Best products from r/Health

> For as much as you hear that disease like heart disease and cancer don't exist in indigenous people, they do exist in poor, filth ridden, polluted countries.

on the 'indigenous' you may want to check out Edward Griffin's theory on that link 1, link 2, link 3

> on the 'poverty-stricken city dwellers who do' ... (paraphrasing this, of course :P )

going with the idea that indigenous consume a lot of 'natural foods' high in 'B-17' and that 'city poor' would eat what's more readily available.. ie, low laetrile in the processed foods the poor would more likely have access too or be able to scrounge up.. ...thus, less 'cancer-fighting' capabilities

> crohn's

I've posted to /r/crohns a few times over the past year'ish... s.boulardii (aka 'baker's yeast') seems to help with that ... I'm too lazy to dig up a self-post I posted to /r/crohn's <10 months ago (I post a lot, it'd take a while to scroll back to find) ... but, I also post to /r/microbiome a lot (was going to recommend you check that one out, it may have some things that you'll find interesting)....and, well, the content of the self-post to /r/crohns was relative to various informations I'd run across where people were talking about how s.boulardii helped (by no means a 'cure') with crohns. a lot actually.

> worm

I've read a pretty good amount about worms. .. unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to posting to /r/nematology much... yet... but I have posted about it (some) to /r/microbiology. .. I've read where they actually can be helpful with things, and are seeing increasing research relative to their potential use towards healing

...personally though, I've read more about them in a negative light. ...and, I personally tend to view them in that light.

I'm a big fan of probiotics & such, but after having talked with doctors, homeopaths, and people in the industry, I (tend to... to overuse the phrase) agree with the stance of a lot of them in that a healthy microbiome is definitely something that should be 'strived' for, and that probiotics can definitely help... but, ..and even with as much as I've read and posted about it... it must still be looked at from the perspective that you're giving yourself an infection.

That probiotics (and, worms in this case) can help rebalance things that are very 'out of whack', .. like surgery, drugs, medicines in general, etc ... but should be seen as a tool, a means to an end, and not an 'end' itself. ...as a way to help tip the system back to a more-centered balance.

But, also that there's really no telling how the body will react. Not just because there haven't been enough models relating to it, but also because even if there are a billion times as many models as we've currently created, there's never really/entirely a way to 'perfectly predict' just what the body's going to do and how the body will react ... they're living organisms being brought together and introduced into a living organisms ... and all are doing what they're programmed to do: survive.. and thrive where able to.

I guess my point is, worms are a tool. ... in this case, but a tool with a life of their own, and one that there's really no telling how they'll respond or react once in the body.

horror stories like this, and dozens of others.. ...well, let me say this, from what I've read, a lot more problems are actually caused by worms than I'd imagine will be 'solved' by them.

...and, killing them after a rebalance or intended goal is attained may prove to be harder than initially thought. ..esp as they've already shown many times to be evolving defenses against common drugs on the market.

I, personally, would give that one a bit more time for the science to 'prove itself' before I'd want to try it out.

...I, also, am not someone suffering from the hor'atrocities that I've read about diseases like Crohn's, celiac, etc either ... so, I can only imagine, and, at that, I'm not really sure I want to.. ..outside of a medical-like curiosity with hopes to find something that may 'help' people ... w/out hurting them.

But, the same stands for the s.boulardii recommendation above. Though I've read great things about it, and though it's categorized as a 'pro'-biotic ... and sold on shelves the country/world over, I've also read where people've had problems with it. So, on my recommendation of it, and the positive things my self-post on /r/crohns seemed to bring about with people's experiences about it, I'd most definitely do my own research (if I were you) before taking some 'random redditors' advice on it helping you.

That being said, I agree with the indigenous mindset. I'm by no means a paleo-diet'er, I thought that the video in this post does an excellent job at showing things that the soil has in it ... and, while watching it, I imagined myself eating vegetables (ie, foods that grow underground) raw where organisms within that soil sample had infiltrated said vegetables and managed to survive both my gi-tract, as well my body's defenses and the defenses of my microbiome, and had now become competitive parts within it ...

...it definitely had me rethinking the health benefits of 'juicing' .. though I still do it (I'm addicted!)

but,back to the indigenous, I think that a healthy microbiome will go a long way towards making a competitive-enough environment in such that organisms that I don't want in me .... ...will have a difficult time finding a comfortable spot to call 'home'.

