Healthy Living – The Briobiotic
ProtocolPage 1 of 5Posted on May 15, 2015 by David Robertson in Health // 1 Comment
Do you want to restore your health and vitality? Many of us are often on the search for that next best thing that will keep us healthy or fix what ails us, but for some reason, it seems to escape us. You will be amazed at just how simple and cheap the answer really is. As with most things, it all starts with the basics, right? What follows is a protocol that I have been living by for quite some time; constantly tweaking it to find that perfect balance.
I have been up against quite in my life in regard to my health. My friends and family have always been amazed at both my recovery and my recovery time. I have tried many remedies and spent countless dollars on all kinds of supplements. But in all the years and dollars, I have found that for truly great health, it all seems to boil down to just a few basic concepts and supplements. Now, I’m going to share it all with you.
Now, keep in mind that much of what I am about to tell you will basically fly in the face of what most people have been told or led to believe. And it is important to note that this “recipe” only works as a whole. Doing only one or two elements of this entire program will not provide the results that I have personally seen. However, doing any of this will greatly improve certain body functions. So I hope that at the very least, you walk away with something that truly makes your life better.
True; I could probably sell this protocol, or write a book about it and try to make money that way. But understand that my biggest goal in life is to enrich the lives of others. I want to make a difference in this world. And out of all of the things I have ever researched, created, or pondered; this one definitely ranks up there in regard to “worth while“.
What is truly great about this protocol is how it works in the body. For example: for those of you who follow my work regularly, you know how important cognitive function is to me. This protocol might not only bring your body back into homeostasis, but it might also very well increase your cognitive abilities substantially. Regardless, I think that if you implement even just a few of the elements into your lifestyle, you will see amazing results. If you use it all, you might very well begin to feel super-human.
It would be easy to say that the foundation of great health starts with oxygen, water, food, shelter, and sleep. Shelter should probably go without saying, but what about sleep? I think most people know that sleep deprivation can cause all kinds of problems, from simple air-headedness, up to and including death. But many are missing the boat when it comes to their sleep because other foundational elements are simply missing. The truth is that when they correct the foundation, sleep comes… naturally. When we get sleep, our bodies are given the opportunity to repair. But our bodies have a hard time repairing if they are not given the proper tools.
Of course the basics of great health include things like not smoking, or avoiding excess amounts of caffeine or alcohol. And of course, refraining from drug use or otherwise harmful chemicals is a no-brainer. I am not going to focus on the obvious; I’m going to focus on the not-so-obvious. Many of our problems surround the process of consumption. What to or what not to eat and drink seems to be the issue of our time. Between doctors, television, and scientific studies, it can be hard to tell which way to go. Sure, we pretty much know that eating fast food and drinking pop is bad, but how many really know why? We hear terms like “Gluten” or “High Fructose Corn Syrup” but how many really know what these are or why they are bad? It’s all so darn confusing!!! Well, let me help make it a little easier.
What I provide you here is something I am calling the Briobiotic Protocol. Why call it Briobiotic?Brio is an old Celtic word which means “liveliness or vivacity” or sometimes even “fire of life”. Biotic on the other hand, is a word often associated with or derived from “living organisms”. These biotic elements include the organisms themselves as well as their environment; such as predation, competition for food resources, and symbiotic relationships. So essentially, Briobiotic means a great healthy symbiotic and holistic life.
Now, this protocol is not a miracle diet or cure all. Instead, it is simply a platform for which the body can use to better address some of the pressing issues it faces. Does this protocol have the power to solve your health problems? Perhaps, but that really depends on your current health situation and how serious you are about making these changes. I make no guaranteesof course, because there is no way to know how well you either will or will not follow the protocol. For me; it has changed my life. Still, this protocol was designed to simply help put the body into a better, more natural state, and to encourage homeostasis and healing. What follows is years worth of research put into laymen terms – to the best of my ability anyway. I truly hope you get as much out of this as I have. So let’s begin.
Exercise
This heading will actually be the simplest element of the entire Briobiotic protocol. It should really go without saying, but our bodies were simply not meant to remain sedentary. In fact, a growing body of research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. And actually these just get the ball rolling in regard to what inactivity can really do.
Consider the life of your ancestors for a moment. They were constantly moving or constantly working. They would walk great distances to herds of animals they aimed to hunt. They would run and hike while on the hunt. They would build their own shelters. They would haul their own water. They would physically wage their own wars.
Today, most people sit for hours upon hours, only walking from chair to chair. They go to work and sit in their chair. They leave work and go their car (which has a chair), to their front rooms (to a chair), to the dinner table (to a chair) and then to the bed. This is not an ideal way to live.
The takeaway for me: do something – anything: walk, run, lift, bike, or row. Do anything that gets you moving and do it often. It doesn’t matter if you follow a program, or simply walk around the block. ANYTHING is better than NOTHING. Just remember that the more you do, the more you get.
Learn more about getting started on a program by clicking here.
Water
It is estimated that a person cannot survive for more than 3-4 days without some kind of water. Most people need to consume about two quarts of water a day, and yes, some can get by with less. While some get water straight, some get their water from tea, pop, or even their foods. But did you know that in order to keep your bodies running in peak condition, you may need more water?
For most Americans, roughly 60% of the body is made of water. Ideally our body should be 80% water and our brain upwards of 90%. And yes, the kind of water you put in your body makes a big difference. This is because water is what maintains the body’s fluid balance, which helps transport nutrients in the body, flush out cells, regulate body temperature, digest food, and so much more. Essentially, you are what you drink just as much as you are what you eat.
Water can keep the skin healthy, help you feel full so you eat less, keep your muscles from cramping, and clean our vital organs such as the kidneys and bladder (which reduces the opportunity for urinary tract infections). It also helps with brain function and helps the body fight off a myriad of different sicknesses and disease. Now imagine this water was contaminated.
I’m sure you can imagine how the quality of water might make such a big difference. But even city water is not good enough many times. In fact, the former director of the World Water Council and researcher at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Mona Harrison, advocates the drinking of “bioavailable water”, or simply… natural spring water. This is because our bodies are better able to utilize and benefit from the this kind of water. Clean, natural, spring water is arguably the best. It is said that live spring water is essential for mineral absorption and has the ability to gain easier access to our cells.
If this doesn’t make sense, then try to remember this: our bodies are designed to stop foreign invaders right? Well spring water is usually free from the harmful chemicals such as the halogens that modern water treatment facilities use in their attempt to kill off harmful pathogens found in sitting water; the same halogens which hinder adrenal, thyroid and brain function; IE: the types of invaders our bodies would try and reject. Municipal water sources (tap water) have been tested all over the world and found to contain contaminants such as copper and other metals leaching from the pipes, not to mention the bacteria that have set up shop in the same pipes. What about “hard water”? Consider the bad calcium in the form of limescale. Our bodies don’t really prefer this kind of water.
The takeaway for me: avoid municipal water sources and drink plenty of fresh spring water – about 9 to 16 cups of it.
Learn more about the dangers of certain halogens by clicking here.
Oxygen
We need oxygen to live. But how much? How does this work exactly? Well, oxygen usually (and ideally) enters the body through the lungs via breathing. The air that is inhaled is about 20-percent oxygen, but only about 5-percent of that is actually consumed in each breath and converted to carbon dioxide. The oxygen is transported by our red blood cells to the entire body and used to produce energy. Once the red blood cells return to the lungs, the carbon dioxide is exhaled.
Basic science right? But did you know that your body is designed to release upwards of 70% of its toxins through breathing? This is one of the many reasons why exercise is so important. A person whose diet is right and is exercising regularly, obviously uses a lot more oxygen, and breathes deeper and more often. Hence, their bodies are getting rid of more toxins, and their energy levels are increased. The great news is that you don’t have to go to the gym to achieve the same results when it comes to this process. Simply taking some time out of the day to enjoy some outdoor, deep, full breaths can have an amazing impact on your overall well-being. Doing this for at least 15 minutes a day brings many benefits. Or, do what I do and integrate deep breathing exercises into your workout program.
