Sorry for the dramatic title.

It seems that soy is still being touted as a healthy food, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.  Another example of savvy marketing and a disregard for health on the part of manufacturers.  I simply cannot believe that the companies manufacturing most of the soy products on the market are not aware of the all the studies.

I’m going to keep this as short as possible, considering how there is so much information out there regarding the danger of soy.

Here is a list (from the FDA no less) of studies that indicate soy toxicity:

Soy is Toxic: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edjw/pltx.cgi?QUERY=soy

Here is a quick list describing the dangers of soy (complements of the West Price Foundation)

• High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
• Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
• Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Vitamin B₁₂ analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B₁₂.
• Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
• Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
• Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

The only soy products that are actually healthy are fermented.  I talk about this in part II of the Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan if you have not already read this.

Those of you drinking soy milk, better to switch to unsweetened rice or almond milk.  Even better to make your own nut milk fresh from whatever nuts you like (assuming you don’t have nut allergies).  The best option (for many people) would be to drink organic raw milk  from green pasture fed cows(refer to the raw milk post for more info).

Stay healthy,

In Health,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

I mentioned raw milk in the Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan several months ago, and have been asked many questions since then.  There is a surprisingly small amount of information regarding milk, the dairy industry, and health that is not tainted by power and politics.

So, this post is my effort to offer some clarity and perhaps a solution for those who have found it difficult to obtain clean, natural, raw milk.

“Regular Milk” : This is the stuff you find in most stores.  If you have ever taken the time to look at the ingredients list on a milk container, you’ll often find that it doesn’t just say “milk”.  This really isn’t surprising considering all the bizarre things that can be found on store shelves that are considered food.

In any case, my point is that “regular milk” is a highly processed product that is designed to be profitable, not healthy.  Here are a few major selling points in milk advertising and their fallacies.

• Natural source of calcium:  this is true, but only if it is not pasteurized, as the high heat treatment interferes with the body’s ability to assimilate milk calcium.
• Good source of vitamin D:  this is also true, but only if the milk is from green pasture fed cows.  Vitamin D from “regular milk” is actually added in later, is synthetic, and potentially toxic.
• High quality protein: very true for raw milk, however pasteurization alters fragile milk proteins and forms highly allergenic byproducts that are usually the cause of most supposed milk allergies.
• Low fat:  why would anyone want low fat milk?  If you haven’t read up on my comments regarding healthy fats, this might be a good time.

Aside from the above issues, here are a few more things to consider:

• Organic milk:  the term “organic” is something that is being thrown around a lot in the food industry because it’s trendy, but it’s meaning is rather vague.  Although many brands of “organic” milk might be better than “regular milk” they are still low quality foods.  Organic milk may come from grain fed cows raised indoors and rarely see sunlight.  Unless it says “from grass fed cows”, it’s not good.  Cows are designed to eat grass, not corn and soy.
• Pasteurized:  I mentioned this already, but this is a big factor.  Keep in mind that most dairies do, in fact need to pasteurize their milk.  The poor health of many commercial dairy cows leads to infected milk (yes, that means pus, slime, and other nasty things, from mastitis suffering cows), so processing removes bacterial pathogens through heat and centrifugation.  Often times you will also see “ultra pasteurized” as though this was a good thing.  This just means it is processed with extremely high heat to extend shelf life.
• Homogenization: this is a commercial process that has no value whatsoever aside from the aesthetic.  This is a process of destroying the natural structures within milk so that it does not separate into milk and cream.  Milk is a highly complex fluid that is perfectly designed to deliver nutrition and protective immune factors to calves.  Homogenization, is a final slap in the face of nutrition by neutralizing beneficial substances and creating harmful byproducts.

The final issue I will cover is the safety of raw milk.

Raw milk has many built in protective factors that prevent contamination and even destroy pathogens.  Yes, milk is a living substance complete with enzymes, leukocytes, macrophages, symbiotic flora, and more, that protect it.  Studies have shown that healthy raw milk that is intentionally infected with harmful bacteria will actually attack and neutralize the invading pathogens.

I get my milk from Organic Pastures, who not only pasture feed their cows, but also use a proprietary mobile barn milking process so that cows are free to roam without having to be moved back to unsanitary conditions for processing.  They also test their milk daily for safety.

