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This is our eight Note on cancer books. It’s also our second Note on Thomas Seyfried’s work. We started with the journal article also called “Cancer as a metabolic disease.” Seyfried has taught and conducted research in the fields of neurogenetics, neurochemistry and cancer for more than twenty-five years at Yale University and Boston College. He is the leading scientist pointing to (and nearly screaming at!) the SUPER-compelling evidence that says cancer is caused by dysfunctional energy metabolism—providing evidence that the genetic mutations are a secondary, downstream epiphenomenon of that primary cause. Big Ideas we explore include the metabolic theory vs. the genetic theory of cancer, nuclear-cytoplasm studies (perhaps the most powerful case for the metabolic theory), metastasis (Mr. Mo builds your MOAT!!), apoptotic vs. necrotic cell death (aka naturel/nontoxic vs. unnatural/toxic), and the cancer solar system (make sure the metabolic cancer-sun is in the discussion!).
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This is the fifth Note I've created specifically on cancer after my brother's diagnosis. Miriam Kalamian is one of the leading nutrition consultants focused on cancer. She helps people approach cancer with a therapeutic ketogenic diet. In fact, she's my brother's day-to-day nutritional consultant. She has been AMAZING. (And, given the fact that food is, ultimately, our most powerful medicine, in many ways I consider her our brother's primary care physician. :) People have asked what nutritional approach we're following. THIS is it. The book is PACKED with wisdom on, as the sub-title suggests "Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy as a Targeted Nutritional Strategy." Big Ideas we explore include: Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy 101, the basic plan, "Diet doesn't matter" - Your Oncologist | "Yes, it does." - Your Cancer, Boost + Ensure (eliminate to boost and ensure well-being), and the importance of measuring glucose and ketones daily.
This is our fourth Note specifically related to cancer I created after my brother’s diagnosis. The Note is on an open access article from the scientific journal Nutrition and Metabolism that Nasha Winters says is a “must read!” (I agree! Super compelling.) Thomas Seyfried is the leading research scientist making the case for the metabolic approach to cancer (vs. as we’ve discussed, a genetic approach). He and Laura Shelton brilliantly and lucidly unpack the case for cancer as a metabolic disease. Bonus: Your brain gets a nice workout as every word is chosen wisely for peer-reviewable hardiness. Big Ideas we explore include the genes vs. metabolism discussion, why your mitochondria are so important, and the two key therapeutic responses if you believe the metabolic approach.
This is the third book specifically on cancer I got after my brother’s recent diagnosis. When I asked my friend (and coach) Ben Greenfield what books I should be reading he told me to read this one and to “follow it to the t.” So, of course, I immediately got it. It’s astonishingly good. I echo Ben’s advice and say, THIS is the book to read if you or a loved one are dealing with cancer. Dr. Nasha Winters was diagnosed with stage IV terminal ovarian cancer 25 years ago. She was given 3 to 6 months to live and was told Western medicine couldn’t do anything for her so she committed herself to figuring it out—becoming a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist and fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology in the process. 25 years later (!) she’s thriving and has helped thousands of others thrive through cancer by focusing on, as per the title, a “metabolic approach to cancer” that integrates “deep nutrition, the ketogenic diet, and nontoxic bio-individualized therapies.”
This is the second book specifically on cancer I’ve read after my brother Rick was diagnosed with cancer. (The first book was Anticancer.) Travis Christofferson is a science writer. In this great book, he provides a compelling look at the history of scientific research on cancer and the traditional therapeutic models offered—juxtaposing the (traditionally accepted) Somatic Mutation Theory (or SMT) with the (much more compelling) Metabolic Theory of Cancer. Big Ideas we explore include the fact that we’ve spent $100 billion researching cancer and spend $100 billion annually on cancer medications and we’ve seen ZERO improvements in the real death rates from cancer since the 1950s. We look at the one prime cause of cancer (via the Warburg Effect), a fascinating experiment with “recon” cells demonstrating that it's the cytoplasm (not the nucleus) that drives cancer, how to starve cancer and a vision of cancer clinics in the future.
