I’ve never taken the time to consider whether or not the CDC is constitutional [EDIT: I checked, it's not]. Which is a polite way of saying “legal”. Regardless of whether or not it is, stuff like this makes a strong case for abolishing it entirely, or dramatically reducing it’s scope, specifically removing it from the realm of nutrition forever.

CDC researchers say mothers should stop breastfeeding to boost ‘efficacy’ of vaccines

On a creepiness scale of 1 to 10, this is a 15. 

The CDC is funded by violence. It’s a federal agency that is paid for largely by your income tax, which you pay, or go to jail for not paying. If you refuse to go to jail, you will be shot by armed IRS agents. If you think I’m joking trying making $100,000 fiat dollars and ignoring the IRS for the next 2 years.

You’ll be murdered. A federal judge agrees.

And this is the shit your income tax goes to pay? An agency that promotes putting infants on soy formula so their fucking vaccine might work better? What the fuck?!

Here is what Doug McGuff M.D. has to say about being taken off the teet as an infant.

Doug is a practicing emergency room physician and licensed medical doctor.

The CDC spent your money, taken from you by the threat of violent force, to perform this research.

That’s nuts.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

 
As you might guess, both are great. I’ve since invited Dr. Mercola to The 21 Convention. While I was not able to get in touch with him directly, I did get in contact with his press agent. Highly interested at first due to both Mark and Doug being alumni speakers, but lost interest when he found out there was not going to be ~500 people at the event. This is highly irrelevant long term due to the high quality video production + online video distribution, but this is almost impossible to explain to people not intimately familiar with web video.

It’s tantamount to explaining how detrimental minimum wage laws are to the poor, or explaining why corporate tax is an illusion to an OWS protester. I may or may not try to get in contact with Dr. Mercola directly, who I think would be a great speaker. I especially like how much he hates — and rightfully so — the FDA.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

It occurred to me last night that major errors in conventional (as well as some unconventional camps) of important subjects, consist of errors of the same caliber, and are produced by the same fault in thinking.

Reductionism.

For the purposes of this post, reductionism shall be defined as a mode of thinking that reduces complex concepts and practices, spanning multiple sciences, down to a lesser number of sciences, not for any reason other than such person or group believes that eliminated sciences do not apply to Y topic, concept, or practice — when they in fact do.

The resulting conclusions being at best wrong, and at worst, dangerous.

Nutrition

The first science we will explore is nutrition. Human nutrition specifically. And more specifically, the broad criticism of any diet or individual who states that fat loss is primarily a hormonal and biological event, secondarily a matter of calorie intake reduction (by any number of means), and thirdly, if even considered relevant, calorie expenditure.

The criticism being that this hierarchy violates the first law of thermodynamics. Which, as is commonly accepted when applied to fat loss, means …

• Calories in = Calories out

In other words, fat loss is a matter of reducing the calories you take in, and expending more through “exercise” (which does not mean exercise when used in this manner, but is used as a substitute for any physical activity whatsoever, including sex, walking in circles, and as is my favorite to point out, defecation).

• Eat less + “Workout more” = fat loss

The problem however is that human beings are not rocks. Biology is a proudly ignored factor in this criticism of fat loss as it relates to a living organism.

While I am preaching to the choir here, I would like to point out that this very serious error in thought stems from eliminating biology from the following equation,

• Biology + Physics = Fat Loss

or making fat loss a simple

• Physics = Fat Loss

A la, complex biological events of living organisms are reduced to a matter of physics alone. The simple fact that we are alive, is literally ignored.

Psychology

The second science we will explore is psychology. Specifically, human psychology. And what is the conventional wisdom in psychology?

That man is an instinct manipulated puppet, free will does not exist, thought is automatic, and man’s life is only the sum of an inconsequential series of mindless responses to stimulus he has no control over.

This grand error is applied to varying degrees — dependent on an individual’s philosophical convictions — across the entire span of human life.

When applied to the broadest and highest degree possible, the conviction that man = an animal is the base conviction and condition being accepted.

Relevant to psychology, this is the reduction of human psychology to that of behavioral psychology.

The psychology of an animal lacking volitional consciousness, completely incapable of conceptual thought and entirely lacking the capacity for reason.

Thus, in conventional psychology, we have

• Physics + Biology = Human psychology

It is a fact of reality however that human psychology is a distinct science. The reality looks much more like this,

• Physics —> Biology —> Psychology

or

• Physics + Biology + Volitional Consciousness = Psychology

With the “psychology” of animals properly belonging in the realm of biology, not psychology.

This is why “evolutionary psychology” is largely a contradiction in terms when applied to human beings and produces conclusions that are absolutely incomplete.

The psychology of male/female intimate relationships is a subject that this is easily observable in. While it is true that our psycho-sexuality is rooted in the physical construction of being one gender or another, and the subsequent biological consequences this entails in a healthy human being, it is not the sum of the human experience in this arena.

To state such a thing is tantamount to stating 1+1 = 3, and that all male/female intimate relationships are automatic.

But nothing about being human — in the sense of what separate us from other animals — is automatic. Every ounce of what sustains human life is produced by the thinking mind.

