Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Monday, September 3, 2018
The Astounding Cultural Significance of Aretha's Home Going That You May Have Missed
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| Aretha Franklin |
We have all heard, or watched, the multi-day memorial plus 8-hour funeral in celebration of our beloved Aretha Franklin. Her life and legacy goes far beyond music. As Rolling Stone put it, “Aretha’s voice sang across decades of change and turmoil for black America.” Her mission outside of music to fight for the advancement of our people will be forever cherished and integrated in history books beyond her vocal catalogue. The musical tributes and eulogies were for the books, but analyzing it from a conscious standpoint, you’ll come to realize just how monumental her death is. As a pioneer in the fight for black freedom and equality, Aretha was no ordinary entertainer. Here are the ways in which Re-Re’s passing brings our ancestry full circle.
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Her memorial date (August 28) was the anniversary of three key moments in history:
Probably the most studied and recited speech of all time, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous and legendary “I Have A Dream” speech during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. The speech is known as the defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement but what’s even more interesting is that the leader of one of the most pivotal movements of our history had close ties to the greatest vocalists to cross generations. R-E-S-P-E-C-T was released in 1967 and classified as the anthem of the civil rights movement. King and the SCLC awarded her with her own day, “Aretha Franklin Day,” which was approved by the city’s mayor, for her efforts during the movement. Ironically, King was killed in Aretha’s hometown of Memphis, TN. She honored him with a rendition of Precious Lord, Take and at his funeral and claimed that the time she traveled with him during the voting rights campaign changed her life.
Our President Barack Obama said that she "rocked the world of anyone who had the pleasure of hearing her voice" in a letter that was read during her funeral. He would know, as he requested her performance during his inauguration in January 2009 and witnessed the magic of all that is Aretha Franklin. How ironic that on the anniversary of his democratic acceptance speech for presidency, one of her memorials was held.
The story of Emmett Till will be shared from generation to generation and is known as the incident that triggered the Civil Rights Movement as a whole, a movement that Aretha lent her finances and time to support. Till was 14 at the time of his lynching. With the Queen reportedly having two sons by the age of 16, I’m sure his murder resonated with her from a maternal standpoint and made her want to be involved in creating real change.
Not your average hearse
The ivory, two-door 1940 Cadillac LaSalle that transported Ms. Franklin’s body to and from the memorial and funeral also transported her beloved father, the legendary pastor and civil rights figure, Rev. C.L. Franklin, during his services in 1984. That same hearse carried musical icon David Ruffin of the Temptations in 2005, whom Franklin crossed paths with during her work with the movement.
Resting Place
Aretha Franklin’s funeral was reminiscent of the guest list of Oprah’s Legend Ball, just with men. I remember watching that ball in my tweens and was so moved by the black elite in entertainment, education and politics and yearning to make that type of impact. Obviously, Aretha did. Because when you attract former Presidents, Civil Rights leaders, evangelists and beyond - you know you did the damn thing. Everyone including Bill Clinton, Maxine Waters, Cicely Tyson, Stevie Wonder, The Clark Sisters and throwing in the youngins Jennifer Hudson (whom Ms. Franklin personally requested to play her in her biopic) and Fantasia. Anyone watching better had been in front of their TV sets in their Sunday's best with a handkerchief across their knee and a church fan because Re-Re deserved such!
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Dear Mark: Saunas and Finnish Longevity, Saunas and Sperm, What About Ambient Temperature?
For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering three questions from readers. There was some good feedback after last week’s sauna post, and I want to address a few of the comments. First, does the fact that Finns don’t live as long as some of the other more storied “blue zone” populations despite using saunas negate the utility of the sauna? Second, what should we make of the recent study showing negative effects of sauna on sperm health? And third, isn’t it more “natural” and Primal to seek out smaller ambient temperature fluctuations, rather than brief exposures to extreme temperatures?
Let’s go:
Lots of Finnish references but the Fins are not one of the Blue Zone populations. Of the 5 BZ populations, the Okinawans may use a sauna/hot springs – not sure about the the other 4 though.
Finnish men do have the lowest life expectancy among Nordic countries. It’s still pretty good globally—84 years for women, 79 for men—but for being in one of the more developed areas of the world, it’s not great. Yet they use saunas, a supposedly life-extending practice. What gives?
