Free The Animal » Real Results

I Haven’t Shit to Write; This Is Better Anyway

Richard Nikoley — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:20:17 +0000

A commenter rings in, very eloquently. Yes, I just wasn't up to putting anything on the front page & new today. This should not be taken to mean that this comment is something I'd not have at least highlighted anyway. I just love really good writing, and this is.

Flying Burrito Nola:

Greetings all. Have been reading this blog surreptitiously for several weeks and it's been like a breath of fresh air and virtual camaraderie in the previous isolation (and subsequent revelation) of my own little caveman study, where I have used myself as a Guinea Pig for almost a year -- and the results are so absolutely conclusive (as many of you know). There is energy, clarity, fat keeps disappearing all by its magical self and I'm never really hungry anymore…that part is actually a strange byproduct. There is really sustaining energy, real fuel in the former slag heap now! Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and kick my old self awake.

But it all started really many years ago when I would walk through the aisles of my local grocery store and just always have all these little alarms go off -- this sneaking sense that 80 percent of the food stuff in the grocery store was really somehow non-nutritive poison. I'd think, that box of cereal there tastes kind of good but always kind of makes me feel lousy, or that can of soup there doesn't really taste like a good meal should. I'd look at rows and rows of "groceries" and walk up and down each and every aisle with micro-explosive panic attacks going off in my head that something just wasn't quite right here, vaguely remembering how much of this stuff ultimately never really made me feel all that good and always thinking that something seemed wrong with this picture spread out like a false wonderland before me. Many times I would walk out with nothing and remain hungry and confused. It's just I felt like every time I ate this or that packaged thing, I would still feel hungry or like something was missing. I often dreamed of home-cooked meals of a fine roast and vegetables or a baked chicken (you'd think I would've rented a clue) but indoctrination and laziness always caused me to look the other way for some pre-packaged food stuff I could quickly throw in the microwave or eat immediately (even though I cooked professionally for five years!). It started becoming a sort-of personal, secret torment. And I could never lose that extra twenty or thirty pounds no matter what I did, no matter how hard I pumped the bicycle or barbells.

Years later, I came across a journalistic expose by Gary Taubes, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". Something about Mr. Taubes' massive tome convinced me that he was about to crack it wide open. Here was the empirical evidence re-sampled and free from the maws of corporate grocer lobbies, political influence and self-interest. Really, people like the Inuit can eat whale fat and NOT get fat and die (so to speak)? When I finally got to the last chapter that revealed Taubes' conclusion, I was so startled that we all had been so misled for so long by the lie of the ridiculous "food pyramid," and the erroneous concept of "low fat," etc, that I felt like "Neo" after he had taken the red pill from Morpheus that psychologically revealed the construct of The Matrix ("take the red pill…and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes"). It has really felt like that, your eyes suddenly open and you look around and see mankind with all sorts of modern ailments like diabetes and simple reoccurring illness like the common cold and the flu, so to speak, getting fatter and unhealthier eating all kinds of junk and processed stuffs masquerading as fuel when the reality can be so much different. Others can say this better than I can.

Forgive the protracted soliloquy and I don't mean to hyperventilate. I just wanted to say thanks to Richard Nikoley very much for filling the vacuum and speaking so eloquently for the rest of us and providing such an excellent, erudite forum with which we can all connect and share our Paleo experiences. I, for one, will never look back! I'm looking down at my feet and my toes now wriggling happily with the 30 pounds of less weight to carry around that I lost effortlessly over the past year. Another side effect is that my emerging arthritis has completely disappeared, which is great news for an artist who works 24/7 with his hands. Anyway, I feel like you are speaking for many of us, Richard. I really appreciate your blog, I got you bookmarked.

PS. Love Teatro, have had that for a long time. Saw Emmylou Harris with Daniel Lanois, it was magical. Ricky Lee Jones was one of the best shows I've ever seen also--back in the early days.

And he has a postscript.

