chemicals

Well, it has been one month now since I completely stopped using toothpaste, my oral hygiene regimen of rinsing my mouth with baking soda / salt twice a day followed by brushing my teeth with plain water twice a day seems to have actually IMPROVED things!

Stumbling upon a far more effective alternative to mouthwash

I use to use mouthwash but it seems that, after a few hours, the “ickiness” would always return and overnight, well, in the morning I felt like I had drank from a swamp the night before. All those chemicals moving around in my mouth also don’t inspire much confidence considering all the health issues people are having later in life due to environmental and lifestyle choices followed over a lifetime. There HAD to be alternatives, I read a few online articles a few years back and stumbled upon the “salt” rinsing. It’s quite easy, fill a 1/2 cup of hot water and mix in about a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda. The result? Well, the best damn mouthwash you can ever have at a fraction of the price of what is being “marketed” as the best. Throw the rest into an oral irrigator and your mouth will be as clean as an emergency room floor (before the patient comes in of course).

Toothpaste, for all it’s wonders, is actually rather useless

I was brought-up being “marketed” by dentists and businesses that if I don’t use toothpaste, my teeth would fall-out and gingivitis was just around the corner… what a bunch of BS! Standing-up to commercial forces even in the face of conventional wisdom is actually a fantastic habit to have! Most of toothpaste ingredients are geared towards polishing, considering it’s thrown-out a few seconds after being “applied”, it makes you realize how either incredibly potent (ei: dangerous) or useless it really is. Consider toothpaste is a rather recent invention, I can safely say that it isn’t worth the status it has been given.

Results after one month

After one month of the no-toothpaste lifestyle, my gums have went from a slight redness along the gum-line to pink! My mouth always feels fresh and clean even after a meal or a few hours of heavy exercise. Even better… “tartar build-up” is gone and my teeth are actually WHITTER! What can I conclude? Well, I wish I started this regimen 30 years ago! It has saved me money and proven incredibly effective! Before you ask your dentist about following this regimen, realize that he or she, although a professional, is still being marketed rather heavily by companies that want you to use their oral products. Try this regimen for a month, go see your dentist, ask them if they see (or you feel) a difference THEN tell them what you have done!

Is Listerine environmentally friendly?

I have nothing against Listerine or other products but when a far more effective (and cheap) method exists that is environmentally friendly, why are we being marketed bogus junk? Just think of the chemical and logistical footprint that a simple product like Listerine has on the environment? A lot of wasted energy to produce an inferior product… that is mass-produced and marketed as THE BEST when it really falls rather short. I have no qualms about the “chemicals” in my salt/baking-soda mouthwash but who knows the long-term ramifications of the chemicals found in most toothpastes and mouthwashes these days. I think our governments have truly failed us on so many levels, it’s astonishing how much of our daily lives are influenced on a subconscious level by marketing whose focus is on profits rather than co-existing within our environment.

The Bigger Issue: The government doesn’t care

If the government really cared about our health, things such as alcohol, junk food (including TV diners), tobacco products… the list goes on, would simply not be available for consumption much less marketed to us on a daily basis. If the government really cared about the environment, mass-production of useless products when environmentally friendly alternatives existed wouldn’t be profitable. If the government really cared about it’s citizens, it would put a higher priority on physical education (government run gyms, school programs etc) instead of promoting a lifestyle of stagnation. Governments are there to help guide a population regardless of economic considerations but this sadly has changed where financial considerations have a higher priority than of the people it “should” be representing.

The Bottom Line

Only by standing-up against conventional wisdom can truth be discovered.

I got a comment today from a reader of the article I wrote titled LegendaryLife Profile: Mariusz Pudzianowski in which I stated that although bodybuilding has seen huge strives in physique, the same gains in strength in the power lifting world haven’t been achieved. This is the answer I would have given to my younger self knowing what I know now.

Question from Australia:

What I like to know is that these people (as you had mentioned) are from a specific gene pool. Is it possible for a person who does not have the genetics such as theres to achieve strength and fitness not to their level but close to it?

Answer:

Let me be the first to tell you I am not a doctor, sports physician nor expert in the fields of genetics or optimal training so my answer is based off the discussions I have with athletes of all ages, 15 years of studies in the field and personal experiences. Nobody wants to be “second strongest man” so I will re-phrase your question. “Even with bad genetics, can I become the world’s strongest man?” My answer to you is both yes and no. Take this advice at your own risk and don’t even consider following any of it until you understand the WHY behind it.

Yes, you can

Let me be the first to tell you that genetics play a large role in how much strength you can achieve but what is a far bigger factor is your personal ambition to achieve this goal. Some of the most gifted people genetically can amount to absolutely nothing simply due to a lack of desire. If you think you can become the strongest man in the world, then you have a heck of a shot better chance then the average person with achieving this goal. The more important question I have to ask is are you willing to do what it takes? I have met more then my fair share of bodybuilders, gifted athletes and just freaking huge gym rats, by the age of 35 have shot their joints to hell. You see, muscles are capable of growing bigger and stronger up to a certain point far faster then your joins or ligaments can. There are guys who take steroids who can double their strength within six months but let me be the first to tell you that you wouldn’t want to spend one day in those bodies a decade later. Read up on past sports heroes, pro-wrestlers and even great power lifters, what you will find out usually isn’t anything to brag about. Many need hormone replacement therapy the rest of their lives due to steroid abuse, they need a constant stream of sleeping pills and pain killers just to get through the day and their personal lives are a mess. The body can only take so much abuse before it begins to shut off, hence why steroids, growth hormone and a host of other drugs including pain killers must be used on a regular basis just to keep the momentum going or gains from fading. There are exceptions to every rule, but if you really push yourself beyond your physical limits, you will pay a price one way or another.

