Instagram Q & A 10/10/2024

Q: Eliminating oxylates? Remember you saying it does body no good

A: Technically oxylates themselves don't. But that doesn't mean that there aren't oxylate rich foods that aren't still worth eating for other health benefits. Also, there are some bacteria like oxalobacter that metabolize it.

That genus is particularly well-studied for its ability to metabolize oxalate anaerobically. So oxalobacter actually relies on oxalate as its primary energy source. So you actually could probably argue that it is necessary to get some oxylate in the diet since it's preffetianly feeding those microbes and therefore driving overall microbial diversity. This goes back to what I was saying previously about needing to consume a wide variety of difierent fiber types. Many will argue for one kind over the other, but you really do need them all in small quantities. Also, if you never eat oxylate, you won't be able to tolerate it lol. It's the classic 'see, told you that food was bad!' Scenario when someone reintroduces something and then gets symptoms.

Q: What about carnivore

A: Same story. Although I think it's likely one of the more difficult approaches to justify. Theres almost virtually no circumstance where a carnivore diet is truly necessary unless you've done an elimination diet and genuily couldn't eat anything else. I've worked A LOT of clients off carnivore diets and many of them are suprised by all the foods they can actually tolerate. With that being said, there are some people that will try to argue it through the ancestral lens. My response to that is the same as with any dietary approach - your ancestors ate seasonally and what was available to them at any given time.

Sometimes that looked vegan for a few days. Occasionally it may have been keto, temporarily fasted, or briefly carnivore-esque. Very very very rarely was it EVER one approach for an extended period of time.

Diversity and scarcity in the diet naturally ofisets that damage that accumulates from following any one approach (like keto for example) for too long. Sherpas regularly consume nothing but saturated fat from butter when they're climbing. Then, the rest of their diet the rest of the time looks fairly balanced (meats, lentils, rice etc).

Q: Any place for keto diet?

A: Wrote a post on this recently - "diets can work around gene mutations by rerouting metabolic pathways. That may provide some relief by shifting metabolic processes, but they may also induce stress pathways that could have long-term implications on health (allostatic load)" so yes..anyone telling you that ketogenic diets are useless is a moron. Anyone telling you that a ketogenic diet is the best way to eat long term is also a moron. Sums up diet tribalism well. Some of the benefits that you get from ketogenics diets early on is actually from producing small amounts of certain free radicals like 4-HNE which trigger glutathione synthesis and some other downstream endogenous antioxidant cascades that can actually be helpful. But 4-HNE also causes cancer and damages DNA. So it's a double edge sword. The longer you sustain a keto diet, the more of it you accumulate. Contextually beneficial.

Potentially deleterious when it's the only way you eat. We're back to the same story I keep trying to get y'all to understand about duality. There's a reason the evidence based nitwits and diet gurus alike can't seem to understand this. It's entirely contextual.

Q: Any long term complications on health with competitive bodybuilding alone, no drugs

A: Of course. I would really consider looking into some of Dr. Mariman's work on the relationship between fat cells and the extra cellular matrix and its role in promoting inflammation and long term obesity. Particularly weight regain after extreme dieting and fat loss. It’s a big reason why a lot of people who compete look great for about 10 years and then fall off. ECM and fat cells are a coupled system. Remember. the ECM provides structural support for fat cells. It's like the bad neighbor hood post I made - they're going to influence one another because they're in close proximity, Extreme weight loss induces extracellular matrix remodeling and repolarization of macrophages into proinflammatory phenotypes. It basically damages the ECM. Changes in adipose tissue leukocytes and ECM modification are almost always associated with weight regain and a difficulty losing weight after subsequent bouts of weight loss. This is why the CICO conversation is so hilarious. ECM will also release exosomes so when damaged which carry signals to other parts of the body. Those exosomes promote inflammation and metabolic changes, which can lead to fat gain. This is why I'm a big proponent of the low and slow' approach to weight loss

Q: Any possible way posture could also influence the hearts rate and fast heart beats

A: Yes, I've talked about this before. Soft tissue restrictions on the diaphragm and upper extremities could change the length-tension relationship of structures like the pericardial ligaments. There is absolutely no reason to believe that this couldn't be entirely possible. I would advise against listening to anyone who tries to make you or anyone else-out to be a fool or a 'charlatan' for believing so. Anything that influences the chest wall and diaphragm will have some effect on the position of the heart and pericardium in the mediastinum. Including pressure shifts from COM displacement. When I had those palpitations, forward bending and compression severely exacerbated them. But If this weren't possible, you wouldn't be able to influence the heart through positive pressure in the thoracic cavity with mechanical actions like CPR. This is beyond obvious.

