On Health, Fitness & Jeet Kune Do

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

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

This morning, I read an article from Science News entitled ” New Discoveries Get to the Heart of Cardiovascular Disease“.

Science and technology are absolutely amazing resources, but I was somewhat taken aback when I realized that the article ultimately points towards new drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.  Cardiovascular diseases are lifestyle diseases that are generally avoidable and largely reversible if caught in time.

So why does the vast majority of medical research point us toward drug manufacture instead of lifestyle changes? — Money.

If you don’t already know, the pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest and most profitable industries in the world.

Something is wrong when prominent medical doctors such as Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal,
make statements like “Even if we delay the process by exercise and rabbit food, sooner or later our blood vessels rot.”

It’s good to have the treatments available to help people, but I believe the focus should really be on improving overall health, wellness, longevity, and quality of life through natural sources first.

In Health,

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

“I’m doing the low carb thing.”

The “low fat” era came and went (although I’m still not sure if there is any real understanding of the importance of fats among dieters) and we are now on the tail end of the “low carb” trend that was popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins and many others that were hot on his trail.

I still hear the occasional “I’m on a low carb diet”, and advertising still uses this angle to catch the unwary shopper.

All the fluff aside, carbohydrates are a very important part of good nutrition.  Most of the micronutrients in our diets, including vitamins, minerals, and other healthful compounds, come from carbohydrate sources.

What is the standard picture that comes to mind when you think of carbs?  Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes?  These are all common answers, because they are common foods in the average American diet.  Yet, it’s hard to imagine an abundance of micronutrients coming from these refined starchy carbohydrates.  In fact, it’s hard to see these nutrients coming from any starchy carbohydrates (with a few exceptions) regardless of whether they are whole or refined.

Again, referring to ancient man’s diet, we see that grains were not a significant part.  Wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes did not come into existence in the human diet in any appreciable amount until industrial farming and agricultural domestication was established.  Ancient man’s carbohydrates came from a variety of wild grains, tubers, vegetables, nuts, berries, and fruits.

The modern American, will be hard pressed to find nutrient dense wild plant product sources, but we can at least make the healthiest choices of what we have available.

So what carbs should you be including?

Rich colorful fruits and vegetables along with small amounts of whole grains and legumes with the occasional tuber.  Plant sources should be fresh and local, thereby giving them  more time in the sun and opportunity to ripen naturally (as opposed to imported fruits and vegetables that are harvested early and never really mature).  One major caveat with whole grains is the high rate of subclinical gluten sensitivity that seems to be the cause of so many health issues.

The most effective way to determine if you have subclinical gluten sensitivity is to remove it from your diet for at least three months.  Any health changes will be obvious.

Gluten aside, some people seem to do well on a diet high in starchy carbohydrates, however they are the minority.  Most of us would benefit from keeping grains to a minimum and seeking our carbohydrates from colorful vegetables.  If possible foods should be eaten raw to benefit maximally from their life sustaining properties.

Nutrition really is a bit of an art that requires a careful awareness of self in order to truly master.  In the spirit of Jeet Kune Do, there is no set way.

Bruce Lee talked about “honestly expressing oneself” as a powerful path to achievement and realization.  The most important part of learning Jeet Kune Do is listening to your body in order to understand how to fully use it for “honest expression,” and the same holds true for health and nutrition.  The human body is always honestly expressing itself through vitality and/or disease on all levels, including the physical, mental, and spiritual.

Listen to your body.

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

Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part I
Jeet Kune Do Nutrition Plan Part II

Here’s a great article that lists some compelling reasons to start getting physically active.

I would like to add that incorporating fitness via a self defense training program does wonders for self confidence and can be a very powerful tool for stress relief.

In any case, one of the best ways to get on an exercise program and stay on it, is to choose an activity that you enjoy . . . and better yet, take a friend.

Happy training!

The greatest challenge in developing a permanent exercise habit is finding motivation that lasts. It’s easy to get to the gym when you’re preparing for that big beach vacation or want to look great for your high school reunion. But what about the rest of the time?

For much of my life I followed a pretty consistent pattern:

• Get a bit fat.
• Start to hate the way I look.
• Hit the gym with a vengeance for a few weeks.
• Start to look noticeably better.
• Smugly enjoy my new found vanity.
• Lose motivation and stop working out for a few weeks.
• Repeat from beginning.

Vanity, it turns out, isn’t a great longterm motivator for most people. It wasn’t until I associated exercise with rewards beyond physical appearance that I was able to get myself to the gym 5-6 times a week without any lapses.

