Tom's Blog on Life

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 3.1 million American adults. It has serious consequences, including raising your risk for colorectal cancer.

Factors thought to play a role in rising IBD rates include antibiotics, toxic exposures such as pesticides and GMOs, and processed food ingredients such as the emulsifiers polysorbate-80 and carboxymethylcellulose.

Glyphosate and Bt toxin have both been linked to rising IBD rates. Independent testing reveals glyphosate is present at “alarming levels” in many popular processed foods.

https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/climate-ecology/how-gmos-pesticides-and-processed-foods-contribute-to-common-bowel-disorders/

• Recent research challenges the long-term benefits of ketogenic diets, suggesting potential negative impacts on cardiovascular health
• Your body has a metabolic switch called the Randle cycle, which chooses to burn either glucose or fat for energy. Being aware of this switch can help optimize your diet to use the ideal energy choice, which is glucose
• Short-term keto can be beneficial for metabolic flexibility and weight loss, but long-term keto may lead to health issues and increased cardiovascular mortality risk
• Increasing your carbohydrate intake, particularly from ripe fruits, may improve blood sugar levels and aid weight loss, even with higher overall calorie consumption
• Balancing macronutrients is crucial — 15% to 30% fat, 15% protein and the rest from carbs, with pulp-free fruit juices recommended as a transitional carb source

https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/food-cooking/the-ketogenic-diet-can-put-your-cardiovascular-health-at-risk/

An increasingly popular, although admittedly not mainstream theory – is that cancer is a metabolic disease. This article is not intended to be a comprehensive presentation of the theory but intended to serve as a basic overview to introduce you to the subject. Much like the theory that some cancers are parasitic in nature, the idea that cancer is a metabolic disease – is not widely examined or acknowledged by the mainstream medical system. Outspoken advocates in support of the theory assert that this approach is not being recognized as an effective alternative to the radiation and chemotherapies that are currently being utilized – because there is little money to be made.

https://tomrenz.substack.com/p/cancer-as-metabolic-disease

Ashley had been on a quest for health and wellness her whole life. She dabbled with various fad diets, but never was able to identify what truly resonated with her. While attending graduate school for her Ph.D., she chased a path in prosthetics, 3D printing and control engineering, believing it to be her passion.

Yet, deep down, she felt a disconnect, realizing she was more influenced by others’ expectations than her own desires. Despite her initial excitement, a grand sense of fulfillment completely eluded her.

Her true calling came unexpectedly through her fascination with regenerative agriculture. Volunteering at local farms opened her eyes to a world where food production not only nourishes humans, but also revitalizes the soil and respects livestock. This newfound passion consumed her free time, igniting a Joy within her that academic pursuits never could.

Her story also illustrates the consequences of making similar choices. Not only did she radically improve the quality of her own life, but her choice allowed her to create a business that provides the finest commercially produced eggs in the United States. Her brand is Golden Nuggets because that is what they are.

They literally are golden nuggets of nutrition that are rarely available outside of growing your own chickens. Her eggs help people avoid one of the most potent metabolic toxins in their diet. So not only can you improve your own life by making brave and courageous choices, but you can also improve the lives of many others.

It is highly probable that her story will resonate very powerfully with you and offer both insight and inspiration as she describes her journey to reclaim her Joy.

By setting aside the advice of others to unearth her own truths, she embodies the essence of bravery and courage. Choosing to walk away from years of hard work influenced by the expectations of others, she exemplifies a profound example of someone rediscovering her Joy. It’s difficult to envision a more fitting example of a return to Joy.

https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/food-cooking/changing-the-food-system-from-the-bottom-up-1/

We know that music, particularly musical training can improve the functioning of the brain. But the precise reasons behind this are less known. Now a new study, published in Frontiers of Neuroscience shows how the underlying brain network works when we learn to play an instrument. The study also revealed new evidence on the effectiveness of musical training in improving the executive functioning of our brain, specifically attention and working memory (WM). [1]

Musical training can improve our cognitive functions.

To understand how playing an instrument affected the functioning of the brain, neuroscientists from Chile enrolled 40 boys and girls, aged 10-13 for their study. The participants were equally divided into children with and without prior musical training. 20 of the participants could play an instrument, had taken at least 2 years of music lessons, and practiced at least 2 hrs a week. They regularly played in an orchestra or an ensemble. The other 20 children who formed the control group had had no prior musical training or practice other than their school curriculum.

Both the groups were asked to complete attention and WM tasks and their brain activity was measured with a functional MRI or fMRI. Both groups showed high performance. But the musicians’ group showed consistently better performance on both attention and working memory. The musicians also showed better performance in cognitive control regions. The team found a positive correlation between years of training and higher activity in certain areas of the brain that support the phonological loop (working memory that deals with auditory information). Simply put, there was no marked difference between the two groups when it came to reaction time. But the musical group showed a significantly better performance in memory tasks.

https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/home-family-pets/study-shows-how-musical-training-improves-cognitive-function/