Milk from Organic pastures can be purchased and shipped directly from their dairy in Fresno, from some specialty retailers (like Whole Foods) and from the Milk Hub Sale in San Fernando.

Those of you in the San Gabriel Valley and especially Pasadena who would like to have easy access to raw milk products may contact me through this blog regarding a local milk coop in January.  I can also be reached via the Jeet Kune Do contact page at http://www.sgvjeetkunedo.com/contact.html

In Health,

-
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
Jeet Kune Do Los Angeles

Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part I
Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part II
Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part III
Our Misunderstood Friends: Cholesterol and Saturated Fat

Presenting the new San Gabriel Valley Jeet Kune Do Functional fitness class demo video.

Our methods are carefully designed to develop and lock in combative arts level strength, balance, flexibility, and coordination.

Largely focusing on core strength with holistic sensory and muscular integration, the fitness component of SGV JKD Martial Arts classes introduce powerful techniques to improve health and overall fitness.

For more information about our West Covina and Pasadena martial arts and fitness classes visit:

http://www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

In Health,

-

Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
Jeet Kune Do Los Angeles

Okay, so I have been asked by three separate people on three separate occasions within a one week period on the subject of whether agave nectar is a healthy sweetener.  I don’t believe in fate, but I know when the cosmic forces (or whatever you want to call it) demand a specific action.  At this particular moment, agave nectar beckons . . .

My first experience with agave was in 2003 during a health expo at UCLA.  There was a group selling bottles of agave nectar claiming that it is a healthy natural sweetener made from the heart of the agave plant used by the Aztecs.  The main selling point was that it has a low glycemic index. meaning that it has little effect on blood sugar.

I generally don’t use sweeteners much unless I happen to be cooking a dessert or something, so I never really followed up on it.  I also did not realize that it is so prevalent, especially in the vegetarian and vegan community.

It turns out that the whole agave-nectar-as-a health-food is just another example of saavy marketing turning an unhealthy substance into a trendy “natural” product.

So what is it?

Agave nectar is basically the sap of a desert succulent.  At its unprocessed state it is actually barely sweet.  The liquid is then heated to hyrdolize the long chain sugar polymers (mainly inulin) into their smaller constituents, in this case mainly fructose and glucose.  Thus a sweet agave nectar is born.

The final product is about 70 to 90% fructose, hence the low glycemic index.  Keep in mind that high fructose corn syrup is only about 55% fructose and we all know that corn syrup is really bad right?

Fructose in such a concentrated form (fruits do not have nearly this level of fructose) can lead to VERY many health issues in the long run.  First of all, fructose is directly processed by the liver, meaning that it will turn into fat much quicker that glucose in addition to significantly raising blood triglycerides.

I cannot stress enough how problematic industrial processed fructose is for health, especially considering how prevalent it is in the processed food industry.

The best solution is simply to reduce consumption of processed foods.  Honey is a good sweetener, but like any other concentrated source of sugar, moderation is key.

In Health,

-
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
Jeet Kune Do Los Angeles

We are now in the thick of the flu season and so many people are getting sick.

Flu vaccinations have become a pretty standard practice among Americans.  But do they really work?

Like many things in today’s modern world, greed and saavy marketing can often distort simple facts.

Here is an interesting recorded phone conversation made to a flu vaccine manufacturer.

Better to stay healthy, through positive lifestyle habits.

In Health,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

It seems that there is a huge interest in improving health but there is also a lot of confusion.

The response I have been receiving regarding the healthy water issue has been ongoing, so in an effort to close this subject and move on here are a few final words addressing potential health issues and their solutions.

The effects of chlorine and its byproducts on the human body are not only diverse, but not well understood yet.

There is a lot of money involved in chlorine products and chlorine dependent processes, so powerful companies and influential people benefiting from these chemicals do their best to muddy the waters, so to speak.

I prefer not to focus on politics and conspiracy theories for this blog, so I’ll be brief regarding the harmful health effects of chlorine.

Perhaps the most prominent potential side effect of chlorine and its byproducts is cancer.  This, by itself, should be enough to encourage the use of filters.

Other effects include damage to the nervous system, skin, hair, and respiratory system.

