Jack Lauzon, B. ScJack Lauzon, B. Sc

He has been a publisher for many years and enjoys the challenge of taking the traditional book industry into the digital age. With the internationally bestselling books of David W. Barber as his publishing company's cornerstone, they are always looking for passionate authors in any genre who feel their work is worth putting into international distribution. ------------------------------------------ He is also a computer consultant focusing on small business, with a specialty in fashion companies. And Lastly, he is a believer in the ketogenic diet and a distributor of KETO//OS, an exogenous ketone supplement. Ketones are the body's 4th element after carbohydrates, fat and protein. They have incredible healing effects on the body and now you can take them exogenously instead of waiting for your body to generate them. Check it out for yourself: www.ketojack.com

The Keto Approach To Fibromyalgia

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brown sugar substitute, sugar substitutes, substitute for brown sugar, sugar substitute, substitute sugar, best sugar substitute,
Fact Checked
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Suffering with Fibromyalgia or symptoms of Fibromyalgia? This article will concentrate on what may be the hidden cause of your Fibromyalgia diagnosis and how to heal. So, first off, do you know what fibromyalgia is?

Well, The Mayo Clinic describes it as: “A disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.” 1

Because its symptoms can be attributed to other diseases or illnesses, it has been difficult to pin down root causes.

“Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant
psychological stress.  In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.” 1

When You Receive A Fibromyalgia Diagnosis

There are medications that have been shown to help.  Also the usual prescription of;

  • Exercise
  • Relaxation
  • Stress reduction

All of which are part of the standard of care for pretty much everything, actually.
Saying a disease or condition is caused by;

  • Genetics
  • Infections
  • Physical trauma
  • Emotional trauma

Thus, this leaves the person dealing with the disease/illness with no concrete way of preventing it.  So, getting into the causes here would be counterproductive.   ALso, it would appear that being alive is the source of 99.9% of the problem.

So consider this. First, what do we know about a fibromyalgia diagnosis that can help us if we do get it?  Furthermore, what if we want to prevent it?  Lastly, what means do we have at our disposal?

We start with our lifestyle and food choices.

fibromyalgia diet

Managing Fibromyalgia With Lifestyle & Diet

What if our choice to eat highly processed refined sugars and processed foods was a trigger for fibromyalgia?  Or if insulin resistance (caused by years of too much refined sugars/sugar intake) was the cause of fibromyalgia?

“… it did show a high association between fibromyalgia and co-existent insulin. The study then went on to show those treated with metformin, a drug that can improve insulin sensitivity, had improved fibromyalgia symptoms.”
Dr. Bret Scher 2, 3

If you bump your toe and it swells, it hurts.  Acute inflammation from your bumped toe is accompanied by pain.  Sugar causes inflammation.  If you have areas of your body that are in repair mode and sugar increases the normally expected inflammation around those areas, that can lead to pain.

Our muscles are always in a state of breakdown and repair.  If you work out, you know that you are tearing your muscles and they are getting rebuilt (hopefully bigger and stronger, or why work out, right?).

What Foods Can Trigger Chronic Pain, Fatigue, And Depression?

Sugar The Bitter Truth

If the regular inflammation accompanied by regular muscle repair is supercharged due to the inflammatory response from sugar, is it no wonder that we have muscle pain all over?
This is me conclusion based on my knowledge of the effects of a highly refined sugar diet.  But I am not out in left field especially when it comes to your Fibromyalgia diagnosis .

I consulted my friend Dr. Adam Nally, a board-certified family physician and obesity
medicine specialist.  He uses keto extensively in his practice and our 100% naturally fermented drinkable ketones. 4  He is also the author of, ‘The Keto Cure’.

“What I see clinically is at least a 50% improvement in overall general pain in fibromyalgia when a person is using a ketogenic lifestyle because of the inflammatory improvement that occurs.” 
Dr. Adam Nally, Keto Talk episode 61

There are many diseases and illnesses that have until recently been considered rare or of little interest to the medical field.  All because they occur so infrequently.  Even diabetes was rare!  So. we must begin to look at all the recent increases of illnesses and ask why they are now so prevalent.

A growing body of evidence has linked our excessive intake of refined sugars and processed foods (full of refined sugars) as the culprit.  This leads to hormone imbalances in the body, specifically insulin and the toll it is taking on our general health.

“Only a few decades ago, fibromyalgia (and its predecessor fibrositis) was of little interest or concern to either physicians or the general public.” 6

How to Improve Your Diet for Fibromyalgia Relief

Keto Diet And Fibromyalgia Diagnosis

Research on how a ketogenic lifestyle, low-carb and strict keto is ongoing by mainstream science as well as by Pruvit (the maker of the ketones I drink every day).

Through scientific study and anecdotal evidence, it is clear that getting our bodies back to the lower sugar intake of our grandparents generation in addition to eating a whole foods diet rich in vital nutrients is the way for us to reverse the trend toward being fat, sick and tired.