Ron Coleman for instance looks like the healthiest person in the world, he is HUGE, POWERFUL and quite intelligent but he is completely dependent on “supplements” the rest of his life. He is the result of fantastic genetics meeting incredible determination with lots of help. He is like the 0.1% cream of the crop with an extremely gifted body but he has also been working out most of his life, just look at the photos of him as he progressed in bodybuilding and you will see a slow progression from well built into HULK over an extended period of time. He has earned, in every sense of the word, the body he has but I wouldn’t want to be in his body if he ever reaches the age of 80.

Remember that only in this century was the 5 minute mile broken, somebody had the will to make what others said was impossible, the next day many others achieved exactly the same goal… moral of this story is if you truly believe you can do it, it will happen.

No, you can’t

Now for the cold hearted reality, if you are unwilling to take the drugs, unable to handle the mental stress of lifting huge amounts of weights and don’t have the muscular or bone structure that is capable of supporting massive amounts of pressure then you will never become the strongest man in the world nor anywhere close to it. You may be an incredible one in a 10 million man exception but odds are that you are not. We are all limited by our genetics, sure, drugs allow us to somewhat morph from one body type into another but the underlying structure that supports everything cannot change enough to turn an extreme ectomorph (skinny, has trouble building and maintaining muscles, long arms and legs) into an extreme mesomorph (muscular, builds muscle very easily and athletic build). Your body type is a birthright given by your ancestors, hence why I believe the next revolution in augmenting body types must come at the genetic level BEFORE the body has had time to form itself fully, soon after conception in a petri dish.

Here is my advice to you

I don’t believe in hiding the facts from anybody but before you do anything, learn to eat, train and build goals for yourself to make your dream of being almost as strong as the Bill Kazmaiers of this world a probability. I am assuming your in your teenage years, so don’t even consider taking steroids, growth hormone or any other supplements as they will screw you up big time (protein and creatine are fine). Your body is swimming in testosterone, this is THE TIME to take full advantage of this, eat and train like a madman, strive for 10 pounds of muscle PER YEAR. Work on your foundation, hit the gym and read all you can about bodybuilding and improving your health. After a few years of doing this and once you have stopped growing (your growth plates have sealed), if you still want to be the worlds strongest man, then additional supplementation is a must. I know it isn’t politically correct to say this but you don’t become a 280 pound man with huge muscles by just eating oatmeal every morning. Be warned though, once you take this path there is NO going back. You will have the body of a God for maybe 10-15 years if things are done well but expect a future of erectile dysfunctions beginning after your first cycle even with post cycle therapy (clomid, nolva etc.). Expect to become addicted to pain killers and don’t expect to be in any kind of healthy shape, if your body doesn’t pop beforehand, in your senior years. From one guy to another, to be blunt, if you have the body of a God but can’t do anything with a woman you are deeply attracted to in bed, it will tear your mind apart and crying like a little boy.

My goal is to live to 150 years old, as such, steroids, growth hormones and many other supplements are in my future but I won’t even consider the possibility until I am mid to post manopause (male version of menopause) in my early 40s… even then, these will be maintenance levels of maybe 80-100 mg a week of testosterone, nowhere near abuse levels that are exponentially higher. Sure I will end up with size 18 shoes and cranium the size of a basketball by the time I die but this will be my choice to make. It’s your body and your choice but I would advise you heavily not to even touch drugs of any kind until you have reached at least 200 pounds in bodyweight with a single digit body fat percentage in your early 20s, naturally being the strongest guy in the biggest gym in your town. If you cannot achieve this, then I am sorry but you simply don’t have the genetics to be THE strongest man in the world, you will become strong, no doubt about it… but not THE strongest, becoming instead, best friends with your neighborhood dialysis machine by the time you hit 30 if not sooner with no cute girlfriend or wife to soak up your tears after realizing you just threw away your life.

Where the need for male strength all began

I believe that men, at some primal level, are attracted to being the biggest in the land. For instance, I am slightly taller then Mariusz Pudzianowski but he outweighs me by 100 pounds of pure muscle. If we met in a jungle and had to fight for the last woman on Earth, unless I had a gun, I wouldn’t stand a chance in hell even if I had a baseball bat. Since the dawn of time, animals (including us) have fought for reproductive opportunities for that one incredible, one in a million, female… before wealth came into the picture, which provides security in our modern age, physical prowess was the deciding factor. Women want a man that can protect her and her child from danger. For instance, if you where in a jungle full of tigers, would you want to have a child with Woody Allen or Arnold Schwarzenegger?

The Bottom Line

I know I probably swamped you with more information then you can probably comprehend, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Your job now is NOT to follow my advice blindly but understand the WHY behind my response. This isn’t even touching the surface of what you need to know, the answers are out there, it’s your job is to find them. Best of luck!

Check out Big Ron Coleman’s Website to get some inspiration as to what IS possible, he IS the strongest bodybuilder out there right now and I think his body looks better then Bill Kazmaier’s or Mariusz Pudzianowski’s for that matter.

There are two types of lies in this world, those you tell yourself and those you tell others… smokers seem to be experts in both! Caring about their health while smoking is one of the biggest.

Drug addicts are all the same

So far, I have talked to smokers from Canada, United States, Australia, Malaysia, Japan and Korea over an extended period of time and the excuses are all the same. They seem to relish describing how “addicted” or “hardcore” they are. I was talking to one addict yesterday and they where quite proud to say their breath smelled like that of an ash tray… interesting, another from Australia told me exactly the same thing while I was in that country! Here are some fantastically delusional lies you can expect to hear from a smoker (feel free to add more):

I can quit anytime

If this where true, they could quit right now but just try to get enough guts and throw their pack away in front of them… they will run like a squirrel right into the bin to get them. I know… I have done this several times with the same results.

