Lex's Journal

[PaleoPhil]

Thanks. I used to take whatever drugs physicians recommended and not think much about it. When it became clear that that was counterproductive and as I learned more about long-term side effects, my bias shifted towards thinking that my goal should be to resolve underlying causes sufficiently to enable me to get off any and all chronic prescription/OTC drugs. As Angelo Coppola of Latest in Paleo says,  "Human beings are not broken by default."

[goodsamaritan]

GS,
I'll see if the test can be included in the battery I'm considering at a reasonable cost.   The website link you provided wants $175+ for the test and as it is the labs for the hormone tests will run about $1,000.  I'm not sure I want to add another 20% to the cost and have to deal with another lab as well, but I'll look into it.

http://www.omega3test.com/

50% discount using offer code "slanker" = $ 87.50

I think it has more to do with verifying that the mono meals beef you are eating has a good omega 3 to 6 ratio.

[lex_rooker]

I think it has more to do with verifying that the mono meals beef you are eating has a good omega 3 to 6 ratio.

I have no idea if the test would verify that or not.  I also have no idea what a good blood omega 3 to 6 ratio would be.  I'm hearing that now some experts are saying that Omega 3 is terrible and we should avoid it at all costs.  Who knows what's true.  Rather than focusing on Omega3 in my diet, I prefer to think in terms of eating animals that are eating their natural diet.  If they are eating their natural diet then their composition should provide good nutrition regardless of the ratios of the various nutrients.  Remember, I don't try to achieve any specific numbers in my lab tests.  I eat what I feel is a resonable diet and let the numbers fall where they may.

Will look into the test when I'm ready to take them.  May do the hormone thing first and add the omega 3 to my annual test in July if it is available through my healthcare provider.  We'll see.

Lex

[William]

Lex, your environment has changed due to Fukushima, and in your area radioactive pollution exceeds maximum levels by something like five times.

"People need to know that there is no magic bullet."

There is a magic bullet! It is the iodine protocol:
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iprotocol.html

  "No matter what we eat, drink, or do, we will age, become infirm and die."

Iodine protocol cures prostate problem, improves eyesight and all your other symptoms. Potassium iodide is the recommended answer to radiation poisoning, which all of us in the northern hemisphere have.

Since you are so young,   you'll probably notice good effects within three weeks.
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=815
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-05/IOD_05.html

Note GS's comment on electrical therapy - iodine does this from the inside, as it is the tool needed by your immune system.

[lex_rooker]

There is a magic bullet! It is the iodine protocol:

Iodine protocol cures prostate problem, improves eyesight and all your other symptoms. Potassium iodide is the recommended answer to radiation poisoning, which all of us in the northern hemisphere have.

Since you are so young,   you'll probably notice good effects within three weeks.

If only it was that simple.  I’ve been chasing miracle cures like this for most of my life.  So far none have worked as advertised.  All have been long on promises and short on delivery. 

Maybe if I mix it with some of my previous miracle cureall's: Chlorine Dioxide, Colloidal Silver, Coral Calcium, Methylselenocysteine, and Slow Release Magnesium…..

Lex

[William]

I can't see it as a "miracle cure". Iodine deficiency is epidemic. It is real, and provable by urinalysis.

If you read enough of the literature, you can see that it is caused by deficiency, and  by modern pollution, including the outgassing of bromine from flame retardants in upholstery textiles in house and automobiles, fluorine in prescription medicines. You will also see that it is as logical and inevitable as the the clockworks that you know so well.

If you need support from a physician, there is a list here:
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/ipractitioners.html
Needed because allopathic physicians are trained to be hostile to this proven successful way. Proven since 1831.
No way this is in the same class as the snake oil you mentioned.

[goodsamaritan]

William may have something there about iodine deficiency and the deficiency of the soil the grass grows on and the cows you eat feed on.

I used to have organic tree iodine made by my herbalist teacher barefootherbalistmh.com (got lost in the flood, maybe I should order more).

It was good powerful stuff, non-toxic, unlike the chemical iodine.  It saved me once from red tide food poisoning when I ate dirty oysters. 

It's just possibilities and concepts, Lex.

[TylerDurden]

If only it was that simple.  I’ve been chasing miracle cures like this for most of my life.  So far none have worked as advertised.  All have been long on promises and short on delivery. 

