Most every drug sold today has a safer, natural-based predecessor. That single fact inspired me to write Over-The-Counter Natural Cures. And ever since, readers have been enjoying inexpensive, natural medicine that their doctors would have never been able to tell them about!
For example, pseudoephedrine is an ingredient found in over-the-counter cough syrup. It is a knock-off of the active ingredients found in “Mormon tea.” Naturally-occurring, Mormon tea can be safely used as a cough suppressant. Today however, it’s banned, while pseudoephedrine remains on the shelves of every corner grocery store in America. In 2004, The Annals of Emergency Medicine noted that pseudoephedrine is so damaging to the heart that it can elicit a heart attack among users – even healthy ones.
Aspirin – the drug that your doctor tells you to take EVERYDAY – is a knock-off of the active ingredient found in white willow bark. The side effects of Aspirin are so severe that they can cause a higher death rate relative to the populations who do not take it. Rarely brought to the attention of users, aspirin depletes the body of the essential nutrient folate…White willow bark is virtually unknown yet remains a safe and effective alternative to Aspirin for pain relief and any purported cardiovascular benefits.
The cover-up gets worse…
5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone, an anti-cancer drug used among those who suffer from leukemia, is a knock-off of the active ingredient found in the roots of Chinese skullcap (Scuterllaria baicalensis). Chinese skullcap is a safe and effective natural cancer fighter that induces cell suicide (apoptosis) among leukemia-derived cancer cells. Meanwhile, the prescription knock-off is overtly toxic and has a very low success rate.
Drug companies and medical doctors obfuscate these historical facts. They like patients to think that drugs are intuitively invented out of thin air courtesy of chemistry masterminds. This helps foster the very profitable belief that drugs are the only option for health.
Understanding that natural medicine guides drug development will help you better understand why most people don’t know about “The immortality herb.” …Until now!
I first heard of the immortality herb as a young chemist having an informal talk with senior chemists. Apparently, a new family of natural compounds were being discovered in an herb known as jiaogulan for their ability to increase lifespan.
It was found that the herb could halt 4 known causes of premature aging.
#1 Protect your DNA
One of the most toxic substances produced by the body is O2, technically known as superoxide. It’s deployed by the immune system to kill invading biological nasties and deleteriously produced as a byproduct of cellular energy production, most notably during exercise.
Because superoxide is so toxic, all organisms living with it contain a natural O2 scavenger known as superoxide dismutase. The more you have the slower you age. In 2009, Phytomedicine highlighted research showing that jiaogulan worked to boost the production of the 02 scavenger, thereby protecting the DNA as well as the heart from free radical damage.
#2 Boost Nitric oxide
Nitric oxide improves circulation of nutrients and oxygen among the 100,000 miles of arteries, veins and capillaries. When produced it relaxes the walls so blood flow is increased and blood pressure controlled. In 1999 Vanderbilt University wrote that their research results “demonstrate that jiaogulan stimulates nitric oxide release and that this may be one mechanism whereby this herbal medicine elicits its many therapeutic effects.”
#3 Increase Insulin sensitivity
Today, high insulin is the chief cause behind obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer and you’ve read all my blabber about how insidious it can be when we have too much. To lower it, you must increase your insulin sensitivity. This lowers blood sugar and boosts energy. In 2009, The Journal of Medicinal Food found that jiaogulan increases insulin sensitivity better than the risky, diabetes drug Avandia!
#4 Ensure apoptosis among cancerous cells
In 2007 China Medical University found that the active ingredients in jiaogulan caused an influx of calcium among cancerous cells, causing them to eradicate themselves from the human body in response to jiogolan consumption!
These life extending properties may be new to you, but not to the Chinese…Jiaogulan was First written about in 1406…and still to this day it is used as a soothing tea by anyone who wants to live young.
Here is another way to get fat long term; Feed your face 4-6 times daily (graze). I was convinced at the word “graze” and its instant portrayal of fat farm animals. But this fails to deter fit hopefuls.
The grazing myth grew from the erroneous idea that eating boosts metabolism. And it does. It’s called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT). I learned about it in 9th grade, along with all the other outdated, simple-minded personal training drab found in muscle magazines. After three meals per day, the metabolic effect of DIT diminishes. Duh. My 5-year old calls it “eating too often.”