As Dr. Wolfe says in his book Healthy to 100;

“Fibromyalgia: Fibro mean fiber, My means muscle, Algia means pain.  This is a pain that moves throughout the body due to inflammation created by a toxic lifestyle”

So let’s get rid of our toxic lifestyle.  Drink ketones or create ketones.  Eat healthy fats, doing the keto diet or intermittent fasting.  All in order to take care of the inflammation that we can’t control.

What The Keto Diet And Chiropractic Have In Common

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Keto Diet and Chiropractic

What is the Keto Diet?

The ketogenic diet aka the Keto Diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet for which research is showing to have many health benefits.  Over 20 studies demonstrate that this diet can help drop fat and improve your health.  Furthermore, Ketogenic diets may do more than help you shed a few pounds by offering other health benefits preventing diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17332207
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2633336
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11581442
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1819381
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001

Keto and Chiropractic?

It may be difficult to see the connection between the Keto Diet and chiropractic however, as your chiropractor will tell you, a well-adjusted spine allows your brain’s signals to easily and effortlessly get to all parts of your body through your central nervous system.

I learned this when I was 26 and first started to see a chiropractor. Since then, I’ve been going to a chiropractor regularly for almost 24 years now.  Remember, if the brain isn’t functioning properly, one of the things it cannot do is send the proper signals down that central nervous system to your organs and your other body parts.  This is where ketones can help in addition to your chiropractic adjustments.

how to improve brain health

“When Your Brain Works Right, You Work Right”

 Dr. Daniel Amen, #1 New York Times bestselling author, double board-certified psychiatrist, professor and brain health expert.

What Is Fueling Your Brain?

Despite the fact that your brain is only 2% of the weight of your body, it uses up 20% to 30% of the total energy your body uses every day. So, how are most people giving their brain the energy it needs to keep it running efficiently? Well, most people’s diets consist primarily of carbohydrates and some proteins.

Unfortunately, not enough of those carbohydrates are coming from fibrous good carbohydrate vegetables and people are not eating enough healthy fats. Infact, many calories that are used to fuel the body are coming from processed foods and refined carbohydrates (sugar). This wreaks havoc on your body’s ability to manage your energy needs and thus the energy needs of your brain.Eventually your body resists the onslaught of all these refined sugars. But how does this affect your brain?

We have all heard of type 2 diabetes and how it wreaks havoc on our bodies. However Type 2 diabetes is not only a disease of the obese. Click here to read, Why Children Living With Type 2 Diabetes Is Drastically Increasing .

“Normal-weight people are getting diabetes at the same rate as the obese …”

– Dr. Robert Lustig

Mayo Clinic Minute: Is Alzheimer's Type 3 diabetes?

Have You Heard Of Type 3 Diabetes?

Now being referred to by doctors and researchers as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain diseases, type 2 diabetes is your body’s inability to get enough energy from carbohydrates due to insulin resistance (carbohydrates cannot be used for energy unless they are escorted into each cell by insulin).

Insulin resistance also affects your brain’s ability to get energy from carbohydrates. So, if your brain is not getting enough energy to function properly you can suffer from brain fog, forgetfulness and tiredness, to name a few of the more obvious symptoms. Also, if your brain is not functioning properly, it won’t send proper signals down your nervous system to your organs and other body parts which can affect you mentally and physically.

ketogenic diet

Ketones And The Keto Diet

You may have heard a lot lately about ketones and the keto diet. How ketones fuel your brain better than carbohydrates. But what exactly is this magical ketone? Well it’s what your body creates when it burns your fat and what your body uses for energy when it’s not using carbohydrates.

What ketones have been shown to do is to fuel your body better than glucose (carbohydrates/sugar) and to create much less waste in the process (making them more efficient). Put simply, your body just runs better on ketones. Ketones have a neuroprotective effect and they reduced inflammation. Neurons are found in your brain, spinal cord and in your nerves. Chiropractic is all about your nervous system.

antioxidants

Antioxidants And Their Effect On Your Brain

We have all heard of the many benefits of antioxidants. How important they are to reduce the damage done by our food choices and the environment on our bodies. But what about our brains?

“Ketones preserve brain metabolism in the face of an oxidative challenge”

– Dr. Domenic D’Agostino

Most people’s bodies never run on ketones because the food industry provides us with an abundance of low-quality processed sugars (simple carbohydrates) either directly or hidden in processed foods and we don’t have enough of the right fats in our diets.

The keto diet is fast becoming mainstream news. However there are few who can maintain the lifestyle longer term. This is because many find it difficult to eat so few carbohydrates (we are not referring to vegetables) with today’s carbohydrate-rich grocery stores and fast-food outlets.

But with the help of a grant from the U.S. Military Navy Seals, smart researchers at the University of South Florida found a way to make a ketone supplement that is identical to what the body makes when it’s burning fat.

For the average person, this is a much easier way to get ketones into their bodies rather than to try to reduce their carbohydrates low enough to allow their bodies to switch to burning their own fat. Why is this important? Because if your brain can run on ketones, you get heightened brain function and your brain just runs better.  Even your brain volume increases.

“Brain mapping shows that the volume of the brain increases with a ketogenic diet.  When you eat the right fat, your brain gets bigger.”

