Tag: weight loss

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Pox update & the chemistry of weight loss.

Video, TEDx talk, How breathing and metabolism are linked.

The mathematics of weight loss | Ruben Meerman | TEDxQUT (edited version)

The mathematics of weight loss | Ruben Meerman | TEDxQUT (edited version)

This video walks through the chemistry of weight loss – where does weight go? Chemically?

Short answer, we exhale it as carbon. But there is a catch, there is always a catch. We need to have a well functioning respiratory system, including our mitochondria.

The video shares a quest to understand the speaker’s own weight loss better. He does a great job showing us the chemicals that form most of our body. The atoms arranged in the molecular shapes show us that we are kind and of like Lego creatures, built from various shaped building blocks.

For those who watch the video and feel frustrated with his synopsis – eat less to lose weight – I hear you. Other replies also felt similar frustration. The chemistry may seem that simple as the basic equations however add in subclinical hypothyroidism and the basic equations are inadequate to help the person lose weight.

The Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is being discussed in the TEDx talk. It represents how much energy we burn even while sleeping – our need with no additional exercise. Someone with a lower RMR, someone with subclinical hypothyroidism or inadequately treated, would need far fewer calories as a baseline. They could have trouble losing weight on 600-800 calories a day – starvation diet for anyone else.

Bitter tasting phytonutrients in a meal are also key for promoting satiety and preventing insulin resistance. Oregano, garlic, leeks, citrus peel, celery seed, black pepper, basil, cumin, leafy green veggies, – any strongly flavored produce item, herb or spice, likely contains some bitter taste accents.

Breathe in aroma and flavor, and get moving to promote good respiratory health throughout the body’s many mitochondria and the lungs.

Bitter tasting citrus bioflavonoids are very helpful for reducing lung congestion and symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome. Citrus can be a histamine trigger food – caution.

Sunburn pox update

The larger blisters still hurt and itched even after more black seed oil. Aloe Vera gel had helped some yesterday, but today, thinking sunburn pox instead of viral infection, I tried a cold-water washcloth on the worst spots and kept it cold until the itch and pain had faded.

It is a pretty bad urge to scratch . . . the living daylight out of it. But no, self-injury, resist the endorphins. There is some good feeling with scratching initially but that is how it can get worse fast and scab.

Skin care during and after radiation therapy for breast cancer.

It can resemble a sunburn or mild tan afterwards or blistering. It says the severity is unrelated to a person’s tendency to tan or sunburn. That suggests that severity is related to something else, like maybe VAIDs- level of detox or immune function. How quickly can a person clear out the excess oxidative stress chemicals?

Skin care during and after radiation therapy for breast cancer. Pdf of a guide for patients who receive radiation treatment. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xqmy2pwry7z7xg/skin%20care%20during%20and%20after%20radiation%20treatment%20for%20breast%20cancer.pdf?dl=0.

Addition – 5G roll-out may be affecting more people in subtle ways than we realize and skin rashes may be one of the symptoms of excessive EMF exposure.

Aloe Vera gel is a tip, and avoid extreme hot or cold packs, or rough fabric. I found after thinking of it as a bad sunburn that a cold water-soaked washcloth as a cold compress did help. The black seed oil has not fully helped as much with these larger blisters. Was really itchy today. The cold helped and is the solution for a scald type burn – cool water until it feels like the internal burning has stopped.

green Aloe Vera plant
Aloe Vera plant. The gel within the leaf is soothing fir burns. Photo by Jude Smart on Unsplash

Aloe Vera gel or thinned juice is available for sale in health food stores and needs refrigeration once opened. Emodin (spelling? – is correct (1), is a phytonutrient in aloe which is particularly healing. The jelly like fiber in Aloe gel helps restore our jelly like membrane linings, the Glycocalyx, or extracellular matrix. It may be safer topically than as a juice or food ingredient if used in quantity as there may be some kidney toxicity. (1)

Aloe gel followed by essential oil in a massage base oil can help with skin health or scar reduction. Frankincense and rosemary are good for healing skin. I also add a little tea tree oil as an antiseptic; and be

*This was two posts on my Substack and I have combined them with a few additions.

