Author Archives: Mark Schauss

About Mark Schauss

History was always a passion for me since I was a little kid. Even majored in it in college. Loved my Russian history professor, the late Dr. Paul Avrich who inspired this podcast. Also to my mother Alla who kept the Russian side of me going. Wish I had listened to her to learn Russian when I was younger.

Adult versus Embryonic Stem Cells – Is there a difference?

I know this is a volatile issue but I think we need to at least clarify why there is a need for embryonic stem cells (ESC) versus adult stem cells (ASC). Whether you feel that it is a moral issue or not, the bottom line is that ESC is superior because you can generate vastly more cells with them as opposed to ASC.

Human embryonic stem cells are known as pluripotent, which means they can become any type of cell in the body. The same cannot be said for adult stem cells. You may object to using ESC due to religious or personal beliefs but it is wrong to delude the public, which the present administration has done, that ASC is just as good. It isn’t.

My concern is that other nations, more scientifically enlightened than the U.S. will further the research, come up with the technology to make ESC work, and we will be left behind. The present administration has continually thwarted real science advancement because of religion. I am not in any way, shape, or form an atheist but I do believe in a separation of church and state. If our country is to continue to be the leader of the free-world, we need to change the way we approach science.

If you believe that we should not use ESC, then I respect your opinion. If the majority of people in this country believe that we should not use ESC, then we should not use them. That is simply not the case though as the majority of Americans are for the use of embryonic stem cells. What we should not do is lie to the American people and tell them ASCs are as good. It isn’t true, and it isn’t science.

Are Low-Carb Diets Really Better For You?

It is getting to the point where yours truly is starting to get suspicious of every research paper that gets published anymore. The latest fiasco, is a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that states that low-carb, high protein diets were superior to other diets like the Zone or the Ornish diet. In reality this study shouldn’t have seen the light of day much less being published in a well-respected, peer reviewed journal. This study had so many holes in it that I am surprised it wasn’t sent in the the National Enquirer for publication except that rag may not have wanted something so poorly put together.

While I am not a fan of Dean Ornish’s diet plan, his response to the study is well crafted and should be read by anyone interested in finding out the truth about this remarkably poor study.

What none of the diet guru’s ever seem to get is that each and every one of us is unique and we need to create diet changes specific to our chemistry and time in our life. What works for you might fail for me or might work for me today but not next month. Dieticians and nutritionists might be jumping for joy at my comment because they are supposedly trained to treat people as individuals but in my years of consulting, I have found that some of them have innate prejudices that favor one type of diet over another thus defeating the concept of biochemical individuality. Another problem is the complete lack of any talk about the link between obesity and environmental toxicity, something I harp on in many of my lectures.

Realistic Weight Loss Ideas

I usually am pretty hard on journalists when it comes to health and nutrition due to conflicts of interest or just plain lack of knowledge in the field but I was heartily impressed by an article on weight loss written by Karen Collins, R.D. on the MSNBC website. Most R.D.’s and I do not see eye-to-eye but here, I whole heartedly agree with her.

Portion size is a true American problem. We think more is always better, especially when it comes to our eating habits. What Ms. Collins rightly points out is how we can easily cut hundreds of calories a day simply and without stress just by cutting down our portions. One tip I especially liked was the one about french fries and how you should leave 1/2 on the plate (when eating at a restaurant) and not eat it to cut out 100-170 calories. If you are able to cut 500 calories a week, you will lose 1 pound. Do that for one year and you’ve trimmed 52 pounds off. Not bad for a one year trial.

Of course, it will require a pickup in physical activity but that shouldn’t be too hard either. How about trying to park farther away from the store front when you go shopping?  Don’t find the closest spot, find one way out there and walk a little more. Do that everyday and you can burn off a 100 calories or so every week.

Sensible eating patterns can be had with just a little work and effort and you can still enjoy all of those great foods you love. Next week, I’ll be reviewing a book that smashes all those low calorie myths and how everything you know about eating isn’t the truth.

Vitamin C, E, and A are Bad for Your Health!!! Another Example of Bad Science.