I don’t smoke that much

Sadly, the effects of smoking both primary and second (onto non-smokers) is cumulative. You won’t die right away from emphysema or COD but I wouldn’t want to be a lung in a smokers body after a few decades of continual self-poisoning.

I feel fine

Next time a drug addict tells you that they feel fine, ask them to join you for a hike up a sizable hill… their tune will change guaranteed. The reason they feel fine is because they are use to living in a marginalized body, not because they are actually “fine”.

It helps me keep my shape (slim)

There are two ways to keep your body in shape, one is to exercise and the other is to under-feed it. Sure, smoking is keeping you slim, but guess what, you can accomplish far more by working out and quitting smoking then otherwise. What you are doing is actually starving your body, making it waste resources trying to clean the crap out of the air you take in instead of improving or optimizing it.

My father/mother/uncle smoked till they where 90 years old!

George Burns also smoked a cigar until he hit 100 years old, sure, there are some people out there with wonder genetics but odds are, you don’t have them. Imagine if George Burns never smoked, he might still be alive today! Regardless of how you cut it, smoking WILL reduce not only your lifespan but the quality of the live you live dramatically with time.

Smokers Facing Death

I had a grandfather who I wish everyday never smoked because he died a painful death over several years, his body was fine but his lungs where shot from a live addicted to cigarettes. Now, this week, I got news that one of my uncles, one who saw what my grandfather went through his final years, has been diagnosed with lunch cancer caused by smoking. My grandfather openly admitted that if he ever got a lung transplant that the first thing he would to is smoke and oddly, my uncle, even while at hospital surrounded by smokers slowly fading away, still had the conscience to go… you guessed it right… smoke in hiding! Each and every smokers has to face up to the fact that one day, guaranteed, they will face their maker far sooner then anticipated due to a slow, selfish, purposeful self-poisoning of the very body they inhabit.

Unfunny Joke

Here is an unfunny joke I seem to repeat to myself just about every time I see somebody smoking. What is the difference between a smoker and a junkie? One uses a legal substance. Sad isn’t it… mentally, a junkie is in the same place as a smoker.

How do I treat smokers?

I take my health very seriously, to the point that if I find out a friend smokes, they are no longer somebody I associate myself with. I would honestly prefer to be alone the rest of my life then to spend it with somebody hell bent on destroying their health. There is no sugar coating things, smokers have a death wish but are too much of a coward to get it over with, instead, they drag the emotions of those around them into the hole they inhabit. My only exception to this “banish them from my sight” rule is family but then I try to spend my time outdoors with them as much as possible, limiting exposure to second-hand smoke. Would I ever hire somebody who smoked? Nope, politically correct or not, why the hell would I want to invest my time and resources into somebody who doesn’t give a damn about themselves?

Spiders on Drugs

To some, alright, many out there, this may seem kinda harsh but I live my life by many simple rules, at the top of my list is that if you don’t care about yourself, then I don’t care about you. I do have a very well developed sense of humor so here is something to lighten up the mood on a serious topic. The effect of drugs on spiders! If you can’t laugh at even the worst of things, then the thoughts that follow them have no way out of your head.

The Bottom Line

Reversing a denial is the first step towards a successful life.

A new study out of Australia has found out that working next to some laser printers is just as unhealthy as working next to a smoker! Just when you thought your office was safe, yet another reason to think otherwise! This may be yet another reason why many people working in large “recycled air” office buildings suffer from sick building syndrome.

Study Findings

• 62 printers tested
• 60% of printers emitted no particles at all
• 27% of laser printers are considered high particle emitters
• one out of the 62 printers produced the equivalent of a smokers cigarette
• cartridge age and toner coverage (on printed page) are risk factors
• some printers may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Ozone and various particles
• concentration of hazardous substances in the office where significantly higher during work hours then non-working hours
• during working hours, indoor air quality was WORSE then air quality found outside
• very few studies exist regarding harmful byproducts of printer (electronic) usage

Emitter sorted by Printer

Results for Printer Emission Investigations, Based on the Ratio of Submicrometer Particle Number Concentration Peak Value Emitted by the Printer to the Background Value (measured by P-Trak)

non-emitter (ratio 1)

• HP Color LaserJet 4550DN
• HP Color LaserJet 8500DN
• HP LaserJet 2200DN
• HP LaserJet 2300dtn
• HP LaserJet 4 plus
• HP LaserJet 4000N
• HP LaserJet 4000TN
• HP LaserJet 4050N
• HP LaserJet 4050TN
• HP LaserJet 4si
• HP LaserJet 5(b)
• HP LaserJet 5000n
• HP LaserJet 5100tn
• HP LaserJet 5N
• HP LaserJet 5si
• HP LaserJet 5si/NX
• HP LaserJet 8000DN
• HP LaserJet 8150DN
• Mita DC 4060 (photo copy)
• RICOH Aficio 2022
• RICOH Aficio 3045
• RICOH Aficio 3245C
• RICOH Aficio CC3000DN
• TOSHIBA Studio 350

low level emitter (ratio < 1.1-5)

• Canon IRC6800
• HP LaserJet 5M
• HP LaserJet
• 9000dn
• RICOH
• CL3000DN

middle level emitter (ratio < 5.1-10)

• HP LaserJet 1020
• HP LaserJet 4200dtn

high level emitter (ratio > 10)

• HP Color LaserJet 4650dn
• HP Color LaserJet 5550dtn
• HP Color LaserJet 8550N
• HP LaserJet 1320N
• HP LaserJet 1320n
• HP LaserJet 2420dn
• HP LaserJet 4200dtn
• HP LaserJet 4250n (old)
• HP LaserJet 4250n (new)
• HP LaserJet 5
• HP LaserJet 8000DN
• HP LaserJet 8150N
• TOSHIBA Studio 450

What is Toner anyhow?

