Salmon is often used as an example of a health-conscious food choice, but its health value depends greatly on its source. While wild salmon is nutritious, there are many problems with farm-raised salmon, which makes up the bulk of salmon sold in U.S. supermarkets and served in restaurants. A key part of that lies with their diet, which in the wild is made up of marine life, including zooplankton and other fish. In an attempt to simulate their wild diet, during the 1990s virtually all farmed salmon were fed diets rich in fishmeal and fish oil.1 This wasn’t sustainable, however, and in an effort to create feed for farmed fish that didn’t involve overfishing, vegetable ingredients were added as a replacement. While fishmeal and fish oil once made up about 90% of farmed Norwegian salmon feed, by 2013 this dropped to about 30%.2 Other research suggests that by 2016, only 10% of the fat in farmed salmon feed was marine-based.3 High levels of vegetable oils, including rapeseed, or canola, are now used instead, which has had dramatic consequences for the salmon and, likely, for those who use them as a food source. Farmed Salmon Feed Alters Cell MetabolismResearchers from the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Nofima) conducted a study to find out how dietary changes affect the way salmon utilize fat, particularly during fasting.4 In the wild, salmon regularly experience periods of fasting when they’re unable to catch food. Farmed salmon may also fast, but only due to illnesses, spawning and prior to slaughter.5 “During these periods, it is vital for salmon to regulate fat metabolism in the body well, which is why it is interesting to study how these processes change with altered diets,” study author Bente Ruyter of Nofima explained. “This is something that is not easy to study in fish that are alive, but we can conduct a more detailed study of the energy metabolism in cultured cells.”6 Using primary fat cells isolated from 20 live fish, the researchers added fatty acids found in fish feed to determine their effects. The fatty acids included:
Significant differences were seen in the cultured cells depending on fatty acid, including changes in the amount of mitochondria — the cells’ powerhouses — and alterations in the release of fatty acids during fasting. The findings also suggested that oleic acid may promote overweight and obesity in Atlantic salmon more so than EPA and palm acid, with the researchers noting, “The supplementation of OA to mature Atlantic salmon adipocytes lead to a higher production of intracellular lipid droplets.”7 Dietary Changes Cause Significant Cellular AlterationsChanges in commercial farmed fish diets have led to significant reductions in EPA, the omega-3 fat DHA and palm acid in salmon’s adipose tissue, along with an increase in OA. These fats yield “very different and often opposing effects on central adipocyte functions,” the researchers explained, affecting adipose tissue metabolism and physiology via a number of mechanisms, including:8
It was formerly believed that salmon transport fat as free fatty acids, including during sexual maturation, when nutrients from fat tissue are transferred to reproductive cells. The study revealed, however, that the fat is transported on phospholipids, cholesterol esters and triglycerides.9 Correlations were also seen with humans, as the salmon fat cells reacted to fasting similarly to human fat tissue. “Many of the regulatory mechanisms associated with energy metabolism when on a fatty diet appear to be similar to those found in humans,” according to Nofima.10 The researchers suggested that more research is needed to find out how the lipid composition of fat cells affects fish physiology and health, especially during fasting. When a fish stops eating, the ability to recruit lipids from fat cells is essential for reproduction as well as recovery from disease, making the dietary changes potentially disastrous. What’s more, it could also serve as a warning for humans. According to Nofima scientist Marta Bou Mira:11
How Does Eating Farmed Salmon Affect Humans?If you eat farmed salmon, you’re essentially consuming the salmon’s unnatural diet as well. In a review published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Nini Sissener with the Institute of Marine Research in Norway looked into how changes in commercial salmon feed affect the fatty acid composition of salmon tissues, and how these changes affect the humans who eat them, essentially following the fatty acids through the food chain.12 Salmon is the second most popular type of seafood in the U.S. (shrimp is the first), with just over 2 pounds consumed annually, per person.13 A key reason behind its popularity has to do with its perceived health benefits. As a rich source of beneficial animal-based omega-3 fats, salmon can, indeed, be a very healthy food choice. While farmed salmon may still provide a source of omega-3 fats, the concentrations are less than they were before, however, and are less than those found in wild salmon. “Farmed salmon still contributes positively to the overall n-6/n-3 ratio of a Western diet, but to a much lesser extent than before,” Sissener wrote. “Combined with similar changes in much of our food supply, this is a cause for concern, and efforts should be made to limit the amount of n-6 FAs in salmon fillets.”14 Farm-raised salmon makes up 75% of the salmon consumed worldwide, and its volume has increased nearly 1,000% from 1990 to 2015,15 which means that changes in its nutritional content may affect public health. While half a fillet of wild Atlantic salmon contains about 3,996 milligrams (mg) of omega-3 and 341 mg of omega-6,16 the same amount of farmed Atlantic salmon contains an astounding 1,944 mg of omega-6.17 Aside from an inferior nutritional profile, farmed salmon is also more likely to contain toxins. Consuming Atlantic Farmed Salmon May Pose Health RisksThe Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested farmed salmon from U.S. grocery stores and found farmed salmon had, on average:18
What’s more, in 2005 researchers found that farmed Atlantic salmon were so contaminated with PCBs, toxaphene, dieldrin, dioxins and polybrominated diphenyl ethers that they posed a cancer and additional health risks to humans, even when consumed in moderate amounts:19
27% of Wild-Caught Fish Fed to FishThe environmental risks of farm-raised salmon must not be overlooked, and while feeding farmed salmon a diet more comparable with what they would eat in the wild may be preferable from a nutritional standpoint, it’s not a sustainable solution. About 27% of wild-caught fish — amounting to about 20 million tons of seafood — is used to make fishmeal that’s fed to farmed fish,20 and stocks of wild fish may be dwindling as a result. An undercover investigation in Vietnam, India and The Gambia by the Changing Markets Foundation, titled “Fishing for Catastrophe,” also revealed that the demand for fishmeal and fish oil used in the aquaculture industry is fueling overfishing and putting intense pressure on wild fish stocks.21 According to the report:22
While 90% of the fish being used for fishmeal and other uses could be used to feed humans directly,23 they’re instead being diverted into other uses, contributing to food insecurity in local communities. Further, as noted in “Fishing for Catastrophe:”24
Safer, Sustainable Seafood OptionsWith fishmeal and fish oil representing an unsustainable feed source, and plant-based feed alternatives leading to changes in farmed salmon’s cellular metabolism and nutritional value, eating farm-raised salmon is not advisable. I only recommend eating safer seafood choices such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel and herring. All of these are at low risk of contamination yet are high in healthy omega-3 fats. You’ll want to opt for sustainably harvested wild-caught fish as well. One of the best options toward this end is to look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo, which features the letters MSC and a blue check mark in the shape of a fish. The MSC logo ensures the seafood came from a responsible fishery that uses sustainable fishing practices to minimize environmental impacts.25 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/28/farmed-salmon-is-getting-worse.aspx
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The COVID-19 pandemic is being used to facilitate the efforts of a select few to create a one-world government with power concentrated in the hands of an elitist group of billionaires. In March 2020, the United Nations New World Order (UNNWO) announced their annual International Day of Happiness global campaign, along with a call for solidarity and unity in the global fight against COVID-19.1 The campaign theme, according to UNNWO, was:2
While the UNNWO sustainability goals, such as addressing poverty, hunger, polluted waterways, and more, sound admirable,3 they rely on one-world government manipulations such as media censorship, mass surveillance of citizens and total governmental control of your health care decisions, as I will explain in detail in this article. One clear example of the dangers of one-world initiatives is the World Health Organization's Immunization Agenda 2030, in which the aim is to vaccinate everyone across the globe.4 Bill Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a big WHO funder, has stated he intends to vaccinate the global population against COVID-19,5 and then track and monitor each person through digital surveillance.6 The Rockefeller Foundation also supports mass-tracking of the citizenry — all under the guise of "public health."7 The reasoning for this is to stop the pandemic. But, will a gigantic global disease surveillance system created under the pretext of COVID-19 be dismantled once the pandemic is declared over? Or, will it simply morph into other surveillance functions also presented as mechanisms to protect the "public health?" Vaccine Mania Has Gripped the NationAs the COVID-19 pandemic passed its six-month mark and the number of reported cases in some countries and states rose, the focus on a vaccine intensified, with numerous vaccine makers vying to be first with results. That distinction came in mid-July, when the initial results from a clinical trial of a vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received a positive write-up in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)8 and pleased Wall Street.9 What's interesting is that Moderna has "never produced an approved vaccine or run a large trial," according to Stat News. Yet, it seized the COVID-19 opportunity10 and forged ahead. When you think about it, though, the exuberance over the vaccine candidate is irrational. First, as with all vaccines, adverse effects can and will sometimes occur. Even fiercely pro-vaccine advocates have expressed concerns about possible adverse effects of a hurried-up COVID-19 vaccine. From Bill Gates11 (more on that later in this article) to Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier,12 to rotavirus vaccine inventor Dr. Paul Offit13 — who once held the Merck-endowed chair in vaccinology14 at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia — high-profile individuals are talking about it. Offit expressed reservations about how fast the vaccine companies were pushing development of the vaccine, and warned of possible safety and efficacy problems that could occur from giving it to thousands of people "without a large safety and efficacy trial." Frazier had similar concerns, with a more strongly-worded comment: "If you're going to use a vaccine on billions of people, you better know what that vaccine does." Along that same line of thinking is the concern — as with all vaccines — that the immunity and/or duration is not assured because the "immunity" is not naturally acquired. Another concern is that contact tracing and computer apps to determine the whereabouts and contacts of a person who may have been exposed are much too aggressive. For example, even if someone has no symptoms of COVID-19, governments, whether local or national, will have the ability to quarantine a person against their will, according to a YouTuber who recounts her contact tracing training in a video.15 Moreover, according to top legal scholar Alan Dershowitz,16 a 115-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling allows authorities to legally inoculate someone with a vaccine against their will for the purpose of safeguarding public health. On the other hand, they cannot do so if the vaccine is intended only to protect a person's personal health, he says. While other legal scholars debate just how far the federal government can go with this,17 such threats to your rights and health continue to grow. And, certain media groups, who should be supporters of free speech, are leading the charge to take away your free speech rights. Standing at the forefront, the liberal "fact-checking" group Media Matters is trying to discredit vaccine safety groups who they believe could stand in the way of worldwide vaccination.18 Media Matters Pushes Censorship of Vaccine Safety GroupsA smear piece from Media Matters, titled "The Most Notorious Anti-Vax Groups Use Facebook to Lay the Groundwork Against the Novel Coronavirus Vaccine,"19 lays the groundwork for discrediting the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), Children's Health Defense and Informed Consent Action Network. The article begins by casting such groups as a threat during COVID-19:20
