Guest guest Posted March 7, 2004 Report Share Posted March 7, 2004 >Good ol' cod liver oil. aren't you concerned about >excessive A and D. and I guess you don't think much of >flax or hemp oil anymore? See below >Also, do you still publish your newsletter or have a web version? Info at medherb.com Ok, on fats: We need both omega 6 and omega 3 fats to be healthy. Among the 3's we need both EPA and DHA. EPA is antiinflammatory, and DHA confers insulin sensitivity. Traditionally we got our omega-6 fats from nuts and seeds, and these feed both the Type 1 and Type 2 prastaglandin pathways. We got the omega-6 arachidonic acid from meat. This is " pro inflammatory " but that also means " pro-immunity " which is why it is important. Dietary amounts of arachidonic acid are not a problem if they are accompanied by the omega-3 EPA. Salmon, for instance, has more arachidonic acid than beef, but also more omega-3 EPA. Historically we got our EPA and DHA preformed in the meat (including fish). Today we emphasize fish, but historically, we got these from wild game, grass fed meats and fish. The key is an animal that eats green stuff for a living. The animals transmutes the tiny amounts of ALA (what's in flax oil) into lots of EPA and DHA. Flax seeds look like a good idea on paper, but in reality it hardly converts to EPA at all. The conversion rate from ALA to EPA is about 5% at best, and much worse than that in some individuals. The conversion to DHA is even worse, about 2%. That means you have to take about 40 Tablespoons of flax oil to get the benefits of one tablespoon of cod liver oil. In some trials, large amounts of flax seed oil failed to yield any increase in DHA at all in the tissues. Of all the trials published (as of two years ago) on flax oil, none of them provided any clinical relief of inflammatory symptoms, while fish oil interventions do this routinely. The other thing in the equation for oils is the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in the cell membranes, basically derived from the ration of oils on your plate. The ratio in hunter gatherers is between 2:1 and 3:1 of n-6 to n-3 oils. In the Japanese, who eat fish and don't like bottled corn oil, its about 4:1. One study of American showed it to be 17:1 and one study of Israelis showed it to be 24:1. Why? because we've invented industrially produced oils out of this that you cant normally make oil out of. Corn, safflower seeds, peanuts, soy, etc oils are all very high omega-6. So the average modern person eating french fries, salad dressing, and who-knows-what in their pastries and processed foods is getting a huge amount of omega-6 oils, at the same time that the omega-3 oils are disappearing from the meat due to corn feeding rather than grass feeding. The distorted ratio is both pro-inflammatory and pro-insulin resistance. I maintain that its impossible to effectively practice any form of traditional medicine (CM, naturopathy, Western herbalism, etc) without first restoring the " traditional " oil balance in the cell membranes. If someone has heat from an elevated omega6:omega3 ratio and we successfully cool them off, we did it not by addressing the root, but by inducing a cold pathology to balance the dietarily induced hot one. The " oil change " strategy we use in our clinic is this: 1. All the olive oil and butter or ghee you want. They are are EFA-neutral, meaning they won't disturb the balance of 6:3. 2. Cod liver oil or fish oil caps. (You can see the vitamin A and D quantities on the label.) You can eat fish or wild game or grass fed meat along with or instead of this, but the problem is that farmed fish, most of what's available on the market, has the fatty acid profile like hamburger. Sardines are the only generally available wild fish. I no longer consider fish oil a " supplement " after seeing it come up again and again in my studies of nutritional anthropology (which I teach at college and masters level). All around both the Atlantic and Pacific rims, people have made fish oils to supplement their diets. Native Americans in the Puget Sound area catch small fish and let them rot in buckets, collect the oil, and consider it their nectar food. Same in the traditional Korean diet. Same in the Carribean. Same in Scandinavia and Ireland. 3. Several servings of nuts and seeds daily 4. Eliminate bottled omega-6 oils and margarines and other trans-fatty acids. That usually means no processed foods, as the TFA are in almost everything you buy with oil in it. The above changes produce -rapid- clinical changes, in 7-40 days. Some people deficient in EFA develop keratinous bumps on the hair follicles on the back of the upper arm. These disappear rapidly. Also cognitive function improves rapidly. As do allergies and inflammatory symptoms, provided no more allergens are being poured on the inflammatory fire. Your question about whether people need supplements, I think ideally not, if they are seeking out nutrient dense food the way hunter gatherers do -- nuts, seeds, kelp, dark leafy greens in abundance, EFA-rich fatty meat, but who does that? In cases of insulin resistance, if find it impossible to " cure " without at least initial huge doses of some supplements, includign the oil change above. Respectfully Paul Bergner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 , " Paul Bergner " <hpmte77@m...> wrote: You can eat fish or wild game or grass fed meat > along with or instead of this, but the problem is that farmed fish, most of > what's available on the market, has the fatty acid profile like hamburger. > Sardines are the only generally available wild fish. Dear Paul and whomever is interested, I am a former fisherman and have many contacts for quality, sustainable, high in Omega 3's, low in mercury fish that you can buy and can be fedexed anywhere in the country(US). These are from the fisherman directly. Contact me off list for more information. Jill Likkel LAc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Hi Paul, > We need both omega 6 and omega 3 fats to be healthy. What are the function of Omega 9s and how do they fit in? > 2. Cod liver oil or fish oil caps. (You can see the vitamin A and D > quantities on the label.) Are you aware of any contamination of these supplements by heavy metals? Do they concentrate in oils? David Leonard ************************* David Bruce Leonard, L.Ac. Medicine at your Feet 'Awapuhi Health Sanctuary http://www.medicineatyourfeet.com http://www.awapuhihealth.com Just when you thought it was safe... http://www.garynull.com/documents/iatrogenic/deathbymedicine/deathbymedicine 1.