by the way, is totally Primal) from time to time.
Primal gets you fat-adapted . While the most intense WODs definitely burn through—and require that you replenish—a ton of glycogen, fat adaptation benefits every athlete. A fat-adapted athlete will burn more body fat at any given intensity. A fat-adapted athlete will hold on to muscle glycogen longer, saving it for later. A fat-adapted athlete has more and better mitochondria with the metabolic flexibility to burn fat, ketones, and carbs. And once you become fat-adapted and build those fat-burning mitochondria, they don’t just disappear. You can even eat more carbs, and your muscles will maintain the upregulated ability to burn fat.
Primal is macronutrient-agnostic. My personal flavor of Primal is definitely higher fat and lower carb, but that’s me. That’s what works for my goals and lifestyle. For a top CrossFitter, Primal might be higher carb and lower fat. It’s really up to you and your goals.
Primal is way more than diet. Heck, your average CrossFitter could maintain whatever diet they want, only follow the Primal lifestyle laws, and see huge improvements to their performance and recovery. Sleep, sun exposure, social contact, mental stimulation, circadian health, nature exposure, and other lifestyle factors all have huge impacts on not only your physical health, but also your physical performance.

The primary goals of the Primal Blueprint are to offer information about how various macronutrients, micronutrients, and other food compounds affect your health and performance, and allow—nay, force—you to chart your own course. Some say that’s a weakness, a lack of conviction. So what? Ideological conviction is exactly what we don’t need.

In the coming weeks, I’ll address the common criticisms CrossFitters make about paleo, why they don’t apply to Primal, and how going Primal can actually solve many of the most common issues CrossFitters face.

Tune in tomorrow for the first official post in this series. Thanks for stopping by today, everyone. Have questions you’d like me to take up around CrossFit (or other intensive training program) and the Primal Blueprint? Share and discuss in the comment board. 

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Hair Loss: Looking beyond Genetics

Conventional wisdom teaches us to accept our fate when it comes to hair loss. “Runs in the family,” we’re often told—and sometimes it does (but that’s usually not the full story). “It’s just part of getting older,” people say, too—and there we again find only partial truth at best.

But the Primal path is one of thoughtful scrutiny, not blind acceptance. While most people would file hair loss under aesthetic concerns (ranging from neutral to negative depending on social norms and personal views), it’s not always that innocuous. Let’s look today the bigger picture behind hair loss and the situations in which it signifies a genuine health concern.

Hair Loss: Genetic Destiny?

To those in the know, androgenetic alopecia (AA) is the number one form of progressive hair loss. The term can be a little misleading: while it translates to male-pattern baldness, it also encompasses a condition called female pattern baldness. The “andro” derives from dihydrotestosterone, the so-called male hormone that specialists believe to be the primary cause of AA. It’s estimated that half of men over the age of 50 and half of women over the age of 65 have this form of hair loss, and the young people can be affected as well.

The theory goes that every hair follicle on your scalp is genetically predisposed to either be susceptible or resistant to increasing levels of dihydrotestosterone as you age. Those whose hair follicles are sensitive to this hormone will see a steady decline in hair as they age, while those who dodged the genetic bullet can retain their hair into their later decades…provided they don’t succumb to any number of other hair loss factors.

The theory implicating testosterone developed back in the 1940s, when James B. Hamilton reported the notable lack of hair loss in “old eunuchs who were castrated prior to sexual maturation.” It stood to reason that testosterone, which Hamilton assumed wasn’t being produced in any significant quantities post-snip, was the cause of hair loss in “intact” men. In 1980, a team of scientists refined this theory when they discovered a group of pseudohermaphrodites living in the Dominican Republic who had normal testosterone concentrations but lacked an enzyme that converted testosterone into the “hair follicle damaging” dihydrotestosterone.

The rest was history. Pharmaceutical opportunists caught onto the findings, and began pumping out early equivalents of today’s Rogaine and Propecia. Research-wise, not a lot of progress has been made since.

The Problem with a Fatalist View on Genetics

An study published last year in the International Journal of Trichology got me thinking. Researchers examined the medical and family history of 210 patients with female pattern hair loss, finding that close to 85% of the patients had a history of AA. Nothing new there.

But there was more at play: the study also found that the hair loss patients also had a high incidence of hypothyroidism and hypertension, and most were deficient in vitamin D. Clearly, all of these factors are influenced primarily by diet, stress, and other easily-altered variables.

This presents a problem for the fatalist alopecia soothsayers and drug companies alike. The issue with flat-out blaming genetics for something like hair loss is that there’s always confounding factors. For example, if someone has a family history of hair loss, does that family also have a gluten/dairy/egg/nut sensitivity that they don’t know about? Does that family have a ravenous sweet tooth, and therefore consume vast quantities of delicious but inflammatory sweeties? It’s easy to blame genetics for all of life’s maladies, but the waters muddy a little when a “predisposition” is intertwined with unhealthy habits, diet, or food allergies.

An alternative hair solutions blogger Danny Roddy agrees. Drawing on extensive research from Dr. Ray Peat, Roddy firmly dismisses the “genetic determinism” mindset and argues that the decades-old research upon which our current hair loss notions are based is inherently flawed. Roddy suggests that baldness and most genetic-derived hair loss conditions are due to environmental factors.

Crucially, Roddy also points out that those with androgenic alopecia don’t actually exhibit higher than normal levels of testosterone, implying that there are other elements at play here. Many recent findings also suggest that the so-called “sensitivity” of androgen receptors in the scalp doesn’t vary between balding and non-balding people.

The point here is that mainstream perceptions of common hair disorders may be a little off the mark. The other thing to remember is that “risk” doesn’t equate to “inevitable.” Just because your DNA puts you at a greater risk of losing your hair, that doesn’t seal the deal. Let’s examine a few other salient factors.

