7 Ways We’ve Failed Miserably at Trying to Outsmart Nature
by Vin Miller
With our high level of intelligence and the vast amount of technological innovation that we enjoy today, it’s ironic that excellent health is so elusive to so many people. Without any of the modern technology that we rely on today, our primitive ancestors were able to enjoy exceptional health and rarely encountered the many chronic and debilitating conditions that are so common today. These people had an intimate knowledge of nature and a tremendous appreciation for it which is something that we’ve lost without reliance on technology.
While our primitive ancestors were forced to live in agreement with nature, we seem to do everything we can to outsmart it, and we almost always fail. The following are some of the more notable and devastating mistakes that we’re still making.
1. We’ve Lost Our Inherent Ability to Choose Healthy Food
Even the planet’s most simplistic and unintelligent creatures are able to select appropriate foods to support their health. Despite being the most intelligent form of life on earth, many of us have lost this inherent ability and are literally killing ourselves with our food choices. Perhaps we’re too smart for our own good.
Healthy eating really doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply choose the whole foods provided to us by nature. Sure, there’s more to a healthy diet than simply eating whole foods, but this principle alone is in my opinion more important than any other and will resolve many of the diet related health issues that are so prevalent today.
2. We’ve Forgotten How to Sustainably Grow Food and Raise Livestock
For more than 99% of our history, we didn’t farm our food. We hunted animals and gathered fruits and vegetables. Although farming isn’t purely natural, it’s become a necessity with the drastic growth of the human population and is a tremendous convenience that allows us to settle down and establish communities instead of having to follow herds of animals. We’ve become reliant on farming, and unfortunately, modern practices have greatly deviated from the laws of nature. They’re contributing to our many prevailing health issues and are destroying the planet. If the current trend continues, we’ll eventually run out of productive land to farm.
Nearly all forms of life are supported by an amazingly efficient cycle in which the earth’s nutrients are continuously reused. The many organisms that exist in the soil feed on decaying matter such as fallen leaves, dead plants and animals, and animal excrement. The resulting byproducts feed the plants that eventually become food for animals and humans. Some of these animals then become food for other animals as well as humans. The cycle is completed when excrement and other organic matter decomposes and replenishes the soil with the nutrients that once again become food for the organisms living in it. This natural, effective, and robust cycle has been broken by modern farming in favor of increased efficiency and profit.
Without a way to naturally replenish the soil with nutrients, it becomes depleted, produces less nutritious food, and increases the need for pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In addition, livestock are being raised in unsanitary conditions which leads to poor food quality, promotes the development and spread of disease, and contaminates the environment with highly concentrated lagoons of toxic excrement. To learn more about the flaws of modern farming and what good farming is really about, watch the Food, Inc. documentary and Fresh the movie.
3. We Intentionally Avoid the Essential Benefits of Sun Exposure
We wouldn’t survive very long without the sun, but despite this, many of us avoid it like the plague. Our primitive ancestors spent most of their time in the sun, and as a result, we’ve evolved to depend on it for more than just heat. The primary reason why sun exposure is essential to our health is because it provokes our skin to produce vitamin D. This important vitamin, which is really a prehormone, regulates the expression of more than 10% of our genes and plays a critical role in our immunity, particularly in regard to cancer prevention.
Despite the importance of sunlight, we’ve been advised to minimize our exposure and use sunscreen which blocks the production of vitamin D. This advice is mostly based on the high incidence of skin cancer and the fear of melanoma which is it’s most dangerous form. However, melanoma is most frequently found on areas of the body that are rarely exposed to the sun and has a notable prevalence among people who spend most of their time indoors. While frequent sunburn can certainly cause cancer, the significant amount of stress, chemical exposure, electromagnetic radiation, and unhealthy foods that we encounter on a daily basis are arguably more of a concern.
Instead of completely avoiding a natural resource that we’ve depended on for millions of years, a healthier and more practical approach would be to get sun exposure on a regular basis without getting burnt.
