User ed - PaleoHacks.com

Answer by Ed for [meta] Why does this and other questions keep popping up on the front page for no apparent reason??

2013-05-11T18:42:54Z

If such threads annoy you, the fix is simple. Just upvote one or more of the answers (you can't upvote your own answer, though). Once an answer is upvoted, the question is no longer considered "unanswered" and will not be repeatedly bumped to the top.

Answer by Ed for weight loss to prom on ketosis - hopes too high?

2013-05-05T15:19:55Z

Just a few observations--

Congratulations on your 20lb. weight loss!
130lb. is a healthy weight for your height.
If you've already lost 20lb. without going into ketosis, you probably don't need to be in ketosis. A modest weight loss of 1 lb. per week for the next 8 weeks can be achieved without going into ketosis and will keep you in the healthy weight range for your height.
If you've already lost 20lb. and you can't see the difference, then more weight loss may not be the answer. Exercise may be more effective in improving your appearance and confidence level by prom time. I would suggest a program of walking, sprinting and resistance training for the next 8 weeks, which needn't be very time consuming. Sisson offers a free ebook that can get you started.
Good luck!

Paleo for pets?

2010-02-19T15:11:45Z

Some pets, especially cats, are supposed to be carnivores. The pet obesity epidemic has been much in the news lately. Has anyone noted health, behavioral, or appearance improvements in their pets after switching from corn-meal containing chow to a more paleo diet?

Answer by Ed for Paleo parents: How can I get a gluten intolerance diagnosis for my non-intolerant baby?

2012-09-30T15:26:14Z

The military and the first lady are both cogs in the totalitarian state. You can't fight them directly, or you will be squashed like a bug. The indirect approach I would recommend is to become--or threaten to become--a "whistle-blower." The cause of food freedom plays well in media. Witness this recent viral video protesting the first lady's new lunch diet edicts.

I'm not suggesting that you make a video, but you can speak with the day care director and tell her how strongly you feel about your child's diet, and what actions you are willing to take to achieve your goals. The idea is to make it more attractive for the director to give you some type of "waiver" vs strictly following "the rules." Such actions may include:

complaint to the base commander
notification of the press concerning the food totalitarianism at the day care
letters and phone calls to your senator and congressman

Government employees fear unwanted attention from their superiors and the press, but they are especially terrified of even the possibility of a congressional investigation. Good luck!

Answer by Ed for Minimalist Footwear for Cycling

2012-08-04T15:30:57Z

I'm not surprised that biking in VFF's can cause plantar fasciitis--much of the energy from your legs is spent deforming your foot instead of moving the pedals. In cycling shoes, stiffer means more comfortable as well as more efficient.

I would ask you to consider a high tech maximalist approach to cycling footwear. Modern road cycling shoes are stiff, lightweight, and well-ventilated. The retail prices are admittedly expensive, but you can watch for specials and closeouts at sites such as Bike Nashbar and Performance Bicycle. As others have mentioned, Keen and Shimano have open-toed options that accept mountain bike cleats.

The main drawback to cycling shoes is that they're not made for walking, especially road shoes. "Rideability" and "walkability" tend to be inversely related.

Answer by Ed for Anyone not give a damn about Paleo becoming mainstream?

2012-06-10T16:50:21Z

@PaleoMouth,

Let me summarize the advantages that you claim under the status quo:

a variety of healthy foods available to you at low prices
you have status as a unique and hip person

Now, let's see what happens when paleo goes mainstream:

Markets adjust due to supply and demand. Initially, some foods become more scarce and expensive, but eventually more suppliers respond to consumer demand, and once again variety and prices improve.
Since you are an innovator and a leader, certainly it should not surprise you that others will follow and imitate your lifestyle. Once upon a time, few people had body piercings and tattoos. Now "everyone" has them to express their "individuality." You can express your uniqueness as a leader by staying ahead of the curve with the "next thing."

So, the net result is that you will still be unique and well-fed, a neutral result for you. But millions of people will be better off by being spared from untimely death and disability, a net positive for the world.

Answer by Ed for Is there such a thing as a paleo poseur? Could you possibly qualify?

2012-05-22T14:04:11Z

You may be a paleo poseur if--

you post a stock photo of someone else's body and give the impression that it's a photo of yourself, then later claim that you didn't do it, because your social media accounts had been hacked.

You can read FTA's account of this incident--complete with links, screen shots and over 500 comments--here.