– How Ketogenic Diets Improve Memory and Brain Health, Dr. Venter, MD

healthy nervous system

Final Thoughts

A more efficient brain can send better signals through your central nervous system, which makes your whole body run better. Ultimately that’s the goal of chiropractic and hopefully of everybody in the medical field.

I resisted the urge to put a lot of the relevant science on ketones in this article. So, if you have any questions or would like more information about ketones or healthy eating, feel free to send me an email or follow me on Facebook.

Keto For Dummies – Beginners Guide For Keto

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Yes, Keto is exciting but could be confusing for some people which is why I thought a Keto for Dummies Guide would be something useful.  Maybe it sparked your interest because you’ve seen celebrities shedding fat and hailing the ketogenic diet as their secret weapon (not sure how it can be a secret when they post it to their followers on Instagram …)

But have you heard of the stay at home mom who:

  • Now has energy for her kids
  • Feels like her brain is on fire (in a good way)
  • Less cranky
  • Sleeps better
  • Better cholesterol
  • Joints don’t ache anymore when she wakes up or during the day

Probably not.

Attention Seeker

Mainstream media needs to grab your attention.  So, you’re less likely to hear about that dad in Beverley Hills.  The one who doesn’t sleep his afternoon away on his favourite chair.  Waking up with fruit-loops on his body as a form of art canvas for the kids while he sleeps.  Now having time to be a dad and a husband again!

Regardless of where you heard it, you’re probably asking yourself, “what is a ketone and the ketogenic diet?” and why should I care about yet another “fad” diet?

First let me ask you this.  If something has been around for 500+ years, does it still qualify as a fad?

Let’s start with a simple question: “What is a ketogenic diet”? (aka a very low-carb1 eating lifestyle)  If you’ve seen my other articles, I have explained that our bodies can run on two types of energy.  The most common is from carbs.  Many of which are broken down into (or start off as) simple sugars.

Our bodies cannot use these simple sugars for energy unless they are combined with insulin that a healthy pancreas makes on demand.  Once the insulin grabs the sugar it is given to our cells and we have energy.

The second way our bodies can be fueled is by the breakdown of fat (from our food or from our body) into ketones.  Ketones fuel our cells without needing an escort (insulin).
Our body can only do one of the above at a time.

So, if you have a certain threshold of sugar in your system (and thus insulin), your body will not run on ketones.

By eating a low-enough-carb diet, your body will switch to fat burning and create ketones.  This is not as easy as it sounds!  If it were, I think the fast food industry would be very different.  In addition, all that junk food on grocery store shelves full of sugar would sit there and rot.  Just kidding. That stuff can’t rot, it’s not real food!

Click here to read Are You Eating Junk Food Without Realizing It?

Still Wondering Why You Should Care About a Keto For Dummies Guide?

The properties of ketones have been studied for over 100 years by scientists and doctors.  They and are well known for the treatment of epilepsy.

But the more scientist and doctors understand about the power of ketones, the more intrigued they become at how:

  • A ketogenic diet
  • A low-carb diet
  • A whole food diet or exogenous ketones

Affect all aspects of health.

Click here for, Keto Brownies recipe .

All diseases have one thing in common.  Inflammation.  Simple sugars are recognized as inflammatory.  It’s breakdown into energy creates waste products that the body needs to get rid of.  Too much simple sugar equals too much waste products for the body to get rid of.  This leads to inflammation.

On the flipside, ketones reduce inflammation.  So, this alone should compel you to want to know more.

Further, excess sugar leads to insulin resistance or prediabetes and of course type 2 diabetes.  Also, now scientists and doctors have coined the term type 3 diabetes to refer to the damage that sugar is causing in the brain.  Potentially causing diseases like:

  • Alzheimer’s
  • Dementia
  • Mental illness

Click here to read, ” Diabetes – The Hidden Cause Of Alzheimer’s?”

Intermittent Fasting On Keto

Keto Fast

As part of my Keto For Dummies guide am I telling you to ditch the carbs & go dive into the keto diet head first?  If you think you can handle it, sure! (but please don’t do dirty keto).  But seriously as you’ve read from me before, there are ways to get ketones into your body without becoming a keto diet warrior.

Click here to read, This One Thing Has Been Linked To Almost All Diseases .

Every major religion has a fasting regime.  It would appear that every religion’s god 3 (or the one single god that allowed all the different religions) knew that our bodies needed some time away from digestion.  Time to internally ‘clean up’ and perhaps even shed some of those religious holiday pounds.

During times of fasting, our blood sugar drops.  Our bodies naturally switch to burning fat and creating ketones (length of fast determines the extent to which our bodies use ketones of course).

If every major religion knew before science did that ketones were good for you, then perhaps you shouldn’t dismiss the idea of reducing your carbs and trying to skip breakfast once in a while (aka intermittent fasting).  Who knows?  Maybe you will be writing the next ketone article (instead of me) because you have seen the light!

Final Thoughts

I know this is just a quick intro to the world of keto and low-carb.  I had so much more I could have put in, but it would have gotten a bit scientific and long.  EVEN MORE BORING to some of you!