Want a nice little boost or a little help? It is known that the bicarbonate component of Baking Soda is highly alkaline and is used in your body as a buffer to maintain pH balance and optimal function. A quote often seen when researching this element is a quote from Annelie Pompe, a world-champion free diver. Annelie states that alkaline tissues can hold up to 20 times more oxygen than acidic ones. It’s true, and from personal experience, (and you can ask any real athlete about this) taking sodium bicarbonate orally before a workout or event actually raises the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and performance is enhanced considerably. The point is that we need oxygen in the blood and we need alkaline tissue to better receive that oxygen. Baking soda achieves both of these goals. The baking soda tonics are part one, the second part is heavy breathing.
The takeaway for me: taking a tonic of baking soda and heavy breathing will benefit me immensely. The easy way? Perhaps drinking that tonic during my workout.
Food
Eat a healthy diet. Simple enough right? But it’s more than that. What does that mean really? It’s seems elementary I know, but your body wants to live. I mean, it REALLY wants to live. This means that when it is attacked by something, the body will try to defend itself by avoidance or by killing it off. This is where things like “Fight or Flight” come into play. But when we think about pathogens, we really need to talk about your immune system. A fever is a great example of this. Your body heats up trying to kill a pathogen of some kind. The word for this is inflammation; which is a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection.
Normally this is a good thing, but inflammation is not always good. There two basic types of inflammation; there is the good kind – acute (short-term) and the bad kind – chronic (long-term) inflammation. Short-term inflammation is what you experience when you scrape your arm or get the flu. Chronic inflammation is associated with chronic disease. And while we can’t always control the short-term inflammation, nor would we really want to, we can play a pretty big role in stopping or greatly reducing the long-term inflammation associated with chronic conditions… and we do this by eating foods. Or, better said; by NOT eating certain foods. The Briobiotic Protocol relies heavily on the food element.
We want to avoid long bouts of inflammation in the body for optimum health, and unfortunately, much of the food we eat as Americans, contributes substantially to this problem. Dr. Dwight Lundell M.D., a world renowned heart surgeon admits that the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation are quite simply, the “overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.”
The takeaway for me: avoid processed and/or refined sugars and grains. But let’s break this down even further.
Fruit and Veggies
Fruits and veggies provide the body with all kinds of great things. For instance; Fruits and veggies provide fiber. This fiber keeps the digestive system full and moving while feeding the bacteria in our digestive track. These beneficial bacteria help to keep us healthy by fighting off bad bacteria. Fruits and veggies are also filled with essential vitamins and minerals and they also have the ability to reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke. They are also great sources of the well-known and much needed antioxidant, vitamin C.
But what I find really interesting is that by eating fruits and vegetables, and when all other systems are operating like they are supposed to, your body can create its own aspirin, further reducing the inflammation in the body. This is because the benzoic acid, a substance found in fruits and vegetables, helps the body actually produce its own salicylic acid, the well-known anti-inflammatory and pain-reliever.
The takeaway for me: eat plenty of fresh and organic fruits and vegetables.
Meat
It is true that fruits and vegetables can provide the body with quite a bit. Unfortunately, and contrary to the narrative that some groups might lead you to believe, they cannot provide you with everything that you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is where meat comes in. And just to clarify; unprocessed and healthy meats can provide B3 (Niacin), B6, Iron, Zinc, Selenium and plenty of other vitamins and minerals, and they are also rich with Omega-3. But that’s not all…
Side note: Unprocessed meat from grass-fed animals contains up to 5 times as much Omega-3 as meat that comes from grain-fed animals.
Protein is another great thing we pull from meat. Why is it so great? For a lot of reasons really but it really boils down to the amino acids they carry. There are at least 9 amino acids that we simply CANNOT produce on our own and that we have to get from our diet. Animal products contain all the amino acids that we need in perfect form. True, most plants do provide some protein; but it comes with a caveat; they do so with sub-optimal amino acid profiles. It’s still not the entire story…
Protein and amino acids aside for now, as I have written about in other articles, science has discovered that an essential element of our existence revolves around Vitamin B-12; one of the most complex vitamins that we currently know about. Not only does B-12 help to make your DNA and your red blood cells (which carries your oxygen), but we have discovered that even the slightest deficiency of Vitamin B-12 can lead to things like anemia, pale skin, sore tongue, fatigue, mania, depression, easy bruising or bleeding, etc. Also, going extended periods of time without B-12 results in permanent damage to the brain and central nervous system.
If you really want your body to firing on all cylinders, then you’re going to have to eat some meat. This is because real vitamin B-12 can ONLY be manufactured by bacteria in the gut and can ONLY be found NATURALLY in animal products in any real abundance – not vegetables. That’s anatomy and physiology for you. Learn more about B-12 by clicking here.
The takeaway for me: eat plenty of unprocessed, natural and grass fed or open range meats. And make sure that I drink plenty of water to get those nutrients to the right place.
Probiotic Foods
For most, incorporating probiotics into your life will do wonders. Of course, many automatically think about the cost associated with buying expensive probiotics from the store. Sure… you could do that, but did you know that you can eat probiotics instead of buying them? That’s right! It’s cheap too. Nature comes well equipped for what you need and it has been doing so for quite some time.
Probiotic foods are foods that contain live and active bacterial cultures. Sound gross? Well consider yogurt, cottage cheese, or actual cheese. These are all created with bacteria. But don’t worry, it’s the good kind; the friendly kind. My personal favorite is Kefir. This is a powerhouse and does wonders for my overall health and wellness. I grow my own and it literally costs the gallon of milk to do it. Here is a good source and instructions for that.
Some of you may have some dairy issues – probably due to antibiotics but I digress. If you have some kind of lactose intolerance, I would still suggest at least trying real probiotic or fermented dairy foods to just see if they’re okay. Why? Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir are actually much easier to digest than milk, because the bacteria eat away the lactose by fermenting it into lactic acid. Many that I have worked with have not only been able to tolerate it, but have actually regained their ability to consume raw milk. But it’s not just dairy products here. Other fermented/probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles and more.
Why are these types of foods important? Well, because antibiotics kill gut flora. You have undoubtedly been exposed to antibiotics at some point in your life, through your food, via your doctor, and not to mention the plethora of other things that we consume or are exposed to that are known to disrupt intestinal flora. These foods help bring the intestines back in line to where they need to be. They help make food easier to digest and break down.
NOTE: Probiotics are not for everyone. Cautions will be discussed on page 5.
Learn more about antibiotics and probiotics by clicking here.
A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
Now that we have covered the basics (fruits, veggies, meat and probiotics), let me provide JUST ONE example of how you will immediately benefit from this program. Understand that it is a synergistic approach to health so each element has a compound reaction. For example: heart disease (which includes Heart Disease, Stroke and other Cardiovascular Diseases) is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. It is a fast killer too and doctors are struggling to fight it. This is so sad because for many, and in many ways, this can be prevented.
As we get older, our bodies tend to lose the ability to regulate calcium balance. It’s just a fact of life that when we get older, calcification in soft tissues throughout the body such as heart valves, glands, and blood vessels are going to happen. This is especially true for most Americans who seem dedicated to ensuring this happens by ingesting chemicals and foods that expedite the problem. This has lethal consequences though.
If you are suffering with heart disease or looking to avoid it all together, then the first thing we want to do is avoid fluoride and increase the iodine. In fact, based on everything I have ever studied on it, fluoride is just something that needs to be avoided altogether. In my opinion, it is dangerous poison, a neurotoxin and basically, a life robber. (Read more about fluoride here)
A study published in the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications found that fluoride may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk because it causes hardening of your arteries. Fluoride is also responsible for calcifying the pineal gland and other areas of the body. Mix this with a standard American diet, and you have a big problem on your hands. This is because the standard American diet is rather low in the necessary vitamins and nutrients that help fight this, and as already address, contributes to heart disease via inflammation.