Hair Loss and Stress

Stress is bad news for your health. And your hair is no exception. Acute, extreme stress provides the primary mechanism by which your hair can start falling out, a condition known as telogen effluvium. This type of stress could come in any form—emotional trauma, physical pain or injury, that kind of thing. Cutting off blood flow and nutrient cycling to your hair follicles is the body’s way of focusing on the vital areas that are critical for survival during what it perceives to be a time of extreme hardship.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Pathology was one of the first lab tests to actually illustrate the short term effects that telogen effluvium can have on mammals. Using substance P as an acute stressor on mice, researchers were able to demonstrate that psycho-emotional stress altered hair follicle cycling, reduced the duration of hair growth, and exposed hair follicles to inflammation.

The second hair-fall mechanism is chronic stress. Low-level but continuous stress, perhaps in the form of incessant background noise, poor diet, or drawn out work troubles, has been shown to contribute to hair loss. Chronic stress can also occur as a negative feedback loop, whereby the stress of worrying about your hair falling out actually contributes to it’s continuing demise—the self-fulfilling prophecy.

The solution is obvious but not always easy: identify the stress and minimize it. The building blocks of stress management are always going to include diet: eat nutrient dense foods like organ meats, a wide range of vegetables, grass-fed dairy and pastured eggs. In addition to providing a wide range of other vital nutrients, these foods are also rich in biotin, which has been shown to be an effective treatment for certain forms of hair loss. Otherwise, you know the drill: scale back on the stress-inducing lifestyle factors, take more time for yourself, ensure regular nature immersions, and consider beginning a meditation or other relaxation-focused practice.

Hair Loss and Hormones

Despite the doubt surrounding genetic precursors to hair loss, there’s no question that hormonal imbalances play a key role in the state of your hair. Long-accepted hormonal contributors to hair loss include:

low ratio of estrogen to testosterone in women, which often occurs during and after menopause
underactive thyroid hormone in both men and women
excess testosterone in both men and women
insulin resistance in both men and women

While prescribing hormone-specific solutions for your hair is a whole article in itself, the key here is to focus on but one word: balance. As cliched as it sounds, true health is achieved by balancing all the systems, processes, inputs and outputs in your body…and the same is true for hair loss. Your first step might be to do a hormone test, or it might be to get back to basics with diet and lifestyle.

Luckily, a Primal way of life is a great way to start balancing out your hormones. Encouraging a shift away from excess carb consumption should go a long way towards improving insulin sensitivity, while steering clear of gluten and other potential food allergens (and making sure you’re getting ample selenium) can allow your thyroid to regain some semblance of normalcy. Excess testosterone typically isn’t an issue for folks like us, as a diet rich in whole foods helps to regulate its production and restore ratios between estrogen and testosterone.

Beyond CW, there’s a potential gollum lurking in the shadows: prolactin. Prolactin is secreted by the pituitary gland during pregnancy, and during times of stress. Prolactin is the mortal enemy of progesterone, one of the “female” hormones that also plays an important role in men.  Progesterone blocks the effects of testosterone, leading some to believe that reducing the levels of prolactin in the body and thereby promoting progesterone secretion is a key element of supporting healthy hair growth. Because there’s very little research to back up these claims, aside from the musings of Dr. Ray Peat, this is a difficult one to explore further.

Nonetheless, reducing prolactin activity in your body certainly can’t hurt. Getting plenty of zinc, along with calcium and its cofactors should help to keep prolactin in check. Reducing alcohol intake and cutting out sugar can also encourage estrogen regulation, which plays a role in prolactin secretion. Experiment with foods and ratios, and see what works for you.

Hair Loss and Disease

I could ruminate all day on the various health conditions that lead to hair loss. Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism. The list goes on.

To me, the one which slips under the radar time and again is autoimmunity—particularly in the case of alopecia areata. If your hair loss is patchy rather than general thinning or receding, look to common autoimmune triggers for the answer. Healing your gut should be the first line of defense, which may be as simple as cutting out grains and upping the probiotics. It could also require more focused action, with something more along the lines of an autoimmune protocol.

Hair Loss and Nutrients

I’ve already touched upon dietary changes that can be promoted to treat certain hair loss causes. Still, suffice to say that if you’re following a relatively Primal-friendly eating plan, but still lacking in certain nutrients, you may need to explore efforts more close in. Women should keep a close eye on ferritin levels, as iron deficiency has been associated with up to 90% of hair loss cases. Many women with thinning hair also respond well to lysine supplementation.

For men, zinc and copper deficiencies may play a role in hair loss—particularly in the case of androgenetic alopecia. Because zinc is often lacking in many a person’s diet, it’s worthwhile upping your zinc intake primarily from food sources like grass-fed dairy, red meat, and nuts.

At the other end of the spectrum, overdosing on vitamin A is also thought to contribute to hair loss. Vegetables like sweet potato, carrots, and dark leafy greens should be providing more than enough vitamin A to meet your daily quota, so cut back or cut out vitamin A supplementation if hair loss is an issue.

Thanks for stopping by, folks. What’s your experience been with hair health? Have any of you achieved hair loss reversal with certain key changes to your diet, lifestyle, supplementation or other means? To all celebrating today, Happy 4th!

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Dear Mark: HDL, Probiotics for Acne, and Artificial Sweeteneners and Weight Gain

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering three questions. First, is HDL all it’s cracked up to be? Is HDL always good? Is it the savior? Or is the story a bit more complicated? Next, what are some good probiotic options for treating acne? Do any exist? And last but not least, what’s the relationship of artificial sweeteners, insulin, appetite, and weight gain?