Answer by Ed for Lets hack latent acidosis

2012-04-01T20:09:50Z

"The last temptation is the greatest treason
To do the right deed for the wrong reason."
--Thomas Beckett character in T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral"

Jordan,

I agree with all of your answers, but I don't buy the premise of your question, that mineral depletion and osteoporosis are problems primarily of acid/base balance. Here's an interesting review debunking the concept of acid/alkaline producing foods. The acid/base balance issue has also been discussed several times on PaleoHacks (see here, here and here).

To your ideas for fighting osteoporosis and mineral depletion, I would add supplementation with vitamins D3 and K2, as well as exercise (weight-bearing and resistance).

Answer by Ed for [META] Tags - What are your thoughts on the quality and usage of tags?

2012-03-17T19:28:08Z

As a moderator, I hate to admit this, but the "tags" function tab, used as a stand-alone, is becoming less useful as the thread archive becomes larger. This contributes to the problem of duplicate questions.

Consider that the most popular tag "paleo" has been used over 1000 times. There are currently 44 tags that have been used over 100 times. None but the geekiest are going to search through 100 or more threads to find what they want.

Fortunately, there are work-arounds to this problem using the search function, which is located in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. You can experiment with this yourselves, but here are some examples of how to narrow your searches:

Try a cross-tag search by enclosing the keywords in brackets. A search for [paleo] [fat] (a cross between the 2 most popular tags) currently yields only 27 hits.

Or you can search within tags, again enclosing the tag name in brackets. A search for "low carb" [paleo] (which searches for the phrase "low carb" in all questions tagged "paleo") has only 16 hits.

To answer Eric's question (finally), the popular general tags like "paleo" and "fat" are no longer very useful. A more specific tag that is descriptive of your question (such as "low-carb-flu" or "mufa") may help folks to find your question more easily, and group related questions together more accurately.

Answer by Ed for Are paleo and partying mutually exclusive?

2012-02-26T16:22:29Z

Perhaps you should examine your main premise, that fun = alcohol. You can go out with friends, dance your ass off, stay out late and enjoy your cool new city--all without touching alcohol, or just drinking 1 or 2. If your friends accept the fact that your diet may be different from theirs for health reasons, then they will accept that your alcohol consumption is different from theirs, also for health reasons.

Should we "pre-chew" our children's food?

2010-12-11T02:06:05Z

Ancient humans did not own Cuisinarts. It is likely that paleolithic mothers pre-chewed their children's food during weaning. It is also possible that when adults lost their teeth through illness or accident, others in their family group would chew their food for them.

Should modern paleos emulate the practice of pre-chewing a child's food during weaning? Aside from the nutritional benefits, are there immune or other protective advantages? Do the risks of communicable diseases such as strep or HIV outweigh the possible benefits? Good eats or gross re-enactment?

Answer by Ed for What is YOUR damage control?

2012-02-12T22:55:18Z

A prolonged, low-grade exertion, such as standing all day, depletes glycogen and can cause dehydration (if you didn't drink enough during the event). Sunburn causes an inflammatory reaction in your skin. I would suggest:

Top off your glycogen with your carb of choice, such as rice, potatoes or yams.
Drink plenty of fluids. Coconut water contains electrolytes, especially potassium, but sometimes not as much sodium as advertised.
Rest.
Aspirin is great for a sunburn, if you're not sensitive to salicylates.

Answer by Ed for How to break this cycle...?

2012-01-16T23:52:39Z

Hmmm, let's see . . .

You're reducing calories just a bit, while
You're having great workouts (possibly "burning" more calories).

The answer is that you're making yourself more hungry. In your case, you can resist hunger for 14 days, but you've found that hunger wins in the end by making you binge.

It's easier said than done, but you need to use plateau-busting techniques that don't involve consciously reducing calories and making you more hungry. Some examples would be more sleep, workouts that are shorter but more intense, or perhaps experimenting with eating windows/intermittent fasting.

Getting through plateaus has been discussed extensively on PaleoHacks. Also, Sisson's site has addressed the issue, for example, here.

Good luck!

Answer by Ed for [Meta] What happens to trolls?

2012-01-14T19:18:38Z

Cliff,

Anyone with 2000 reputation score can edit another user's post, but that doesn't mean that they should.

PaleoHacks relies on the courtesy and good will of its users, which does not always work for those who don't exhibit these qualities.

For those who are not clear on what constitutes acceptable etiquette in editing other users' posts, I will spell it out for you:

All edits should respect the original intent of the author of the post.
You are welcome to edit posts for spelling, punctuation, formatting, usage, grammar, clarity and/or adding relevant links.
If you don't agree with a post, you are welcome to downvote or make a comment.
If you find a post offensive or otherwise inappropriate, you are encouraged to flag it.