Media Matters is angry that Facebook allows the groups' social media communications to appear educational rather than branding them as "vaccine misinformation." This is especially important, writes Media Matters, because support for vaccination among the general public is falling:21
Vaccination Is Becoming a Hard SellMedia Matters cites a 2014 study published in the journal Pediatrics22 that identified four ways in which the desirability of vaccination is promoted and how none of the messages is working. The four attempts to "reduce vaccine misperceptions and increase vaccination rates for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)" were listed by the journal as:23
However, the messages are not working and possibly even backfiring, says Media Matters.24 [And] "… attempts to 'correct false claims about vaccines may be especially likely to be counterproductive.'" The messages likely backfire because Big Pharma and its buddy, Big Biotech, suffer from a credibility problem — in the case of Big Pharma, from the many medications it has withdrawn after assuring the public they were safe.25 Moreover, "anti-vaccination content" — as Media Matters calls it — may be more compelling than messages designed to sell vaccination:26
The messages are also likely ringing stronger with younger people who tend to be the biggest users of social media, Media Matters admits:27
Media Matters Has a Huge Influence on Mainstream MediaMedia Matters' initial $2 million in funding came from wealthy progressives via the Tides Foundation,28 with additional funding from MoveOn.org and the New Democrat Network, according to National Review.29 In 2010, George Soros, one of the richest people in the world, gave the group $1 million, according to The New York Times.30 The self-proclaimed "fact checking group," founded by conservative-turned-progressive David Brock,31 states that its mission is to counteract conservative media, and it has been very successful. According to the Daily Caller:32
Media Matters then enlisted the National Hispanic Media Coalition, League of United Latin American Citizens and similar groups to pressure CNN advertisers to oust anchor Lou Dobbs from CNN for alleged racist comments.33 In November 2009, Dobbs left CNN, and the Daily Caller quotes a Media Matters staffer who said, "We got him fired."34 Media Matters also launched what they dubbed a "campaign to expose Glenn Beck's racist rhetoric in an effort to educate advertisers about the practices on his show." The campaign facilitated his departure from Fox News.35 Media Matters is also able to place their biased stories in mainstream outlets as real news. According to the Daily Caller, sources from the organization bragged about planting stories in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and on blogs such as the Daily Kos, Salon and HuffPost. They also reported a warm reception at The New York Times:36
As described by Sharyl Attkisson, the impact of Media Matters is of concern to everyone:37
COVID-19 and Vaccines Are a Pathway to BillionairehoodForbes compiled a list of 10 health care billionaires who have profited since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Topping the list was Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, whose vaccine candidate trial results were published by NEJM.38 According to Forbes:39
Bancel is far from the only person who has become a "biotech billionaire" thanks to the lucrative development of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools solicited by governments and funded by taxpayers. Others include:40 1. Gustavo Denegri -- With a net worth of $4.5 billion, Denegri has a 45% stake in the Italian biotech company DiaSorin. 2. Seo Jung-Jin -- With a net worth of $8.4 billion, Jung-Jin co-founded Celltrion, a biopharma company in Seoul. 3. Alain Mérieux -- With a net worth of $7.6 billion, Mérieux's grandfather founded BioMérieux, a French multinational biotech company. 4. Maja Oeri -- With a net worth of $3.2 billion, Oeri is a descendent of Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, the founder of pharmaceutical giant Roche and owns about 5% of Roche's shares. 5. Leonard Schleifer -- With a net worth of $2.2 billion, Schleifer's wealth is attributed to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which he co-founded. 6. George Yancopoulos -- With a net worth of $1.2 billion, Yancopoulos is Regeneron's chief scientific officer. 7. and 8. Thomas and Andreas Struengmann -- With a net worth of $6.9 billion, the Struengmann twins sold their generic drug company Hexal to Novartis in 2005 and have other biotech investments. 9. Li Xiting -- With a net worth of $12.6 billion, Xiting cofounded Mindray Medical International, China's largest medical equipment producer. Pandemic Profiteering Has Increased the Wealth GapThe U.S. has been noteworthy for its extreme wealth and income inequality, and the richest have become even richer from pandemic profiteering, according to the Institute for Policy Studies:41
The wealth of the world's top five billionaires — Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison — increased twice as much as the federal government paid in stimulus checks to more than 150 million Americans.42 And as mentioned earlier, and noted by Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the NVIC,43 Moderna's stock price ballooned when it announced that its messenger RNA vaccine was ready for clinical trials,44 and the company's CEO became "a new billionaire overnight." Questions About the Moderna VaccineAuthors of The New England Journal of Medicine article, cited earlier, wrote that the Moderna vaccine candidate, named mRNA-1273, "induced anti–SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in all participants, and no trial-limiting safety concerns were identified." The study team did note, however, "Solicited adverse events that occurred in more than half the participants included fatigue, chills, headache, myalgia, and pain at the injection site."45 But, according to Just The News, adverse effects were not always that minor, especially after a second injection:46
In addition to adverse effects, scientists are questioning how long immunity against the coronavirus, suggested by the presence of antibodies, will last. According to Zero Hedge, immunity durability may be so short-lived, a COVID-19 vaccine "might need to be administered every year to offer a reliable level of protection."47 That will certainly be a windfall for the biotech billionaires. Zero Hedge writes:48
Finally, the adverse effects of vaccines in general are so well known, even Bill Gates — who is arguably the world's most passionate vaccine advocate — admits that as many as 700,000 could become victims of adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the German website Ken FM, in an interview with CNBC Gates said:49
Since that interview, several bloggers and media watchers have twisted Gates' words as deaths, which has triggered another media "fact-checker," APF Fact Check,50 to call them out for it. So, if you do share this information, please note it's side effects — which can include deaths, but also anything from a light fever to a very serious, but not life-threatening event — that Gates specifically mentioned. The Empire of Billionaires Is a Threat to Public SafetyIn summary, as biotech billionaires rush in to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic, your privacy rights are being violated through tracking and contact tracing, and your right to refuse a vaccine may be in jeopardy if it is deemed for the public good. At the same time the very media that should be promoting your right to free speech and to question government's decisions for your body is advocating for having those rights taken away. Through the pursuit of an artificial vaccine, natural immunity to viruses like COVID-19 will not occur and future pandemics are assured. But that means mass vaccination will have to be repeated over and over again, which is good news for the pandemic profiteers. But is it good for you? from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/28/united-nations-and-new-world-order.aspx The only consistent thing about COVID-19 testing and reporting so far is their inconsistency. Head-scratching "errors" have plagued us from the get-go, and it sure doesn't seem to be getting any better. I guess it just goes to show that even with access to incredible data-crunching technology, human ineptitude will ensure no one becomes the wiser. Faulty or contaminated tests have been used and reporting guidelines have been changed and updated multiple times, virtually eliminating any possibility of accurately tracking infected cases and deaths. Most recently, a July 17, 2020, study1,2 in the International Journal of Geriatrics and Rehabilitation concluded half of all nucleic acid coronavirus tests distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided inaccurate results — 30% being false positives and 20% false negatives. Suspicions that many were dying with SARS-CoV-2 infection rather than from COVID-19 have circulated for many weeks, and now Florida has admitted a young man listed as a COVID-19 death actually died in a motorcycle accident.3 It just so happens he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Things like that surely do not inspire public trust. Mainstream Media Distortion of the Testing TruthPerhaps the most egregious misrepresentation of reality is the media's conflating a positive test result with the actual disease, COVID-19. These tests only test for the virus directly (PCR tests) or antibodies to the virus. COVID-19 is NOT a positive test; it is a clinical diagnosis of someone infected with SARS-COV-2 exhibiting severe respiratory illness characterized by fever, coughing and shortness of breath. The media is intentionally confusing a positive test result with COVID-19 to deliberately mislead the public into believing the disease is far more serious than it is. They know better but consciously choose this despicable practice. A recent example would be CNN's article, "Florida Has More COVID-19 Than Most Countries in the World."4 They refer to the positive test as a "case." This is beyond stretching reality to suit their nefarious purposes. A case is NOT a positive test result but, rather, a person that has a positive test result and is seriously ill. But you would never know it by reading their article. Further down in their fear-mongering article is a subhead, "Florida Has Surpassed Italy in COVID-19 Cases, Too." But at the very end of the article they finally admit the truth: Even though Florida surpassed Italy in "cases," they had nearly 90% FEWER deaths — the metric that really counts, unless your goal is to perpetuate needless fear into the population. Some Labs Appear to Only Report Positive ResultsOne of the latest scandals was highlighted in a July 11, 2020, Twitter post5 by a user named Rebel A. Cole. A suspiciously high number of laboratories in Florida are reporting6,7 100% of tests as positive. Cole wonders whether this means many labs are now only submitting positive results, omitting negatives altogether. Cole points out that the results from labs reporting only positives account for 34% of the 10,360 new cases on July 11. "Without these, today's 'percent positive' would fall from 12.6% to 8.7%" Cole said. >>>>> Click Here <<<<< The same anomalous trend was also reported in the Alachua Chronicle, July 7, 2020:8
Confusing matters further, the Florida testing report9 states that "A person can be tested by more than one laboratory and can have both positive and negative results." In other words, while each positive test result is counted as a "case," a single person may actually have two or more test results. Let's say one individual tests positive twice or even three or four times. They're now counted as two or more "cases" when in fact it's just one person. Add to that the fact that in many areas, "assumed" cases — obtained through contact tracing — are counted as "positive cases" as well (or have been in the past), even without laboratory confirmed testing.10 After a local Fox News affiliate contacted several of the Florida labs reporting 100% positive test results, some of them confirmed "major errors" in their reporting. And they're no small errors. Orlando Health confirmed its positivity rate was not 98%, as reported to the state, but rather 9.4%. Similarly, Orlando Veteran's Medical Center corrected its positivity rate from the reported 76% down to 6%.11 Several States Report Only Positive ResultsKHN.org actually reported12 this problem all the way back on March 25, 2020, warning that some states had chosen to exclude negative test results from their reporting, thereby giving us an incomplete and misleading picture of the spread of the disease across the country.