CNN seems to feel that anytime someone comes up with a study that bashes vitamin supplementation, it is their duty to print it regardless of its validity or how biased the report is. The website posted a report about how vitamins C, D, and E are not beneficial in extending life. In the article, they cite a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which proports to show that not only are these supplements worthless, they actually increase the risk of dying.

Let us look at the facts behind this study. First off, it is not based on any original research. It is a review of other studies, 68 to be exact. They picked which studies they were to look at and then made judgements based on whta they deemed good research. Then they removed 19 studies they said were of poor quality and saw that the nutrients were detrimental to health. Too bad they didn’t seek to remove studies funded by groups (big harmaceutical – my spelling) that had something to gain through the publishing of negative studies. Don’t think that happens?  It does and it does happen a lot.  They also avoided using some Chinese studies that show definitive improvements from these essential nutrients.

But the one big error is one that I bring up all of the time and that is the lack of understanding of the concept of biochemical individuality. All this study says, if it is correct, is that vitamin C, E, and A aren’t effective for the greater population. They then extrapolate it to mean no one would benefit. How do they know?  Did they check my blood and determine that?  Did they look at my needs?  Hell no!!! They made a platitudinal statement that has no bearing on my life.  I may need 5 grams of vitamin C a day and you may need 250 milligrams. Until you test, you do not know the answer.

Bad science being chased by irresponsible media equals health damaging information.

I want to add one additional comment that CNN did put into the article and that was a quote from Dr. Meir Stampfer of professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Stampfer said the studies were too diverse to pool together because they looked at various combinations and doses of antioxidants tested in different groups of people. The trials ranged from a three-month study of 109 elderly nursing home residents to a 12-year study of 22,071 male doctors.

“This study does not advance our understanding, and could easily lead to misinterpretation of the data,” said Stampfer, who was not connected to the new report.

Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Lab Testing – Simple Urine Test Tell a Big Story

Imagine a simple lab test that can determine whether you are getting adequate levels of nutrients, whether you are properly utilizing fatty acids, if you have intestinal bugs which are hampering your ability to absorb food and nutrients, and see if you are being exposed to an excessive amount of petrochemicals. Imagine no more as US Biotek, based in Seattle, Washington has that test and its easier than you think.

All that is required to get a comprehensive report is a first morning urine sample that saturates a dry strip collector. From there you let the dry strip air dry for an hour, place it into a bag of dessicant and stick it in the mail. No freezing the sample, no extensive prep work needed, and better yet, no blood draw necessary. The test not only looks at functional markers of nutrient insufficiency, it also can track your excretion of benzene, toluene, xylene, styrene, trimethylbenzene, phthalates and parabens. All of these toxins can have a huge effect on your health.

If your health care practitioner doesn’t want to order the test, call the people at Direct Lab Services at 1-800-908-0000 and ask them about the test. It will be well worth your while.

Lab Testing – Which test is best?

Of all the questions I get as a consultant in the field of laboratory testing, this is by far the most asked one. This question was once posed at a conference I set up back in 2004 here in Reno, Nevada. The panel included three top people in the field of laboratory testing and each of course had a particular favorite test but when it came down to picking a test that wasn’t from their lab they all agreed on one, the comprehensive blood chemistry.

This test includes a full chemistry also known as an SMAC 25, with a complete blood count (CBC), a differential (white blood count analysis) along with a thyroid panel which should include a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). There is one small drawback and that is how to interpret the results. This is something I have been doing for over 20 years, the past 12 of which I have been using a system I developed called LabAssistTM  which has been improved by the team at Health Director and is now known as the Bio-Clarity Report. Currently it is available through your health care provider. All they have to do is contact my office at Lab Interpretation LLC (775)851-3336 and ask for an information packet. Alternatively, if you don’t have a willing practitioner, you can contact Direct Lab Services and they will order the test for you along with the Bio-Clarity Report.  You can click on the link above or call them at 1-800-908-0000.

Tomorrow, I will review a simple urine test that will give you more information about your chemistry than you could ever imagine.

