tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4625415557194224612024-03-05T01:38:44.352-08:00Space Age Paleoobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-31361312635650920682018-07-27T00:18:00.001-07:002018-07-27T00:18:33.210-07:00After a busy break.... hope to resume more regular posting.My day job has been keeping me busy. In addition, I have been working on a project that brings together the best ideas in evolutionary health with the very best in meditation and improving quality of life.<br />
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This project has already seen <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mearesbook/books/ainslie-meares-on-meditation" target="_blank">one book </a>published over a year ago. Doesn't time fly - it seems like yesterday. I have followed this up with <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mearesbook/books/a-key-to-the-books-of-ainslie-meares" target="_blank">another </a>just recently published.<br />
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The main book - <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mearesbook/books/third-book" target="_blank">the third book</a> - is still underway. It will blend the oldest form of western meditation developed by an eminent medical hypnotist, doctor and healer, his positive philosophy and the very best elements from the evolutionary health movement. The orginator of this form of meditation is of course Dr Ainslie Meares and there is a bit more about him <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mearesbook/home" target="_blank">here</a>. In addition, the first book mentioned earlier - Ainslie Meares on Meditation - only outlines his method in 2 ways. Firstly, it contains Relief Without Drugs - his popular self help book written in the 1960s that made him famous in Australia. Secondly, it contain his later Stillness Meditation method and explains it in full. The first book has a lot more about <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mearesbook/books/ainslie-meares-on-meditation" target="_blank">Dr Meares and his method</a>.<br />
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Hopefully, time will permit further additions to be made to this blog on a more regular basis.<br />
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<br />obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-85624568550856929012015-02-07T02:12:00.003-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.979-07:00Primal paleo diet: theory and practice<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">What arguments do the various Dieticians Associations put up regarding the paleo - primal diet?</span><br />
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<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">Firstly, they say it is a fad and might be unhealthy. Fair enough comment in the sense that there are a lot of diets and many of them are fads. </span><br />
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<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">They say it might be deficient in macro and micro nutrients. No references or further rationale provided. Google around and you can find references regarding macro and micronutrient breakdowns of paleo versus other diets. Some of these were done around 15 years ago - so they are hardly new information. They clearly show that Paleo primal is better than the conventional western diet. Better still, get onto Fitday or one of the other web sites that lets you run a few diet simulations yourself. Try out a few meals with meat, fruit and vegetables and see how this runs against the "conventional" diet with grains and dairy products. The numbers don't lie and will tell you the truth. Meat (including fish & organ meats) , fruit and vegetables (& tree nuts) will win hands down. This was the diet our species (and ancestors) have eaten for nearly 5 million years - until the advent of agriculture a mere 10,000 years ago.
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Another common criticism is that there was no single paleo diet..... I seem to recall reading a couple of papers about ranges of foods being consumed and a pretty clear relationship between the equator and the arctic\antartic poles. Near the equator lots more fruit and vegentables growing in a tropical\temperate climate and being eaten... but still quite a bit of meat. Nearer the poles a lot more meat and little fruit and vegetables. One thing to be aware of. When the anthropololgists did the first version of this research they did not count fish as meat. So, second time around when a re-count was done meat (& organ meats & fish) were more than half the diet. The eskimos and others living nearer the poles consumed a lot more meat as plants don't do so well in the cold. Two things stand out - no grains. no dairy.
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Try eating wheat or similar grain seeds raw and milking a horned wild cow with young - if you are from the coutnry you understand how difficult either actually is.
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If you have the patience to pick individual grain seeds by hand for the few weeks they are "ripe" then you have to eat them <u>Hypothetically</u>, eating raw wheat seeds or equivalant requires a prelude of starvation to generate the apetite necessary. The seeds are hard, need to be chewed a lot and have no flavour. I honestly wouldn't recommend anyone eat raw wheat or similar as the various antinutrients are present in quite high concentrations in the raw product. Eating the cooked product may increase your risk of various diseases over time. Eating the uncooked raw product may mean you ingest a sufficent amount to lead to acute toxicity (toxicological language for poisoining). Processing of seeds and grains requires technology of various types that was not present in the paleolithic era such as something to put those picked seeds into other than your hand, something to grind them down with other than your teeth, something to put the ground down powder into, a means of cooking it etc.
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Before agriculture there were no tame cows. For dairy, you would need a cooperative lactating wild animal or one that is dead and lactating. Live lactating wild mammals with horns will not stand still and permit you to take milk from them as their young will be deprived of it. If you have milked a horned cow you will appreciate the hazards in dealing with a large, horned cooperative animal tied up in the stalls. That can be dangerous let alone trying to approach and milk a wild animal.
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Either way this cuts down the window of oppurtunity ie access to animal, animal is lactating. In nature, herbivores do not lactate all year around, in modern farms various measures are taken to keep cows lactating for most of the year including feeding them various supplements including hormones. Milk is filtered blood and these hormones end up in the milk. These hormones can interact with and be absorbed in the human gut with biologial effects resulting. The point is that in nature wild humans consume a lot of human milk for a few years after birth. In the wild, humans have either no or extremely limited oppurtunities to consume milk from other animals with the result that none or very little is consumed. It is also conceivable, under good conditions that hunters might deliberately spare lactating animals with young and let them remain with the wild herd ie so that they can feed the young and it will grow up to provide food later on.
That would limit oppurtunities for consuming milk from dead lactating animals (this one is a bit of speculation on my part). </span><br />
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In this life, you get to decide what you should eat (or do not eat). The original food groups are meat, fruit and vegetables and I'd stick with them - at 10 minutes to midnight (ie about 10,000 years ago) - humans started eating grains and drinking filtered herbivores blood - you can eat those things if you want to. Some body said you should not believe everything you read on the internet and so you should do some basic research before you make up your mind about eating, or not eating, grains, dairy or anything else for that matter. What we eat\drink is a choice we all get to make - make yours carefully as you rather than me (or dieticians) bear the consequences of the choices that you make.<br />
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PS Oh, according to some of these Diteticians Associations some of our ancestors were Neanderthals! Well, generally speaking, about 5 pc of yours and my genetic material is Neanderthal. But humanities predominant ancestry is Homo Erectus leading to Cro Magnon followed by Homo Sapiens. Although, some scientists now believe there was breeding between Neanderthals,Cro Magnon and possibly a 3rd as yet undetermined type (Denisovans?) and this "hybridisation" process may have significantly contributed to the evolution of humanity. Some also believe there may have been a 4th type - whether this was Homo Erectus or some other unidentified type is not yet known.<br />
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</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-AU">PPS some Dieticians also think that the Paleolithic diet will compromise bone health because of a lack of calcium. Again, I'd get onto Fitday or one of the equivalent sites and run your own analyses. if you do go paleo the only nutrient you wont be able to get enough from food is vitamin D. This is a no brainer. Thats because you need to get some safe, sensible, (non skin burning) exposure to the sun. Unless you ingest neolithic vitamin D supplements, the only way you can get enough vitamin D is to get out into the sun. Too little sun is as unhealthy as too much. The only wild humans that ingest large amounts of vitamin D are those living in arctic areas where large amounts of seafood including liver is consumed which contains significant amounts of vitamin D ie presence of this vtiamin D and its consumption are adaptations needed by sea creatures and humans to deal with the long dark periods in the artic winter and in humans (eskimos) the need to cover up the skin and keep warm. Now in temperate and tropical areas people cover up a similar surface area of skin to the eskimos and don't eat vitamin D rich seafood liver but, that's another story for another blog post. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-AU">On strengthening bones, keep you protein intake up (~1.5 g protein consumed per kg of bodyweight each day has been suggested by some scientists). Protein is used by the body to make the scaffold that calcium is added onto. 1.5g/day is around the bottom end of the paleo diet and a bit above what a typical person would eat on the conventional Western diet. M</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-AU">ake sure you eat a range of paleo foods to ensure you also get adequate amounts of the various other vitamins and minerals that appear to be directly or indirectly involved in that process (eg Vitamin K2, Magnesium, boron etc). Also, regular physical activity that puts force through the bones is important (eg walking in unpadded shoes, skipping or jogging would be better than slow impact activity like gentle bicycling, calisthenics, swimming on a highly padded surface (painting a picture of impact here, not the many other elements of a total exercise system). Of course, too much impact too soon would be as much of a problem as too little impact (to late). If barefoot appeals it is worth trying some of the barefoot like shoes - they provide some protection against things contacting the foot from above or below. Walking barefoot can result in cuts or abrasions that could easily be prevented by Vibrams or several of the other barefoot like shoes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-77001004235843751932015-02-02T23:25:00.000-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.897-07:00More on bows, arrows, rock painting and the demise of the mega fauna<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">Followup on previous post on archery. The oldest bows found in the world are closing on 10,000 years old- bows are made of wood and generally wont survive long on or in the ground. Cave paintings push the date back to 20,000 years ie pictures of figures wielding bow and arrow like objects with prey in the same picture. Some of prey having arrow like sticks stuck into them.