After installing our home shower filters, one of the more obvious changes I noticed was a decrease in skin dryness, less hair in the drain, and of course no swimming pool smell.

Asthma and allergy sufferers would also benefit tremendously from shower filters.  Although there are no clear studies that document this, it is conceivable that chlorinated water adds to overall inflammation in the body, taxes the immune system, decreases energy, accelerates aging.

Truly, there are more dangers to chlorinated water than we know.

Best to use filters for the entire house.

The next obvious question is: What kind of filter should I use?

Carbon based filters will generally do a good job of removing chlorine and harmful organic substances.  Reverse osmosis sytems also filter well using a multistage process that also involves activated carbon.  The only draw back with reverse osmosis is the amount of waste water that is produced per unit of sanitized water.

Ceramic and disk filters removes organisms and small particles but do not remove chlorine, heavy metals, and small organic molecules, unless combined with another filter medium.

I recommend the Berkey black filters in combination with their fluoride filters.  They do a good job of removing chlorine, flouride, heavy metals, organisms, and volatile organic compounds among other things, while preserving the natural minerals in the water.  Just keep in mind not to use plastic containers that leech BPA.

I also recommend plain ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for the shower.  Although not technically a filter, vitamin C water treatment will neutralize chlorine and chloramines.

This is a good start and an amazingly easy and economical way to remove a major source of personal toxicity.

In Health

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

Here are a couple of comments I received in response to the last post about reducing toxicity.

I feel these are fairly representative of two prominent schools of thought regarding the issue.  I have also included my own reply.

Comment:

Great article to warn people of toxicity, a vital issue to note if we
want to live longer lives!

Cheers,
Ray

Reply:

Hello Ray,

Thank you for the comment.

I agree that examining the filter used for water purification is
absolutely important.

Regarding dissolved chemicals that are not easily filtered, yes, this
is a real danger.  However, I still feel strongly that a good filter is
the best option for the average consumer and would offer a giant step
up for health.

There are two general alternatives to filters in the consumer water
treatment industry: distillation and deionization.  I do not recommend
either of these processes.  Both produce very pure water, which is
exactly the problem.

Distilled water is stripped of everything, including minerals which in
turn will either strip your body and/or your food of those same
minerals leading to potential health deficiencies.  Furthermore, water
distillation has a few additional inherent problems.  The scaling
(water deposits) resulting from distillation is often removed
chemically, and creating potentially harmful byproducts in order to
have pure drinking water might be self defeating.  Then there is the
issue of the amount of energy involved in purifying the water.  Home
distillers are generally powered by electricity and unless your home is
running on green energy, this is also adding to the overall carbon
footprint of the purification process.

Deionized water, on the other hand, strips water of minerals but does
not remove organic materials that do not have a charge.  For this
reason, many home units will combine an additional filtration step. 
Ultimately, we are left with same issue as distilled water in that the
deionized water is stripped of necessary minerals.

The issue of healthy drinking water is important.  As of now I’m not
certain that there is a perfect solution, however, filtration is a
excellent first step.

In Health,

Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.

Comment:

I do some work with the American Chemistry Council and I can promise
that chlorine is not harmful — In fact, if we didn’t have chlorine,
Western civilization probably could not function.  It kills the
bacteria and organic material that cause diseases and U.S. cities have
been using it for over 100 years because it’s safe and effective.

Reply:

Hi There,

Thanks for the comment.

There is no doubt that chlorine has definitely made a significant
impact on modern civilization.  I also have to say that I have a bit
more faith in human ingenuity to believe that Western civilization
would not function without chlorine.

As for its safety, such an active oxidizer that kills bacteria and
destroys other organic material has that very same potential with
humans.  The only difference being, that we are larger than bacteria
and thus feel the effects at a lesser level.

Chlorine is essential to life as we know it, but it is not something we
should be consuming outside of natural food sources.  The harmful
effects of chlorine based sanitation products are too numerous to
mention and so abundant that I won’t explain in detail.

I hope you change your mind about chlorine, because it won’t change its
effects on you.

In Health,

Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.

I mentioned the distillation and water deionization processes mainly because the first commenter also runs a health blog, however he advocates distilled water.

