Episode 2: If We Are What We Eat, Then What Are We?

Discussion about our food economy, food culture, GMO's, processed foods, etc.

With mention of:
Vitamin B12 for sleep
Potassium for high blood pressure

Correction: In the video Kevin accidentally says that Vitamin K is an anti-coagulant. Vitamin K is a coagulant.

Are Calories Really to Blame?

A calorie is defined as a specific unit of energy; a unit requirement that must or should be consumed per day to support both normal growth and maintenance. Also referred to as joules, the mammal consuming the amount of calories identical to the amount of energy used has achieved an energy balance. One which has consumed less energy units than what is used is in a negative energy balance and conversely one which has consumed more than used is in a positive balance.

Often misleading, a calorie is based upon specific heat capacity, or energy, not fat proliferation. There are a multitude of biochemical pathways which convert fuels (foods) which we consume into fat and to associate calories as a negative factor in foods is a bit premature. In mammals, caloric values of metabolic fuels are expressed in kilocalories. The major types of metabolic fuels and their caloric values are;

1. Fatty acids= 9 kcal/g

2. Amino acids = 4 kcal/g

3. Ketone bodies= 4 kcal/g

4. Carbohydrates = 4 kcal/g

Any fuel recognized has calories. As an example, 4 liters of gasoline contains 31,000,000 calories.

The general confusion with the calorie and the often associated fat production (lipogenesis) and storage which is associated with it arise primarily from the feeding-fasting cycle. It is important to define the fact that humans are intermittent feeders. Consideration of metabolism and the biochemical use of metabolic fuels should take this into account. When we are able to define these metabolic characteristics, it becomes evident that the direct association of calories and lipogenesis has arisen from a lot of misinformation. Think in the terms of the use of fuels by humans as that compared to the fuels used by a fire. In both cases, the fuels donate electrons to oxygen, thus converting to CO2 and the oxygen to water. The generation of heat does not consequently mean the biosynthesis of fats.

Immediately following a meal, humans are defined as being in the fed state. The metabolic fuels used by the tissues and primary structures are taken from the ingested and absorbed food molecules. The fasting state occurs several hours after ingesting a meal, or when insufficient amounts of food are consumed. This fasting state is when the metabolic fuels used by the structures are derived from mobilized storages of fuel molecules. This is usually what occurs when individuals diet

When we observe the foods most commonly associated with high caloric values, we will also see a correlation of high amounts of sugar arranged with that food. This includes fats, which possess a glycerol backbone. The molecule Acetyl-CoA plays an important role in the balance of both fat and carbohydrate metabolism and does so by transferring the carbon portion of one given fuel source to a biochemical pathway within our body. Please keep in mind that the higher the “carbon loading” within a fuel source (such as simple sugars), the greater activity of the transference of carbon by acetyl-CoA occurs into various biochemical pathways, including lipogenesis.

These biochemical pathways, from insulin activation and requirements, to the Krebs cycle, which produces the energy molecule (ATP) within our cells, all require necessary support in the form of particular ions to substrates. Without these support mechanisms in place or in most cases, their diminished biochemical activities, the lonely calorie often incorrectly takes the blame for being the culprit for bad health (weight gain)

Many of the healthiest foods for mammals contain high amounts of calories. These are ingested in relatively substantial amounts on a routine basis by many indigenous cultures worldwide and yet these societies display very little, if any, obesity. Some may consider the vigorous activity within the lifestyle of these societies as having a role in how the calories are utilized, but this is not always the case. The foods (fuels) consumed by these cultures are generally in their whole form, which conveniently provide the other components necessary for the correct utilization of the amount of carbon within the food. Tropical fruits, for example, have a tremendous amount of calories, yet the societies found in the geographical regions where the fruit grows traditionally have no obesity (industrialized modern day diets are now finding their way into these cultures, unfortunately changing this). Fruits in their whole form encompass the vast array of bioflavonoids and substrates required to correctly utilize the carbon. These substrates support the biochemical pathways as mentioned earlier (acetyl-CoA, Krebs cycle, ect) which shuttle the carbon into the correct pathways for energy utilization. The same holds true for grains when in their whole form.