To help you bring consistency and enthusiasm to your exercise schedule, here are some powerful reasons to work out that have nothing to do with looking good.

Read the full article here: 10 Reasons to Work Out That Have Nothing to Do With a Sexy Bod

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

PROTEIN

This is the single most common term in the diet, fitness, health industries. Often times, however, protein is casually mentioned without little or no elaboration regarding the quality. Much like fats, as I discussed in part one of this series, it is largely misunderstood.

To recap on part I of the series, note that there is not a JKD nutrition plan per se, but rather in the spirit of simplicity, directness, and efficiency we can improve our health and performance through principles that avoid the “classical mess” that is modern nutrition.

Protein is a category of macromolecules composed of amino acids that is essential to human life. The human body can manufacture many of the necessary amino acids but the rest must be obtained from food for optimal health.

In this article I will focus on the four protein sources that receive the most attention:

1. meat

2. milk

3. eggs

4. soy

MEAT: Meat is good. Looking back at our evolutionary ancestry and our human biology, it is clear that our bodies work best on an omnivorous diet . . . plant and animal products. Having said this, I won’t bother going into the biological difficulties and health challenges of a vegetarian diet as this would require a volume by itself.

As a protein source, meat is excellent as it contains a complete amino acid profile, but this is really only a part of the whole when considering foods. In short, the quality of a meat is directly related to the way the animal was raised and the way in which the meat is prepared.

For example, when choosing beef make sure that it is organic, free range and grass fed. If this type of beef is unavailable in your area look for for meat that is, at least hormone and anti-biotic free. The same goes with chicken, make sure it is free range organic; this means it is allowed to run free and supplement its diet with insects and other natural “wild” foods.

As for the preparation of your meats, eat them WITH the fat and minimize frying and overcooking. The fats in naturally raised animals are essential to better digestion and nutrient absorption. Furthuremore, cooking at high temperatures not only reduces nutritional value but also creates toxic byproducts like PhIP and heterocyclic amines which are strongly associated with cancer. I personally eat most of my animal proteins raw or nearly raw (another highly controversial practice).

MILK: It does the body good right? Well, that depends. Milk has been a hallmark of the average modern American diet and it can be a powerful boon to good nutrition but there are a few important considerations.

Milk should only be consumed raw, whole, and unmodified with the exception of culturing. Pasteurization and homogenization turns a life giving super food into a dead allergen ridden waste product. Raw milk, on the other hand, provides a complete protein, and quality fats loaded with highly bioavailable vitamins and minerals that are destroyed or rendered less absorbable when heated (calcium from pasteurized milk is not easily used by the body). The natural bacteria and enzymes found in raw milk also protect it from putrefying pathogens and make it more digestible so people with milk allergies (casein allergies) or lactose intolerance can often drink raw milk. Cultured raw milk such as yogurt, kefir, and cheese have added benefits with increased digestibility and beneficial bacteria.

To find a source of raw milk near you, go to http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html

EGGS: Another excellent source of complete protein, quality fats, and bioavailable micronutrients. There is a misconception that eggs should be eaten sparingly due to their effect on blood cholesterol. This is a myth.

Whole eggs have not been shown to have a negative affect on blood cholesterol or triglycerides.

Much like milk and meat, however, make sure you get your eggs fresh and from organic free range hens. Eggs are best when eaten raw, as this preserves the delicate micronutrients and essential fatty acids within the yolk. The salmonella scare that the FDA has created around raw eggs is, in my opinion, completely overblown. Most eggs, if kept fresh and obtained from reputable sources will not be contaminated. Furthermore, the stomach acids of a healthy person neutralize any Salmonella and infections are generally short lived anyway not lasting more than a few hours unless you have a compromised immune system.

SOY: Where did we go so wrong? If you have not heard by now, know that soy is NOT the health food that so many experts have supported. As far as soy protein isolate is concerned, it is an industrial waste product from the vegetable oil industry. It is a highly processed incomplete plant protein that heralds a whole host of potential health risks. In short, soy inhibits mineral absorption, decreases stomach acid production (necessary for good digestion and immune function), has phytoestrogens which interfere with normal hormone regulation, and undergoes industrial processing that produces harmful byproducts.

The only healthy soy based foods will be found in fermented products such as natto, miso, tempeh, etc.

Again this is only a rough guide to nutrition and proteins, but it will point the way to better health and performance.

In the final installment of this three part series I will cover dietary carbohydrates.

In Health,

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

OK, so there really isn’t an actual “JKD Nutrition Plan” but there should be.