In Health,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

Humans have long been obsessed with the concept of eternal life, or at least the extension of life.

Considering how short our time is on the planet, a long life definitely a legitimate pursuit.

I have to say however, that the methods we go about this can be bizarre.  In China, the Empress Dowager apparently was purported to have drunk a formula of mother’s milk with new born baby’s urine with a black pearl for longevity.  I don’t think it worked very well if you ask me.

In modern times there is practice called Calorie-Restriction which is essentially eating about 10-25% less than what would otherwise be normal for your size.  Lab tests on rats showed that this practice increased their lifespan by up to 40%.  I’m not so certain that these results would translate to humans, although this route might seem like a reasonable option until you see the support groups needed to cope with the constant suffering resulting from eternal hunger.  Life is for living fully, and calorie restriction sounds like a strange and unusual form of penance.  Besides, we are unlikely to see full human potential on a lack of energy resources.

Without going into the more usual forms of increasing health, and thus longevity, (ie. diet & exercise), I would like to mention the practice of reducing personal toxicity.

Toxicity is a broad term that simply measures the the potential damage that one thing causes to a living organism.  Considering how many things can be damaging to humans, there is plenty of toxicity to reduce.

Water:

Water is essential to life and indoor plumbing has revolutionized human lifestyle.  In order to keep pathogenic organisms in our water supply to a minimum, however, toxic additives are used.  It just so happens that chlorine (a potent oxidant) is more damaging to single celled organisms than to us.  This is probably the single largest source of toxicity that enters the human body.  We breathe it in when we shower, we drink it, we eat it when it gets absorbed into the food through cooking, we swim in it, we wash our clothes with it, we clean our homes with it.

Chlorine and chloramines can be eliminated with the use of shower filters, drinking water filters, and replacing chlorinated home cleaning products with non-toxic sources.  I use a vitamin C based shower filter to avoid to the problems with KDF and activated carbon filters.  I also use a Berkey drinking water filter.  Bottled water, is not as safe and pure as you might think.  I won’t bore you with the details, either take my word for it or take a look for yourself.  Here is an interesting article on bottled water from the Environmental Working Group .

If you buy a filter, make sure the container is not made from lexan, as it leeches BPA.  In fact, the only plastics that appear safe around food are #5 PP “polypropylene, #2HDPE High-density polyethylene, and #4 LDPE Low-density polyethylene.  If you aren’t sure what it’s made of, best to avoid it.  Also keep in mind that some metal containers actually have a polymer lining.  I use a filter with a stainless steel reservoir and glass bottles.

As for household cleaning products, there is nothing that vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda can’t handle.  A combination of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide may actually be more effective than the standard 0.5% chlorine solutions.

Reducing toxic contaminants is rather simple, but it does take awareness.  More tips coming soon!

In Health,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

It’s that time of year again.

The weather is shifting quickly, catching people unaware with cold, wet, windy, overcast spells followed by brief periods of deceptive warmth and calm skies.

The slow changes of the Fall season should be encouraging us to change our habits in preparation for the Winter.  Yet, as is often the case, we get caught up with everything else while health gets placed on the back
burner.  Nature is supreme, and we should pay attention to our bodies, as they are the ultimate weather gauge.

Here a few tips to help you weather the Winter (pun intended):

Prevention:

1. Wear layers.  This will ensure that you are always comfortable and able to maintain optimal body temperature.
2. Close windows and turn off AC at night (yes, it is obvious but a common factor nonetheless)
3. Do not touch your face (especially eyes, nose, mouth) or food before washing your hands.  These areas have thin membranes that are easily penetrated by pathogens.
4. If you have been exposed to someone in the contagious phase of a cold (when a person is sneezing, coughing, etc) make certain to wash your hands and blow your nose (better to flush your nasal passages with a saline solution).  This will help reduce the concentration of pathogens entering your body and thus increase the chances that your immune system will destroy them.
5. Get up and go to bed early.  Humans are diurnal animals and our bodies were designed to function maximally during daylight hours.  Getting up early ensures greater exposure to sunlight while going to bed early increases rest and regeneration, ultimately leading to greater immune system health.
6. Herbal remedies and supplements.  Vitamin C and Zinc are the most popular vitamins for cold defense, but frankly, all micro nutrients will help so make sure to take you multi-vitamin.  An omega-3 essential oil supplement is essential for prevention (I recommend Krill oil).  Echinacea is also popular, although I prefer the Chinese formula Yin Chiao.  Normally, Yin Chiao is used to combat colds during the fever phase, but at low doses it has also been shown to be effective for prevention.
7. General health maintenance.  If you have not been reading my blog, this means exercise, whole seasonal food, rest, and lots of joy, love, harmony, and happiness.
8. No health regimen is complete without acupuncture (I don’t sound biased do I?)  I generally recommend acupuncture at least four times per year at the start of every season to boost the immune system and help the body acclimate to changes.

