William Davis's Blog: Dr. Davis Infinite Health Blog, page 89

Hack Your Diabetes (type 2)

For most people with type 2 diabetes, having this disease is a CHOICE you make: you can choose to have it, you can choose to not have it.

Just don’t expect your doctor or the drug industry to help you choose, because they will choose to keep you diabetic. For the drug industry, type 2 diabetes is the gift that keeps on giving, driving extraordinary revenues from the growing list of (quite costly) diabetes drugs and the expanding number of people with the disease caused by conventional dietary advice and Big Food.

But the majority of people can become non-diabetic with just a few simple efforts, Undoctored, undrugged, unstoppable.

I discuss this and other health strategies in my new book, Undoctored.

Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor

Available in all major bookstores and on Amazon.

#undoctored #wheatbelly

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How To Get Off Statins

Getting off a statin drug is actually quite easy and straightforward–but likely not among your doctor’s interests.

The values you can obtain on your own are superior to the values obtained with statin drugs–not nearly as good, not the same, but SUPERIOR.

These and other discussions are part of the Undoctored conversations found in my new book, Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor.

Available in all major bookstores and on Amazon.

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DIY Thyroid

If the doctor refuses to perform a full thyroid assessment, it is typically due to ignorance or laziness, not to concern over your safety. If you encounter resistance, the answer is simple: DIY THYROID–do it yourself. Get a full thyroid assessment on your own without the doctor.

Among the mistakes made by conventional doctors:

Not recognizing common symptoms of thyroid disease
Not understanding that as much as 35% of the population have varying degrees of hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels)
Thinking that iodine intake is adequate
Regarding TSH as the only test required to assess thyroid while ignoring, for instance, disruption of the 5′-deiodinase enzyme from exposure to ubiquitous industrial compounds that yields low free T3 levels
Ignoring the phenomenon of high reverse T3 levels
Not exploring autoimmune thyroid disease
Thinking that levothyroxine, or the T4 thyroid hormone, is sufficient without addressing T3

In other words, the majority of people who approach their primary care doctor are given inadequate or bad advice. The same is true for the peculiar head-in-the-sand specialists, endocrinologists, among the most ignorant of doctors.

This is one of the many conversations in my new book Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor. The reality is that doctors do such a lousy job of assessing thyroid status that it is easy to do a far better job on your own. If you obtain the tests on your own, feel free to share those values on Undoctored and Wheat Belly social media for feedback. And, in future, I’ll talk about ways to even obtain desiccated thyroid preparations like Naturethroid on your own without a doctor or a prescription.

The Undoctored book is available in all major bookstores and on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Undoctored-Hea...

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Paging Dr. Google

“Did you consult Dr. Google?”

If your doctor asked you this question, he/she does not understand that you have the potential to obtain answers SUPERIOR to answers the doctor provides. This is because you have access to all the same information as the doctor does. You have the ability to discuss and collaborate on health questions with thousands of people. You now have access to an emerging world of health tools that allow you to track health measures and impact them. You have more health power in your own hands than anyone ever before in the history of the world.

Yet the paternalistic, “I’m the doctor, you’re the patient, I’m the one who went to medical school” mentality persists, causing the doctor to dismiss your contribution to health decisions.

This is the age of being Undoctored. The health you can obtain through your own efforts without the doctor are not almost as good, not on a par with, but is SUPERIOR to the health achieved through the doctor.

My new book is Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor. Available in all major bookstores and Amazon.

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Flourless Chocolate Cake (dairy-free)

There are many recipes for Flourless Chocolate Cake available, especially since the Wheat Belly message demonized the use of wheat flour and sugar. But here is a very low-carb version of Flourless Chocolate Cake that is also dairy-free.

Flourless cakes are heavier than flour-based cakes, so even small servings are quite filling. The use of less chocolate and use of cocoa powder, however, make this a bit more cakey than other recipes that can yield a more brownie or fudge-like cake.

Makes 8-10 servings

6 ounces 100% chocolate, broken into fragments

1/2 cup cococonut oil

5 large eggs, separated

3/8 cup Virtue Sweetener (or other natural sweetener equivalent to 1 1/2 cups sugar)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

In medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and coconut oil and microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Alternatively, use double-boiler setup to melt. Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Add egg yolks, sweetener, cocoa powder, vanilla and almond extracts to chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour egg whites gradually into chocolate mixture and mix. Pour entire mixture into pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick or knife withdraws clean. Allow to cool before releasing springform pan.

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The Most Exciting Health Discoveries

People and industries in healthcare boast about all the new discoveries that will be coming our way: new methods to regenerate organs, transplantations, robotic surgeries, implantable devices, new biological agents. These are also all going to be exceptionally costly technologies priced at tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars each. This is because healthcare is about building its business and generating maximum revenues, whether or not health is actually served.