4. We Make Ourselves Sick By Polluting Our Environment
One of the major aspects of technological advancement is the invention of synthetic chemicals. We’ve polluted the earth so terribly that every single body of water on the planet is contaminated. Even the breast milk of Inuit women from the Arctic has been found to contain toxic chemicals. During our millions of years of existence, the human body has never before encountered these chemicals, but is now exposed to hundreds or even thousands of them on a daily basis. The body is often unable to process these chemicals properly, and even if this isn’t the case, the volume of exposure is still likely to be overwhelming, especially among the many people who aren’t optimally healthy.
Our obsession with profit encourages the production of a tremendous amount of material goods that we really don’t need. Unfortunately, the manufacturing of these products creates a considerable amount of pollution. We make matters worse by intentionally using chemicals to grow our food, and we’ve adapted a medical system that promotes the excessive use of chemical medications. Each of these sources contribute to our chemical exposure and the pollution that exists in our air, land, and water.
Chemical toxins can impair cell function and lead to a variety of serious problems including the dysfunction of important organs and glands, particularly the brain. Some of the best ways to avoid exposure to toxins are to drink filtered water, use natural personal care products, and eat organic produce, pasture raised meat, and minimally contaminated fish.
5. We Run Our Bodies Into the Ground and Call it Exercise
Most people tend to associate exercise with many laborious, intense, painful, and boring hours spent on a cardio machine. Some people even become fanatical about endurance exercise and run multiple marathons or participate in other types of long distance events. It’s unlikely that many of our ancestors ran the long distances that most enthusiastic runners do, and even those who did weren’t exposed to the persistent stress, poor nutrition, and inadequate rest that are such common characteristics of the modern lifestyle. As such, many of us don’t have the capacity for the volume and intensity of exercise that we’re doing, and over time, it’s very possible for this much physiological burden to cause issues like adrenal fatigue.
Our ancestors were more likely to get their exercise from activities such as hunting, fleeing from danger, walking, gathering food and supplies, building shelter, and carrying heavy objects. Activities such as light aerobics, high intensity interval training, and strength training resemble these activities much more closely than exhausting yourself on a cardio machine.
Another common problem is that many modern exercise trends encourage people to sacrifice their health for appearance. The popular P90X program is a great example of this. Instead of being overly concerned with weight loss, it’s easier, more effective, and much more satisfying to exercise for good health and let weight loss be a natural result of a truly healthy lifestyle.
6. We Avoid Saturated Fat Thinking that it Promotes Disease
Saturated fat has been part of our diet for millions of years, but just within the past century, we’ve decided that it’s unhealthy and causes heart disease. This is despite evidence that indicates otherwise such as the work of Weston A. Price which clearly shows that saturated fat supports excellent health. As is shown by the Fat Head documentary and The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, the idea that saturated fat causes heart disease is based on manipulated research and is completely unsupported.
In an effort to replace saturated fat with something more healthy, we’ve invented a highly processed and unnatural form of fat called trans fat which has proven to be extremely unhealthy. We’ve also decided that it’s healthier to consume polyunsaturated vegetable oils which are very unstable and can easily produce free radicals and cause cell damage. Ironically, these fats have been associated with an increase in the prevalence of heart disease and are also linked to a number of other worrisome health issues.
7. We’ve Disregarded Our Natural Sleeping Rhythm
It’s only since the last century that artificial light has truly given us the ability to live according to our own schedule rather than the rising and setting of the sun. Through our millions of years of evolution, we’ve developed a circadian rhythm based on the sun and the earth’s magnetic field. Regardless of how we plan our day, our body’s preference is to operate according to this natural rhythm which would mean going to bed reasonably close to sunset and waking up at sunrise. In contrast, most of us follow a chaotic sleep schedule that differs significantly from this, and to make matters worse, we sleep much less than our ancestors did. Compounded with the significant amount of stress that’s characteristic of modern life, this can have considerable health implications.
Following healthy sleep habits is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve your energy, moods, and overall health. Instead of improving our lives with such a simple adjustment, most of us choose to rely on coffee to compensate for missed sleep and struggle through the day as a result. For more information on how artificial light has altered our lives in a negative way, I highly recommend reading Lights Out by T.S. Wiley.