Mark Sisson is a former world-class endurance athlete and one of the leading thinkers and bloggers in the ancestral health movement. His blog MarksDailyApple.com is one of the most-visited health information websites on the Internet. If you’re into the whole “fat is the human body’s preferred fuel” side of the nutrition world, then I think you’ll really love the book. (If you’re not, well then... :) Big Ideas we explore include how to create metabolic efficiency, how to best fuel your metabolic fire (fat = clean-burning logs; carbs = smoky twigs), the three things to go on the Rest (sugars + grains + veggie oils), how to Optimize your lifestyle (exercise + sleep + stress) and the ultimate target: enjoying the whole process!
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Robert Lustig is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology and a member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at University of California, San Francisco. He has authored 120 peer-reviewed articles and 70 reviews and is a leading voice on childhood obesity. And, his YouTube video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” has been viewed over 7 million times. Obesity is a global pandemic. It’s astonishing how rapidly it’s expanding. And it’s COMPLETELY preventable. Lustig has dedicated his career to helping us understand the causes and how to “beat the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity and disease.” Big Ideas we explore include: Meeting the Darth Vader of the Food Empire (“Hi, sugar!”), two hormones driving the show (insulin + leptin), which fat you need to worry about most (big belly vs. big butt fat!), why so many diets work (reduced sugar + fiber), exercise (best ROI in medicine) and voting with ever dollar we *don’t* spend.
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Dr. Mercola is a super-popular alternative health physician who runs the equally popular site Mercola.com. In this book, we get a look at his “Mitochondrial Metabolic Therapy” program. MMT for short. As you could probably guess, this is a high-fat (+ “adequate” protein + low-carb) diet. If that approach fires you up, I think you’ll love the book. If not, well… :) Big Ideas we explore include: meeting our mitochondria (the key to health), why “adequate” protein is where it’s at (not low or moderate or high but “adequate”!), mTOR (the cancer switch), good fats (vs. bad ones), peak fasting, and how to win the urge war.
Dave Asprey is a fascinating guy. He’s a professional bio-hacking machine whose publicly-stated goal is to live to 180. We covered his last book called The Bulletproof Diet and our kitchen’s pantry is filled with a bunch of his Bulletproof products. In this book, he unveils his best bio-hacks for, as the sub-title suggests, “activating untapped brain energy to work smarter and think faster.” Big Ideas we explore: Your brain on energy, kryptonite dust (what’re yours?), mitochondria (one QUADRILLION!), EZ water (how to drop into that spot between a gas and a liquid), and junk light.
This book is an adaptation of a series of essays Katy created over the last five years in which she unpacks her evolving views on what she calls “movement ecology.” It’s not your typical “do X, Y, and Z” optimal living guidebook. It’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at why—as you can guess by the title—Movement Matters and a challenging look at how our individual and cultural decisions have created a sedentary culture and a significant nature debt that few of us ever stop to think about. Big Ideas: Stacking your life, minimalism vs. maximalism, the tree of your life, and redefining success.
Joe De Sena is the founder of the Spartan Race. He’s also, as Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, tells us: “a paragon of grit” who “shows you how you’re capable of so much more than you think.” A paragon of grit. That’s the perfect description. After inspiring us with stories of real-life heroes and ancient Spartan lore, De Sena walks us through the seven pillars of Spartan training + a 30-day plan to get Spartan Fit. Big Ideas we explore include getting to the starting line, developing obstacle immunity, making thousands of small decisions and your gritty oath.
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Q: What do you get when you combine a neuroscientist and a shaman? A: This book! Specifically, as the sub-title suggests we get: “The Neuroscience of Enlightenment." This is a great book. In the Note, we take a quick look at the power of mitochondria, how to move from our amygala to our prefrontal cortex, how to use stress to our advantage, and create new nueral superhighways.
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