But the most exciting health discoveries, I believe, will not be from such things. Instead, as health tools and information become increasingly available to the public, new health answers will come from the “crowd.” If non-diabetics track blood sugar, it reveals how diet can be managed to not have diabetes. If people with Parkinson’s disease can track their condition using voice analysis software, people will fortuitously stumble on strategies that slow, perhaps reverse, the condition. Someone with an anxiety disorder can track various physiological phenomena (e.g., heart rate variability, skin temperature, EEG wave patterns) on a smartphone that, when managed via biofeedback, can prevent an anxiety attack and eliminate the need for prescription anti-anxiety medication.

We are on the cusp of an era in which there will be a flood of new observations, helpful associations, and powerful ways to impact health conditions. And, because they come from everyday people not intent on profit, they will be inexpensive and accessible. New online collaborative platforms will even allow us to test new ideas—some will work, some will not. But think of the possibilities for the future in discovering new ways that we can apply to ourselves to regain control over health. We do this outside of the healthcare system, without hospitals and without doctors, without extremes of cost. This is why I call it “Undoctored.”

My new book is Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor available in all major bookstores including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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Children’s learning and behavior on Wheat Belly

 

Katheren posted this interesting observation about her children on the Wheat Belly Facebook page:

“I put my kiddos on the Wheat Belly lifestyle about 3 weeks ago and have discovered the following:

“My daughter (age 6):

-no longer has anger issues (she would get angry quickly and yell, argue, and hit her brother). I could see when school would let her eat wheat because she would go back to that behavior for 24 hrs.

-her belly isn’t extended, bloated

“My son (age 10):

-grades in school improved. He would bring home failing grades and now he’s making 80’s or higher, even on major tests!

“Such a difference it made!”

These sorts of changes in behavior—reduction in anger and irritability, increased capacity to sit quietly and concentrate, improved learning—are actually quite common in children whose parents get them to follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle. It’s not easy, given the opioid addictive properties of wheat and grains, convenience, the push of Big Food marketing of junk food, and peer pressure. But Katheren shows that it can be done with extravagant results. And these are the results in normal kids. Even greater results can be seen in kids with pre-existing issues such as ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder.

Ironically, Katheren had to do the opposite of what the USDA School Lunch Program mandates in order to witness such wonderful behavioral and emotional improvements in her children. Yes: government policy impairs the behavior and learning of many children (not to mention forces the 1% of kids with undiagnosed celiac disease to consume a food highly toxic to them without any mention or requirement for testing). The School Lunch Program may provide food for kids with inadequate caloric intake, but it impairs the learning and behavior of thousands, perhaps millions, of children.

And, if this is how it is expressed in kids, imagine how it might be expressed in adults: road rage, spousal violence, difficulties at work, etc.?

This is yet another facet of the peculiar emotional and mental effects of gliadin-derived opioid peptides on humans, the digestive byproducts of the inefficiently digested gliadin protein of wheat and related grains. Understand this basic fact and you, like Katheren, can discover astounding benefits for you and your family.

The post Children’s learning and behavior on Wheat Belly appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

Children learning and behavior on Wheat Belly

 

Katheren posted this interesting observation about her children on the Wheat Belly Facebook page:

“I put my kiddos on the Wheat Belly lifestyle about 3 weeks ago and have discovered the following:

“My daughter (age 6):

-no longer has anger issues (she would get angry quickly and yell, argue, and hit her brother). I could see when school would let her eat wheat because she would go back to that behavior for 24 hrs.

-her belly isn’t extended, bloated

“My son (age 10):

-grades in school improved. He would bring home failing grades and now he’s making 80’s or higher, even on major tests!

“Such a difference it made!”

These sorts of changes in behavior—reduction in anger and irritability, increased capacity to sit quietly and concentrate, improved learning—are actually quite common in children whose parents get them to follow the Wheat Belly lifestyle. It’s not easy, given the opioid addictive properties of wheat and grains, convenience, the push of Big Food marketing of junk food, and peer pressure. But Katheren shows that it can be done with extravagant results. And these are the results in normal kids. Even greater results can be seen in kids with pre-existing issues such as ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder.

Ironically, Katheren had to do the opposite of what the USDA School Lunch Program mandates in order to witness such wonderful behavioral and emotional improvements in her children. Yes: government policy impairs the behavior and learning of many children (not to mention forces the 1% of kids with undiagnosed celiac disease to consume a food highly toxic to them without any mention or requirement for testing). The School Lunch Program may provide food for kids with inadequate caloric intake, but it impairs the learning and behavior of thousands, perhaps millions, of children.

And, if this is how it is expressed in kids, imagine how it might be expressed in adults: road rage, spousal violence, difficulties at work, etc.?

This is yet another facet of the peculiar emotional and mental effects of gliadin-derived opioid peptides on humans, the digestive byproducts of the inefficiently digested gliadin protein of wheat and related grains. Understand this basic fact and you, like Katheren, can discover astounding benefits for you and your family.

The post Children learning and behavior on Wheat Belly appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

High-Fat Hot Chocolate

Karen posted this recipe for what she called “Bulletproof Hot Chocolate” but what I shall call “High-Fat Hot Chocolate” in order to not violate my friend, Dave Asprey’s, trademark for his Bulletproof label, though certainly not as catchy or clever.