With respect to controlling weight, excessive meals only work for people who are severely restricting calories, addicted to exercise, or injecting steroids like a ‘roided out bodybuilder. These three actions counter the fat inflating side effects of “eating too much” because they force the body to compensate via starvation, energy output, or hormones, respectively. But anyone else adhering to the multi-meal myth is doomed, as proven with post-meal blood tests, DNA studies and the real-life outcomes of being better equipped to kick ass athletically.
After a week or two of grazing, the body adapts to meal overload by pumping out the fat storing hormone insulin while simultaneously lowering fat crushing hormones like glucagon, testosterone and human growth hormone (hGH). This is a metabolic nightmare for people who dream about looking good naked.
Starting a career in figure competitions, my wife Lea-Ann and mom of two dabbled in the dogma. She soon learned about weight gain rebound, what bodybuilding cronies refer to as post competition bloat…
In contrast, studies on low meal frequency, where food intake is restricted to about every 5 hours, show that our DNA function is better preserved. The outcome is astounding because it leads to the exact opposite of multi-meal intake – low insulin and high amounts of the fat crushing, muscle building hormones glucagon, testosterone and hGH. And that’s a metabolic dream come true…The benefits can be verified in the real world with positive changes in lean body mass and increased athletic performance.
Applying low meal frequency to her training and supplement protocol, Lea-Ann was able to experience the benefits by winning the Arnold Amateur in 2009, without the nasty rebound. Sticking to the easy-to-follow protocol, she carries the same great physique today, with little sacrifice.
Many have used the minimal-meal principles to transform their physique, fast, like 90 days fast.
They won’t be on the cover of Men’s Health, but that’s not the point. They’re fit, healthy, and their lives no longer revolve around constant weight gain and spiraling health.
To verify the negative outcomes of the multi-meal myth first hand, attend a bodybuilding event where the belief runs deep. Pay attention to the ex-participants.
Scurrying around in tight shirts, rolled up sleeves, and pants that won’t let go of their thighs to save their life, they’re traditionally overweight, especially in the gut and chest area where multi-meal insulin overload “weighs heavy.” It usually gives rise to the spare tire hanging form the waist and “moobs” slung low from the chest, now popularized by famed ‘roider and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The cultural dogma among the bodybuilding community and its long term side-effect of obesity and accelerated aging is a poignant reminder that muscles and health don’t always go hand in hand, and that small meals throughout the day don’t spark metabolism. Learn more about getting your best body and health in 90 days at http://www.ampmfatloss.com
The sky is brutally honest. It shows you who you are, or aren’t. It can redefine you too, because flying offers a freedom that can’t be found on the ground. “Strapping on” my new plane for the first time, the “Mooney aerodynamics” was sure to test my guts, and introduce me to new ones. Not only is it one of the fastest in its class, it’s also very slippery on landing. The ensuing stress that accompanied my first 175 mph decent for landing – as a nervous, rookie pilot – is probably when the drugs kicked in.
On the bleeding edge of scientific understanding is an adaptive response to stress that triggers our “internal pharmacy” to manufacture a “custom drug cocktail,” which alters our biochemistry for better survival. Technically, it’s known as hormesis and it proves, “that which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” As an organic chemist studying it at the molecular level, hormesis appears to be one of the best ways to live longer, disease-free, as long as you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone.
Hormesis was first discovered via “the runners high.” In particular, pain-soothing, euphoria-inducing molecules known as endorphins (and many others) were found to be made by adrenals in response to the stress. A physical transformation ensued thanks to the internally made drug cocktails. Over time, hormesis has shown beneficial in protecting us from diabetes and cancer, just to name a few.
Putting Hormesis To Work for You
One of the quickest ways to benefit from hormesis is to take part in “proper exercise.” But, let’s face it, most people would rather run from exercise than actually do it. If done correctly, even sparingly, it can ward off type II diabetes thanks to the hormesis phenomenon. But the drug cocktail that confers these benefits can only be obtained via strength training. And you gotta make it hurt…like hell.
Studies on hormesis show that when you put your magazine down and get out of the lazy zone at the gym you can force your internal pharmacy to produce a fat melting compound known as glucagon. This is the “I can’t wait to wear a bathing suit” hormone.