Let’s go:

Carine Dubois wondered:

I am slightly concerned about the age old acceptance of HDL as the good cholesterol in light of the recent failures of HDL potentiating drugs failure to decrease CVD. Could there be more to the story such as good and bad sub fractions as with LDL …. many more studies have to be done using up dated technology before accepting the AHA recommendations as dogma

Great insight, Carine. I feel very similarly. All the HDL-boosting drugs, like torcetrapib, have failed. And not just failed to protect against cardiovascular disease and death, but actively increased the risk of disease and death. They’ve been real disasters.

However, here’s why I think the coconut oil-induced HDL increase is different than the torcetrapib-induced increase:

HDL is “good” because the actions and behaviors and foods that increase it are “good” and the actions and behaviors and foods that decrease it are “bad.” The former include exercising, eating olive oil and avocados, losing weight, and lowering excess carb intake. The latter include smoking and gaining weight. These things aren’t good or bad because of the HDL effect. They’re good or bad for dozens of reasons. Thus, absent HDL-boosting pharmaceuticals, higher HDL is “good” because you have to do “good” things to raise it.

You’re also right that HDL isn’t just HDL. There are different ways to measure. And even with HDL particle number, there’s more to the story than “higher” or “lower.” For instance, small, dense HDL particles tend to be more protective and possess more antioxidative potential than large, buoyant HDL particles. While a pharma exec might take this to mean we should be pumping out drugs that make HDL particles smaller and denser, a person like Carine would take a more nuanced exploration.

Maybe a preponderance of small, dense HDL particles indicates a large inflammatory load that needs quelling. Maybe a shift toward larger, less dense HDL particles indicates an improvement in inflammatory status. After all, the body actively manufactures HDL particles to reduce oxidative damage.

David asked:

Hi Mark, in this article

How to Support Healthy Skin Bacteria

you mentioned that a lotion containing Enterococcus faecalis SL-5 was

shown to be effective against acne. Any idea where one could buy this

bacteria (or bacteria-containing lotion) on the web? My initial

searching was not encouraging. Thanks for all you do!

Unfortunately, I, too, have been unable to track down a good source of Enterococcus faecalis SL-5. I doubt anyone else has had any real luck. The mixture used in the study was made specifically for that study. They isolated E. faecalis from human feces (the bacteria is a normal resident of the human gut) and added it to a regular lotion. I’ve never seen it replicated or a commercial version released. Too bad. I’m sure something is coming down the pipe.

That’s not all you can do, however.

In 2012, topical application of a 5% Lactobacillus plantarum extract reduced acne lesion size. There are patents for topical L. plantarum extracts, but I haven’t seen any products.

A more recent study found that oral supplementation with a liquid probiotic containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP-1 reduced inflammation and adult acne. An Italian pharmaceutical company named Biodue SpA provided the materials. I can’t speak for the sourcing of course, but here’s some for sale on eBay. Also, here’s bulk Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP-1 for sale. I haven’t found any from regular sources (Amazon, etc).

AOBiome is currently running in-house trials to determine if their Mother Dirt probiotic skin spray can fight acne. Anecdotes are promising, if preliminary.

Stephen Schlepmo asked:

It’s known that artificial sweeteners don’t stimulate insulin (right?) but do they somehow stimulate appetite? Hence compromising fat reduction goals?

Let’s look at the various sweeteners.

Does aspartame induce an insulin response? No:

One study found that aspartame had no effect on insulin levels.
Another also found that aspartame had no effect on the insulin response in humans, whether alone or combined with carbohydrates.
Another earlier study (full PDF) examined the effects of a diet soda-sized dose aspartame on prolactin, cortisol, growth hormone, insulin, and blood glucose levels, finding none.
Among forty-eight healthy volunteers found no evidence that aspartame has an effect on insulin levels.

What about sucralose (Splenda)? Nope:

A study where scientists shot Splenda directly into the gut showed that it does not stimulate the insulin response.
Another study found that oral dosing of sucralose did not induce a cephalic insulin response.

As for the others, a review of in vivo studies concluded that “low-energy sweeteners” do not have any effects on insulin or appetite hormones.

Yet, observational studies continue to find links between artificial sweeteners and obesity. Maybe it’s reverse causality—being overweight causes diet soda consumption. Overweight people are more likely to drink diet soda because they think it’ll help them lose weight, and intent to lose weight does predict artificial sweetener usage. But this 2016 study attempted to minimize the effect of reverse causality, and they still found strong links between artificial sweetener consumption and the risk of abdominal obesity. Those who drank the most diet soda had the biggest bellies.

And we know how bad Splenda can be for the gut biome, which plays its own role in the risk of obesity.

It’s hard to say, but I err on the side of “avoid”—even if the reason has nothing to do with insulin or appetite.

What’s easier to say is that the non-caloric-yet-natural sweeteners, like stevia or monk fruit, are better choices. Take stevia, for example. In one study where it was compared to sugar or Splenda, stevia actually reduced postprandial insulin levels, and those who ate the stevia didn’t increase calories to make up for the missing sugar calories.

All that said, there’s one surefire way non-caloric sweeteners—even natural ones—can compromise fat loss and and stimulate appetite: by compelling you to eat treats you’d otherwise shun.

Say you eat a good Primal dinner. You’re done. You’re quite full. You’d never consider tucking into a sugary bar of milk chocolate—unless it was sweetened by stevia or monk fruit or one of the sugar alcohols.

Before you know it, you’ve eaten an entire sugar-free chocolate bar that you would have ignored if it had sugar. You’ve just tacked on a few hundred calories to your total, all thanks to the stevia.

That’s it for today, folks. Take care and be well.

Let me know if you have anything to add or ask down below.