PS. I'm six feet tall and at my heaviest, weighed 250 lbs. I now weigh a lot less but it's not really about that, it's really kind of everything else. I also agree about the hair and shampoo thing. Stopped using soap to wash the hair about three weeks ago. Works...and no more Winter dandruff.

Got an email today from an ER doc gone Paleo. Waiting to hear if I can publish it or not. Hey. I'm getting to the point where I can just let others write the bog.

I'll be in Hawaii, or on some other beach...

Real Results: Dad

Richard Nikoley — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:05:36 +0000

I put up a couple of posts last year about my mom's improvement (here and here) on paleo. In short, in addition to weight loss, getting off other meds and other improvements, she got off insulin injections.

Now it's dad's turn. He's racked up a lot of weight loss and works out regularly. He's using the Chuck Norris Total Gym, a good option for him I think. I've tried it and you can get the resistance pretty high, and he already knows to keep it brief & intense.

Now he's taken to doing some sprinting and even getting creative like doing squats while holding two 50 pound buckets of cement.

Here's his report.

Been off Atenolol now for about a week. First couple days my BP was slightly elevated, 133/73. Yesterday it was at 110/62. I'm loving this. Dumping one med after another.

Then I asked for a full report.

First I went off Omeprozole with absolutely no heart burn or indigestion. Second I stopped taking Lovastatin, cholesterol went up to about 220, triglycerides went down from over 300 to about 140, HDL went from 45 to 75. Now off Atenolol (beta blocker) for hypertension, with some increase the first couple days, now about what it was before I discontinued taking them. Also I've been on these for over 30 years. And, with all the increased strength I am having a hell of a time with my golf swing, it's all screwed up.

Excuses, excuses.

He sent me his BP log over about the last month and he seems to be averaging 110-120 / 70-80 or even lower, so perfect. He says it's even better than when he was on the BP meds.

Isn't this great? And isn't it a shame at the same time? Over 30 years of care by physicians and on prescription meds and it took me -- and himself, of course -- with no medical training, to actually improve his health and longevity.

Dad turned 72 a few weeks ago. But you'd never know it if you met him.

Later: Being a bit behind in my reading I'd not seen these excellent Type II diabetes cures from Dr. Kurt Harris. Go have a look.

Way More Important Than… (106 Pounds Lost in 7 Months)

Richard Nikoley — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:50:49 +0000

I'm referring of course to this morning's post which I'm not even going to link to. This is why I do this, folks and this is why I'm going to continue to defend the PRINCIPLES of the paleo and primal way.

Let's go back to early November where Chris reported to me and I reported to you that since May of 2009 he had logged weight loss of 94 pounds (6 month's time) doing the paleo / primal life way. And in the comments he was asked for photos and has complied. He's put them on his own blog but I thought a nice montage would be appropriate. Here's the before, mid-May '09.

Chris Before

And this is at the end of Oct, '09, compared with him in his barbershop quartet outfitting back in early May.

Chris from May - Oct 2009

He's gonna need a new costume soon, if not already. As he reports, his weight loss is 20 additional pounds from the photo on the right for a total of 106 pounds.

Go Paleo. Go Primal. Rock on, Chris and a hearty congratulations. You deserve enormous credit, not just for your amazing accomplishment but for your willingness to share it and inspire and motivate others.

And thanks for turning the top entry on the blog to something so positive.

Same Shirt: Three Years & 60 Pounds Later

Richard Nikoley — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:21:56 +0000

My friend Robert snapped the picture to the left this was cropped from sometime in the spring of 2007, nearly three years ago. The one to the right was Christmas evening, cutting up the prime rib.

It was right around the time I began this most wonderful journey, though I initially began pretty much with the intense workouts first and didn't incorporate a decent Paleo diet and fasting until about six months in.

Three Years & 60 Pounds

That's the same shirt. The jeans to the left are 40" waist and to the right, 34s. I'll be in 32s very soon now.