Natural Enemy to Belly Fat, Get int Your Skinny Jeans
When released by the pancreas, glucagon works to lower blood sugar, while activating fat metabolism. As the natural enemy to belly fat, it melts the spare tire hanging around your gut. As glucagon increases, so does the holy grail of all hormones, testosterone. And that means libido and motivation return to their rightful place in the bedroom, rather than being forgotten in the name of aging.
Strength training also gives rise to oxidative stress, not just muscle fatigue. Many pundits shun it for this very reason. But, it’s myopic because hormesis eventually comes to the rescue and releases anti-aging and anti-diabetic compounds from the internal pharmacy. Once mainlined, they shuttle blood sugar into muscle cells, just like insulin. But, unlike insulin they don’t store fat! A biochemical dream for anyone who appreciates getting back into their skinny jeans, this allows you to simultaneously build muscle and burn fat, while avoiding oxidative stress.
Stop Being Depressed
Depressed about how many of your friends voted for Obama, and really thought he represented “Change?” Hormesis can cure that, too. When muscles are stressed, your pharmacy produces a happy drug known as phenylethylamine. It helps “feel-good” neurotransmitters – the ones that help you smile at Obama supporters when you see them at Walmart – last longer.
The “hormetic benefits” of strength training can’t be obtained if you’re gonna be a sissy. You have to “make it count” when you workout. In other words, you have to leave The Whine Flu at home, regardless of your age or condition. Pain will be your litmus test here. The more it hurts the better. Dancing around the kitchen doesn’t count, nor does crawling around your garden, or strolling around the block.
If you want to activate hormesis and put aging in a choke hold, you have to go to the gym like you’re going to war. This will open up your cardiovascular system to enhance circulation of oxygen, and even repair damaged arteries thanks to a custom-made drug known as VEGF.
Workout like your life depends on it, ‘cause it does. Workout like you are fighting for your life, ‘cause you are. The good news; you don’t have to do it very often. Every other day will suffice for general health. Rest periods are vital for hormesis to occur. You’ll feel the immense benefits, fast. People will notice. Do it too often and you risk over-training and injury, and since you won’t be activating hormesis, you’ll grow old prematurely as well.
Put Muscles on Your Eyes
Short term hunger can also get hormesis to churn out drugs that help in the eye-candy department at your local pool. Stop grazing like a cow and the body produces a drug cocktail made up of somatomedin’s. You don’t have to know how to say it. But you do need to know that when you split meals by five hours and avoid snacking, the liver releases these peptides into the blood and allows muscles to bulge. I heard this was how Sponge Bob got “muscles on his eyes.” The process isn’t bullet proof.
Lick that ice-cream off your spoon – or eat that post workout snack – and you can forget it. Tapping hormesis for muscle production is all about short term hunger (more so than caloric restriction), so stop snacking. And, if you go to the extreme and skip breakfast or any meal, hormones freak out and force your body into fat storage mode, which only inflates the unsightly tire hanging on your belly.
Me Averaging 3 workouts per week, Wife 4-5
(Zero Editing, Photoshop or “Fakeness”)
Unlike my surly attitude, hormesis isn’t a phenomenon that operates independently of outside influence. All the success rests in your body’s ability to manufacture its own drugs. As highlighted in my book, Over-The-Counter Natural Cures, you need to make sure it gets the raw materials by adhering to nutrient logic. Like a meth lab is sure to stock ephedrine, you need to make sure your body has some basics on hand.
Naturally occurring insulin mimics such as cinnamon (Get the top products here)
Moderate sunshine exposure
Pure water, daily
Get Some Guts
No doubt, I was hooked on my own custom drug cocktail after flying my Mooney. And over time, perhaps scientific method will isolate and characterize them. Regardless, one thing is for sure: My head is left spinning every time with a one-of-a-kind cocktail that makes me feel timeless – like a child who can’t comprehend “five more minutes,” or even “the real world.”
And while those drugs keep me motivated to be the best pilot, they also prove that our health and longevity are absolutely dependent on hormesis. No prescription required, you just have to have some guts to activate it, even if it does hurt or stress your system in new ways. Even if you have to redefine yourself. It’s biochemistry telling us that success lies beyond our comfort zones and; “Only the strong survive.”
Jeff, Mary in Texas, Tabs and 6 others are discussing.330Toggle Comments
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Jeff, 
Tabs and 6 others are discussing.330Toggle Comments