The post Dear Mark: HDL, Probiotics for Acne, and Artificial Sweeteneners and Weight Gain appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Weekend Link Love – Edition 458

RESEARCH OF THE WEEK

More research shows that chocolate is good for cognition.

A skull cult at Gobekli Tepe. Why can’t I join a skull cult?

Now this is a depression treatment I love: bouldering.

Identical workouts have different effects on mood depending on whether you’re indoors or outdoors. I’ll let you guess which setting gives the best results.

Scientists just ran seven different replication studies of the original power pose research. All of them failed to replicate.

Millennials are having more strokes than is normal for their age. C’mon, guys.

Risk-taking may breed happiness.

Our ability to withstand extreme endurance efforts arrived alongside our large brains.

Family men and women are more productive workers.

NEW PRIMAL BLUEPRINT PODCASTS

Episode 175: Cassie Parks: Host Elle Russ chats with Cassie Parks, a woman who loves helping people discover and attain their wildest dreams.

Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.

Coconut is Going to Kill Us All (or Maybe Not…)

INTERESTING BLOG POSTS

Why travel may help you live longer.

The psychology of “clutch.”

MEDIA, SCHMEDIA

How LSD therapy changed Cary Grant forever.

Take that 2 o’clock nap and don’t be shy about it.

EVERYTHING ELSE

This Thai dish might give you liver cancer.

Don’t get bit.

I think she prefers her steak rare.

Genome sequencing for everyone is getting closer and closer.

More than any other food, American GIs during World War 2 craved fresh eggs.

This 91 year-old German lady can do more pullups than most of you.

This tiger isn’t on sleeping pills.

THINGS I’M UP TO AND INTERESTED IN

Announcement I’m proud to announce: MDA named one of Best Men’s Health Blogs of the Year by Healthline.

Study retraction that didn’t surprise me: The one where paleo worsened blood lipids.

Film I’m anticipating: We Love Paleo 2. Check the teaser.

Success story that really made me proud: The one from Melani, a Primal Health Coach.

Study I enjoyed: Touch from a lover is analgesic.

RECIPE CORNER

Now you take a leg of lamb, some cumin, a few beets, an Akkadian translator, throw it in a pot, add some beer. Baby, you got yourself a Mesopotamian stew going.
It’s summer, so you should be grilling chicken. Here’s how to do a whole one.

TIME CAPSULE

One year ago (Jul 2– Jul 8)

12 Reasons Why Swimming Is an Essential Primal Skill – Can you swim?
Why a Sense of Adventure is Important (and 22 Primal Ways to Cultivate It) – Get out there.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

“Coconut oil also removes mascara very well. Put some on a tissue or cotton pad, apply to eye for a couple seconds, and wipe. Clean eyelids.”

– Good tip, Susanne. I think I’ll give it a shot.

The post Weekend Link Love – Edition 458 appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Steak and Avocado Salad with Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo Dressing

Set a platter of this steak and avocado salad on the table and watch it disappear. Whether it’s a family dinner, a dinner party, a potluck, or a weekend BBQ, this is a go-to summer recipe that will make everyone happy.

Primal and keto-friendly, this salad features grilled steak tossed with greens, avocado, scallions and cucumber, plus a sprinkle of crunchy pepitas. The creamy chipotle dressing couldn’t be easier to make; just whisk Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayonnaise with fresh lime juice.

Actually, this is more than just a salad. It’s a main course meal loaded with flavor, protein, and healthy fat. Just thinking about all the healthy fat in this recipe will make you salivate: avocado oil, avocados, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, and a creamy and healthy dressing that delivers loads of monounsaturated fat.

Prepare this steak and avocado salad ahead of time so you can sit back and relax, knowing that your work is done and that an amazing and healthful meal is ready and waiting.

Servings: 8

Time in the Kitchen: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to marinate

Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak (or other boneless steak of your choice) (900 g)
Juice of 3 limes, divided
¼ cup Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil (60 ml)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin (5 ml)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika (2.5 ml)
½ teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 ml)
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (or parsley, if you don’t like cilantro), plus extra for garnishing the salad (25 g)
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
2 large handfuls arugula, baby kale, or other dark, leafy baby green
2 avocados, sliced or cubed
1 medium cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
2 scallions, chopped
½ cup pumpkin seeds (75 g)
½ cup Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo (115 g)

Instructions

In a blender or food processor, combine the juice of 2 limes, avocado oil, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and cilantro. Blend until smooth with small flecks of cilantro. Pour the marinade over the steak in a sealable plastic bag or long shallow dish, so the beef is completely covered.

Let the meat marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare grill for medium-high heat; make sure grates are clean and lightly oiled. Remove steak from marinade, shake off extra marinade, and grill 8 to 10 minutes (or longer for a thicker steak), flipping the meat once or twice until both sides are lightly charred and the steak is medium-rare. Let the meat rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Juice the remaining lime into a small bowl. Whisk 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice and 1 tablespoon cold water into the Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo. Continue to add lime juice and water until the mayonnaise reaches the desired flavor and consistency you want for the salad dressing.

Arrange butter lettuce and greens on a large platter. Scatter cucumber, scallions, pumpkin seeds, and a handful of cilantro leaves (or parsley) on top. Arrange the sliced steak over the salad. Up to this point, the salad can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.

Right before serving, slice and add the avocados, and drizzle the Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo dressing on top.

The post Steak and Avocado Salad with Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo Dressing appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

I Thought I Was Cursed to Live a Sort of Half Life

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

Lyme Disease. Fibromyalgia. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Multiple Sclerosis. Adrenal Fatigue. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

These are just a few of the diagnoses that I’ve received over the past 8 years. It was the summer of 2009 when I was hit with a mystery illness so severe that it forced me out of school and out of my job. To say I was terrified would be a gross understatement, and it was a long and winding road to recovery.

