Lunch With An Old Friend

Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS • Nutritional Periodontist
October 30, 2017 [printfriendly]

 

 

Lunch with an old friendLast Wednesday, I had lunch with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in many years. Years ago, we were close. We used to see each other at least once a week. That was two to three decades ago. I was a dentist; he was a medical doctor. I’ll call him Sean.

 

We both lived similar lives – each with a family, a professional career, and a relatively busy lifestyle. By chance he called me and asked, “What’s new?” I told him, “A lot.” So, we arranged to have lunch together to catch up.

 

Things had changed.

 

What changed with me? I had a stroke at the age of 59. Then, I learned about ancestral nutrition and lifestyle, which turned my life completely around. I learned how to become healthy. What I learned saved my life.

 

What changed with Sean? I found out at lunch.

 

I am almost 71 years old; Sean just turned 70. Sean was not able to stand up straight. He had various surgeries for back problems. From what I could see, he was at least 40 pounds overweight. This wasn’t the Sean I remembered from thirteen years ago.

 

The hostess seated us at a quiet table near the back of the restaurant. We talked; we laughed; we reminisced. Both of us looked at the menu, ordered our lunch, and we talked quite a bit more. I ordered a duck salad and hot tea; he ordered a Reuben sandwich, fries, and sweet tea.

 

He told me about his kids, his grandkids, his wife, and what he was doing with himself these days. Sean was retired and had sold his medical practice, but he would go to a local clinic one day a week to treatment plan patients and triage their medical conditions. He personally had been dealing with various chronic diseases and was taking several prescription medications. He said he was happy; he looked very unhealthy.

 

I told him what I was doing with my life – treating patients one day a week, writing profusely, being physically active, and creating a new company and product line for the organic-conscious public. I showed him my new book, Crazy-Good Living. Funny, I just had a copy with me.

 

So, he asked me what my book was about. I told him it was about the lifestyle and nutrition of our primal ancestors and how their bodies were strong and healthy because of the way they lived. Being a periodontist, I wrote my book about nutrition starting in the mouth and then affecting the entire body. I explained that our modern world has diverged from the path traveled by our ancestors. The new path has led to an increased incidence of chronic disease. I described my book as a means to return to a healthier way of living by emphasizing nutrient-dense foods, restorative sleep, efficient exercise, and reduction of stress – a way to reverse some of the existing damage and possibly prevent future chronic diseases.

 

Sean thumbed through my book glancing at the front and back covers. He took some time to skim the table of contents and quickly read the one-page Preface. Then he told me that there are too many health books in the marketplace. He continued, “Every expert thinks he knows the answer. There are some people who eat to live, and there are some people who live to eat.” He followed that up with, “I eat whatever I want.”

 

We spent almost two hours at the restaurant. He drank three glasses of sweet tea. After finishing our meals and completing our conversation, we paid our checks and walked out of the restaurant. Before leaving, Sean grabbed a handful of mints near the hostess desk.

 

I am sure I will see Sean again. I also am sure Sean will never read my book. It appeared to me that Sean preferred to go down a path I would no longer travel.

 

It was obvious to me that at some point over the last thirteen years Sean and I veered off our similar tracks. Both of us have chosen different ways to live our remaining years. My goal is to strive for quality of life. This is paramount to me. Whatever I can do to prevent chronic degenerative disease that is within my ability is what I want to do.

 

I have learned that a primal lifestyle allowed our species to survive and thrive. It is not a fad; it is how our genetic code was designed to function. I am not interested in living like a caveman, but I am interested to learn what made our species physically strong and mentally superior. I am confident that a primal lifestyle that fits my modern-day existence is the means for me to reach my goal.

 

Since my stroke 11 years ago, I have changed my life. I strive to thrive. As I move through my 8th decade of life, I feel healthier today than I have ever been.

 

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

Buy My New Book

Crazy-Good Living

My Primal Lifestyle: in one document

Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS   •   Nutritional Periodontist
September 8, 2016   [printfriendly]

My Primal LifestyleTwo weeks ago, I published three consecutive articles in which I detailed My Primal Lifestyle. I divided them into three installments because of the length of each. I described the foods I eat on a typical weekday and weekend, specifics of how I exercise, a summary of my daily sleep patterns, and the techniques I use to reduce my stress.