Embrace Nature and Live Better
Many people unfortunately regard a healthy lifestyle as something that’s complicated and difficult to follow. However, if you let nature be your guide and use some common sense in applying the wisdom we’ve gained from our multimillion year history, it’s really not as hard as it may seem. For more information on how to live a healthy lifestyle based on natural principles, sign up for my free course, 7 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Happier, and Healthier You!
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This is marvelous! The more processed a food is, the more likely it is to override our natural ability to regulate eating. Our poor brains don’t know what to do with all those excitotoxins in industrialized food porn! Thanks for the tips.
Hi Allie, thank you for your comment!
The affect that processed foods can have on appetite regulation is an interesting topic. I’ve read that some food manufacturers intentionally design their products to keep people hungry and wanting more. The addictive nature of the sugar and refined carbs that are in most of these foods certainly doesn’t help.
Awesome post! A trifle depressing, and makes me feel sheepish about the human race, but bang on the money. It’s like the human race got too clever for its own good, and rather than stay on the road decided to take a ’short cut’ and is now confused and lost and refusing to pull over and ask for directions. Bah!
Hi Phil, thanks for your comment!
It is depressing, but sadness is certainly not what I’m trying to encourage. I believe that there are many people who simply aren’t aware of the consequences of how we’re living, and although some of what I’ve written about in this article is depressing, I think it can also help such people become more informed, make smarter choices, and help to promote change. From this perspective, I think there is plenty of potential for improvement which should be encouraging rather than disappointing.
As we’ve learned from Viktor Frankl and his Holocaust experience, there is a positive side to everything. We just need to sometimes do a bit of thinking to figure out what it is.
Vin, great stuff! I ordered the lights out and the nutrition and degeneration books. I love your blog. It has helped me a lot. Thank you!
Thanks, Stephen! Considering that you already know a lot about health, I’m happy to hear that I’m still able to help you.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy both of those books!
Great article–spot on, except for the bit about dying instantly without the sun. That seems a bit far fetched to me.
Thanks, Ryan! According to this Popular Science article, you’re right. We’d be able to survive for a brief period without the sun.
A Great piece!!! I especially liked your commentary about the importance of getting enough sun. I totally agree and have dedicated the last two years to helping people realize its importance and how they can do it using the power of nature. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Michael! It’s great to hear that you’re helping to spread awareness about the importance of natural sunlight!
Funny, I was under the impression that today’s humans have doubled their lifespan over the past 200 years… Although I do believe most of what is listed above is good information
Hi Dak Attack, thanks for your comment!
Yes, our lifespan is much greater than what it was 200 years ago, but this is mostly due to improved sanitation, antibiotics and other advances in medicine. These factors have also dramatically reduced infant mortality, and since lifespan is an average, this has had a significant effect on it.
Although more people are living longer now, many of them are half dead and suffering with chronic illness before they even reach their 50s or 60s. In contrast, it wasn’t uncommon for members of primitive cultures to live as long as we do today, and when they did, they enjoyed exceptional health and were relatively free of the diseases and conditions that plague us today.
For more information on this, check out the work of Weston A. Price.
Ever heard of Daniel Quinn? He talks about agriculture compared to totalitarian agriculture.
Many of our so called “primitive” ancestors were agriculturalists (as well as being hunter/gatherers) but they managed to do it sustainably. That’s because all they were doing was fostering the regrowth of their favourite foods.
Civilization practices totalitarian agriculture which is the vision that sees the world as one big farm for human food. We don’t foster the regrowth of foods we favour. We attempt to subjugate all forms of life towards the maximum production of human food.
Two problems: 1. unsustainable – as soon as you run out of new land to move into you implode (as we are beginning to see now). 2. the food itself is of less quality. Because we are trying to extract as much food out of as little land as possible the quality degrades.
That’s all about point no2. And you’ve hit the nail on the head with the other points about what happens to you when you live in a culture that practices totalitarian agriculture.
Very key post.
Hi Thomas, thanks for your comment!
No, I haven’t heard of Daniel Quinn but I just looked him up. I completely agree with his perspective that we’re part of nature rather than being separate from it. I’ll have to check out Ishmael. Thanks for pointing this out!
In Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Weston Price talks quite a bit about the importance of soil and the effort made by primitive cultures to replenish it. As with many things, we’ve unfortunately lost this appreciation with the advent of modern technology.