My triathlon training was put on permanent hiatus, along with my graduate education plans. My social life dried up in a matter of weeks. Everything in my life came to a grinding halt, and I had no idea how to get the gears going again.

Since my illness wasn’t, and still isn’t, well understood by the medical community, I was put in charge of my own treatment. Thankfully, my research background came in handy, and I scoured the Internet for anything and everything that I thought might help. I filled up my days with a regimen of pills and powders, and tried to use each second I had to read about potential explanations and cures for this mysterious disability I suddenly found myself with.

I considered myself lucky that I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree in Health & Human Sciences, mere weeks before the illness hit. I drew on as much of this knowledge and training that I had tucked away in my brain, as I attempted to navigate this tricky new path. I withdrew from the world, living in a fog of complex and confusing symptoms, day after day. Many of my friends fell off the map. I had no ability to produce income. I lost touch with my passions. I could barely leave the house on most days. My life as I knew it, was over.

The medical community put me through the ringer during that first year of my illness, ordering every possible test that they could justify to my insurance company. And while I did get the occasional positive result, all in all, the dozens of pokes and prods gave us no helpful answers, and my future was still unclear. I was labeled with numerous syndromes and other “wastebasket diagnoses,” and told to go home and rest more. So that’s what I did.

Thankfully, I can say, things did get better, albeit at a snail’s pace. Slowly, my body regained some strength and I was able to return to work very part time after nearly a year of absence. A year or so after that, I began taking some gentle yoga classes again, and started having hope that I was finally on the road to recovery. But I was still struggling day after day with pain, brain fog, dizziness, heart palpitations, and inexplicable exhaustion. It was a struggle to make something out of my life, and I wondered if this was as good as it was ever gonna get. I thought I was cursed to live a sort of half life from then on. I was only 23 years old.

My mornings consisted of disgusting vitamin shakes, which I attempted to mask the taste of with ice cream and sugary syrups. I was choking down pills and injecting myself with B-12 on a weekly basis. Although, looking back, I can say that I got a lot of things right, my diet wasn’t one of those things. For some unknown reason, healing with food never really occurred to me, despite my background in health and nutrition. I somehow decided that being a vegan was a superior choice, and so I eschewed meat and eggs in favor of grains and processed foods. In my mind I was doing the “right thing,” but I know that my body was struggling under the weight of all of those chemicals, preservatives, and other pro-inflammatory ingredients. I officially became a “junk-food vegan,” and continued on my way, wondering why I wasn’t getting any better.

Fast forward another year or two to my major relapse of 2012. Just like they had in the very beginning, all my symptoms came flying at me full-force, and I was knocked back down to square one. I was once again, terrified, confused, angry, and housebound. Frustrated and determined to find the answers, I launched into another round of doctors and specialists, of more testing and treatments. I did manage to gather a few new leads, and I ran with those as far as I possibly could, exhausting every resource I had in a desperate clawing for the truth of my illness. But nothing surfaced. Instead, I pawed through pages and pages of negative and normal test results. I fell into a deep depression, which lasted for several months, dragging everything around me into a dark, black hole.

Looking back, I see that my relapse was my wake up call. I needed to change the way I was going about this whole thing, and really take a wide-angle approach to my healing. I needed to get serious about what I was putting into my body, and the kinds of thoughts I allowed to control my mind. The paleo diet had been circulating in the back of my awareness for some time (after all, I went to Colorado State University, home of Loren Cordain, a pioneer of the movement), and I decided to start incorporating some meat back into my diet.

I distinctly remember my first bite of meat. It was a grass fed ribeye steak, which I seared to medium-rare perfection in my cast iron pan. I cut off a hunk and chewed it with reverence. It tasted SO good. And I kid you not, within about 30 minutes of eating that steak, I felt a surge of energy in my body. My brain felt clearer. My cheeks regained their color. Even my pain level went down a few notches. In the end, it wasn’t research studies or articles that changed my mind- it was my own personal, visceral experience with food that brought me to the primal way of eating.

Over the next several years, I experimented with my diet, making changes here and there to find what helped me to feel my best. I did elimination diets and cleanses, and finally ditched dairy, which apparently had been the cause of my skin issues all along! I started incorporating supportive herbs and starting making veggies the star of every meal, instead of just the side dish. All of these changes didn’t cure me, but I believe that they were key pieces in my continued recovery. With each and every meal, I knew I was making a choice, and I was either helping or hindering my healing process.

As these things tend to do, this period of awakening extended into all the areas of my life, and I started investing in my growth in other arenas too. I got back in touch with my meditation practice, and regained my spiritual compass. I started becoming more mindful of my relationships and of spending more time in nature. I revamped my home environment, and switched to natural and non-toxic body products and cleaning supplies. I read up on the health effects of things like EMF radiation, endocrine disrupters, and too much screen time. I took my self-care to a whole new level, and stopped making excuses for treating myself like crap.

And as each month passed, I could feel a tiny bit more of my energy and clarity returning. I am eternally grateful that I had established all of these healthy routines and had a solid stress reduction practice by the time my next challenge arose. In 2015, my partner of eight years decided she wanted a divorce, and I was forced to move out of my beloved home, without a penny to my name. Those few months were some of the hardest I’ve ever had to endure, and I’m confident in saying that my nourishing diet, sleep hygiene, and meditation habit played important roles in helping me to cope. In the end, this horrible experience turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and offered me a new opportunity to grow and recommit to myself and my healing journey.

