We've seen so many bogus studies of late. These drugs don't help anyone but them. I'm just figuring out what works for me, shifting a little as I tweak things here and there. I spent a few years 85% vegan, but then meat and fish called me back, as well as butter and whole-fat dairy for the first time since childhood. I don't feel right unless fruit and veg are the bulk of my intake, but I'm not fussing with any particular diets/foods/solutions any more. The system has maxxed me out.
I keep thinking I'm going to stop posting. But I actually really enjoy reading studies, thinking and writing. If anyone gets anything out of it that's an added bonus but I do it because it's fun!
I discovered all the benefit of plants and the microbiome for myself in my body before I discovered I enjoyed reading about them, so no fuss and no need for any intellectual understanding of why they are good, just curiosity.
Oh, I still read the studies and take note of the conclusions when I think the source or the poster is earnestly trying to discover the truth of things. I enjoy these posts. That's not what I meant. It's just that I can't stake to much on any conclusion. One year salt was bad, then it was only bad for 25% of people. The same with eggs. Now the cholesterol findings are being upended, which is great. So I'm concluding that the human body is so complex that we can really only hope to understand bits and pieces over time and not put our faith in any finding per se.
So instead of jumping on the latest findings and adjusting my "system" over and over again, I need to calm down a bit. But I'll do this slowly!
Ah yes I see. Very sensible. The body knows. Like I say it's only in retrospect that I take an interest, I wouldn't put any faith in any studies either. They all deliberately set out to confuse us.
Thanks so much for this bit of common sense. Medicine is tremendously susceptible to these types of logical inversions that rests on a confusion of cause and effect, and even worse when a proxy is used. We are back to the time when increased stork sightings were correlated with an increasing birthrate, and therefore we could prove the storks brought babies. Lots of money being made on pharma products that may improve the numbers bud do nothing for health. All vaporous pursuit of proxies for something else, which we do not understand, if not willfully ignore.
Hi Rogier, thank you so much, and you're very welcome. Pharma is making lots of money but so is its sister the giant animal ag industry who is doing very well out of this logical inversion too.
About 25 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with high cholesterol and her docs prescribed Statens. She was in her middle 70s, active, playing tennis regularly, did Yoga and walked. Her teeth were always yellow. Not from smoking because she naturally had a high cholesterol level. She also began drinking several glasses of wine when she was around 50. As an iridologist I have often found that people who drink alcohol, even wine, will show signs of an increase in cholesterol in the iris. Iridologists see this as a side effect of the alcohol because alcohol can break down the lipids on the cell walls. And as cholesterol is used as a strengthener of cell membranes, the levels increase in alcohol drinkers. . . I don't know if you will find this gem on the internet. . . . Another thing that happened to my mom, was her memory, which was good until she took the Statens. The it progressively deteriorated. She died of Alzheimer's. This broke my heart--I knew all of this, but as I lived way to far away to make my voice heard all I could do was grieve, knowing the truth. . . Thanks for the article!
As each person is different, diet, how we age, keeping the body cleaned out! Detoxing regularly--as you say, keeping the waist (the waist) is important. Lots of deep breathing to keep the lungs clean and oxygenated. drinking lots of water, practicing vigorous exercise, against gravity. Working on complicated projects for the mind. Meditation and Prayers, not just for me but for Thine.
You're welcome and I'm so sorry. My dad also took the statins his doctor recommended for 'high' cholesterol though always clear minded, slender and very fit, and a low drinker. He had some ischaemic attacks and died with dementia at the age of 72
After my doctor suggested I needed a statin and I took it for awhile and then I researched it and wrote a paper on it that I showed her. She read it and then asked if I thought she was a shill for the pharmaceutical industry. She said all her other patients never questioned what she said. She didn't appear upset, just surprized. It appears that I was her only patient that ever questioned her... anyway here is my paper if you are interested https://nikontim.substack.com/p/cholesterol?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
That's so interesting. Yes I wonder what it's like for Doctors to say things and never be questioned. I will have a read 🙏🏽 thank you; I'd forgotten about the population trope
Hiya, You mean of the evidence that animal protein (and not vegetable protein, something to do with lysine to arginine ratio) raises cholesterol more than animal fat? I think it is true. It's an amazing study. Rural Chinese with cholesterol below 170 mg/dL and sometimes as low as 80 mg/dL had 17 times lower CVD than the US and 5 times lower breast cancer. But they haven't invented a toxic drug that somehow interferes with the process of how this happens. So they haven't been able to use its non-efficacy to claim that cholesterol is not harmful.
And it most definitely has not been 'debunked' only voices in the media saying it has been for obvious financial reasons, - no one has ever shown any problems with the data, how it was collected nor the interpretation.
I found this to be a rather fair critique of the China Study.