So as always, if you want more info – check out the other articles or contact me.

References For This Keto For Dummies Guide:

1. WHAT IS LOW-CARB
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

2. THERAPEUTIC USES OF A VERY-LOW-CARBOHYDRATE DIET
https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2013116

3. FASTING
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

Diabetes and dementia – is there a connection?
Alzheimer’s Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes–Evidence Reviewed

Diabetes – The Hidden Cause Of Alzheimer’s?

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diabetes

In today’s society, diabetes is now so common that it’s rare for someone not to know a relative or friend who has it.  There are 30 million people living in the United States alone with diabetes.  2.3 million (roughly) in Canada.  It’s an epidemic health crisis to say the least.  But, before we get into a deep discussion let’s start with explaining exactly what diabetes is.

What Is Diabetes?

When we eat carbohydrates, most are broken down into simple sugars in our bodies.  Our cells then use these sugars for energy.  However, they are not able to get into our cells on their own.  They are shuttled there by insulin.  Ketones on the other hand can also produce energy without the assistance of insulin but we’ll get to that later.

There are two types of diabetes that people are generally aware of.  However, adults with diabetes could benefit from better treatment if the condition was categorized into the full five.

Type 1 Diabetes

This is the conclusion of a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. (1)

Type 1 diabetes is the body’s inability to create enough insulin.  The pancreas is responsible for creating insulin but can no longer do so sufficiently.  Type 1 is thought to be caused by genetics or viruses that early in life infect and break the pancreas’ ability to do its job of creating insulin.

People with type 1 diabetes need to inject themselves with insulin to match what the body would have created to process the sugars.  Because this is a tricky matching process, there is a danger of too much or too little insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is considered a lifestyle disease or an illness created by the standard American diet.  It is also termed insulin resistance.  Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to make enough insulin or use it makes properly.  Insulin is a hormone used by the body to control glucose levels (the amount of sugar in your blood).  Glucose is one of the main sources of fuel for the body.  Providing the body with the energy needed to perform all necessary functions. (2)

Sugar And Its Affects On Our Bodies

After many years of inappropriate levels of sugars in our diet, our pancreas isn’t able to function as it should.  It’s either no longer able to quickly match our bodies sugar intake and/or our body is no longer accepting the insulin that our pancreas is creating to shuttle sugars into our cells.  This leads to rising levels of unprocessed sugars in our blood stream.  Increasing damage excess sugar has on our bodies.  For further reading, click here to read, “These Food Additives are Linked to Cancer, Diabetes and Obesity”.

I could go into detail about what that excess sugar does to your body (one thing is it is stored as fat) but I want to get to the main reason for this article.  What excess sugar does to your brain!

Type 3 Diabetes

Type 3 diabetes is not a common term that people have heard of unless you read a lot about health.  It is however becoming more mainstream.

Type 3 diabetes is what excess sugar does to your brain’s ability to keep itself fueled.  It is like saying Type 2 diabetes but the brain edition.  Your brain’s ability to run requires that it be given constant energy.  Much like a car needs X litres of fuel per 100 KM.  That is unless you own a tesla / run your brain on ketones.

Your brain needs a steady source of energy.  For most of us, that is coming from carbohydrates (sugars).  However it would be great if we could use ketones …. Oops, getting ahead of myself ….

As we constantly expose our bodies to excessive simple carbohydrates and thus simple sugars our bodies begin to take notice.  It then creates a safety mechanisms to protect us from the excess damaging sugar.  One of these mechanisms to protect the brain is called the blood brain barrier.

Alzheimer's Disease OR Diabetes Of The Brain?

Internal Special Forces – Brain Security

Our brain is protected by our body and the blood brain barrier is like Brain Security (special forces level, not mall security).  This barrier only allows what it thinks is the most important nutrients, fats and energy sources into our brain cells (neurons, etc.)

As we constantly expose our bodies to excess sugars, our body’s resist the insulin/sugar energy source and we get Type 2 diabetes.  Our cells want energy but our body’s security “protects us” from the excess onslaught.  So much so that our cells are actually getting less energy than they need.

The excess sugar that is not allowed past is stored as fat.  So the more security turns away sugar, the more fat is stored.  The more the body needs energy, the more carbs we eat to give it that energy.  That cycle continues until we are fat and tired (and sick).

The brain’s security guard does the same thing.  It starts to turn away insulin/sugar because it is protecting the brain.  However, this security guard doesn’t care that the brain needs all that energy.  It is designed for short term protection, not constant protection.  Thus, the brain gets less energy than it needs to function properly.  It’s like putting your foot down on the gas pedal and your car starts to slow down.  The engine is not getting enough gas to keep your speed let alone speed up.