This is not well founded or accurate. I was writing a full counter essay, but it got too long and I became frustrated with this. Maybe I will finish it and publish later, but right now you will get just the first response. I just wish people would use real science instead of just making these theories up.
“We’ve Lost Our Inherent Ability to Choose Healthy Food”
-or-
‘We are Good at Eating what will Keep Us Alive Longer, if only We did not Eat so Much of It’
Why do we like fat sugar and salt? Because they are wonderful sources of energy (and an important mineral in the case of salt) to help keep us alive when we needed to hunt and gather. Our bodies are driven to get the best bang for the buck, and these foods were prized as ultra nutritious. Unfortunately there can be too much of a good thing, and they lead to more health issues when consumed in excess. We have not yet adapted to a lifestyle where these superfoods are always available, and likely will not for many generations as they are late acting disorders, reducing the pressure for natural selection to induce changes. It is not an issue of forgetting what we once knew, it is needing to adapt mentally as a culture to support eating for modern resources.
Hi Jared, thanks for sharing your opinion.
I agree that we have a natural appetite for fat and sugar, and I also agree that the natural sources of these nutrients tend to be nutritious. However, when I say that “we’ve lost our inherent ability to choose healthy food”, I’m basically saying that we’ve made a mistake by abandoning these natural and nutritious sources of fat and sugar (i.e. meat and fruit) in favor of artificial ones that are much less nutritious and sometimes potentially dangerous.
Sure, some of us can handle highly processed foods better than others, but it’s questionable to expect that we’ll adapt to them. Adaptation is based on natural selection which favors those who have a survival advantage. Even people who do the worst on processed foods still live well into their reproductive years and are able to pass on their genetics.
The typical modern diet is having an impact on infertility, so maybe there is some potential for us to adapt. However, it certainly won’t happen in our lifetime. If you’d like to sacrifice your life in favor of “advancing” the human race towards adapting to processed and artificial food, go right ahead, I’m sure that the food industry will applaud you! Personally, I’ll stick to what I know keeps me healthy and feeling well.
i agree with almost everything you’ve said, except for the whole exposure to the sun thing. Experts have said that 10 minutes in the sun is enough to prevent Vitamin D deficiancy. Especially in Australia we shouldn’t be encouraging people to spend long periods in the sun without protection.
Hi Jennaya, thank you for your comment!
10 minutes of sun exposure is enough for some people, especially those who have fair skin and haven’t been getting much sun. However, people who are tan or have naturally darker skin will likely need more than that. I’ve read that some people may need as much as 2 hours to produce sufficient vitamin D.
I suggest that you visit the Vitamin D Council’s website for more information.
Have to take on your point #5. One of the earliest forms of hunting was likely persistence hunting–chasing an animal until it drops from exhaustion–which requires endurance running. Humans cannot match any animal for short bursts of speed, but we can run any animal into the ground over the long haul, due to our superior body cooling mechanisms.
Hi David, thanks for your comment!
Yes, persistence hunting involves a lot of running. Here’s an incredible video about it.
Even with the existence of persistence hunting, there are still a number of important considerations. According to the video above, only certain tribe members were designated to do the running which supports the idea that we each have differing physical capacities.
I assume that persistence hunters preferred to accomplish their goal of wearing down their prey with as little running as possible. In contrast, people today tend to think that more is better in regard to exercise. I think your point is valid that we have certain features that suit us well for endurance activities, but the point remains that most people today who engage in endurance exercise don’t respect their physical limits. This is especially important with the amount of chronic stress, toxic chemicals, and unhealthy foods that have become so common and can significantly impair the ability to tolerate and recover from exercise.
In regard to not being able to match any animal for bursts of speed, I’m pretty sure that we can match a turtle.
Great article!
I have a #8.
We have attempted to ’save’ women in childbirth who do not need saving. Our (United State) Maternal and Fetal Mortality rate are deplorable.
And until the NATION stops seeing surgeons to catch their babies, we will continue to be low on the totem pole for that particular benchmark. We need to return to a Midwifery Model of Care and stop using these life saving interventions for every single women.
1 in 3 women are NOT broken and do NOT NEED surgery to birth their children.