Tests Are Reliably UnreliableAside from single individuals being counted as multiple "cases" if they have more than one positive test, the accuracy of the tests themselves have also come under question numerous times. For example, in June, Texas noticed an abnormal number of positive test results, which threw the accuracy of the tests into question. As reported by Dallas News:13
Low Prevalence = Higher False Positive RateAs explained by Dr. Deborah Birx during an April White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, COVID-19 tests are "not 100% sensitive or specific," and that when prevalence is low in the community, the false positive rate will be high.
In other words, if the prevalence of infection in the community is 1%, about half of all positive tests will be false positives. Depending on the manufacturer, the test may return even higher rates of false results. Some Tests Have High False Positive Rates, Others NegativeJuly 6, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned14 clinical laboratory staff and health care providers using the BD SARS-CoV-2 Reagents for the BD Max System test that the test had an increased risk of false positives. The test is designed to detect viral nucleic acid from the SARS-CoV-2 virus in nasal swabs, providing results in two to three hours. "In one study, the manufacturer found approximately three percent (3%) of results were false positive results," the FDA said. False negatives occur too, although it appears to be more difficult to find data on the prevalence of false negative test results. May 14, 2020, the FDA issued a public alert15 warning people that the Abbott ID NOW point-of-care test had a high false negative rate. The FDA started reviewing the test after receiving 15 adverse event reports.
While there seems to be no reliable way to assess just how many positive test results are in fact false positives, as testing continues to climb, it seems clear the number of false results is likely to be quite high. Meanwhile, hospitalizations and actual deaths have dramatically declined. The week of July 4, a grand total of 522 Americans died with or from COVID-19. The week of July 11, the death toll was down to 181, and that's for the entire nation.16 Mortality peaked the week of April 18, with 16,897 deaths, and has dropped by the thousands every week since. At this point, I think it would be safe to say we're out of the danger zone and should allow life to return to some semblance of normal. False Positives Lead to Misuse of Medical ResourcesFalse positives do more than fuel fear-based media rhetoric. In India, false positives are endangering patients who are actually sick by taking up much-needed hospital beds. As reported by Times of India:17
While hospitals typically discharge patients once their symptoms have resolved, many are wary of leaving without proof that they're no longer infectious, as many family members, neighbors and even some housing complexes will not allow access to potentially infectious individuals.
Antibody Tests Are Equally UnreliableAntibody tests are also turning out to have their share of quality problems. In a letter to the editor19 published in the July 1, 2020, issue of American Family Physician, Drs. Mark Ebell, deputy editor for evidence-based medicine for the journal, and Henry Barry, review some of the available data:
Ebell and Barry point out that many of the antibody tests that have provisional approval from the FDA still have not even been evaluated for accuracy. They also recommend that labs report test results "in a way that reflects the local population prevalence based on widespread testing and include the false-positive rate," as this information "is needed to help family physicians better inform shared decision-making regarding previous infection and return to work or school." At present, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone including that data in their reporting, and the way things are going, I wouldn't hold my breath in anticipation of such helpful numbers being included in the future either. Viral and Antibody Test Results Have Been CombinedAside from false positive viral and antibody tests, back in May the CDC also admitted it had combined test results from the two different tests in its national reporting.20 Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told The Atlantic,21 "You've got to be kidding me. How could the CDC make that mistake? This is a mess." Indeed. Several states were also found to have comingled results from the two tests for varying amounts of time, including Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia, Vermont, Virginia and Maine.22 At the state level, an idiotic error such as this has significant consequences as states use these data points to determine when it's "safe" to reopen their economies and allow people back to work. Common Cold Antibodies Can Trigger False Positive TestStill, there's more. June 30, 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that prior exposure to coronaviruses responsible for the common cold can result in a positive COVID-19 antibody test, even if you've never been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 specifically.23 The saving grace there is that studies24,25,26 suggest antibodies produced following exposure to coronaviruses that cause the common cold also appear to provide some general and long-lasting resistance against SARS-CoV-2. One such study,27,28 published May 14, 2020, in the journal Cell, found 70% of samples from patients who had recovered from mild cases of COVID-19 had resistance to SARS-CoV-2 on the T-cell level, but so did 40% to 60% of people who had not been exposed to SARS-CoV-2. According to the authors, this suggests there's "cross-reactive T cell recognition between circulating 'common cold' coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2." In other words, if you've recovered from a common cold caused by a particular coronavirus, your humoral immune system may activate when you encounter SARS-CoV-2, thus rendering you resistant to COVID-19. Another study29 discovered SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies are only found in the most severe cases — about 1 in 5. So, a negative antibody test doesn't necessarily rule out the possibility that you've been infected and didn't get sick. In fact, this finding suggests COVID-19 may actually be five times more prevalent than suspected — and five times less deadly than predicted. COVID-19 Lethality Has Been Massively OverestimatedOther research supports the hypothesis that COVID-19 lethality has been grossly overestimated. Data from a still-ongoing study30,31 by Wake Forest Baptist Health found that, so far, between 12% and 14% of people tested in North Carolina — about 1.47 million people — have antibodies for the coronavirus. This means they were exposed to the virus, got infected and fought it off, all while experiencing few or no symptoms. Based on these data, the overall death rate appears to be around 0.1%.32 John Sanders, chief of infectious diseases at Wake Forest Baptist, told WFAE 90.7:33
An overall mortality rate of 0.1% is right in line with statistics cited by Stanford University's disease prevention chairman Dr. John Ioannidis as well, who in a June 27, 2020, interview with Greek Reporter said:34
31% of Tested Florida Children Are Positive for CoronavirusJuly 14, 2020, the Florida Sun Sentinel reported that 31% of 54,022 children tested in the state were positive for coronavirus. "The state's positivity rate for the entire population is about 11%," the Sentinel said, implying that children in Florida are nearly three times as likely to be positive for the virus. But, knowing how unreliable the tests are, how could health officials and the media possibly take the 31% positivity results seriously — especially considering that studies are showing that the virus affects children differently and less severely than it does adults?36 Do Positive Tests Even Matter at This Point?If the vast majority of people who test positive for COVID-19 infection have no symptoms, don't feel sick and don't look sick, is COVID-19 really a "deadly" disease? Or, is it more like HPV — a viral infection that most people have without knowing it, and which 90% are able to eliminate without treatment? To highlight just a single case, Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo has tested positive for COVID-19 twice, yet he never developed any symptoms. He's also had several negative tests. "It was weird, it was hard to get real answers on if I really had it or not," he told KSAT.37
Continued Testing Now Merely Drives Irrational FearmongeringThe primary justification for the tyrannical governmental interventions of COVID-19 was to slow the spread of the infection so that hospital resources would not be overwhelmed, causing people to die due to lack of medical care. These interventions were not about stopping the spread altogether or even reducing the number of people that would eventually get infected. They certainly were never meant to prevent all death. Logic dictates this simply isn't possible, under any circumstance. The stay-at-home orders and business closings were only intended to slow down the spread so that, eventually, naturally-acquired herd immunity — the best kind — would prevent it from reemerging. Now all of a sudden, the narrative has changed. There's no talk about flattening the curve anymore. The media rarely even mention the all-important death statistics. Instead, headlines warn of skyrocketing "cases," meaning completely healthy people who happen to test positive and who are unlikely to spend so much as a day in bed feeling poorly. At the same time, people with simple upper respiratory infections can legally be classified as COVID-19 cases even without confirmed lab results,38,39 which artificially inflate the "case" totals even more. The only rational reason for any of the government interventions is to continue to erode your personal freedoms and civil liberties and transfer wealth to those in control. It's all fearmongering based on a combination of wildly manipulated data and flawed tests. Hopefully, local and federal leaders will wisen up and start issuing saner guidance sooner rather than later. Time will tell if the July 14, 2020, White House Coronavirus Task Force decision to remove COVID-19 data collection from the CDC will have any effect. As of July 15, all U.S. hospitals are directed to bypass the CDC and "send all coronavirus patient information" to a non-public Health and Human Services database in D.C. instead.40 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/27/coronavirus-infection-rate-in-usa.aspx 1 More than 90% of COVID-19 patients in China have been treated with:
2 Ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure appears to lower COVID-19 mortality rates even when the exposure is too low to produce vitamin D. A possible mechanism of action that allows UV irradiation to protect against COVID-19 is:
