Health Coach House Calls

In studying the MTHFR gene mutations, I came across a good analogy. Genetic mutations were likened to a loaded gun, and environmental factors act to pull the trigger. It's not a new idea, as epigenetic and nutrigenomic studies have been going on for a long time, but you'll start seeing it more in the mainstream now.

If a health practitioner tells you that dietary and environmental triggers have nothing to do with the onset or progression of a disease or condition you are dealing with someone who can't see beyond the very limited scope of their education, and you should run the other way.

The Cause Of Autoimmune Diseases Like Rheumatoid Arthritis Could Be In Your Fridge Want healthy joints? Maybe put down that glass of milk. A study from the University of Central Florida suggests that a bacterium easily acquired by consumi

Are You Health Conscious... or Orthorexic?

I recently saw a post on Care2 Healthy Living that describes a condition based on the fixation with righteous eating coined "Orthorexia Nervosa" by Dr. Steven Bratman in 1996. Check out his website if you'd like: http://www.orthorexia.com/

As a 4x cancer survivor, I have had severe bouts with this due to a fear of eating things that may not be ideal or perfect for the health profile I have been trying to achieve. Michael Pollan has helped to bring this obsession with healthy eating into the light in some of his interviews and writings from the past two decades. You can check out this link for a summary of his take on the matter here:

http://michaelpollan.com/reviews/obsessed-with-nutrition-thats-an-eating-disorder/

If you look into things like epigenetics and nutrigenomics, or if you go back and dig up some roots, like the works Abram Hoffer and the idea of Orthomolecular Medicine, you'll quickly realize that there is no "answer" that is attainable for anyone or everyone...yet. After reading thousands of books and articles, and seeing or speaking to specialists from around the world over the course of 20+ years, I have come to several simple conclusions that seem to be right for me:

1) None of the eating and lifestyle choices out there are perfect for my unique biochemical profile, and they probably aren't perfect for yours either. This includes the various forms of Paleo, Neo, Schwarzbein, Veganism, Vegetarianism, Keto, Adaptive Keto, low carb etc..). The best we can do is to find the one, or ones, that work the best for what we are trying to achieve or that bring us closest to our goals.

2) Fear of eating the "wrong" thing can lead to malnutrition and supplements cannot adequately fill the gap.

3) No one has all of the answers and many people who think they do, actually know the least. In other words, information given by any person (friends, family, nutritionists, doctors, health professionals etc..) who claims "know" what is best for you, or for people in general, is either partly correct or partly wrong AT BEST. Represented graphically, all of the conflicting information out there would be a very complex Venn diagram with a vague area of overlap that doesn't always provide the answers you need.

4) Becoming the primary health advocate for yourself and for your children is important. Here are some places to start:

*Learn to analyze bloodwork and learn which types of diagnostics tests might be beneficial.

*Learn to critically read research (not just articles that interpret research).

*Ask questions and demand answers. Don't be a passive patient.

We live in the age of information. Information that was once only available to the few is now available to all. You need to hunt for the information that will be useful to you because the information that is delivered is often tainted.

Orthorexia The Authorized Bratman Orthorexia Self-Test June 8, 2017UncategorizedStevenB Are you an enthusiast for healthy food? That’s wonderful. However, for some people, interest in healthy food can transform into an eating disorder. The following self-test is designed to help you determine whether you hav...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Here's Your Ultimate GMO-Free Food List GMO free food list categorizes which food companies, foods and brands are GMO free.