A Middle-Aged Man: A Story of Health and Wellness

Have you ever heard of a man who's overweight, losing hair, experiencing skin conditions, joint pain, digestion issues, diarrhea, depression, sleep problems, decreased interest in sex, and suffering from both diabetes and heart disease? Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common for many of us.

But there's a twist to this story. The man in question is actually a gorilla living in a zoo.

Yes, you read that right. Gorillas, despite not being human, share a striking metabolic and biological similarity with us. And that's why their story is relevant to us.

Scientists, researchers, veterinarians, and zookeepers were baffled when they noticed that captive gorillas in zoos were experiencing health problems and dying earlier than their wild counterparts. They set out to find the root cause of this phenomenon.

It turns out that the captive gorillas were not eating a diet that was natural to them. Instead, they were fed biscuits with added vitamins and minerals, which were far from what they ate in the wild. And, to make matters worse, their living conditions were also far from natural. They were housed in concrete cells, often under artificial light and with little space to move around.

The good news is that with some changes, the gorillas' health improved significantly. The zookeepers altered their diets, giving them more fruits and vegetables similar to what they ate in the wild. They also created environments that were closer to nature, where the gorillas could move around and exercise more. The artificial lighting was turned off at night, and the gorillas were finally able to live a life that was more natural.

So, what does this mean for us humans? The story of the captive gorillas highlights the importance of making healthy changes in our lives. If we're not sleeping well, eating well, or getting enough exercise, we too may be suffering from obesity and other related disorders. By making changes to our lifestyles, we too can improve our health and live life to the fullest.

In conclusion, John Durant's book “The Paleo Manifesto” is a fascinating read and delves deeper into this story and its implications. If you're interested in learning more about health and wellness, it's definitely worth a read.

The Spiritual Battle for America's Soul

America was founded on the principles of sovereignty, liberty, and freedom, based on natural law and God-fearing values as expressed in the Constitution. The founding fathers envisioned a nation where every individual could exercise their inalienable rights without fear of government or corporate interference.

The America of Yesterday

The America of yesterday was a place where people could live free from oppression and pursue their dreams. The founding fathers aimed to build a country based on principles of faith and freedom, enshrined in the Constitution. This is the true essence of America, a place where everyone could live their lives to the fullest.

The America of Today

However, today's America is vastly different from the America of yesterday. The country has entered a corporatist stage and is now subject to the whims of corporate power. Money and special interests dominate the American political process, making it toxic. The two-party system limits options and prevents change, and the democracy has been hijacked by large corporations that prioritize profits over people. The same can be said of government agencies, which exist to serve their corporate donors, rather than the people they were created to serve.

The American Dream: Lost

As a result of this corruption, the American Dream has died. America has allowed corruption to run rampant for far too long, and it is now literally killing society. The country we live in today is unrecognizable to the founding fathers and is a foreign land for many Americans. It's easy to lose faith in our country when we realize how far we've strayed from our founding principles to accommodate corporate interests.

A Spiritual Crisis

This crisis is not just political, but spiritual in nature. Each of us must choose our “master” – our government or our Creator. This is similar to the messages of faith leaders such as Jesus, Abraham, and Muhammad. The founding fathers of America also believed in these principles and fought to establish a country based on them.

In conclusion, the real America is not the corporate structure of the United States, but a nation founded on natural law and the principles of sovereignty, liberty, and freedom. We must remember this and strive to return to these principles if we hope to reclaim the America of yesterday and restore the American Dream.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Ancestral Health Movement: My Journey to Wellness

I'm often asked what the Ancestral Health Movement is, so let me explain it in simple terms. It's a movement centered around health and wellness that looks to the practices and habits of our ancestors for guidance.

My Own Journey

My own journey into this realm started many years ago when I was first exposed to the works of Drs. Price and Pottenger. I discovered them through books and documentaries, but it wasn't until later that I really delved into their research as I began my own journey to better health and wellness.

During this time, I was also introduced to the Atkins Diet and similar protocols such as the “Protein Power” program by Drs. Eades, as well as Robb Wolff's podcast and others. I decided to try the Atkins approach to see if it would help me in my weight loss journey, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was able to drop nearly 50 pounds in just a few months.

The Realization

However, as I continued down this path, I started to realize that there were aspects of the Atkins Diet that just didn't sit well with me. I was replacing my bad food habits with commercialized and unnatural substitutes, which only created a new vice and a dependency on these chemical-laden products.

This realization hit me hard during a layover in Louisville, KY, when I stumbled upon a copy of “The Primal Blueprint” at a local bookstore. This book, and others like it, taught me the importance of breaking away from commercial foods and embracing a more natural and sustainable approach to health and wellness.