3 Which of the following statements is correct?
4 Which of the following groups is the least likely to contract and show symptoms of COVID-19, and the least likely to die even when symptomatic?
5 Which of the following boosts the bioavailability and efficacy of quercetin?
6 Sweden may be close to reaching the herd immunity threshold, which is:
7 Which of the following can allow you to increase your protein synthesis, thus promoting muscle growth, without adding more protein to your diet?
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/27/week-140-health-quiz.aspx The beet has long been part of human history. Some of the oldest archaeological evidence dates the consumption of beets back to the Third Dynasty of Egypt, and Greek records show beets were cultivated around 300 BC.1 Historical beetroots were long and thin, often resembling a red carrot. The modern cultivar didn't appear until the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. Originally, it was the beet greens that were consumed and not the fibrous roots.2 These were occasionally used for medicine. The first record of the roots being eaten was in 1542 in either Germany or Italy. In 1747 a chemist from Berlin discovered how to extract sucrose from beets, leading to the development of the beet sugar industry, which uses fewer resources than sugarcane. Ancient Romans believed beets were an aphrodisiac, as did the Greeks and Italians.3 They are nutrient-dense and easy to grow, making them appealing to backyard gardeners. The plants prefer full sun and a well-prepared, fertile soil.4 Since they develop a tap root, the soil should be free of rocks. Most varieties take from 55 to 70 days to come to maturity. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and can be frozen, canned and pickled. The green tops are edible and full of important nutrients like vitamins K, A, C, magnesium and copper.5 However, the current sugar beet crop is over 90% GMO.6 Support Your Heart Health With BeetsThey may not be a common addition to your menu planning, but it might be time to consider adding beets for their nutritional benefits and unique flavor. Beets can actually increase your production of nitric oxide (NO), which relaxes arteries and reduces blood pressure.7 High blood pressure is one of the health conditions that raises your risk for severe disease with COVID-19. Scientists believe it is the nitrates naturally found in the root that help lower blood pressure by being converted to NO, which is a vasodilator. Scientists have been interested in the action of NO as it also has a significant effect on the ability of the arterial system to deliver nutrients and oxygen. Researchers have identified how the body converts nitrite into nitric oxide.8 In a 2013 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, scientists discussed this pathway, along with the many health benefits that may be realized by eating beets.9 Some of the vegetables with the highest nitrate content include rocket, spinach, lettuce, radish and beetroot. In a more recent study, researchers evaluated the differences in the effect beetroot juice had on younger and older adults.10 Their hypothesis was it would improve cognitive and cardiovascular function, with a greater potential in older adults. The team engaged 24 participants: 13 younger adults and 11 who were older than 50 years. The participants drank 5 ounces of either beetroot juice or placebo. The study team measured plasma nitrate and nitrite concentrations along with heart rate, blood pressure, cognitive function and mood. After drinking the juice, the older group had a greater elevation of plasma nitrite; they also had a more pronounced reduction in diastolic blood pressure than the younger adults. Systolic blood pressure was lowered in both groups, which pointed to potential improvements in heart health that the root vegetable may offer. Nitric Oxide and Your Respiratory SystemIn a 2018 study, researchers measured exhaled nitric oxide in individuals who had consumed beetroot juice. The researchers were interested since "Deficits in NO are linked to loss of bronchoprotective effects in airway challenges and predict symptoms of respiratory infection."11 It's possible, in other words, that raising exhaled NO could help protect your lungs from infection. The team looked at the effect of beetroot juice on the flow rate of NO in men and women, as well as cardiovascular indicators and mental state. The measurements were taken at 45 minutes and 90 minutes after drinking 2.5 ounces of beetroot juice. After drinking the juice, the participants increased their flow rate of NO by 21.3% in 45 minutes and by 20.3% in 90 minutes. One week later, the group drank a different beverage that was given as a control and the participants measured less than a 1% increase in NO flow rate. The researchers concluded:12
Beetroot Juice May Boost Physical PerformanceThe volume and speed of oxygen delivery to the body may also help physical performance and endurance.13 Exercise physiologists have researched nitric oxide in the hope that it could enhance athletic endurance and improve performance.14 In one paper published in the journal Sports Medicine, the authors wrote of the interest in the two pathways that the body uses to develop nitric oxide as it relates to exercise physiology, improving tolerance and reducing recovery time.15 While the authors of several past studies assessed the ability of adding NO in a healthy trained population to improve performance, their conclusions were not consistent. In some studies, dietary supplementation improved performance and in others there was no effect. The authors of this paper hypothesized the training status of the participants may have been the factor that linked a positive effect with nitric oxide supplementation. Additionally, most of the past work had been in a group of young males, suggesting further research is necessary so that it involves people in other populations, such as females and the elderly. There Is No One Food That Protects HealthWhile beets are packed with nutrients, it's important to remember there is no single super food that protects your health and offers your body complete nutrition.16 Your body requires a variety of nutrients to support daily function and help protect against disease. As I have talked about in the past, nutrient deficiencies can significantly impair your body's ability to function and can increase your risk for illness or disease. It's important to steer clear of processed foods that are high in sugar, high in calories and nearly devoid of nutrients. You can find your healthiest foods around the perimeters of the grocery store aisles in the produce, dairy and meat sections. Remember while supplementing with a multivitamin may help fill nutrient gaps, it will never take the place of eating real food. Consider buying foods that have a longer shelf life, such as turnips, beets and hard squashes.17 According to Cape Cod Healthcare, in the days after you come home from the grocery store, it's a good strategy to first eat the foods that have a shorter shelf life, like salad greens, tomatoes and cucumbers; save the vegetables with a longer shelf life for later. Another option is to grow some of your vegetables at home, whether indoors in pots or outside. There are several vegetables and herbs that do well in pots, including lettuce, basil, cilantro, onions and garlic. In fact, you may be able to grow enough to contribute to your dinner salad every evening. Meal Planning Eases Panic BuyingCooking creatively can be challenging, especially when your stress level may be higher than normal. It helps to develop a meal plan for the week and make your grocery list to fit the plan. This helps you stay within budget and reduces the number of impulse buys at the grocery store. Buying foods to fit your meals plan may also help you keep from panic buying. Accept the fact that you may have some cravings for comfort food and try to make those foods at home, in order to cut down on the amount of processed food you eat. By making healthier food choices you'll support your overall health and reduce your risk for illness. Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as grass fed dairy and meat, is a smart way to lower the risk of nutrient deficiencies. While you're spending more time at home, you have a great opportunity to add fermented foods to your diet plan. They are easy to make at home using fresh vegetables, and preparing them yourself gives you control over the flavor and texture. By using a starter, you'll find that the fermented foods you produce at home offer your body a wide range of bacteria that help promote the health of your gut microbiome. Read more about the benefits of fermented foods as well as tips to make your own at home in "Flavorful Fermented Foods Have Healing Properties." However, please understand that you certainly do not want to overdo beets as they are loaded with oxalates and can harm your health. I personally don't eat them but if you do decide to use them certainly use them in moderation. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/27/beets-can-help-fight-covid.aspx A second antimalarial treatment is being seriously considered and evaluated for its efficacy against COVID-19. The treatment is from the plant Artemisia annua, which most people know as sweet wormwood or sweet Annie. Research over the past few decades has revealed multiple health benefits from this plant with an uncommon name. Another plant in the same family, Artemisia absinthium, has a different history. It has been used in the development of absinthe, an alcoholic beverage which is up to 80% alcohol prepared by macerating the leaves and distilling them.1 However, it is the Artemisia annua, or sweet wormwood, that is a current focus of research. Sweet wormwood is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for more than 2,000 years. Research by Chinese scientists in the 1970s initiated what the World Health Organization calls “one of the most important advances in malaria control in modern times.”2 Wormwood and sweet wormwood belong to the Asteraceae family, which includes coneflowers, dandelions, ragweed and goldenrod.3 The plant is adaptable, hardy and in some cases considered invasive. Gardeners often plant it for the sweet-smelling foliage and its yellow flowers.4 Artemisia Annua May Hold One Key to COVID-19Researchers isolated a class of compounds in sweet wormwood that demonstrated activity against cancer, schistosomiasis and malaria.5 More recently, it was discovered that the plant is bioactive against certain viruses such as cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and C, and members of the herpes family, including herpes virus type 1 and Epstein-Barr.6 Following the SARS outbreak in 2003, researchers began evaluating the effectiveness of Chinese medicinal herbs against the virus.7 Four extracts showed promise, including Artemisia annua. Building on this and other research, scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany collaborated with those at Freie Universität Berlin to carry out laboratory studies evaluating the bioactive compounds in the plant against SARS-CoV-2. Peter H. Seeberger, who was one of two scientists who oversaw the research, commented:8