If you like the idea of coconut oil and butter blended into your coffee, or if you don’t like or can’t drink coffee, follow Karen’s suggestion for doing it with hot chocolate/cocoa. In addition to changing the name, I’ve made some minor tweaks over Karen’s original recipe, including specifying our preferred natural sweetener, Virtue Sweetener and providing a non-microwave method. (Personally, I have no problem with microwaving foods, but I like to use an electric kettle I keep on my countertop–one minute to boil water.)

High-Fat Hot Chocolate…for all you non coffee drinkers!

Makes one 12-ounce serving

12 ounces water, almond or coconut milk

1 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Virtue Sweetener or other sweetener equivalent to 1-2 teaspoons sugar

Microwave method:

In large mug, combine 4 ounces (1/2 cup) water or milk, cocoa powder, butter, coconut oil, sweetener and microwave for 40 seconds. Blend with immersion/stick blender for 20-30 seconds. Pour remaining liquid into mug and microwave for additional 60 seconds.

Stovetop or electric kettle method:

Boil water or milk in saucepan or electric kettle.

Pour 4 ounces (1/2 cup) into large mug, followed by cocoa powder, butter, coconut oil, and sweetener. Blend with immersion/stick blender for 20-30 seconds. Pour remaining liquid into mug.

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How do you choose a healthcare practitioner?

Let’s face it: Many healthcare practitioners, certainly those in conventional medicine, are dis-empowering, uncooperative, and non-collaborative. You want to avoid those. You can waste an awful lot of time and health with such practitioners, so it is important to seek out a healthcare provider whom you can count on for advice, assistance, or just confirmation when you need it.

Here are some guidelines to follow…

To identify an effective healthcare advocate, it is important to identify just one individual, as once you identify this one person, she will usually know like-minded practitioners in other specialties. Identify a functional medicine practitioner, for example, who willingly collaborates with you, and he can suggest a like-minded gynecologist, gastroenterologist, or endocrinologist, should the need arise. So we tap into networks of empowering practitioners by just starting with one. (The vast majority of specialists in these fields, by the way, do not fit your bill of needs. So being able to weed through the unhelpful ones by starting with a promising referral can spare you plenty of aggravation and time.)

Empowering practitioners can be found in a number of fields, but the most productive areas to start your search include:

Functional medicine. Practitioners of functional medicine use biochemistry, physiology, and nutrition to understand health issues, and they are more likely to use nutritional or natural solutions to health. They are also more likely to draw from “integrative” or “alternative” strategies and not jump immediately to prescription drugs or procedures. Practitioners can be found from a number of backgrounds and areas of expertise, including medical doctors (MD, DO), chiropractors (DC), naturopaths (ND), nurses (RN), and nutritionists. A listing of functional medicine practitioners certified by the Institute for Functional Medicine (functionalmedicine.org) can be found by selecting the “Find a Practitioner” option on the institute’s home page.

Integrative health. Like practitioners of functional medicine, integrative health practitioners are more open-minded and, as the label suggests, tend to integrate methods from various sources, including nutrition, nutritional supplements, chiropractic, and biofeedback. The Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (aihm.org) maintains a listing of practitioners in the United States at aihm.org/find. Practitioners include medical doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors, naturopaths, physician assistants, nurses, and psychologists.

Naturopathy. The practice of naturopathy has come a long way over the past 20 years, from a sketchy past to a modern approach in which practitioners are educated through a rigorous process and practice a natural, integrative approach that favors, but does not exclude, conventional medical care. Having spent a fair amount of time with many of its practitioners, I have developed a new respect for the scientific integrity but open-minded attitude that their training and experience cultivates.

The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians maintains a listing of practitioners accessible from its Web site, naturopathic.org, by selecting “Find a Doctor” or by going directly to naturopathic.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=2. While many naturopaths are general practitioners, an increasing number of specialists are emerging, also, searchable on this directory. Naturopaths are unable to prescribe, change, or discontinue prescription drugs, but many collaborate with medical physicians to do so. One uncertainty: Many states do not yet license practitioners of naturopathy, allowing some with minimal education to declare themselves practitioners. Fully trained practitioners have an undergraduate education, a 4-year period of education and training in a college of naturopathic medicine, and a variable period of postgraduate training and are listed in the association’s directory.

Chiropractic. While most chiropractors focus on musculoskeletal and neurological health, an increasing number have expanded their skills into nutrition, biochemistry, and alternative methods. Most chiropractors cannot stand alone as a sole healthcare provider, but they can be very useful advocates, as well as a starting place to tap into provider networks of likeminded practitioners. The American Chiropractic Association (acatoday.org) maintains a listing of certified practitioners under “Find a Doctor.”

Undoctored U–certified practitioners. I am in the process of providing training to doctors, nurses, personal trainers, and others interested in delivering Undoctored principles to their clientele. Certified practitioners will be listed in coming years on the undoctoredhealth.com Web site.

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