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Paul, Thank you for your clear post... A couple of further questions: 1) IT is proposed that one must for optional absorption and utilization take in (at one time) a specific ratio of 3:6:9 , getting a cascading lipid effect. Therefore 2) It is proposed that one of the best sources is macadamia nut (mixed with a little evening primrose and black currant) - Does this source also `just sound good on paper'? Any comments would be appreciated, - , " Paul Bergner " <hpmte77@m...> wrote: > >Good ol' cod liver oil. aren't you concerned about >excessive A and D. > and I guess you don't think much of >flax or hemp oil anymore? > > See below > > >Also, do you still publish your newsletter or have a web version? > > Info at medherb.com > > Ok, on fats: > > We need both omega 6 and omega 3 fats to be healthy. Among the 3's we need > both EPA and DHA. EPA is antiinflammatory, and DHA confers insulin > sensitivity. Traditionally we got our omega-6 fats from nuts and seeds, and > these feed both the Type 1 and Type 2 prastaglandin pathways. We got the > omega-6 arachidonic acid from meat. This is " pro inflammatory " but that also > means " pro-immunity " which is why it is important. Dietary amounts of > arachidonic acid are not a problem if they are accompanied by the omega-3 > EPA. Salmon, for instance, has more arachidonic acid than beef, but also > more omega-3 EPA. Historically we got our EPA and DHA preformed in the meat > (including fish). Today we emphasize fish, but historically, we got these > from wild game, grass fed meats and fish. The key is an animal that eats > green stuff for a living. The animals transmutes the tiny amounts of ALA > (what's in flax oil) into lots of EPA and DHA. Flax seeds look like a good > idea on paper, but in reality it hardly converts to EPA at all. The > conversion rate from ALA to EPA is about 5% at best, and much worse than > that in some individuals. The conversion to DHA is even worse, about 2%. > That means you have to take about 40 Tablespoons of flax oil to get the > benefits of one tablespoon of cod liver oil. In some trials, large amounts > of flax seed oil failed to yield any increase in DHA at all in the tissues. > Of all the trials published (as of two years ago) on flax oil, none of them > provided any clinical relief of inflammatory symptoms, while fish oil > interventions do this routinely. > > The other thing in the equation for oils is the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 > in the cell membranes, basically derived from the ration of oils on your > plate. The ratio in hunter gatherers is between 2:1 and 3:1 of n-6 to n-3 > oils. In the Japanese, who eat fish and don't like bottled corn oil, its > about 4:1. One study of American showed it to be 17:1 and one study of > Israelis showed it to be 24:1. Why? because we've invented industrially > produced oils out of this that you cant normally make oil out of. Corn, > safflower seeds, peanuts, soy, etc oils are all very high omega-6. So the > average modern person eating french fries, salad dressing, and > who-knows-what in their pastries and processed foods is getting a huge > amount of omega-6 oils, at the same time that the omega-3 oils are > disappearing from the meat due to corn feeding rather than grass feeding. > The distorted ratio is both pro-inflammatory and pro-insulin resistance. > > I maintain that its impossible to effectively practice any form of > traditional medicine (CM, naturopathy, Western herbalism, etc) without first > restoring the " traditional " oil balance in the cell membranes. If someone > has heat from an elevated omega6:omega3 ratio and we successfully cool them > off, we did it not by addressing the root, but by inducing a cold pathology > to balance the dietarily induced hot one. > > The " oil change " strategy we use in our clinic is this: > > 1. All the olive oil and butter or ghee you want. They are are EFA-neutral, > meaning they won't disturb the balance of 6:3. > > 2. Cod liver oil or fish oil caps. (You can see the vitamin A and D > quantities on the label.) You can eat fish or wild game or grass fed meat > along with or instead of this, but the problem is that farmed fish, most of > what's available on the market, has the fatty acid profile like hamburger. > Sardines are the only generally available wild fish. > > I no longer consider fish oil a " supplement " after seeing it come up again > and again in my studies of nutritional anthropology (which I teach at > college and masters level). All around both the Atlantic and Pacific rims, > people have made fish oils to supplement their diets. Native Americans in > the Puget Sound area catch small fish and let them rot in buckets, collect > the oil, and consider it their nectar food. Same in the traditional Korean > diet. Same in the Carribean. Same in Scandinavia and Ireland. > > 3. Several servings of nuts and seeds daily > > 4. Eliminate bottled omega-6 oils and margarines and other trans-fatty > acids. That usually means no processed foods, as the TFA are in almost > everything you buy with oil in it. > > The above changes produce -rapid- clinical changes, in 7-40 days. Some > people deficient in EFA develop keratinous bumps on the hair follicles on > the back of the upper arm. These disappear rapidly. Also cognitive function > improves rapidly. As do allergies and inflammatory symptoms, provided no > more allergens are being poured on the inflammatory fire. > > Your question about whether people need supplements, I think ideally not, if > they are seeking out nutrient dense food the way hunter gatherers do -- > nuts, seeds, kelp, dark leafy greens in abundance, EFA-rich fatty meat, but > who does that? In cases of insulin resistance, if find it impossible to > " cure " without at least initial huge doses of some supplements, includign > the oil change above. > > Respectfully > Paul Bergner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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