Two ADAs: Same Awful Advice

Richard Nikoley — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:42:07 +0000

Whether you're talking ADA, as in, American Diabetes Association or, ADA as in American Dietetic Association, the advice is the same and the effects are the same: not helpful at best, deadly at worst.

This is a sort of follow-on to my recent post on registered dietitians.

One of my readers, Steve Cooksey, offered to share his experience with the "ADA," and it doesn't really matter which one, or both. He might have died but for his finding Mark Sisson and from there, others in the paleo / primal blogging community.

Before you see Steve's amazing story in his own words, let's pause for a little history. While I was aware of Dr. Richard Bernstein's history concerning the development of home-test blood glucose meters, I hadn't put all the pieces together until listening to Jimmy Moore's amazing hour-long interview with the doctor. I very highly recommend listening to that for all, and if you're diabetic, it's essential.

Very simply and briefly, it turns out the the various admonishments to eat all sorts of grains, starches, and even sugar that you hear from the ADA has some rational basis. See, there used to be no such thing as knowing what your BG was at any given time. Diabetics used to go in once per month for a glucose test. They had no way of knowing how a meal or any food affected them throughout the day. Well, if you're on insulin, which would be a prescribed dose at given fixed intervals, then there would be a real, life threatening danger of going hypoglycemic (dangerously low blood glucose) if you didn't have enough carbs in your diet.

Knowing diabetics would be eating some range of carbohydrate, dose needed to be set in a way to make sure BG didn't get too high, then admonish patients to get their X number of servings of whole grains & starches. Better the BG gets to high than too low, and if the patient eventually goes blind or has limbs amputated then, well, that's just an aspect of the disease. But dying of hypoglycemia put blame square on the treating physician. So, for liability reasons, we have high carb diets for diabetics.

Dr. Bernstein's argument was that with home monitoring, people could effectively manage BG on their own, eat far fewer carbs and reduce the meds. He was met with strong resistance all along the way. The medical establishment did not want to control glucose, only dose, and so high carbs were necessary. Now that monitors are readily available, blood glucose control is in reach of every diabetic, and yet, the dietary advice has yet to change.

So, the takeaway for me is that I'm willing to cut them all a little slack in terms of the foregoing. But, now that meters are available for all, it is time to alter the dietary advice and to teach patients how to modify their own dose in response. And, those who still want to munch high carbs can, though carbs act far quicker than insulin, and excess insulin is a slow killer. If your A1C hemoglobin is more than 4.5-5, you are probably aging yourself far faster than you otherwise would.