Like I said, it appears that these conditions may be stopped or even reversed with the reintroduction of iodine and proper diet. Studies and experiments do support this idea. Scientists have blocked iodine in rats’ food supply, and it led to progressive human-like fibrocystic disease (atypia, sclerosing, calcifications, dysplastic changes) as the rats aged. On the flip side, when iodine was reintroduced, it was proven that iodine helped to resolve these issues, because iodine has the ability to decrease calcifications, increase the removal of sodium fluoride from the body via the urine and hence; help resolve the fibrocystic conditions.
Another interesting little side note: When you’re iodine deficient, your thyroid can’t work efficiently. As a result, your body increases cholesterol production to try and force hormone production in an effort to compensate. This increase in cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular issues. Still, it has been known for almost a hundred years that iodine intake has the ability to prevent the deposition of cholesterol in the arteries in the first place, just FYI.
So diet plays a big part in all of this. When it comes to diet for instance, they now know that the result of vitamin K impairment is associated with the rapid development of osteoporosis and arterial calcification. Chemicals such as fluoride and warfarin are known contributors because they inhibit normal vitamin K function in the body. But on that similar note, even antibiotics can be a problem.
Similar to Vitamin B-12, Vitamin K is produced by intestinal bacteria through our food supply. Vitamin K1 is obtained from leafy greens and some other vegetables. Vitamin K2 is a group of compounds largely obtained from animal products such as meats, cheeses, and eggs. Again; quality counts. So because it is synthesized by bacteria, if your intestinal flora is messed up, or if your diet is not solid in the first place, or if you are ingesting chemicals which inhibit proper function or synthesis anyway, you’re going to be on the low end of the vitamin and iodine intake and may end up with the problems we are speaking of.
The alternative? Following this program; restoring your bacteria, correcting your diet, and reintroducing vital nutrients long forgotten. These are the things necessary to quickly restore homeostasis and the evidence suggests that this works for a number of different conditions.
Caveat: just as I do not recommend vitamin B-12 supplementation, I do not recommend vitamin K supplementation either – and for the same reasons. My recommendation for getting these vitamins is to rely on nature to provide them when at all possible. Both of these vitamins are highly complex. When nature provides them, they are in perfect form and not missing the elements often missed in synthetic forms. It is just my opinion of course, but I feel that these are too important to mess around with.
Supplements
By definition, a supplement is something that completes or enhances something else when added to it. It’s not something that is generally supposed to be relied on. There are some exceptions to this though, especially when it is next to impossible to get what you need from the environment you currently find yourself in. And while we could discuss any number of nutritional supplements here, I’m going to focus on the primary ones that I feel are essential to our health.
Let’s think about what life was like before all these modern conveniences. What did people do? They would fish a lot. In fact, we know that harvesting and consuming seafoods were a common practice that date back to at least the beginning of the Paleolithic period, and we can see fish depicted as food in Egyptian burial chambers as far back as 1400 BC.
If you know your history, you also know that city centers sprung up around fresh water rivers dumping into the ocean. In fact, most of the cities in many old countries are along rivers, or near the coast of the ocean. There a lot of reasons for this.
Fertile ground, great fishing, and access to salt, were all great reasons for doing this. Of course, back then, people also spent a great deal of time out in the sun. But the question we need to really ponder is whether or not all this was because of convenience and commerce, or was it more about necessity and healthy survival?
Fish and other seafood are the major sources of things like omega-3 fats and are also rich in other nutrients such as vitamin D and selenium. These are things absolutely vital to the human condition, but only about one-third of Americans eat seafood once a week, while nearly half eat fish only occasionally or not at all. Ask yourself: (aside from fish) how often do you eat seaweed, shrimp, and other seafood? Probably not often, if you are like most Americans. Odd question?
If you are not eating seafood regularly, and if you are following what most consider a “healthy lifestyle”, then you are probably missing out on some key nutrients and it could be causing all kinds of issues in your body. What I am getting here your iodine intake. Arguably the best source of iodine is going to be your seafood. But again, people are not getting enough.
Iodine
According to the National Institutes of Health, the body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. These hormones control the body’s metabolism and many other important functions. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy. Getting enough iodine is important for everyone, especially infants and women who are pregnant.
What a lot of people are NOT being told these days, is how they are more than likely iodine deficient. In fact, the scientific community (not the medical one) is considering this little known fact a “new epidemic”. With this new epidemic, comes things like fatigue, chronic pain, weight gain, and even breast cysts or tenderness. The sad part is that this deficiency often arrives due to the advice of “all things in moderation”, “put this in your water” or “avoid this” for optimum health.
Ironically, iodine is capable of killing all classes of pathogens: gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses and protozoa. The body LOVES iodine and it’s great for urinary health because all excess iodine is excreted through the urogenital organs. According to Dr. David Derry, “Iodine is by far the best antibiotic, antiviral and antiseptic of all time”. From my research, which I have written about at length (HERE), the entire body could use iodine. Iodine is great for so many things. For example: it is essential for cardiovascular health and helps those with diabetes because iodine attaches to insulin receptors and improves glucose metabolism.
Now, some might argue that one can get iodine from vegetables. True, in some trace amounts I suppose. However, in nature, iodine is a relatively rare element. The only exception to this is that it is found in abundance in the ocean. But on land, iodine is very low in many places around the world, including the United States. This creates a big problem, because now nearly 74% of normal, “healthy” adults may no longer consume enough iodine.
The takeaway for me: I need to supplement my diet with iodine or eat whole lot more seafood. For me, Lugol’s Solution is perfect.
Learn more about why iodine is so important by clicking here.
Vitamin D
Getting enough sun? If you are like most Americans, the answer is probably no. You spend your time indoors. And even if you don’t, doctors have basically brainwashed people into believing that the “night-time is the right time”. “Avoid the sun” they say. Of course, some will suggest that you get plenty of vitamin D from your diet. I might be able to concede to that idea… if your diet was “perfect”. But for most people, that is not going to be the case.
For instance; cheese naturally contains small amounts of vitamin D. You might be able to get a little from lean meats, poultry, eggs, and nuts. But if your diet is “right”, the good sources come from fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel, which as we just discovered, most Americans are simply not eating enough. So not only are they not eating a decent source of vitamin D, but they are avoiding the sun which further depletes the supply.
So what’s the big deal? According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic. The major cause of vitamin D deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure in moderation is the major source of vitamin D for most humans”. They go on to say that “Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods that are fortified with vitamin D are often inadequate to satisfy either a child’s or an adult’s vitamin D requirement“.
Vitamin D3 does all kinds of great things in the body, but the reason I find it to be so critical is because we know now that the body produces its own internal antibiotic to help fight infections when it is provided sufficient amounts of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is known to boost the innate immune system to combat pathogenic infections, essentially making its own natural antibiotic. The ‘antibiotic’ effect of vitamin D3 appears to be mediated, at least in part, by the induction of the human antimicrobial peptide genes. This is a rather awesome discovery really. To bad most people don’t get enough.
The takeaway for me: supplement with a good D3 vitamin, get more sun, eat more seafood, or a combination of the three.
Salt
If you are following the Briobiotic Protocol as suggested, you are now avoiding processed foods. This also means that the chances that you are no longer getting enough salt is pretty good. As I have written about in previous articles, salt is a VITAL nutrient. Without salt, you simply could not exist. Essentially, every cell in the human body is dependent on the presence of sodium. We find sodium diffused throughout the fluid between cells. Salt affects almost every bodily function, from firing off muscles to brain function. In fact, salt acts as a natural hypnotic and will help your body regulate sleep. And while the science of why may not have been known back in the day, as far as recorded history goes (going back as far as 6050 BC), people have known that salt was important. In fact, the word “salary” is actually derived from the word “salt.” This is because during a stretch of time, people were actually paid with salt instead of precious metals.