Stronger Antiviral Activity With CoffeeSeeberger was also encouraged by the international collaboration as scientists work together to find compounds that may improve the treatment and management of people with COVID-19. He said:9
After demonstrating antiviral capability in the lab, researchers moved to testing sweet wormwood in a human trial. They are using a cultivated line of seeds developed by ArtemiLife Inc. from Kentucky. The researchers found that when the compounds were extracted from this particular line, they demonstrated the strongest antiviral activity. Klaus Osterrieder from Freie Universität Berlin conducted the activity assays in which they discovered that using an ethanolic extract of Artemisia and coffee produced the best results. When tested alone, the artemisinin didn’t demonstrate much antiviral activity. Osterrieder found the results remarkable:10
If they find success in the human trials, it may mean the discovery of a treatment for COVID-19 that meets many criteria. These include being widely available, relatively inexpensive, effective and safe.11 Pick-the-Winner Study Design Scales Up Traditional ResearchThe extract is being added to an ongoing University of Kentucky clinical trial in which researchers are evaluating experimental treatments for COVID-19. In the race to find a viable treatment, clinical trials are taking on unique designs. In this case, the researchers developed a “pick-the-winner” format that lets scientists quickly evaluate the results of the therapies being tested and move patients into clinical arms that appear to be working. Dr. Susanne Arnold, a medical oncologist from the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, commented on the distinctive study design:12
This study design is different from the remdesivir research that, according to The HighWire, appeared to be manipulated as the scientists changed the outcome measures, the number of study participants and the type of placebo used as the study moved forward.13 The adaptive U.K. wormwood study aims to move as many patients into successful treatments as possible as results are tabulated, while the data collection is ongoing. The treatments are also being reserved for patients assessed to be at high risk, who are either at home or in the hospital and have tested positive for COVID-19. Patients who have the symptoms but have not developed severe symptoms can also be included if they are in a high-risk category. The researchers use a multidisciplinary committee to choose therapies allowed in the trial. Some of the criteria used to consider are those that “have excellent safety profiles and are readily available, rapidly scalable and relatively inexpensive.” Those who choose to enroll in the trial are assigned one of four types of treatment, including Artemisia annua. Once the team has identified the most promising therapies from this study, they plan to enroll a larger number of patients in a traditional placebo-controlled trial. Artemisia Annua Has a 30-Year History Treating MalariaArtemisia annua has a long history of use as one of the best treatments for malaria.14 In a press release from Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, it was noted that artemisinin-based combinations are used throughout the world, they show little toxicity and are even used to treat malaria in newborns.15 There have been some reports of liver damage when using products containing artemisia annua.16 However, studies show the liver damage from sweet wormwood is both rare and self-limiting.17 The most severe cases reported were in people getting other antimalarial drugs with known hepatotoxicity. Symptoms appeared in days or weeks after starting Artemisia annua. As the study at the University of Kentucky gets underway, the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) in Madagascar has already developed a product based on one of their traditional medicines from sweet wormwood. The director general, Dr. Charles Andrianjara, began work in January when COVID-19 was first announced.18 The group combed through their catalog of thousands of medicinal herbs collected since 1957. Their hypothesis was that if they could find a treatment for “the cough, respiratory difficulties, the aches, the fever, then we could treat the virus.”19 Some Concerned Monotherapy May Drive Malarial ResistanceThe IMRA is well-respected in a country where many of the residents turn first to herbal medicine before looking for pharmaceutical drugs. They refined some and contributed to research that led to discovering pharmaceutical treatments that are internationally recognized, including a drug that helps with diabetes management and another now being used to treat certain cancers. At the time of the announcement and launch of Covid-Organics (CVO) in Madagascar, fewer than 20 patients had used the treatment. This is likely since the country has had a low number of people with the virus — 405 confirmed cases as of May 22, 2020, as reported by Time.20 The team had developed an herbal tea that combined Artemisia with other ingredients. Although the numbers were low, Andrianjara was encouraged since the remedies included in the tea have no known side effects. He went on to explain to Time:21
This relatively nontoxic compound is the cornerstone of a combination therapy that has significantly brought down the number of deaths from malaria. Kevin Marsh from the University of Oxford has been studying malaria in Kenya for decades. He worries about the resistance the parasite may develop to artemisinin if it's used in Africa as a monotherapy.22 When used to treat malaria, a second drug is included in the cocktail to reduce the potential for drug resistance, although the question of resistance is not clear as others don't believe it will be an issue since pharmacies in Africa have sold artemisinin monotherapy for many years. After the announcement of CVO, several African nations requested information about shipments to their countries.23 This prompted a statement from the World Health Organization on May 4, 2020, in which they expressed concern and rebuked unsubstantiated claims, writing:24
It’s Not Clear What’s in the Madagascar BrewHealth officials gave three reasons for their concern over the promotion of an herbal remedy like CVO to prevent and treat the novel coronavirus.25 At the time of the promotion there was no scientific evidence to show the extract could work in humans. The fear is this would give users a false sense of security, leading people to stop social distancing and hand-washing. The second concern was that the herbal tea or capsule can contain a cocktail of other bioactive compounds that may have side effects not associated with artemisinin. And third, widespread use may trigger resistant strains of malaria for people living in regions where the disease is endemic. Chemical & Engineering News reports southeast Asia currently has an artemisinin-resistant malaria parasite, and signs of rising resistance are appearing in Papua New Guinea, Guyana and Rwanda. The African Union has requested that the government of Madagascar explain, scientifically, how the wormwood-based cocktail works.26 Andrianjara’s statements are the result of observation from a handful of patients. It will also be difficult for others to validate the effects of CVO as the IMRA has not released the ingredients. While it is being promoted by the country’s president, the Madagascar National Academy of Medicine has not cleared it for distribution. However, as some contemplate where the profit is being funneled from the sale of CVO, it is important to note that unlike remdesivir, which is being sold for $3,100 for a full course of treatment,27 the cost to consumers for sweet wormwood treatments is relatively low. Covid-Organics can be found in almost every supermarket for the equivalent of 20 cents for a single serving and $1.50 for a box of 10 tea bags. Adrianjara suggests28
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/27/sweet-wormwood-for-covid.aspx Siim Land has written an excellent book called “Metabolic Autophagy: Practice Intermittent Fasting and Resistance Training to Build Muscle and Promote Longevity.”1 It’s a valuable synergetic companion to “Fat for Fuel,” as it delves into some areas I did not cover. It compiles and presents all the basic science you need to know in a digestible format. Here, we discuss his latest book, “Stronger by Stress: Adapt to Beneficial Stressors to Improve Your Health and Strengthen the Body,”2 which came out July 26, 2020. It reviews the really important concepts of hormesis and antifragility.
Stronger by StressAs it pertains to COVID-19, evidence suggest if you can get two key variables right — a vitamin D level of at least 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) and metabolic flexibility — your chances of getting sick from SARS-CoV-2 infection is fairly remote. But improving your resilience against stress is also important.
What Is Antifragility?Antifragility is a term coined by economist Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, “Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder.” The term describes a state that is the opposite of fragility. Antifragility describes how stress makes you stronger rather than breaking you down or apart.
Time-Restricted Eating Builds AntifragilityOne of Land’s favorite tools for health and longevity is intermittent fasting, or more accurately termed, time-restricted eating, and one of the reasons for this is because it allows you to become metabolically flexible and insulin sensitive, which builds your antifragility.