 

After I published them, a few of my patients as well as some Internet followers asked if I could combine them into one PDF document. No problem! I’ve done that. You can click HERE to read and download it. All of the references I used in the article are listed in the footnotes.

 

Please share this with whomever you wish. I am proud of the way I have changed my life since embracing My Primal Lifestyle almost four years ago. I realize that four years are not a long time, but I am almost 70 years old. My overall health has significantly improved in all ways measurable and immeasurable. I see myself as the Senior Poster Boy for a Primal Lifestyle.

 

 

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

My Primal Lifestyle
Part 3 of 3: How I Sleep and Reduce Stress

      Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS   •   Nutritional Periodontist
      August 24, 2016   [printfriendly]
 
 
     

My Primal LifestyleIn Part 1, I discussed what I eat on a typical weekday and a typical weekend. In Part 2, I discussed how I exercise. In this Part, I discuss my sleep patterns and how I deal with stress.

 

 

My Sleep Patterns

 

Restorative sleep is critical to maintain normal hormonal repair in my body. It is based on the natural circadian rhythm that is a result of the sun rising and setting at different times of the year.

 

For the most part, I get at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. I get up early to start my day, so my bedtime usually is between 9 PM and 10 PM. The lights are out; the room is cool; and it’s quiet. I wake about 5:00 AM to start my day on weekdays, and I am usually up by 6:00 AM on weekends.

 

 

Stress Reduction

 

Although I have written many articles about stress, I have found that reducing personal stress is much easier said than done. One specific way to reduce stress is to use stress management practices.

 

I have tried several techniques with varying degrees of success. The following methods have worked best for me:

  • Meditation: I do not find meditation difficult. It is very natural and simple for me. I sit in a comfortable chair in my quiet bedroom. I close my eyes and relax my thoughts. Whatever thoughts come in my head I simply tell myself, “That’s Okay” and then let them pass. I often concentrate on something rhythmic like the exhalation and inhalation of my breaths, or sometimes I repeatedly say to myself, “I am relaxed and still.” I’ll do that for 15 to 30 minutes at a time.

    •  

  • Diaphragmatic breathing: This is deep breathing in the diaphragm. To do this, I lie in my bed, and put my hand over my belly button. As I breathe in slowly and completely, I want my belly to push my hand out as far as I can. Then when I begin to exhale slowly, I want to try to get my tummy right up to my spine as my hand moves in that direction as far as I can. I simply repeat this a number of times. I find this very relaxing.

    •  

  • Progressive muscle relaxation: This will create total body relaxation. I actually learned this technique when I was in college decades ago. At that time, it was called Jacobsonian Relaxation.
     
    To get ready for this, I am ready to go to bed. I make the room dark, cool, and quiet. I lie down on my back in bed and make myself comfortable. The key for me is to progressively tighten groups of muscles and then relax them afterwards. I start with my feet. While lying in bed, I squeeze and curl my toes and constrict my feet as tightly as I can. Sometimes, I’ll be holding my breath. I keep the muscles really tight, and then let go slowly as I breathe out. Then I move up my body to concentrate on my legs, tightening and relaxing these muscles in the same way. I continue to move up to my buttocks, abdomen, back, shoulders, neck, hands, arms, face, etc. Progressively, I tighten these muscle groups and then let go. After one round, my entire body feels relaxed and stress-free. It’s a method I love, and it always works.

 

 

Summary

 

I have described My Primal Lifestyle in Part 1, Part 2, and this last installment, Part 3. It’s simple, doable, and effective.

 

The way our primal ancestors lived and the way hunter-gatherer societies live today are the ways our genes and anatomical structures have evolved so that we can survive and thrive. As human beings, we can’t improve on these basics. We can improve on so many other things in our lives, but our biology has taken its precious time to evolve to be the best it can be. I am not smart enough to try to change it. And, I don’t need anyone to prove what I believe.

