I'm in the same boat, FRiend. Understanding and taking advantage of ketosis has saved my life. All of the sugar and grains we've been fed over the years turned me into a butterball. Once I realized that sugar and grain actually creates an inflammation response in the body, I decided to try a keto diet. To my amazement, I dropped over 150 lb. in less than 18 months, I was highly energetic, my cholesterol and triglycerides plummeted, I could run for miles without fatigue, and keeping to a keto diet was beyond simple.
With regards to TSH/T4, I will marginally disagree with you. My family's had thyroid issues for generations, and having suffered from it myself, I can say it's a very real problem. I do, however, believe that diet is the primary culprit in the destruction of our thyroids and our waistlines.
Cancer only became a big health problem in the 20th century, it seems. Was it our migration to modern lifestyles of leisure? Did our diets change so dramatically? Did our medical sciences finally start diagnosing cancer reliably?
Yup, but it depends on the diet strategy. The diet that "Wheat Belly" (Davis) recommends is borderline keto (although he doesn't say so outright) and is easy to stay on, and getting easier.
> With regards to TSH/T4, I will marginally disagree with you. My family's had thyroid issues for generations, and having suffered from it myself, I can say it's a very real problem.
Absolutely, my family too. The problem is that what needs to be measured (free T3, free T4 and reverse T3) are not in the standard panel, and the usual treatment excludes T3 and/or dessicated thyroid. See "Stop the Thyroid Madness" (Bowthorpe).
>I do, however, believe that diet is the primary culprit in the destruction of our thyroids and our waistlines.
Little question about it.
> Cancer only became a big health problem in the 20th century, it seems.
And very little progress since Nixon declared "war" on it, in terms of survival rates for most types. Lots of money spent, tho.
> Was it our migration to modern lifestyles of leisure?
No, but the people digging in the wrong place for a cure do like to blame the victim.
> Did our diets change so dramatically?
Yes. There are multiple near-simultaneous problems:
There are further problems with trans fats, omega 6 oils, and probably GMO, but I don't think we'll have the full picture on those until the big 3 are swept away.
> Did our medical sciences finally start diagnosing cancer reliably?
What matters is what people die of, and the picture for cancer hasn't changed much.
This report got my attention:
CBN: Starving Cancer: Ketogenic Diet a Key to Recovery
Two striking things about that:
Connecting the dots led me to:
"Cancer as a Metabolic Disease" (Seyfried, 2012)
Note: this is an expensive scholarly text.
It concludes that a calorie-restricted keto diet may be the most effective treatment for cancer presently available.