Generally people ask “How many calories are in that” or state “I am on a calorie restricted diet,” with the intent to loss weight. This inevitably puts the individual in a fasting condition or worse; a starvation mode; both being relatively risky scenarios if maintained for a prolonged period of time. Remember, energy requirements are also dictated by the biochemical pathways within the body, not just its physical activity.

“I don’t understand, she doesn’t exercise at all and she’s thin. I exercise all the time, eating next to nothing and can’t lose an ounce.” How many times have we heard this one? Does this scenario support the high calorie claim?

The premise of this article is to invite the reader to consider all variables associated with bad health (weight gain in this case) and the media’s claim that high caloric foods are detrimental to health. It is the state of the food; denatured and manipulated which induces negative health consequences, not the calorie.

A calorie is simply energy.

By Kevin Meehan

Episode 1: The Health Care is Too Damn High!

A look at how we can bring down the cost of health care and improve the system to better serve patients.

Also with discussion connecting:
-Severe heartburn relief and apple cider vinegar
-Rosacea aid with B2
-Liver detox with milk thistle

To Be Heard by Your Medical Professionals

When we feel that our health is not at its optimum, we will often seek assistance regarding either advice or procedures which may help restore it. In order to accomplish this, we tend to impart trust in the individual(s) whom we seek out for this assistance. It is a poignant demonstration that we are “asking” for help.

The confidence which was once bestowed upon the medical health system and its practitioners has been weakening; to a point where more and more individuals are seeking “alternative” health care protocols. But this alternative route in many ways is following a similar path, regardless of the increase in demand for its services.

We understand that every health and medical care system has its advantages and disadvantages; that not one protocol can help every individual. However, are these systems allowing their full potential to be manifested?

Most all of us have sought some form of health care at some point in our lives and thus have brought back our own opinions from that experience. It may have been positive and encouraging or despairing and disappointing. If the latter, we may ask ourselves, “Did the doctor really listen to me”?

If a protocol fails to produce the desired results, many times the practitioner did not obtain all of the necessary information. Indeed, this can be a time consuming task, but generally it will propagate an educational process for the practitioner, which in turn will help others in the long run. If the environment of communication (listening) is absent, this educational process is shut down, and a domino effect will most likely occur, which eventually diminishes the benefits to others seeking health care in the future.

As an example, when painting a picture, an artist will not begin unless he or she has the content and materials needed to complete the painting. Perhaps an artist may initiate a painting by either consciously or subconsciously acknowledging, “Allow the subject to talk to me. This will then enable me to work to my fullest potential”. The subject “educates” the artist.

When an individual places themselves in the physicians care, there tends to be an expectation that the complaints of the patient will fall upon inviting ears, attached to a focused interest directed at incorporating all information pertaining to the complaints at hand.

From this, all unrelated circumstances are discarded and the most probable solutions are offered. This is the general situation if the practitioner is listening.

However, it is often difficult for the practitioner not to have a prediagnosed solution well before the patient relinquishes all of their information pertaining to the health complaints at hand. In other words, it is often easier for a physician to fit you into their subjective diagnosis rather than undertake the cognitive process necessary to uncover a completely objective diagnosis.

Medications are then easily categorized to address the most frequently observed health conditions. It is often referred to as “Cookbook” medicine; A + B =C. If the medication prescribed results in some unwanted side effects, then another can be prescribed to address those unfavorable side effects. This is commonly referred to as “prescription stacking”

We then ask ourselves, “Were we really heard during our appointment”? “Did the doctor really listen to me and address my questions, or did they become annoyed with me when I continued to ask about details”? Annoyed; in the sense that the doctor either doesn’t have the time for the patient’s complaints or just doesn’t know how to address the circumstances and doesn’t care to. What a way to leave an impression on how a health care provider should behave. Have we ever left a health practitioners office feeling as if we were treated as “unimportant” or even felt taken advantage of financially?