 

Since 2013, my life has changed for the best. Moving forward, this is how I will continue to live the quality life I enjoy today.

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

My Primal Lifestyle
Part I of 3: What I Eat

      Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS   •   Nutritional Periodontist
      August 22, 2016   [printfriendly]
 
 
     

My Primal LifestyleChris and his wife Terry came to my office the other day to discuss his periodontal treatment plan as well as the lifestyle changes I recommended both of them to consider. He brought his wife because she also had many questions. Two of her questions were, “How do you live your life?” and “What does your typical day look like?”

 

Great questions! I’m proud of the way I treat my body today, and I was eager to share that with Chris and Terry.

 

My primal lifestyle started in 2013. From that time forward, I have included a nutrient-dense diet, efficient exercise, restorative sleep, and stress reduction in how I live. In this first installment (Part 1), I discuss what I eat on a typical weekday and on a typical weekend. In Part 2, I discuss my weekly exercise program, and in Part 3, I discuss my sleep patterns and how I deal with stress. I am not an athlete or a marathon runner or a gym enthusiast. I am just a guy trying to stay as healthy as I can for as long as I can. My philosophy is to keep it simple, doable, and effective. I think you will agree.

 

 

The Days Of The Week

 

I eat differently over the course of a week. Mondays through Fridays are different than Saturdays and Sundays. So, here is an example for a typical weekday and then my choices for a typical weekend. I also included my selections that are the same for all 7 days.

 

 

Typical Weekday

 

I usually do not eat breakfast because I am usually not hungry. But, I generally have a cup or two of my Spiced BulletProof Coffee in the morning.

 

Often my first meal is around noon or 1PM. That frequently consists of 3 eggs over easy cooked in coconut oil. I will sauté several leafy greens (like spinach, Swiss chard, and kale) in coconut oil with spices and seasonings like turmeric, fresh garlic, Himalayan salt, kelp granules, and ground pepper. I either will drink filtered water or goat kefir (I prefer Redwood Hill Farm Plain Goat Kefir) depending on what’s available and what’s my preference at the moment.

 

For dinner, one of my favorite meals is salmon baked in parchment paper with sides of sweet potatoes and streamed broccoli smothered with plenty of butter from pastured, grass-fed cows. I also like to sprinkle Ceylon cinnamon on my sweet potatoes.

 

For dessert, 85% dark chocolate is a regular indulgence. My preferred bar is Alter Eco Dark Blackout. When available, I enjoy some of my homemade avocado chocolate pudding that includes organic cacao powder.

 

 

Typical Weekend

 

My wife and I generally go out for breakfast or brunch both days. We look forward to eating at our local farm-to-table restaurants. At one of these restaurants, I usually get shrimp sautéed in olive oil with green peppers, onions, and garlic. I also have three sides: beets with ginger and raw honey, steamed cabbage, and sweet potato casserole made with raisins, apples, and pecans. Water with fresh lemon or lime is my preferred drink.

 

At dinnertime, we like a rack of lamb that we oven bake with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. I whip up a fresh salad of leafy greens with tomatoes, fresh fruit, raw pumpkin seeds, and my creamy Caesar dressing. We often have a side of live-culture sauerkraut.

 

Dessert is optional. I may have fresh fruit, dark chocolate, or my delicious avocado chocolate pudding.

 

 

Everyday

 

I make a smoothie to drink that is available whenever I want during the day. It is a combination of leafy greens like Swiss chard, spinach, and kale with an avocado, berries of various types, a banana, and filtered water to create the right consistency. I use a Vitamix Blender and store it in a large Thermos.

 

I rarely snack, but if I do it is usually with various raw nuts and seeds (cashews, macadamia, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds,) along with fresh fruits.

 

At dinnertime I may have a glass of a full-body red wine. I have found several organic varieties that I favor.

 

 

There You Have It

 

That’s pretty much my average day’s food plan for the weekend and for the weekday. What do you enjoy for your typical meals? Let me know.