And now to Steve's story.

~~~

I was an obese diabetic who weighed as much as 235 lbs and I had missed several weeks of work the last several years due to respiratory issues. I was typically being diagnosed with bronchitis or "episodic asthmatic" events.

My health deteriorated to the point that in February 15, 2009, after two doctor visits earlier in the week, I told my wife to take me to the doctor or the hospital. Literally...I could barely move.

Long story short, I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance with a BG reading of 700+ and an A1C that was literally "too high to read". Three days later I was discharged home as a Diabetic and while the doctors were not sure, I was told that I was likely a Type 1 and that I would be on insulin and medications for the rest of my life.

While still in the hospital, I was given an ADA Food Pyramid by the "hospital nutritionist" and upon inquiry was informed to "eat the food groups" but stay below 2200 calories. This seemed odd to me but at the time, I was a mental wreck -- having been given several body blows -- so I took the advice and ordered my meals from the hospital menus. To be honest...they looked a hell-u-va-lot like what I ate ordinarily....

So, I go home and start researching what to do. I was determined to do ALL I could to stop taking insulin and medications. I'd seen too many relatives go down this road...and quite frankly...I did not like the destination nor the ride to get there.

A couple days later after discharge, a home health nurse came by -- I also quizzed her about my diet -- SHE HANDED ME ANOTHER ADA Food Pyramid and told me to "eat the food groups".

A couple of days later my doctor told me to check out the Low Glycemic Index to see if that would help...it did and it started me on a journey that lead me to Mark Sisson's website where I explored all things Primal.

Today, with the benefit of a great workout program and a Primal diet, I am 75 pounds lighter and I take -0- insulin and -0- medications. My latest blood work showed NO EVIDENCE OF DIABETES NOR OBESITY! (I am still diabetic, you just wouldn't know it from my blood work).

I have been insulin and medication free for about 6 months. Because I know how utterly confusing and hopeless life can be when diagnosed with diabetes, I have attempted to reach out to "spread the word" about Paleo / Primal eating and living. I often "befriend" people in social media groups and strike up a conversation.

Multiple times -- I'd say at least 4-5 times -- I have began a conversation with a "Certified Diabetes Educator". EVERY SINGLE TIME -- NO EXCEPTIONS -- they do not HAVE A CLUE when it comes to Paleo / Primal eating. Honestly...I find this disgusting. Especially when I have to hear (or read) how they are required to go to X number of hours of recertification classes and how they are trained on the latest...blah, blah, blah. ALL of this is bad enough, but here's the kicker...

THEY ATTEMPT TO CONVINCE ME TO STOP!!! ...And go back to eating grains, beans, rice, pasta etc. THE AUDACITY!!! EVEN AFTER they know that I have lost weight and kicked diabetes in the ass (for now) they try to get me back on the train...the train to hell.

WHY? Why would they do this?????

Certified Diabetes Educator: "Because you are missing nutrients and fiber."

Fiber? ...I laugh... "so you are telling me to go back to insulin and meds ...for fiber?"

CDE: "you need a balanced diet from a variety of sources and all of the nutrients"

...."Ok... tell me what nutrients I am missing from eating meats, broccoli, cauliflower, greens, celery, tomato, green peppers, mushrooms and nuts..... plus I take a multivitamin... Tell me exactly what nutrients I'm missing that is worth going back on insulin and medications."

I have never received an explanation or answer to that question.... NONE!

Richard, I understand that not every Type 2 is going to be able to stick to a Very Low Carb diet... I get that. BUT the ADA should PUSH Very Low Carb diet as the PRIMARY solution and IF THE PATIENT CAN NOT Stick to it...then promote the carb laden diet that keeps people "carbing up and shooting up".

~~~

So there you have it. Is it really necessary for me to add anything? Didn't think so.

Astounding Reader Progress

Richard Nikoley — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:31:18 +0000

I got an amazing email this morning that delighted and thrilled my soul, and so I'm going to congratulate reader Chris right out loud and in public, because he really deserves a great big round of applause.

You've asked to be kept up to date, so I thought I'd touch base. As of this morning's weigh-in, I'm down 94 pounds in just under 6 months. Now, that's from a high of 374, so at 280 I'm not exactly svelte (yet), but needless to say I'm thrilled with the progress. I've lost 10 inches from my waistline. It's actually been quite easy - it's amazing what we can do when we just make up our minds.

[...]

Thanks again for all the great information, you (along with some of the other paleo bloggers) have helped me find a lifestyle that works very well for me.

Well you're welcome, Chris, and thank you for making the commitment to change your life, for sticking with it, and for making your results known to me so that others can be inspired and motivated by your phenomenal and rapid success on a path to health and vitality.

The best to you, and please continue to keep us informed.

My Beautiful Wife Progresses

Richard Nikoley — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:50:39 +0000

I should tell you that she objected to the montage.

That's not fair. In the first one, I look like I just got out of bed. In the second one, I was all dolled up!

So, if that's what you think too, then blame me and not her!

A bit over a year ago, as Bea had been following my diet somewhat, and then began a resistance training effort, I decided to snap a photo for reference. The one to the right is a crop from her Big 5-0 birthday party Saturday night.

