A few items have recently come to my attention that may be of interest to Perfect Health Diet readers.
First, my friend Chris Keller on Facebook reports that a new startup, Aperiomics, is offering tests that are capable of identifying 37,000 different infectious pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.
This is a game-changing diagnostic tool. Infections are one of the leading causes of disease (along with bad diet and lifestyle), yet standard medical practice is unable to diagnose most infections. Many infections are treatable, but it’s not easy to treat something you can’t diagnose. Getting a clear and accurate diagnosis of infections and treating them appropriately, along with healthy diet and lifestyle practices such as those recommended in Perfect Health Diet, holds the promise of curing most diseases.
The test is not cheap, Chris thinks it’s about $1000. But if you have a mysterious health problem, it may well be worth it.
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Second, you may recall that five years ago, Dr. Hamilton Stapell of the Ancestral Health Society and Associate Professor of History at the State University of New York New Paltz organized a movement-wide survey. Results of that survey were published in the Journal of Evolution and Health.
Now Dr. Stapell has a follow-up survey. It aims to:
1) Describe how the size and composition of the ancestral health movement has changed over the past five years.
2) Identify common practices and the most important motivating factors for both starting and quitting a paleo lifestyle.
3) Predict the future trajectory of the ancestral health movement.
Please consider taking 3 to 5 minutes to help Dr. Stapell’s research by completing the Ancestral Health (Paleo) Survey 2018. All responses are anonymous and will be used for scholarly purposes only.
via this link:
I filled out the survey and cited PHD! I went to SUNY New Paltz for my graduate degree. Can’t believe he’s right in my area!
Thank you for putting out this information about the new test. My son has a mystery health problem that we have been trying to figure out. And if Paul cites it, then it is definitely worth looking into!
Hi Paul,
A while ago you wrote a post about what causes high cholesterol on low carbohydrate paleo diets. One of the reasons you listed was inadequate copper on the paleo diet. I believe this is correct, but now there is a new study that says high serum copper is associated with elected total and high density lipoprotein. Could you help explain this paradox? The study is called “Association between Serum Copper and serum Lipids in Adults” in Ann Nutr Metab 2018 Oct 26;73(4):282-289. doi: 10.1159/000494032 The authors are Song X, Wang W, Li Z, and Zhang D.
Hi S,
What protects against elevated cholesterol is high levels of zinc-copper superoxide dismutase. For that you need both zinc and copper, and a proper balance between them. Too much zinc depletes copper and aggravates a copper deficiency, too much copper aggravates a zinc deficiency. I’d expect that zinc deficiency is the mechanism.
Best, Paul
Wow, thank you for your quick reply! I always learn something new from you.
Hi Paul,
I just discovered your website through my health research meanderings on the web. I’m super excited and have ordered your book through the library. I have a million questions, but one that just occurred to me is about probiotics, and I had no idea where to post it. So I’m sorry this is totally off topic, please forgive me.
I’ve read conflicting ideas about whether probiotic supplements survive digestion, but obviously beneficial bacteria survive when eating things like sauerkraut. I saw your wife’s homemade kimchi recipe and I’m going to make it. If I opened a capsule of probiotics and sprinkled it in, would this increase the level of beneficial bacteria, and could I target which strains I would like to increase?
Hi Don,
Bacteria survive better when mixed with food, since food makes the stomach less acidic. Probiotics can be beneficial or harmful in different circumstances, so they should be used with care. With a good diet, you should generally let your body self-regulate the microbiome.
Best, Paul
Thank you, Paul. I didn’t expect such a speedy reply!
I have a couple of issues that I’ve read certain probiotics may help. I’m not afraid of a little self-experimentation, but yes, I realize a certain amount of caution is definitely warranted. I didn’t see a category for probiotics in your menu of topics other than fermented foods. Do you know which strains are most prevalent in various fermented foods, of does it vary considerably? Perhaps I could choose higher amounts of certain foods to select for certain strains?
And again, thank you for such an informative website! I’ve been reading and learning non-stop since I’ve found it. Much of it seems very close to the way I intuitively eat, but I’m very interested in the science behind it.
I don’t see a way to edit comments, so I’ll just add another.
Dr. Kendrick is also very interested in endothelial cells and their role in heart disease, as you’ll see if you read his work. I mentioned your work on endothelial cells and microgravity to him.
DON: You may want to go ahead and purchase a couple of copies, paper and digital. My experience has been that I refer to it very often and give or lend my paper copy away nearly as often.
Thank you , Kathy. I got the book from the library and am reading it now.
Meant to say “elevated total and high density lipoprotein” not “elected”.
As someone who found your book more helpful than any other, I wonder if you have changed your mind about anything since you wrote it.
I’m halfway through Perfect Health Diet. Very informative. I’m wondering if you’ve read The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr. Malcom Kendrick? Dr. Kendrick views various Cholesterol levels as markers of disease, rather than causes. He presents some solid evidence and logic that I think you would appreciate.
Don,
In response to your comment about not seeing many mentions of suggested probiotics on this site,
go to the following page
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/recommended-supplements/
and scroll down to the section called “optional supplements” —
in that section, there is a table which has 3 rows about suggested probiotics
(however, some information is repeated, so maybe they meant to have just 2 rows on probiotics)
Ha! Thank you. New here and still learning my way around.
Monroe, I hope that I am replying to you, I couldn’t see a reply on your response to B12 so I’m writing it here. I also have extremely high B12 and yes Md’s just shrug it off and say I should be happy
. What I have read is that it isn’t a good thing to have. Yes, I have MTHFR…so I may look at supplementing. But I’m curious if donating blood could possibly lower this number??
Hi Donna,
Have you come to any conclusion to the cause of the high B12? Has that diminished following the Phd diet in your case? I’m in a similar situation…
Hi Paul, thank you so much for your amazing work! You offer me a glimmer of hope! Since taking 3 months of ibuprofen 800mg 3x a day for a back injury 1 and 1/2 years ago I developed symptoms almost exactly like yours (neuropathy, brain fog, weakness in my legs, lack of balance, muscle and joint pain, tremors under my skin) – which have made it very hard to take care of my 2 young children. Many doctors later and no diagnosis I am convinced I have a silent infection. With the help of my functional Dr. (who is also an MD), I took a course of Bactrim and now Cipro to no avail. Do you think the PHD alone could reverse this? Or do I keep looking at possible infections?(even though every time a take an antibiotic I am ruining my gut)? I did see your post about Aperiomics and will definitely look into it! By the way, did you ever find out which bacteria you had and then which antibiotic did you take to deal with it?
How accurate is the Aperiomics test and are there any other comparable tests now available?