The biggest killers of Finnish men are diabetes, heart disease, and alcohol. Some combination of diet, genes, environment, and lifestyle are contributing to those deaths—that’s what the Finns are up against. Most of the Blue Zones don’t have these issues:
They tend to be in milder climates with better access to sunshine.
They have lower levels of social isolation than Nordic countries like Finland.
They have more “longevity genes” than other areas. The Blue Zone Sardinians, for example, are the subjects of a major ongoing study into the genetics of longevity.
To say nothing of the diet differences.
Sauna usage may very well be keeping life expectancy higher than it should be, given the other risk factors. Research indicates that using a sauna 4-7 times per week confers a 40% reduction in all-cause mortality and even greater reductions in heart related deaths among middle aged Finnish men, which is the cohort most at risk of dying. These numbers, coupled with the numerous protective mechanisms outlined in the last sauna post, lead me to believe that saunas are helping, not hurting Finnish mortality.
Stefan pointed out:
One conundrum is that daily sauna use will sabotage your ballsack precisely because of the heat. Check this old nut-of-a-study:
https://ift.tt/2oC5ofi
Sadly, yes. This is a real issue.
What happened in this study?
10 men were recruited to participate. They were in their 30s, generally healthy, and, at baseline, had normal sperm parameters. For 3 months, they each used the sauna at 80-90?C twice a week for 15 minutes per session. Sperm parameters were tested at the start of the sauna use, after 3 months of sauna, and at 3- and 6-months post sauna. They included:
Sex hormones (testosterone, estradiol, FSH, LH, sex hormone binding globulin)
Sperm count (absolute number of sperm)
Sperm motility (ability of sperm to move independently and perform necessary functions)
Sperm histone/protamine ratios (indicative of sperm quality; smokers’ sperm more likely to have dysfunctional ratio, for example)
Sperm mitochondrial function
After three months of sauna, almost every parameter was negatively affected. Sex hormones remained the same, but sperm count and motility were greatly reduced. The proportion of sperm with dysfunctional histone/protamine ratios increased. Sauna increased the number of sperm with poor mitochondrial function. Luckily, everything returned to normal 6 months after sauna use stopped. But still, that’s a big effect.
This seems like a strong mark against using saunas when you’re trying to conceive. The doses were realistic (15 minutes a day, twice a week) and the effects significant. Not only do saunas appear to lower sperm count and motility, they may decrease the genetic fitness and quality of the surviving sperm. This could increase the risk of miscarriage and even have long term effects on the offspring,
If you’re an older guy uninterested in conceiving, this study shouldn’t affect your sauna habits. Sauna doesn’t affect your sex hormones, which have an outsized effect on the quality of your life. It just reduces the viability of your sperm.
If you’re a younger guy interested in having kids, don’t ignore these results. Avoiding saunas for 3-6 months before trying to conceive might be a good idea.
So, in the name of being seasonal and living naturally, what about just getting out in the heat (and not having an air conditioner–but yet cooking a lot) in the summer and being out in the cold in the winter and keeping the house temp low? Is that enough heat/cold exposure to have beneficial effects? (Might be harder to study.) Instead of taking the time to do something extra that takes up natural resources to create, get the exposure through living. Spend half the year hot and half the year cold. (Plus the cold exposure of going to the grocery store in hardly any clothes in the summer, and the heat exposure of going to someone’s house or the local school dressed for cold in the winter.) (Of course this only works in places that have different weather in the seasons.) Isn’t that more along the lines of Grok-ness?
This is ideal, yes. It’s a great point.
There’s actually some evidence that exposing oneself to cold and hot ambient temperatures, rather than maintaining a steady 70ยบ at all times, is good for us.
As I pointed out in an older post, the general trend is that the more people are exposed to predictable, constant ambient temperatures through central heating, the more likely they are to gain weight. In mice, keeping all other variables (diet, activity, etc) the same while switching to a “thermoneutral” ambient temperature (the temperature at which organisms can maintain body temperature without expending any extra energy) triggered inflammation, increased atherosclerosis, ruined blood lipids, and made the mice obese.
