We will discuss research about a hormone that has a beneficial effect on mood, brain function, joint health, and the signs of aging. Hugh Woodward is my guest for that portion of the show. Then our old friend, landscape architect and organic expert, Howard Garrett, joins us. It is hard to know where to start the conversation because Howard is an expert in everything to do with the yard, home, agriculture and so on. Call with your questions. Meanwhile I’m likely to ask about mosquito control; alternatives to Roundup weed killer; how happy soil reduces global warming; and about his new organic certification course. In the opening segment I will discuss a rare opportunity to tell state regulators if you like integrative function medicine like that we talk about on our show. Take the survey.

Call the live show with questions at 1-800-281-8255. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.

Myth versus science. (Hint–science wins)

While the above graphic is chuckle-worthy, it is horrifying how many people believe everything they read on the internet or see on TV. However, even very intelligent and cautious people can be misled when they receive misinformation from their doctors and other supposedly credible sources. The trick to separating the gluten-free grain from the chaff is seeing if there is factual proof of what may only sound plausible. It is a matter of myth versus science.

Too often the truth becomes unrecognizable because it has had so much self-serving spin wrapped around it by vested interests. That was the case with the disastrous USDA food pyramid of a few years ago. It was not a product of science, but rather the work of lobbyists for the food industry. (The pyramid base was starchy foods and I nicknamed it the “obesity/diabetes pyramid”).

With medical information, a factoid may look only at some midpoint finding, not the end result that we assume. For instance, a drug or diet plan may indeed reduce blood cholesterol in a certain group of people. And yet it may have no impact whatsoever on preventing heart attacks or on saving lives.

Here are a couple current myth-busting examples:

Disinfecting

The theory: Bleaching the heck out of everything at home (or school) should reduce the incidence of disease. (Chlorox brand brags about this idea on their website specifically noting the idea it will reduce cases of the flu.)

What the science shows: Over 9,000 children 6-12 years of age from various European countries were studied for one year. The researchers compared rates of influenza, tonsillitis, sinusitis, ear infections, bronchitis and pneumonia with the use of bleach at home for sanitizing. It turned out that greater use of bleach resulted in 20% more cases of flu, 35% more tonsillitis and 18% more recurrent infections in general. STUDY

Possible explanation: The extra sanitizing may have killed protective organisms along with those that might cause disease. And/or the sanitary conditions prevented kids from exposure to very small amounts of a virus thereby making their immune systems less prepared if they accidentally encountered a large amount of pathogen (like being in range of a sneeze).

Low Fat Dairy

The theory: Virtually every diet recommendation we hear from dietitians mentions that we should use low-fat or even fat-free dairy. They claim to be protecting us from calories and the “evils” of saturated fat and by extension from obesity and heart disease. Given the massive number of low-fat products at the typical grocery store, Americans have apparently believed what they said and voted with their dollars.

What the science shows: We now know that the scant science on fats (even saturated fat) was shaky at best and we have had it all wrong. One recent study showed less weight gain around the waist in men who ate full fat dairy. STUDY. A review of several studies showed less risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease with high fat dairy. STUDY. It was always at least hinted that fat in the diet contributed to bad skin. However, interestingly, a study showed that skim milk was more significantly associated with acne than full fat dairy. STUDY.

Possible explanation: For one thing, fat satisfies appetite and so, in its absence, we eat more food. Also, sugar is the real villain and the reduction of fat led to an increased intake of sugar. Finally, there are beneficial substances in fat and we usually seem to get in trouble whenever we start processing whole real food to remove parts of it.

It is an outrageously dated and dangerous practice for state regulators to punish doctors for daring to provide personalized integrative functional medicine care. And yet they do that at least in the state of Texas. Fortunately, you can help. Regulations are up for review every few years and the state is taking comments right now. For one thing, integrative practitioners need a seat on the medical board so that docs can be judged by a peer…some that understand what they are doing that is different from standard drug care. As the saying goes, if you don’t have a seat at the table, then you’re probably on the menu! Please take this online survey.

LISTEN to that show in the archives.

In the first half of the show we had a lively discussion with John Willard about something that was a mystery to me for way too long–Dr. Willard’s Water. (When a substance gives a major boost not only humans but also plants and pets, we need to understand what it is doing.) Then we talked toxins with Dr. Ross Pelton, R.Ph, CCN. What lurks in the air, food, water, etc.? What do these toxins do to us? How can we protect ourselves, for example by planting a virtual “glutathione factory” in our intestinal tract.

The Probiotic Cure. We now know that the microorganisms in our gut are a crucial part of our human instruction manual and that they control thousands of biological functions in our bodies. It is past time that we learned how to care for them because important varieties are disappearing and leaving illness behind.

Copyright 2016 Martie Whittekin, CCN