Are the systems of health care and its warranted employees losing the compassion with those who seek its services? The practitioner becomes a hired employee of the patient once an appointment is made and therefore is present to perform the tasks which the employer has asked; “Listen to me”! How ironic that a role reversal is staged where the practitioner thinks that they are “the boss” They are hired to reveal what knowledge they may posses in the field of pathology and unveil a possible cure. We pay a fee for what the health care provider knows, not what they do. Interwoven in this knowledge lies the Hippocratic Oath “First do no harm”. Is not being attentive one form of harm?

Perhaps it is too much to ask for any profession to maintain a certain degree of compassion and attentiveness in today’s world, where silence and peace of mind are a scarcer commodity than honest politicians.

Compassion may be considered a sharing or understanding of another’s suffering. Brought into the health practitioner’s protocol, it may indeed be one of the invaluable ingredients to health care management which is absent today.

By Kevin Meehan

Wheat Allergies

For thousands of years wheat has been a primary food source for many civilizations. Often referred to as the “staple for mankind”, it has provided nutrients and vitamins in its whole form for generations. Recently, this crop has been blamed for everything from irritable bowel syndrome to sinus conditions and thus has been removed from the daily dietary regime of many people.

If mankind has survived for thousands of years on this and other grains, why then have humans, within the last century, become so un-adaptive to its makeup?

Wheat is high in gluten, which consists of several plant proteins, one of which is called gliadins. Most all adverse health conditions arise from an abnormal response to this protein, especially the alpha gliadin group. This group of proteins fall into the category of prolamins which are characterized by their high proline and glutamine make up. Since prolamins are broken down primarily by esters, the absence or intestinal diminishment of the short-chain fatty acid butyrate can play a significant role in how gliadins are metabolically degraded effectively.

Butyrate is the primary energy source of the colonic epithelial cells which line the colon. Butyrate is produced as a fermentive biological end process of anaerobic bacteria found within the intestinal tract. The proportional amounts of short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate and acetate generally indicate the overall status of intestinal metabolism. If the intestinal bacterial status has been compromised in any way, the ester output consequently diminishes. This essentially translates into the inappropriate breakdown of the prolamin component in grains. When this protein is left in a complex or unmetabolized state, defects begin to arise in the intestinal mucosa and villi. This signals the secretion of the antibodies IgM and IgA into the bowel lumen which indicates an abnormal immunological response to the gliadin proteins. It also contributes to the inflammatory condition noted with allergies.

Another contributing factor to wheat allergies is a pancreatic insufficiency regarding either the secretion or synthesis of the enzyme amylase. Amylase requires the calcium ion to function. It is important to recognize that the ion form of calcium differs entirely from the calcium salt form (which is found in most all supplements as well as dairy products). Taking calcium supplements or using dairy products generally interferes with the ionic form of calcium due to what is referred to as the electrophoresis influence. Once this is established, the ionic calcium bonds to the calcium salt(s) and therefore become biochemically absent, shunting the priority functions of amylase. This is one of the many reasons why calcium supplements are ill advised, in general, for health.

The role of amylase is to break down primary starches into the simpler forms of sugars. The substrates which make up amylase are other basic sugar links, and its metaloprotein component. It is the metaloprotein, or metaloenzyme factor of amylase which is influenced abruptly by the calcium form.

Celiac disease, Tropical sprue and Crohn’s disease are some typical examples of health conditions provoked by cereal proteins and abstinence of these food products is often highly recommended. What can occur in this grain elimination process is a malnourishment of essential co-factors and if this is not recognized then other serious health complications may arise.

Of interest regarding the malabsorption syndromes is the evidence of an infection status by a mycobacterium which could very well be a contributing factor to these intestinal diseases. This bacterium, known as mycobacterium paratuberculosis, is generally found in dairy products and can survive pasteurization.

