The third and final day opened enjoyably. I ran into Dr. Rob Lusting of Sugar, the Biter Truth fame,wearing the same suit he had on in the video, and had a fairly lengthy conversation with him. ThenMark Sisson and Robb Wolf got things going by fielding a question and answer session. All of the noted authors and researchers were available and approachable. As I mentioned in a previous blog, Robb was mobbed everywhere he went.
The first real lecture of the morning was Dr. S. Boyd Eaton sharing his thirty-year experience eating primal for 30 years. While not scientific per say it does show that if you adopt this as your own personal n=1 experiment you will most likely be rewarded with good health.
From Israel, Miki Ben-Dor gave a presentation on the acquisition of animal fat as a driver for human brain size. While I agreed with the premise and the research from the Israeli caves is compelling, it does not seem to completely comport with the Out of Africa model. It also does not explain why human brain size has been shrinking for about 30,000 years. I will definitely be watching this one again.
Finally, Mike Mew, an orthodontist from England gave the only dentally themed presentation at the AHS spoke. I had been in touch with Dr. Mew both before and after the program. He had expressed his disappointment at being unable to attend my NESCent Meeting, as there are many areas of overlap. He gave a passionate presentation on “Craniofacial Dystrophy: Modern Melting Faces,” and what he terms "Orthotropics." I believe he did an outstanding job of identifying the problem. Where I differ with him is on the cause. He seems to think that it is mostly caused by soft food and lack of chewing load I tend to believe it has more to do with inhibition of growth and development signaling. In either case I am content to follow the science and this was a reminder to me not to get married to your research. It may be wrong.
The next presenter I also had a personal connection with, Dr. Hamilton Stapell, of SUNY New Paltz lectured on “Ancestral Health in Historical Context: From Physical Culture to Primal Life.” Dr. Stapell had contacted me over the winter as we live fairly close. He had gotten my name off the Paleo Physicians’ Network and had hosted Robb Wolf at New Paltz. Unfortunately I was not able to attend but my receptionist and several of my patients did. He had recognized me and came over to introduce himself. He is a professor of history and his talk centered on the “Physical Culture Movement” of Victorian times. It lasted from about the 1880’s to the 1920’s. He drew parallels to the Primal/Paleo movement and concluded, to much controversy, that this movement won’t survive either. At the very least he gave us a lot to think about. I concluded that people don’t like labels and see “primal” or “Paleo” as odd. I tend to agree with this and hope that he is wrong in this regard but that it will survive in a new, reframed, iteration. I’m thinking “nutrient dense diet” personally.
Next was Dr. Lustig’s “Sugar: No ordinary commodity.” When I spoke to Dr. Lustig he said that he did not think we should tax sugar but we should open the debate on it. I seriously doubt he is telling me the truth nor do I believe that is how he would testify to Congress or the FDA on the subject. He makes the most circuitous links to call sugar a “toxin.” In effect he is counting on people to not understand that toxins are dose dependent. Remember oxygen is a toxin in high enough quantity. Water is a toxin in your lungs. Watch his presentation interspaced with phrases such as, “Libertarians, eat my Dust!” and his praise of NYC mayor Bloomberg lead me to conclude that this man is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He may have nailed the problem, cut down on the fructose. He even found it necessary to tell us he does not support any restrictions on fruit. I will sleep better at night now knowing this. For some odd reason he thinks that nothing can be done without government intervention.