Reducing Infant Mortality
Thanks, Amanda!
Modern childbirth is definitely a great addition. Through his research, Weston Price made a strong point about how the women of the primitive cultures that he observed enjoyed simple and nearly effortless childbirth. What’s even more telling is that he noticed a significant increase in childbirth complications in the primitive cultures that switched to modern foods. He attributed this mostly to poor nutrition and the resulting underdevelopment of the pelvis. He also provided some compelling evidence of how poor nutrition can contribute to both physical and mental birth defects the underdevelopment of children.
I think it would be nice if more women considered using a midwife, but I think it’s even more important to embrace a healthy and natural lifestyle well in advance of even conceiving. Price’s work shows that poor nutrition affects germ cells which means that this applies to the father as well. Thanks for sharing the video!
Good article… lot’s of assumptions – 99% of our human history we don’t have medical records to know what ailments people suffered from, many are obsolete, many more have been around and still are, but I do agree that the chemicals we produce and consume are nothing short of a detriment to our health.
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Here’s more tidbits about endurance running… The Tarahumara are an indigenous tribe in Mexico that run as much as 50 miles a day… and many studies show that it is our greatest sur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123163757.htm
Endurance running seems to be more innate than say blogging and social networking as opposed to human interaction.
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On a side note, the article below is another great example, for what could be an 8th point, of how modern stresses have altered the female biological clock and how monthly periods are not necessarily “natural” and how they lead to an increased chance of cervical cancer only to be counteracted by birth control which in turn increases the chance of breast cancer.
http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_03_10_a_rock.htm
Hi Jimmy, thanks for your comment!
Yes, it’s difficult to accurately compare today’s health statistics with those of even just a century ago. However, we fortunately have the observations of primitive cultures from people like Weston Price who have shown us the excellent health of people who were isolated from modern technology. Although there are many unknown facts about our evolution, I think it’s undeniable that processed foods and many of our modern habits are destroying our health, and thanks to people like Weston Price, we don’t have to look back very far to confirm that.
In regard to endurance running, I firmly believe that many people who do it for exercise are exceeding their capacity and compromising their health as a result. However, I’m open to the idea that some of us have much more capacity for endurance than others, and on a related note, I’m very curious to learn more about persistence hunting, how prevalent it was throughout the world, and if we may have since adapted to other hunting methods that rely less on endurance.
I enjoyed the article from Science Daily, thanks for sharing it! I think there’s much more importance to glute and foot function than mentioned that supports the premise even further. The idea of larger heel bones for improved shock absorption, however, seemed strange. The thought of running barefoot and landing on my heels makes me cringe!
That’s a great article about the pill and an intriguing perspective on natural menstruation, but I’m definitely not a fan of the idea of artificially altering hormone levels for the purpose of preventing a cancer that could very well be caused (and prevented) by many other factors. Although the theory of modern women menstruating too frequently is quite convincing, I think there are far too many unknowns to intentionally and artificially prevent menstruation for this reason, unless as a potential last resort.
I love this post!!!
Thanks, Diane! I’m glad you like it.
I am so thrilled to find you and your amazing post! I am a fan already!
One point of clarification on #5 – Read “Born To Run”. Humans are the fastest animal on the planet and this book presents very compelling data that in fact we were built to run…but in an endurance model…over days, hunting prey who would eventually fall over dead b/c they simply could not sustain the race to flee US!
I agree that exercising yourself into a fit of exhaustion is not healthy, though. And for our bodies to return to the peak of fitness required to run these long distances would take a while…
I’m also intrigued by the five finger shoes that allow the foot to strengthen. I’m not a runner (yet) but I love the idea of being outside with nature and feeling my pulse and breath move in rhythm with the landscape around me…
I look forward to reading more of your thoughts and discoveries!
xo
Hi Elle! Welcome to the site and thank you for your comment!
Born to Run sounds similar to some of the comments above. With all this talk of persistence hunting and how we’re evolved to be endurance runners, I’ll definitely have to check it out.
Vibram FiveFingers are great! I wrote an article about them and Nike Frees. As you know, I’m not a runner, but I always wear them when I workout. I’m not quite brave enough to wear them out in public as casual shoes, though.