Toner is mostly made of plastic which is in the form of very small particulates which then adhere to the page as it gets printed by the printer. It does not evaporate like water, it travels by air currents and what doesn’t settle on paper eventually does so on surfaces such as desks, chairs, floor and any other office equipment or people. If you vacuum your office, be sure to get one that traps particles down to 0.3 microns in size to pickup this particulate matter, otherwise, your lungs will be the eventual filter.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t the first study confirming that indoor air quality is worse then that found outside, so always keep a window open next to your workplace.

Buzzvia
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/html/es063049z.html

Much like alcohol, the substances in cola acts as fantastic leaching agents throughout the body. Cola such as Pepsi and Coke, should only be given to the drain.

Study finds the link

A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found a link between women who consume colas and the risk of acquiring brittle bone disease (Osteoporosis). The study was conducted on 2500 men and women who where just under 60 years of age. Essentially, the more cola consumed, the lower the mineral bone density found in the test subjects. An important note is that this occurred regardless of the amount of calcium (vitamin D) intake, alcohol, age, cigarette or alcohol consumption. Oddly enough, it isn’t the carbonation that seems to have caused a decrease in mineral bone density as other types of soda pop didn’t produce a decrease in density.

What is Cola anyhow?

Colas are a product category invented by Coke, hence why you see Coca-Cola on many of their products. They where once promoted as a “health supplement” leading to optimal health and wellbeing… I hope this rings a very loud bell in your head regarding “health and wellbeing” products being sold today. The base ingredients in most types of cola are citrus, lime, orange, lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg along with a host of sweeteners. The name originally comes from the kola nuts that where once used as a base component but has since fallen out of favor.

What does Cola do to your body?

There is nothing healthy about the ingredients used to produce a cola beverage, put a steel nail in a glass of coke for 24 hours and this will give you an idea of what occurs inside of you when you drink these products. They are extremely acidic, hence, your body must use minerals from throughout your body to neutralize the acidity level for further processing.

The Bottom Line

Colas, like alcohol, can be easily replaced with other liquids such as water, juices and teas.

Buzzvia
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2536421&page=1
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=162805

Of course, the cheapest way clean anything is to simply not clean it at all but that isn’t an option unless your a dorm room student. The second easiest and effective cleaning method is to use steam, which is what I think no home should be without but the third is to mix common household chemicals when a liter of gas with a match simply won’t do.

Acid: Vinegar

Look in your kitchen, I am sure you have something acidic like, say, vinegar. Now, mix this vinegar with equal parts water (ratio 1:1) in a spray bottle… all done! Acids are great at dissolving tough stains and especially against mineral buildups, I use to use a liter of pure vinegar in my water distillation machine and it would work better on its own then all the scrubbing in the world. The additional benefit of using a common household acid like vinegar is that it’s cheap, easy to find anywhere in the world and you can eat off it right afterwards without fear of being poisoned.

Oxidizer: Hydrogen Peroxide

Say you have a stain that simply won’t go away, be it on carpet or marble on a counter top where leaving vinegar on there for an extended period of time will do more harm then good. Well, this is where Hydrogen Peroxide comes in, although H2O2 is a weak acid, it’s a fantastic oxidizer, antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent. Throw a bit of this onto the vinegar:water solution you made up and this will speed up the chemical process significantly.

Base: Baking Soda

Let’s say you go a little crazy with the vinegar around the house and start to see some discoloration or things start to feel a little funny, don’t throw water on it, throw a base such as baking soda. This will neutralize any chemical reactions going on, including those enhanced with the power of Hydrogen Peroxide. You can also use baking soda as a scouring agent, vinegar is great for most applications when diluted with water but it doesn’t provide the grit needed for really tough stains like in bathtubs. Baking soda also has additional properties that make it great for around the house, it’s an incredibly effective deodorizer (especially on carpets), tarnish remover (just mix it with warm water), fabric softener, incredibly effective poison ivy rash treater and you can even mix it with cocaine to make crack! How is that for diversity!

Ultimate Weapon: Alcohol

I am not asking you to pour Jack Daniels on your stains but if you are really having a tough time with some stains, diluted alcohol works great, especially on hard surfaces. Unlike Hydrogen Peroxide, which is also an oxidizer, alcohol has the added benefit of dehydration in addition to being a very strong base. Put another way, if a mixture of water + vinegar + hydrogen perodixde doesn’t to the job, try it again using alcohol, you can also throw in a bit of baking soda as well.

Summary

Well, I have now provided you with the power of knowledge, you no longer need to buy ANY store cleaners for the rest of your life, this will save you a small fortune, protect the environment and get your house just as clean without any ill effects of touching or breathing in harmful fumes. I personally prefer to use a steam cleaner myself, but these compounds are just as effective.

Do be careful though, just because these items are easily bought and relatively safe, these same compounds can make for a very explosive situation, so work your way up to higher concentrations on those pesky stains. Remember those elementary school science projects showcasing the power of volcano using baking soda and vinegar, well, this is what your are playing with.

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is a very powerful weapon in the face of consumer mass marketing of household cleaning products.

In the futile effort of many baby boomers to hold onto their youth as the effects of aging take their toll – many are moving to the a possible fountain of youth – Human Growth Hormone (HGH).

What is Growth Hormone?