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Arrow head like stones around 64,000 years old have been found. This suggests that the bow and arrow has been around a long time. As humans looking for artefacts keep on looking that date will only get older.
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At 64,000 years the mega fauna would still have been around. The mega fauna is a term referring to the large animals that were hunted by humans and eventually disappeared from various continents - around 40,000 years or so ago. This is believed to be due to the efficient hunting of our ancestors. </span><br />
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<span lang="" style="font-size: large;">Bow and arrow would have been useful for mega fauna hunting which would have been a dangerous activity. Bow and arrow means being able to maintain a bigger distance and as that video showed several arrows can be rapidly fired in a couple of seconds. Versus poking with a spear or throwing a spear a short distance. </span><span lang="" style="font-size: large;">If you have a large animal, especially if upset by a wound, or trying to get at you that rapidity of fire and accuracy becomes very important ie the difference between you becoming the prey and remaining the hunter and being able to hunt another day.<br /><br />
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</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-81449641375536056632015-01-28T01:31:00.005-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.938-07:00Archery and the primal paleo diet<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="">
</span>In the video link below some archery is demonstrated based on practical research.... years of it. He looked at the data and did some experiments and then looked for more information etc. Round and round the process of research, do, evaluate, research, do evaluate went on and this is the spectacular result.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The work sheds new light on recent historical battles where archery played an important role such as Crecy, Hastings, the Crusades etc. These archery techniques were known to the Egyptians and were probably around back into the paleolithic period. Because techniques are software unlike the hardware (eg pictures of archers, bows, arrows etc) it is easy to underestimate the level of sophistication of archery.
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Apply this example to other physical artefacts left by our paleolithic ancestors and its easy to see that we tend to underestimate their level of sophistication. Any quick reading of readily available information makes it obvious that hunter gatherers have an encyclopaedic knowledge knowledge of edible plants, herbs, animals, weather etc. If you read around you can also see information that indicates that many of these people new about nutrition ie eating a preys eye and associated tissues cures human blindness due to vitamin A deficiency etc/ But, the archery information was a surprise to me and I wonder what else our paleo ancestors knew about that we have not recognised.
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Anyway, here is that clip:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://digg.com/video/the-modern-archer-who-can-fire-three-arrows-in-0-6-seconds" target="_blank">modern-archer-who-can-fire-3-arrows-in-0.6-seconds</a><br />
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</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-65911383979345722732015-01-26T23:46:00.000-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.809-07:00The devil Gout and the primal paleo diet<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjarjjh9mPbiA8Mp39ZkNAeXFuX8S2afkM_2sAEE400cAK6uF2lYLHHHZPq3c67s4LTTVq0h0sNUV9_7GP_P42YckNnfvsHfGAK-MUPwde59fRq0DsvWarGNAJPXCEEmW1cOFtH-K_PA/s1600/gout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjarjjh9mPbiA8Mp39ZkNAeXFuX8S2afkM_2sAEE400cAK6uF2lYLHHHZPq3c67s4LTTVq0h0sNUV9_7GP_P42YckNnfvsHfGAK-MUPwde59fRq0DsvWarGNAJPXCEEmW1cOFtH-K_PA/s1600/gout.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I know an elderly person who suffers from the gout and so did a bit of looking into it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gout is a well known disease that was rare until last century. Prior to that it afflicted the rich and wealthy. The symptoms of gout are caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in various joints- particularly the feet, ankle or knee but, can be present in any other joint. Gout is associated with various other conditions eg high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, <span style="font-family: Crimson-Roman;"> obesity and increased blood triglycerides, increased small dense LDL cholesterol and decreased HDL cholesterol.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gout is unknown in hunter gatherer societies. For those familiar with the primal - paleo diet the above picture will sound familiar- ie unknown in primitive societies, rare in the west till after the industrial revolution, greatly increased incidence in the last few decades. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Uric acid crystals cause the inflammation\pain in gout. So, more uric acid can arise from </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">
eating more of it (or things made into to it) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">making more of it </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">excreting less of it.</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is the balance that is critical ie for uric acid to build up input must be greater than output (loss).
