Regeneration and the Nature of Time

We all ride the cycle of life. This time of year, as we approach the solstice, brings to mind the many cycles we experience...day to night, new moon to full moon, longest night to longest day...as Joni suggests we're captive on the carousel of time caught in the circle game.

First nations peoples understand our place in the cycle of life

“Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round . . . The sky is round and I have heard the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind in its greatest power whirls, birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. Our teepees were round like the nests of birds. And they were always set in a circle, the nation’s hoop.”

― Chief Black Elk

The ancients studied the movement of the heavens and develop means of measuring time. Central to their understanding was the sun and it's solstices and equinoxes. Today we're learning more about our star and in fact have a solar probe literally touching the sun.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe Touches The Sun For The First Time (5 min)
For the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the Sun.

It is more than just solar, lunar, and stellar cycles. We live in a matrix of interconnected cycles...the water cycle, the imbalanced carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and so on. The climatic cycle is also out of balance as evidenced by this week's tornadoes, damaging winds in the Midwest, atmospheric rivers out west, a Typhoon in the Philippines, the warmest ever temperatures in the arctic, and so many other weather weirding events. Sadly TPTB will not address the breakdown of these cycles and we shall see increasing "weirdness" for the remainder of our lives. However we can regenerate other aspects of our lives.

I think we can tap into the cyclic flow and regenerate ourselves and our environment. There is no one path, but there are indeed effective ways to enhance our health and our surroundings. In fact the two goals are synergistic.

I often write about diet and health. As a result, I know people are resistant to dietary and lifestyle changes. Perhaps the older we become, the more resistant we are to change. However old dogs can learn new tricks and there are others in the community that have learned to use diet to enhance health. So I'm going to share my approach and understanding. I'm not saying you're wrong if you don't eat and live this way, but I am suggesting that by using diet and modifying our lifestyles we can regenerate ourselves and feel younger, healthier, and age gracefully.

In the US, and world wide, most people are metabolically unhealthy. (1 min)

This is what is driving our obesity epidemic. The current dietary guidelines were issued in 1980 recommending a diet of primarily grains and a shift to seed oil rather than saturated fats like butter. Let's look at the outcome of those recommendations.

Nina explains our obviously failing guidelines (12 min)

full 30 minute lecture here
Basically big Ag, big food, and big pharma have captured our regulatory agencies. They want us sick, because changing our diets and eating habits is something we can do for ourselves for free.

So how to change our diet? My approach has been low carb/high fat (LCHF), and I'm not alone. The idea is to train your body to use fat as fuel rather than sugars which are unhealthy in a myriad of ways. I can show you the studies and data, but perhaps more compelling are stories of others success with this diet. (15 min)

But come on it's the holidays...
Dr Ken Berry has some tips and advice about minimizing the effects of holiday food. (6 min)

Now our typical diet of leafy greens and meat, fish, and eggs doesn't jive with holiday meals high in carbs and sugars. And yes we do eat some of those at our family gatherings and parties, but we have a technique to go right back to using fats as fuel rather than sugars...fasting.

Another free path to good health (which you're not being told) is fasting. That's how I got started after OPOL wrote a piece here about fasting and the keto diet. I went about it backwards, beginning with fasting. My first fast was 5 days. My longest fast was 10 days. However in those days I had plenty of body fat to live off. The longest known fast is over a year. Now had I been smart I would have spent a couple of months on a LCHF diet to drive down my insulin (and hunger) before beginning a fasting regime. Another trick to adapt to burning your own fat is the use of MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil. None the less it worked. I lost my aches and pains and started losing weight and a year later I was 70 pounds lighter. Now a days, I use a time restricted eating window, meaning I eat during a 4-6 hour window, which means a 18-20 hour fast most days. I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't adapted to this approach...sounds crazy. Yet here I am feeling better at 70 than at even age 55.

Jason Fung was my video mentor in my journey. His weekly 10-15 minute fasting tips are helpful. I still use a three day water only fast when I eat incorrectly or just feel like I'm starting to gain weight. Three days of fasting forces your body into fat burning mode, and you'll stay in that place as long as you minimize the carbs especially sugar to 20 grams or less per day. We do eat carbs like lettuce, greens, and other vegetables, but we avoid all processed foods and grains. I like Dr Lustig's broader approach to a real food diet.

The most important factor now, when considering food, nutrition and public health, is not nutrients, and is not foods, so much as what is done to foodstuffs and the nutrients originally contained in them, before they are purchased and consumed. That is to say, the big issue is food processing – or, to be more precise, the nature, extent and purpose of processing, and what happens to food and to us as a result of processing.