Growth Hormone (GH) is a protein secreted by our pituitary gland which essentially tells the bodies cells to grow and multiply. Originally this hormone was taken out of cadavers (dead people) but due to the high risk of acquiring Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), modern science now reproduces Growth Hormone synthetically. The “Human” addition to the Growth Hormone refers to the fake or synthetic derivative.

Why is HGH used in the medical profession?

The most common use of Human Growth Hormone was for treating children with biological retardation (ei: falling behind height curves) as a result of their own bodies not producing enough on their own. It’s also used in the case of people injured who can benefit from an increase in rapid muscle and bone mass production or to counteract conditions which lead to severe wasting. You must inject HGH to realize its effects, simply taking a pill, no matter the concentration of HGH present, DOES NOT WORK.

Why do people self-medicate (used loosely) themselves?

Although this has been in the news over the past few months, from Sylvester Stallone being caught entering Australia with a case of these hormones to the chronic abuse of HGH by athletes (bodybuilders in particular), there are various reasons for people taking the leap.

1.It works!
Inject enough HGH into your body and you WILL notice a dramatic change in not only your bodies composition but also strength and size. I have read report after report indicating that the users experience a rejuvenation of sorts, from amazing sleep to soft new skin and everything in between.

2.Easily available
Since HGH is synthetically produced, theoretically an unlimited supply can be created, although this has done little to cut treatment costs (running from $10K to $40K US a year), it does mean that finding sources, both legit and on the black market are easily found.

3.Everybody is doing it
Hey, if celebrities can do it, we can to right! WRONG… a rapidly growing population of baby boomers finding it socially acceptable to screw around with their hormonal balance does little to help “the cause” when supplementation isn’t medically warranted. If your friend jumps off a bridge, does that make it any safer for you to do it as well?

Hey, if it’s so great – why doesn’t everybody inject HGH!

Now, I know that most likely you are neither born with Acromegaly nor a professional bodybuilder so to the average baby boomer, what does HGH supplementation mean? What are the consequences? Well, think of Growth Hormone as gas. When you want to drive faster down the highway, you put “pedal to the metal” and as a result, end up loosing fuel efficiency at the cost of greater speed. Although not proven scientifically, the signs seem to indicate that taking extra GH has the same effect on your lifespan, sure you look great but at the cost of longevity. There is also a number of risks with HGH supplementation that you should know about as well, none to be taken lightly if I may add as they are avoidable by not taking it in the first place such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, joint pain (may become severe), decrease in insulin sensitivity, change in body morphology (increase in bone and muscle with reduction in fat), feeling of “pins and needles” on feet and hands and an increase in fluid retention.

Extremes of Growth Hormone Production and Supplementation

I would love to be 9ft tall weighing 850lbs of raw muscle but to be honest, life would be pretty cool being the planets only super hero Jokes aside, there are some severe consequences to having too much HGH in your system at any age.

Remember Andre Rene Roussimoff (also known as Andre “The Giant”) – he was a “up to” 7 ft 4 weighing over 600lbs (depending on the promotion). He was probably among the strongest people on earth and grew like a weed during his youth. The consequence of all this extra GH running through his veins? Acromegaly, which essentially is an over-production of tissue, bone and size which caused him severe pain once he got out of the great teenage years. Although he lived a very full life due to his condition, he also suffered greatly through many surgeries to relieve pressure causing pain throughout his body simply due to its bulk. Sadly, we cannot adjust our genetic potential as a species to fit extremes of most kinds.

Bodybuilders are incredibly abusive of HGH, unlike Andre “The Giant”, their growth plates have sealed up (ei: can’t grow in height) so with their constant self-induced injections, they simply grow across. If you notice in the past 15 years, bodybuilders these days, especially in the pro-ranks all seem to be 9 months pregnant, have a very strong (almost caveman like) facial features and most importantly, wider then most houses. You, my friend, are seeing what HGH can lead to when taken to medically unsafe, extreme quantities. Sure, these guys are approaching 285 lbs “cut” with almost no bodyfat to be found but I hope these extremes help you understand what “too much of a good thing” can cause.

HGH = Cancer?

There is heated debates as to how much a role GH plays in cancer production but more importantly, if supplementation with HGH causes or makes a Cancer worst then otherwise would have taken place. Cancer is essentially healthy cells going into overdrive, multiplying like crazy due to hormonal, physiological or genetic instructions – to say that GH may be like adding gas to a flame isn’t a stretch as all cells have GH receptors, it actually sounds very logical to say there is a cause/effect going on here. I believe the jury is still deliberating on this but keep this in mind, it isn’t something to be taken lightly.

Will I ever take HGH?

What bothers me most about medically unwarranted long term use of HGH supplementation is the benefits/consequences of self-medication are unknown… like laser eye surgery, I prefer to wait a few decades till clear guidelines to minimize risk are established. I am lucky in a way, baby boomers fighting against their own mortality will lead to incredible advances in Gerontology (treatment of age related conditions) that will benefit my lifespan greatly, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a doctor told me in a few decades to take it, that I would of course.

The Bottom Line

If you want to play with fire, don’t complain if you get burned.

No matter your personal views on how bodybuilders achieve their astonishing physiques, you can’t help but be amazed at how they are able to continually push the outer limits of the human body.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Bodybuilding is one of those few sports where experimentation in drug compounds is a requirement, suffice it to say that you need to take more then your daily multi-vitamin to even touch the top ranks of the sport No matter how hard Joe Weider has tried through the years to turn bodybuilding into an Olympic event, the use of drugs ensure it will never happen. I still consider bodybuilding among the toughest and most grueling physically, mentally and socially sports out there – from the exact nutrient timing to hours spent in the gym – bodybuilding is not a sport but a lifestyle that very few can adhere to, much less excel in.