If you still happen to “catch a bug,” there is till hope.

Remedy:

1. Rest.  If you are getting sick, give your body a fighting chance by reducing its workload through good sleep and general peace (that means no stress and agitation).
2. Light food.  Along the same lines as rest, food that is easy to digest will make it easier for you body to combat invasion.
3. Fluids.  This means mainly water.  Soups and teas are also good.  Avoid anything that is high in sugar.
4. Sweat it out.  Traditionally it is believed that sweating expels pathogens through the skin.  Although this is a dated idea, mild exercise does increase circulation and boost the immune system.  Nurturing a fever may also help destroy pathogens by increasing body temperature and thus making it unfavorable invaders.  Just make certain to drink extra fluids.
5. Herbal remedies and supplements. The same supplements and remedies in the prevention section apply here.
6. Acupuncture.  Yes, it does work.  How does it work?  By helping your body do what it naturally does — heal itself.

As for flu vaccinations, don’t bother.  My parents would probably be shaking their heads if they read this, but the fact of the matter is that flu vaccines are more of a pharmaceutical money maker potentially full of toxic contaminants.  We are all better off focusing on natural prevention through optimal health in mind, body, and soul.

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com

Historically, Martial Arts schools incorporated, to some degree, an herbal pharmacy directed at keeping the students healthy after hard training or combat.  Similarly, students are also given a basic knowledge of how to self treat contusions, and other minor soft tissue injuries.  In modern times we see training centers selling sports balms like Tiger Balm, Icy Hot, Bengay, Cryogel, etc.  Although these products do work, in my experience there is nothing quite as effective as the time tested herbal formulas in the Martial Arts medicine toolbox traditionally prepared by the teacher at the school.

Hit Medicine or Dit Da is a little known branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine developed for healing tissue trauma resulting from fighting.

Unbenknownst to most, Hit Medicine can decrease healing time of minor soft tissue injuries by at least 50% in most cases.  In my early training, I would follow a conditioning protocol of applying herbal liniments to striking and blocking surfaces before and after practice (and sometimes during practice), effectively preventing the majority of bruising and decreasing healing time to a day or two at most.

These protocols are probably most useful to combat sports players who routinely accumulate injuries from full contact sparring.  Although less severe, the average Martial Artist still gets the occasional bruise, strain, sprain, and muscle soreness in which case Hit Medicine comes in very handy.

So what exactly is involved?

The basic Hit Medicine kit should include herbal plaster patches, topical healing wines (Dit Da Jow), an oil based liniment, plastic wrap, waterproof tape, and maybe an oral herbal formula.

The specific formulations on the plaster patches, Dit Da Jows, and oils differ depending on whom you speak to.  In many cases Dit Da Jow is home made using a “family” recipe.  I personally prefer the Yunnan Baiyau plasters and Herbalgy oil along with a homemade Dit Da Jow.  If you don’t have access to homemade Dit Da Jow, Zheng Gu Shui or Yunnan Baiyau Tincture will do.  Simply apply and rub lightly.

For more severe injuries, a wet herbal plaster can be applied and sealed using tape and plastic wrap.  The wrap is usually kept in place for 12 - 24 hours, removed, cleaned and replaced.

These techniques will help with acute injuries, whereas Acupuncture and more advanced Tui-Na techniques should be used to resolve chronic injuries.

Keep in mind that this is a valuable adjunct to training but NOT a replacement for professional medical advice and treatment, so consult your healthcare provider before starting any program.

In Health,

–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com