"On page 106 of his book, Campbell makes a statement I wholeheartedly agree with:
Everything in food works together to create health or disease. The more we think that a single chemical characterizes a whole food, the more we stray into idiocy.
It seems ironic that Campbell censures reductionism in nutritional science, yet uses that very reductionism to condemn an entire class of foods (animal products) based on the behavior of one substance in isolation (casein).
In sum, “The China Study” is a compelling collection of carefully chosen data. Unfortunately for both health seekers and the scientific community, Campbell appears to exclude relevant information when it indicts plant foods as causative of disease, or when it shows potential benefits for animal products. This presents readers with a strongly misleading interpretation of the original China Study data, as well as a slanted perspective of nutritional research from other arenas (including some that Campbell himself conducted).
In rebuttals to previous criticism on “The China Study,” Campbell seems to use his curriculum vitae as reason his word should be trusted above that of his critics. His education and experience is no doubt impressive, but the “Trust me, I’m a scientist” argument is a profoundly weak one. It doesn’t require a PhD to be a critical thinker, nor does a laundry list of credentials prevent a person from falling victim to biased thinking. Ultimately, I believe Campbell was influenced by his own expectations about animal protein and disease, leading him to seek out specific correlations in the China Study data (and elsewhere) to confirm his predictions."
Thank you. I don't like to put any credibility into nor do I condone any of his animal studies. I think the population studies have more weight to them.
Jo, you might find this interesting. I used to have access to a chat line for pharmacists and one of them went to a convention where a medical company let them use their new product which was a band around your wrist that measured your cholesterol levels. He measured his level inside and then had his lunch outside on the terrace. After being outside his cholesterol level dropped by 30 points. It makes me wonder if "high" cholesterol results from lack of sunlight or is a metabolic problem. Your thoughts?
We've seen so many bogus studies of late. These drugs don't help anyone but them. I'm just figuring out what works for me, shifting a little as I tweak things here and there. I spent a few years 85% vegan, but then meat and fish called me back, as well as butter and whole-fat dairy for the first time since childhood. I don't feel right unless fruit and veg are the bulk of my intake, but I'm not fussing with any particular diets/foods/solutions any more. The system has maxxed me out.
I keep thinking I'm going to stop posting. But I actually really enjoy reading studies, thinking and writing. If anyone gets anything out of it that's an added bonus but I do it because it's fun!
I discovered all the benefit of plants and the microbiome for myself in my body before I discovered I enjoyed reading about them, so no fuss and no need for any intellectual understanding of why they are good, just curiosity.
xxx
Oh, I still read the studies and take note of the conclusions when I think the source or the poster is earnestly trying to discover the truth of things. I enjoy these posts. That's not what I meant. It's just that I can't stake to much on any conclusion. One year salt was bad, then it was only bad for 25% of people. The same with eggs. Now the cholesterol findings are being upended, which is great. So I'm concluding that the human body is so complex that we can really only hope to understand bits and pieces over time and not put our faith in any finding per se.
So instead of jumping on the latest findings and adjusting my "system" over and over again, I need to calm down a bit. But I'll do this slowly!
Ah yes I see. Very sensible. The body knows. Like I say it's only in retrospect that I take an interest, I wouldn't put any faith in any studies either. They all deliberately set out to confuse us.
Here's to the slow path
🙏🏽
I think that's the big takeaway, i.e., that some are out to confuse us.
Yes x
Thanks so much for this bit of common sense. Medicine is tremendously susceptible to these types of logical inversions that rests on a confusion of cause and effect, and even worse when a proxy is used. We are back to the time when increased stork sightings were correlated with an increasing birthrate, and therefore we could prove the storks brought babies. Lots of money being made on pharma products that may improve the numbers bud do nothing for health. All vaporous pursuit of proxies for something else, which we do not understand, if not willfully ignore.
Hi Rogier, thank you so much, and you're very welcome. Pharma is making lots of money but so is its sister the giant animal ag industry who is doing very well out of this logical inversion too.
🙏🏽
About 25 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with high cholesterol and her docs prescribed Statens. She was in her middle 70s, active, playing tennis regularly, did Yoga and walked. Her teeth were always yellow. Not from smoking because she naturally had a high cholesterol level. She also began drinking several glasses of wine when she was around 50. As an iridologist I have often found that people who drink alcohol, even wine, will show signs of an increase in cholesterol in the iris. Iridologists see this as a side effect of the alcohol because alcohol can break down the lipids on the cell walls. And as cholesterol is used as a strengthener of cell membranes, the levels increase in alcohol drinkers. . . I don't know if you will find this gem on the internet. . . . Another thing that happened to my mom, was her memory, which was good until she took the Statens. The it progressively deteriorated. She died of Alzheimer's. This broke my heart--I knew all of this, but as I lived way to far away to make my voice heard all I could do was grieve, knowing the truth. . . Thanks for the article!