A New Perspective

This new perspective aligned with my previous interests in alternative health practices such as chiropractic and acupuncture, as well as my experiences with network marketing companies that advocated for avoiding the processed foods found in the center aisles of grocery stores. This is why I eventually decided to break away from Primal Health Coaching (which is based on Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint) and instead, pursue my own path.

The Primal Health Coach Institute

At the time, I was inspired by my success in losing weight and thought that becoming a Primal Blueprint Expert would give me a deeper understanding of this movement and potentially help me transition away from being a truck driver. I invested in the program, which was called the Primal Health Coach Institute and its certification as a “Primal Health Coach”. However, I soon found that the program had shifted away from the original concept of the “The Primal Blueprint” and was becoming too commercialized for my liking.

A Game Changer

It was around this time that I came across John Durant's “The Paleo Manifesto”. This book was a game changer for me, as it depicted the negative impact of artificial life on captive primates, including depression, fatigue, autoimmune diseases, and a lack of interest in sexual reproduction. This resonated with me, as it reinforced the idea that a natural and sustainable approach to health and wellness is vital for our overall well-being.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my journey into the Ancestral Health Movement has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. While I've discovered the benefits of breaking away from commercial foods and embracing a more natural approach, I've also encountered challenges along the way. However, I've learned that it's important to find what works best for you and to not be afraid to break away from the conventional and commercialized approaches to health and wellness.

A middle-aged man

I want to start by telling my version of a story learned from John Durant.. from his book “The Paleo Manifesto”...

‌‌We begin with a story of this guy who is having a variety of problems in life. He is overweight, losing his hair, having skin conditions, joint problems, digestion problems, diarrhea, he is depressed, not sleeping well, lost interest in sex, can’t really complete the act of sex when he is interested and he is suffering from diabetes and heart disease. He is a wreck!

‌Sounds a lot like some of us doesn’t it?

‌‌There is a significant difference in this guy though…from you and I, he is a Gorilla living in a Zoo.

[Technically so are we!... but, I digress.]‌ ‌ Why in the world are we talking about gorillas!? Well, they are incredibly similar to human beings.. and I’m not suggesting that we are apes or gorillas… just that metabolically and otherwise we are very similar.

‌‌OK, so you get it .. that we are SIMILAR.. so still why are we talking about them and not humans… well, we will... it’s just an interesting parallel and it gets even more interesting.

‌There were scientists, researchers, veterinarians and others that were interested in why this ape and others were suffering from these conditions at rates far higher than those that were still in the wild. Also, there were concerns about why these same animals were dying in captivity many years earlier than their brothers in the wild! Why?

‌‌It was finally discovered that several factors associated with health and wellness were at play. These animals were not eating diets that were natural to them, nothing near what they ate in a natural environment.. sure the nutritional values of macro and micronutrients were taken into account when the zoo’s made their food.. but it wasn’t the same.. they were essentially fed biscuits with vitamins and minerals added.. among a host of things that weren’t natural.. as binders, as fiber and for whatever else it was deemed necessary for these animals! It just wasn’t anything like what they ate in their natural habitats!

‌‌Neither was their environment.. when this story (in John Durant’s book) took place; zoos were stark, they didn’t have simulated natural environments.. they were housing the primates in concrete cells.. with spectator windows or worse yet just bars fencing them in. Often under artificial light. It was dismal, to say the least.

‌‌The full story and John Durant's book “ The Paleo Manifesto” is definitely worth a read.. and is far more interesting than my brief description.

‌So, why mention these apes? Well, they (the scientists and zookeepers) ended up making some changes that turned everything around! The apes started getting back to healthy weights, they started mating again, they got healthier... no more heart disease, no more diabetes and pretty much everything got better!.

‌‌What changes did they make? Well, they fixed their diets.. gone were the biscuits and other man-made concoctions for their meals.. they started getting fruits and vegetables similar to what they ate in the wild, the artificial lighting was not on through the night, they had environments that were similar to nature erected.. they were now able to swing, jump, climb and do whatever they wanted in a very comfortable environment! They began to live life a bit more naturally.

‌‌How does this relate to you and me? … I’m sure you see this already... but, if we change elements of our lives that are not healthy.. we can change things in our lives for the better too! If you are not sleeping well, not eating well, not active enough, etc.. you too are probably suffering from obesity and a range of related disorders.. that all are contributing to factors known to cause metabolic syndrome. We’ll talk about this syndrome and the related markers.. as well as Morbidity and Mortality in the next issue… see ya there!

Updated Tue, March 31, 2020