After another amazing lunch this time of grass fed burgers (I had four!) and fresh guacamole, I spent some time looking at the posters and talking with Dr. Mews. This was followed by what I considered the highlight of the three days; Dr. Terry Wahls talk on “Minding My Mitochondria.” For those who have not heard of Dr. Wahls, she reversed the progression of her multiple sclerosis and after being wheel chair bound is now able to walk. She made it clear that her MS has not going away and is still progressing after reversal but at a much-reduced rate. Her book, which after I bought, she was kind enough to autograph, has repercussions beyond MS and I consider required reading for anyone who want to optimize their health. This is because for her this diet is a necessity. For anyone eating a Standard American Diet and is relatively healthy it is an express highway to better health. She received a standing ovation. Watch the video when it is posted, as I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions
The next presentation was none other than Chris Kresser on “Iron Behaving Badly: The Role of Iron Overload in Metabolic Disease.” He discussed how excess iron could affect diabetes, among other diseases. I found this interesting, as there were several talks on diabetes that I would have like to have heard but conflicted with other programs. His take home message was that bloodletting is a first line treatment. Who knew? The doctors with the leaches in the Middle Ages had it right.
Mid afternoon brought Dr. Stephen Guyenet speaking on “Digestive Health, Inflammation and the Metabolic Syndrome.” This was another outstanding presentation linking a poor diet to inflammation and disease states. By now you should know the drill. Eat poorly and you are at risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, etc. Clean your gut and the rest of you will follow.
Late afternoon brought Dr. Remko Kuipers (link is in Dutch, can't find much in English) who as far as I was concerned rocked the house. It was unfortunate that he played to such a small audience as the majority of people were watching the other presentation at the time. If you missed it be sure to watch it. If you watched it, watch it again. Dr. Kuipers went on a bit of myth busting and even went so far as to contradict some of the other speakers. I liked the fact that he sited some of Dr. Peter Ungar’sresearch on isotopic analysis of hominin bones. This is a bulletproof way to tell whether a person’s food came from the land or the sea. He said, and I believe correctly, that we are not adapted merely to reproduce but to live long enough to get our children to reproductive age. Our own parents, the grandparents, aid us in this. This may sound like a minor difference in the way of thinking but it does have profound repercussions. NATURAL SELECTION DOES NOT STOP FOR HUMANS WHEN WE REPRODUCE. It continues for many years afterward. If you are fortunate enough to see the interaction between a child and a great grandparent vs. the interaction with the child and a grandparent it is completely different. It has been my experience that the GGP can even fall into a depression, partly because they are too old to have an impact on raising that child even though it is of their linage.
Finally, I caught some of Dr. Nora Gedgaudas lecture on “The Carb Controversy” This reinforced my understanding of insulin’s role in our homeostasis.
There you have it. Three days of amazing learning leaves me with a few more things to add. As for the practice of dentistry there is much to be gained for a patients well being in taking an evolutionary approach to treating dental disease. The toothbrush had not even been invented and yet no one was getting decay or suffered from malocclusions. In this model is oral hygiene even important in preventing decay? What is interfering with growth and development? Mike Mews is asking the correct questions. Will he like the answers? Time and research will tell.
I do want to conclude by addressing the fact that there appears to be major rifts in the Primal/Paleo Community. It seems that after the Symposium some were complaining that the attendees were “too white,” “too young,” or even “racist” didn’t represent mainstream America. None of this was evident on the floor. They went so far as to disparage the AHS logo as “too Northern European.” I believe these voices of discord are causing trouble for reasons known only to them. As someone of Southern European extraction I was never marginalized. People were friendly and more than once people recognized me and told me they enjoyed my writing and commentary. Once two young girls came up and asked me if I was Jack Kruse’s friend? (You’re a rock star Jack!) It seems that they love his blog and it has made a major difference in their lives. This is what it is all about. There was a minor rift when some of the physicians broke off into a “physicians only” meeting. I did not see this as a big deal either. Some thought it exclusionary. It seemed more organizational to me.
Proper nutrition and well-being transcend politics. Bill Davis has made a big deal that Bill O’Reilly has made himself healthier by eliminating wheat. I would be just as happy if it was Michelle Obama or Michael Moore. Let’s do our best to advance the ball, ignore the voices of the agenda-driven discord and follow the science. We have fifty years of bad science to undo. If someone is calling you names for no apparent reason it is most likely the sign of a small mind and best ignored.