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">
turnover of purines - 2/3 uric acid arises from </span><span style="font-size: large;">turn over within the body </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">eating meat and shellfish</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">about 1/3 of dietary purines </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">meat and shell fish are largely protein which <b>increases uric acid excretion </b>by kidneys.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">eating carbohydrates (grains and refined sugars) <b>increase uric acid synthesis </b>in liver and <b>reduce its excretion </b>by kidneys </span></li>
<li> <span style="font-size: large;">eating protein increases uric acid excretion by kidneys. This includes protein from meat and shellfish. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"></span> <span style="font-size: large;">alcohol <b>increases uric acid </b>production and <b>reduces its excretion</b>. </span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is well known that gout patients under excrete uric acid from the kidneys. It should be no surprise to learn that insulin inhibits uric acid excretion by the kidneys and that a higher carbohydrate diet will result in greater levels of insulin production. Remember gout patients usually have diabetes (or are pretty damn close) have insulin resistant cells and so must synthesise a lot of insulin. A person with insulin resistance (ie secreting large amounts of insulin due to cells less sensitive to insulin) and on a high carbohydrate based diet would be expected to build up uric acid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This would all seem to indicate a higher protein diet, reduced high glycemic index\load carbohydrates (eg no grains but vegetables with some fruit). One trial of this was done and published in 2000. Back then, the idea of high protein diet replacement drinks was considered radical and needed a prescription in some countries. Now you can buy them off the shelf at your local chemist or supermarket. Times change. It be no surprise to learn that using a paleo diet for gout is not widely known and the most widely recommended gout diet is based on limiting protein and increasing grains and refined sugars foods. This is also well known to have only a small effect, if any, on the gout which is usually described as "difficult to treat". </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The reference for that small published trial is:</span><br />
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Dessein, Shipton, Stanwix, Joffe, Ramokgadi (2000) Beneficial effects of weight loss associated with moderate calorie/carbohydrate restriction, and increased proportional intake of protein and unsaturated fat on se rum urate and lipoprotein levels in gout: a pilot study. Ann Rheum Dis59(7):539-43.</span></span></span></i><div>
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There may be other trials out there as well. Researchers out there.... there may be an oppurtunity here for a clinical study of paleo diet for gout sufferers or if you are very conservative a somewhat higher protein, low glycemic index, low glycemic load trial for gout sufferers. Mediterranean would be expected to work better than the conventional western diet but a primal paleo diet would be expected to work better.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now many gout sufferers are elderly, although, gout does also affect young persons. Gout sufferers often, as outlined above, may be suffering several disease and may reap significant benefits from a paleo diet and life pattern. In these cases, "to much, to soon" can be as much as problem as "to little, to late". Medications will need to be monitored and may need to be reduced over time by your doctor (who you have told about your dietary changes etc and knowing your full diagnosis\history etc is keeping an eye on his\her patient). A conservative, gentler approach could be to transition across to a paleo -primal diet over weeks rather than the "its Paleo Day 1 today" approach. An example of one way this could be done is by shifting to lower glycemic index\load foods (ie cutting back on grains\dairy and shifting to vegetables and some fruit) with meat\eggs\shelfish\fish served as a portion in every meal (including breakfast- as the conventional diet often lacks breakfast protein) ie a Mediterranean style diet for a couple of weeks and then transitioning to a paleo - primal diet. There are various methods which could be applicable but in all cases there is a need for medical input and monitoring.</span><br />
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obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-2788245835532056102015-01-11T01:41:00.000-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.683-07:00Posting anticipated to resume in mid-January 2015<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Posting is anticipated to resume in mid-January 2015. Meanwhile, all best wishes for the New Year to readers.</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-25806345573098488802014-12-06T23:56:00.002-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.620-07:00What have Weston Price, Ainslie Meares, Yoga & Meditation got in common<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weston Price is comparatively well known as the Dentist who travelled around the world in the 1930's and studied the diets of many cultures with far reaching findings. Less well known is the work of an Australian Psychiatrist, Dr Ainslie Meares (b1910-d1987). Dr Meares was a Founding Fellow of Royal Aust & NZ College of Psychiatrists and, for a time, the President of the Int. Society for Clin & Exp Hypnosis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like Weston Price, but in the 1950's-1960's, <span lang="EN-AU">Dr Meares travelled around the world, witnessing and studying various mental states and the role these played in the lives of people from different cultures. In particular, he learnt an ancient method of meditation from a wise old yoga in Nepal who he describes as "<em>different from any other man I have ever met" </em></span><span lang="EN-AU"><em>"he was serene" "When you were in his presence the calm of it was all
through you" (Strange Places, Simple Truths
pg25).</em></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While respecting the value of traditional meditation, he developed a theory which differs significantly from meditation per se. His objective was to assist people in accessing the natural undisturbed calm within themselves. His method essentially consisted of treating his patients for anxiety, illness and pain by allowing the mind to rest. </span><br />
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<span lang="" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He called this mental state <b>atavistic regression</b>. Some have misunderstood that term. Atavism which translates from Latin as "primitive". Regression means to go backwards. A better translation would be to use the word "primordial". Atvastic regression meaning returning to the original or elementary way that has existed from the very beginning. A return to a purer simpler state of mind- a mind free of disturbance. Meares definitely did NOT mean barbaric or uncivilised mind or anything like that.<br /><br />
He later changed to the term <b>mental ataraxis </b>to better communicate the idea of this mental state where there was <span lang="EN-AU">a state of freedom from, and absence of, dis-stress and anxiety.</span><br /><br />
Many, many years before anxiety and stress were acknowledged as contributing to illness, Dr Meares had identified that. Long before the term mind-body medicine was coined, he emphasised it’s critical importance. And long before meditation was widely advocated as a potential means of healing, Dr Meares had established a solution to counteract mind- body distress.
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It is believed that Meares meditation augments a natural physiological mechanism that restores ease to the mind. Undoubtedly, our hunter gatherer ancestors experienced this naturally as part of their way of life. Today, the search for it can be seen in the increasing numbers of Western people looking for answers in various Eastern practices. However, most of us are not Easterners. We are Westerners born in a Western culture with a Western mindset. Eastern mystics devote their lives to practice; they live for practice. By contrast, Meares Meditation (also called Stillness Meditation), is non-religious and non-sectarian. It was created as a mental restorative practice to assist modern Western people to live a better quality of life. <br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-53238670399768942952014-12-05T18:55:00.001-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.768-07:00Is the Paleolithic diet 10,000, 100 or 15 years old?<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
They say there are no new ideas. Paleo - primal like diets have been around in one form or another for a long, long time. Listed below are some examples up until the year 2000 - after that much has been written.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Banting (1864). A letter on corpulence.</span><br />
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</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A smallish book on how to lose weight written by a grateful patient, given away and then priced at cost. </span><br />
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<em>( While not pure paleo, the diet was in a paleo like direction ie consisted of natural meats, fruits, vegetables with dairy and grains excluded and small amounts of dry grape wine permitted (ie low sugar wine).</em></span><br />
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</span></em></span><b><span lang="EN-AU"></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Stefansson, Vilhjalmur (1912)</b>. <i>My Life with the Eskimo</i>; The Macmillan Company, New York, </span><br />
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<em>(He wrote several books but, this was the first)</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Price, Weston (1939) </b>Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects Paul B. Hoeber, Inc; Harper & Brothers</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>I'm an Australian, so I have to mention:</em></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang=""><strong>Shatin, R (1964) </strong>Man and his cultagens. An inquiry into the ecology of chronic diseases possibly affecting 3percent of the population. Scientific Australian 1964 Vol 1: 34-39.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang=""> <strong>Shatin R (1967) </strong>The transition from food fathering to food production in evolution and disease. 12:104-107 Vitalstoffe Zivilisationkrankheitein 12: 104-107</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang=""> </span><b>Boyden, S (1973)</b>, "Evolution and health", <b>The Ecologist</b> 3(8) <b>1973</b>, pp.304-309</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <strong>O'Dea K (1984) </strong>Marked improvement in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines after temporary reversion to traditional lifestyle. Diabetes 1984, 33(6):596-603. </span></li>
</ol>
<span class="reference-text"><br />
<span class="citation book"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Voegtlin, WL (1975)</b> The Stone Age Diet. Based on In-depth Studies or Human Ecology and the Diet of Man. Vantage Press.</span> </span></span><span class="reference-text"><span class="citation book"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Eaton, S; Shostak, M & Konner, M (1988</strong>). The Paleolithic Prescription: A Program of Diet & Exercise and a Design for Living. New York: Harper & Row.</span></span></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span lang="">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cordain, L (1999) </b><span lang="EN-AU">The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat. </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-AU"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></em></span><br />
<span lang="EN-AU"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(The first edition of the book that named the Paleo Diet and a good spot to end this post)</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-AU"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </span><br />
<div align="right">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-8640346527005567392014-12-03T03:04:00.006-08:002018-07-27T00:04:18.022-07:00[ Paleolithic = Stone Age = Cave Man = Hunter Gatherer = Garden of Eden ] Diet <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can call it:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paleolithic Diet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stone Age Diet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cave Man Diet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hunter-Gatherer Diet. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Garden of Eden Diet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;">any other name you like or that sounds distinctive</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are all the same diet.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, if you read around you will find they are not the same!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some supposed version mention beans, potatos, butter, hard cheeses etc, etc. Some say you have to eat bucket loads of meat. Others mention eating an ever varying range of foods. Then some say it has to be organic or slow food or you have to drop out and grow it all yourself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who is right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assuming that you want your diet to bear a strong resemblance to what was eaten during paleolithic times (ie before agriculture) and in a manner consistent with modern hunter gatherers then:</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <u>Say NO to</u></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NO grains and cereals including bread, noodles and pasta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (try picking and eating raw wheat)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NO dairy </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(try and milk a large wild, horned herbivore that has young suckling, if you survive you will understand. Anyway, you are a human being and not a baby herbivore trying to grow into a cow and so drinking filtered cow's blood is not the way to go.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NO peanuts - they are legumes and are different to tree nuts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NO Beans (legumes) eg string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts and peas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NO added refined sugar, no added salt, no refined vegetable oils.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ---------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <u>Say YES to</u></span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">natural pasture fed meats (NOT grain fed), seafood, organ meats like liver, kidney etc</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">fruits and berries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vegetables (NOT potatos). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tree nuts eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond. NO peanuts (a bean\legume) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, coconut oils</span> </li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you do this you will go a long way towards fairly pure paleo eating.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the effects of making these changes? :</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a big increase in nutrients</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a significant reduction in toxins</span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a decrease in carb\sugar content so you will burn carbs AND fat </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The short list:</span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pastured meats, organs, seafood, eggs, fruits & berries, vegetables, tree nuts.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If its not on the list you can't eat it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can "flavour" dishes using small amounts of herbs </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and use healthful oils (see above) for cooking as well. </span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do I know this is information is right?</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read up on your archaeology and anthropology, understand how botany and technology influence the ability to utilise foods, appreciate optimal foraging theory. If you want to do some modern pseudo experimental archaeology (also called first hand experience) take up farming, fishing, hunting and growing your own fruit and vegetables as an experiment. If you are an Australian maybe you could go walkabout... or learn about it. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read up from reputable sources. If you do these things, I guarantee that the following foods will be on the menu:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pastured meats, organs, seafood, eggs, fruits & berries, vegetables, tree nuts.</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span> </div>
obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-35187198674166301852014-11-30T00:18:00.002-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.726-07:00Potatos Taters and Spuds are NOT pure Primal - Paleo cuisine<span lang="" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Yes, its true, potatoes are not primal - paleo. This post provides an overview about why this is the case.