That’s what my Nike Frees are for!
Great post, I couldn’t have said it better myself. You have a great site w/really quality posts and info. I enjoy your insight and info. Thank You!
Thanks, Jolene! I appreciate your feedback!
In my opinion, do not be an extremist, anything excessive is unwelcome, moderation is a good balance in life.
Hi Charmaine, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I completely agree that moderation and balance are an important part of good health. In addition to that, when in doubt, I think it’s important to error on the side of trusting nature. Here’s an article about moderation that you might enjoy:
Letting Loose: The 80/20 Rule of Healthy Moderation
As sad as all of that is, it’s extremely true. Most people these days don’t even KNOW what healthy food is, and at the mere mention of something that’s not covered in grease they run the other direction. I also remember growing up, I used to spend hours and hours outdoors playing, yet now that seems to be a thing of the past. It’s much easier for children to just sit on the couch and eat McDonald’s than engage in any productive or social activity.
The thing is, when you REALLY look at it all, it’s not rocket science! It’s just people want everything by the easiest means possible, and so in the end we end up sacrificing a lot for that.
Hi Travis, thank you for your comment!
Another aspect about kids playing outdoors less is that they’re now more likely to play video games or sit in front of the computer. Video games and computers are both a great addition to modern life, but they certainly shouldn’t replace our enjoyment of nature and other people to the extent that seems to be occurring.
I completely agree that it’s not rocket science. In fact, it’s not even close. I think that the hardest part for most people is overcoming the discomfort of change which shouldn’t really be much of an issue considering what’s at stake.
Great Post!!! I definately have to agree with the vitamin D & getting sun exposure. I find it very troubling that we, as a society tend to believe every “bad” thing we hear on local & national news. That bad news spreads like wild fire. Then, when the news comes out and says Hey, 90% of our population is vitamin D deficiant, get some sun, it goes unnoticed by the majority.
If we would wake up, and look back at just the last 40 years, we are the sickest, most pill dependant society. I’m not saying people didnt get sick, or die of disease, but it was rare to hear of a child you knew taking ridilin, or 9 out of 10 of your friends taking anxiety medication. Our answer these days seems to be “Take a Pill”. Lets start using our heads. Money is the root of all evil, look who has been lining their pockets with your hard earned cash for decades, as we have become a pill dependant, sick society. But the big dermatologist/pharmaceudical companies want us that way. Buy their sunscreen, buy their pills, keep us sick & keep them rich.
Yes, approx. 7,500 people will die of melenoma this year, but what they failed to mention, is the vitamin D that UV exposure produces through sunlight or tanning beds is key in fighting lung, breast, colon, prostrate, and other cancers in which over 33,000 people will die from this year. Vitamin D gives a much better chance of preventing many major illnesses such as, but not limited to: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Arthritis, Chronic Pain, Depression, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, Premenstrual Syndrome, Muscular Weakness, Fibromyalgia, Crohns Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune Illness.
Tanning is a NATURAL PROCESS. It is how humans are designed. It is what we are supposed to do when exposed to UVA & UVB rays of the sun or a tanning bed. A tan is your bodies NATURAL defense against sunburn.
I know, I know, but tanning beds are as dangerous as arsenic & mustard gas. Here are some FACTS, again, “they” failed to mention. The bulbs used in tanning beds emit UVA & UVB rays, the exact same rays as the sun. The difference being, tanning bed lamps are controlled, (and regulated by the FDA) meaning you know exactly how much exposure you are getting, unlike the sun. The UVA & UVB rays from the sun varies depending on the time of day, time of year. So to say “Get 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure” leaves alot of guessing. Does this mean 15 minutes at 10:00am in the month of March, or 15 minutes at 1:00pm in the month of July? They also failed to mention, that red wine, oral contraceptives, wood dust, salted fish, mineral oil ( found in Baby shampoos, lotions and other toiletries) are also on the exact same carcinogin list. I guess the headline “Tanning Beds are as dangerous as Red Wine, Wood Dust or Baby Shampoo” just doesn’t grab peoples attention, and send them running for the sunscreen isle. Funny how we never heard the headline ” Oral contraceptives as dangerous as arsenic”.