Health Issues & Risk Factors Of Diabetes

Researchers believe that Type 3 diabetes (Type 2 diabetes of the brain) plays a strong role or is responsible for mental health issues such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia, and other brain illnesses.  Studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and other types of dementia … (2)

We conclude that the term “type 3 diabetes” accurately reflects the fact that AD represents a form of diabetes that selectively involves the brain and has molecular and biochemical features that overlap with both type 1 diabetes mellitus and T2DM. (3)  Type 3 diabetes occurs when neurons in the brain become unable to respond to insulin, which is essential for basic tasks, including memory and learning. (4)

If your brain isn’t getting fueled properly, it only makes sense that it won’t run properly and that it will manifest itself in some noticeable way.  In the beginning it could be fatigue, brain fog or memory issues.  However, in the end it could become a serious mental health issue.

The Superior Solution For Sourced Energy

So, you are wondering, Keto Jack, when are you going to get to the Ketone part?  Ketones are the other superior source of energy that your body can use to fuel your cells and to fuel your brain.  Ketones can be derived from the breakdown of fat in your body which will occur only when levels of insulin is low enough.  Your body likes to concentrate on using one fuel at a time or they can be ingested.

A ketogenic diet is one way to generate ketones.  However, it’s a very hard way.  Intermittent fasting gives your body small windows of no sugar intake and therefore your body doesn’t need to produce insulin.  Rather, it can generate ketones from your fat.

Another way is to drink pure therapeutic ketones.  There are naturally fermented and bioidentical versions available that your body sees as no different than if you had burned fat and made ketones.  For a great keto recipe, click here to for a great keto brownie recipe!

The bottom line is that excess sugars in our diet is causing not only damage from the neck down, but just as importantly damaging our brains!  So, cut back and/or eliminate added sugars.  Eat whole foods!  Save your brain so that when you are older you can still remember the advice I just gave you.  Your children and grandchildren will really appreciate it when you remember their names…For further information, click here to read, “Keto Diet and Chiropractic – What Do They Have in Common?”

—
As always, if anything I have written resonates with you, leave a comment.  If you have any questions or would like more information about drinking ketones, making ketones or healthy eating, feel free to send me an email ([email protected])

I am here to serve! (I just won’t serve you dessert ? )

Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/therealketojack/ and Instagram @ketojack
Jack Lauzon, B.Sc. Honors Physics, Health Educator

Sources

The Myths About Cholesterol

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Mainstream media is still fixated on “fat is bad” and “high cholesterol is bad” myths.  Let’s face it, for a long time science has shown that these hypotheses were correct.  But did you know that these myths were not always accepted wisdom?  It wasn’t until the 1950’s that fats were demonized, and carbohydrates were vindicated.  Before that, the case against either was hotly debated.  But that’s another story (1)  So here is what you need to know about cholesterol, the good and the bad and the ugly!

LDL VS HDL

Even today, if you search google for cholesterol and heart disease you might find this:  

“When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it builds up in the walls of your arteries, causing a process called atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease … If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack. (WebMd)

Most people are familiar with or have heard of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. This is what is being referred to in the above excerpt.  The other type is called HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.  

In your body, only about 20% of your cholesterol comes directly from what you eat. Roughly speaking, your liver and intestines make the other 80% of the cholesterol you need to stay healthy.  Here’s a great diagram from Harvard Health, – a bit technical, but some of you like that stuff.

How Cholesterol Works

Here is an easier way to understand how cholesterol works.  Imagine that LDL is a happy-go-lucky cholesterol molecule (simplifying, so bear with me).  It’s travelling around your blood like a hotdog vendor at a hockey game coming down the aisles yelling, “I got cholesterol, who wants cholesterol …”.  A cell sitting in seat H45 yells, “Hell ya, I need a cholesterol” and so the hotdog vendor gives the cell a little cholesterol and the cell does what cells do with cholesterol … (that’s a different article).

Now imagine at the end of the night, there are still a bunch of hotdog vendors with lots of extra hot dogs.  In comes the manager (HDL) and he takes all the leftover hot dogs and does what managers do with the extra hot dogs.  He recycles them.

“HDL collects cholesterol that is not being used by cells and brings them back to the liver to be recycled or destroyed.” The Ketogenic Diet and Cholesterol (2)

What you want is a good mix of hotdog vendors and managers.  In one arena, there might be more hotdog vendors, but there are more managers, and in another arena fewer hotdog vendors but also fewer managers.  That’s why the cholesterol number you are given is a ratio: vendors divided by managers.  Seems simple, right?

Science Proves Size Matters

In the past, doctors and researches would worry that there was too much LDL (vendors) in the blood and when they looked at narrowing arteries, they found that LDL cholesterol was what was narrowing the arteries and that it could eventually block the artery and cause a heart attack or a stroke.  It was right there in black and white (most scanners didn’t show color back then).

Then scientific testing got more precise.  It was realized that LDL was not all uniform and that there were big hot dogs and medium-sized hot dogs and small hot dogs (let’s not get into vendor pricing, he charged the same for each one in my story).  Further research came up with some startling results.  It turns out size matters!  And this is how we get to ketones, the ketogenic diet and fat.

The bigger particles, research shows, are good for us. So, the “bad” cholesterol has parts that are good. The medium particles are not good or bad and the small, dense LDL is the ones causing the problems (and clearly if the hot dogs are the same price, who wants the small ones?).