A great natural source of salt in the diet can come from seafood like tuna (which most don’t eat), but it can also be found to a smaller degree in vegetables like potatoes or even milk. Unfortunately, this will not be enough for most people. The Briobiotic Protocol actually calls for MORE salt… quite a bit more really.
Historically, both sea salt and rock salt were well known to the ancient Greeks who figured out that by eating salty food, they were able to affect and improve basic body functions such as digestion and excretion. On a similar note, we cry saline fluid, we urinate saline fluid, we sweat saline and every time there is an issue with the body, the common and well known remedies are usually saline based (IV, gargle, sinus rinse, eye drops, etc). This is not new. This practice goes back quite some time actually. Case in point: one of my heroes, Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine), used salt quite a bit, making salt-based remedies.
The takeaway for me: make sure I am getting plenty of natural unrefined salt – such a Celtic Salt.
Learn more about why salt is so important by clicking here.
Something to ponder:
Does it strike you as odd that people are being told to stay away from things like red meat, salt, seafood, and the sun, while in the same breath, being told that the ingestion of refined sugars and grains are just fine “in moderation”? Meanwhile, science is screaming that people are highly deficient in the vital nutrient these things provide? Does it strike anyone odd that we contaminate our water supplies with halogens and other chemicals, then wonder why we feel so horrible?
We are fat and sick because of what we consume… or what we do NOT consume. We further destroy our food supply by feeding or watering our foods with things they would NOT normally consume, or even simply genetically modify it all together? Our bodies are probably more confused than we can even begin to imagine.
It’s actually fairly easy to see how messed up our food supply has become. And yet the things we need to consume, the foods that hold the nutrients essential to our physiology, are the things we are told to cut back on, or cut out altogether – or better yet… told that it’s okay to go without. This is unfortunate because most of these nutrients are not stored in the body, our body cannot make them on their own, and if we don’t have them, our bodies begin to break down in horrible ways.
Is it really any surprise that as a nation, we are getting so fat and sick?
The takeaway for me: STOP AVOIDING THE THINGS MY BODY NEEDS TO FUNCTION & SURVIVE.
Now Let’s Talk Sleep
So when the Briobiotic Protocol is in full swing, sleep should come quite naturally. I know that I sleep deeper and sounder for following this protocol. This is important because when we sleep, our bodies repair and process toxins for removal. This is especially true for heart health, because sleep helps the body repair your heart and blood vessels. On the other side of the coin, sleep deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even stroke.
Sleep is the final step because it only happens the way it should when everything else is in order. Some of the major causes of sleep deprivation are actually diet, stress, chronic illness and inflammation.
The takeaway for me: follow Briobiotic Protocol for great health and great sleep.
The Briobiotic Protocol in simple terms:
Exercise: as often and as you are physically able to. Even if it is only walking. Start slow and build up over time. (Unless otherwise instructed by a physician or are otherwise physically incapable)
Water: Drink plenty of natural spring water.
Oxygen: Breathe deeply and drink a baking soda tonic from time to time.
Food: avoid refined and/or processed sugars and grains – yes, this includes bread. Try not to shop in the interior of the store. Stick to the outside. Eat plenty of organic fruits and vegetables and embrace variety. Eat plenty of animal products, including healthy doses of seafood and other types of meat. Yes, cheese is okay.
Antibiotics & Probiotics: Try avoid antibiotics and use them ONLY as a last resort. Instead, try real live probiotics. Learn more about antibiotics and how to overcome years of damage and avoid future damage by clicking here.
Supplement: with Iodine, Salt, and Vitamin D. Split these supplements into two doses. Take them in the morning and take them at night.
NOTE: Most of the other vitamins and minerals you need will more than likely come from your diet. If it can’t get them from your diet for whatever reason, then a quality multivitamin can work well too, but ensure that it has a decent amount of vitamin C. According to Dr. Gary Gordon, “The right dose of Vitamin C will stop every infection in its tracks without needing to use antibiotics“. Of course, quality and timing were also a factor. If vitamins are taken in supplement form, take them mid-day. If you need more C, add that to your protocol.
Sleep: make time to sleep. Go to bed early if you have to. Get what your body needs. On average this equates to somewhere between 7 and 9 hours. Everyone is different, but shoot for not needing an alarm.
DOSAGES AND WARNINGS:
NEVER consume things that you are allergic to and NEVER do things that you are uncomfortable doing.
AVOID ANY element of this protocol if you have been instructed by a physician to do so.
ALWAYS ease into exercise and check with a physician to ensure you are healthy enough for such activity.
Your plate should consist of at least half meat on this protocol. The second largest portion should be vegetables, then fruits, then dairy and/or nuts. No counting calories, no stress over food.
Stay away from foods that come with the following words: Lite, Fat Free, Diet, etc.
Use REAL foods when you cook, like butter, whole milk (avoid homogenized = dead milk). Avoid cooking your oils (Olive Oil, etc)
Vitamin D3 in supplement form should be consumed by body weight. Therapeutic doses are roughly 70-80 IU/per kg/per day. The equation (75 x lbs divided by 2.2 = #of IU’s) Example: 250lb person would need roughly 8500 IU’s. If you want to keep it simple, just take 5,000 IU/day or 2500 IU twice a day.
Unless otherwise instructed not to by a physician, consume NO LESS than 2,300 milligrams of salt a day and you should probably not exceed 4,650 milligrams of salt a day. Work your way up to the higher doses and drink plenty of fresh spring water.
DO NOT take iodine if you are allergic and DO NOT take iodine at the same time as Vitamin C – this may negate the disinfectant effect of iodine and may convert potassium iodide into the straight iodine; Take vitamin C at least 2 hours before or after taking Lugol’ solution.
A substitute for Lugol’s Iodine is Kelp Pills.
Vitamin C should be taken as one dose, mid-day: 3000-5000mgs.
Iodine should be taken at a rate of about 1-2 drops a day for maintenance, but personalized dosage and therapeutic dosages should be researched and reviewed for your own personal needs because dosage can vary. Many people maintain a 12mg to 50mg daily dose – a dose high above the RDA. Again – more information can be found here.
Probiotic Considerations: Concentrated Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium supplements, taken in large doses can actually inhibit lipid peroxidation in some people. This also means that other similar types of bacteria can do the same thing. Basically, this means that if you take too many, they have the ability to somewhat reduce the effectiveness of our defense systems to kill invaders. In large enough amounts, the defense system simply fails and these otherwise beneficial bacteria, can get in and wreak havoc. This is why I recommend natural food based probiotics instead of store bought; because the chances of this negative side effect happening is substantially reduced. Also, people with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) often find that probiotics of ANY kind are very difficult to handle.
Simple Baking Soda Tonic: ¼ teaspoon in a 12 to 16oz of fresh spring water – or your favorite beverage.
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This Protocol Will Be Updated From Time to Time
David Robertson is not a medical doctor. This article is not medical advice, a professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or service to you or to any other individual. This is simply general information for educational and anecdotal purposes only. The information provided herein, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. David Robertson is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain or utilize. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN.
ProtocolPage 1 of 5Posted on May 15, 2015 by David Robertson in Health // 1 Comment
Do you want to restore your health and vitality? Many of us are often on the search for that next best thing that will keep us healthy or fix what ails us, but for some reason, it seems to escape us. You will be amazed at just how simple and cheap the answer really is. As with most things, it all starts with the basics, right? What follows is a protocol that I have been living by for quite some time; constantly tweaking it to find that perfect balance.