Answer by Ed for Should we have a little more humility when making observations and recommendations for other people?

2011-12-18T23:55:44Z

Great question Rose! My answer is that most of the time the community will decide with the voting mechanism when something crosses a line into arrogance, presumptuousness, etc. For example this recent question, which illustrates your point, is currently sitting at -7.

I agree with your implied point that questions should be different from answers. A loaded question is not really a question. I believe we should save our "sharp repartee" for answers and comments.

Answer by Ed for Scabies persistent itchiness

2011-12-10T00:30:52Z

If you still have itching and a rash 6 months after treatment, maybe you have either a recurrent or persistent scabies infestation. Ask your doctor about trying another round of treatment. Also, urge all of your known close physical/sexual/household contacts to get treated. Oral ivermectin is often effective for scabies that persist after permethrin treatment.

Answer by Ed for [META] What's your upvote/downvote ratio?

2011-11-29T20:55:31Z

"What does this say about you?"

Since there are many possible reasons for upvoting, downvoting, voting or not voting, the isolated statistic probably does not say much about you.

However, the mods will be looking closely at user profiles over the holidays in order to create "naughty" and "nice" lists.

Answer by Ed for Exercising without stimulants

2011-11-27T14:06:30Z

Hi Stephanie,

If you have low energy levels doing HIIT 5x per week, maybe your body is trying to tell you something--like don't do HIIT 5x per week! Also, maybe you need more sleep.

For most people, HIIT 1 or 2 times per week is plenty. It can take a few days to recover from HIIT. The rest of the week, you can mix things up with weights, walking, sports play, etc. Mark Sisson is a great resource for exercise information, including his free fitness ebook.

In summary, if you are well-rested and keep your activities fun and varied, you may not need extra stimulants.

Answer by Ed for Am i allowed to eat salad?

2011-11-27T13:35:14Z

Nick,

Your salad recipe looks good. However, in general, if something is called "salad," it is not necessarily healthy/paleo. A case in point, mandarin orange/mini-marshmallow "salad".

Answer by Ed for [META] What is your favorite Paleo Hacks question or answer of all time?

2011-11-21T00:51:37Z

Originality is important. Here are two questions that are oft-repeated in various guises here:

How can I hack my sleep?

Has the carb pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction?

Answer by Ed for What's the difference between starch and glucose for our health?

2011-11-15T15:07:44Z

Starch has 2 advantages over monomeric glucose--it's easier on the kidneys and easier on the digestive system.

Glucose polymers have a lower renal solute load than pure glucose, which means they're less stressful to your kidneys and potentially less dehydrating.

Starch is also less likely to contribute to diarrhea than glucose. Here's a randomized study in which a starch-containing rehydration solution was more effective than glucose solution in treating cholera.

Finally, starch is less sweet than pure glucose. Too much sweetness can cause nausea. Athletes such as cyclists often substitute glucose polymers for simple sugars during rides to avoid nausea.

Answer by Ed for [Meta] "How to get the most out of Paleo Hacks" or "Hacking Paleo Hacks"

2011-11-13T17:24:57Z

If you downvote anonymously, Stephen-Aegis' head will explode.
If your post contains sexual references, double entendres, etc., it will get twice as many votes and pageviews as a "clean" post.
By the way, the "hot" Recent Questions tab is not specifically about sex. It has to do with voting and pageview velocity (but this is really the same as sex, as I discussed in #2).
Patrik is really a "bot" which randomly deletes user accounts. PaleoHacks is actually run by WCC Paul.
Finally, here's the PaleoHacks paradox of the day: Why do most of the questions under the "Unanswered" questions tab already have answers? Please answer as a comment to this post. WCC Paul is not eligible for this contest (see #4).

Answer by Ed for Bright light therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder - on a budget

2011-11-13T16:17:56Z

Hi Karoliina,

Answering your last question first, light therapy can be effective in treating the winter blues, as well as other conditions such as depression and sleep disorders. Here's a previous thread which discussed light therapy options.

There are 2 issues here--efficacy and safety:

Light boxes work by emitting full spectrum white light. The intensity of light is measured in "lux" units. In general, the higher the lux measurement, the more effective the therapy. Light boxes for SAD typically are in the 10,000 lux range. If your "lizard lamp" can't generate enough light, then it may not be worth it.

The second question is safety, which mainly has to do with ultraviolet (UV) emissions. Light boxes for SAD are specifically designed to not emit UV radiation, which can damage your skin and eyes. The pet store version may or may not be manufactured to the same standards.

