mjh's blog

What I find most interesting about this is that it should be scientifically verifiable (or refutable). In Wheat Belly, Dr Davis doesn’t make vague assertions about diet and health. He offers evidence of a wide range of ills caused by modern wheat and alleviated by eschewing wheat. peace, mjh 

Anatomy of a poison | Wheat Belly Blog

Image Fasano 2013

Note the following on the gliadin “map”:

Red = direct cytotoxic segment (intestinal cell-destroying)
Light green = immune-stimulating segment (responsible for celiac disease)
Blue = bowel permeability segment (via zonulin activation)
Dark green = inflammatory interleukin release

Anatomy of a poison | Wheat Belly Blog

Seems obvious to me: we’re hard-wired to listen. There is evolutionary benefit to listening; not listening has negative impact (“there’s a deadly spider on your neck.”). Some people may have become more conscious of this as a problem due to cellphones, but I struggle with this in crowded restaurants, etc. It’s why  you want to kill the talkers behind you in a theater. You can’t tune out because your ancestors’ survival depended on it. But, I’ll wait while scientists do their job their way and confirm this later on. peace, mjh

Hate Other People’s Cellphone Calls? You’re Not Alone – WebMD

According to the researchers, people appear to be less able to tune out cellphone conversations compared to two-person exchanges. This supports notions that overheard cellphone jabber might negatively affect a person’s ability to concentrate and focus, they said.

Galvan said it remains unclear exactly why this is so.

"We didn’t study why cellphone conversations are more distracting," she noted. "But there’s a lot of research that shows that [mental] multitasking isn’t really possible. That your brain actually has to switch back and forth between listening in and doing something else, rather than doing both tasks at the same time."

"And it also could be a question of control," Galvan added. "Bystanders to these conversations lack any control over whether someone in public answers their phone and shares personal information the bystander doesn’t really want to hear. And that lack of control could be stressful. Of course that could be true of a two-way conversation too. So we’ll need more research to try and figure this out."

For her part, Lauren Emberson, the lead author of the 2012 study and now a postdoctoral associate in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, said the findings were "not surprising."

"I think it’s important to know that this is not about people eavesdropping," she said. "Our brains are just naturally drawn to things we know less about that are informationally rich and spark our curiosity. It really is beyond people’s control."

Her advice? "I think this work speaks to etiquette," she said. As "people become more aware of the issue, there will be more and more pressure for people not to make calls in a public space where people can’t escape."

Evolving technology may even offer at least a partial solution, Emberson said.

"People are using their phones more and more for texting, rather than talking, so while this will probably always be relevant it might actually become less of a problem. But maybe I’m just an optimist."

Hate Other People’s Cellphone Calls? You’re Not Alone – WebMD

Colonoscopy Cuts Advanced Cancer Risk by 70 Percent: Study – WebMD

However, the study does not show that colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy is better than the much easier, far less expensive "fecal occult blood test" (FOBT), which is done at home by swiping a tiny amount of stool onto a card for three days, said Doubeni. "There is strong evidence showing the effectiveness of the [fecal occult blood test] when done annually. There is no reason, based on the knowledge we currently have, that you should switch to a colonoscopy if you’re getting a FOBT every year," said Doubeni.

If simpler tests are effective, why are patients encouraged to undergo a colonoscopy? "Let me just say there are other factors beyond the evidence that are driving the use of colonoscopy in the U.S.," said Doubeni. "No other country uses colonoscopy for screening purposes as much as the United States, although Germany comes close," he noted.

Colonoscopy Cuts Advanced Cancer Risk by 70 Percent: Study – WebMD

Merri and I went wheat-free more than a year ago and see many benefits beyond weight loss. Follow the link to read a summary of Dr Davis’ anti-wheat argument. It’s not my intent to endorse the cookbook referred to in the blog entry — I think you’ll find plenty of wheat-free recipes on the Web. peace, mjh

Chef Pete Evans goes wheat-free! | Wheat Belly Blog

Modern wheat is the product of 40 years of genetics research, intensive efforts aimed at increasing yield-per-acre. The result: a genetically unique plant that stands 18-24 inches tall, a “semi-dwarf” strain, not the 4 1/2-foot tall “amber waves of grain” we all remember. Traditional wheat is long gone, a product that has not been on store shelves since around 1985. Today, virtually all products made with wheat flour, regardless of whether it is organic, sprouted, multigrain, etc., originates from this high-yield, semi-dwarf creation of genetics research.

The genetic distance modern wheat has drifted from its ancient origins exceeds the difference between chimpanzees and humans. Chimps and humans genes differ by only a few percent, sharing at least 90%—but what a difference a few percent can make! But that’s more than modern wheat is genetically removed from its ancestors.

Okay: So wheat has been changed by genetics research that altered the appearance of this plant. Is it really that important?

You bet it is. In fact, understanding the changes that wheat has undergone is probably one of the most crucial aspects of gaining control over modern health and weight, more than calorie intake, more than exercise, certainly more than fat intake. I will go so far as to say that modern wheat is the most powerful disruptive factor in the health of modern humans than any other, nutritional or otherwise. …

Chef Pete Evans goes wheat-free! | Wheat Belly Blog

A friend of ours who is a doctor read the book and found much of the science acceptable. However, he was suspicious of the implication that everything wrong with health today stems from wheat. Agreed. On the other hand, would you be surprised that through a combination of ignorance and greed, the Food Industry and the Health Industry would let you poison yourself every single day? mjh