I have been up against quite in my life in regard to my health. My friends and family have always been amazed at both my recovery and my recovery time. I have tried many remedies and spent countless dollars on all kinds of supplements. But in all the years and dollars, I have found that for truly great health, it all seems to boil down to just a few basic concepts and supplements. Now, I’m going to share it all with you.
Now, keep in mind that much of what I am about to tell you will basically fly in the face of what most people have been told or led to believe. And it is important to note that this “recipe” only works as a whole. Doing only one or two elements of this entire program will not provide the results that I have personally seen. However, doing any of this will greatly improve certain body functions. So I hope that at the very least, you walk away with something that truly makes your life better.
True; I could probably sell this protocol, or write a book about it and try to make money that way. But understand that my biggest goal in life is to enrich the lives of others. I want to make a difference in this world. And out of all of the things I have ever researched, created, or pondered; this one definitely ranks up there in regard to “worth while“.
What is truly great about this protocol is how it works in the body. For example: for those of you who follow my work regularly, you know how important cognitive function is to me. This protocol might not only bring your body back into homeostasis, but it might also very well increase your cognitive abilities substantially. Regardless, I think that if you implement even just a few of the elements into your lifestyle, you will see amazing results. If you use it all, you might very well begin to feel super-human.
It would be easy to say that the foundation of great health starts with oxygen, water, food, shelter, and sleep. Shelter should probably go without saying, but what about sleep? I think most people know that sleep deprivation can cause all kinds of problems, from simple air-headedness, up to and including death. But many are missing the boat when it comes to their sleep because other foundational elements are simply missing. The truth is that when they correct the foundation, sleep comes… naturally. When we get sleep, our bodies are given the opportunity to repair. But our bodies have a hard time repairing if they are not given the proper tools.
Of course the basics of great health include things like not smoking, or avoiding excess amounts of caffeine or alcohol. And of course, refraining from drug use or otherwise harmful chemicals is a no-brainer. I am not going to focus on the obvious; I’m going to focus on the not-so-obvious. Many of our problems surround the process of consumption. What to or what not to eat and drink seems to be the issue of our time. Between doctors, television, and scientific studies, it can be hard to tell which way to go. Sure, we pretty much know that eating fast food and drinking pop is bad, but how many really know why? We hear terms like “Gluten” or “High Fructose Corn Syrup” but how many really know what these are or why they are bad? It’s all so darn confusing!!! Well, let me help make it a little easier.
What I provide you here is something I am calling the Briobiotic Protocol. Why call it Briobiotic?Brio is an old Celtic word which means “liveliness or vivacity” or sometimes even “fire of life”. Biotic on the other hand, is a word often associated with or derived from “living organisms”. These biotic elements include the organisms themselves as well as their environment; such as predation, competition for food resources, and symbiotic relationships. So essentially, Briobiotic means a great healthy symbiotic and holistic life.
Now, this protocol is not a miracle diet or cure all. Instead, it is simply a platform for which the body can use to better address some of the pressing issues it faces. Does this protocol have the power to solve your health problems? Perhaps, but that really depends on your current health situation and how serious you are about making these changes. I make no guaranteesof course, because there is no way to know how well you either will or will not follow the protocol. For me; it has changed my life. Still, this protocol was designed to simply help put the body into a better, more natural state, and to encourage homeostasis and healing. What follows is years worth of research put into laymen terms – to the best of my ability anyway. I truly hope you get as much out of this as I have. So let’s begin.
Exercise
This heading will actually be the simplest element of the entire Briobiotic protocol. It should really go without saying, but our bodies were simply not meant to remain sedentary. In fact, a growing body of research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. And actually these just get the ball rolling in regard to what inactivity can really do.
Consider the life of your ancestors for a moment. They were constantly moving or constantly working. They would walk great distances to herds of animals they aimed to hunt. They would run and hike while on the hunt. They would build their own shelters. They would haul their own water. They would physically wage their own wars.
Today, most people sit for hours upon hours, only walking from chair to chair. They go to work and sit in their chair. They leave work and go their car (which has a chair), to their front rooms (to a chair), to the dinner table (to a chair) and then to the bed. This is not an ideal way to live.
The takeaway for me: do something – anything: walk, run, lift, bike, or row. Do anything that gets you moving and do it often. It doesn’t matter if you follow a program, or simply walk around the block. ANYTHING is better than NOTHING. Just remember that the more you do, the more you get.
Learn more about getting started on a program by clicking here.
Water
It is estimated that a person cannot survive for more than 3-4 days without some kind of water. Most people need to consume about two quarts of water a day, and yes, some can get by with less. While some get water straight, some get their water from tea, pop, or even their foods. But did you know that in order to keep your bodies running in peak condition, you may need more water?
For most Americans, roughly 60% of the body is made of water. Ideally our body should be 80% water and our brain upwards of 90%. And yes, the kind of water you put in your body makes a big difference. This is because water is what maintains the body’s fluid balance, which helps transport nutrients in the body, flush out cells, regulate body temperature, digest food, and so much more. Essentially, you are what you drink just as much as you are what you eat.
Water can keep the skin healthy, help you feel full so you eat less, keep your muscles from cramping, and clean our vital organs such as the kidneys and bladder (which reduces the opportunity for urinary tract infections). It also helps with brain function and helps the body fight off a myriad of different sicknesses and disease. Now imagine this water was contaminated.
I’m sure you can imagine how the quality of water might make such a big difference. But even city water is not good enough many times. In fact, the former director of the World Water Council and researcher at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Mona Harrison, advocates the drinking of “bioavailable water”, or simply… natural spring water. This is because our bodies are better able to utilize and benefit from the this kind of water. Clean, natural, spring water is arguably the best. It is said that live spring water is essential for mineral absorption and has the ability to gain easier access to our cells.
If this doesn’t make sense, then try to remember this: our bodies are designed to stop foreign invaders right? Well spring water is usually free from the harmful chemicals such as the halogens that modern water treatment facilities use in their attempt to kill off harmful pathogens found in sitting water; the same halogens which hinder adrenal, thyroid and brain function; IE: the types of invaders our bodies would try and reject. Municipal water sources (tap water) have been tested all over the world and found to contain contaminants such as copper and other metals leaching from the pipes, not to mention the bacteria that have set up shop in the same pipes. What about “hard water”? Consider the bad calcium in the form of limescale. Our bodies don’t really prefer this kind of water.
The takeaway for me: avoid municipal water sources and drink plenty of fresh spring water – about 9 to 16 cups of it.
Learn more about the dangers of certain halogens by clicking here.
Oxygen
We need oxygen to live. But how much? How does this work exactly? Well, oxygen usually (and ideally) enters the body through the lungs via breathing. The air that is inhaled is about 20-percent oxygen, but only about 5-percent of that is actually consumed in each breath and converted to carbon dioxide. The oxygen is transported by our red blood cells to the entire body and used to produce energy. Once the red blood cells return to the lungs, the carbon dioxide is exhaled.
Basic science right? But did you know that your body is designed to release upwards of 70% of its toxins through breathing? This is one of the many reasons why exercise is so important. A person whose diet is right and is exercising regularly, obviously uses a lot more oxygen, and breathes deeper and more often. Hence, their bodies are getting rid of more toxins, and their energy levels are increased. The great news is that you don’t have to go to the gym to achieve the same results when it comes to this process. Simply taking some time out of the day to enjoy some outdoor, deep, full breaths can have an amazing impact on your overall well-being. Doing this for at least 15 minutes a day brings many benefits. Or, do what I do and integrate deep breathing exercises into your workout program.