The Good And The Bad And The Ugly

When your body is making 80% of your cholesterol, it is making the bigger particles from fat and it is making the smaller, dense particles from refined carbs and sugars!  It’s these smaller LDL particles that are clogging your arteries!

“Smaller, more tightly packed LDL has an easier time getting into arteries.” (Harvard Health) (3)

“The key dietary change for improving LDL size is to cut down on refined carbohydrates — that is, sugary or starchy foods. It isn’t necessary to go on a very-low-carb diet — just moderate your carb intake and choose healthy, high-fiber carbs.” (Berkley Wellness) (4)

“Very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (<20g Carbs) increase HDL levels substantially ….”
“If your HDL is low and you are eating a high amount of carbohydrates, lowering carbohydrates consumption can increase your HDL cholesterol back to healthy levels.  You can accomplish this through a variety of low-carbohydrate diets, including the ketogenic diet.” (The Ketogenic Diet and Cholesterol)  (2)

Want to learn more about the role of ketones?  Click here to read how This One Thing Has Been Linked To Almost All Diseases.

What Is The Takeaway?

Well, other than making you hungry for hot dogs, your body needs fat to make the good-bad cholesterol (LDL).  Also, your body needs fat to make the good-good cholesterol (HDL).  So in conclusion, your body NEEDS fat!  Even the 20% cholesterol that you eat!  Did you know that dietary cholesterol from eggs increases HDL? (5)

All that said, your body DOES NOT NEED refined carbs and sugar.  In fact, it needs you to stop eating them or at the very least, substantially reduce them.  Otherwise you make bad-bad cholesterol and if you keep doing it, you will have a heart attack and die (sorry no research to back that up conclusively).

And who wants that???

—–

As always, if anything I have written resonates with you, leave a comment.  Send me an email at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like more information about drinking ketones, making ketones or healthy eating.

I am here to serve! (I just won’t serve you dessert ? )

Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/therealketojack/ and Instagram @ketojack

Jack Lauzon, B.Sc. Honours Physics, Health Educator

Additional info:

1.

The Study Heard ’Round the World:

Wilson, Jacob. The Ketogenic Bible: The Authoritative Guide to Ketosis (p. 28). Victory Belt Publishing

2

The Ketogenic Diet and Cholesterol:

https://www.ruled.me/the-ketogenic-diet-and-cholesterol/

3

Should you seek advanced cholesterol testing?

https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/should-you-seek-advanced-cholesterol-testing-

4

Berkley Wellness:

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/diet-weight-loss/article/cholesterol-size-matters

5

Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate-restricted diet

Mutungi, G., J. Ratliff, M. Puglisi, M. Torres-Gonzalez, U. Vaishnav, J. O. Leite, … and M. L. Fernandez. “Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate-restricted diet.” Journal of Nutrition 138, no. 2 (2008): 272–6.

This One Thing Has Been Linked To Almost All Diseases

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inflammation

“Mommy, I fell off my bike and now my knee is all red and swollen!”  This is what we commonly refer to and understand as inflammation – swelling.  You receive a trauma and your body, specifically your immune system, goes to work.  It causes your body to make it swell, send pain signals, cause redness and protect the area.

Your body then sends in the cleanup crew to repair the tissue, to ensure no bad bugs get into the cuts and scrapes. Lastly your body caps it off with a scab (or just bruising) so it can do the repair underneath.  This is commonly referred to as acute (sudden or immediate) inflammation.

However, what we have learned is that throughout the body, small traumas to our cells are occurring regularly and quietly.  This is due to multiple factors such as stress, infections, toxins, lack of sleep, diet or alcohol.  Your diet plays an extremely important role in removing chronic inflammation.  It is being vigorously studied throughout the medical sphere, in areas from Alzheimer’s (brain) to irritable bowel syndrome (gut) and to cancer (everywhere).

Inflammation – Causes And Contributors

Chronic inflammation has been linked to the development of such serious health conditions as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, Parkinson’s, and cardiovascular disease.  Also, depression, Alzheimer’s, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s, cancer and other less serious conditions such as allergies and acne.

We have environmental and life stressors all around us, but diet is something we can all change.  It’s a lot easier than changing our relationship, job or our hour-long drive to work every day.

One of the biggest causes of chronic inflammation in our diet is refined carbohydrates/sugar which are pro-inflammatory.  There are several foods that can cause inflammation.  I won’t cover them here – rest assured vegetable oils (some types), dairy, fried foods and some others have a role in chronic inflammation.

Suffering With Fibromyalgia? Acute Inflammation VS Chronic Inflammation...Know the difference!

What Fuels Our Bodies

Let’s step back a second and talk about our body’s energy needs.  Our bodies can run on two energy sources.  Fat (which our body converts to ketones) or glucose.  Glucose is not always bad!  We have been fueling our bodies with glucose for a long time now (and you’ll be surprised to know ketones as well).  It’s how our bodies process the glucose that leads to the problem if we are not mindful.