Maybe if I mix it with some of my previous miracle cureall's: Chlorine Dioxide, Colloidal Silver, Coral Calcium, Methylselenocysteine, and Slow Release Magnesium…..

Lex

LOL!  Exactly my own experience. Supplements were all a dreadful waste of time for me. Well, except for homeopathic remedies which had  slight, short-term effect on certain symptoms, but which never had a permanent effect.

[cherimoya_kid]

I will say that Lex avoids seafoods, which tend to be rich in iodine.

However, most cattle farmers supplement their cows with iodine.  Slankers probably does, too.

[Dorothy]

The problem with iodine supplementation is that too much is just as bad as too little. There was epidemic thyroid disease before iodine was added to salt - but not too long AFTER it was added the thyroid disease numbers increased to more than they were before they were added and continue so. I eat foods that have all the things that were suggested on that website William when I want them. Lex is eating the thyroids of the cows from Slankers because the whole cow goes into the mix. Thyroid gland is very high in iodine.

If Lex is very low in iodine it would probably show up on tsh blood tests because the thyroid really can't continue to function well without enough iodine. If iodine deficiency is at the core of the cause of his other symptoms (especially the prostate issues) then I would imagine that he would be deficient enough for it also to affect his thyroid function. Have you had your thyroid function tested with your checkups Lex?

Another thing that has to be taken into account here is that for the first 4 years all his numbers were improving, his symptoms were abating and his disease processes slowing down. Then the aspirin - which - if he had an allergy to it - could have been causing a general body wide reaction that could have put a big monkey wrench in all of the healing that was moving so nicely forward before he started taking it.

Before anything can be evaluated imho Lex is going to need to let this substance release from his body, get his immune system back to working on other things and get a new foundation from which to evaluate if anything else needs to be changed. None of us can make any assumptions. He found something that was causing a problem. It will take time to see if it was causing any others. For all we know his prostate and his UTIs might heal up on their own now that his immune system is not being taxed.

The most prudent thing to do is change one thing at a time and give it enough time to see what the affects will be before trying anything new in my opinion. Otherwise, you never really know what is having what affect.

[lex_rooker]

My lab tests taken in August of 2011 have TSH at 1.43.  No idea if this is good or bad.

Since I started this adventure my labs did rapidly improve (by normal medical standards) for the first couple of years but have been fairly steady for the last couple of years.  Since I have no idea what the numbers should be, I don't know that further improvement is needed.

What I can say is that in 6 years of eating paleo/zc my symptoms of BPH slowed down but they did not stop or reverse.  There was no measurable effect on my presbyopia or the frequency of UTI infections.  My hair loss did seem to stop but the hair I lost over the last 20 years didn't grow back.    Nothing else I have ever tried did anything to improve these issues either so I don't count these things as a failure.  In fact, I'm thrilled with the results I've achieved, and I will continue doing what I've been doing until there is clear evidence that I need to make a change.

The aspirin I was taking did seem to be the cause of the allergy type symptoms.  Since I stopped taking it all the symptoms have gone away.

William - Next time I see my doctor I'll discuss the iodine issue with him and what tests are available to prove or disprove your theory that I'm iodine deficient.  I have no interest in taking anything unless it is clear that there is a deficiency and that some intervention is needed.  I tried that already with the aspirin fiasco and didn't like the results.

Lex 

[RawZi]

My lab tests taken in August of 2011 have TSH at 1.43.  No idea if this is good or bad.

    If it's between 0.5 to 4.95 it's considered normal. Sometimes doctors refuse to medicate till it hits 10.00.  I consider that between 1.0 and 2.0 is best when healthiest.  You can Google TSH numbers.

[goodsamaritan]

Lex, ever considered adding ocean animals in your diet?

Lots of delicious stuff from the ocean:
- shrimp
- crab
- oysters
- clams
- fish
- sea urchin
- squid

Etc. etc.

If there is any iodine or any other mineral deficiency due to the depleted soil of your beef staple, then the ocean must be more nutritious.

[Dorothy]

Lex, if I remember right from reading your journal your blood sugars and your fat profiles improved a good deal which was a very important change in the right direction. Just the fact that your problems besides the sinus issue did not increase (which would be the norm) is impressive - especially while taking the aspirin which was a stress on your system. 

