Are You Suffering from Bad Energy?

Good Energy vs Bad Energy

This subject of Good Energy vs Bad Energy is eloquently unpacked in Dr Casey Means’s book, Good Energy, which hit No.1 in the New York Times bestsellers.

How do you know if it applies to you?

Well, firstly you’ll be gaining weight as excess fuel gets packed away into fatThere are many different types of fats; polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, hydrogenated, saturated and trans fat. The body requires good fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) in order to… cells. Secondly, you’ll have inflammation, which is basically pretty much any disease and certainly those that end in ‘itis’ resulting in pain, redness or swelling.

What’s the answer?

It’s a low glycemic load diet, plus optimum nutrition. The book is great, and a good read to boot, yet those familiar with my recommendations will get a major dose of confirmation.

What I also like, more than other books by top docs waking up to nutrition, is that the author doesn’t do the ‘politically correct’ thing of not dissing drug based medicine culture too much. But it needs it. The whole origin of misguided medicine linked to the Flexner report of 1910 is clearly explained, which created the fundamental shift in the concept of ‘medicine’ towards heroic surgical procedures and drugs, and why is is wrong.

Change in Perception – Where are we now?

Historically, we are at the point where more and more members of the medical profession are waking up to the core of healing being optimum nutrition – which has to include less refined, ultra-processed foods and carbs, as well as more vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients.

As well as the medical profession being blind to the true underlying cause of most diseases – sub-optimal nutrition – it has also missed the remarkable game changer, that is the power of micronutrients in larger amounts to restore health.

The Power of Micronutrients

There is no better example of this than the homocysteine- lowering nutrients especially vitamin B6, B12 and folate that support healthy methylationMethylation is what occurs when the body takes one substance and turns it into another, so that it can be detoxified and excreted from the….

While disturbed glucose metabolismMetabolism is a term that is used to describe the chemical reactions that take place within the body’s cells. The body gets the energy it…, indicated both by insulinInsulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. It is responsible for making the body’s cells absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood…. resistance (a result of overload of the body’s ability to stash away the excess of bad fuel as fat) and the easier to measure HbA1C, indicating the degree of sugar damaged red blood cells, is unquestionably a major, if not the major driver of both inflammation and disease – there is another, namely homocysteineHomocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood. Elevated levels of homocysteine have been associated with narrowing and hardening of the arteries, an increased….

A raised level of homocysteine, like disturbed glucose metabolism, is a predictor of over 100 diseases. Yet sadly, his other systemic problem, driven both by a lack of B vitamins and decreasing absorption of vitamin B12, usually a consequence of a lack of stomach acid and/or use of antacid and diabetes drugs (metformin), remains a blind spot, especially in the US medical establishment.

I was saddened to not see a single mention of this in this otherwise excellent book. I will send Casey the information to update her on this. After all, there is much to learn, and as much to unlearn when a smart doctor, trained to specialise and treat the consequences of a disease process, in Casey’s case with ENT surgical procedures, opens up the box to look under the hood at what is actually causing the problem.

Fearlessness

I particularly liked the chapter on Fearlessness describing how so many feel fear, anxiety, depression and hopelessness and how the mass media of the digital age has got us all wound up. On top of that the endless marketing of ‘dopamineDopamine is a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) found within the brain. It has a variety of influences on brain function including playing a role in regulating… filled pleasure’ as a substitute for real connection cranks up a disconnection from one’s own self. I would add a lack of seafood and omega-3 to this perfect storm as it links with so many of these symptoms of disconnection.

Further Information

Natural support for energy and inflammation can be found in the Holford range of supplements at HOLFORDirect.