After sifting through so much information and from my personal experiences over the years, it became apparent that I had a wealth of wisdom and guidance that I could share with others. Friends and strangers began asking my advice on diet and supplementation. My itty bitty blog started seeing some traffic. I realized that I was becoming a valuable resource for others struggling with chronic and mystery illness, and that I should explore some kind of credential to help me make this into a career. I completed my Reiki Master/Teacher training, after seeing firsthand the power of energy work in activating the body’s inherent healing mechanisms. But I knew my education wasn’t going to stop there.

The Primal Health Coach program stood out to me for several reasons: First, I loved the laid-back philosophy and the emphasis on reconnecting with our natural state of joy and vitality. I don’t respond well to militant or restrictive ideologies, and I didn’t want to put that kind of energy onto my clients either! Second, it was well researched and well organized, making the process easy to navigate and the content was worth the investment. And lastly, I knew that the Primal Blueprint brand was a legitimate and respected one in the health community, and the support they could provide would be priceless.

I’m so thrilled to be a health coach now, and I know that my own experiences give me the passion I need to help others who are searching for answers, just like I did. I am confident that my own unique blend of nutrition, spirituality, and radical self-care can work wonders, because it has in my own life! The primal way of life is all about getting back in touch with our natural state of wellbeing, and I wake up grateful every day for this opportunity to share that wisdom with everyone around me. If you are looking for a way out of chronic illness and into a place of chronic wellness instead, I can be your guide. It is my dream that we all can make empowered decisions for our health, and feel as well as possible, each and every day!

Melani Schweder

ABrighterWild.com

The post I Thought I Was Cursed to Live a Sort of Half Life appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

MDA Named “Best Men’s Health Blog of 2017”

What can I say…it’s a great way to end the week and head into the holiday weekend. I just got word that Healthline.com has named Mark’s Daily Apple among its “Best Men’s Health Blogs of 2017.”

In their words…”We’ve carefully selected these blogs because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information.” I’d say that certainly aligns with my vision for Mark’s Daily Apple and for what I hope this blog and community offer reader and visitors every day.

But I’m not stopping there. In particular, I’m looking to add more information, more research, more insight for women this coming year. I’ve never called or considered this a men’s blog, but I’m thrilled male readers find solid and relevant information here. I want MDA women readers to feel spoken to with the same regard and depth for health issues and questions affecting them. And you can hold me to that.

Gratitude to Healthline.com and to all of you for being part of the Primal movement and the Mark’s Daily Apple community. Grok on, everyone!

The post appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

More on Adaptogens: Ashwagandha, Astragalus, and Holy Basil

Last week I waded into the adaptogen theme, examining the many ins and not-so-many outs of American and Asian ginseng. It got me thinking—why not keep the ball rolling? The ginseng varieties I mentioned are only two among many adaptogens after all.

Let’s dive right in and take up three additional adaptogen choices—along with some additional suggestions for discerning the safest and most potent formulations. 

From Dirt to Dispensary: The Life Cycle of Your Adaptogen Sources

It’s probably fair to say that, as a nation, we’ve got a pretty poor connection with the food we eat. Primal eaters, other nutrition buffs, and some foodies aside, most Americans have no idea how the food they’re eating got on their plates, let alone what ingredients it actually contains.

Personally, I think it’s important to have at least a vague sense of our food’s origins. Wrapping your head around its life cycle, how it was grown, harvested, and distributed often goes a long way towards understanding whether it’s a good choice (e.g. healthy, sustainable) and which perhaps which brands or versions you should favor. The same applies to supplements—including adaptogens.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a perennial shrub native to the drier areas of India and South Asia. Hailing from the same family as tomatoes, peppers, and other nightshades, ashwagandha is otherwise known as Indian ginseng (no actual relation), winter cherry, and poison gooseberry. This last, rather alarming, title seems to be a misconception, as research indicates no toxic effect from any part of the plant. That being said, it’s generally only the roots that are used in traditional medicine and modern supplements anyway.

In the wild, ashwagandha grows across much of Asia, with close members of the Withania family extending into the Middle East and Northern Africa. While certain other members of this family contain notable levels of therapeutic compounds, particularly the steroidal lactones withanolides, ashwagandha refers only to plants of the species Withania somnifera. Cultivation of ashwagandha has, unsurprisingly, spread across the globe with increasing popularity of adaptogens in general and ashwagandha in particular, and there are now plenty of farms within the U.S. that grow the stuff.

Around 180 days after germination, these itty bitty ashwagandha plants are dug up whole, and the roots chopped off and dried. Once dried, the roots are typically ground to make a therapeutic powder, or else cut into smaller pieces for other medicinal applications. These roots contains high concentrations of various beneficial compounds, including the alkaloids ashwagandhine, ashwaganidhine, and somniferine.

As a nifty bit of trivia, in Sanskrit, ashwagandha means something along the lines of “odor of the horse”, presumably owing to its rather pungent (sometimes nauseating) aroma which is somewhat reminiscent of a sweaty horse. The latin name for this herb, somnifera, translates to “sleep-inducer” which is fairly self-explanatory. So there you go: a sleeping pill that smells like a horse. (There’s more to it of course, but I’ll get to that in a minute.)

Astragalus

Astragalus is a perennial herb of similar proportions to ashwagandha, and is native to the northern and eastern regions of China. Also known as milk vetch and huang-qi, astragalus is one of over 2000 species in the genus. Of those 2000+, only two—astragalus mongholicus and astragalus membranaceous—are used medicinally. While the literature generally chops and changes between these two medical species, there tends to be more favoritism in the literature towards membranaceus, and it is this species that generally holds the coveted “astragalus” title in the adaptogenic world.

As with ashwagandha, it’s typically only the root that’s used for medicinal purposes. These roots are harvested from 4-year old plants, dried, and then sent forth into the world for various medicinal concoctions. These days, most of the astragalus supplements on the market are cultivated, but there are occasional products which offer wild-harvested varieties.

