What The Sahaptin People Taught Me About Health

Before I went to medical school, I had the opportunity to study Anthropology, under Dr. Eugene Hunn, while a student at the University of Washington.
Dr. Hunn received his doctoral degree after researching a North American tribe known as the "Sahaptins" and is the author of the book, "Nch'i wana, The Big River". (the greater Sahaptin tribe can be found with bands across Oregon reaching as far as Washington and Idaho).
They lived on the Columbia River, and ate a mostly plant-based diet that included plenty of fresh berries (mostly huckelberries), nuts, seeds, and vegetables, like wild Camas (Camassia quamash), and wild celeries — known by their latin name as "Lomatium kous," (the Lomatium are a family of plants researched extensively for their immune supportive properties).
They supplemented this diet with wild salmon and wild game; that was either eaten fresh, or, like their vegetables, stored by being smoked and dried.
What I learned from Dr. Hunn, was that most gatherers and hunters lived in temperate zones, and ate a diet that was 90 percent plant-based with animal products making up only 10 percent of their overall diet. I also learned that this is probably the earliest diet humans had, and that this is probably the diet our bodies were evolved to eat.
Often I hear theories from people about what constituted the Paleolithic diet, but these theories are rarely supported by environmental anthropologist today, like Eugene Hunn. Instead, these diets draw on a myth of the caveman from earlier anthropologist theories that have since been dismissed by the majority of modern achademics. These supposed "Cave Man"diets often contain a great deal of animal products and are frankly not healthful. The truth is, with the exception of those communities that lived in harsh terrains (like Greenland), few tribes ate such large quantities of meat, but instead relied on their women folk to gather the majority of food that was eaten. A diet that was usually mostly vegan with meat acting as a type of condiment.
Hunting was labor intensive, and required a great deal of preparation and skill; making plant collection the bulk of most peoples diets.
Like other gatherers and hunters, the Sahaptin enjoyed excellent health, even without modern medical interventions.
The Sahaptin people lived much longer than their European counterparts (often decades longer). And are believed to have made contact with Louis and Clark, in the winter of 1805, when they crossed the Columbia river, and stayed in an area that later became Astoria Oregon. They are credited with keeping the Louis and Clark expedition alive during their harsh stay there.
They were called the "salmon eaters," and it was noted by the expedition that they lived to a very ripe old age, and their burial sites contained few child graves. They kept busy, and worked hard, had close extended families, and spent much of their time outdoors engaged in food collection and storage.
Dr Hunn's course, which was titled "Environmental Anthropology," was amongst the most interesting courses I took during my studies at the University of Washington. And the lessons I learned about health, and the proper diet for the human body, stayed with me long after I graduated; as I continued my studies in medical school and beyond. I often draw on these lessons when I discuss health and diet with my students and patients or develop diets to promote my patients health.

Why You Should Be Including Foods High In Fiber In Your Diet

When people ask me what I think is the most important change they can make to their health, I usually recommend that they begin eating a diet high in dietary fiber.

Most anthropologist today believe that early humans ate a diet far higher in fiber than we currently do. And most health experts agree that the daily intake of fiber should be approximately 25 grams (early humans may have eaten twice that amount or more).

There are two kinds of fiber you should be aware of soluble and insoluble. A soluble fiber dissolves easily in water. This kind of fiber has been linked to reducing cholesterol—namely because soluble fiber binds to cholesterol in our digestive tracts and helps flush it from our bodies.

Soluble fiber has also been researched as a dietary adjunct treatment for type II diabetes. This is because fiber slows how quickly sugar can enter the blood stream—preventing it from becoming dangerously high. In fact, several high concentrate soluble fibers are currently being researched for their ability to stabilize the blood sugar of type II diabetics.

Insoluble fiber is responsible for bulking up our stool—helping to prevent constipation, polyps, and diverticula (intestinal out-pouches that can be caused by straining during bowel movements).

In general, fiber fills you up reducing hunger pangs—even when the high fiber food you are eating is low in calories. These foods are often not only high in fiber, but nutrient dense as well. Good examples of high fiber low-calorie foods include; root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale, as well as squashes, beans, nuts and seeds, and whole grains (like unprocessed brown rice, buckwheat an quinoa). These foods are highly nutritious but low in calories—filling you up without weighing you down.

So if you are serious about staying healthy and loosing weight, simply begin counting your fiber. Begin by looking at the foods you are eating and asking yourself "how much fiber is in the meal I am eating right now?" How much fiber is in this condiment or dressing? You can be sure that if you are eating a meal rich in fiber—your meal is substantially lower in calories. High fiber meals are typically either vegan or 90% vegan with meat being eaten as a condiment. Great ideas for high fiber meals include; beans, whole grains, or a salad garnished with a small amount of lean animal protein like salmon or chicken.

