Wellness and Prevention: The Science of Genetics, Lifestyle and Health

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Parts 9 & 10

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:18:00 -0500

The H1N1 Issue: Flu Pandemic, Fear Pandemic, or Both?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:48:00 -0500

I first sent this out as a newsletter in Octover 2009 during the "H1N1 Pandemic" and thought I would post the article again here as I receive several requests every month for the information.

The H1N1 issue has become so prevalent that I thought it appropriate to share some factual perspective. I realize that factual perspective is neither newsworthy nor popular when people are in the midst of a mob mentality of fear but I'm willing to risk unpopularity in order to encourage people to be guided by science, reason, and logic.

As you've heard me say so many times the key to finding the truth is asking the right questions. If we don't ask the right questions we will never get the right answers. Irrational fear usually comes from asking the wrong questions or failing to ask the right ones. As I often point out it is not what we don't know that poses the greatest danger, it is what we think we know that is false. We also must be aware of confounding factors creating self fulfilling prophecies. Sometimes fear is rational, sometimes it is not. Regardless, the most important thing is to ACCURATELY assess the threat and then identify an evidence-based, logical, reasonable, and RATIONAL response or course of action.

Let's start with the H1N1 flu virus itself. Clearly this flu virus is a reality and clearly it can lead to illness. The most important question is what kind of illness. The FACT is that the type of illness associated with this virus in over 99.9% of CASES is mild to moderate flu symptoms which include fever, nausea which can include vomiting, and of course general malaise. Not very pleasant to be sure but is this any different than the symptoms associated with the flu viruses that have been the source of the seasonal flu for the past 50 years? No. Although not every seasonal flu virus is associated with vomiting the truth is that vomiting is not considered serious. Seriously uncomfortable - yes, seriously risky in terms of death or severe complications - no.

But what about the deaths from H1N1? We all must admit and understand that even the thought of a child dying is enough to send any parent into hysterics. I can't think of anything more frightening. So let me be clear. I am not suggesting that the threat of harm or death to my child or any child is not something to fear. What I am suggesting is that we RATIONALLY assess the threat and then assess our fear level to see if it is appropriate. Good decisions, decisions that minimize threat and maximize safety, are NOT based on irrational fear. Fear is our worst enemy. Logical interpretation of available facts is our best ally.

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Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 8

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:13:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 7

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:06:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 6

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:13:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 5

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:55:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 4

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:12:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 3

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:31:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 2

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:28:00 -0500

Feed Your Genes: Express Your Health and Performance Potential - Part 1

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:53:00 -0500

Dr. Chestnut explains the science and application of matching lifestyle choices with our human genetic requirements for the expression of our wellness, prevention, and performance potential. His simple yet profound concept of Eat Well - Move Well - Think Well as the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and a longer, better, more successful life has helped transform the practices of thousands of doctors and the lives of millions of patients and members of the public worldwide. Come learn how to match your lifestyle choices to your genetic blueprint and remove the confusion about nutrition, exercise, stress, and emotional health.

Sun Exposure: Cancer Preventing or Cancer Causing?

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:37:00 -0500

The following study on the risk of melanoma from tanning was recently published in the journal of Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The findings are worth a discussion and I have provided both some quotes from the study and some commentary.

Lazovich et al. Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed Population. Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 2010 19 (6); 1557-68

"Our study has several important findings. First, we found that melanoma occurred more frequently among indoor tanners compared with persons that never engaged in this activity."

"Second, we found a strong dose-response relationship between melanoma risk measured by total hours, sessions, or years."

"Third, we found an increased risk of melanoma with use of each type of tanning device as well as with each period of tanning use, suggesting that no device could be considered "safe".

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Essential Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer

Fri, 06 May 2011 13:46:00 -0500

I have had a few enquiries about the recent article (Brasky et al. Serum Phosholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk: Results From the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial) which claimed that DHA omega-3 fatty acid was positively associated with risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

These reports just did not make sense based on all the other studies I have read regarding omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). I thought I better read the whole study and take a look at the raw data, methodology, and statistical analyses. Good thing I did!

First of all the study is an observational study and NOT an intervention study so any conclusions are deduced from association NOT cause and effect. This study design is USELESS in terms of establishing cause and effect, and when you add this to the lack of data supporting their claims of association, this study is less than useless, it is misleading.

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Species Wide and Species Specific: The Science and Paradigm of Wellness & Prevention Nutrition

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:22:00 -0500

I just recently returned from speaking at the Parker Seminar in Florida. I was asked to speak about nutrition in general (The Innate Diet – The Genetically Congruent Diet for the Human Species) and specifically to explain the difference between wellness & prevention supplementation versus diagnosis & treatment nutraceutical therapy.

After I received so much positive feedback from the presentation, and so many questions, many from Innate Choice customers, I realized that it was worth writing a newsletter.

How do we determine what diet is healthy or what supplements, if any, are required? These are THE QUESTIONS regarding nutrition and unless we ask the right questions we will, of course, never get the right answers. Let’s answer these questions so that we can take the confusion out of nutrition and supplementation once and for all. Knowing the answers to these questions provides complete immunity from all the predatory marketing and confusion that takes place in the nutritional field. Let’s develop our innate immunity with the correct paradigm and the correct scientific questions and evidence.

The first concept that must be understood when discussing nutrition, or any other health topic, is that both what is required to express health, and what stressors force states of chronic adaptation and sickness, are SPECIES WIDE and SPECIES SPECIFIC. Think of biology, think of animal species. Is there any member of any animal species that requires different nutrients than any other member of that species? Do all giraffes require an individualized diet or do all giraffes require the same diet? They all require the same diet of course. Is what is toxic to eat for one giraffe toxic to all giraffes? Of course it is. Individuality regarding nutrition is only applicable to individual species NOT to individual members of a species. In other words, the genome of a giraffe is different from a panda and thus each species has unique nutritional requirements. However, every member of each species has the same nutritional requirements because every member of every species has the same genome – this is in fact how species type is determined; it is the very defining aspect of species.

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How does medicine determine who "needs" a drug?

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:29:00 -0500

How does allopathy determine if someone is sick or well, if they "require" drugs, surgery, or radiation? I don't mean how they define health or sickness, I mean how to they actually determine if someone is sick or well. What tests to they perform? How do they determine if the results of these tests (e.g. blood pressure or cholesterol) represent sickness or health? Remember there is only ONE way to solve the healthcare crisis - create a society with fewer sick people (more healthy people). We then need to use science and logic to determine how to best accomplish this.

The Wellness & Prevention Paradigm

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:14:00 -0500

What is the Wellness & Prevention Paradigm? What are it's major premises and/or assumptions? How does this differ from the allopathic paradigm and the major premises or assumptions of this paradigm? How do allopathic and wellness & prevention practitioners differ in terms of intervention and clinical outcome goals? Which practitioners are more evidence-based in terms of improving health outcomes and prevention of chronic illness? Why does the allopathic paradigm and why do allopathic interventions dominate in terms of funding for research and healthcare interventions regarding chronic illness despite overwhelming evidence of ineffectiveness, harm, and bankrupting costs? If we are to solve the chronic health care crisis caused by the chronic illness pandemic which paradigm will be required as a solution; more drugs, radiation and surgery to treat diagnosed chronic illness or more lifestyle intervention to increase health and prevent chronic illness? Does treating chronic illness with drugs, radiation and surgery cure chronic illness, prevent chronic illness, prolong life, or save money? Does lifestyle intervention?

Let the discussion and debate begin!!