Holy Basil

To complete this particular trio of adaptogens, we have holy basil. The history of this fragrant herb is arguably even richer than that of the other two adaptogens, forming a pillar of Ayurvedic medicine and held as a sacred plant in both the Hindu and Christian religions. The name is very much earned, it would seem.

Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum aka sanctum) also goes by the names of tulsi, tulasi, and even sacred basil. Likely native to tropical Asia, holy basil is now grown in most warmer regions of the world. The plant itself grows into an herbaceous shrub with hairy stems and greenish, purplish leaves. The best way to get hold of organic, high-potency holy basil is to grow it yourself. It’s not hard, provided you’ve got a long enough growing season. Otherwise, the majority of cultivated holy basil hails from Southeast Asia.

Unlike ashwagandha and astragalus, it’s the leaves of holy basil that are primarily used in therapeutic supplements and tinctures.

A Scientific Take on Adaptogens

It’s difficult to sit down and list off the many health benefits of adaptogens for a couple of reasons. The first is that there’s just so darn much research out there. Many of these herbs have received scientific attention for many decades, some even presenting over a century worth of documented research. The second reason is due to the very nature of these herbs. Their beauty lies in their generality: they work synergistically on the body to achieve their therapeutic goals, rather than on targeted areas. Listing off their individual beneficial attributes is, to a certain extent, redundant.

But I get that simply implying that all therapeutic boxes are ticked on account of the “kill all stress” approach of adaptogens doesn’t make for a great read. You want stats, and I’ll certainly endeavor to give you some.

Ashwagandha Research

There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that ashwagandha is an effective herb for treating anything from sleep disorders to arthritis. In addition, traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine place great faith in ashwagandha as an immune-booster, a stamina-enhancer, and a stress reliever. But is there any substance to the claims? Let’s find out.

Inflammation

After scrolling through the literature, I’d have no qualms about backing up ashwagandha’s anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory claims to fame. There’s been no shortage of studies examining this anti-inflammatory effect in rats in mice, with an earlier study showing that 1 g/kg of ashwagandha suspended in acacia gum could bring inflammation back down to negligible levels in short order. A later study by the same authors examined the anti-inflammatory effect of different ashwagandha dosages, once again finding that 1 g/kg was the magic ratio. A third study in arthritic rats found that this same dosage was more effective than hydrocortisone in reducing paw swelling and degenerative changes brought on by the induced arthritis.

Whether on rats or people, ashwagandha seems to be in its element when it comes to reducing both chronic and acute inflammation. In a study of 42 patients with osteoarthritis, a formula containing ashwagandha, Boswellia serrata, Curcuma longa and zinc was administered for three months. The result was a significant drop in both pain and disability arising from the arthritis.

Cancer

Unsurprisingly, it seems that much of the research conducted on ashwagandha has focused on its anti-cancer properties. From what they’ve uncovered so far, ashwagandha may be counted as one of the most potent anti-carcinogenic and anti-tumor treatments available, and without toxic side-effects. In mice, 200 mg per kg of ashwagandha per day was shown to protect them from the tumor-inducing effect of urethane, to help maintain healthy body weight and to prevent urethane-induced mortality. Clearly, if you ever accidentally knock back a glass or urethane, this herb is just the ticket. (Please don’t try that at home.)

Other studies indicate a similar function, with Chinese hamsters benefiting from the anti-tumor and radio-sensitizing effects of ashwagandha. More recent lab tests also show that human cells receive a protective effect against cancerous attacks, concluding that “the leaf extract of ashwagandha selectively kills tumor cells and, thus, is a natural source for safe anticancer medicine.”

Obligatory but Important Disclaimer: I’m in no way suggesting anyone discontinue traditional cancer therapy or rely on this or any herb or supplement for the treatment of any medical condition.

Stress

If there’s one thing that an adaptogen does well, it’s kick stress in the butt. And ashwagandha does not disappoint. As usual, there’s plenty of rodent-based research showing that ashwagandha protects against stressful scenarios, such as 474 continuous minutes of swimming. But throw a load of ashwagandha at a bunch of stressed out Homo sapiens, and you’ll find similarly significant protective effects. This study, for example, took 64 patients suffering from chronic stress and showed that 300 mg of ashwagandha root supplementation for 60 days dramatically lowered cortisol levels and reduced all marks of chronic stress.

Not bad, for a plant that smells like a stinky horse.

Other Benefits

Chances are, there’s enough here to keep you going, but it’d be rude of me not to mention some of the other benefits ashwagandha appears to provide. Here’s the quick and dirty:

Ashwagandha appears to stimulate an underactive thyroid
Ashwagandha shows promise in improving fertility and semen “quality”
Ashwagandha seems to stimulate greater muscle development and strength and to prevent muscle damage following resistance training
Ashwagandha may assist in the treatment of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease

Astragalus Research

Moving right along, it’s time to get the lowdown on astragalus. As with all adaptogens, astragalus appears to be dynamite against stress (that being a prerequisite, after all), so I’m not going to delve into that again. You’ll just have to trust me. But for everything else, here goes….

Cardiovascular Health

Astragalus has been shown in several studies to improve symptoms of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and to relieve anginal pain. That being said, its close Mongolian cousin, Astragalus mongholicus, may just take the prize in this department. It’s been shown to exhibit strong antioxidant properties, improve lipid profiles, reduce risk of coronary heart disease and lower risk of cardiovascular disease in general.

Anemia

Research conducted on mice indicates that astragalus injections can offset the symptoms of anemia and promote the creation of new blood cells. While promising, there definitely needs to be more research conducted in this area, preferably on compliant humans.