How Glucose Affects Our Body

We need to give our bodies just the right amount of glucose, in the form of complex carbohydrates, otherwise we will overwhelm the system.  As well, we need to ensure we are not constantly giving our bodies too much glucose (i.e. snacking).  This is because our bodies create insulin to transport that glucose to give energy to our cells.  But insulin’s dark side is that it stores that glucose as fat if we give our body more than it needs.  I say dark side, but this fat storage is what keeps us alive during times of famine – you know, like last week when you had no snacks in the cupboard?

“Anything that raises insulin halts weight loss and stimulates significant inflammation, which is the cause of most diseases of civilization.”

“INSULIN MAKES INFLAMMATION WORSE.  Insulin drives the inflammatory cascade.  It stimulates the inflammatory hormones that cause arthritis, allergic rhinitis, psoriasis, dermatitis, and inflammatory bowel problems to become amplified.”

“The underlying cause of heart disease is high insulin response to carbohydrates, which leads to blood vessel wall damage, inflammation, and blockage; the cause is not the presence of one form of cholesterol.”

The Keto Cure: A Low Carb High Fat Dietary Solution to Heal Your Body and Optimize Your Health.

What Are Ketones?

Ketones manage the inflammatory response systemically and stop production of inflammatory molecules.

“When you take a deeper look at diseases and conditions ranging from diabetes, kidney disease, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS) to Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, one key attribute seen across the board is chronic low-grade inflammation/neuroinflammation.”

“The most common treatments for Crohn’s, anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressants, are aimed at reducing inflammation in bowel tissues.”

““Ketones can limit oxidative stress and inflammation.”

Wilson, Jacob. The Ketogenic Bible: The Authoritative Guide to Ketosis

When you are not eating carbohydrates/sugars/glucose, you do not suddenly die (hopefully).  Your body is designed to recognize that when the readily available source of cheap energy from carbs you eat is unavailable.  It goes to its energy stores of glucose in your body (which can only last a day or so) and if that is depleted it goes to your fat (which was created by storing the excess carbohydrates/sugars/glucose from days, weeks, months, years … you get the picture).  It converts this fat into ketones and runs your body on that better more efficient fuel.

What Is A Ketogenic State?

This ketogenic state, where you are burning your fat, can occur in small amounts if you wait as little as 12 hours after your last meal before you eat again (say you eat supper at 7 p.m. and you don’t eat until 7 a.m. or later).

With ketones running your system even partially, your chronic inflammation has time to reverse.  Going for 12 to 16 hours without eating is often referred to as intermittent fasting (and that’s a whole other topic but so good for you – I do it almost every day).

Athletes and biohackers take it to the next level and not only fast intermittently, they also commit to cutting out nearly all carbohydrates/sugars/glucose.  They then eat what is called a ketogenic diet, which means eating high fat (good fats), moderate protein and very little but only high-quality carbohydrates.  Ketogenic Diet Study Confirms Massive Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Benefits Of A Keto Diet

People doing the diet feel more energy, greater mental clarity, less to no brain fog, more flexibility (especially those with inflammatory conditions like arthritis) and generally a better sense of health.  Science suggests this is because chronic inflammation is reduced, and their bodies are running more efficiently (ketones are a cleaner burning energy source).

And lastly, there is the ability to “drink” your ketones – and studies suggest that these exogenous (outside the body) ketones, which are bioidentical and natural (the ones I recommend, at least) act in the same way as those created by burning your own fat or eating a ketogenic diet.

Whatever you decide to do to take control of your inflammation, I strongly urge you to eat healthy fats, remove as much processed foods and refined sugars from your diet as you can and stop snacking!  And try skipping a meal occasionally, you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done when you are not cooking, eating and then cleaning up! (Just ask Dr. Fung).

For additional reading check out Keto Diet and Chiropractic – What Do They Have in Common?  And as always, if anything I have written resonates with you, leave a comment.  If you have any questions or would like more information about drinking ketones, making ketones or healthy eating, feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

I am here to serve! (I just won’t serve you dessert ? )

Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/therealketojack/ and Instagram @ketojack

Jack Lauzon, B.Sc. Honours Physics, Health Educator

The Ketogenic Bible

“Individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease also display elevated levels of inflammation in the brain (Hunot et al., 2003), likely due to energy deprivation and an inability to clear damaged proteins, both resulting in impaired mitochondrial function.”

“Impaired Mitochondrial Function in Alzheimer’s Disease As with Parkinson’s disease, extensive research has shown impaired mitochondrial function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Along with changes in mitochondrial function, individuals with Alzheimer’s tend to have elevated levels of oxidative stress (an accumulation of free radicals that may result in cell damage) and inflammation. When the ability of mitochondria to produce energy is impaired, it causes inflammation, increases amyloid plaque formation, and ultimately results in the deterioration of cognitive function.”

“The direct cause of migraines and headaches is unknown; however, the fact that a ketogenic diet has been found to be beneficial may provide a clue: we don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but as in so many other health problems, mitochondrial dysfunction and its accompanying decreased ATP production in the brain may play a significant role (Roos-Araujo et al., 2014). Ketones would alleviate that issue by providing an alternative fuel that bypasses the problem areas of the mitochondria. The ketogenic diet’s ability to reduce inflammation may also play a role, as migraines may involve neural inflammation.”