Bea Nikoley 15-month Comparison

Those who know what they are looking at will definitely understand what's going on here. Paleo / Primal / EvFit always has the same effect, and that is to reset a person's physical attractiveness -- particularly around the face, neck, and shoulder -- back 10 years and more.

Alright, just to make it a more fair comparison, here's a shot from 21 months ago, December 2007.

Bea Nikoley & Nanuka

See how much more rounded she is in the face, and far wider neck? And here's an iPhone shot from the party.

More Bea Nikoley

I'd say she's about 80% paleo. But her results have been accelerating of late, and that's why I'm posting this. What's happened? Well, there are a number of developments, so I suspect it's a combo.

She eats way more meat owing to the tasty sauce reductions I make. Until then, she would never eat more than three or four ounces of a steak. Now, she'll easily handle eight ounces and more. This, of course, has the double effect of replacing carbs or other junk she'd have otherwise eaten, as well as satiation. Like me, she never eats an early breakfast. She eats when she's hungry and that almost never happens before 10 am. She has also discovered the wonderful world of coconut fat in the curries I make with coconut milk; and then there's the coconut oil, and her spoonfuls of coconut butter. On the workout front, she had added to her two resistance sessions per week some classes down at the gym: aerobics with weights, pilates, yoga, and some martial arts thingy she likes.

Whatever it is, it's working.

To those friends & family readers of the blog who attended the party, thanks for honoring her as you did. Here was the setting for the roughly 100 folks in attendance.

Beas Big 5 0

Gene Expression: Super Mike

Richard Nikoley — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:45:18 +0000

This is from Art's subscription blog, so if you like seeing this sort of thing, reading Art's always cutting edge science, and reading lots of interesting comments from very knowledgeable subscriber commenters, then consider subscribing to Art's private blog.

Most people who've been reading Art for a while know about "Super Mike" and have seen the yearly photos. Here's the latest, set against how he looked in 1998, 11 years ago. I believe he's now 56.

Super Mike

Not bad at all. Congratulations, Mike.

Now, while Mike's success is on the upper end, rest assured that almost everyone can attain excellent results.

Real Results to Keep You Motivated

Richard Nikoley — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:47:05 +0000

It's happening all over. People getting lean almost effortlessly, devoid of gripping hunger; in short, enjoying themselves, feeling better about themselves, and looking better and better.

Frankly, it's difficult for me to imagine these results being out of reach for anyone who really wants them. It takes such a short time to reach the "point of no return." For those having difficulties staying on the Paleo path, keep in mind that virtually everyone who sticks with it for those first few crucial weeks actually comes to the point where it would be just as impossible to go back to the old ways, as it was impossible to achieve any meaningful and lasting results on all but a few other life ways out there (those that share critical elements with Paleo, Primal, EvFit).

So, let's jump right in. First up is my dad. He's down now more than 30 pounds and at 71, is looking better and better. Here's a funny picture from earlier in the week. Dad was in town and called late in the afternoon about stopping by for a visit. After a while, we went over to the pub for some dinner while Bea and some girlfriends were having their own dinner and card night. When dad & I got back, everyone started laughing and this picture got snapped. We were completely unaware that we were dressed almost identically.

Richard Nikoley & dad

Dad sent this out in an email to family a few weeks back:

One side effect of loosing all this weight was reducing the size of shirts and pants I wear, not to mention belts. I did punch another hole in one belt, because I just bought this one less than a year ago. Used to wear extra large shirts, now I am down to medium (30 years since I've worn medium shirts). Pant size from 38 to 34. Bought 2 pairs of 36 about a month ago, and with no belts I can jiggle them right off of me, so now down to 34. That takes care of the summer stuff, but soon I'll have to think about buying all the clothes for the colder season.

And, of course, I've highlighted mom a couple of times, and she's still on track.