*Monkey/sunburn pox update – ouch, the sunburn spots didn’t go away as quickly as my previous smaller spots. The cold compress helped, I used that a lot on the worst day, and fell asleep with it. Flaw: then cold clammy damp fabric led to a few more spots. Moderation and good skin care – wash with soap occasionally, re black seed oil, change tops as wetness occurs. A bandage almost seems like it could be protective. No clothes on it is better, but cold.

The first spots have flattened and scabbed a little. This is no fun but the black seed oil does help, the cold compresses helped a lot during the worst of the itchiness or stinging pain. I used aloe vera gel a couple times. I have used artemisinin once or twice a day and a spoonful of black seed oil am and pm by mouth. I take a variety of supplements routinely.

I napped more, and avoiding heavy yardwork for a few days. Pushing myself initially did lead to more of the sunburn spots on my shoulder. Rest is important when the body is inflamed and trying to clean out the oxidative stress chemicals.

High dose niacin is still my go too, but for the half hour of niacin flush, cold compress time on the sunburn pox! The itching is worse with these bigger blisters.

In general now, when feeling a little sicker I take the niacin three instead of two times a day. Yes there is a half hour worsening during the flush of warmth and itchiness. The body will be removing inflammation though all day, so the benefit outweighs the discomfort in my opinion.

Serotonin deficiency is a risk if you suddenly stop taking high dose niacin…

(and melatonin – I take both, melatonin 15 minutes prior, I set a timer or I will forget).

Addition 9/7/2022: *Also once you are following the high dose niacin protocol you need to maintain or only gradually reduce the doses to prevent serotonin disruption. Adding more rapidly can lead to excess serotonin, suddenly stopping high doses may lead to a drop in serotonin and “Crying over nothing” TM moods – sadness and depression. While this article does not mention niacin or tryptophan it does review what symptoms low serotonin might lead to: Serotonin Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes, Tests, Treatments (healthline). Drops in serotonin level may also lead to irritability, aggression, impulsiveness, and may be linked to suicidal urges, PTSD, and bowel trouble/IBS. Healthy gut microbes make most of our serotonin for us and some gets transported to the brain via the vagus nerve – our superhighway between our central and peripheral nervous systems. Axons are tubules between nerve cells and chemicals, mitochondria and exosomes can travel along the route.

Niacin, melatonin, artemisinin, black seed oil, methyl B complex – things I have been using.

The niacin also tends to leave me less congested and more clear-headed and energetic. The methyl B complex is also important and other mitochondrial cofactors and trace minerals. Our mitochondria burn energy most efficiently and need nutrients to be able to do so. Also not having excess Retinoic Acid or a high saturated fat diet (previous post) is needed so the PDK is not inhibiting use of the Citric Acid Cycle.

Overweight often is inflammation and a diet that is too high in carbohydrates and/or fat and low in other nutrients. This leads to inefficient burning of energy by the mitochondria. The Citric Acid Cycle is much more efficient, quantum biology efficient possibly. Cancer and other degenerative diseases are also linked to the mitochondria switching to fermentation for energy production.

How many carbon atoms will be exhaled depends on part on whether the person’s mitochondria are using the Citric Acid Cycle or fermentation.

It helps to understand the basics, the forest – the overall picture, and also to see the many trees that make up the forest – the variables that make the easy answer into a complex one.

  • Still need to get out my laptop, I am taking an EMF vacation for pox healing purposes or a mental health break or both.

Disclaimer: This information is being shared for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance. Please seek a functional health practitioner for individual health care guidance. Thanks for reading!

Reference List

  1. Dong X, Zeng Y, Liu Y, You L, Yin X, Fu J, Ni J. Aloe-emodin: A review of its pharmacology, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics. Phytother Res. 2020 Feb;34(2):270-281. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6532. Epub 2019 Nov 3. PMID: 31680350. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31680350/

d bergamot or geranium for fragrance and other benefits.

Nature is glorious – not my pic, bioluminescent algae or something like that is the magic.

Good night, sleep tight!

Disclaimer: This information is being shared for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. It is not intended for individual health care guidance. Please seek a functional health practitioner for individualized health care.

*phone post.

9/6/2022 edited

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Fennel Seed Diet

New/extra short term goal- regain health, reduce inflammation and lose weight by adding fennel seeds back to my daily diet. I ran out of them earlier this summer and since then hurt my knee and gained weight with the decreased activity, (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate (RICE) can help sprained ankles and strained ligaments but 6-8 weeks is expected for recovery).