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

I Could Have Died Ten Years Ago

Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS   •   Nutritional Periodontist
July 14, 2016   [printfriendly]


I Could Have Died 10 Years AgoIt is 2016, and I am 69 years old. I am healthier today than I have ever been. But, ten years ago I could have died.

 

In 2006, I was in my living room at home. I was holding a laptop computer in my hands when I got a shock from the computer that travelled up my arm.

 

It turned out that it wasn’t a shock from my computer after all; it was a TIA. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is frequently a warning sign of an impending stroke. I had no idea what it was at the time, so I dismissed it as just a “shock” from my computer.

 

Seven days later, on a Saturday morning, my 6-year old grandson was sleeping in our bed. He and his family were in transition from where we all lived in Charleston, SC to their new home in Portland, OR. When I awoke that morning, I rolled over in bed and tried to ask my grandson, “Do you want to go out for breakfast?” But, the words would not come out of my mouth. I only uttered some garbled sounds.

 

I thought I must have been sleeping with my mouth open, and my throat must have gotten dry. So, I got up, went to the bathroom, and drank some water. I felt fine. I returned to the bedroom and proceeded to ask my grandson the same question. No words came out. I could not utter intelligible words. I panicked.

 

My wife, whom I woke during this attempt to communicate with my grandson, realized what was happening. Although I felt great, I could not speak. I actually went back to the bathroom to take a shower, and my wife drove me to the hospital.

 

Still unable to speak, the ER personnel also knew what was happening. They took my blood pressure, which was off the charts. I had a stroke. I was admitted to the hospital and remained there for a week.

 

My doctors were great. They saved my life. They put me on 7 different medicines, and they told me that I would have to take them for the rest of my life.

 

About 2 months later, I was able to return to my dental practice. However, taking 7 medicines that treated the manifestations of my stroke was not an answer I could accept. I needed answers about what caused my problems in the first place. I wanted to make personal changes, but I needed to know what to do.

 

Answers to my basic question, “What caused my problems?”, were not easy to dig up. From 2006 until 2013, I attempted to get answers to my straightforward question. The answers were not forthcoming from my physicians. Although they saved my life, they did not know how to answer my question. They didn’t know what they didn’t know. Their answers did not address my underlying causes. They simply reiterated that I needed to take my medicines and to eat a healthy diet. Their idea of a healthy diet, I later learned, was hardly a healthy diet. It wasn’t until 2013 that I learned what would change my life forever.

 

In 2013, I was fortunate to find a 5-day continuing education course that addressed nutrition for healthcare professionals. Interestingly, this course was totally different than anything I had experienced until then. This program was based on ancestral nutrition – the diet and lifestyle that sustained our primal ancestors for 2.5 million years. The logic and biology that I learned made more sense to me in those 5 days than anything I tried to learn the previous 7 years after my stroke. I began to learn in just 5 days that almost everything I was doing for myself was wrong. What an epiphany!

 

Fast-forward the next 3-plus years of intense self-education until now. By changing my diet and lifestyle in 2013, I changed my life. My blood chemistries for the first time began to improve. Instead of taking the original 7 medications, I am now only on 2. I feel great. I have stamina. I have lost over 30 pounds since 2013. In my mind, I have become the poster boy for a Primal Lifestyle and Diet at the age of 69.

 

What does a Primal Lifestyle and Diet look like for me?

 

I eat nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods. I do not eat any processed foods. I primarily eat organically grown foods. All my animal protein is either pastured or wild caught. I emphasize healthy fats. I eat moderate amounts of protein and low-to-moderate healthy carbohydrates. I enjoy organ meats, seaweed, fermented foods, soaked nuts and seeds, and homemade bone broth.

 

As for lifestyle, I engage in an exercise program of high intensity interval training once a week for 8 minutes or so, bodyweight strength training twice a week for 10 minutes or so, and some aerobic fun cycling 2 days a week. I try to walk about 10,000 steps a day, to sleep 7-8 hours a night, and to keep my cool as far as stress is concerned. Candidly, I need a lot of work on controlling how I deal with external stresses. Let it be known, I am a work in progress.

 

So, today I know what really matters for a healthy life going forward. Cheating on my diet is not a phrase in my vocabulary. I pursue living the healthiest and highest-quality life I can. I want to shout out to the world what I know.