Fat Sick And Nearly Dead: A Movie Review

Recently, I watched the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," available on Netflix. The film chronicles the real life adventure of Joe Cross, an entrepreneur from Australia, who decides to go on a 60 day juice fast. Cross had a series of medical conditions that included obesity, and an autoimmune disease commonly referred to as "Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria." Cross's decision to go on a juice fast, is based on the idea that his lifestyle choices made him sick. In fact, many healthcare providers now believe that much of America's epidemic of obesity and chronic disease have more to do with diet and lifestyle choices than anything else.

The film was shot in the United States, and depicts Cross traveling across the country asking people about health and diet, while discussing the current medical epidemic of obesity and chronic disease that has lead to Americans consuming more prescription drugs than any other nation on earth. Along the way Cross meets a truck driver named "Phil," Phil is 425 pounds and suffering from the same debilitating disease. Phil decides to go on his own juice fast and not only recovers his health but looses close to 200 pounds (for his part, Cross lost around 90 pounds during his fast).

This film is amazingly inspirational, and I highly recommend people watch it. Not just because it demonstrates how diet and exercise can cure disease, but because it addresses, what I have come to believe, are gaping holes in our current healthcare system. Mainly, the lack of emphasis we have placed on diet and lifestyle changes to cure disease in this country, and have opted instead for the "quick fix," medications can offer instead.

The film maker argues that juicing is better than eating foods raw because it would take far too many fruits and veggies to equal the amount of nutrients found in a single glass of juice. Therefore, in order to maximize the amount of micronutrients available in vegetables it is better to juice them.

This is not a perfect film. I am not a huge proponent of a juice only fast. One of the main reasons I don't like this type of fast is because it eliminates fiber from the diet. Fiber is vital to our health for a number of reasons. For starters, fiber bulks up our stool helping us to have healthier and more frequent bowel movements (preventing constipation, and decreasing our risk of diverticulitis and polyps). Fiber is also thought to reduce our risk of colon cancer and type II diabetes. Fiber also helps keep our blood sugar stable. It does this by slowing down how quickly sugar can enter the blood stream; preventing the elevated levels you can sometimes get from consuming high sugar content food items like soda pop and white bread.

Instead of the juice only diet seen in this film, I advice people to do both a juice fast combined with nutrient dense foods like plenty of raw veggies, brown rice, and beans. This keeps the blood sugar stable during the fast, while still gaining all of the added benefits of taking in nutrient dense juices.

Like every article we write on Anderson Health Watch, we always want you to ask your doctor before starting any diet or exercise regime to see if it is right for you.

Are You Taking Medication for Acid Reflux? If so, you may be deficient in vitamins B12

One of the most common types of over-the-counter medications my patients take are medications for reducing acid reflux. Unfortunately, over time, this can lead to some health challenges which include, difficulty digesting food, malabsorption, and nutritional deficiencies. This is because without adequate stomach acid it becomes impossible to digest our food properly.

Our stomach usually produces stomach acid via Parietal cells. Medications that block the release of stomach acid from Parietal cells also block something else called “intrinsic factor.” Intrinsic factor is a carrier protein that the parietal cells release into the stomach when we eat foods that contain B12 (such as animal products). However, when people take acid-blockers they can also block the parietal cells from releasing intrinsic factor; making it impossible to absorb vitamin B!2. Consequently, long-term use of acid blockers can result in B12 deficiency and I advice my patients who are unable to get off acid blockers to supplement with B12.

If your doctor has placed you on an acid blocker, speak to him/her about B12. B12 is a very important vitamin that is vital for several processes in the body. B12 gives us energy, helps in DNA synthesis, and protects our nerve cells. B12 is also helpful in red blood cell division. People with low levels of B12 often experience a medical condition called “neuropathy”, or pain in the nerves (often in the feet and hands). they may also experience a form of anemia where red blood cells continue to grow but do not divide called “megaloblastic anemia.”

If you are concerned about getting enough B12, and you are taking an acid-blocker, I recommend taking a sublingual B12. This is a B12 that you can take under the tongue bypassing the stomach so that it can be absorbed more easily. B12 sublingual is sold in 500mcg, 1mg and 5mg dosages. I also advice taking the form methylcobalamine as it is of higher quality than the cheaper quality cyanocobalamine.

Feeling Depressed? Try Taking Niacin

Feeling a bit blue lately? You might want to think about adding an inexpensive supplement to your diet everyday. Niacin (also known as B3) is a readily available over-the-counter supplement that has been found to improve mood in some people.

In fact, one of the first signs of vitamin B3 deficiency is anxiety and depression. Why would that be? Simple really, when we aren’t getting enough B3, our bodies may become deficient in an important neuro-transmitter called “serotonin.” Serotonin helps relieve stress and anxiety—so when we are low— we can become overly anxious and depressed.