Allergies induced by grain proteins are usually the indications of deficiencies within the alimentary tract. These deficiencies may range from a low pro-biotic environment, under active parietal cell condition or an inadequate ion level. These deficiencies can arise from excesses, such as stress, medications and from the consumption of wrong foods (dairy products)

Our digestive system, when functioning correctly, has several capacities from rendering a sterile environment which prevents most pathogenic factors from infiltration, maintaining adequate nutritional absorption capacity and correct electrolyte re-absorption.

Perhaps it is best to observe what we deprive ourselves of when we embark on elimination diets, which generally eliminate whole foods; foods which have been and are still somewhat (rapidly disappearing however) the primary staples for mankind and mankind’s good health.

By Kevin Meehan

BioChem Health Podcast: Pilot Episode

This is the pilot episode. You are warned that the viewpoints discussed in here will be perceived as controversial and contradictory to some things you've heard. We'll elaborate more on these subjects and talk about the science behind it in future episodes. You are reminded to not substitute the opinions expressed here for medical advice from a professional.

Pilot topics: Cancer, Alkalinity/Acidity, Conventional medicine, Soy, Alcohol, Sugar, X-ray scanners at airports, Arthritis, and my health protocol.

About

Disclaimer: The information presented here and in the videos posted here are personal opinions and should not be substituted for medical advice. Consult a medical practitioner for advice.

Welcome to the BioChem Health blog where we feature the BioChem Health Podcast and articles written by biochemist and naturopathic healer Kevin Meehan. The blog and podcast are managed by professional poker player and one of Kevin's cancer patients Thuy Doan.


About Kevin Meehan:

Kevin's journey in medicine began with curing himself of diabetes and has resulted in a master's in science/oriental medicine, the achievement of multiple patents and successful businesses, and the operation of a highly successful naturopathic health clinic in Jackson, Wyoming that boasts much success on patients who come to him with various health problems including arthritis, diabetes, physical pains, cancer, and many other things.

Kevin's views on health, medicine and nutrition are compelling, based on deep study of biochemistry and are often contradictory to popular beliefs in conventional and alternative medicine. He has a passion for helping people by sharing his knowledge. He feels that the biggest mistake people make in their pursuit of good health is believing in the abundant misinformation and here is where some of those misconceptions can be addressed. He feels that biochemistry is the future of medicine. It explains why health problems arise and by identifying the causes we are better equipped to identify the solution. He advocates an ideal health system to be one in which conventional and other forms of medicine work together to provide patients with the best methods.


About Thuy Doan:
Thuy is a professional poker player who was diagnosed with cancer behind her knee at the age of 23. Her search for ways to beat cancer involved both conventional and alternative methods that were frustrating to navigate and unsuccessful. After an amputation, growth of another tumor that resulted in a hip replacement and being told by doctors that the cancer would come back she found Kevin and became one of his patients. She has a passion for sharing her experiences, learning the truth about health and helping people by sharing it. Her battle to achieve good health has been an incredibly difficult experience and she hopes to make other peoples' journeys easier. She manages the blog and podcast because brilliant biochemists have better things to do, obviously. To follow her blog and twitter visit OneTwoThuy.com

About the BioChem Health Podcast:
Thuy interviews Kevin about popular health topics in order to share his knowledge. Each episode is about 30 minutes long and is dedicated to a specific topic. We highly encourage viewer participation. Leave us comments and email your questions or suggestions to Thuy@OneTwoThuy.com. We aspire to make the best podcast that we can. If you are skeptical about his views or want more scientific elaboration then contact us and we can discuss it on the show. We also encourage you to start discussions about health with your friends and family. Email our link, tweet it, put it in your Facebook and "like" it, embed our podcast on your site, etc. Question the status quo if it isn't producing the results it should because there is nothing more important than health. Share our mission of helping others by spreading the truth about health.