As each person is different, diet, how we age, keeping the body cleaned out! Detoxing regularly--as you say, keeping the waist (the waist) is important. Lots of deep breathing to keep the lungs clean and oxygenated. drinking lots of water, practicing vigorous exercise, against gravity. Working on complicated projects for the mind. Meditation and Prayers, not just for me but for Thine.
You're welcome and I'm so sorry. My dad also took the statins his doctor recommended for 'high' cholesterol though always clear minded, slender and very fit, and a low drinker. He had some ischaemic attacks and died with dementia at the age of 72
After my doctor suggested I needed a statin and I took it for awhile and then I researched it and wrote a paper on it that I showed her. She read it and then asked if I thought she was a shill for the pharmaceutical industry. She said all her other patients never questioned what she said. She didn't appear upset, just surprized. It appears that I was her only patient that ever questioned her... anyway here is my paper if you are interested https://nikontim.substack.com/p/cholesterol?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
That's so interesting. Yes I wonder what it's like for Doctors to say things and never be questioned. I will have a read 🙏🏽 thank you; I'd forgotten about the population trope
Have you ever come across the China Study by a Dr. Campbell...and if so what do you make of that?
Hiya, You mean of the evidence that animal protein (and not vegetable protein, something to do with lysine to arginine ratio) raises cholesterol more than animal fat? I think it is true. It's an amazing study. Rural Chinese with cholesterol below 170 mg/dL and sometimes as low as 80 mg/dL had 17 times lower CVD than the US and 5 times lower breast cancer. But they haven't invented a toxic drug that somehow interferes with the process of how this happens. So they haven't been able to use its non-efficacy to claim that cholesterol is not harmful.
🙏🏽
It was a book that took the dietary data of Chinese provinces and the prevalence of Western diseases to support a theory that animal protein could be a driver of said western diseases. Then he augmented this with studies on rats where if they reduced the animal protein then cancer growth would grind to a halt. Not go away..but not grow. It came out in 2008. I only picked it up by accident at the library. I think its debunked but tough to tell if that is just the result of large industries trying to suppress what seems like a common sense approach to health. More vegetables and whole foods. Less processed foods and less animal protein. I know if I ever get cancer I'll be cutting back my animal protein. Link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1941631568/ref=asc_df_1941631568/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312134205520&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14127607430265115115&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003798&hvtargid=pla-404289647710&psc=1
And it most definitely has not been 'debunked' only voices in the media saying it has been for obvious financial reasons, - no one has ever shown any problems with the data, how it was collected nor the interpretation.
I found this to be a rather fair critique of the China Study.
"On page 106 of his book, Campbell makes a statement I wholeheartedly agree with:
Everything in food works together to create health or disease. The more we think that a single chemical characterizes a whole food, the more we stray into idiocy.
It seems ironic that Campbell censures reductionism in nutritional science, yet uses that very reductionism to condemn an entire class of foods (animal products) based on the behavior of one substance in isolation (casein).
In sum, “The China Study” is a compelling collection of carefully chosen data. Unfortunately for both health seekers and the scientific community, Campbell appears to exclude relevant information when it indicts plant foods as causative of disease, or when it shows potential benefits for animal products. This presents readers with a strongly misleading interpretation of the original China Study data, as well as a slanted perspective of nutritional research from other arenas (including some that Campbell himself conducted).
In rebuttals to previous criticism on “The China Study,” Campbell seems to use his curriculum vitae as reason his word should be trusted above that of his critics. His education and experience is no doubt impressive, but the “Trust me, I’m a scientist” argument is a profoundly weak one. It doesn’t require a PhD to be a critical thinker, nor does a laundry list of credentials prevent a person from falling victim to biased thinking. Ultimately, I believe Campbell was influenced by his own expectations about animal protein and disease, leading him to seek out specific correlations in the China Study data (and elsewhere) to confirm his predictions."
https://deniseminger.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/
Thank you. I don't like to put any credibility into nor do I condone any of his animal studies. I think the population studies have more weight to them.
Thank you, wouldn't it be better to cut back on animal proteins before????
🙏🏽
I'm very slow in applying what I learn
Jo, you might find this interesting. I used to have access to a chat line for pharmacists and one of them went to a convention where a medical company let them use their new product which was a band around your wrist that measured your cholesterol levels. He measured his level inside and then had his lunch outside on the terrace. After being outside his cholesterol level dropped by 30 points. It makes me wonder if "high" cholesterol results from lack of sunlight or is a metabolic problem. Your thoughts?
A wrist band that claims to measure the cholesterol in your blood? My thoughts? Rubbish.
I only eat real food except last night I order a pizza, it was disgusting