Fennel seeds are used as an after meal dessert or breath freshener in India and elsewhere. They also are a digestive aid and may help preserve bone density/prevent osteoporosis from reading I did on the topic last winter when I first added them to my daily diet. It turns out they also are thought to help weight loss based on search results-(fennel seed weight loss). I love the internet. More specific information includes potential help with anxiety & depression and also mentions the possible help as digestive aid and weight loss as an appetite suppressant : “21 Health Benefits of Fennel, and Risks & Side Effects,”  selfhacked.com. Excessive amounts daily are not recommended however the crunch and taste are lasting and a pinch, ~ 1/2 teaspoon, is a little like chewing minty gum for little while.

So my simple plan – try to eat my healthy meal choices and have a teaspoon of fennel seeds after meals and whenever I feel like snacking in between meals – and just see if that helps curb the desire for more snacking. /Day one, already feeling some positive effects./

Fennel seed are an alkalizing food – meaning after digestion the body system is more alkaline than acidic which promotes health more and may help reduce cancer risk: Alkalizing foods refers to the alkalinity after digestion.

From my wintertime notes: 

A gift from nature to help us build Nrf2 (10) and which may improve digestion  (11) and bone density (12) are the licorice flavored Fennel Seeds that might be served in a tiny dish as an appetizer or after a meal at an Indian food restaurant. The tiny crunchy seeds can be eaten directly raw or may be toasted.  A few pinches, a teaspoon or two are a reasonable digestive health aid and even seem to freshen the breath somewhat as there is also a slight minty flavor to the more predominant licorice flavor. They are sold in larger quantities, (400 gram package), in India food markets but may be found in a one ounce jar in the spice section as they are also added to soups in Western recipes.

One interaction caution is for women using estrogen based birth control pills. Fennel also contains estrogen like phytonutrients which may interfere with the use of the birth control pills as a pregnancy preventative. (11) Regarding quantity for health benefits – a study on bone density effects in post menopausal women did not find 300 mg per day effective (12) – that would be less than an 1/8th of a teaspoon. I have seen a portion described as “a handful” in an unlinked source, which is about 1/4 – 1/2 cup, and which would be a lot compared to what I eat in a day but an 1/8th teaspoon wouldn’t be much at all. I eat a pinch or two, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon at a time several times per day. So a tablespoon (three teaspoons) to an 1/8th cup (two tablespoons or 6 teaspoons) might be consumed throughout the day when snacking from an open dish as seen in the image below. They do seem to help settle my stomach after a meal.

Not as conducive to weight loss, but delicious – putting ground fennel powder in cookies – they were incredible: Fennel Cookies-lightly licorice.

Fennel seeds, raw.

Looking to any food to resolve weight gain issues may be too simple if the problem is actually too much exposure to EMF, electromagnetic frequencies, in your environment from laptops, smartphones and other WiFi devices, and/or problems with poor sleep or oxygen intake; discussion by a neuroscientist who got curious about his own health: Tensegrity 5: Your Magnetic Sense, Dr Jack Kruse, jackkruse.com.

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

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Make the mission more important than the leader or followers

When is a goal more important than the personal success of a leader or teammates? When it is about long term success. Current business practice has become more focused on quarterly profits to please shareholders and board members and it has cut into spending for employee development and retention and for research and development in too many industries.

The simple message (paraphrased) “Make the mission more important than the leader or followers” was a main take home point in a book I just read. when a book is important I like to read it in one sitting as my memory works kind of like an e-book reader, I want to upload the entire file in one batch.

I recently saw a one-liner question along the lines of if you were on a deserted island what is the one book that you would want to have with you (also paraphrased). I thought at the time, tough question, and I didn’t have an answer. All the books that I’ve read across my lifetime are all still sloshing around somewhat in my memory bank so I’m never deserted. They are like good friends I can browse whenever I want. After uploading this latest one into my memory bank I came up with an answer – it wouldn’t be the one to have on the island, Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations would be. I have a copy but I also have it bookmarked on my laptop. It gives favorite quotes or passages from many great works from earlier eras which can be memory triggers for the larger work or just set the imagination to work filling in whatever may be generated by the words of wisdom.