Most people with acute care backgrounds understand this; it's usually retarded physical therapists who don't. If you want a deeper dive on this, definitely check out my manual therapy article on Patreon. It provides a perspective on manual therapy that almost no one talks about. Now, what’s no so clear is how these factors definitively impact decisions

around exercise and training in the long term, outside of 'best practices' like maintaining movement options at the spine and ribcage. I'm entirely open to the plausibility of different theories and approaches, and so should you!

Q: Any budget friendly supplements for someone who's had lots of concussions

A: I've worked with lots of clients who have developed severe mood disorders after years of sustained, minor concussions. One thing that you really need to be concerned with is the chronic inflammation that often persists for years after the insult. I have a lot of clients look into taking lithium orotate (also really cheap. Not to be confused with lithium carbonate, the medication). Lithium will influence the repolarization of microglial cells in the brain to shift from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory phenotype. That will reduce neuroinflammation and support recovery after brain injuries by promoting a more balanced' healing environment. The modulation of cytokines and specific signaling pathways is also why SPM's, plasnalogens and peptides like Cortexin are really amazing for the brain as well. I would really consider reading my 'brain damage' patreon article. It goes really deep into a lot of things that can be done after head injuries. And I mean REALLY deep

Q: Any tips for peripheral artery disease

A: No. I don't have any ‘quick tips'. It requires a lifestyle change. And you need to be willing to invest a little money into your treatment.

If you have PAD, invest in the Bodystream carbon dioxide suit. Carbon dioxide therapy is tremendously effective for it. Also consider looking into buying a molecular hydrogen machine, and doing daily inhilation therapy. Speaking with your doctor obviously. Consider systemic enzyme treatment, particularly with enteric coated lumbrokinase and vesugen (bio-regulator for vessels)

Q: What was the neck injury that causes your heart flutters

A: I'm not entirely sure. I suspect something related to C1-C2 nerve compression of the vagus or glossopharyngeal nerves. Both of these can impact blood pressure and heart rate and are usually primary culprits. I didn't have any other symptoms related to swallowing or taste, though.

Symptoms significantly improved when I started using red light therapy and PEMF directly on those areas, along with BPC and neck ELDOA exercises. I also thought it might have been Horner's syndrome due to the constricted pupil, even though I didn't have the other symptoms. The palpitations I experienced were often positional, meaning they would occur only when I moved my neck into certain positions, and only occasionally.

They would also spike when my heart rate was really low. These weren't those typical overly aroused', out of control palpitations, so I figured it might have something to do with the cervical sympathetic chain. Interestingly, I wouldn't experience them at all while training. Trauma to the neck can cause similar issues affecting the sympathetic nerves, particularly the stellate ganglion, which has cardiac innervations. This aspect isn't often discussed. There's some connection to thoracic outlet syndrome in the literature, but it's likely one of those things that no one will pay attention to or catch, unfortunately. I also did Cortexin for the nerves. I think that helped a lot as well.

Q: Any peptides for teeth?

A: For teeth in particular? No. At least not any that you can use. Maybe PEG-MGF for gums. Thymalin is also amazing for gum disease (likely because that's the second place aside from the gut where you have the most macrophages) But there are some peptides like monomer-peptide that's used in some parts of Europe for enamal regeneration. It's only a product physicians can purchase.

Theres also some promising research on amelogenin derived peptides for enamel. Regenerative medicine holds a lot of promise. Until allopathic medicine can get its shit together, most people will be forced to travel to other countries and pay thousands of dollars out of pocket unfortunately.