Knuckledragger Nutrition? HSOs

[dave_rusin]

Fellow Knuckledraggers,

I've recently learned about and have begun looking into something called Homeostatic Soil Organisms. They are purported to have a wide range of beneficial effects on the body and were apparently found naturally before the widespread corporate use of chemicals in farming.

There is a company that sells nutraceuticals containing HSOs. The main page for this company can be found here, http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com

Note, this is not an MLM company or anything like that. They do not sell directly to the public. Local vendors can be found on their website at this page, http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com/outlets/index.html

I would urge readers of this post to begin learning about these and other important nutrients from the literature available at this company's website. There is a bunch of articles with documentation. For the literature page click here, http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com/literature/index.html

For info related to HSOs click on Primal Defense.

They were giving out a book at Vitamin shop about a guy who cured his own Chrons with this stuff, I didn't read it. Keep us informed.

[Charlie McCarthy]

Hey Dave,
I'm glad Primal Defense has been brought to the table here. I was going to post about it sooner or later. I've been taking Primal Defense consistently for about 2 weeks now and I don't know where to begin. I had begun taking them months ago but the price and my inconsistent use made me stop taking them. Right now I'm taking the maximum dosage of 12 a day(!) which I worked up to and am feeling absolutely incredible. I have taken these before so my system handled the heavy dosage whichI worked up to but I would suggest this only if you have a problem. For me, I was having annoying digestion problems and after a biopsy, the gastro I saw told me I had gastritis. He wanted to put me on proton pump inhibitors which lowers hydrochloric acid production but I've read that it is actually low hydrochloric acid production that actually causes gastritis. So I said the hell with that and started experimenting with all types of stuff at my work ( I work at a health food store ). Basically I spent alot of my money and nothing was working. Came across Garden on Life and Primal Defense and bought the book 'Patient Heal Thyself' by Jordan Rubin who is the founder of Garden of Live and knew that I had struck gold. I've tried alot of Garden of Life products and I'm sold on them. My stomach is feeling great. The book is a great source of information. I must have read it about 5 times now. It has great resources on where to get great whole foods like sauerkraut which I've made a staple in my diet. Sorry for the long post but I think Garden of Life has something really great going. The products are very expensive in stores so I buy them online at a GREAT price here: www.healthfoodemporium.com.

Charlie

[dave_rusin]

Charlie,

Thanks for the personal report! There is so much garbage on the supplement market that you really have to be careful. But there seemed to be something about Rubin's story of recovery and the Garden of Life products that warranted attention. GI problems seem to be fairly prevalent. It is important to remember that pharmaceuticals ONLY suppress symptoms, they do not address the underlying cause of chronic conditions. Therefore addressing such conditions with natural substances is imperative to returning balance to the body.

Thanks for the link too. Prices there are definitely cheaper than my local vendor and he even gives me price breaks on most purchases.

Giving Primal Defense a test run myself. Will share any experiences with the Tribe.


Dave

[Charlie McCarthy]

Hey Dave,
I suggest getting the book too (Patient Heal Thyself) which is the ultimate resource for knuckledragger nutrition. It runs down like this:

1) Jordan's illness and recovery.
2) Talking about the gut and what alot of people are calling the second brain.
3) Speaking about Primal Defense and how we live in 'too clean' of a world.
4) Medicinal Mushrooms and their ability to enhance the immune system and kill bacteria and viruses.
5) The seven causes of inflamation and a product called FYI.
6) The role of digestive enzymes in the diet and how there could be a need for them.
7) Capture the power of the sun, something about light and energy, you will have to read it to get it.
8) Speaks about the importance of greens in the diet and discusses Perfect Food which is a green foods supplements.
9-10) Return to the maker's diet which discusses the importance of whole organic foods like: free-range organic meat, organic produce, raw fermented foods, stocks and broths and also some great recipes.
12) Healing Protocols
Resouces: Food and supplements

What I think is amazing is the delivery system of Garden of Life. This is probably my favorite book and I recommend it to everyone who comes into my work. It is amazing.

[humilispuer]

I am in no way trying to put down the product(s) you guys are posting about. I have noticed, however, that one can generally solve GI problems via diet and nothing more.

Take my mother as an example. She has been having some problems with acid reflux and indigestion. I have felt strongly, for a long period of time, that wine and refined carbs were the source of her problem. She did not want to take the medication prescribed to her from her doctor so she started searching for "herbal remedies." I suggested she drop the wine and refined carbs and see how she feels. Sure enough, after a couple days, she started feeling a lot better.

I know that there are certain conditions within the GI that will not respond to simple dietary measures. However, it would seem that a great deal of problems do indeed clear up when utilizing a proper dietary protocol. I, myself, suffered a great deal, GI-wise, until I switched over to a "Paleo" style of eating. Many others have reported great success in alleviating stomach problems, and a host of others problems, using a regimen such as Paleo.

In my humble opinion, we are far too prone to promote a pill to mask the problems rather than nab the problem, itself, at the root. All through my childhood I had terrible migraines. Doctor's would simple prescribe me medication to take once I felt a migraine coming on. After ignoring the problem throughout the majority of my childhood I decided it was time to figure out what was causing the problem. Turns out, I am extremely sensitive to any type of artificial color and or flavor. To this day, I will get a migraine if I consume a product that contains artifical colors and or flavors.