Mild cold exposure (just a few degrees’ worth) was enough to activate brown fat (the metabolically active form that kicks in to keep us warm, burning calories in the process) in people. They achieved it by setting the thermostat a bit lower than normal—nothing extreme like ice baths.
I see saunas and cold baths as extreme stressors that address extreme deficiencies. Just like intense workouts can mitigate the effects of sitting around all the time and failing to get the constant low-level movement our physiologies expect, intense heat or cold exposure can mitigate the effects of indoor climate control. But they’re probably not enough. It’s probably better—and certainly more Primal—to also keep the heat down in the house, walk around in the cold in short sleeves, and get comfortable with hot weather.
One thing I’ve been experimenting with is limiting the amount of time I use the AC. I’m trying to just deal with hot days, whether by walking around in as little clothing as possible or creating air flow with open doors and windows. AC has always felt”stale” and “artificial.” I still use it when it’s unavoidable, but I’m beginning to almost enjoy the sensation of low level heat.
That’s it for today, folks. What’s your take on all this? Anyone conceive despite using the sauna? Anyone else trying to vary the ambient temperature in their life? Let me know down below.
Thanks for reading!
Tanskanen J, Anttila T. A Prospective Study of Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Mortality in Finland. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(11):2042-2048.
Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):542-8.
Garolla A, Torino M, Sartini B, et al. Seminal and molecular evidence that sauna exposure affects human spermatogenesis. Hum Reprod. 2013;28(4):877-85.
Giles DA, Ramkhelawon B, Donelan EM, et al. Modulation of ambient temperature promotes inflammation and initiates atherosclerosis in wild type C57BL/6 mice. Mol Metab. 2016;5(11):1121-1130.
Chen KY, Brychta RJ, Linderman JD, et al. Brown fat activation mediates cold-induced thermogenesis in adult humans in response to a mild decrease in ambient temperature. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;98(7):E1218-23.
The post Dear Mark: Saunas and Finnish Longevity, Saunas and Sperm, What About Ambient Temperature? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
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If You're Still Mad at Swizz Beatz for Marrying Alicia Keys You Need to Learn This
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| Photo Swizzbeatz IG |
What rapper and producer Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) thought was an appreciation post to his wife Alicia Keys and a message to men, turned left with a quickness last week.
“Attention all MEN. You shouldn’t be jealous or upset if you have a Queen that’s successful, smarter or better than you! What you should do is thank the most high or step your game up! I can’t stand when I see brothers jealous of the lady they’re with. That ish is very weak. #Realtalk Ladies keep doing you.”
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| Swizz & Alicia in Egypt |
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| Mashonda, Alicia & Swizz |
We have to learn to give the grace we want to receive. We live in a culture that promotes groupthink and the fear of missing out even when it comes to popular opinions. Having an unpopular opinion or not caring about pop culture events can make you feel like the odd one out, but it is very necessary. I feel most alive and in touch with my senses when I go against the grain. It makes me feel like I’m using my brain and not just going with the flow. I have seen people get so worked up arguing about celebrities and it saddens me to no end that they have that much passion for people who don’t know their names. Literally, shooting another human being because you disagree with who they think should play Aretha Franklin in her biopic should never be a way of life. I’ll be honest, I see things online about celebrities that I disagree with and want to have entire discussions about with my friends, but I have learned to just exhale and move on to the next thing that can actually bring value to my life. I’m a silver lining kind of girl and I know that before long whatever everyone is talking about will come full circle and there will be a lesson in it. I know, it’s so Pollyanna of me but it has served me well and kept me from unnecessary messiness. Let people live, give them the grace they deserve, and leave their business to them.
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Cure Dry/Flaky Scalp with this Easy DIY Treatment!
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| Chazzzisawesome |
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Sunday, September 2, 2018
Weekend Link Love — Edition 519
Research of the Week
A few potential drivers of brain aging.
“People who consumed a diet emphasising fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, dairy products and meat had the lowest risks of cardiovascular disease and early death.” This quote was so good I even left the terrible British English spelling of “emphasizing” intact.
Cave bear DNA found in modern brown bears. Also, cave bears were mostly vegetarian.