So, time-restricted eating is a great way to get the benefits of calorie restriction without experiencing the negative side effects from it, because extreme and prolonged calorie restriction can also leave you vulnerable and more fragile by triggering muscle loss, for example. That will actually shorten your life span and make you more vulnerable to potential dangers in your environment, such as falling and breaking your hip. Intermittent fasting can sidestep these negative side effects. Time-Restricted Eating for Muscle BuildingA persistent question surrounding intermittent fasting is what the best strategy is. Should you eat just once a day, or can you get away with two or more meals as long as you eat it all within a certain time window? And, if so, how long can that window be? Land comments:
Now, if your intention is to build muscle, having two meals a day, within a six- to eight-hour window, would make more sense. Having just one meal a day is likely better if you are seeking to lose weight, but might be challenging. This is likely for the simple reason that you’re only going to build muscle when you activate mTOR, and to activate mTOR you need to introduce protein and leucine or branched-chain amino acids, along with some healthy carbohydrates. If you eat twice, six hours apart, you can activate mTOR twice a day, thus allowing you to get better muscle-building benefits. As explained by Land:
I found this advice personally helpful as I was pushing my eating window to four hours, but after Land related this commonsense strategy, I extended it to six to eight hours, which actually is easier on the kidneys. Also, as noted by Land, pushing your eating window to be excessively narrow can backfire and slow down your metabolism. In the context of stress adaptation and antifragility, if your body becomes too accustomed to the fasting because you’re eating only one meal a day all the time, then that can eventually slow down your metabolism and lower thyroid functioning. This in turn makes you more prone to insulin resistance, which is exactly what you’re trying to avoid by eating just once a day. Carbs Aren’t All BadWhile carbs have gotten a bad rap, they are still an important part of your diet. In fact, when you're seeking to stimulate mTOR, carbs may be just as important as protein, because insulin secretion is a powerful activator of mTOR. I believe carb cycling can be highly beneficial in this respect. If you’re chronically low-carb, it will provide you with significant benefits initially, but long-term, it can backfire. Land explains:
Land’s explanation above caused me to change my own carb cycling to a more optimal schedule. While nothing is set in stone and listening to your body is important, if you are not insulin resistant, I believe cycling in carbs once or twice a week and remaining low-carb, below 50 grams per day, the rest of the week is a good strategy, as nutritional ketosis has so many profound metabolic benefits. That said, if you’re already insulin resistant, as 90% of the population is, or diabetic, then adding carbs will be counterproductive, so it’s important to assess your individual situation. If your metabolic flexibility is already good, then being on a restrictive low-carb diet isn’t really necessary anymore. Hydroxy MethylbutyrateOne excellent reminder in Land’s book is the importance of hydroxy methylbutyrate (HMB), a metabolite of the branched-chain amino acid leucine, which is the most potent stimulator of mTOR. To activate mTOR and boost muscle protein synthesis, you need a significant quantity of leucine, at least 3 grams. I have a kidney damage from mercury poisoning that limits me from eating high amounts of protein. The beautiful thing about HMB is it doesn’t stress the kidneys. After reading “Stronger by Stress,” I started adding HMB to my breakfast as I wasn’t getting the minimum dose of leucine needed to activate mTOR. Since then, I’ve noticed a significant change in my body's ability to create more muscle mass. Land comments:
The Benefits of Heat-Shock and Cold-Shock Proteins“Stronger by Stress” also delves into the science of heat-shock proteins and cold-shock proteins, activated by exposure to heat and cold respectively. Heat-shock proteins repair misfolded proteins and RNA, increase glutathione and promote autophagy, among other things. Cold-shock proteins also activate antioxidant defense mechanisms, and lower inflammation and oxidative stress. Born and raised in Estonia, Land is familiar with the cold, and embraces cold exposure for its physical conditioning and mental toughness benefits.
Muscle Building Is Essential to Avoid SarcopeniaIn the interview, Land reviews some of his recommendations for high-intensity resistance training, such as doing multiple sets, split training and other strategies that are also covered in his book. As noted by Land, maintaining muscle and keeping physically active is probably one of the best things you can do to extend both your life span and health span. Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a significant threat to health that virtually no one can escape. Use it or lose it applies here, and muscle is far easier to lose than gain, and its lost much faster than you can build it. For this reason, I strongly recommend strength training for all ages, especially the elderly. The good news is you can effectively build muscle without risking injury from heavy loads by using blood flow restriction (BFR) training. In Japan, where the technique was developed, it’s known as KAATSU. You can learn more about the fascinating history of BFR in my interview with Steven Munatones, who brought this fitness system to the U.S. It’s important to realize that sarcopenia is not just cosmetic, and it’s not just about frailty. Your muscle tissue, which makes up about half of your body’s tissues, is a metabolic organ, an endocrine organ. Your muscle tissue makes cytokines and myokines, and is a sink for glucose. Insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes accelerate sarcopenia, and research shows glucose fluctuations are independently associated with this condition. As noted in one 2019 study,3 “glucose fluctuations were significantly associated with a low muscle mass, low grip strength, and slow walking speed.” The effectiveness of BFR for the prevention and reversal of muscle wasting is directly addressed in an April 2019 study4 in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle:
BFR SummaryFor a detailed discussion about the benefits of BFR and how it can be done, see “Build Muscle Faster, Safer and Easier With BFR Training.” In brief, BRF involves exercising your muscles while partially restricting arterial inflow and fully restricting venous outflow in either both proximal arms or legs.5 Venous flow restriction is achieved by using thin elastic bands on the extremity being exercised. By restricting the venous blood flow, you create a relatively hypoxic (low oxygen) environment in the exercising muscle, which in turn triggers a number of physiological benefits, including the production of hormones such as growth hormone and IGF-1, commonly referred to as “the fitness hormones.”6 It also increases vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which acts as “fertilizer” for growing more blood vessels and improving their lining (endothelium). I believe BRF is one of the best strategies available to address the epidemic of sarcopenia,7 and for most people who are not competitive athletes it may be the only form of resistance training they need. Land, like me, is a big fan of the KAATSU system,8 and uses it every day.
Bad Fats Are Worse for You Than SugarLand also discusses the benefits and importance of omega-3 fats, and the hazard of vegetable oils and oxidized, rancid fats. It’s important to realize that both omega-3 and omega-6 oils are integrated into your cell membranes. While omega-3s make your cell membranes healthier, omega-6 fats from vegetable oils wreak havoc with your cellular metabolism, and have a half-life of 600 to 680 days, as explained in my interview with Dr. Chris Knobbe. I firmly believe, as does Land, that harmful oils and fats are far more hazardous to your health than added sugar and grain carbs.
One simple way to tell whether you might have a lot of bad fats in your system is to look at your skin. The dark so-called “age spots” or “liver spots” many have are caused by lipofuscin. Those spots can eventually disappear if you clean up your diet. More InformationWe cover a lot of ground in this interview, as we review many of the topics Land covers in his book. For example, we touch on the harmful impact of high iron, which in conjunction with lipid peroxidation is particularly disastrous; the importance of sleep and nose breathing; and how to avoid mouth breathing while asleep. We also discuss senolytic therapies — strategies that remove senescent (old, damaged) cells, thus providing antiaging benefits. One of the most effective senolytic therapies, in Land’s opinion, is intermittent fasting. Cyclical ketosis also helps clear out senescent cells, and certain compounds, such as curcumin, EGCG, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane and allicin have senolytic effects. Because fasting is a powerful senolytic therapy, these compounds are best taken while you’re fasting. So, for example, provided you’ve eaten your last meal early enough in the evening, take your supplement right before you go to bed. That way, it can work for another several hours while you’re sleeping. Land also discusses how autophagy and nutritional ketosis may help protect against EMF damage. To learn more about all of these topics that we’ve merely scratched the surface of here, be sure to pick up a copy of “Stronger by Stress,”9 which is a great follow-up to and continuation of “Metabolic Autophagy: Practice Intermittent Fasting and Resistance Training to Build Muscle and Promote Longevity.”10 Both are excellent and well worth reading. In closing, Land reminds us:
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/26/small-stressors-beneficial.aspx Dr. Mercola Interviews the Experts This article is part of a weekly series in which Dr. Mercola interviews various experts on a variety of health issues. To see more expert interviews, click here. In this interview, Dr. Chris Knobbe, an ophthalmologist, discusses some of the eye-opening information found in his book, “Ancestral Dietary Strategy to Prevent and Treat Macular Degeneration.”1 Knobbe is the founder and president of the Cure AMD Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the No. 1 cause of blindness among the elderly. His book is a comprehensive treatise on the historical progression of AMD and provides compelling evidence that this is a disease caused by processed foods.
Although we did not discuss these dietary issues and its connection to COVID-19 risk because the interview was done before March, it is still very relevant. We now know that eating processed foods, especially vegetable oils, will increase insulin resistance and metabolic inflexibility, which is one of the two largest risk factors for COVID-19, the other being vitamin D insufficiency. Vegetable Oils Responsible for Emergence of Heart DiseaseRefined flour, sugar, trans fats and vegetable oils are relatively recent additions to our food supply. Refined sugar has been around for a few hundred years, but it was consumed in really low amounts until the late 19th century. Vegetable oils emerged after the American Civil War. Refined white wheat flour came about in 1880 and trans fats in 1911.
Diet Has Increased Cancer and DiabetesKnobbe also reviews the historical data on cancer. Of the 942 people who died during 1811 in Boston, only five died of cancer. That’s 1 in 188 deaths. By 1900, cancer killed 1 in 17 people. Today, cancer accounts for 31.2% of deaths in the U.S., or nearly 1 in 3. The same exponential growth can be seen in Type 2 diabetes. In the 19th century, any form of diabetes was extremely rare. One of the first studies on diabetes was published in 1935. In 1935-1936, 0.37% of Americans had diabetes. By 2015, that rate had risen to 9.4%. That's a 25-fold increase in 80 years. The situation may actually be even worse than that, though, as the 9.4% rate refers to documented full-blown clinical diabetes. If you add in prediabetes and insulin resistance, then nearly 9 in 10 Americans are affected. According to recent NHANES data,2 87.8% of Americans are unhealthy based on five parameters of metabolic health, so virtually the entire population is at risk for and headed toward Type 2 diabetes. Shocking Rise in AMD PrevalenceMacular degeneration became discoverable following the invention of the ophthalmoscope in 1851. The ophthalmoscope was in broad use by 1880. By 1900, there was 140 versions available. By 1914, there was over 200 versions of ophthalmoscope in use around the world. Yet, between 1851 and 1930, there were no more than 50 cases of AMD reported in all the world's medical literature. It was virtually unknown. Prevalence began to increase in the 1930s, and by 1975, an estimated 4.5 million Americans suddenly had macular degeneration. By 1994, 15 million had it, and as of 2020, estimates put worldwide prevalence at 196 million. In 20 more years, it’s expected to hit 288 million.