Reference

Answer by Ed for Best antibiotics

2011-11-09T00:58:18Z

If you live reasonably close to a "travel clinic," it would be worth the investment to go for a consultation well in advance of your trip.

Some conditions, such as typhoid, yellow fever and hepatitis A, are preventable by vaccines.

Antibiotics are useless unless they are matched to the most common diseases and drug resistance patterns in your areas of expected travel.

If you're using a custom insect repellent brew, test it on yourself before you travel to determine (1) that it works and (2) that you don't have an adverse reaction to it.

Finally, if you're travelling to the tropics, the most important issue is malaria prevention. You need to find out whether malaria is a problem at your destination, and what are the resistance patterns of the local strains. Malaria prophylaxis needs to be started before you depart and continued after your return. Detailed information is available on the CDC Malaria Map page.

Answer by Ed for Is it possible to create a food intolerance by abstaining from a food or food group?

2011-10-29T23:05:20Z

Changing your diet can cause temporary food intolerances in at least 2 ways:

Change your diet ==> change your bowel flora. This may make you temporarily less tolerant of some of the old foods.
Some digestive enzymes, especially those related to lactose and other carbohydrates, are inducible. When you stop eating dairy, the lactase enzyme levels in your intestines will decrease. You can regain the ability to digest lactose by gradually re-introducing dairy back into your diet. Here's a study in which the production of lactase enzyme was increased in lactose-intolerant individuals by feeding them lactose. Also, studies in rats have shown that other carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, such as sucrase-isomaltase, trehalase, and maltase-glucoamylase--can be induced by hydrocortisone administration.

If you want to restart dairy products in your diet, the answer is gradual re-introduction, perhaps starting with fermented dairy such as kefir and yogurt. Good luck!

Answer by Ed for Intermittent Fasting, Thirst, and Diabetes

2011-10-28T14:09:46Z

Fasting stresses your body, which can cause stress hormone (cortisol, adrenalin) release. This can raise your fasting blood sugar. Get your hemoglobin A1C checked to see if your blood sugar is truly problematic, or merely a stress response. I agree with Beth that fasting is unlikely to cause diabetes.

When you fast 23 hours per day, every day, it's regular, or scheduled fasting (see this thread). You can experiment with randomizing and/or shortening your fasts to see if that affects your fasting blood sugar.

Excessive thirst can be a symptom of diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus, or you may just have habitual polydipsia.

You can test your urine for sugar with urine glucose dipsticks. If it's negative, then your thirst and urination are probably not due to diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes insipidus is an inability to concentrate the urine. If you can sleep all night without drinking, you probably don't have diabetes insipidus. You can also test your urine for specific gravity (SG). Test your urine first thing in the morning, without drinking all night. If the specific gravity is 1.010 or greater, then you probably do not have diabetes insipidus.

Habitual polydipsia can occur at any age, but it's more common in children than adults. The treatment is to gradually reduce your fluid intake.

Excessive thirst can also be caused by electrolyte imbalances in the blood, such as high calcium or low potassium. So you may need to get blood testing and consult a physician if you can't resolve the issue on your own.

Answer by Ed for Old cloudy cod liver oil

2011-10-23T14:34:14Z

Hi Huey,

There was a similar debate here regarding Carlson's fish oil.

The important issue is whether the oil is actually oxidized (bad), or whether some less volatile intrinsic components of the oil are precipitating due to refrigeration (not so bad).

The questions for you are:
1. How old is the oil?
2. Has the oil been opened yet?

If the oil is old (beyond its expiration date), it should be discarded.

Regarding the second question, a sealed bottle of oil will last a lot longer than an opened bottle. Carlson's recommends using opened bottles of fish oils within 3 months. So if the bottle has been open more than 3 months, you should discard it.

Answer by Ed for Problems with ear drum

2011-10-16T19:33:13Z

Simon,

Sensations of pressure, popping and decreased hearing in your ear are usually caused by eustachian tube dysfunction. This can either be an acute or chronic process. Your eustachian tubes connect your middle ear with your nose and throat. Being connected to your upper airway, eustachian tubes are subject to some of the same conditions--such as inflammation, allergies and infection--that can affect the rest of your upper airway.

If it's painless, it's probably not an acute bacterial infection. Thus, immediate medical attention may not be needed.

If it's only been 2 days, it could just be a common cold virus. You can try your home remedy of choice--netti pot, zinc, etc.--and see if that helps.