Psychiatric diseases are a potentially unavoidable byproduct of our large, complex brains.
Mushrooms are excellent prebiotics.
New Primal Blueprint Podcasts
Episode 275: Dr. Mona Morstein: Host Elle Russ chats with Dr. Mora Morstein, a naturopathic physician who specializes in integrative approaches to diabetes.
Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.
Interesting Blog Posts
How will modern medicine’s promise to find cures and stop disease before it starts square with the fact that it makes all its money off wealthy, unhealthy, pill-popping patients?
Both stress and recovery are essential to a long, well-lived life.
Media, Schmedia
Be careful where you source your sushi, especially if you’re over 70 with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and end-stage kidney disease.
Everything Else
Lierre Keith drops an interesting tidbit in this podcast: All the big-name vegans secretly eat salmon.
What 150 billion hours of FitBit data reveal about human health.
British and French scallop catchers try to out-mussel each other.
The FDA approves magic mushrooms for depression.
Things I’m Up to and Interested In
I can’t wait to find out: Last year, she barely missed the world record. This year, she’ll try again, this time on ketones. Will Vittoria Bussi break the one-hour cycling record?
Contest I’d enter if I didn’t make the stuff myself: Lara loves Primal Kitchen® Unsweetened Ketchup, in addition to a bunch of other great products. Enter to win them all.
Older concept I’m pondering: The rise of “sleep coaches” for professional athletes.
Article I’m reading: Why modern medicine is a major threat to public health.
Question I’m pondering: Should we allow performance-enhancing drugs?
Recipe Corner
- It’s somewhat of an indulgence, but this chocolate protein ice cream is fantastic.
- This Golden Glow smoothie would be even better with Primal Kitchen collagen (but I’m biased).
Time Capsule
One year ago (Aug 26– Sep 1)
- How to Find Mental Strength When Dealing with Illness and Injury – Don’t let your mortal coil get you down.
- 2 Final (and Favorite) Adaptogens: Rhodiola Rosea and Bacopa Monnieri – No, these aren’t underrated Italian directors from the 70s.
Comment of the Week
“I use a far infra red Matt. The generic name is bio mat. It makes me sweat, it’s like a poor man’s sauna.”
– This Matt fella sounds like he has super powers. Think he’d do a guest post, Ned?
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Saturday, September 1, 2018
Almond Banana Pancakes
Try as we might, many of us find the temptation of pancakes too hard to resist. Maybe it’s the sweet, buttery aroma of the batter on the griddle or the soft doughy texture, or that eating something with the word “cake” in it for breakfast just feels so deliciously naughty. But it doesn’t have to be. There are decent Primal substitutes. Pancakes made with almond meal or coconut flour are a good option, but can be pretty heavy and, for some, overly filling. And then there’s this dish sent in by Jack Etherington for the Primal Cookbook Challenge. His Almond Banana Pancakes contain just three ingredients: banana, egg and almond butter. You can whip up a batch in five minutes flat and top the pancakes with a pat of butter, a scoop of nut butter, or fresh berries.
Almond Banana Pancakes are slightly delicate so you’ll want to keep the size fairly small (or add an extra egg) and wait until the edges are nicely browned before flipping them. This shouldn’t deter you from trying the recipe—the delicate texture of Almond Banana Pancakes is the very thing that makes them so irresistible. If you’ve tried pancakes made from almond or coconut flour and find them slightly grainy, you’ll really love the silky, airy texture of these cakes. The flavor is sinfully close to banana bread; add a little vanilla and cinnamon to the batter if you really want to get decadent.
As is evident from the comment board of last week’s recipe, this (very similar) recipe may be too carb-centric for some of you. For those who are keto or are restricting carbs for weight loss purposes this recipe might not fit into your personal Primal plans. For others, it might be part of your 20%. And for others that are extra active or have already achieved your preferred body composition, this recipe might be a perfect fit. (Kids tend to love it, too, by the way.) Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 egg (or 2 if pancakes aren’t holding together well)
- 1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter
Instructions:
Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix well.
Stir in the almond butter, adding more than a tablespoon if you want a more pancake-like texture.
Warm butter in a pan and pour batter into small cakes.
Brown on each side and serve warm.
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