..but, (to overuse that word too) I'm also an 'anti-worm'er' so.. I'd take that with a 'grain of salt' as well (i've actually heard where salt is a pretty good dewormer, whereby it dries out the worms and helps them to become more mobile in the system (potentially crawling into the brain! ... coming from someone who's had brain surgery for cysts that would've otherwise killed me had the surgery not been performed.. ...the cause of the cyst was not determined, but having watch videos like this one I've been left wondering..)

oh, the salt... can help the worms become more mobile, and, as such, expose them to a wider assortment of the body's defenses in such that it may have an easier & more-likely time killing them.. or at least driving them out.

I think it's best to build a healthy gut flora through foods more so than probiotics, but I'm also a fan of probiotics. ...and, though I've taken more than my fair share of antibiotics in my life (also a fan of them ... but only in more extreme cases where a healthy body with plenty of iodine doesn't ward off things first .. ...very first link ..and second... ever posted in that sub) ... but,

I gave up on finishing this hours ago... ...it's only because it's been left open on my computer that I'm even posting it... otherwise, if my comp had crashed, restarted, whatever ... I think you, me, the world at large would be better off it not getting posted...

Resting heart rate should be around the 60-80 beats per minute range (fitter people can have an even lower reading; as you're not fit, the low 60 is possibly unusual). A healthier blood pressure would be lower, at 120/80 or thereabouts. A high blood sugar level suggests you are a candidate for diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases, and reflects a diet high in refined carbohydrates.

Your recommended treatment includes some good dietary advice that should be ongoing, not just done for 10 days. The drug is a vasodilator, which causes blood vessels to dilate and allow more blood through; your doctor appears to be trying this to get your blood pressure down. If you are in danger of imminent heart problems, maybe this is called for, but I would not personally want to stay on this drug for too long (if at all), as it has been linked with causing Parkinson's disease (Ref 1) (Ref 2).

Your health will be improved by diet and lifestyle changes, and your youth will count in your favour, as it should help you recover more quickly once you stop abusing your body. The cinnarizine drug will only treat a symptom, and not fix the problem; indeed, in the short or long term it could well cause other problems and subsequent prescriptions for other drugs to counteract the bad effects of the first one.

Check here for some good diet guidelines. A book I'd recommend also is Life Without Bread by Doctors Lutz and Allan. As well as eliminating sugar, HFCS, and artificial sweeteners, you should also avoid other refined carbs such as white bread, pasta, white rice etc - these will also mess with your insulin and blood-sugar levels. Check food labels - sugars of various kinds lurk in seemingly almost all processed foods.

Start going for a gentle walk every day. Take it easy in the early days and weeks, for if your heart is weak, you don't want to overstress it. Some brief but helpful advice about sleeping can be found here.

The Magnesium and vitamin B6 your doctor prescribed are a great start, but I'd recommend a multivitamin (maybe even one at each meal, since the dosages are often very low). It's good to take a "vitamin B complex" pill or capsule containing equal amounts of the various B vitamins; Vitamin C (preferably with bioflavonoids/Vitamin P) is always good, and cod-liver oil is a great source of vitamins A and D, which should be taken together. Vitamin E with selenium are also beneficial, as is CoEnzyme Q10. Seaweeds/kelps are a rich in minerals and especially iodine, a vital nutrient lacking from most land-based foods; if you like Japanese food, it should be easy to come by. Avoid fried food, especially deep-fried food, and do not use polyunsaturated oils to cook with - saturated fats are the safest to cook with as they are more stable under heat. Despite what many in the medical industry will tell you, cholesterol and saturated fat are healthful; you too can benefit from the healthy (and yummy) effects of "the French Paradox" (the book linked here contains details of several blood tests which are more reliable indicators of inflammation & heart disease than the ones routinely ordered by doctors).

Someone below recommended taking fruit juice or water instead of sodas, but I'd fine-tune that to say take fruit juice that you've made yourself, unless you can get hold of unsweetened, non-reconstituted, unpasteurised/raw juice with the pulp still in it. Reconstituted juices usually lack pulp, enzymes and have fewer nutrients, but have plenty of sugar - you get more of the bad with less of the good.

And, needless to say, wean yourself off cigarettes as fast as you can!

I've been going through the same thing recently, and have made some pretty radical changes. I have been following Weight Watchers (down 13 lbs in the past month). First I did it online, then I started going to a meeting. It's basically a simplified way to count calories. It's pretty easy, and the recipes are good and wholesome. And there are lots of quick products out there if you want a convenience food. I have also been going to the gym about 5 times a week. The thing that has really helped me stick to these thingss, is doing hypnosis. Sounds weird- but it's worked for me. Didn't work as well for my husband- he's not as easily hypnotized, but it turns out that I am. If it's something that you're interested in- I can tell you more. It's helped me cut out sweets, and get myself to the gym regularly- and really enjoying it. You listen to it at night or in the morning- or both.