On the Radio

Yours truly was on San Francisco radio station KPOO 89.5 today. For those of you who couldn’t listen to the show you can go to their archive (as soon as its up).

On a further note, I’ll be posting some new and interesting information later today on the world of health and nutrition along with a couple of must have new books for you to read.

Intolerance and Hatred – There is no place for it in a enlightened world.

Earlier today news that former NBA player Tim Hardaway made the following statement about John Ameche another former player who admitted being gay, “Well, you know, I hate gay people. I let it be known I don’t like gay people. I don’t like to be around gay people. I’m homophobic.” — Tim Hardaway, on Dan Le Batard’s radio show made all the sports and news talk shows. What strikes me is not the idea that someone is opposed to the gay lifestyle but the use of the word hate. I am not one to judge people like John Ameche for his lifestyle or Tim Hardaway for his comments, that is for a greater being than I am, what I do have a problem with is the lack of respect for a fellow human being and the hypocracy that is Tim Hardaway, his comments and others who have the same deep seated anger.

While listening to the Colin Cowherd talk show on ESPN radio this morning, I was astonished at the number of angry callers who agreed in principle with Mr. Hardaway. One caller claimed that since he was molested as a child he had a good reason for hating gays. Thankfully, Mr. Cowherd admonished him and reminded him that fully 80% of child molesters are heterosexual not homosexual. It is through ignorance that we generate hate, not intelligence. Hate is a base emotion that is borne of frustration and lack of knowledge for the most part.

Gene Wojciechowski wrote what I think is a brilliant response to this situation where his major astonishment is how a man like Hardaway can show such bigotry since he “…played at the same university and for the same coach who, years earlier, helped destroy racial stereotypes by starting five African-American players against all-white Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA Final Four championship game.” So I guess Mr. Hardaway feels it is all right to be a bigot against gays but not blacks.

What I hope for is that news of another gay person coming out of the closet is relegated to the back page of the newspaper, buried with other unimportant issues. The same for the announcement that this Super Bowl is the first with two black head coaches or other news like that. My ideal world would be one where people who are unique don’t have to hide from the spotlight but also that they don’t need to have a spotlight shown on them because they are different.

There are far more pressing issues in this world than the fact that an athlete is gay or that an ignorant ex-player hates him. Let’s move on to more important things like saving our environment or making the world a better place for our children to live in. Oh, and if you have some hate mail for me because of my point of view, just leave it in the draft box because I won’t pay any attention to it.

Rotary Presentation – Ten Things You Can Do To Save The Environment

Earlier today, I did a presentation about saving the environment to the Rotary Club of Incline Village. Instead of ranting on the negatives and how we are destroying our world (which we are), I listed 10 simple things that would help improve our world. Of course, it isn’t all encompassing but if everyone did what I suggest, our world would be a better place for it.

I’ve attached a PDF file of the Powerpoint presentation (just click on the link below). Please feel free to pass it around. Just tell people where you got the information. I am also available to do this talk to any group in the Reno Tahoe area, just e-mail me at marks at crayhon dot com.

Ten Things You Can Do To Save The Environment

Blogcast for February 11th, 2007 – Codex Alimentarius – Real or Not Real?

Codex, the name brings fear to the hearts of many a follower of alternative and complementary medicine. It is a law that has swept through a number of countries throughout the world limiting peoples access to nutritional supplements. Some fear mongers here in the U.S.A. have warned people that it is coming to America. Let me put your fears to bed, it is not coming any time soon if ever.

Download my blogcast as soon as I can get it uploaded (tomorrow I hope) called Real or Not Real and here me explain the truth about this issue. You can also go to the Natural Food Industry website and read more about the subject as well.

To all my loyal readers, please e-mail me at schauss at carbonbased dot com (have to spell it out because those spammers would like nothing better than to get my email address for their bots) with questions and topics you would like me to write about. If you want to know about health, research, nutritional supplements or laboratory testing, please feel free to ask me questions and I’ll add it to my blog in writing or on my blogcast. In the coming weeks, I will be producing a podcast which will be posted at iTunes and on Google podcast. I have already lined up a few interviews so things are coming close to fruition.