Starting to get the picture?
Ever suffer from “Winter Blues” or just that depressed feeling during the winter months? Its called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Lack of exposure to UV light has been proven to bring this disorder on during the winter months when daylight hours are shortened. You don’t need a pill to “fix” this.
Again, Keep us sick, keep them rich.
There is SO much more, I could go on & on. I will stop here and appologize for the long post.
Keep up the good work!!
Hi Heidi, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I agree, it’s very sad how we’ve become so dependent on chasing symptoms with pills. Even naturopathic physicians are sometimes guilty of this with supplements. Here’s an article I wrote about a free documentary that you might be interested in watching: Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs.
It’s interesting that you mention tanning beds. I recently wrote about tanning beds as a source of vitamin D and it wasn’t very popular which leads me to believe that most people didn’t like the idea. Granted, tanning beds can be quite dangerous because of electromagnetic radiation, and they’re certainly not natural, but in comparison to oral supplementation, I’d much rather rely on the body’s natural mechanism for synthesizing vitamin D on it’s own.
I don’t trust tanning beds enough to use them myself, but I still think that this is an interesting topic and that tanning beds do have the potential to be a healthy source of vitamin D. However, I think natural sunlight is without a doubt a much better source.
Excellent post.
Especially enjoyed point #5. I always get a kick from somebody who tells me that hit the gym for a brutal 2-hour session. What a waste of time. Your P90X comment is right on point. If pure fat loss is what people are after then don’t waste your time with an exercise program. Learn how to eat less and healthier. Plain and simple!
Mike
Thanks, Mike! It’s also a waste of energy and it’s a real shame to see people compromise their health in the process. It’s nice to see other people like yourself promoting common sense!
Right on, brother. Check out our website. We gotta link up. You are saying everything we believe. The Silver Cloud diet, The Sustainable Diet for the 21st Century. Eat a balanced diet of whole, unprocessed, mostly organic foods with plenty of saturated for satiety, brain health, and cellular strength.
Hi Linda, thanks for your comment! I just found your blog on your website and look forward to reading more of it.
This is so true…Our world and our nation’s overall health is falling to pieces and unless we all make a conscious effort to eat healthily and create a sustainable environment, we will suffer as a whole. Great post!
Thanks, Grace! Despite the ugly direction that we’re headed in, there’s a lot of potential for improvement. I’m hopeful that enough people will realize what’s going on and be motivated enough by it to help make a difference.
How about ‘living in a sterile environment’? no creature on this earth cleans and sanitizes like we do, but we can get gravely ill just by drinking out of a creek. Maybe if we learn to allow ourselves to live with germs as part of our daily lives, microbes might not be such a big deal.
I also liked the part about losing the ability to live with nature. You don’t see it in many western history books or text books, but native american medicine was far ahead of European medicine. Native healers had the ability to diagnose and heal all sorts of diseases and conditions, famously including the easily-treated scurvy of the European settlers. There is a reason why native americans died en masse from European diseases: such childhood diseases were not a part of native american life because they were on the whole, much healthier as a society than Europeans. those diseases never had a firm hold in the Americas because the Indians lived a different life than the European contemporaries. Their collective immunity had no defence to such diseases because their lifestyle had long compensated to the point where such diseases were naturally eradicated.
We westerners have a lot to learn from the pre-Columbian Americans…
Hi Geoff, thanks for your comment!
Yes, living in a sterile environment is a great example! Especially with the recent craze over antimicrobial products for avoiding the swine flu. Good sanitation is one thing, but becoming obsessed about avoiding germs deprives the immune system of it’s natural ability to strengthen itself. As Louis Pasteur, the father of the germ theory and pasteurization, supposedly admitted on his death bed, it’s the terrain (health and resilience of the body) that matters more than the germ.
Referencing Weston Price’s work is rife with experimental error! Most of his “studying” was on native/aboriginal cultures, or those with DRASTICALLY different lifestyles, social circumstances, cleanliness/quality of food and water, etc. the list goes on…
If anything we can predict from the research that “eating whole foods from ‘close to home’ is better than not, when taking into account a myriad of other immeasurable sociological factors”
Other than that, I like the other points!