I think it's good to make a bunch of changes, but don't do them all at once. Leave changes for when you plateau. Or make 1 major change a week.

-Don't let any junk food in your house. You might be able to avoid it most of the time, but not all the time.

-Don't eat out, unless it's a very special occasion. This means packing your lunch.

-Have healthy snacks ready for you so you're not tempted to get something from a coffee shop or vending machine. Leave things in your car, or your desk so you have no excuse to eat junk.

-stop eating at night. Set a time for yourself- like not eating after 9pm.

-if you can stand it, find a healthy breakfast meal and a healthy lunch meal, and eat the same thing each day. If you find that you're losing weight while eating a certain way- have fewer variables.

-Tell someone that you're doing this- maybe find someone else to do this with. It's very motivating to have someone to go through this with. And share tips and recipes.

-Make a big pot of soup every week. Something with broth, protein and veggies. Very filling and low in calories.

-Get a pedometer. This is a very good one. http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-112-Digital-Pocket-Pedometer/dp/B0000U1OCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1268589711&sr=1-1
Just slip it in your pocket and make it a competition with yourself. I'm a competitive person, so to put things in that perspective is really helpful for me.

Good luck! And let us know how it goes!

I recommend The Anti-Aging Plan as an easy but thorough and very useful introduction to health science that's actually focused on longevity. I'd say that's at least as worthwhile as any books that just focus on strength training or weight loss.

Before anybody jumps to any conclusions about what I said, I'm not saying that strength training and weight loss plans can't be designed to also add healthy years to our lifespans, but some of the more passionate strength training and weight loss advocates get tunnelvision for those things, and they tend to recommend doing things that will shorten lifespans. It's definitely something to be aware of, especially for people like you and me who want to use communities like fittit. All the more reason you and I should educate ourselves on health science specifically focused on longevity.

You're wife's story sounds a lot like mine. I was doing crossfit for two years or so, and the results were amazing, but I had uneven muscle development. In general my posture sucks, my form was not good and as time went on, on account of the imbalances, got worse and I ended up with a herniated disk.

I was told many times to put my knees out and contract my abs on a squat. But those muscles were underdeveloped and they could not handle the load. Without realizing it, you shift the load to muscles that can handle it, like using the quads instead of the glutes on a squat. But the imbalance gets worse as the quads get stronger.

In general though, using a barbell won't make her posture better. Sure it will work all the muscles, but unless she fixes her posture, it won't really work her weakest muscles.

It my not be the crossfit way, but she really has to work on isolated core, posture and back strength. Physical therapists are really good at designing this kind of exercise regime, but generally they're geared towards getting a person back to being functional in a day to day setting, not at Forging Elite Fitness.

That being said, there is a PT at my box that is just awesome, so maybe someone at her box could suggest somebody. And sometimes boxes have yoga classes, which could be really helpful too.

I have not read any of Esther Goghale's books, but she seems to be highly regarded for this sort of thing. Also, Kelly Starrett just published a new book that I've read amazing things about. He is a crossfit instructor and a physical therapist out of San Francisco.

Best of luck.

You have my sympathies...all the sympathies.

A couple of things to help keep things in perspective if you can stand a little Polyanna: Thank goodness both the Lyme disease and H. Pylori are actually treatable. It totally sucks that you are going through this, and it sounds like the next few weeks are going to be quite miserable.

But I'm really, really glad that are treatments available.

So, my brother was advised to take probiotics after some nasty cat bites (long story). There are a bunch of different types: acidophilus is the stuff I use after a course of antibiotics and told him to get that. It comes in a lot of varieties. He opted for the cheaper, compressed pill type. After a couple of weeks of uncomfortable intestinal issues, he decided to get the stuff in pearl form.

I'm giving you the link so you know what to look for. I've found them at CVS and Walgreen's, for about US$5 to $10 and they don't need to be refrigerated. The store brands work just as well as the fancy brands. But the pearls are definitely superior to the compressed tablets that you can get in the vitamin aisle. (Which are about $5 for 300 or something crazy like that. Not worth it; they don't work when you're trying to rebuild intestinal flora from hefty antibiotics.)

Good luck. I hope these couple of weeks go by really quickly.

The only other ideas I have for you is to add things to the BRAT stuff to make them more flavorful. Like, cinnamon to the applesauce? (Applesauce, by the way, has always been a cure for constipation for me. So I've wondered about this component of that diet.)