Alternatively, it could be an allergic problem. Morning symptoms suggest that there could be allergens in your bedroom and/or bedding, such as mold spores, house dust mite, or ragweed pollen granules. Exposure can be reduced by frequent cleaning of your room, and hypoallergenic mattress and pillow covers. If you don't object to meds, you can try a non-drowsy allergy medicine such as fexofenadine (Allegra). It's possible, although unlikely, that you may have recently developed an allergy to something in your diet. The most common allergy-inducing foods in your current diet are shellfish, nuts and dairy. You can try eliminating those foods for a while and see if that helps.

If you develop pain, fever or ear drainage, or if you aren't improving in 2 weeks, then seek medical attention.

Answer by Ed for Can anybody help hack my daughter's toilet-clogging poop?

2011-10-13T04:00:58Z

Miralax is an effective and relatively benign laxative. It's a common misconception that laxatives are addictive.

If your daughter is still having large, hard stools, it means she's still constipated. This means she should be in the cleanout phase of treatment, not the maintenance phase. Miralax every-other-day is for maintenance (prevention of constipation recurrence). For cleanout, use Miralax 1 or 2 times per day as directed by your doctor. Or you can try other laxatives if the Miralax doesn't work. (reference)

Milk allergy is a common cause of constipation. A trial off of all dairy products (including raw milk) may be helpful.

Answer by Ed for Grass-fed meat, E.Coli and acne

2011-10-08T18:21:42Z

Hi Korion,

If e coli is found in someone's pimples, it does not mean that it caused the pimples. E coli bacteria are often harmless.
If e coli caused one person's acne, it does not mean that it is a common cause of acne.
If one strain of e coli is found in cattle, it doesn't mean that the same strain causes acne. There are hundreds of known strains of e coli.
Grass-fed beef may be beneficial to your acne for other reasons than e coli. For example, lower omega-6 content and higher conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in grass-fed beef could lead to lower inflammation in your skin.

Bottom Line: grass-fed beef may help your acne, but it is probably not because of e coli.

Comment by Ed

2013-03-04T01:18:48Z

I re-opened this due to its obvious satiric intent, and I encourage humorous responses.

Comment by Ed

2013-02-09T07:27:46Z

@Dan, your accounts have been merged into the "Dan" account.

Comment by Ed

2013-02-09T07:11:02Z

@Lesley, your 2 accounts have been merged. Admin Email for this site is Patrik@paleohacks.com

Comment by Ed

2013-01-19T17:20:04Z

Is it a coincidence that your 6 steps are identical to Stephen Ilardi's in his book "The Depression Cure"? At least you should give credit where it's due. Link: thedepressioncurebook.com

Comment by Ed

2013-01-11T00:33:25Z

Mike, since your first question has been re-opened, should we close this one as being "no longer relevant"?

Comment by Ed

2012-12-13T00:34:46Z

original Iron Chef--Best. Food. Show. Ever.

Comment by Ed

2012-12-02T02:22:17Z

Which types of music do you consider "hyperpalatable"?

Comment by Ed

2012-11-20T03:21:34Z

To delete your account, just email admin (Patrik) or one of the mods and request that your account be deleted.

Comment by Ed

2012-11-03T18:23:38Z

@Dan W, despite your denigration, @Lazza's advice is reasonable. Most phlegm, or mucus, in your throat comes from your nasal passages, sinuses and pharynx--not your lungs (unless you have lung disease). Also, the reason that mucus is not acidic is because it's a reaction to irritation from the acid, not the acid itself. The acid is re-swallowed while you sleep. For more information, just google "laryngopharyngeal reflux" or "LPR."

Comment by Ed

2012-10-09T21:48:04Z

@LLM, whether or not you like MM is not relevant to your answer. Thus, your comment that you don't like her is gratuitous.

Comment by Ed

2012-09-30T21:13:46Z

Food fascism is not constitutional, although it's understandable in practical terms why you can't defy your employer in this situation.

Comment by Ed

2012-08-14T14:23:03Z

+1! I want everyone to note that @Violet has perfectly illustrated how to use an old question to formulate a new question. First, you search for old questions in your topic of interest. It is helpful if you link to the old question in your new question. Then you take your question beyond the old question into new territory. Kudos!

Comment by Ed

2012-08-10T13:09:03Z

"Orwellian mods," "Thought Police"--seriously??? I did not see your previous question, but did it ever occur to you that this question may have been better articulated than yours?

Comment by Ed

2012-07-22T04:12:38Z

actually, responding to any question, including old questions, does move the question to the top of the "recent questions" list. Also, if your answer to an old question nets at least 5 upvotes, you will earn the "necromancer" badge.

Comment by Ed

2012-06-26T17:19:50Z

"Identity politics in general is associated with economic privilege"--hogwash. Identity politics is generally associated with rent-seeking.