The latest book is slightly dated for a business world type book as its references are to the 90’s. The concept of faxing is included. Having also recently read some more dated books and long papers about economics written by economic theorists from the 1800s, (Principles of Economics, by Carl Menger, a translation in English), and 1950s, 60s and 70s (fee.org)  I will just point out that it is very interesting to see social differences change across time. Women weren’t really mentioned much at all in relation to the business world in the older economic papers and the mention of female workers in the book from the 90s would likely no longer be included if the book was edited for today’s market. Women are mentioned as bosses occasionally but secretaries and receptionist references are always female throughout the book. A section on empathy offers the example that if your receptionist seems in a bad mood find out why before sharing the fisher-person and mer-person joke that you had in mind.  – My point – times have changed a lot and for the better overall.

Back to the main point – this book I just read is the most valuable I’ve ever read. I might not pack it for a deserted island but I will never forget it and it made me feel like I should finally right that Last Will and Testament that I’ve never bothered writing, just so that I can leave the book to someone. Now you, my dear reader, do not have to wait until I kick the bucket in order to find out if I left the book to you. You can just go to a resale shop and look for a used copy of your own. It includes a lot of quotations too including many I was not familiar with along with a discussion of humor and how to improve your own ability to tell a joke. The tone is kind and gentle, self deprecating humor or persuasion tactics are more powerful is also a take home point that we all might benefit from in our business or personal lives.

Secrets of Power Persuasion; Everything You’ll Ever Need to Get Anything You’ll Ever Want, by Roger Dawson, 1992, Prentice Hall. It has also been reissued in paperback or can be picked up used online barnesandnoble.com. The author gained his business experience in the real estate industry but went on to become a popular speaker and author on the topic of sales and negotiating. The book is written fairly open ended though rather than being directed only to salespeople or business executives. Examples include common parenting and relationship issues as well as sales and other negotiating issues a business person might run into and the tactics are useful for the buyer as well as the seller. No one wants to walk off the car lot with a car they didn’t want or a timeshare week in a vacation resort that they couldn’t afford.

The ideas for helping to learn other’s motivations can also be helpful for learning to recognize your own. One example has fast-forwarded into modern news –  “a Donald Trump” type person is paired opposite of “a Mother Theresa” type person as examples of people at the extremes of “self-centered versus externally centered” motivations. Recognize what motivates someone to help identify what might motivated them to make a purchase or other decision. The self-centered motivated individual looks at how things benefit themselves versus the externally motivated person looks at how things would benefit others:- “The self versus external sorting continuum” “Narcissists – Persuaded by how it affects them+ and  “Martyrs – Persuaded by how it affects others“. (page 154, Secrets of Power Persuasion)

Tips for working for a narcissist boss: (How to Work for a Narcissistic Boss, hbr.org)

It can be difficult to recognize that extreme narcissism is not typical behavior if you grew up with it in the family (Toxic Parents or Emotionally Immature parents) and for an empathy- external oriented person, it can lead to adult relationships that are at risk for not recognizing the need for safe boundaries against the self-oriented demands of a narcissist. (The Toxic Attraction Between an Empath and a Narcissist, elephantjournal)

The techniques in the book include many strategies that I’ve read about in psychology and other business books, as well as many personal strategies of the author’s that may have been developed from other business strategists that I’m not familiar with or are clearly his own tips learned from his experiences. The style of teaching the material is easy to follow and has helpful summary point lists.

A sales pitch for the book, or self-deprecating humor example from the author’s past, is from the section on how-to-tips for remembering people’s names:

‘Similarly, there is no easy way to remember names. As my high school teacher used to say, “Don’t waste any time looking for an easier way to do this. If there were an easier way, Roger would’ve found it years ago.”‘ – Secrets of Power Persuasion, page 217.

Why would a dietitian care about power persuasion techniques? Because it is actually fairly difficult to try to encourage change in personal habits. The author includes as an example in one area his own weight loss plan which was effective for him. It is valid but time and additional research has modified one dietary point – focusing exclusively on cutting fat calories may not be as helpful as working to reduce simple carbohydrate calories as well, either from sugar or refined grains and white potato products. The more processed a food the quicker it can turn into blood sugar which can increase insulin which can increase fat storage which can be made from calories from fat, carbohydrates or alcohol, and as a double whammy, increased insulin levels can cause an increase in appetite leading to more eating.