 

I incorporate my newfound knowledge with the treatment I provide my patients who have gum disease. I often ask my patients, “If you knew a train were coming at you, would you get off the tracks?” Unfortunately, only about 5% of my patients are interested in making necessary lifestyle changes. But, if I only could make a difference for one patient, I would have succeeded. That patient could tell another friend, who could then pass it on. It’s the concept of exponential change. I liken it to a video going viral on YouTube.

 

Have I resonated with you? If so, let one person know. Then, let the process begin!

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

Buy My Book

Crazy-Good Living

Are There Errors in Your DNA?

      Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS     April 18, 2016   [printfriendly]
 
 
     
 

errors in your DNA?Have you heard about SNPs (pronounced “snips”)? So many people are talking about them. Some people are obsessed with finding out if they’ve got them. So, what are SNPs?

 

SNPs are Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. They actually are tiny errors within the coding of our cellular DNA. Here is how they may develop.

 

When cells grow, they divide into two new cells. Just before their division, their DNA also duplicates and divides. Sometimes there could be an error in a tiny section in the DNA when they divide. Think of this coding error like a “typo” in a document that gets copied and duplicated over and over again. Genetically, this error in DNA gets duplicated as the cell continues to grow and divide.

 

Interestingly, SNPs are very common. We all have SNPs. In fact, there are roughly 10 million SNPs in each person’s total DNA makeup. While many people are concerned if they have various SNPs, the far majority of us do not need to fret because most SNPs have no effect on our health or development.

 

However, some of these distinct copying errors may affect an individual’s response to certain drugs and environmental factors. Some of these SNPs also could increase the risk of developing specific diseases. It is noteworthy that there is new research that may allow medicine to repair specific harmful SNPs in the future. However, this technology has not been perfected to date.

 

There also has been some research suggesting that there are SNPs that could increase the risk of gum disease.

 

So, what’s a person to do?

 

Two important questions you need answered:

  • Do you need to know if you have specific SNPs?
  • If you did in fact have potentially damaging SNPs, does it matter?

 

In my opinion, it is not critical to know if you have SNPs since there are no specific treatments to repair them. Also, if you had SNPs, the effects of SNPs could actually be controlled about 90% of the time by manipulating the environment through changes in diet and lifestyle.

 

Science today supports the power of controlling our environment. It is possible to protect yourself from potential harm related to SNPs by eating a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet. A Paleo-type diet fits the bill by eating real foods and avoiding processed foods. Also, living a primal lifestyle that incorporates restorative sleep, efficient exercise, and reduction of all forms of chronic stress could offset the potential problems from SNPs.

 

Still, if there were more serious issues that you could not control by changing your environment, then a functional medicine practitioner might be able to recommend genetic testing and recommend specific supplements to improve your health.

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

FACTS in the Past
FACTS in the Present
FACTS in the Future

Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS     April 4, 2016   [printfriendly]


FactsI have a problem.

 

I am a believer in learning from the past. As a matter of fact, I don’t think a healthy lifestyle or a healthy diet could be understood correctly today if one didn’t study the 2.5 million-year evolutionary history of our species. That’s why I know that a Primal diet and lifestyle are the ways that our body has been designed to thrive.

 

However, here is my problem.

 

I know of some holistic medical researchers and practitioners who base their current beliefs solely on research performed years ago. While the facts identified in those days were important at that time, some of them have been disproved today. Unfortunately, some clinical practitioners still stubbornly hold those refuted facts to be gospel today.

 

One example involves the health risk of saturated fats. It was once believed and proven that saturated fats increased the risk for cardiovascular disease. However, recent peer-reviewed papers have disproved those outdated facts. (HERE. HERE. HERE.) Yet, some healthcare professionals today still discourage the consumption of saturated fats based on those invalidated ideas.