Hi MJ, thanks for your comment!
I agree that the lifestyles of the primitive cultures that Price studied were drastically different then ours, but I still think they provide valuable information.
It’s highly likely that these people were more active than us, less stressed, and despite not having the benefits of modern medicine, they were able to enjoy vibrant health. As you mentioned, they also had cleaner air and water. However, their health still deteriorated when they began consuming modern processed foods.
If processed food was enough to deteriorate the health of these primitive cultures despite their healthier habits and cleaner air and water, how could we expect to fare any better?
I would agree that Price’s work doesn’t necessarily prove that saturated fat is healthy, but unlike processed food, I think it provides great evidence of it not being harmful.
Even if you don’t see the value in Price’s work that I do, I’m glad you like the other points.
Hi Vin,
I was one of “those” who would eat processed foods. I was also one of “those” who had serious consequences from doing so. The proof is in my medical records. I have been using a nutritional cleansing program and after cleansing the toxins out I learned to put “good” quality foods in and guess what…Wallah! My health was returned. Forcing my doctor to take a look at what I did. Now my doc and I are working together helping others to understand that what we put in our mouths is what will kill us eventually.
I appreciate your articles and look forward to future ones. Thanks for doing your part in educating the population. That’s what it’s going to take…re-educating the people on the facts not what one might want you to believe.
In Health
Mary.
Hi Mary, thanks for your comment!
It’s great that you’ve recovered your health and refreshing to hear that your doctor has embraced what you’ve done! Keep up the great work!
Thanks Vin for keeping it simple yet laying it out there when nobody else really wants to admit our shortcomings. Love the info about poisoning our own food supply and the false notion that fat = disease. Right on! Looking forward to your next post. I’m an Executive Director for Mannatech and I respect the truthfulness of your content.
Great Article, I believe #4 is one of our biggest issues although all your points are important. Thanks for all the tips!
Nice article but some bias was placed into #5 – I would advise reading the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall as running was primary to us even becoming bipeds who walk almost purely on two feet. To provide the short version – we developed massive changes in our evolution that were designed for distance running, not for speed but to allow us to persistance hunt. Before we had tools to hunt with, the meat in our diets came from causing other animals to collapse with exhaustion through them over-heating, using our tracking techniques to chase the exact same single animal until it could not go on.
So, nice article but #5 needs more serious research before I would consider this as a whole to be accurate.
Just to clarify as I didn’t add it, I saw the other reply about the same earlier in the comments but forgot to mention! You seem to cover everything when chatting about it, I just felt there was too much bias in the way that one point was wrote so nothing bad intended!
Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I’m glad you saw that this was discussed in some of the comments. I have a copy of Born to Run and it’s one of the many books I look forward to reading. I completely agree that the persistence hunting argument is a good one. However, one still has to wonder if such a volume of running is conducive to optimal health despite the simple fact that we’re capable of it and that it may very well have been a part of our evolution. In addition, many aspects of modern life such as constant stress, lack of sleep, chemical exposure, and poor diet lead me to believe that few people have the capacity for this much physical work. Another consideration is individuality. Perhaps some of us are from lineages that never used persistence hunting and genetically don’t have the capacity for the running involved. Furthermore, in tribes like the Kung San, it seems that only certain individuals are selected for the running portion of a hunt.
The bottom line is that when you consider the lifestyles and physiological loads of most people today along with what they do in the gym, I think it’s safe to say that many people are overexercising, and by doing so, are compromising their health more so than improving it.
I have been saying this stuff for YEARS! I am glad that some of y’all share my opinion… I would like to add that overexercising is dangerous and I am strongly against hours and hours of cardio but I do tend to push myself pretty hard when it comes to weight training. I have seen and felt GREAT results and will continue to do so!
Hi Jenn, thanks for your comment!
I completely agree that overexercising is dangerous. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with someone pushing themselves hard as long as they’re prepared for it, provide their body with adequate nutrition and rest for recovery, and be respectful of their individual capacity.
We all need to get back to nature and back in touch with the natural rythym of the earth. Great article.
Excellent information. I agree with you 100%.
Great Article! in my opinion #4 is the most horrifc of them all. Thanks for the tips!