 The Ketogenic Bible: The Authoritative Guide to Ketosis

Additional info:

“A recent study published in the  Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrate significant improvement in overall inflammation in type II diabetic patients following a carbohydrate restricted diet versus a low fat calorie restricted diet.  Another bit of proof demonstrating what I’ve been seeing in my office over the last 8 years.  The study reveals significant improvement in glycemic (blood sugar) control in those following a low carbohydrate diet as well as significant lowering of C-reactive protein, IL-1 and IL-6 over those following a low fat diet.”

Dr. Adam Nally, Board Certified Family Physician and Obesity Medicine Specialist

 

Did you get this far down? Great, here’s something funny/serious to finish off:

John Oliver – Tonight with John Oliver

Sugar And Cancer – How One Affects The Other

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sugar and cancer

As I was considering what I should write about, I sadly learned that a dear friend of mine was just diagnosed with cancer and it made me cry.  She is a wonderful person and although nobody deserves that diagnosis, there are some who in my opinion deserve it less than others.  She’s in her 40’s and as I turn 50 shortly, I feel now more than ever before the awarness of my own mortality.  So, as a former research scientist, this got me thinking about what I have learned about the relationship between sugar and cancer and the effects they have to our bodies.  Due to my previous profession, it is important to me that I present information backed by science.  Not always easy, since science has moved so quickly recently to find novel ways to answer questions we have been trying to answer for years.

What Is Cancer?

By definition, “Cancer is when abnormal cells divide in an uncontrolled way.”  It starts when there are changes in a cell’s gene which makes one cell or a few cells begin to grow and multiply.  These cells no longer function as they are supposed to and are no longer considered pancreatic cells or lung cells or liver cells.  As they multiply, they may cause a growth called a tumor and in order for these cancer cells to grow out of control, they need energy just like all the cells in your body.  Research shows that cancer cells do not create the energy they need in the same way as regular, healthy cell would.  Scientists believe cancer cells support their rapid growth by changing their metabolisms to take in glucose.  It then ferments it unlike a normal cell, which takes in the glucose and breaks it down into carbon dioxide and water.  This alternative mechanism for getting energy and thus growth was discovered more than 70 years ago by Otto Warburg and is called “the Warburg effect.”  This is why I believe it is important to think about the relationship between sugar and cancer and how your daily diet can affect more then how you look.

The effects of sugar and cancer within the body

Fermentation of sugar is not a very efficient way to extract energy from glucose.  I have read it can be up to 15 times less effective than what our cells normally do to make the energy needed to keep our cells alive.  Based on this finding, it means cancer cells need considerably more glucose to grow than normal cells do and can’t get nearly as much energy per glucose molecule.  Scientists and doctors use special scans called PET scans to look for cancer by using a glucose injection that is marked with a radioactive dye.  They then look at where the glucose clumps on the scan.  Since cancer cells will need to feed on a lot more glucose than regular cells to stay alive and multiply, their inefficient use of glucose will clump which often will represent cancer.

If all my cells need glucose, how do I cut out carbs or sugar?

Table sugar contains one glucose and one fructose, and we call glucose or fructose a sugar.  That’s where the low-carb diet or the ketogenic diet come into play.  If you eat good quantities of healthy fat, moderate amounts of protein and keep your carbs low, your body will switch to burning fat and will feed your cells with ketones.  To learn more about the Keto diet and benefits associated with it click on this link https://familyhealthadvocacy.com/keto-diet-and-chiropractic/ 

Nearly all cancer cells cannot feed on ketones so if your body is fed correctly, cancer cells are not given enough energy to grow hence the relationship between sugar and cancer.  This allows your body’s natural defense systems to have time to put up a fight and can help stave off cancer all while feeding your cells the preferred fuel of ketones.

Can cancer can be beaten by nutrition?

I believe wholeheartedly that nearly all cancers can be beaten with nutrition when caught early enough.  What you eat fuels everything inside you, both your good cells and your cancer cells.  So eat whole foods, limit or remove simple sugars, stick to good-quality carbs and high-fibre foods.  Eat healthy fats and good-quality proteins and you will have a much better chance of living a long, healthy life.

I could have gotten quite scientific about how it all works but I am hoping that my information about how sugar and cancer work together within your body will compel you to reduce your simple carbs and sugars significantly.  Especially refined sugars and processed foods that are easily broken down by your body.

Here’s another great link to learn more about cancer fighting foods http://www.readersdigest.ca/health/conditions/how-to-prevent-cancer/

I want you to live a long, healthy life and I don’t want anyone to find out at 42 that they have cancer.

To your health,

Jack Lauzon, B.Sc. Honours Physics, Health Educator
Follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/therealketojack/ or Instagram www.instagram/ketojack or follow me around Streetsville, come for a walk and let’s talk about your health.
Relevant links and additional information about sugar:
https://globalnews.ca/news/3814185/sugar-and-cancer/

Recommended Books:
Fat Chance, but Dr. Robert Lustig
Fat for Fuel, Dr. Mercola
The Keto Cure, Dr. Adam Nally