Nothing is produced when man refuses to think. And man destroys when he actively abandons his mind and acts in contradiction with reality (and is destructive to the degree he is in conflict with reality, and the range his degree and power afford).

When man uses his mind, he forms positive relationships with the opposite sex that benefit his life as well as the life of his partner.

When man refuses to think, he forms a mindless relationship with the opposite sex that is at best, unfulfilling.

When man actively abandons his mind and makes choices that are in direct conflict with reality, he forms destructive intimate relationships that harm both him and his partner.

~~~

Coming full circle to the original and primary purpose of this section, real psychology is destroyed when human beings, capable of volitional consciousness, are reduced to instinct driven animals.

This is the key to how the science of psychology has been undermined: by gross reduction.

Exercise

The third and final science we will explore in terms of reductionist error is exercise. The error by reduction in conventional exercise science is different from that of nutrition and of psychology. The reduction error lies in the fact of reality that is,

• Nature to be commanded is to be obeyed.

In nutrition, I believe an approximate ratio of commanding to obeying nature, properly, is 20/80.

• 20% commanding, 80% obeying

This is due to the fact that nutrition is mandatory for life on earth. Exercise is not. Exercise — real exercise, not any random physical activity — is 100% optional. You do not have to exercise.

You have to eat, or you die, pretty quickly.

As a result, I believe in exercise, an approximate ratio of commanding to obeying nature, is properly and incidentally, the inverse of nutrition

• 80/20
• 80% commanding, 20% obeying

In other words, because exercise is entirely optional — and not mandatory – a LOT more depends on what you choose to include if one desires to create a successful exercise equation.

Where as with nutrition, a successful equation for dietary choices rests primarily on exclusion — what to exclude — a concept championed by Kurt Harris.

• 80% including + 20% excluding = Exercise success
• 20% including + 80% excluding = Nutritional success

The percents designating the importance of what is to be included and excluded relative to the potential benefit of achieving what is physically possible by personally succeeding in these sciences as a human being (while accepting the fact that the two sciences are not exclusive of and can in fact affect each other, positively or negatively).

Interestingly enough, another paradox (in adherence to reality) can be seen in the following equation,

• Exercise Success = Obeying physical structure (80%) +  obeying biology (20%)
• Nutritional success = Obeying biology (80%) + obeying physical calorie intake (20%)

Physics being more important in exercise (expressed as bio-mechanics), and biology being more important in nutrition, relative to body composition (expressed as quality of calories ingested).

~~~

The take home point of reductionist error in exercise is that looking to our ancestors for guidance in exercise — by examining and guesstimating their physical activities — is, in virtually all cases, a worthless activity, and in many cases a dangerous course to pursue. The only guidance that can be had from our ancestors is by examining the structural and perhaps biological evolution of our bodies.

The physical activities they were doing, are less than irrelevant. Yet, such is the focus of CrossFit.com, and all variations of activities that are suggested to be “paleo/primal” “exercises”.

So, how our ancestors gave birth, defecated, ran, and so on, might actually be of interest. But their activities that we wish to romanticize as real exercise, are no more worthy than examining a primitive tribe and trying to use that, in any way, as a valid foundation for how governments ought to be designed.

Such ideas are not even worth discussion.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

P.S. — The champions of what to exclude from your successful exercise equation would be a combination of Bill DeSimone and Drew Baye.

The dinner consisted of,

• roast duck
• roast turkey
• pumpkin cheesecake (extra thick crust)
• pumpkin pie
• stuffing /w bacon + sausage
• green bean casserole
• small dish of cranberry/blueberry sauce
•  large bowl of cranberry/apple sauce
• sweet potato slices
• mashed potatoes /w cheese
• turkey gravy
• duck gravy

But wait, is it primal? In a large sense, yes, because all of the food was gluten free, and all of the fat used was animal based, including the crusts for the pies, which were made with 100% grass fed KerryGold butter. The cheese was unfortunately not grass fed, but could have been without much extra trouble.

In addition, not only was the food absent of gluten and gluten grains, but was also absent all the other nasty shit you find in most foods today — home made or store bought. Pumpkin pie and cheesecake bought at stores today for example typically come with loads of hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, and generally speaking, mild poisons that in a long enough time span, lead to a slow and painful death.

Sounds far fetched for that yummy, warm pumpkin pie — but yeah, it’s killer in more ways than taste.