<br />
</span><br />The <b>potato (solanum tuberosum) plant </b>is a nightshade <span lang="EN-AU">that originated from South America. Genetic testing of cultivars </span><span lang="EN-AU">and wild species indicate a single origin </span><span lang="EN-AU">for potatoes in the Peru - </span>Bolivia <span lang="EN-AU">area about 7,000–10,000 years ago. The plant was introduced into the outside world including throughout Europe only 400 years ago! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The average (non-paleo) Western person is said to eat 30+ kg of potato each year! <br /><br />
Potatos contain a high glycemic load and high glycemic index. The glycemic index is comparable to refined sugars. This is not a good thing and just as refined sugars are associated with various diseases so to are potatos for similar reasons. <br />
<br />
Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids <span lang="EN-AU">including the saponins: solanine and chaconine</span><span lang="EN-AU">. These antinutrients (ie poisons) protect potatos from microbes and insects that consume these "seeds" by dissolving cell membranes. Saponins will exert similar effects in humans consuming them. In humans, consumption of glycoalkaloids, or substances containing them, will cause headaches, diarrhoea, cramps</span><span lang="EN-AU">, and in severe cases coma and death. Poisoning from potatoes has occurred and is probably underestimated. The symptoms of glycoalkaloid poisoning eg cramps, diarrhea with some headache is similar to microbial food poisoning symptoms and could be confused with that. Sometimes, it might not be the take away chicken (eg chicken and chips) or the seafood (eg seafood and chips) that was off. It might be the potatos contained higher amounts of saponins. </span>
<br /><br />
Glycoalkaloid content in potatos is increased by exposure to light, physical damage and age. The green colour is not a reliable guide to saponin content ie if it ain't green it can still contain significant amounts of saponin.
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooking at high temperatures, over 170 °C <u>reduces </u>gylcoalkaloid content but, depending on the original concentration prior to cooking, substantial quantities may remain. So, fire is also needed before significant consumption of potato can occur that will mostly avoid acute toxicity ie temporary or permanent adverse effects shortly after eating (including death). No one should ever eat raw potato. But through avoiding light and through cooking may not be sufficient.
<br /><br />
While cooked potato flesh has 20-200 mg/kg of glycoalkaloid, a cooked green tuber contains ~250+ mg/kg, and cooked skins ~1500 mg/kg. 200mg/kg was used as a safety standard by the industry for many years but, many scientists believe that the figure should be substantially reduced perhaps to around ~50mg/kg. You can see that many potato foods will exceed these numbers.
Google around if you want more data around this theme.<br /><br />
Potato glycoalkaloids increase intestinal permeability, which allows foreign compounds to gain access to the blood and body tissues, and if consumed over a long time this will contribute to chronic inflammation and associated diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease and diseases arising from insulin resistance.
<br /><br />
Potatoes also contain significant amounts of lectin. This lectin almost certainly resists degradation by gut enzymes, passes thru the gut barrier and bind tissues inside our bodies. It is believed that lectins such as potato lectin play a role in autoimmune and allergic processes.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is to be noted that from the bodies perspective it is always the total dose that is important. So, in relation to intestinal permeability it is the total dose of substances that increase intestinal permeability (eg saponins, gluten (wheat etc) etc)
and those factors that tend to reduce intestinal permeability (eg vitamin D via zonulin tightens up junctions between intestinal lining "barrier" cells). Similarly, in relation to lectin load it is the total body load that is important and lections are found various other foods eg gluten is also a lectin. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span lang=""><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
In summary:
<br />
- humans only domesticated the potato 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, in a smallish part of the South American continent and consumption would have been limited to a few months of the year due seasonal nature of crop and hazards of storage (ie increased saponins). Widespread distribution and consumption of the potato by European humans has only occurred for <400 years.