What can we learn from bodybuilders?

Quite a lot actually, for instance, take a look at 50 year old Vince Taylor who has been living the bodybuilding lifestyle and competing for over two decades (http://www.vincetaylor.com). His skin looks free of wrinkles, the muscle mass and definition are not only beyond belief but put into question the entire concept that we “depreciate” with age. His external physical attributes put most of the young bodybuilders half his age to shame – he also competed directly against 31 year old Jay Cutler (http://www.jaycutler.com/) for the Mr. Universe title on September 30th 2006. The internal imagery we all have of getting older doesn’t need to happen – with an active and closely watched lifestyle you CAN make a very large difference in how you age.

Bodybuilders influence on sport development

I find this the most difficult aspect of bodybuilding, in the past few decades, as sport and chemical knowledge have increased, so has the level of athleticism in just about every sport. Are you a swimmer? A tennis player or even a basketball player – the push of bodybuilders into physique development has played a role in the evolution of your sport (and just about all the others). They are responsible for turning what use to be frown upon such as muscle development with high intensity training and diet into something not only mainstream but a requirement to compete at the higher levels. Just about any sport nowadays where the difference between a medal is sometimes only milliseconds has benefited greatly from their sacrifices.

When to draw the line

I do believe that bodybuilders are beyond the cutting edge at the moment though, they achieve phenomenal results but oddly enough, at the cost of their own health. The human body just isn’t engineered for constant, balls-out punishment year after year, decade after decade… no matter how good the nutrition or training, adaptation is a slow process that requires breaks. Yes, bodybuilders have passed the natural plateau but they pay a very high price for this achievement that won’t begin to be seen later in life. When you consider the heart of a 150lbs teenage boy is the same heart as the one found in a 300+ pound bodybuilder, you begin to realize how much our bodies are able to cope with stress, but like anything, cracks will appear.

Double Standards: Bodybuilders vs Couch Potatoes

What is worse for your body, being a bodybuilder or a couch potato? Well, if you go the drug free (or moderate) route, bodybuilding is fantastic for your body but like anything… you need to go slow and build on past success. What I have yet to understand is why governments around the world are hell bent on keeping steroid use underground (by banning them) and barring certain beneficial supplements (ei: creatine, ephedrine… ) yet have no problem with people smoking, drinking and purchasing incredibly unhealthy fast foods. Banning potentially beneficial products but keeping blatantly detrimental ones legal. This is a double standard which I believe is completely unfair. What bodybuilders are showing us is the potential for a true fountain of youth, if studied further by the scientific community.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I am a great fan of bodybuilding because it’s the extreme opposite of how most North Americans live their lives – don’t get me wrong – you wouldn’t want to be “in” neither of these bodies for any extended period of time – but they are great examples of how little we know about our own body… and how much we can learn if we allow the politics behind our very own health not get in the way. I believe a life of moderation, tough physical activities with proper diet BUT with adequate breaks to allow the body to fully recover is the best route to a long, healthy life.

The Bottom Line

Bodybuilders have a lot to teach all of us… if we allow our biases to pass.

Go through the aisles of your local food market, it seems that everything now says “all natural”, “natural ingredients”, “organic” or their many derivatives. Even what is traditionally known as junk food is starting to look pretty good - but is it?

Natural = Healthier?

Ask people on the street what their definition of what a natural product is and what you will hear is that it’s healthier for you, organically sourced and usually unprocessed. I guess somebody forgot to tell this to the food manufacturers

The problem is most people only read the front of the box their food comes in instead of looking in the back - sections called ingredients and the food label!

Ingredients list

In North America at least, the ingredient list is sorted by most to least, so if you see for instance olive oil followed by flour, it means there is more olive oil then flour in the food you are about to consume. What it doesn’t tell you is if the flour was deep-fried in olive oil.

The fact is, the ingredients list is a good start but I sure wish it told me a little more about how a food was “processed”. The fact is something can be labeled “all natural” and still contain a lot of sugar, fats and other ingredients not normally associated with healthy eating make some “healthy natural foods” essentially overpriced junk food.

Labels lie

You got to wonder who writes the FDA specifications for food labels, the government or the food company. If I tell you I am finally debt-free, that means I no longer have ANY debt. Not so according to FDA specs. Using their logic, I can still be in debt with many creditors yet, still being considered debt-free if I spread the debt around enough to create smaller amounts.

Now, when you go through the specifications, notice how it usually says, “per serving size”, this is very tricky. Go through your cupboard, look at your favorite food and eat ONLY the serving size - I bet you will be surprised as how little companies think you actually eat of their product. If regularly eat 3-6x the suggested serving size, so that means what the food label said should be multiplied 3-6x - but most don’t realize to do this final multiplication. No wonder obesity and diabetes is reaching pandemic proportions!

FDA Specifications for labeling claims

Fat-Free Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil
Low fat 3 grams or less of fat per serving
Less fat 25% or less fat than the comparison food
Saturated Fat Free Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving
Cholesterol-Free Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Low Cholesterol 20 mg or less cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving
Reduced Calorie At least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food
Low Calorie 40 calories or less per serving
Extra Lean Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood
Lean Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood
Light (fat) 50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food (ex: 50% less fat than our regular cheese)
Light (calories) 1/3 fewer calories than the comparison food
High-Fiber 5 grams or more fiber per serving
Sugar-Free Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving
Sodium-Free or Salt-Free Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving
Low Sodium 140 mg or less per serving
Very Low Sodium 35 mg or less per serving
Healthy A food low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and contains at least 10% of the Daily Values for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber
“High”, “Rich in” or “Excellent Source” 20% or more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient per serving
“Less”, “Fewer” or “Reduced” At least 25% less of a given nutrient or calories than the comparison food
“Low”, “Little”, “Few”, or “Low Source of” An amount that would allow frequent consumption of the food without exceeding the Daily Value for the nutrient - but can only make the claim as it applies to all similar foods
“Good Source Of”, “More”, or “Added” The food provides 10% more of the Daily Value for a given nutrient than the comparison food