Now, you could argue that the cheese wasn’t primal, but you would be barking up the wrong tree, because my diet is loaded with (primarily), grass fed, raw, unhomogenized dairy, and I do quite well on it. So well that I am happy to go days at a time eating little or nothing else than my raw milk Dream shakes and coffee/chicory root drinks loaded to the max with half and half.

~~~

That’s it for today, just a quick snapshot of my (second) Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriend, who did all of the cooking. (As much as I love food, I would never be inspired to cook anything remotely like this. Roasting an entire duck for example, would be about as far as my motivation for cooking goes. Never mind the fact that I would eat it with my hands).

In case your wondering about the breadding and such, most of it was a combo of rice and tapioca flour. While I would not advise eating large amounts of it on a consistent basis, I have no problem eating large amounts of non-poisonous flour on an irregular basis, like holidays and such.

And finally, if you were like me growing up and deprived of delicious duck, welcome to the best tasting bird in the world, loaded with artery lubing animal fat.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

Blasphemy you scream!

No, not so.

I made these last night with my girlfriend. The sweet potatoes were home grown, fresh out of the backyard. Coated in rice flour and a bit of diet sprite. Deep fried in coconut oil for ~8 minutes. Subsequently sprinkled with cinnamon, clove, sugar, and pink sea salt — then dipped in melted butter (typically grass fed but did not have any on hand).

Ideally, I think, grass fed beef tallow would be used to deep fry, the cinnamon would be saigon, and club soda or carbonated water would be used instead of Sprite.

All in all though, probably the best fries I’ve ever had in my life.

Eat my shorts peanut/corn/soybean/canola oil status quo mother fuckers.

– Anthony Dream Johnson

24 years.

That’s how long it took me to get my shit together, health-wise. I’m still working on the other parts of my life but I feel like I’ve finally got my health under control.

I’ve always been a chubby kid, even in high school when I was a star lacrosse player, I was never really a great athlete. But I was active enough that I could get by with eating complete garbage every day.

I look at my photos from my junior and senior year in high school and you can tell I gained about 10-15lbs. Once I hit college and stopped playing sports I really took off. I went from being 5’8″ and 190lbs, steadily climbing until I just recently hit my highest weight ever of 270.

As with most gradual changes, I never really noticed it. I knew I was getting bigger and buying bigger clothes, but hell, there was nothing I could do.

I got serious about my health two years ago and started eating all the traditional healthy foods, and working out every day. I lost 20lbs in two months, but I burnt out soon after and fell off the wagon.

There is a saying, that you truly can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves, something I am sure Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnson, my good friend and former roommate knows very well. I lived with Anthony for a year and have known him for 5 (geez!), and it isn’t until just recently I decided to help myself. Despite the massive amount of knowledge on nutrition and exercise I had available to me while living with Anthony, I never took advantage of it. I took a passing interest in some of the stuff, but it went so far against conventional wisdom and everything I knew I never took it seriously.

To give Anthony credit, it must have been tough to see me destroying my health on a daily basis but he never tried to push anything on me and only offered advice if I asked him about it. I will always appreciate that.

Well 3 months ago I finally listened. I watched the Mark Sisson 21 Convention speech and immediately ordered all three of his books. When I got them I started following the Primal Blueprint plan religiously. I have stayed on it for about three months though and the one thing I realized is that losing weight and taking control of your health is SIMPLE.

The concepts to eating healthy are simple and easy to understand. You don’t have to count calories or keep track of points. There are foods you should eat and foods you shouldn’t eat. It’s that simple, but it definitely isn’t easy. It’s been nearly 3 months and it has been tough. I have fallen off the wagon multiple times. I have cracked due to stress, lack of willpower, whatever on multiple occasions.

I just ate like complete crap this weekend, but I am eating healthy enough on a consistent enough basis that I am not losing sleep over it. How did I respond? I went to the store and bought a bunch of healthy foods and prepped my meals for the week.

So after 3 months, how has my body responded?

Let’s compare my blood work from a little over a year ago to my blood work today. Obviously this isn’t perfect, and who knows how bad some of these numbers actually got in the 9 months between the original blood tests and when I started eating Paleo, but regardless it is still interesting.

8/5/10

• Weight: 262
• Blood Pressure: 145/90
• Cholesterol Total: 201 (out of range is about 200)
• HDL Cholesterol: 41 (out of range is below 40)
• LDL Cholesterol: 129
• Triglycerides: 156 (above 150 is out of range)
• Glucose: 88
• Creatine: .98

Compare that with my most recent blood work

9/30/11

• Weight: 231
• Blood Pressure: 120/70
• Cholesterol Total: 175
• HDL Cholesterol: 36
• LDL Cholesterol: 111
• Triglycerides: 141
• Glucose: 84
• Creatine: 1.12

My HDL result concerns me since it should be at a minimum of 40 and a healthy range is 60 – I am not sure why it has dropped, but my doctor said not to worry about it and to keep eating healthy, it may have dropped even lower since my last test and have been rising. I am following up my blood work after Christmas – and until then I am following tips from Mark Sisson on raising my HDL.

I thought it was interesting that my creatine increased. Apparently it is found in red meat, something I rarely ate before.

As you can see, 3 months of eating well and my cholesterol dropped 26 points overall, and my LDL (bad) cholesterol dropped18 points. My triglycerides which were originally out of range are now in range, dropping at total of 15 points.

According to wikipedia, in humans, triglycerides are a mechanism for storing unused calories, and their high concentrations in blood correlates with the consumption of starchy and fatty foods. I have cut out all grains and starches and increased my intake of saturated fat through meat and healthy oils, and my triglycerides actually decreased.

I plan on getting my blood work done again when I drop below 200lbs (hopefully around Christmas if I bust my ass doing the right things) and I will be able to compare again.

– Liam