<br /><br />
- potato's have a glycemic index as high as refined sugar.<br />
<br />
- potato's contain saponins and lectins in sufficient amounts to exert chronic effects over a period of time including reduced intestinal permeability, chronic inflammation etc<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Verdict</u>: </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="">Potato's are not paleo. Optimists can reserve them as a treat ie the 10-15percent of "fun" foods that some versions of the paleo - primal diet permit........ If you have any susceptibility to active disease processes, particularly if increased intestinal permeability, chronic inflammation, allergy\ immune response, hyperinsulemic response etc are component then potatos are likely to exert an additive or synergistic effect in relation to other risk factors.<br />
<br />
Why not find a substitute for potatos? For example, sweet potatos, pumpkin, carrots etc do not contain significant quantities of lections or glycoalkaloids and have lower glycemic index values. </span></span></span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-72572517005846756642014-11-25T23:24:00.002-08:002018-07-27T00:04:17.855-07:00Still Mind, Moving Body - the intersection between sedentary work, dis- stress management \ meditation<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Around 500 BC the Greek philospher Thales wrote: <br />
<br />
<em>What man is happy? He who has a healthy body, a resourceful mind and a docile nature </em><br />
<br />
The Roman poet Juvenals (~50-150 AD) said men should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body or in Latin <em><strong>mens sana in corpore sano</strong> </em>usually translated as <em><strong>a sound mind in a sound body.</strong> </em>
This motto has been used by many movements and organisations over the ages. In the 1790's, The German innovator GutsMuths commenced his famous book on gymnastics using that sentence. In the next paragraphs he decries the degeneration and weakness of his fellow country man saying that they had not realised they could be strong if they pleased. It seems over 200 years ago, it could be observed that civilisation was weakening people. Sadly, this trend has continued with mechanisation, the reduction in physical education to games, even military fitness standards in some countries have had to be reduced, more than once, over the last 100 years or so; Sedentary work and sedentary leisure has significantly increased. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At the same time the mental complexity of society has increased, the extended family support system has given way to the nuclear family, information has increased and become digital. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Today, many people have busy minds and still bodies. But our genes are designed for the reverse a still (calm) mind in a moving body:<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang=""><strong>Still Mind, Moving Body <span style="font-size: small;"> <strike>busy mind, still body</strike></span></strong><br />
</span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> ...............................<br />
The full quote from Juvenals:</span><br />
<i> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-AU"><dir><dir><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
men should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body.<br />
Ask for a stout heart that has no fear of death,<br />
and deems length of days the least of Nature's gifts<br />
that can endure any kind of toil,<br />
that knows neither wrath nor desire and thinks<br />
the woes and hard labors of Hercules better than<br />
the loves and banquets and downy cushions of Saranapalus <br />
What I commend to you, you can give to yourself; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For assuredly, the only road to a life of peace is virtue.</span></dir></dir><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span> </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Decimus Junius Juvenalis </b> (Satires 10.356)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></i><br />obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-74736196380397026732014-11-24T22:28:00.004-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.353-07:00The peopling of the world - the routes and timing of human migration across history<span lang=""><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Humans and chimpanzees diverged about 4.5 million years ago and eventually around 160,000 years ago the global journey of modern man began. <a href="http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/" target="_blank">This web site</a> shows the routes and timing of migration that resulted in the peopling of the world. </span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span><span lang=""><span style="font-size: large;">If you are keen on things paleo - primal you will understand a few things more clearly after watching.</span></span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-11737590775979706262014-11-22T01:52:00.003-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.074-07:00Categorising human movement in paleo \ hunter gatherer times<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first step is to categorize the types\range of “natural”</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
human movements. These are all trends and exceptions to the ratings</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
of intensity and duration may occur. For example, escape from a</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
predator is expected to be all out and short duration on the vast</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
majority of occasions but could be medium intensity for medium</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
duration in an unusual situation.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%px;"><colgroup><col width="64"></col><colgroup><col width="64"></col><colgroup><col width="64"></col><colgroup><col width="64"></col><tbody>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Function</b></span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Movement</b></span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Intensity</b></span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Duration</b></span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Food search</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walk, jog, climb swim</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[carry children]</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chase\stalk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(combined or separate)</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jog run sprint </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dive swim</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low-high </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short-medium </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wound & kill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jog run sprint</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hang climb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dive swim</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">upper body movement</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Medium-High</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short-medium </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gather</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hang climb </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">swim dive </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bend squat</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">upper body movement</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Medium</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Medium</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Escape</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sprint, climb, swim etc</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short-medium</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carry food\children</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bend\squat to lift) Walk & carry</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low-medium</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Intermittent rest breaks</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moderate </span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fight</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mixed pattern eg hit kick grapple weapon usage</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Migrate</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walk jog</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long </span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sleep</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prone\supine posture</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low </span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rest</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Squat flat foot, on ball feet, 1 leg crane etc</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many & varied</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Variable</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toilet</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">squat</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short </span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Play eg dance, games, socialise</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many & varied</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low-high</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short-long</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prayer, Rites of passage etc</span><br />
</td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dance, rest\sleep type postures, search or escape type</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">activities </span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low-medium</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short-long</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sex</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You already know...</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You already know...</span></span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You already know...</span></span></td></tr>
<tr valign="TOP"><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Exercise</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did not exist per se.</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-</span></td><td width="25%"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-</span></td></tr>
</tbody></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></table>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Resting patterns are briefly mentioned in the table but the amount</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
of rest will depend upon the amount of effort. In some cultures,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
hunters rest every second day as they are tired after the hunt. In</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
others, hunting occurs every day but the intensity and duration is</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
less. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trends start to emerge:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lots of walking, some more walking while carrying objects and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">some running\sprinting</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the full range of human movements</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rest schedule is related to the workload. Hunter gatherers </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">behave like predators rather than prey and if oppurtunities allow do </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not engage in “äll out efforts” except uncommonly in infrequent </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">situations eg fight and escape from predator or other danger.</span></li>
</ul>
obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-86841043141837342332014-11-16T17:04:00.000-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.566-07:00Why no references?<span lang=""><span style="font-size: large;">