Next up, a former sister-in-law who has always remained in good contact with the family and also does a great job with my two nephews, Timothy and Jamison. Renee, who bought Mark's Primal Blueprint on my recommendation and read it in a day or two reports:

Just thought I would give you a quick update on my Primal way of life. I started at 213. Wow, I was huge and now I am at 195. It has taken a few months but I feel a lot better about myself and my first goal is 180. I have already gone from a size 16/18 to a size 14. Thanks for all your blogs or posts or whatever you want to call them.

Good for Renee. At this point, she's probably already past the point of no return to the old ways.

Here's another who's well past the point; my friend and newly minted PhD, Diana Hsieh, who I previously profiled here. Go take a look at her photo progress there, and now check out her even greater progress in this recent shot of her and hubby Paul, an MD.

Paul & Diana Hsieh

Diana has just posted about her first year of experience in the Paleo way.

I did not expect myself to stick so well to eating paleo, but I've found that I don't miss the foods I've given up. I enjoy eating far more than ever before. Every meal is a wonderful opportunity to eat something incredibly delicious and satisfying. Plus, I'm no longer entranced by the thought of waffles or bread or pasta; I'd much rather eat bacon and eggs and brussel sprouts. Ordinary desserts are cloying sweet to me, and I often feel seriously unpleasant cravings for MOREMOREMOREMORE after indulging in a bite or two. By forgoing sweets as a matter of standard policy, I'm no longer beholden to the cookies in the pantry, as I used to be. Also, I find that preparing paleo foods has simplified my cooking. I spend less time cooking and shopping than before, and I waste less food too.

[...]

I've lost about 18 pounds, while also gaining muscle from short, intense weight training sessions. That's a huge shift for me. Before, I was gaining three to five pounds per year eating the recommended low-fat, low-calorie, lots-o-grains diet while doing tons of long, boring cardio workouts. That's all changed.

Then, there's this comment from reader Valda Redfern in the UK.

I tried Atkins in 2000 and although I did lose about 20lb, I fell off the wagon and regained most of it. I think my problems were a) obsessing about the number of grams of carbohydrate I could get away with (how many slices of toast, how much pasta, how much pie, etc.) instead of concentrating on getting enough good quality nutrients; and b) not fully believing Atkins’s argument. About three years ago I started another attempt to lose weight, initially aiming simply to eat less. Because I wasn’t willing to cut out fats, though, I drifted into to a low-carb regime. All the reading I’ve done since then, on blogs like this one (thanks, Richard), has helped me adopt an enjoyable and convenient diet that has improved my health and enabled me to lose 35lb. I eliminated gluten-rich grains from my diet six months ago and don’t miss them at all, but I will occasionally snarf down favourite desserts when eating out (I never waste creme caramel opportunities).

You see, she drifted into a principled approach rather than the typical Atkins carb-counting approach. The principled approach is simply to eat real food. And, as she demonstrates, you don't have to be a complete fundamentalist about this. But you'll usually find that the big cheats come less and less. For me, it's often the case that just a little bite is plenty.

Congratulations to all. Does anyone else have a progress update they'd like to share in comments?

Triglycerides: 93.5% Reduction in Three Weeks – 3,100 to 202

Richard Nikoley — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 22:00:00 +0000

So there you have it: the punchline, right there in the title.

But who did it, and how? That would be none other than Dr. William Davis, cardiologist. So then, what sort of medical procedure did he perform? What sorts of pharmaceuticals did he prescribe? To what level did he admonish his patient, Daniel, to cut the arterycloggingsaturatedfat and to eat lots more servings of hearthealthywholegrians?

Of course, anyone who actually reads and thinks for themselves -- rather than swallowing the cloistered expert-&-authority-protectionism of conventional "wisdom" -- should know, he did none of those things; which, given the other successes he's blogged about -- some of which I've highlighted here -- exposes most if not all of the "lipid establishment" (i.e., cloistered expert-&-authority-protection racket) as con men: most physicians in that role, all the drug companies, and our beloved (not!) FDA.

Got it? Good, so let's move on.