Fat-free foods is an oxymoron
I hope the above chart made you realize how trivial your nutrition is taken into account by those you may trust to feed and protect your family, now one more interesting fact. Here is a simple calorie calculation chart:

1 gram fat = 9 calories
1 gram protein = 4 calories
1 gram carbohydrate = 4 calories
1 gram alcohol = 7 calories

People purchase foods that are labeld fat-free (I hope you now realize they can still contain fat), now for a shocker… if you really did eat food that 100% fat free but it contained carbohydrates or alcohol, guess what happens to all the extra calories you consumed - your body converts it to fat. So you can still become fat by eating fat-free foods.

The Bottom Line

Cook all your own meals using fresh ingredients; this will save you from a lot of potential health problems in the future caused by an improper diet.

Salt is an essential mineral for much of the life on this planet and it’s actually the only mineral we need to consume on a regular basis to maintain good health.

Where does salt come from?

Without getting too technical, all salt comes from the sea floor. Think of our oceans as huge mixing pots, on the surface of our planet we have rivers that constantly feed our oceans vast amounts of weathered debris that have too many or too little ions. While at the bottom of our oceans we have huge fields of volcanoes that produce mostly hydrogen and chloride ions. Through various biological processes, all the dissolved materials from the river and volcanoes are used up except for sodium and chloride ions.

Over time, the concentration of sodium and chloride become so great that they form a solid precipitate called sodium chloride (halite) in the water. When you eat something containing salt, what instantly happens is that your body separates the sodium chloride into sodium and chloride.

Salt for Food

What did people use to preserve their food before modern day refrigeration? SALT! Salt is so essential to cooking that you will rarely find a kitchen without a healthy supply of it on hand at all times. Adding salt to water increases its boiling temperature thus reducing the cooking time, it makes peeling hard boiled eggs an easier task, deodorizes closed containers and kitchen surfaces, kill and inhibit mold and bacteria from forming on food. Salt is also used for seasoning dishes and even used by chefs the world over to convert their pots and pans into temporary non-stick ones for cooking!

Salt in everyday life

We don’t just eat salt, we also use it to improve our lifestyle. Salt is put on roads in the winter to dissolve ice by decreasing its freezing point, used as a deodorant for various industrial processes and used to stop grease fires dead in their tracks. It’s used heavily as an essential mineral within many heat exchangers (coolants), combining waste products together, turning toxic materials into benign ones and even as a base substance in the process of manufacturing glass, paper, textiles and glazes. Many of us even have water conditioners in our homes that use salt to turn hard water into soft.

Salt and our health

Salt has been used for eons to clean wounds and prevent infection, reduce the likeliness of developing hypothermia, disinfecting our water and for people suffering from lung conditions, clear their air pathways. Excess or lack is also believed to be a risk factor for developing hypertension, cardiovascular disease and a host of other ailments. Excess salt intake causes our bodies to hold more water, thus leading towards a rounded undefined look - it’s also thought to be a big player in the epidemic of obesity ravaging our cultures.

The Bottom Line

Salt is import for all of us, lets give it the respect it deserves and stop abusing it.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of premature death in the United States and many other industrialized countries.

I run a health site – of course my enemy #1 is tobacco related products, followed by obesity and general health laziness – all of which are lifestyle CHOICES that lead to a premature death and dramatic decrease in the quality of life.

My experiences with smoking and smokers

When I was a kid, I was as curious as anybody else and did try smoking – if everybody was doing it (especially back then)… it should be good for me too Well, I took one puff and my throat constricted and I felt like I inhaled a camp fire as I coughed immediately and vowed to never do that again. As I come from a French Canadian background, smoking seems to “us” as natural as eating or sleeping, when I visit my relatives – they pretty much all smoke (or are in the cycle of vowing to quit). So to me, living a life with nicotine addiction would not have been frowned upon very much.

If smoking is so bad for you – why do people do it?

I have come to the realization of many things in my 30 years of existence, the main factors as to why I think people prefer to slowly kill themselves instead of simply getting a gun and getting it over with are:

Smokers… a generation lost

We have added a new section on myfoodcount.com, it’s within our “famous people, everyday problems” section under Nicotine Addicts. I was surprised how many really famous people died prematurely from smoking related causes… here is a partial list of only entertainers (we have almost 300 so far from all fields of life).

If tobacco related products are so bad to you – why can you still buy them?

I blame this squarely on our government – the “don’t smoke” ads are a joke, they tend to make smoking look like eating cheese, “its not that bad for you but hey, if you want to stop eating cheese, give us a call”. The penalties regarding underage smoking are rarely enforced and worse, the government subsidizes tobacco producers (????).

The Bottom Line

Nobody cares about your health other then you… so you must take the initiative and make it YOUR top priority.

LINK OF INTEREST
Cigarette manufacturers increase nicotine yield in the past 6 years
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=2371123

As the effects of tobacco use in North America are leading to a slow but steady decline in their use, the opposite is true throughout the rest of the world. The big tobacco companies really don’t care too much about all the lawsuits etc in a shrinking market, they are already well ahead of the game in places like China and India - although the profits are not as high, having a strangle hold over more then half of the worlds population without having to worry about regulations more then offsets this.