Metabolic Dysfunction Is Common DenominatorThe common denominator that all of these diseases share is mitochondrial dysfunction caused by processed foods. Hopefully, knowing this will inspire and motivate you to change your eating habits. Once you realize what these foods are doing to you at the molecular level, you’ll be more excited about healthy choices.
The cardiolipin is only found in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In the lecture above, Knobbe illustrates the chain of events that result in mitochondrial dysfunction. High-PUFA Diet Triggers Catastrophic Peroxidation CascadeParadoxically, the cardiolipin molecule depends on linoleic acid, and linoleic acid is the primary omega-6 in our diets. However, in a high-linoleic acid diet, the linoleic acid in the cardiolipin molecule ends up being destroyed. So, what gives? Knobbe explains:
Another important variable here is the influence of carnosine, a dipeptide — two amino acids put together — made up of beta-alanine and histidine. Carnosine is only found animal products. It serves as a scavenger or sink for reactive carbonyl groups, intermediaries that go on to form advanced lipoxidation end-products and emulsification end-products. If you can grab these carbonyls before they attack proteins and fats, you can essentially stop the vicious cycle resulting in catastrophic peroxidation. This is yet another reason why I do not recommend diets that exclude animal products and meat, as they will lower your carnosine level, and carnosine is a really important nutrient to limit the damage from oxidation products. It's also important for mitochondrial function. Toxic AldehydesKnobbe has been studying the toxic aldehydes that result from these omega-6 fats. When you consume an omega-6 fat, it first reacts with a hydroxyl radical or peroxide radical, producing a lipid hydroperoxide. This lipid hydroperoxide then rapidly degenerates into toxic aldehydes, of which there are many. Examples include 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as oxidized linoleic acid metabolites such as 9-HODE, 13-HODE, carboxyethylpyrrole and acrolein.
Knobbe also points out what you lose out on when eating vegetable oils, namely fat-soluble vitamins. Animal fats such as lard, butter and beef tallow provide not only healthy fats but also essential vitamins such as vitamins A, D and K2. “Let's face it, meat is the most densely nutritious food that most anybody in the United States ever gets,” Knobbe says. One of the benefits of eating meat is that it is loaded with carnosine, which is a dipeptide consisting of beta-alanine and histidine. This is a terrific scavenging agent for advanced lipoxidation endproducts (ALEs) like the fats discussed above. If you’re excluding meat from your diet and consume large amounts of industrial processed oils, you’re setting yourself up for metabolic disaster. Without a doubt, low carnosine and high aldehydes is a prescription for premature death from chronic disease. At the very least it would be wise to take a carnosine or beta-alanine supplement. Your Body Can RecoverWhile the good news is that you can recover your health by eliminating these unhealthy omega-6-rich oils from your diet — essentially ditching processed foods — the bad news is they have a rather long half-life. According to Knobbe, polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils, seed oils and trans fats are mostly stored (opposed to being used for fuel), and have a half-life of 600 to 680 days. That means it will take quite a few years to empty your body stores of these damaging omega-6 fats.
In the interview, Knobbe also discusses how his arthritis was traced back to oxalates, which are found exclusively in plants. Ironically, many of the plant foods that are praised for their healthiness have the highest amounts of oxalates and can wreak havoc on those with arthritis or other autoimmune conditions.
Macular Degeneration Strongly Linked to Processed Food DietAside from improving your overall health and avoiding chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, avoiding sugars, refined wheat flour, vegetable oils and trans fats is also crucial for the prevention of AMD. Knobbe reviews research showing the connections between a processed food diet and AMD. In Southwestern rural Nigeria, 0.1% of the adult population over the age of 50 have macular degeneration. A mere 240 miles away in Onitsha, Nigeria, the prevalence is 3.2%. The difference between these two populations is their food supply. The people in Southwestern rural Nigeria do not have access to processed foods. They live off native traditional foods. The people in Onitsha, Nigeria, do have access to processed foods, but at far lower amounts than what we get in the U.S. Barbados, meanwhile, has a macular degeneration rate of 24.3% — 243 times higher than the Africans of Southwestern rural Nigeria. What stands out about Barbados is the fact that it’s known by nutrition researchers all around the world as a Mecca for processed food. They import almost all of their food.
More InformationTo learn more about how your diet influences your risk of AMD and other chronic diseases, be sure to pick up a copy of Knobbe’s book, “Ancestral Dietary Strategy to Prevent and Treat Macular Degeneration.” More information can also be found on CureAMD.org.
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/26/macular-degeneration-foods-to-avoid.aspx In the U.S., even as the COVID-19 curve appears to have flattened, and death rates for some groups have fallen to almost zero,1 dire warnings about an ominous "second wave" continue. Likewise, Sweden, a country that has handled the pandemic differently than most of the globe, is being chided for its looser restrictions and lack of lockdowns, even as data suggest their refusal to implement a full shutdown of their society may have been the best approach after all. While most other countries instituted stay-at-home orders and shuttered schools and businesses, Sweden did not. While high schools and universities closed and gatherings of more than 50 people were banned, elementary and middle schools, shops and restaurants have remained open during the pandemic.2 Now, news outlets are trying to use Sweden as an example of what not to do to fight COVID-19, citing a high death toll. "The country's mortality rate from the coronavirus is now 30% higher than that of the United States when adjusted for population size," CBS News reported,3 but this doesn't tell the full picture of how Swedes have fared in comparison to the rest of the world. Sweden May Be Close to Reaching Herd ImmunityIf a novel virus is introduced to a population, eventually enough people acquire natural immunity so that the number of susceptible people declines. When the number susceptible is low enough to prevent epidemic growth, the herd immunity threshold, or HIT, has been reached. With SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, some estimates have suggested that 60% to 70% of the population must be immune before HIT will be reached, but researchers from Oxford, Virginia Tech, and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine4 found that when individual variations in susceptibility and exposure are taken into account, the HIT declines to less than 10%.5 Independent news source Off-Guardian6 cited data from Stockholm County, Sweden that showed an HIT of 17%,7 as well as an essay by Brown University Professor Dr. Andrew Bostom, who explained:8
And, as pointed out in Conservative Review:9
Off-Guardian continues with Stanford's Nobel-laureate Michael Levitt, who is among those in support of Sweden's lighter restrictions. Levitt successfully predicted the trajectory of COVID-19 deaths in China, including when the deaths would slow, and has stated that the pandemic would not be as dire as many have predicted. Have Sweden's COVID-19 Deaths Peaked?What's more, in an interview with The Stanford Daily, Levitt stated in May 2020, "If Sweden stops at about 5,000 or 6,000 deaths, we will know that they've reached herd immunity, and we didn't need to do any kind of lockdown."10 As of July 17, 2020, there were 5,619 deaths in Sweden due to COVID-19,11 and in a study released by Levitt and colleagues June 30, 2020, which analyzes COVID-19 outbreaks at 3,546 locations worldwide, it's predicted that Sweden's total COVID-19 deaths will plateau at about 6,000.12 So far, Levitt is spot-on, and it appears, indeed, that Sweden's COVID-19 deaths have slowed, peaking at more than 100 deaths per day and now, midsummer, tallying in the low teens. The intensive care unit at Stockholm's Sodertalje Hospital has also cleared out, housing 77 cases during the pandemic's peak and only four cases as of July 17, 2020.13 Sweden's Epidemiologist Calls Lockdowns 'Madness'Sweden continues to stand by their handling of the pandemic, despite heavy criticism. The country's state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, even described the rest of the world's lockdowns as "madness," considering the steep side effects they ultimately cause. Levitt suggested that not only did lockdowns not save lives, but likely cost lives due to social damage, domestic abuse, divorces, alcoholism and other health conditions that were not treated.14 Bloomberg reported:15
Tegnell stated that shutting down schools was also unnecessary during the pandemic, and scientists from the Institut Pasteur in France indeed found that there was no significant transmission of COVID-19 in primary schools, either among the students or from students to teachers.16 "The study also confirmed that younger children infected by the novel coronavirus generally do not develop symptoms or present with minor symptoms that may result in a failure to diagnose the virus," study author Bruno Hoen added.17 Meanwhile, while Sweden has encouraged its citizens to engage in social distancing, mask usage is another story, and Tegnell has stated that there's little evidence for wearing face masks.18 Stanford Expert Slams LockdownsOutside of Sweden, other experts, including epidemiologist Dr. John Ioannidis of Stanford University, have also spoken out against statewide lockdown measures in response to COVID-19. Ioannidis suggests that 150 million to 300 million people may have already been infected globally and may have developed antibodies to the virus, and the median infection fatality rate has remained low at about 0.25%.19 As continues to be demonstrated, the elderly and those with underlying health problems appear to be most vulnerable, and protecting such populations should have been a priority. But lockdowns for young, healthy people are far more questionable. Speaking with Greek Reporter, Ioannidis said:20