Immunity

You’ll see plenty of studies singing the immunity focused praises of astragalus, especially with regards to colds and the flu. Apparently, there’s some substance to the claims. In particular, the collection of polysaccharides in astragalus appear to boost immunity, encourage proliferation of immuno-protective cells, lower risk of viral infection, and act as a capable companion to hepatitis B vaccinations.

Cancer

Yes, yes, of course this one was going to turn up at some point: it always does with adaptogens. A meta-analysis that examined 34 astragalus-cancer studies representing over 2800 patients found that twelve of those studies reported reduced risk of death after 12 months, and 30 of them showed improved tumor response data. Not bad odds.

Other research suggests that astragalus might in some cases offer a viable replacement for chemotherapy as it shows similar efficacy to chemotherapeutic drugs minus the horrible side effects. Personally, I’d want to see more research here, but it’s an intriguing thought. (Previous disclaimer noted of course.)

Holy Basil Research
Diabetes

Perhaps due to its historic popularity in much of Southeast Asia and India, research relating to the anti-diabetic effects of holy basil dates way back. That research has continued unabated in the last two decades, with tests on diabetic rats showing significant reductions in fasting blood glucose, serum lipid profile, total cholesterol, and plenty more besides. Most of this is placed firmly on the causative doorstep of holy basil’s potent antioxidant effect.

Cancer

Another meta-analysis of research examining the link between holy basil and cancer noted that this herb “could be useful in radiation protection of healthy individuals engaged in radiation related work and for reducing the side effects of radiotherapy in cancer patients.” The brains behind the braun? A heady mix of phytochemicals, including eugenol, rosmarinic acid, apigenin, myretenal, luteolin, and carnosic acid. 

Ulcers

This study demonstrated that holy basil possessed “significant antiulcer activity against aspirin-, indomethacin-, alcohol-, histamine-, reserpine-, serotonin- and stress-induced ulceration,” along with gastric ulcers. A later study found much the same thing, noting that holy basil exhibited potent anti-ulcerogenic and ulcer-healing properties, and was a likely candidate for peptic ulcer disease treatment.

Antimicrobial

Holy basil appears to set itself apart from many of the other adaptogens on account of its strong antimicrobial abilities. An in-lab study examining the effect of holy basil extract on everyone’s favorite microscopic villain, Streptococcus mutans, showed that a 4% solution created a 22 mm zone of inhibition. Another study found that holy basil worked well against Gram-positive bacteria, and “could be very useful in the discovery of novel antibacterial/antimicrobial agents.”

Adaptogen Cautions

The beauty of all three of these herbs is that, study after study, scientists continue to note how few side effects result from their use. What’s more, the side effects that do rear their ugly heads are often minor, and due in large part to herb overuse or overdose. Slow and steady wins the race, when it comes to adaptogens.

The side effects of ashwagandha are happily few and far between, and typically only occur from large doses over extended periods of time. Common side effects that result in these instances include diarrhea, upset stomach, nausea and maybe the odd bout of vomiting.

Perhaps the biggest complication that can result from taking ashwagandha would be during pregnancy. There’s simply not enough scientific evidence to mark it as safe for mothers-to-be and breastfeeding mothers-that-are. What research has been conducted shows that ashwagandha may exhibit spasmolytic activity in the uterus, which can lead to premature birth.

Once again, taking ashwagandha in conjunction with any sedative-type medications is probably a no-no, on account of its own drowsiness-inducing properties. It’s also best to avoid ashwagandha if you’re on diabetic or blood pressure medications, as it can interfere with both.

Interestingly, I couldn’t find any listed side effects of astragalus supplementation in the literature. If I had to guess, however, I’d say the body would let you know if overdose levels had been reached—vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, that kind of thing.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should probably be wary of astragalus. Another thing to consider is this herb’s purported immune-boosting effect. While this may be just the ticket for those constantly suffering from the sniffles, folks beset with an autoimmune condition like MS or rheumatoid arthritis might not do so well on it.

Side effects of holy basil include coughing or peeing blood, blood-thinning effects, lowering of blood sugar, possible infertility at high doses, and premature labor.

Because of its blood-thinning effects, supplementing with holy basil if you have a blood clotting issue probably isn’t a great idea. And mixing it with sedatives isn’t the best course of action either.

Getting Your Hands on the Good Stuff

In last week’s article on ginseng, I stressed the importance of knowing your medicine. 

First and foremost, you should be fully conversant with the Latin name of each and make a point of scouring the ingredients (and active ingredients) listed on the supplement or product label. Said label should explicitly state the herb is the key (and preferably only) ingredient in the supplement. If the supplement employs a range of herbs, as is common in traditional Chinese or Ayurvedic concoctions, the herbs should at least be towards the top of the ingredients list. Exercise caution when taking blends. 

Also important is the way in which the adaptogen was cultivated and harvested. While there’s assuredly plenty of good quality sources from Asia, all three herbs are grown in the U.S., where governing bodies can presumably ensure their compliance with applicable food and supplement laws. This should reduce the carbon footprint of your supplement to boot. Additionally, going for the pricier organic adaptogenic supplement is always a good idea, as there’s a good chance your non-organic alternative has been thoroughly doused in fertilizers and herbicides, and likely grown in nutrient-poor soils. Kind of defeats the purpose, right?

Perhaps the best option of all is to pop down to your local dispensary and ask them if they have loose-leaf, organic ashwagandha, astragalus or holy basil. Buying loose leaf in bulk is almost always a lot cheaper than buying pre-packaged supplements, and you can steep all three in boiling water to make a therapeutic tea, happy in the knowledge that there’s no hidden nasties in your beneficial beverage.

Thanks for reading, folks. Hopefully that’s answered a few questions you might’ve had about adaptogens, and piqued your interest a little. Tell us about your experiences with adaptogens in the comments section below.

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