Prohibition doesn’t work

Prohibition leads to increased value of banned products so here are some of my ideas that I think would play a significant role in reducing tobacco (and their related products) by being used globally.

Let us begin with tobacco

I also believe the above should also be adopted for beverages that contain over 30% alcohol to start as they also provide no benefit to society. If you govern a population where a moderate percentage needs to get drunk to get through another week - there is something wrong.

Long term effects of a healthy population

Study have outlined how a healthy people becomes less of a burden on health care, are more productive and generally see things in a brighter light. Getting rid of products that are counter to improving health should be strictly regulated. I doubt very much this will happen in my lifetime, there is simply too much pressure to keep things at their current status quo - but I can share my dream of a healthier society.

The Bottom Line

I think if the above was implemented and enforced, the leading causes of preventable death in this world today could be stamped out in a generation.

Like many other people interested in “peak” health, I have read up and discussed anabolic steroid use with both users and health practitioners - consequently I have learned a lot about anabolic steroids. I have skimmed over a lot of information on purpose - it is up to you to educate yourself.

Essentially it comes down to health practitioners and politicians who say NO and people deeply involved in their own health being either on the fence or dabbing in it.

What are steroids and how do they work?

Anabolic steroids are the synthetic derivatives of the naturally occurring male anabolic hormone testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that is responsible for the secondary sex characteristics you see in males such as deep voice, body hair etc. It helps in the burning of fat and increases protein synthesis (ei: more and faster muscle buildup).

Although there is a very large variation in the amount of testosterone produced by a healthy male throughout their lifetime, the testes produce between 50 and 70 mg (milligram) a week, usually peaking in the mid 20s. Woman also produce testosterone, but in far lesser quantities. What athletes are doing with steroids is simply augmenting their natural production artificially, usually several fold.

Although their exact working mechanism is still unknown, it is theorized that it they prevent muscle breakdown (catabolism) after an intense workout and greatly accelerates muscle protein synthesis.

This stuff actually works

Honestly, I would love to add an extra 50lbs of muscle onto my frame increase my overall strength and have the body of my dreams. Unlike 99.9% of the supplements sold at your local health food store, anabolic steroids actually do work - when mixed with the proper diet, exercise, growth hormones, IGF-1, insulin, post cycle therapy etc- its quite dramatic what can be achieved in 1-2 years of a carefully executed regime. Unlike what you may read, steroids are not the lazy mans muscle builder, if you don’t eat and exercise correctly; you will get nothing from taking them. More importantly, the stronger your foundation is BEFORE you take them, the better you will respond and be able to keep the gains made.

To take or not to take?

I think it’s a very personal issue whether to go to what term the “dark side of athleticism”. I have seriously considered taking them myself but let me tell you why I chose NOT to take that route.

Steroids are incredibly easy to secure, the fact that many countries consider them “illegal” simply makes for a larger markup by suppliers. Laws do very little to curb their use and I would argue once again that prohibition does nothing but harm those who are uneducated before taking the plunge. Do not fool yourself in believing availability equals safety; they can still cause lifelong disruptions in your hormonal balance which may lead to both psychological and physiological consequences.

My main reason oddly is health related, remember those “Popeye the Sailor Man” comics, for those unfamiliar with the character, when his girlfriend would get in trouble, he would chug down a can of spinach and develop a super human body that would allow him to save her. Well, when executed as part of an overall plan, your body is working 200%+ at making your dream body a reality. This has negative side effects that aren’t fully realized until you really get “off the juice”. You go from giving your body all the testosterone it wants to 0 (you must get completely off eventually) but your body doesn’t adapt that quickly so if your lucky, with proper post cycle therapy your body will return to its normal balance. You will still slowly loose your gains regardless, there is nothing you can take other then more steroids to get those gains back and keep growing beyond your natural genetic potential. Many bodybuilders as a result refer to steroids use as two-steps up and one-step down system. I simply do not see myself doing this to my body; I believe mine deserves better then a hormonal roller coaster ride.

Natural Realistic Results

With proper diet, exercise, sleep and monitoring - anybody can develop the body they desire (within reason). Sure I may never be a solid 250lbs guy with 25-inch arms and a six-pack but when I consider the emotional, physical and financial costs of introducing “supplements”, right now it doesn’t bother me very much. I am very happy with the slow but steady gains I can produce with my bodies own testosterone supply. I have great admiration and respect for what bodybuilders and other athletes are able to achieve either on or off the sauce, I am a great fan of bodybuilding. I simply realize that the life they lead not one I wish to proceed with at this point in my life.

Will I ever take steroids?

I honestly do not know. I love my body and what it is able to do for me, and I continue to feed it a steady diet to keep is as healthy as possible. I have seen many articles about how older men benefit greatly from testosterone augmentation. There is no such thing as a testosterone overdose nor can you die from using it, unlike what you may read, the health “costs” are negligible as long as you are monitored by a doctor and do not abuse them. All those horrible stories you hear from users are those who didn’t know what they where doing to begin with. As for me, time will tell me if and when I need them.

The Bottom Line

Educate yourself about a product before you take a plunge, read as many sources as possible (both “for” and against), then make your own personal decision. I, for one, would not stop politics from either side, in getting in the way of my own goals in life.

UPDATE - May 28, 2006

Here is a fantastic report about Steroids in Health Men
http://www.steroidlaw.com/images/steroids_0002.wmv

Against

Steroids use is NOT an HIV risk factor anymore then diabetes testing is. Ignorant scare tactics and absolute rubish have no place in this discussion - use a new needle each time & don’t share them and you don’t need to ever worry about HIV
Fastastic Educational Resource
Anabolex.com

Fantastic site! Learn from users, see how others have faired over months and years then make up your own mind.