More recently, taking high dosages of niacin has become popular; due to the fact that niacin has a lipid lowering effect and has been shown to be effective in helping to increase HDL (good cholesterol).

Niacin deficiency has been noted in people who suffer from alcoholism and in cultures that rely heavily on a corn-based diet (where the niacin is not easily digested unless the corn has been specially treated). Extreme deficiency of niacin causes a medical condition known as “pellagra.” pellagra is characterized by dermatitis, scaling of the skin, diarrhea, a swollen beefy red tongue, emotionally erratic behavior, and mental confusion.

Niacin can be purchased in 100 mg tablets. However, if taking this much niacin causes you to have side effects, like hot flushes, you may try 250 mg-500 mg Slo-Niacin or no-flush niacin currently on the market.

Another option, that I prefer, is to have people simply start taking a B-Complex that includes niacin; as well as other important B vitamins, like B12 and folic acid, also found to improve mood.

Foods high in niacin include lean meats, legumes, like peanuts and lentils. Niacin is also found in small quantities in grains, vegetables and fruit.

The simplest and easiest changes to our diets can have the most amazing impact on our moods and well-being. We sometimes see young people, after they go away to college, become depressed. And I believe part of that change in mood may be due to bad dietary choices. By educating our children early on about the importance of diet to our health and well-being, hopefully, these deficiencies can be avoided.

Type II Diabetes Can Be Reversed with Diet

In a recent article I read in the BBC, it was pointed out that Diabetes type II can be reversed in people, who have only had the disease for a short amount of time, if they go on a restricted diet of 600Kcals a day.
While this may be good news for many people, I have found that similar benefits can be attained by putting people on a whole food based diet (80 percent vegan 20 percent lean animal protein), on a restricted diet of between 1400 and 1700 calories a day with moderate exercise,
I do not feel that treating obesity, or type II diabetes, is very complicated.
What I find is difficult for people, is learning to change the patterns of diet and lifestyle that they have established for years that lead to the disease itself.
One of the things that I learned when I received my Anthropology degree is the importance of community and ritual in peoples lives. These rituals become patterns that comfort us and give us a sense of who we are in the world.
For a person with a drinking problem, for example, the ritual might be sitting on a bar stool talking to the same group of people and having the same drinks over the course of several years. The bar, and the people, become the community and environment that the person has come to feel safe in, even if the activity they have chosen is ultimately unhealthy, the familiarity of the environment has made it both a safe zone and a source of comfort and community. The ritual of drinking may be comforting for its own sake, but it is also an addiction that is harmful to ones health.
I do not think that we can address real change in a person's life if we do not address the fact that we are asking a person to find a new set of rituals and give up old ones that are not longer healthy for them.
In the case of the alcoholic, we are also asking a person to give up the only community they may have. However, once we are able to help a person see the extent to which they may have to change their life's patterns and habits in order to heal it. People become far more realistic about what they need to do in order to change their lives. And begin to seek out new rituals and a new community that better mirrors the type of life they wish to live.

Trying to Stay Healthy? Try drinking coffee

For those people who truly love coffee, as I do, the idea that coffee could actually be good for you is a welcome relief. Among the many benefits attributed to coffee include, possible reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes type II, cirrhosis of the liver, and gout.

There are several different species of coffee. The most common, Coffea canephora, commonly referred to as “Robusta,” is the form we most often see in common brands available at your local supermarket. This type of coffee is often high in caffeine and fairly inexpensive to produce. A more prized form of coffee is the C. arabica. Originally found in the highlands of Ethiopia, and the Sudan, this is the form most often used to make espresso. C. arabica is lower in caffeine and considered more flavorful and more expensive. Because we are fairly serious about coffee in our house—we only buy the C. arabica variety. And while it is thought that unfiltered coffee contains ingredients, called diterpenes, thought to slightly elevate LDL cholesterol, we use a French Press and never filter our coffee with a paper filter. This is because, in addition to removing diterpenes, paper filters also remove beneficial antioxidants thought to have numerous health benefits.

Studies have shown that people who consume a moderate amount of coffee everyday, around 3-5 cups a day, are at decreased risk for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease type II diabetes and prostate cancer.

A few cups of coffee a day can also be helpful in alleviating mild depression and can act as a “pick me up,” when you are having trouble starting your day.

Coffee is also high in antioxidents. These are substances that help repair cell damage. In fact, coffee has more anti-oxidants in it per cup that just about any drink on the market.

The greatest health risk associated with drinking coffee appears to be acid reflux. A condition that may be alleviated by choosing coffee that has a lower acidity level.

If you are a naturally nervous person and easily stressed, you may try switching to decaffeinated coffee. However, decaffeinated coffee does not hold that same health benefits.

So if you are someone who loves coffee as much as I do—enjoy your 2-4 cups a day there are many health benefits you can enjoy without giving up one of the worlds favorite beverages.