Want a nice little boost or a little help? It is known that the bicarbonate component of Baking Soda is highly alkaline and is used in your body as a buffer to maintain pH balance and optimal function. A quote often seen when researching this element is a quote from Annelie Pompe, a world-champion free diver. Annelie states that alkaline tissues can hold up to 20 times more oxygen than acidic ones. It’s true, and from personal experience, (and you can ask any real athlete about this) taking sodium bicarbonate orally before a workout or event actually raises the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and performance is enhanced considerably. The point is that we need oxygen in the blood and we need alkaline tissue to better receive that oxygen. Baking soda achieves both of these goals. The baking soda tonics are part one, the second part is heavy breathing.
The takeaway for me: taking a tonic of baking soda and heavy breathing will benefit me immensely. The easy way? Perhaps drinking that tonic during my workout.
Food
Eat a healthy diet. Simple enough right? But it’s more than that. What does that mean really? It’s seems elementary I know, but your body wants to live. I mean, it REALLY wants to live. This means that when it is attacked by something, the body will try to defend itself by avoidance or by killing it off. This is where things like “Fight or Flight” come into play. But when we think about pathogens, we really need to talk about your immune system. A fever is a great example of this. Your body heats up trying to kill a pathogen of some kind. The word for this is inflammation; which is a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection.
Normally this is a good thing, but inflammation is not always good. There two basic types of inflammation; there is the good kind – acute (short-term) and the bad kind – chronic (long-term) inflammation. Short-term inflammation is what you experience when you scrape your arm or get the flu. Chronic inflammation is associated with chronic disease. And while we can’t always control the short-term inflammation, nor would we really want to, we can play a pretty big role in stopping or greatly reducing the long-term inflammation associated with chronic conditions… and we do this by eating foods. Or, better said; by NOT eating certain foods. The Briobiotic Protocol relies heavily on the food element.
We want to avoid long bouts of inflammation in the body for optimum health, and unfortunately, much of the food we eat as Americans, contributes substantially to this problem. Dr. Dwight Lundell M.D., a world renowned heart surgeon admits that the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation are quite simply, the “overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.”
The takeaway for me: avoid processed and/or refined sugars and grains. But let’s break this down even further.
Fruit and Veggies
Fruits and veggies provide the body with all kinds of great things. For instance; Fruits and veggies provide fiber. This fiber keeps the digestive system full and moving while feeding the bacteria in our digestive track. These beneficial bacteria help to keep us healthy by fighting off bad bacteria. Fruits and veggies are also filled with essential vitamins and minerals and they also have the ability to reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke. They are also great sources of the well-known and much needed antioxidant, vitamin C.
But what I find really interesting is that by eating fruits and vegetables, and when all other systems are operating like they are supposed to, your body can create its own aspirin, further reducing the inflammation in the body. This is because the benzoic acid, a substance found in fruits and vegetables, helps the body actually produce its own salicylic acid, the well-known anti-inflammatory and pain-reliever.
The takeaway for me: eat plenty of fresh and organic fruits and vegetables.
Meat
It is true that fruits and vegetables can provide the body with quite a bit. Unfortunately, and contrary to the narrative that some groups might lead you to believe, they cannot provide you with everything that you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is where meat comes in. And just to clarify; unprocessed and healthy meats can provide B3 (Niacin), B6, Iron, Zinc, Selenium and plenty of other vitamins and minerals, and they are also rich with Omega-3. But that’s not all…
Side note: Unprocessed meat from grass-fed animals contains up to 5 times as much Omega-3 as meat that comes from grain-fed animals.
Protein is another great thing we pull from meat. Why is it so great? For a lot of reasons really but it really boils down to the amino acids they carry. There are at least 9 amino acids that we simply CANNOT produce on our own and that we have to get from our diet. Animal products contain all the amino acids that we need in perfect form. True, most plants do provide some protein; but it comes with a caveat; they do so with sub-optimal amino acid profiles. It’s still not the entire story…
Protein and amino acids aside for now, as I have written about in other articles, science has discovered that an essential element of our existence revolves around Vitamin B-12; one of the most complex vitamins that we currently know about. Not only does B-12 help to make your DNA and your red blood cells (which carries your oxygen), but we have discovered that even the slightest deficiency of Vitamin B-12 can lead to things like anemia, pale skin, sore tongue, fatigue, mania, depression, easy bruising or bleeding, etc. Also, going extended periods of time without B-12 results in permanent damage to the brain and central nervous system.
If you really want your body to firing on all cylinders, then you’re going to have to eat some meat. This is because real vitamin B-12 can ONLY be manufactured by bacteria in the gut and can ONLY be found NATURALLY in animal products in any real abundance – not vegetables. That’s anatomy and physiology for you. Learn more about B-12 by clicking here.
The takeaway for me: eat plenty of unprocessed, natural and grass fed or open range meats. And make sure that I drink plenty of water to get those nutrients to the right place.
Probiotic Foods
For most, incorporating probiotics into your life will do wonders. Of course, many automatically think about the cost associated with buying expensive probiotics from the store. Sure… you could do that, but did you know that you can eat probiotics instead of buying them? That’s right! It’s cheap too. Nature comes well equipped for what you need and it has been doing so for quite some time.
Probiotic foods are foods that contain live and active bacterial cultures. Sound gross? Well consider yogurt, cottage cheese, or actual cheese. These are all created with bacteria. But don’t worry, it’s the good kind; the friendly kind. My personal favorite is Kefir. This is a powerhouse and does wonders for my overall health and wellness. I grow my own and it literally costs the gallon of milk to do it. Here is a good source and instructions for that.
Some of you may have some dairy issues – probably due to antibiotics but I digress. If you have some kind of lactose intolerance, I would still suggest at least trying real probiotic or fermented dairy foods to just see if they’re okay. Why? Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir are actually much easier to digest than milk, because the bacteria eat away the lactose by fermenting it into lactic acid. Many that I have worked with have not only been able to tolerate it, but have actually regained their ability to consume raw milk. But it’s not just dairy products here. Other fermented/probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles and more.
Why are these types of foods important? Well, because antibiotics kill gut flora. You have undoubtedly been exposed to antibiotics at some point in your life, through your food, via your doctor, and not to mention the plethora of other things that we consume or are exposed to that are known to disrupt intestinal flora. These foods help bring the intestines back in line to where they need to be. They help make food easier to digest and break down.
NOTE: Probiotics are not for everyone. Cautions will be discussed on page 5.
Learn more about antibiotics and probiotics by clicking here.
A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
Now that we have covered the basics (fruits, veggies, meat and probiotics), let me provide JUST ONE example of how you will immediately benefit from this program. Understand that it is a synergistic approach to health so each element has a compound reaction. For example: heart disease (which includes Heart Disease, Stroke and other Cardiovascular Diseases) is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. It is a fast killer too and doctors are struggling to fight it. This is so sad because for many, and in many ways, this can be prevented.
As we get older, our bodies tend to lose the ability to regulate calcium balance. It’s just a fact of life that when we get older, calcification in soft tissues throughout the body such as heart valves, glands, and blood vessels are going to happen. This is especially true for most Americans who seem dedicated to ensuring this happens by ingesting chemicals and foods that expedite the problem. This has lethal consequences though.
If you are suffering with heart disease or looking to avoid it all together, then the first thing we want to do is avoid fluoride and increase the iodine. In fact, based on everything I have ever studied on it, fluoride is just something that needs to be avoided altogether. In my opinion, it is dangerous poison, a neurotoxin and basically, a life robber. (Read more about fluoride here)
A study published in the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications found that fluoride may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk because it causes hardening of your arteries. Fluoride is also responsible for calcifying the pineal gland and other areas of the body. Mix this with a standard American diet, and you have a big problem on your hands. This is because the standard American diet is rather low in the necessary vitamins and nutrients that help fight this, and as already address, contributes to heart disease via inflammation.