I think we can all agree that what we eat shapes our health. I would add when we eat also is a major influence allowing our body to rest. Our diets provide us with the building blocks to build and repair our bodies. We build and repair ourselves when we sleep, so sleep is very important for good health.

My nightly regime includes taking magnesium which helps me to sleep deeply. I learned to make highly absorbable magnesium bicarbonate from Dr. William Davis. I use milk of magnesia (making sure there are no additives other than the magnesium hydroxide and water). I add 15 mL of the magnesia to a L of carbonated water. This reacts to make the bicarbonate form which is so readily absorbed. I drink at least 6 ounces before bed. Just as most people have low vitamin D, they also have low magnesium. Melatonin can also be helpful for some people. My better half takes it every evening to enhance her sleep, but I do fine with just magnesium.

Another health hack rarely discussed is the Finnish sauna. Unfortunately there are few studies to substantiate the health claims, but there are few.
https://www.saunasociety.org/blog/2021/3/19/sauna-and-health
There is pretty good evidence that saunas can stimulate mitochondria (the cellular powerhouse organelle) regeneration. Perhaps it is just in my head, but I find a sauna session makes me feel healthy and vibrant. I don't have regular access and haven't built my own, but would like to one day. Here in the states, first nations used sweet lodges...

The Sweat Lodge
Many North American and Central American Indian tribes have traditionally used the sweat lodge for purification, cleansing and healing of mind, body, emotions and spirit.
Lakota elder Black Elk tells us: "The sweat lodge utilizes all powers of the universe: earth, and things that grow from the earth; water; fire; and air."

More on building and using sweet lodges.

We can regenerate our bodies with proper diets, exercise, and lifestyle choices. I don't have an exercise regime per say. I do take a walk most days when weather allows, and there's the endless chores demanding physical effort here on the homestead. I like these physical therapists' approach to targeted exercise.

Physical Therapists Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck offer great advice, tips, and information on how to stay healthy, fit, and pain-free. Together they have over 50 years of experience and knowledge as physical therapists and fitness experts.

We know our body can heal if we give it a chance. We've all had cuts and bruises which heal, gotten over many illnesses, and survived sore achy muscles. I've experienced new found health by improving my diet...mainly eliminating sugar, seed oils, and processed foods. I just requires changing eating habits and it only take 30 days or so to form a new habit.

The Earth too can heal itself. When ecosystems are destroyed by people or natural disaster, it begins a successional process to return to its dominant climax community. We can accelerate that process with appropriate farming techniques...emulating the vast herds of ruminants that once roamed the grasslands of our planet. Even in the forests in the East, elk would scrape and kill trees creating woodland meadows for buffalo, deer, and other grazing species.

The other week I featured the Carbon Cowboys which features ten different regenerative farmers from around the country. Their operations are all interesting to me and point to a new way to produce food while improving soils and the environment. The common technique is mob grazing (to emulate the once giant herds) moved daily. Many of these farmers stack species meaning they move chickens, sheep, cows, and other animals on the same land like White Oak Pastures.

Today want to introduce those of you with an interest to master grazer, Greg Judy.
Each of his videos is about 10 minutes.

You can see what mob grazing means...(the first of Dec)
This is over a year ago, Greg talking with visiting retired vet.

They look at the soil health
Greg uses his cows to restore degraded eroded land that he rents. Cow mob healing ditch with large round bales.

and let me feature one more...Cow mob moving onto hunting farm.

Greg also raises sheep and guardian dogs, mushrooms, and designs and sells equipment for small scale producers.

We can regenerate and restore our bodies and degraded lands by tapping into naturals cycles. Teaching your body to burn fat for fuel is to my mind one of the best paths to health and vitality. It directly alters your gut microbiome and heals leaky gut. The gut is the gateway to health. It’s where nearly 80% of your immune system lives. Your gut is also where up to 95% of your serotonin (the primary neurotransmitter responsible for your mood) is produced. If your gut is healthy, chances are that you are in good health. If it’s not, it can lead to a slew of issues. A ‘leaky gut’ can set you on the path to chronic illness.

It is the same with soils. A healthy soil life community is needed for them to be productive. Modern day agribiz poisons soils just like processed foods poison us. Using natural cycles we can regenerate and restore both. It isn't expensive, in fact it eliminates the need for most chemicals including the need for pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, herbicides, and so on. We can eat healthy foods, and produce healthy animals as we restore degraded farms.

So on with the ride around the sun. It may be the start of winter coming up, but it also means more light...just a bit more every day. Eat well. Live well. Be well!