I am writing for the reader. This blog is not being written for a peer reviewed journal. The peer review process involves editorial boards of specialist around the topics covered in a journal who may also ask other super-specialists for their thoughts. There is an old saying that academics learn more and more about less and less until they know very little about anything. Whilst often used in a derogatory way, this is about the breadth and depth of knowledge - as depth increases breadth tends to reduce somewhat. Specialisation can have its consequences where not reading out side the field can narrow the perspective </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, little leeway is allowed in journal editorial circles for anything other than fairly strict logic. Other peoples work must be extensively referenced. Supporting facts must be referenced. Conclusions drawn must stick to the known facts etc etc Of course, this will not completely stop biases ie people may selectively cite references that support their views. It will not completely stop denial ( ie disbelief can prevent publication or data may be ignored with alternative explannations sought). However, it is the best filtering system that academic humans have been able to come up with. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Peer reviewed journals are important. But, trying to turn a blog into a peer reviewed journal will greatly reduce readability and clarity . References can be mis-used as well. Someone (Dan John, I think) once said that you should not believe everything you read on the internet. A single reference or a stack of references doesn't necessarily make a particular statement correct. However, broader criteria can help. Might post about that at some stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Read critically, make your own checks. Using Google you can do that far more easily than in any time in history. Like you I'm a <strike>space</strike> digital age person living in a stone age body. Today, I can check something out in a few minutes. Decades ago I can remember having to travel to libraries, interlibrary loans, trips to bookshops etc to try and find information. That same basic "lets check that out" process would take days if you were lucky and hit the jackpot. If you were unlucky it would take weeks or longer if it turned out to be a slog. The point is that you should make your own checks just as you should be about anything else on the internet.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-75198250008117184022014-11-15T17:18:00.000-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.395-07:00Religious Movements and Sedentary Work<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Many would be aware of the Shaolin Temple and its links to Kung Fu. Fewer would know that the original reason that martial exercises (18 Lohans) are said to have been introduced is that the monks spent long periods of time in meditation and the martial exercises were to balance that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Ancient traditional yogic practices are similar. The popularity of yoga in the west saw growth and expansion in the movement practices as well as bringing yogic meditation to a wider audience. Prior to that yoga exercises including nauli etc were purely health based and included a focus on balancing out long periods spent stationary in meditation. <br />
<br />
I have just been reading about a yogi who was said to have been over 100 years old and spent around 16 hours/day meditating, 2 hours in sleep and the rest (6 hours) in various activities including discussion with the people who came to see him. He was serene but stationary.<br />
<br />
Tibetan Budhism also has its exercise system. One of these is the 5 Rites. This consists of a series of 5 exercises, again for health reasons and to balance out time spent stationary in meditation.<br />
<br />
Various Chinese philosophical\religous systems also utilise exercises to "cultivate the chi". Whether this be Tai Chi Chuan, the Ba Duan Jin or one of the many,many others systems that exist.<br />
<br />
There are also hybrid systems where religious, martial and gymnastic aspects are all involved and these, reflective of their aims, have far less emphasis or need to balance out stationary\sedentary activity as this would have been less of a problem due to their intrinsic nature.<br />
<br />
It is sometimes said that there are no new ideas or new problems. In many, cultures there is an awareness of the need to balance out significant amounts of time spent sedentary\stationary with time spent in movement. <br />
<br />
In the west, several decades ago, prolonged standing was relieved by seating to permit resting of the lower limbs. Now seating has taken over from standing but concerns about sedentary work have re-introduced the idea of standing to undertake tasks to replace seating. The natural pattern of human movement is not standing or sitting rather their is varied movement from point of view of postures, intensity and duration.<br />
<br />
----------<br />
<br />
NB Puns on religious movement to one side, religion is about the "why". This blog focuses on the "how" (as well as what, when, where and occassionally who).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-50660005364724983822014-11-14T21:49:00.003-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.266-07:00Human movement in paleolithic times\hunter gatherer times<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hunter gatherers from South America were visiting continental</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">America a few years ago and on seeing people exercising in a park</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">could not understand why they would do that. They (the “visitors”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) thought exercise was ridiculous! It was an alien concept to them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modern and paleolithic hunter gatherers do no exercise or work as</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">such – the only work was getting food, shelter, having off spring,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">helping the tribe to survive etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting food, for hunters, was search, stalk\chase, kill, butcher,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">carry. For foragers, a similar cycle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were no trains, planes & automobiles etc. Getting around</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is exclusively by walking, running and all out sprinting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">occassionally. When food became scarce and it became to far to walk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">back to camp that day then the camp was shifted by a migratory walk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">carrying the few possessions hunter gathers have. Adults also got to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">carry small children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shelter for a hunter gatherer is little aside from a roof and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">maybe some walls there is little else except the ground. Furniture is</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a modern idea. Any conveninent logs, rocks and the ground are all</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">there is in the way of furniture to sit on in a hunter gathers world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sleep is on the ground or maybe on flat mats. Toilet seats don't</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">exist except, depending on your anthropometry and range of motion,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the back of your calves when in the squatting position. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Resting postures, there are many... well there is a little</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">information available there thanks to anthropology. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studies on recent and still living hunter gathers gives us some</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">good information. Archeological information on such things is more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">limited but there are clues from preserved tools\weapons, skeletons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of ancestors and prey etc. For example, tool making means</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">manipulation using hands, elbow, shoulder, with support provided by</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">torso etc and in some cases support or actions by the other hand in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">others unilateral action. Evidence of muscular development can be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">obtained from skeletal remains which includes more pronounced and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">differing development of muscles on left versus right arms etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In relation to primal-paleo like diets, it is clear from both</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">recent hunter gatherers and our ancestors that there were ranges of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diets, with some seasonal variation and particularly with variation</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that depends on the distance of the HG population from the equator.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For example, traditional eskimo versus equatorial HG. It should be no</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">surprise that the human movement patterns amongst hunter gatherers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">also show variation (but within limits so that trends may be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">observed). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hunting involves the stages of search, stalk\chase, kill,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">butcher, carry and eat. For example, “persistance” hunting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">occurs in a few hot parts of the world where the human hunter with a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">superior thermoregulatory system, uses this advantage, to run the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">prey into the ground over a prolonged time frame involving hours and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">then moves in for the kill. Hunters will often eat some of the prey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at the site where the carcass is cut up. It all has to be carried</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">back to base anyway, so why not carry some in the stomach. This also</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">facilitates nutrition for the purposes of recovery from exertion. In</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the case of persistance hunting, blood drinking is often noted –</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">whilst it may seem unpalatable to us – it is interesting to note</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that blood is a rich source of sodium (which is lost during</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sweating). For example, bovine blood contains about0.3g/100 ml. So, a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">300ml cup of bovine blood would contain around ~1g of sodium. Modern</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“sports “ drinks contain around ~0.3g sodium per cup. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more usual hunting method involves a shorter stalk\chase</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">period under an hour, followed by a short stealthy stalk or a chase</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">leading to a kill etc.If the kill does not occur straight away then</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">there may be a further tracking\chase phase until the animal dies or</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is killed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Considering the overall movement patterns (ie the overall trend ),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">deviations outside the range of human requirements and limitations</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">would be anticipated to lead to ill-health (&injury). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst some journalists and ignorant people allege that the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">primal- paleo movement requires its practitioners to go and live in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caves, make spears and hunt mammals, that is clearly not the case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of us would not want to. That's why I call this blog Space Age</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paleo. Mimicking the essential elements of movement does not mean</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">prescriptive replication of the HG way of life. Although, I suppose</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">if you were intensely motivated and were prepared to drop out of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">society you could do that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Human movement is that which occurs through out the day and night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This includes consideration of exercise, non-exercise activity (the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rest of the day) and sleep. The first step is to categorize and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">weight the types\range of “natural” human movements.</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></h2>
obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-61809331159957116202014-11-10T01:33:00.004-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.309-07:00Rooibus Tea<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aspalathus linearis is the botannical name for the difficult to grow bush whose dried leaves are used to make the tea also known as Red Tea, Redbush Tea, Bush tea, Mountain tea, Long life tea, South African red tea, or Rooibos Tea. The rooibos ("red bush") is a shrub with needle-shaped leaves that grows in South Africa in the Cederberg region.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was surprised to learn that the Khoisans, the native bushpeople from that region are said to have harvested the leaves from this plant (supposedly) for centuries. It is said that they ate the leaves for the taste and the plant was used as a herbal remedy. The Khoisan have no written records per se and talk about there ancestors having done this going back to early times. Now to put a time on what this means is difficult. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Herbal remedies and plant usage are poorly retained in the archeological record- they rot unless exceptional condition are present, primitive humans also ate and digested the evidence. Finally, social evolution (ie verbal passing down of herbal remedies 100,000 to 10,000 years ago) is very difficult to detect in archeological evidence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, we tend to underestimate the sophistication of prehistoric culture because any evidence that remains is subtle. For example, going back to the dawn of agriculture arguments about whether or not various monuments were aligned with certain constellations etc took decades to become accepted and is still not accepted by some archeologists. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooibus is without caffeine and contains various phytonutrients - nutritional break downs of the ingredients also list various micronutrients but really these are present in minor amounts given the amount of tea actually used and then consumed in the beverage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The traditional method of Rooibus preparation would result in a very dilute tea solution ie some people in the Cederberg area are said to have "always" made the tea as follows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Boil the water and pour 1 cup over the leaves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Let it stand for several minutes, drain off the water, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. then fill the pot with boiling water and allow it to infuse for 15 minutes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. You may then put it on the stove (ie assuming a metal kettle or pot) and bring it to the boil several times until you have consumed the contents of the pot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I put some tea into the pot and fill with boiling water or even use rooibus tea bags. <span lang="">In a previous post I mentioned that it can be consumed with a teaspoon or so of coconut milk if you wish. </span></span><br />
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In summary, Rooibus tea has been being consumed in one form or another for a minimum of several hundred years. It is said to have been rediscovered by a german botanist in 1772. It may have been consumed as a herb out of the hand and as a tea since antiquity. It is really impossible to say whether or not it could have been consumed as a herb during paleolithic times. It has no ingredients that appear to be toxic in the amounts consumed when drinking the tea and there are no documented instances of toxicity directly attributed to the tea (ie none I have found, anyway).<br />
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</span></span><span lang="" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rooibus is worth a try as a good non-caffeinated hot beverage, if you like the flavour worth drinking as a safer substitute for ordinary green tea or coffee. Personally, I find it quite refreshing and having tried every other tea\coffee substitute out there was pleased to find it. Not pure paleo but a practical option that appears to be consistent with paleo\primal practices.<br />
</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-32744342834111900792014-11-07T17:13:00.000-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.181-07:00Coconut gelatin coffee OR coconut gelatin rooibus tea<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A quick look through the literature will tell you that coffee is simply not paleo\primal. </span><a href="http://thepaleodiet.com/coffee-is-it-paleo/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See here</span></a></span><br />
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To make coffee you need the beans, a means of roasting and pulverising them, fire to boil your water, a means of filtering the coffee (or going ala Turkish) and some pots\cups or similar to contain your water and tea. This technology only developed in the last few thousand years so it is not possible for coffee to be a pure paleo choice. Maybe our ancestors chewed on the odd coffee bean here or there. That would only be when the beans were on the plant in season and incidental to hunting and foraging activities as coffee is not a food per se. How many beans at a time? How many days of the years? Answer: maybe none. IF they did eat the beans, then not many and not often. From the coffee drinkers point of view this is the optimistic best case scenario and it is still quite different to the dose a coffee drinker gets: ie a small handful of beans pulverised to maximise extraction of the active ingredient which is consumed one or more times on a daily basis. Coffee drinking is just not pure paleo.<br />
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If you do like coffee then it is best to consume small quantities (eg a cup) near start of day.. that way it will less likely interfere with sleep. Consider going for one of the varieties with a moderate amount of caffeine- a smaller dose will be cleared through the body more effectively before bed time. It is a stimulant and so if elimination is not an option then moderation is the next best thing. <br />
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My version of morning coffee is as follows. I often have gelatin and coconut milk\MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride oil) for "breakfast". I may or may not have lunch. <br />
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The gelatin increases your protein intake a little for the day (ie 5-10g) with a bonus of a bit more of certain amino acids that you do not get in lean meat (not unless you eat the gristle\connective tissue, anyway). The coconut and MCT oil give you some reasonably healthy fats as a fuel. You can miss out the coconut milk and just use MCT but mixing the gelatin is trickier.<br />
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Approximate amounts are as follows:<br />
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flat teaspoon instant coffee (pick a good brand here for flavour, moderate caffeine, safe processing) <br />
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flat teaspoon of gelatin<br />
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MCT oil teaspoon + tablespoon of coconut milk<br />
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You add the coconut/mct oil and then add a teaspoon of gelatin and mix up to a paste. Wait for kettle to boil and slowly add hot water stirring. You will find the gelatin disolves pretty well.<br />
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If you don't like coffee then this works ok with Rooibus tea. Make the tea in a second cup and pour the brewed tea into your prepared cup with the gelatin-mct\cocounut paste in it. <br />
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Rooibus tea ... might write some more about it on another occassion.<br />
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Happy drinking.<br />
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</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-80567848298986268762014-11-05T21:57:00.001-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.480-07:00Some contemporary published research on paleo dietsHere is a list of published research on contemporary Paleo diets ie where people have been fed paleo type diets and the effects measured and compared with the "standard" diet (ie one a dietician have you eat). There are many, many more studies on hunter gathers - both historical and ones undertaken in recent times.<br />
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Frassetto LA, Schloetter M, Mietus-Synder M, Morris RC, Jr., Sebastian A: Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet. Eur J Clin Nutr 2009.<br />
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Frassetto LA, Shi L, Schloetter M, Sebastian A, Remer T.Established dietary estimates of net acid production do not predict measured net acid excretion in patients with Type 2 diabetes on Paleolithic-Hunter-Gatherer-type diets. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Sep;67(9):899-903.<br />
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Fontes-Villalba M, Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Frassetto LA, Sundquist J, Sundquist K, Carrera-Bastos P, Fika-Hernándo M, Picazo O, Lindeberg S. A healthy diet with and without cereal grains and dairy products in patients with type 2 diabetes: study protocol for a random-order cross-over pilot study – Alimentation and Diabetes in Lanzarote -ADILAN. Trials. 2014 Jan 2;15(1):2<br />
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Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Ahrén B, Branell UC, Pålsson G, Hansson A, Söderström M, Lindeberg S.. Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2009;8:35<br />
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Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Erlanson-Albertsson C, Ahren B, Lindeberg S. A Paleolithic diet is more satiating per calorie than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischemic heart disease. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010 Nov 30;7(1):85<br />
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Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Lindeberg S, Hallberg AC.Subjective satiety and other experiences of a Paleolithic diet compared to a diabetes diet in patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutr J. 2013 Jul 29;12:105.<br />
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Lindeberg S, Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Borgstrand E, Soffman J, Sjostrom K, Ahren B: A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia 2007, 50(9):1795-1807.<br />
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Mellberg, C., Sandberg, S., Ryberg, M., Eriksson, M., Brage, S., Larsson, C., et al. (2014). Long-term effects of a Palaeolithic-type diet in obese postmenopausal women: a 2-year randomized trial. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2013.290<br />
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O’Dea K: Marked improvement in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines after temporary reversion to traditional lifestyle. Diabetes 1984, 33(6):596-603. [see below]<br />
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Osterdahl M, Kocturk T, Koochek A, Wandell PE: Effects of a short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers. Eur J Clin Nutr 2008, 62(5):682-685.<br />
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Ryberg M, Sandberg S, Mellberg C, Stegle O, Lindahl B, Larsson C, Hauksson J, Olsson T. A Palaeolithic-type diet causes strong tissue-specific effects on ectopic fat deposition in obese postmenopausal women. J Intern Med. 2013 Jul;274(1):67-76<br />
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I was at the Baker Institute when K. O'Dea was doing her work on carb & fat metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines going on walkabout mentioned above. I'd grown up in the city and country including farming, hunted, fished and the great outdoors - O'Dea's research was inspirational, however, what was obvious to me was not to others and and I transitioned away from heart disease research and into work involving industrial maladies and disease.<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span lang=""></span></span></span><br />obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-24996823424758908942014-11-05T03:27:00.001-08:002018-07-27T00:04:34.138-07:00Why space age paleo ?<span lang="">