All of the side-affects of iodine deficiency relate to the thyroid gland. Since your thyroid levels seem normal and you don't seem to be demonstrating (from anything you have written so far in your journal) symptoms of thyroid disease, I highly doubt your doctor is going to be concerned - but it never hurts to ask.

William's suggestions about pumping up iodine in radioactive areas IS what scientists do to protect people by protecting the thyroid gland. But, most people are not eating as cleanly, simply and wholesomely as you do, nor eating the WHOLE animal. The thyroid gland from grass-fed beef might be a BETTER source of iodine than seafood and probably a much better source than supplements that probably are not as bio-available. The Slankers thyroid is probably a great source of iodine:

"The data reveals that sedimentary rocks are enhanced in iodine and that soils are concentrated even further.  Some soils are amazingly enriched, large areas of Texas average 20,000 ppb soil iodine. This is more than a 10-fold enrichment of the average regolith source material and almost a 70 fold increase over the average crustal content."
http://www.graystonelabs.com/IodinePaper.html

If it aint broken, don't fix it.

And I say the same thing about your weight. One of the side-affects of a good diet is moving towards one's ideal weight. When someone is thin, finding the right diet for them, they will gain weight and stop gaining when the ideal weight is reached. The trend in itself is not a sign that something is wrong.

The only things that could be a concern at this point Lex - correct me if I'm wrong - are the prostate and UTIs - which have held stable. It will be very interesting to see how that goes now that you are off the aspirin. Aspirin can cause minerals and other nutrients to not be absorbed as well and from your reaction sounded like it was a strain on your immune system. You can't know all the side-affects that the aspirin had on you, so just removing the aspirin might open up the nutritional benefits from the food you are already eating.

Thanks for keeping us all posted.

[lex_rooker]

Dorothy - as you point out, I'm trying to take a methodical and measured approach.  The aspirin fiasco didn't seem to have any other effect than the allergy symptoms.  There were no other changes that I noticed.  I'm guessing that I get a lot of stuff like thyroid in the pet food I eat.  If there is a secret to my success I'm laying odds that it is the pet food.

Rawzi - If what you say is true then apparently my TSH numbers look good.  I've heard others say that TSH should be below 1, but who knows for sure what is correct.

GS - I generally don't like seafoods but do eat them on rare occasions.  Shrimp, crab, lobster etc is rather tasteless and not overly appetizing to me.  Oysters, clams and other shell fish are good in chowder - which I haven't eaten for 7 or 8 years now - but just don't like them raw.  Squid and octopus have the consistency of chewing rubberbands or old Volkswagen fan belts - just not enjoyable to eat.  Never tried Sea Urchin but since I don't like much of the other stuff I doubt that I'll be head over heels for that either so won't be going out of my way to try it any time soon.

Lex

[TylerDurden]

Raw sea urchin eggs and raw scallops really are quite different  from the rest. Much richer in taste.

[William]

All of the side-affects of iodine deficiency relate to the thyroid gland.

There are iodine receptors in every cell of your body.
Thyroid is so very important that it gets available iodine first, too bad for the prostate and other organs, which is where the problem is.

Lex, if there were another source of effective iodine than Iodoral or Lugol's, Magnascent/SSKI etc. then it would be known. After all, there are ~180 years of records of iodine supplementation.
There is a standard lab test for iodine deficiency, but I would be amazed if your doctor told you about it, or agreed to supplementation. Need to ask an iodine-literate physician.

[lex_rooker]

William,
Every cell has receptors for insulin, glucose, fatty acids, sodium, potassium, magnisum, calcium, iodine, and just about everything else.  I seriously doubt that I'm deficient in everything that cells have receptors for.

As I said, I'll discuss with my doctor to see what tests are available, but so far I have no reason to believe that I have any deficiencies in any nutrient or hormone.  I know you are passionate about this, but I just don't get hysterical over these kinds of things. 

Lex

[CitrusHigh]

Doesn't slankers spray pesticides on their forage? That would seem like reason enough to quit eating their ware.

Here is a quote by Rogue Farmer on a thread re the subject...

"2,4-D is one of the two components of Agent Orange. Herbicides are mutagens. They may not kill grass or animals but they still have similar effects as does radiation. Radiation and herbicides are proven harmful, but cases of people dying from either are rare. Generally people don't handle uranium or wash their hands with herbicides either."

[wodgina]

I think the body is pretty tough and eating what Lex eats is a thousand times better than most people. Plenty of people have lived thousands of kilometers from the nearest oceans and have never eaten seafood.