 

Another example involves root canals performed on abscessed teeth. Many root canals that were performed in the past were biologically unhealthy because residual infection often could invade the blood system. Or, some materials used in the root canal procedure were toxic to the body. The techniques of performing root canals in the past were greatly flawed. However, today, endodontists have perfected procedures and materials to treat abscessed teeth without the risk of bacterial infection or toxic substances leaking into the bloodstream. (HERE. HERE. HERE.) Yet, some holistic practitioners today still profess that root canals should never be done because of improperly performed root canals in the past.

 

So, what does this mean to me?

 

Nothing is carved in stone. We all need to have open minds. Many truths in the past turn out to be disproved. That’s just the way it is. If we can think outside of the box, have a healthy degree of skepticism, and relish learning, all of us will be better off moving forward.

 

My problem is that some practitioners get stuck in facts that become proven false and are unable to open their minds to newer knowledge.

 

If you don’t want to miss out on new posts, sign up for my email alert list here.

 

Buy My New Book

Crazy-Good Living

I Woke Up This Morning Feeling So Alive

      Alvin H. Danenberg, DDS     January 11, 2016   [printfriendly]
 
 
When I Woke Up This MorningYou need to know my history in order to understand what I am saying. I have written about it HERE.

 

I am almost 69 years old. For the first 66 years of my life, I was not healthy. I thought I was healthy, but I wasn’t. In 2006, when I was 59 years old, I had a stroke but recovered completely within 2 months. It wasn’t until 2013 when I learned what I had been doing wrong for 66 years. It was an eye-opener.

 

I learned about primal nutrition and primal lifestyle. That included eliminating from my diet all processed grains and sugars, all unhealthy fats, and all other processed foods that had chemicals added to them. I learned to exercise efficiently and sleep restoratively. I tried to learn to control my stress levels – not an easy task.

 

Over the last three years, I have become a different person. I feel healthier than I have ever felt. I have energy throughout the day; I don’t have carbohydrate cravings; and I only eat when I am hungry. I have gotten into an exercise program that makes sense to me and has science to back it up.

 

I do high intensity interval training for about 10-15 minutes once a week. I do bodyweight strength training for about 10-15 minutes twice a week. Both of these I do in the comfort of my home. I do outdoor aerobic exercise two days a week for about 30 minutes at a time. I also do non-exercise movement by walking about 10,000 steps a day, and I use a stand up desk at home instead of sitting down as I used to do. I have written about my routine HERE.

 

A medical doctor who also is a functional medicine practitioner once told me, “In order to repair your body, it may take one month of proper nutrition and lifestyle for every year you damaged your body from your poor nutrition and poor lifestyle.” Since I had been damaging my body for the first 66 years of my life, I may need five or six years of doing what I am doing now to get as healthy as I can. So, I am a work in progress since I am only three years into my repair process. But, I feel great. I feel so much alive. If only I knew then what I know now!!

 

My goal is to spread the word. People don’t understand that the damage they are doing to their body doesn’t make itself known immediately. It often takes decades to fester and escalate before the clinical signs and symptoms become obvious.

 

Most people need a tipping point to make a change in their lives. Some people need to be debilitated by a heart attack or a stroke before they get the message. Some people need an external event to occur like the birth of a grandchild to motivate them to make a change. A few people only need to learn what is best, and they make the change. Whatever it takes to tip your consciousness into motivating you is all that matters.

 

So, I write quite a bit. I lecture to lay groups of people and also to those in my profession. I try to impress that a train is coming, and the prudent person should get off the tracks. The science is there. Most medical practitioners don’t know what they don’t know. I am living proof of what a primal diet and a primal lifestyle can accomplish is such a short time.

 

When I woke up this morning, I felt compelled to put into words what I was feeling.

We Were Born to be Healthy:
Part 1 of 7

evolution rWe were born to be healthy. Is that such a difficult concept to wrap your head around?
 
Over these seven installments, I will share my story and what I have learned to unequivocally state, “We were born to be healthy.”
 
Since I’m a periodontist, I’m going to take a dental perspective. However, the health of our body and the health of our mouths are intimately and intricately connected. What happens in any human cell eventually affects every other cell to some extent. So, let’s get on with the task of being the healthy specimen we were designed to be.
 