Why space age paleo? Why not.<br /><br />
The real reason is that 10 years (?) ago I was struck by Art de Vany's quote that we are spacemen living in stone age bodies. What Art, whom I have never had the pleasure of meeting, was getting at is that our way of life and environment (diet being but one aspect ) has changed greatly since the stone age but our bodies have not. Our genes optimal functioning has been designed by evolution around a hunter gatherer lifestyle where we <br />
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- walked searching food for ~8-16kilometres/day, <br />
- we killed\dig up, carried food back to camp, <br />
- we had to bend, squate, twist, push, pull, lift, carry etc as needed in such an environment. <br />
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The food was fruit, vegetables, fish and meat - all unprocessed, although, for a few hundred thousand years some of it was cooked on a fire. <br /><br />
Day was lit. <br /><br />
Night was dark except for stars and firelight. <br />
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Drink meant water.<br />
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Fight or flight existed from time to time. <br />
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Natural selection occurred based on the ability of our human ancestors to be "fit enough"to survive predation and starvation under these conditions.<br />
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The blog is "space age" paleo because its about how sensibly adapting paleo onto a modern lifestyle using what I've picked up along the way myself and what I have learnt from others whilst endeavouring to keep it pure paleo or explaining to the reader it is a shortcut and is not paleo. <br />
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Many other practitioners do not make this difference and it causes confusion.</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-35200710808716754722013-09-25T00:28:00.001-07:002018-07-27T00:04:34.224-07:00Did our ancient ancestors really eat lots of grass?<br />
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Some time ago some articles appeared in the popular press indicating that our ancient ancestors were keen on eating grass. The measurement of 13C and 12C was made from samples of dental enamel in extinct human ancestors , and δ13C was calculated relative to a standard value. Indeed, δ13C values in enamel ultimately indicate the isotopic dietary carbon source came from plants. Rather than assuming that these results indicated plant consumption the Journalists should have considered whether animal consumption could lead to such values. After all if you eat meat\organs from species that are herbivores then your δ13C values would be similar to the value of what you consumed. <br />
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Anyway a letter rebutting these articles has appeared here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/20/1311461110.full.pdf"><u><span style="color: blue;"><span lang="">http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/20/1311461110.full.pdf</span></span></u></a><br />
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obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-39864858820869760492013-09-21T03:59:00.001-07:002018-07-27T00:04:50.645-07:00Barefoot running and 100 up <br />
Hunter gatherers run barefoot as they do not wear shoes. Space age paleo practitioners run barefoot wearing a thing layer of protection ("barefoot" running shoes such as Vibram fivefingers etc). This provides some protection against sharp objects which helps to prevent laceration injury.<br />
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Barefoot running is best done on grass or a similar natural surface to reduce excessive impact from a hard surface. If you are new to this then practice walking barefoot first to slowly condition your feet ie to let them adapt. Build up the distances slowly over a few weeks, or months, till you can comfortably barefoot walk 3+ kilometres.<br />
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Next is something a little more vigorous which could be a walk-run regime eg walk40paces then run10paces then walk 40. after a week or 2 or 3 then next week (or 2) run 20 walk 20 run20 etc etc <br />
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Another variant is to use the 100 up exercise. Starting with 10 or 20up and slowly building it up from there. Luckily the original text of the 100 up exercise is now available on line. <a href="http://www.starkcenter.org/documents/George_100-UP%20Exercise-Smaller.pdf"><u><span style="color: blue;">Click here for The 100-UP Exercise book-></span></u></a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.starkcenter.org/documents/George_100-UP%20Exercise-Smaller.pdf"><u><span style="color: blue;">http://www.starkcenter.org/documents/George_100-UP%20Exercise-Smaller.pdf</span></u></a><br />
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Also available is a chapter in a book which is on the 100up exercise.<br />
<a href="http://www.starkcenter.org/documents/George_Training%20for%20Athletics.pdf"><u><span style="color: blue;">http://www.starkcenter.org/documents/George_Training%20for%20Athletics.pdf</span></u></a><br />
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The thing about running on earth or grass versus concrete is that the repetitive impact from concrete may accumulate over time and result in feet/knee\hip\back injuries. At present there is a massive experiment under way and in 10+ years we will know for sure if most barefoot runners can manage on these harder surfaces or not. Till then I'd run on grass or similar. Of course if you start off with existing health issues or do too much too soon then even grass will see you "run"into problems. <br />
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</span></span></span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-69699202349693767142013-09-02T04:51:00.001-07:002018-07-27T00:04:50.711-07:00Space age paleo - we are stone agers living in the space age<span lang=""> </span><span style="font-size: small;">If you have got this far you probably have the general idea that the paleo diet or approach involves mimicking certain things hunter gatherers did so as to obtain health benefits. Of course you could forsake civilisation and go and live in a cave in the middle of the wilderness. This would have advantages in that if you lived the life of a hunter gatherer then you would obtain all the health benefits. However, there would be disadvantages as well. Movies, books, internet, sanitation, modern medical care, overseas travel etc would not be possible as they could not exist in your chosen life way. Worms, dysentry, dehydration, starvation, venomous plants and animals, large hungry predators (man was the hunted as well as the hunter) no holds, no weapons barred fights with other huntergathers that make UFC MMA look like play. Basically, you would be sacrificing the benefits of the last 10,000 years or so of social and cultural evolution that has occurred since agriculture commenced. </span><br />
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In trying to obtain health benefits it is important to mimic the critical things that yield benefits and to ensure that the efforts taken yield the largest practical benefit. You certainly do not want to spend a lot of time and effort doing things without benefit or worse that are actually harmful and adversely impact your health. <br />
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Is diet the be all and end all of "Paleo" health practices? Of course not, the principle behind the paleo diet is right ie agriculture has been around for a short period of time in terms of evolution. The highly susceptible were weeded out in the first generation or so as they did not survive long enough to reproduce and or had offspring that were weak and became sick and died. Most of the rest of us live long enough to reproduce but our health is impacted by these "new" foods, or other factors, which still can result in chronic toxicity or can contribute to creating conditions that facilitate the development of disease over decades. <br />
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The aim is to identify and meld your paleo health practices into your space age life style. A space ager living a paleo based health lifestyle. Ultimately, whether you call it space age paleo, a stone ager living paleo in the space age or something else does not matter as it is merely you living a fully human, fully healthy life . The label is unimportant, only prudent action counts.</span><strong></strong><br />
obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462541555719422461.post-80185461731765585412013-08-30T03:05:00.007-07:002018-07-27T00:04:50.799-07:00About this blog<span style="font-size: small;">In my youth, I spent time in the bush engaging in pursuits including camping, hunting& fishing, farming and played fighting sports. In the 1980s, while studying, heard about how K O’Dea (now Professor O’Dea) an Australian researcher had followed a group of sick westernised Aborigines going on walkabout (ie traditional lifestyle) for several weeks and watched them become fit and healthy.... <br />
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It was obvious (to me anyway) that Professor O'Dea's research was spot on. It fitted in with my own life experience, work in biological sciences and wider readings. I experimented and was paleo - primal by the late 1990s (no one called it Paleo then - I used to say I was on a natural food diet). There were no books or web sites like now. Then Loren Cordain (whom I have never met) published his first book - I heard about it and got a copy straight away. Art De Vany’s first website appeared. Marks Daily Apple appeared (Mark Sisson's site). Nowadays there are many web sites and books on paleo\ primal\ caveman lifestyle. People trying to "go paleo" have access to huge amounts of information. Some of this material is excellent. Some of it is at best confusing and at worst inaccurate. <br />
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I write this Blog as a longer term paleo practitioner. I ask that you, the reader, use the information here after considering the following: <br />
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1. These are my personal views and may not necessarily represent those of past, present (or future) employers; or anyone else for that matter. <br />
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2. This blog is about <b><u>non</u></b>-occupational hygiene& health, and related topics. It does not cover workplace health & safety which is not discussed here. <br />
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3. You are responsible for your own health - you have a vested interest in the outcome. <br />
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4. This blog is information and not customised advice. My background is in health, hygiene and ergonomics - I am not a medical practitioner. <br />
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5. When trying new things procede cautiously so you reap the rewards and avoid pitfalls. To much, to soon can cause just as much damage as to little, to late. <br />
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6. There are natural laws: the dose (amount) determines the response and whether it is beneficial or harmful. The right nutrients, in the right amounts, will build up your body. The wrong nutrients\amounts will break it down. Inadequate physical activity will result in disease. To much physical activity, or the wrong type, will result in injury |(which can become disease). <br />
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7.There are a <u>range </u>of optimal dosages that lead to an optimal response... That doesn't mean keeping everything constant and unvarying: there is also a range of variation (amount; timing) that creates the optimal beneficial response. If you provide the <u>right </u>stimuli your body has no choice but to respond positively in the context of your current health status. <br />
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8. Links to external sites aren't written by me. I don't control the content or quality of such sites. <br />
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Oh, ev<span lang="">eryone says you have to have a disclaimer so:</span><br />
<i><span lang="EN-AU">If your life style consists of sedentary living, obesity, eating a junk diet food, avoiding nature and sunlight, insomnia and continual (dis) stress you expose yourself (and significant others) to a range of injuries and illnesses. <br />
</span></i>So, having said all that lets get on with discussing what's important. <br />
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</span>obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14036700983311838793noreply@blogger.com0