Regarding something I saw recently regarding a weight loss fad – gluten free products as currently marketed are often based on very refined starches and are often lower in fiber and nutrients than a whole grain item. I do not recommend gluten free diets for anyone who is not gluten intolerant or for weight loss purposes. It is not an easy diet to follow for those who truly need to stringently exclude all gluten for autoimmune reasons and it is not a joke for them either. The problem can be life threatening and cause long term symptoms in digestion and in other areas of life. People with thyroid problems might benefit from trying gluten free diets as the protein chemically is similar in shape to the thyroid hormone and autoimmune thyroid problems may have something to due with autoimmune gluten reactions for some people. If interested seek a qualified nutritionist or Registered Dietitian to help create a balanced diet. I personally use whole grain rice, quinoa and amaranth and other gluten free whole grains rather than buy many commercially available gluten free products. In addition to being low fiber they often include corn which I have found also affects my own autoimmune symptoms.

So why would a dietitian care about persuasion tactics – because pomegranate peel is not on anyone’s menu plan – yet, that I know of, except for my own and I find it amazing. The blueberry juice did make it more palatable as a diluted beverage but adding a chaser of fennel seeds as a follow up snack helped even more. I tend to eat about a teaspoon of them after most meals now as they seem to help with digestion. After trying the pomegranate extract as a beverage when I made a fresh batch (I had stopped trying it in quantity as it is very acidic) I had a couple teaspoons worth of the fennel seeds after trying the blueberry/pomegranate mixture and it helped. Why would I bother trying it in quantity – because it has an amazing mood boosting effect and helps the numbness in my fingertips problem more when I use more of it rather than only a few spoonfuls added to my bowl of soup.

Pomegranate seeds and the fennel seeds are quite crunchy. I’ve had a couple people mention they can’t chew such crunchy things without pain – that may be a sign of inflammation throughout the body rather than tooth or jaw trouble. During the worst of my inflammatory years I also developed pain with chewing my favorite crunchy things like raw carrots, apples, and my favorite whole grain rice cakes which are more dense then the more commonly available type.

One learns by trying – a motto of mine from my childhood. I don’t know where I heard it or if I just made it my own slogan. Maybe it is a modification of “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” That is one my mother would say.

The idea of making a Last Will and Testament to leave the book to someone is kind of a joke – the book cost me ten cents. The pomegranate peel extract probably cost me even less figuring people buy the fruit for the juicy seeds, but information has more value than dollars alone. In the recipe post I included a lot of detailed measurements about yield for food industry and dietitian type people to show the percentage that is currently being thrown away when instead it might be able to be made into a valuable health boosting product.

So what is the mission that is more important than the leader or followers – to me – effective health care that supports a more sustainable population. Whether you believe the Earth is 6000 years old or millions, the more important question currently seems to me whether we want humans and other species to still be around 6000 years from now.

The paraphrase I used in the title of this post is from the last chapter in the book (pp 276-289) and the example given is a story about a team that reached the top of Mount Everest – one team  member that is but the team rejoiced together via audio and the team got the credit – no one person is going to reach the top of most any mountain all by themselves. I haven’t climbed a mountain or seen Mount Everest but I have seen Mount McKinley and met a wonderful Japanese couple at the base. My family were camping near their camp and one night they invited us all to join them and my main memory from this childhood adventure was the dried seaweed they shared with us. It was like paper but you could eat it – I was enchanted. And all of us enjoyed the wild berries we could pick in the wilderness area. Our planet is a treasure worth far more than dollars.

A sustainable vision of a future Hawaii is described in an article suggesting we need more imagination to help guide us towards a peaceful and sustainable future: We Need Radical Imagination, Wake Up World.

Imagination is a critical part of creativity and innovation for any new product development whether in the area of healthcare and diet or sustainable agriculture and infrastructure.

A discussion of how leadership can help foster creativity in a team – a main point is to give it space to grow naturally rather than demands and time limits: How to Nourish Your Team’s Creativity. hbr.org

A book I mentioned in a recent post reinforces some of the concepts in Roger Dawson’s book but with more recent business examples:

For more information on thinking creatively and effectively working towards a better solution to difficult decisions rather than feeling forced to choose one of two less preferred choices I recommend the book Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking, by Jennifer Riel and Roger L. Martin (2017, HBR) (hbr.org/Creating Great Choices)

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.