How about adding a lot of salt to the rice? I'd suggest soy sauce, but that contains gluten. You could try to get some Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which is a not-too-terrible substitution for soy sauce. You can find it a Whole Foods. Or maybe herbs?

You can also turn the rice into a sweet dish. I know that dairy is very difficult to digest, but you could add some sugar or brown sugar and a little maple syrup to it. Eat it like oatmeal. Say, what about a little oatmeal, or polenta? Small amounts, of course. I know that some people who have a gluten intolerance cannot eat oatmeal either, so be careful. But if you can keep the polenta down (another name for cornmeal mush--super cheap and really easy to make!) it should be ok for you. You can dress that up like oatmeal.

Are there different varieties of crackers that you can stomach? Can you try an egg?

Seriously, good luck.

First off, I'll say that I have no ideas what the cause might be. But I'd like to offer something that might help the symptoms - Omega 3 supplements. Because it sounds to me that, whatever the cause, her cells are having problems repairing themselves. And Omega 3's are a major component to the building of cells and allowing them to communicate with each other. But American diets are notoriously short on Omega 3's and usually gets substituted with Omega 6's instead, which are less effective for the cells.

In short, they might help - or they might not, but I can hope - but I don't think they'd cause any harm. I'd talk with her doctors first, just because she's likely on a whole pharmacy of drugs that could potentially cause interactions, but if they don't think it would hurt, you might give it a try. Even if they don't think it will help, I'd still try it if it won't cause any harm - because who knows, it just might help.

Try a very strong dose in the purest form you can find. Nordic Naturals are good if she can take pills. Coromega pastes are really good if she has problems with pills.

So in this study, the doctors asked 773 patients about their diet regimens via a food-frequency questionnaire.

Now the study obviously has randomization of the sample and it was performed under double-blind situations. Therefore either the doctor nor the patient knew what they're respective position in reference to their diet. Now this study clearly outlines the odds ratio is increased in patients who have animal in their diet or can be classified as carnivores. While patients who can be classified as vegetarian, have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular and metabolic syndromes.

There is only one specific aspect of this study in which I have a problem with. Its not the sample size, even though it is lower than what I would of liked. There could be a sampling bias. In the sense that the subjects are not representative relative to the general population. Therefore the results are not generalizable. I say this because I have not seen any estimate higher than five percept of the population being vegetarian. Therefore also indicating a possibility of selection bias. Furthermore, there could be a bias in respect to the length of this study. How long have they followed these patients, have these patients kept their diet going or did they interchange their habits? In respect to the strength of this individual study, the only thing it shows is a relatively small correlation with increased probability of decreased incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders and syndromes, for patients who are vegetarian.

I am not trying to be a bummer here. Nonetheless, we must be strict with our interpretations. The fact that is also what the patients are eating. If the patients are eating animal proteins from animals grown on large farms, in which the probability of harsh chemicals, antibiotics, and the likes would be high. Then the probability of increased incidence of disease could be confounded in this factor. Off coarse this is all speculation.

If you want to read about a large significant study, I would recommend 'The China Study'.

Here is a link to download it:
http://btjunkie.org/torrent/The-China-Study-The-Most-Comprehensive-Study-of-Nutrition-Ever-Conducted-AUDIOBOOK/3198500d806664b9eb2f3a2f821a501060302436a9fb

Here is a link to buy it:
http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100385

NOTE: Offcoarse the China Study is not the know-all-know-all. I'm just putting it up here because of the subject matter and because it is definitely a significant study that should not be underrated. To be fair, here is a link from a site which, IMO, critically interprets the study. The doctor who made this study has a response to it aswell.

Sounds to me like what you're saying is on target. Other things I would add are:

• It seems like the "western diet" tends to destabilize a number of homeostatic mechanisms and unbalance things. Disrupting the dance of blood sugar regulation is the most obvious (the pancreas, liver, fat tissues, muscles, etc. are no longer able to work together properly to regulate blood glucose, insulin, glucagon, etc. in the happy zone; sensitivity to insulin gets out of whack; fat accumulates inappropriately; other tissues can't access energy stores; pancreas can't keep up; metabolic syndrome/diabetes develops/worsens; etc.). Calcium metabolism also appears to suffer (bone loss, calcification of soft tissues, atherosclerotic plaques, etc.). An interesting essay talking about these things is here. I've been more stringent about staying away from sugar and grains since reading this stuff.
  