Overall, Ioannidis said the mathematical models that predicted hospitals would be overrun by COVID-19 patients were "astronomically wrong," and although a handful of U.S. hospitals did become stressed, no health systems were overrun. "Conversely," he said, "the health care system was severely damaged in many places because of the [lockdown] measures taken," while lockdown measures have also significantly increased the number of people at risk of starvation while leading to financial crisis, unrest and civil strife.21 What's more, one study even found that 81% of people not exposed to SARS-CoV-2 were still able to mount an immune response against it, which "suggests at least some built-in immune protection from SARS-CoV-2 …"22 US Surgeon General Opposes Mask MandateWith mask usage becoming an increasingly polarized debate, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams encouraged mask usage but spoke out against making them mandatory due to concerns that it could lead to rebellion.23 In my interview with Denis Rancourt, Ph.D., a former full professor of physics, and a researcher with the Ontario Civil Liberties Association in Canada, we also discussed the controversial topic of masks. Rancourt did a thorough study of the scientific literature on masks, concentrating on evidence showing masks can reduce infection risk, especially viral respiratory diseases. If there was any significant advantage to wearing a mask to reduce infection risk to either the wearer or others in the vicinity, then it would have been detected in at least one of these trials, yet there's no sign of such a benefit. He said in our interview:
This is another area where Sweden has stayed ahead of the curve, as they've resisted asking the public to wear masks based on lack of evidence of effectiveness and the risk that they offer wearers a false sense of security. Tegnell did state that officials are considering whether to recommend masks during use of public transportation, but stressed masks "definitely won't become an optimal solution in any way."24 Sweden Speaks Out Against WHO WarningIn late June 2020, the World Health Organization counted Sweden among European countries at risk of seeing a resurgence of COVID-19. The warning was based on WHO data showing Sweden had 155 infections for every 100,000 inhabitants in the past 14 days, a higher rate than in most of Europe.25 Tegnell, however, said that this was a "total misinterpretation of the data" and WHO was confusing Sweden with countries just at the outset of their epidemics. Instead, any rise in infections is likely due to increases in testing, Tegnell said, adding, "They didn't call to ask us. The number of admissions to intensive care is at a very low level and even deaths are starting to go down."26 Time will tell whether Sweden's strategy, which avoided lockdowns and widespread mask usage, turns out to be the right one after all, but some believe the writing is already on the wall.27
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/25/coronavirus-cases-in-sweden.aspx Have you heard the expression, “She died from a broken heart”? Doctors know it is more than a myth or an old wives’ tale. In fact, the condition is colloquially known as “broken heart syndrome.” The medical term for the condition is Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM), named after a pot used by Japanese fishermen to trap octopi.1 The diagnosis was first introduced by a Japanese scientist in 1991. However, this was only the first time it had been described since people had been known to suffer from the condition. After the paper was published, several more cases appeared over the next 10 years, but it remained largely unrecognized outside of Eastern culture, as many of the papers were written by Japanese scientists. After the earthquake in Japan on October 23, 2004, 16 people were diagnosed with TCM. This large number in such a short period of time drew attention from those in the West. The name “broken heart syndrome” was coined in the early 2010s, in reference to those who experienced the condition after the death of a loved one. While doctors recognize TCM, no one knows for sure how or why it happens. Doctors know that it can be caused by serious physical illness, surgery or stressful situations that prompt extreme emotions.2 Broken Heart Syndrome Rising During COVID-19 PandemicThe mounting stress and lack of control that have been hallmarks of the COVID-19 pandemic caused researchers from Cleveland Clinic to investigate the incidence of TCM in a population of people admitted to the main Cleveland Clinic campus and Cleveland Clinic Akron General.3 The cardiologists gathered a cohort of 1,914 patients who presented with acute coronary syndrome both before and after March 1, 2020.4 There were 258 in the group who went to the hospital between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020; the others were seen before the pandemic was announced. These became the control group, which was separated into four groups by date. With the post-pandemic-announcement group, altogether there were five groups for comparison. After an analysis of the numbers of individuals, the researchers found there was a significant increase in people who were evaluated for TCM during the intervention period. This reached an incidence of 7.8% versus a range of 1.5% to 1.8% seen before the pandemic, across the four groups in the control.5 In addition to the increased numbers of people being treated for this, the data showed that those who presented with stress cardiomyopathy during the pandemic experienced lengthier hospital stays but had no difference in mortality. Dr. Grant Reed from Cleveland Clinic, and an author on the study, was quoted in a press release:6
It May Feel Like a Heart Attack, But It Isn’t OneDoctors from Cleveland Clinic say people with TCM often experience symptoms that feel like a heart attack. These can include shortness of breath and chest pain. However, after testing and examination, their coronary arteries are open without any damage to the muscle from lack of oxygenation. A person may also experience different symptoms, including an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure and fainting. On examination and testing, doctors may find the left ventricle is enlarged. Doctors believe a physical reaction to emotional or physical stress increases the release of stress hormones that may briefly lower the heart's effectiveness at pumping blood. Although stress cardiomyopathy and a heart attack may look similar, patients who experience TCM generally recover in a few days or weeks and the condition is rarely fatal. Occasionally, patients have presented with other, more serious cardiac and cerebrovascular events triggered by TCM. Typically, physicians will treat high blood pressure and give medication to slow the heart rate. Additionally, Cleveland Clinic reports that medications may be prescribed to manage an individual’s stress level. Cardiologist Ankur Kalra led the study and said:7
One unexpected and famous case some have speculated could be attributed to broken heart syndrome was the death of actress Debbie Reynolds shortly after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher, who died from a heart attack in 2016.8 Although Reynolds died from a stroke, following a smaller stroke she’d had months earlier, the proximity to a major emotional stress lends credence to the potential that the cerebrovascular event was triggered by stress cardiomyopathy. As Stress Levels Soar, Failing Economy Raises Risk of MoreThe American Psychiatric Association conducted a poll in March 2020 and found that 36% of people living in the U.S. believed SARS-CoV-2 had a severe impact on their mental health and 59% believed there was a serious impact on their day-to-day life.9 Some of the top concerns were a negative effect on their finances, fears of running out of food, medicine or other supplies, and fears that the pandemic would leave long-lasting effects on the economy. As the Cleveland Clinic team found, successfully coping with stress is more important now than ever. Yet, according to the Annual Stress in America 2020 survey:10
The psychological impact of the pandemic continues as the stressors that affect mental health, such as isolation and lockdowns, are replaced with apprehension about returning to public life. A review of the research by scholars at King's College London revealed that during quarantines, people have heightened fears of infection, greater levels of frustration and boredom and inadequate information with which to make sense of it all.11 Once the quarantine is lifted, this may shift to stress over financial loss and fears of being treated with suspicion or being avoided by others who are anxious about getting sick. Experts also know there's a strong connection between financial challenges and mental health problems; this includes suicide. During the Great Depression, suicide rates reached an all-time high,12 peaking again in 2008 to 2010 when at least 10,000 “economics suicides” happened.13 The mental health hotline run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration had a 1,000% increase in April 2020 as compared to April 2019.14 Benjamin F. Miller, chief strategy officer of Well Being Trust, a national foundation dedicated to mental, social and spiritual health, said:15
Stress Reduction Is Important to Overall HealthThe effects of stress are felt throughout your body, from the damage to your heart to the arrival of gray hair. Although, from an evolutionary perspective, the stress response is lifesaving, chronic stress has the opposite effect. Data from a study of siblings show that people who have stress-related disorders are far more likely to develop cardiovascular disease compared to siblings from the same family without a stress disorder.16 The term “cardiovascular disease” does not relate specifically to TCM, but, rather, it includes diseases such as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart failure and arrhythmia conduction disorders. More interestingly, within the first year of being diagnosed with a stress disorder, the risk for cardiovascular disease rose even higher, to 64% greater than a sibling without stress-related health problems. The authors wrote:17
Chaos Raises Stress Levels — Here’s How to Take ControlOne major trigger for stress is the perception of loss of control.18 Whether it’s a loss of physical, mental or financial control, the chaos can increase your stress levels and drive physical illness. You may reduce your stress levels by taking back a measure of control in your life. One of my favorite techniques to help reduce stress and increase creative problem solving is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). The process is also called tapping and it’s a tool that can help free your mind to fully address challenges without fear. Taking control of the situation may mean learning more about how the pandemic affects your health and what you can do to reduce the potential risk of severe disease. You’ll find more about this on my Coronavirus Resource Page where you’ll find articles about fighting the illness, the signs and symptoms to watch for and what’s the latest in the news. One of the strongest strategies you can currently use is to raise your level of vitamin D to between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL. You’ll find a great deal of information in my article, “The Most Important Paper Dr. Mercola Has Ever Written,” plus a link to download a free report to help you and your family effectively raise your vitamin D levels. It is also important to avoid nonstop or excessive viewing of mainstream media. The news programs make their money on views and clicks. The more salacious and fear-producing the headlines, the higher the readership. However, what’s good for their bottom line is bad for your health.19 If you like staying up to date on the news, pick and choose your programs wisely and watch or read for a prescribed amount of time each day to keep your fear and anxiety levels to a minimum. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/07/25/broken-heart-syndrome-rising-during-covid-19-pandemic.aspx |
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