In summary, I have no doubt the product that you fellas are suggesting has merit and works. It's just, I see way too many people looking for quick cure instead of looking for the cause of the problem. This applies to diet as well. Sorry for the long post; things like this really get to me. My mother is one of those people looking for a quick fix - only recently have I been able to show her that she can not only alleviate the symptoms, but also the problem itself.

-Humilis

[Charlie McCarthy]

Humilis,
I agree with you 100% about the diet change and really it is the most important thing to alter if you want to see any type of change in your state of health. No doubt that one could get what they need from the diet for health if they eat the right foods. The company and the product(s) that I'm talking about are trying to mimic whole food as much as possible so the body registers it as something it can use and break down. Garden of Life is doing clinical research on their products. In the book Patient Heal Thyself the author who is the founder of GOL speak about the problem of SAD diet and how we need to return to a primitive diet in order to see maximum health benefits and results. They have ads in the Wise Traditions quarterly newsletter from the Weston A. Price organization which I think gives them some merit considering that the newsletter can refuse any ad it wants if it chooses. Great conversation and it's worth looking into just for more educational material if anything else.

[dave_rusin]

Humilis,

I understand what you are saying and I would tend to aree with you, THEORITICALLY. Practically, however, most people would probably find it darn near impossible to accomplish this with diet alone.

The quick fix mentality is dysfunctional and misses the point completely. However it is not herbal/nutritional supplements that fall into the quick fix camp... The quick "fix" (apparent and superficial) is the realm of pharmaceuticals which do nothing for chronic conditions except suppress symptoms without EVER addressing the underlying cause. Ever wonder why the drug companies so vehemently attack and attempt to suppress natural treatments? Make no mistake, the pharmaceutical industry is about NOTHING but profit.

Some people simply cannot afford the higher cost of organic foods, which would be absolutely mandatory to address chronic conditions through diet. Corporate farming practices have ruined soil conditions so as to make non-organic produce virtually devoid of minerals. Not to mention the obscene genetic manipulation of seed that is so commonplace now. There might just be fish genes in that tomato you are eating. Gee, hope you are not allergic to fish...

And we must not forget ubiquitous, oppressive and, yes, unnecessary taxation that occurs at every level of commerce keeps most people in the now-being-eradicated middle class from having the time and energy to obtain and prepare foods according to a natural design. For most people, I would venture to guess, addressing chronic conditions with diet ALONE is simply not an option. The Garden of Life products mainly fall into the whole food and herbal medicine realms. These and some others offer a viable alternative to those not having the ability to eat the way they are supposed to at all times, especially when addressing chronic, degenerative conditions.

I appreciate your point of view, but I'm afraid for most people it is simply idealistic and beyond practical implementation. But I definitely agree that a good healthy diet is EXTREMELY important and the very foundation of health!!

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

[dave_rusin]

BTW: could you point interested readers towards more info about the "Paleo" approach you refer to? Also, can you share any other personal experiences with that approach or other similar approaches?

Thanks!

Dave

[humilispuer]

Dave - Charlie, points well taken. I totally understand where both of you are coming from.

As far as books go, in my opinion, Neanderthin is about the best when it comes to outlining the Paleo diet. The best resource on the net is: www.paleodiet.com - this site is absolutely fabulous!

I have always suffered from various GI issues as well as severe allergies and headaches throughout my childhood. Visisted many doctors during my youth, most simply prescribed medication and nothing more. As I began to get older, I decided that I would figure out WHY I was having problems and not HOW to treat them.

After a while, I became convinced that my diet was the culprit for the majority of my problems. I began spending hours upon hours in the library and online researching everything I could get my hands on. I came across a dietary protocol dubbed "The Paleo Diet." The premise was to eat only the foods that would've been available to our paleolithic ancestors. The more I read, the more sense it made. I finally decided to take the plunge and test out "The Paleo Diet." I was also extremely interested in how the diet would affect both my physique and my performance.

Within a week of starting the Paleo regimen I no longer had any types of headaches and or GI distress. My energy levels shot through the roof (both physical and sexual). Without counting calories I started to drop bodyfat, I also seemed to be getting more muscular and "harder". To top everything off, my temper (which has always been an issue for me) leveled off and I became a much calmer individual.

Overall, this style of eating has worked wonders for me. I have never felt or looked better in my entire life. Would it have the same positive effects for everyone? Maybe maybe not. Who knows. There are quite a few testimonials on the net in regard to the plan. In my humble opinion, if you are interested in alleviating some sort of health issue and or optimizing your health/physique/performance, you owe it to yourself to take the paleo diet for a test drive :)

Lastly - I no longer follow the Paleo approach, perse. I am currently following a plan called NHE - www.extique.com. I still follow a mostly Paleo food selection, however, on my "carb up" days, I will eat some whole grain barley and oatmeal - overall, these items make up a miniscule portion of my weekly food intake(I seem to be doing ok with these items, I have been noting a bit of abdominal cramping and gas, I attribute this to the high level of fiber consumed at one time though).

I hope this post embodied what you were looking for.

-Humilis

[dave_rusin]

Humilis,

Thanks for the explanation and links for further research. This is definitely something I'd like to learn more about.

I appreciate you sharing your experiences with us!!

:D

[humilispuer]

Dave,

No problem, glad to hear I was of some help. Please do check out the links, at your leisure. Really solid info.

-Humilis