Like I said, it appears that these conditions may be stopped or even reversed with the reintroduction of iodine and proper diet. Studies and experiments do support this idea. Scientists have blocked iodine in rats’ food supply, and it led to progressive human-like fibrocystic disease (atypia, sclerosing, calcifications, dysplastic changes) as the rats aged. On the flip side, when iodine was reintroduced, it was proven that iodine helped to resolve these issues, because iodine has the ability to decrease calcifications, increase the removal of sodium fluoride from the body via the urine and hence; help resolve the fibrocystic conditions.
Another interesting little side note: When you’re iodine deficient, your thyroid can’t work efficiently. As a result, your body increases cholesterol production to try and force hormone production in an effort to compensate. This increase in cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular issues. Still, it has been known for almost a hundred years that iodine intake has the ability to prevent the deposition of cholesterol in the arteries in the first place, just FYI.
So diet plays a big part in all of this. When it comes to diet for instance, they now know that the result of vitamin K impairment is associated with the rapid development of osteoporosis and arterial calcification. Chemicals such as fluoride and warfarin are known contributors because they inhibit normal vitamin K function in the body. But on that similar note, even antibiotics can be a problem.
Similar to Vitamin B-12, Vitamin K is produced by intestinal bacteria through our food supply. Vitamin K1 is obtained from leafy greens and some other vegetables. Vitamin K2 is a group of compounds largely obtained from animal products such as meats, cheeses, and eggs. Again; quality counts. So because it is synthesized by bacteria, if your intestinal flora is messed up, or if your diet is not solid in the first place, or if you are ingesting chemicals which inhibit proper function or synthesis anyway, you’re going to be on the low end of the vitamin and iodine intake and may end up with the problems we are speaking of.
The alternative? Following this program; restoring your bacteria, correcting your diet, and reintroducing vital nutrients long forgotten. These are the things necessary to quickly restore homeostasis and the evidence suggests that this works for a number of different conditions.
Caveat: just as I do not recommend vitamin B-12 supplementation, I do not recommend vitamin K supplementation either – and for the same reasons. My recommendation for getting these vitamins is to rely on nature to provide them when at all possible. Both of these vitamins are highly complex. When nature provides them, they are in perfect form and not missing the elements often missed in synthetic forms. It is just my opinion of course, but I feel that these are too important to mess around with.
Supplements
By definition, a supplement is something that completes or enhances something else when added to it. It’s not something that is generally supposed to be relied on. There are some exceptions to this though, especially when it is next to impossible to get what you need from the environment you currently find yourself in. And while we could discuss any number of nutritional supplements here, I’m going to focus on the primary ones that I feel are essential to our health.
Let’s think about what life was like before all these modern conveniences. What did people do? They would fish a lot. In fact, we know that harvesting and consuming seafoods were a common practice that date back to at least the beginning of the Paleolithic period, and we can see fish depicted as food in Egyptian burial chambers as far back as 1400 BC.
If you know your history, you also know that city centers sprung up around fresh water rivers dumping into the ocean. In fact, most of the cities in many old countries are along rivers, or near the coast of the ocean. There a lot of reasons for this.
Fertile ground, great fishing, and access to salt, were all great reasons for doing this. Of course, back then, people also spent a great deal of time out in the sun. But the question we need to really ponder is whether or not all this was because of convenience and commerce, or was it more about necessity and healthy survival?
Fish and other seafood are the major sources of things like omega-3 fats and are also rich in other nutrients such as vitamin D and selenium. These are things absolutely vital to the human condition, but only about one-third of Americans eat seafood once a week, while nearly half eat fish only occasionally or not at all. Ask yourself: (aside from fish) how often do you eat seaweed, shrimp, and other seafood? Probably not often, if you are like most Americans. Odd question?
If you are not eating seafood regularly, and if you are following what most consider a “healthy lifestyle”, then you are probably missing out on some key nutrients and it could be causing all kinds of issues in your body. What I am getting here your iodine intake. Arguably the best source of iodine is going to be your seafood. But again, people are not getting enough.
Iodine
According to the National Institutes of Health, the body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. These hormones control the body’s metabolism and many other important functions. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy. Getting enough iodine is important for everyone, especially infants and women who are pregnant.
What a lot of people are NOT being told these days, is how they are more than likely iodine deficient. In fact, the scientific community (not the medical one) is considering this little known fact a “new epidemic”. With this new epidemic, comes things like fatigue, chronic pain, weight gain, and even breast cysts or tenderness. The sad part is that this deficiency often arrives due to the advice of “all things in moderation”, “put this in your water” or “avoid this” for optimum health.
Ironically, iodine is capable of killing all classes of pathogens: gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses and protozoa. The body LOVES iodine and it’s great for urinary health because all excess iodine is excreted through the urogenital organs. According to Dr. David Derry, “Iodine is by far the best antibiotic, antiviral and antiseptic of all time”. From my research, which I have written about at length (HERE), the entire body could use iodine. Iodine is great for so many things. For example: it is essential for cardiovascular health and helps those with diabetes because iodine attaches to insulin receptors and improves glucose metabolism.
Now, some might argue that one can get iodine from vegetables. True, in some trace amounts I suppose. However, in nature, iodine is a relatively rare element. The only exception to this is that it is found in abundance in the ocean. But on land, iodine is very low in many places around the world, including the United States. This creates a big problem, because now nearly 74% of normal, “healthy” adults may no longer consume enough iodine.
The takeaway for me: I need to supplement my diet with iodine or eat whole lot more seafood. For me, Lugol’s Solution is perfect.
Learn more about why iodine is so important by clicking here.
Vitamin D
Getting enough sun? If you are like most Americans, the answer is probably no. You spend your time indoors. And even if you don’t, doctors have basically brainwashed people into believing that the “night-time is the right time”. “Avoid the sun” they say. Of course, some will suggest that you get plenty of vitamin D from your diet. I might be able to concede to that idea… if your diet was “perfect”. But for most people, that is not going to be the case.
For instance; cheese naturally contains small amounts of vitamin D. You might be able to get a little from lean meats, poultry, eggs, and nuts. But if your diet is “right”, the good sources come from fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel, which as we just discovered, most Americans are simply not eating enough. So not only are they not eating a decent source of vitamin D, but they are avoiding the sun which further depletes the supply.
So what’s the big deal? According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic. The major cause of vitamin D deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure in moderation is the major source of vitamin D for most humans”. They go on to say that “Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods that are fortified with vitamin D are often inadequate to satisfy either a child’s or an adult’s vitamin D requirement“.
Vitamin D3 does all kinds of great things in the body, but the reason I find it to be so critical is because we know now that the body produces its own internal antibiotic to help fight infections when it is provided sufficient amounts of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is known to boost the innate immune system to combat pathogenic infections, essentially making its own natural antibiotic. The ‘antibiotic’ effect of vitamin D3 appears to be mediated, at least in part, by the induction of the human antimicrobial peptide genes. This is a rather awesome discovery really. To bad most people don’t get enough.
The takeaway for me: supplement with a good D3 vitamin, get more sun, eat more seafood, or a combination of the three.
Salt
If you are following the Briobiotic Protocol as suggested, you are now avoiding processed foods. This also means that the chances that you are no longer getting enough salt is pretty good. As I have written about in previous articles, salt is a VITAL nutrient. Without salt, you simply could not exist. Essentially, every cell in the human body is dependent on the presence of sodium. We find sodium diffused throughout the fluid between cells. Salt affects almost every bodily function, from firing off muscles to brain function. In fact, salt acts as a natural hypnotic and will help your body regulate sleep. And while the science of why may not have been known back in the day, as far as recorded history goes (going back as far as 6050 BC), people have known that salt was important. In fact, the word “salary” is actually derived from the word “salt.” This is because during a stretch of time, people were actually paid with salt instead of precious metals.
A great natural source of salt in the diet can come from seafood like tuna (which most don’t eat), but it can also be found to a smaller degree in vegetables like potatoes or even milk. Unfortunately, this will not be enough for most people. The Briobiotic Protocol actually calls for MORE salt… quite a bit more really.