For those who may not know, Bruce Lee was a huge proponent of optimal health and performance via careful and deliberate nutrition. He experimented heavily with vitamins, protein shakes, and other health supplements; he even explored the latest fads, quickly dismissing nonsense and keeping what worked for him.

In the spirit of Jeet Kune Do, I’ll clear up a few myths and outright fallacies of modern nutrition so that you may “absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own.”

I warn you however, that what you read here will probably go contrary to everything you think you know about nutrition.

Let’s begin . . .

Myth: Your diet should include small amounts of polyunsaturated oils and no unsaturated fats.

This is perhaps the biggest misunderstanding in nutrition. Unlike what the FDA has lead the public to believe, fat is your friend. In fact, fat is an absolutely essential nutrient that has received a lot of abuse from the media and so-called diet and nutrition gurus over the years.

Polyunsaturated fats like canola oil have been hailed as healthy oils due to their low saturated fat content when the opposite is actually true. “Vegetable” oils like canola and corn oil actually have a high potential of harming the body simply due to their unstable molecular structure. These “polyunsaturated” oils are highly susceptible to oxidation and formation of toxic substances (such as acrylamide) under heat. Furthermore, oxidized oils create a whole host of problems including harmful free radical cascades arterial plaques (analysis of arterial plaques show their composition to be primarily oxidized polyunsaturated fats, not cholesterol as everybody seems to think).

Saturated fats like organic coconut oil and butter, on the other hand, are nutritional powerhouses. Taken raw, their health benefits put them in the class of super foods with their immune boosting and gut healing properties. These fats are also much healthier options for cooking due to their higher molecular stability.

Similarly, mono unsaturated fats like olive oil, hemp oil are more stable than their polyunsaturated cousins and also have positive health promoting properties of their own when taken raw.

Remember that most of the fats in our own body are actually saturated, not to mention that medium chain fatty acids (like coconut oil) make an excellent energy source comparable to carbohydrates. In fact, saturated fat is the primary source of energy for the heart.

Why all the negative hype in the media about saturated fats? Most likely, this is due to the advent of trans fats in margarine and other hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenation, being a process that artificially saturates an oil, thus making it more stable for longer shelf life in stores.

Consider trans and hydrogenated fats as public enemy number one and avoid at all costs. Used as a preservative, nothing eats hydrogenated fat . . . not even mold and bacteria, and neither should you.

The final, but no less important, element in dietary fats concern essential fatty acids. These are a class of fats that the body needs but is unable to produce and therefore, must get out of the diet. Omega three fatty acids are really the only ones you need to be conscious about as they are less abundant than the others (ie. omega 6). Just make certain that the omega three in your diet is coming from an animal source such as fish and egg yolks, as omega 3 from flax and other plant sources is inadequate. Again, as an unsaturated oil, it is better taken raw and with plenty of anti-oxidants to preserve its healthful state.

This is only a rough guide to dietary fats, but will none-the-less produce extraordinary health benefits in the long run.

For in-depth information about nutrition and healthy fats, visit the Weston Price Foundation

Stay tuned for Part II of this series where I’ll be covering dietary protein.

In Health,

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

Training is the keystone to improving your overall performance, however there are many things outside of the gym that will give you a definite edge.

Rest
Yes, rest and recovery after a strenuous workout is an absolute must. Vigorous training is essentially wear, tear, and stress on the body, mind, and spirit. Giving yourself time to rest is essentially giving yourself the opportunity to heal and grow stronger on all levels so that you are that much better the next time. Rest could be taking a day or two off from exercise, or it could mean changing your regiment and doing a little cross training. Although cross training is still “training”, it effectively rests your body by not using the same repeated motions, muscles, contact points, etc. It will give you enough time away from your regular routine to clear your mind and restart with a new perspective.

Nourishment
Everyone needs to replenish and as the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” In this case however, it is important to consider all levels including the mind, body and spirit. It amazes me how long it has taken the western medical community to realize and investigate the non-physical aspects of health. Just as it is vital to eat good food, it is vital to nourish the mind with positive thoughts and feed the spirit with uplifting feelings. Remember to take a break and do something that really makes you feel good.

Natural Medicine
A common practice in many other cultures, natural healing arts are gaining popularity among Westerners as a safe and cost effective method of staying healthy. What most people have not yet learned however, is that these complimentary healing arts such as Acupuncture, Massage, Chiropractic, and Herbal Medicine can and should be used to improve performance and boost health beyond the point that the average person would consider “normal”. You’ll find that most, if not all, top athletes regularly visit their natural healing arts practitioners to help keep them at peak performance.

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