Since most of you who should know, know, what then, dear supplicant to cloistered expert-&-authority-protection rackets, did Dr. Davis do? I'm glad you asked! It's actually simple: step one is that he "prescribed" 3,600 mg of over-the-counter omega-3 fatty acids per day, i.e., plain ol' fish oil caps. Depending on concentration, that could be anywhere from 5 to 10 1g caps per day, guesstimating. After 10 days, Trigs had dropped from 3,100 to 1,100. Step two was to continue on the OTC fish oil and eliminate wheat, corn starch, and sugar from the diet (in other words: less hearthealthywholegrains, more arterycloggingsaturatedfat). This took him from 1,100 to 202 in another 10 days.

Daniel, a sufferer of what's known as familial hypertriglyceridemia, now has lower Trigs than whole bunches of people walking about without such a genetic disorder. For those who don't know, triglycerides are fat circulating in your blood. The more hearthealthwholegrains and sugar you eat, the higher will be your triglyceride levels. The more arterycloggingsaturatedfat you eat, the less will be your levels. Almost all paleo and low-carb eaters have levels less than 100, and most of us hang out in a range of 40-60. I believe the average in the US is around 150 or so, and climbing (all while the cloistered expert-&-authority-protection racket claps and cheers over irrelevant, non-associated lower LDL levels). Lots of people are walking around at 400 and higher. But, hey, they lowered their LDL by eating lots of hearthealthywholegrains, and thus helping out Big Agra, who, in gracious turn, helps the cloistered expert-&-authority-protection racket. It's all quite cozy, incestuous...and insanely profitable.

High triglycerides are bad, very bad, and in my opinion, far worse than "elevated" serum cholesterol (lipoproteins). High triglycerides are well associated with death from heart disease, while half of those who die from heart disease have low cholesterol and half have high cholesterol.

Well, that about sums up the story (but not the rant), so the rest is devoted to Dr. Davis himself, who tells the brief story here and here.

I am continually surprised at the number of people with high triglycerides who are still treated with a fibrate drug, like Tricor, or a statin drug, when fish oil -- widely available, essentially free of side-effects, with a proven cardiovascular risk-reducing track record --should clearly be the first choice by a long stretch.

Could Dr. Davis be referring to his own colleagues in the medical profession -- most, probably?

Uh, yep:

Unfortunately, most of my colleagues, if they even think to use omega-3s, choose to use the prescription form, Lovaza. Indeed, several representatives from AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical outfit now distributing this miserably overpriced product, frequently barge their way into my office poking fun at our use of nutritional supplements instead of the prescription Lovaza. "But insurance covers it in most cases!" they plead. "And your patients will know that they're getting the real product, not some fake. And they'll have to take fewer capsules!"

Dr. Davis has previously blogged about the Lovaza rip off; punchline: $3,600 per year vs. $150 per year (all while so many in America clamor to have everyone pay for everyone else's "health" care...).

He says further:

I never use Lovaza to reduce triglycerides, even in familial hypertriglyceridemia -- the FDA-approved indication for Lovaza -- and have not yet seen any failures, only successes.

Good for Daniel, and good for the heroic Dr. Davis, who gives a great prognosis.

He's got just a little further to go to achieve the biologically ideal level of less than 60 mg/dl. You can see that it is not really that difficult--provided someone didn't load you down with nonsense about "cutting your fat," or statin or fibrate drugs.

And guess what, on a related topic? I just heard from a very well respected health blogger in email that a guy who'd contacted him about fatty liver disease got his enzymes back to normal in a single month. This, after 9 whole years of a fatty liver. What advice did this health blogger give him? Drop the sugar, vegetable oils, and take fish oil.

Let's be clear who the enemies are in all this: many of Dr. Davis' colleagues, all pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, and the whores in the mainstream media who can't wait to bend over for each and every one of the foregoing as often as they possibly can.

You didn't hear that here first, but you'll hear it often.