Historically, both sea salt and rock salt were well known to the ancient Greeks who figured out that by eating salty food, they were able to affect and improve basic body functions such as digestion and excretion. On a similar note, we cry saline fluid, we urinate saline fluid, we sweat saline and every time there is an issue with the body, the common and well known remedies are usually saline based (IV, gargle, sinus rinse, eye drops, etc). This is not new. This practice goes back quite some time actually. Case in point: one of my heroes, Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine), used salt quite a bit, making salt-based remedies.
The takeaway for me: make sure I am getting plenty of natural unrefined salt – such a Celtic Salt.
Learn more about why salt is so important by clicking here.
Something to ponder:
Does it strike you as odd that people are being told to stay away from things like red meat, salt, seafood, and the sun, while in the same breath, being told that the ingestion of refined sugars and grains are just fine “in moderation”? Meanwhile, science is screaming that people are highly deficient in the vital nutrient these things provide? Does it strike anyone odd that we contaminate our water supplies with halogens and other chemicals, then wonder why we feel so horrible?
We are fat and sick because of what we consume… or what we do NOT consume. We further destroy our food supply by feeding or watering our foods with things they would NOT normally consume, or even simply genetically modify it all together? Our bodies are probably more confused than we can even begin to imagine.
It’s actually fairly easy to see how messed up our food supply has become. And yet the things we need to consume, the foods that hold the nutrients essential to our physiology, are the things we are told to cut back on, or cut out altogether – or better yet… told that it’s okay to go without. This is unfortunate because most of these nutrients are not stored in the body, our body cannot make them on their own, and if we don’t have them, our bodies begin to break down in horrible ways.
Is it really any surprise that as a nation, we are getting so fat and sick?
The takeaway for me: STOP AVOIDING THE THINGS MY BODY NEEDS TO FUNCTION & SURVIVE.
Now Let’s Talk Sleep
So when the Briobiotic Protocol is in full swing, sleep should come quite naturally. I know that I sleep deeper and sounder for following this protocol. This is important because when we sleep, our bodies repair and process toxins for removal. This is especially true for heart health, because sleep helps the body repair your heart and blood vessels. On the other side of the coin, sleep deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even stroke.
Sleep is the final step because it only happens the way it should when everything else is in order. Some of the major causes of sleep deprivation are actually diet, stress, chronic illness and inflammation.
The takeaway for me: follow Briobiotic Protocol for great health and great sleep.
The Briobiotic Protocol in simple terms:
Exercise: as often and as you are physically able to. Even if it is only walking. Start slow and build up over time. (Unless otherwise instructed by a physician or are otherwise physically incapable)
Water: Drink plenty of natural spring water.
Oxygen: Breathe deeply and drink a baking soda tonic from time to time.
Food: avoid refined and/or processed sugars and grains – yes, this includes bread. Try not to shop in the interior of the store. Stick to the outside. Eat plenty of organic fruits and vegetables and embrace variety. Eat plenty of animal products, including healthy doses of seafood and other types of meat. Yes, cheese is okay.
Antibiotics & Probiotics: Try avoid antibiotics and use them ONLY as a last resort. Instead, try real live probiotics. Learn more about antibiotics and how to overcome years of damage and avoid future damage by clicking here.
Supplement: with Iodine, Salt, and Vitamin D. Split these supplements into two doses. Take them in the morning and take them at night.
NOTE: Most of the other vitamins and minerals you need will more than likely come from your diet. If it can’t get them from your diet for whatever reason, then a quality multivitamin can work well too, but ensure that it has a decent amount of vitamin C. According to Dr. Gary Gordon, “The right dose of Vitamin C will stop every infection in its tracks without needing to use antibiotics“. Of course, quality and timing were also a factor. If vitamins are taken in supplement form, take them mid-day. If you need more C, add that to your protocol.
Sleep: make time to sleep. Go to bed early if you have to. Get what your body needs. On average this equates to somewhere between 7 and 9 hours. Everyone is different, but shoot for not needing an alarm.
DOSAGES AND WARNINGS:
NEVER consume things that you are allergic to and NEVER do things that you are uncomfortable doing.
AVOID ANY element of this protocol if you have been instructed by a physician to do so.
ALWAYS ease into exercise and check with a physician to ensure you are healthy enough for such activity.
Your plate should consist of at least half meat on this protocol. The second largest portion should be vegetables, then fruits, then dairy and/or nuts. No counting calories, no stress over food.
Stay away from foods that come with the following words: Lite, Fat Free, Diet, etc.
Use REAL foods when you cook, like butter, whole milk (avoid homogenized = dead milk). Avoid cooking your oils (Olive Oil, etc)
Vitamin D3 in supplement form should be consumed by body weight. Therapeutic doses are roughly 70-80 IU/per kg/per day. The equation (75 x lbs divided by 2.2 = #of IU’s) Example: 250lb person would need roughly 8500 IU’s. If you want to keep it simple, just take 5,000 IU/day or 2500 IU twice a day.
Unless otherwise instructed not to by a physician, consume NO LESS than 2,300 milligrams of salt a day and you should probably not exceed 4,650 milligrams of salt a day. Work your way up to the higher doses and drink plenty of fresh spring water.
DO NOT take iodine if you are allergic and DO NOT take iodine at the same time as Vitamin C – this may negate the disinfectant effect of iodine and may convert potassium iodide into the straight iodine; Take vitamin C at least 2 hours before or after taking Lugol’ solution.
A substitute for Lugol’s Iodine is Kelp Pills.
Vitamin C should be taken as one dose, mid-day: 3000-5000mgs.
Iodine should be taken at a rate of about 1-2 drops a day for maintenance, but personalized dosage and therapeutic dosages should be researched and reviewed for your own personal needs because dosage can vary. Many people maintain a 12mg to 50mg daily dose – a dose high above the RDA. Again – more information can be found here.
Probiotic Considerations: Concentrated Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium supplements, taken in large doses can actually inhibit lipid peroxidation in some people. This also means that other similar types of bacteria can do the same thing. Basically, this means that if you take too many, they have the ability to somewhat reduce the effectiveness of our defense systems to kill invaders. In large enough amounts, the defense system simply fails and these otherwise beneficial bacteria, can get in and wreak havoc. This is why I recommend natural food based probiotics instead of store bought; because the chances of this negative side effect happening is substantially reduced. Also, people with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) often find that probiotics of ANY kind are very difficult to handle.
Simple Baking Soda Tonic: ¼ teaspoon in a 12 to 16oz of fresh spring water – or your favorite beverage.
JOIN THE BRIOBIOTIC FACEBOOK GROUP BY CLICKING HERE
This Protocol Will Be Updated From Time to Time
David Robertson is not a medical doctor. This article is not medical advice, a professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or service to you or to any other individual. This is simply general information for educational and anecdotal purposes only. The information provided herein, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. David Robertson is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain or utilize. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN.
Happy 75th birthday bhabi.
On this very special occasion both of us are missing you.
In your life you have played many roles such as
Daughter, sister, wife, friend,
Aunt, Mother and grandmother.
However, The role you have filled the best and
most important of all is
A loyal, loving, caring soul all year long.
Wish you all the health and happiness in your life.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Our wishes for your “Happy 75th birthday”
Simply can’t be overstated!
During these 75 years you’ve seen a lot of things.
You’ve loved, laughed, learned and
With so many experiences far behind,
you have earned a lot of wisdom.
We have many memories of the past like
our trip to Yellowstone Park, Disneyland,
and at home in Tustin, California.
And we will have many more occasions together in
the future.
You know the importance of forgiveness to all of us,
and Showing care, and being kind.
Today, on your 75th birthday,
we wish you all the very best. Happy Birthday Bhabhi.