  
• Deficiencies of fat soluble vitamins -- A, D, K, and E -- likely contributes to both problems. This article has interesting things to say on that topic. Following a "low-fat" diet and/or eating fats which are poor in these vitamins (processed foods, PUFA oils, etc.) makes these problems worse. The A and D they put in processed foods like milk aren't chemically the same as you need, and may contribute to toxicity and broken calcium metabolism. Vitamin K is in various veggies (particularly cabbage family) but inaccessible unless they're eaten with fat. I take vitamin D3 supplements, eat lots of ghee made from pastured butter, put ghee on veggies (broccoli, bok choy, etc.), and am trying to eat more organ meats, to try to cover these bases well. I haven't gone so far as to try cod liver oil, but some suggest that as well.
  
  *Shortage of Magnesium also probably contributes. Taking baths with epsom salt is good for magnesium, and I do that. I've thought about magnesium supplements but haven't tried that yet (some magnesium supplements apparently induce diarrhea; I haven't yet tracked down the ones that site recommends: Albion Laboratories mineral chelates).
  
  > Are the majority of us generally terrible eaters, or do we follow a diet tauted by science to be healthy when really we're among the only ones getting these terrible things because of it?
  
  It's not the US. Everyone eating processed "western" diets seems to be getting these problems. I think it's a combination of bad advice coming from the authorities (not so much "science" as the powers that be + influence of food industry) and various susceptibilities that the food industry plays off of. Another good book that talks about this is The end of Overeating by David Kessler.
  
  >Do the problems mentioned above come from the same source (whatever that may be)?
  
  I think they do, and others have said so for a long time. The phrase you're looking for is "diseases of western civilization."
  
  > There's also sound evidence that a carbohydrate diet, sold to us as healthy, may cause disease, such as diabetes (which can cause a lot of other things).
  
  Yup. Gary Taubes' book covers this in the most detail I've seen.
  
  For historical takes on this, other fun books include Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Dr. Weston Price and Fat of the Land by Stefansson (just posted these on another thread here)
  
  This is fun. I've been digging into these questions because another redditor sent me these references. It's nice to be able to share them with another redditor heading along a similar path.

I will show you the data, and please do not tell me its delusional, if I was unable to show you the data, or you showed me data showing im wrong, then I will gladly accept that you are right. I am still learning about this myself and I will not pretend to know everything.

http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100385

the biggest one ever is The China Study. Over 800 million people in china were studied over a long period of time and the results are quite amazing. you can read about it all over the place or simply buy the book or find it at a local library if they have it. The basis for what I am saying is this: The body has a wonderful fighting system that is able to fight off any infection or disease normally. The people that normally eat a lot of processed foods are in cities and places where its very easy to consume large amounts of unhealthy food.

another book I am reading now is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Gerson-Way-Defeating-Diseases/dp/0976018624/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331091809&sr=1-1

and its awesome at explaining how the body works and what substances break down our bodies natural defenses, letting chronic illnesses take over. I hope you will look at these books. I got a cousin dying in a hospital right now of a tumor that has come back again, after almost 2 years of chemo, and now his body is to weak and toxic from the chemo to fight anymore and he has less than a 20% chance of living. Damaging the defense of the body only bring the problem back and with even worse effects.

Also, the documentary Forks over Knives is a good one to watch. Two doctors who are masters in their fields of work realize diet is very important in keeping infection and disease away from the body. I wish you the best my friend

Definitely go to the doctor to make sure nothing serious is going on, and if that is the case, you might check out this book - Treat Your Own Back - http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own-Back-802-9/dp/0987650408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331273012&sr=8-1

A couple things I do (did prior to reading this book), was laying on my stomach for 5 mins or so in the morning when waking up (having a pillow underneath) and bowing my back. Another thing I do that has helped is rolling on a yoga/exercise foam roller. I normally do this in the morning and at night.

Good luck

If you have an hour to spare I recommend this talk by Michael Pollan on his new book: Food Rules. It is both informative and funny. Out of all the books I read on nutrition and health I got the most out of In Defense of Food.

I've found a blue light box to be very helpful.

Fluoride is a crock of shit and the movement to reveal that is slowly gaining traction. All the documentation is in that book.

There is a whole century's worth of studies linking the Western diet with the Western diseases and the Standard American Diet just took this to an extreme. But, you might want to take a look at Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food.

I rely on these exercises:

http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own-Back-9th/dp/0987650408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299010406&sr=8-1

Your local library likely has a copy, but it's only $10 on Amazon.

What you want is this book.

Did you mean "The China Study"? Exceptional book.