My enlightenment
 
For the first 66 years of my life, I was an unhealthy guy. I thought I was healthy, but I wasn’t. As a matter of fact, in 2006 I had a stroke. From 2006 until 2013, I actively pursued a new course to get healthy. I began exercising aerobically 5 days a week for about an hour a day. I ate low-fat, high carb/high fiber foods because my physicians told me that was what I should do. But, if I was getting healthier, why was I gaining weight?
 
Then I took an unbelievable 5-day CE program in 2013 called Nutrition Intensive for Healthcare Professionals. I thought this would hone my skills and confirm what I was doing was on track. It had a different slant from what I was previously learning; it was based on ancestral nutrition. To my surprise, in those 5 days I learned that what I was doing was essentially wrong. The basic truths I was told to believe were actually false. That blew me away. My foundation was rocked.
 
I went on from there to get educated, as I had never been educated in my entire professional career. I eventually became a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and a Certified Primal BluePrint Expert. Concepts began to gel, and I knew we as humans were born to be healthy.
 
I am now the poster-boy for a Primal Lifestyle. It has changed my entire life and my total body health. In the last two and a half years, my blood chemistries have improved significantly, and I have lost over 30 pounds without “dieting”. I am a work in progress.
 
I am healthier today than I have ever been. And, I have incorporated what I have learned into my treatment for my periodontal patients who want to know.
 
Things to think about
 

  • We were not born with a Lipitor deficiency.
  • We were not born with a fluoride deficiency.

 
We were born to be healthy, but disease is rampant.
 
Disease happens for a reason. There must be cellular damage that eventually manifests into some type of definable disease. For example:

  • Something happens to our cellular function to create cardiovascular disease.
  • Something happens to our biological chemistry to create tooth decay.
  • Something happens to our immune system to create gum disease.

 
The question is, “What Happens and Why?” By the end of these installments, you will know what I believe happens to disrupt our body and take it off its designed course of health.

Let’s Talk Value

evolution rWhat is your mouth worth? You probably take for granted that you eat most anything you want, and you enjoy the taste and chewing satisfaction of your food. Not to mention, this is the only way to get nourishment into your body unless you were hooked up to an intravenous drip.
 
So, what if you had no teeth to chew this delicious food? If you wanted to regain most of the natural sensations and function of chewing your food, you might consider implants to replace your lost teeth. That could cost around $100,000 or more to do the job of replacing most of your teeth to give you back that wonderful smile and that satisfying sensation from chewing. You would do that only because you valued the ability to chew and function as normally as possible.
 
Let’s change subjects and say you were in the market for a high performance, unique automobile. It would cost you about $425,000 to purchase the Lamborghini Aventador. If you really wanted to splurge, you could purchase the Lamborghini Veneno for a cool $4.5 million. You would spend that much money only because you valued the benefits of such a vehicle.
 
No matter what avenue you were traveling down – implants for your entire mouth to regain function or a fancy, quality car – you would take care of all these precious purchases. For example, you would put high octane gasoline into your special auto and maintain it as required to keep it running in top shape for as long as ever. You spent a lot of money to acquire these things, and you saw value in them. They mean everything to you.
 
Let’s talk from another point of view. What about your overall body? Do you know what it is worth? The value of your body parts would gather a minimum of $500,000 if they were sold on the Black Market today. That is not to mention the future value of your earning power for the rest of your life as well as the emotional value that is placed on you by your spouse, children, and all your loved ones. In dollar terms, that is a lot of money. So, don’t you think you also should take care of this precious commodity called Your Body?
 
You see value in the things you purchased, but do you see value in Your Body? I ask you these questions:

  • Why do most people put poor quality fuel into their bodies and allow them to run at a subpar level?
  • Why don’t most people allow their bodies the time they need to rest and restore themselves?
  • Why do most people subject their bodies to chemicals and other toxins that foul up their biological engines?
  • Why don’t most people take care of their bodies as they were created to perform in the same way they would maintain an expensive car?

 
A primal lifestyle will give the body the nourishment and the physical stimuli to run as the finely tuned machine it truly is.
 
Think about it! What value do you give your body?