I thought Raw Paleo would make me into a age defying superman but alas....

[lex_rooker]

Doesn't slankers spray pesticides on their forage? That would seem like reason enough to quit eating their ware.

Here is a quote by Rogue Farmer on a thread re the subject...

"2,4-D is one of the two components of Agent Orange. Herbicides are mutagens. They may not kill grass or animals but they still have similar effects as does radiation. Radiation and herbicides are proven harmful, but cases of people dying from either are rare. Generally people don't handle uranium or wash their hands with herbicides either."

I really don't know and quite frankly don't much care.  These chemicals (and radiation) are everywhere in our environment and are unavoidable.  The same goes for massive amounts of pollution spewed daily from volcanos. I have no control over any of this so spend zero time worrying about it.  Life is way too short.

You can spend your time agonzing over global warming, herbicides, and radiation and after 3 score and 10 you're pretty much on borrowed time.  Or you can live life to the fullest everyday doing things that are interesting and bring joy to you and those around you, and after 3 score and 10 you are again pretty much on borrowed time.  I've chosen the latter approach.

I thought Raw Paleo would make me into a age defying superman but alas....

Good for you that you figured this out Andrew.  So many people spend their entire lives convinced that if they just eat the right foods, do the right exercises, and take all the right supplements that they will live forever in perfect health.  They are shocked when all too soon they are forced to face their own mortality and discover that they've wasted so much precious time - time that they can never get back.

Lex

[TylerDurden]

I agree that a perfect diet can't solve all problems nor give us immortality or whatever. But I still think it gives us a much greater chance(never 100%, of course) of living to an uncomplicated old age, free from alzheimer's, parkinson's disease and many other horrors, while suffering less serious effects from arthritis etc. than those on mainstream diets. As I get older and find more and more of the older people I used to know suffering from very nasty health-problems in the last 10-15 years of their lives, I am increasingly grateful that I chose this diet.

[goodsamaritan]

I thought Raw Paleo would make me into a age defying superman but alas....

I'm still in the honeymoon stage.  42 years old. 4 years into RPD.  Best of health and feeling I've had of all time.  Most of my peers have tons of white hair... I look younger than my 31 year old brother, I feel like an age defying superman.

My Caucasian Jewish, martial artist friend, kung fu master, traditional chinese medicine healer, and master acupuncturist... 51 year old Sifu Jen Sam... His diet is almost raw paleo, he eats very little, but he's sculpted real good and is a sex machine.  And his idol is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ching-Yuen . And he is following a good amount of the longevity and health teachings of that guy and other chinese masters and current global holistic teachings.  Seems to be working for him.

Of course we aren't 60+ like Lex.

Lex,

I do thank you for experimenting for us so we learn from your experience.

But I do feel going on a mono-beef-only diet is a mistake.  Putting your health at the mercy of the health of that single animal species or supplier?  There's a well reported drought there lately.

How about taking a vacation on a fishing village by the ocean?  I bet their super fresh caught raw sea food will put lots of smiles on you.

I have fond memories of my 80+ year old grandmother (SAD dieter) saying she didn't like sashimi nor eat sashimi.  We stayed overnight in a fishing village and I let her taste my freshly caught raw fish... she was amazed how delicious freshly caught raw fish was, she chowed down half of my foot long raw fish, without condiments!

[cherimoya_kid]

How about taking a vacation on a fishing village by the ocean?  I bet their super fresh caught raw sea food will put lots of smiles on you.

Agreed, agreed. It's worth trying different kinds of sashimi, especially the fatty body parts. If you don't notice an immediate boost in energy/mood/whatever, then probably you aren't deficient. 

In my experience, you don't have to eat a food every day or even every week for it to help you.  If you're deficient in something, eating that food that contains it a few times a month can really help.

[lex_rooker]

How about taking a vacation on a fishing village by the ocean?  I bet their super fresh caught raw sea food will put lots of smiles on you.

I can’t think of anything less enjoyable.  I’m just not an ocean or sea shore kind of guy.  I live 15 minutes from the ocean and never go.  For my vacations I much prefer the piney woods.  I grew up hiking around Kings Canyon National Forest, Yosemite, and Mineral King.  Breathtakingly beautiful, and sure beats the smell of dead fish and rotting seaweed at the beach.

Lex