Essential Fatty Acids and Brain Health

On this episode of Ancestral Health Today we welcome Ally Houston. Ally was trained as a physicist but switched to researching ketogenic diets in 2016, and started a paleo and keto food business in 2017, then health coaching in 2021. He and Dr. Rachel Brown started MetPsy in late 2022.He was ill from childhood, struggling with weight, anxiety, seasonal depression, and ADHD. He was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in 2015 when all symptoms were at their worst. The drugs helped a little but they wore off, and he was disillusioned again. He had started a physics PhD at the time and was underperforming. However, his professor, Ken Strain, noticed that he wasn't performing well. He had healed his MECFS using a ketogenic diet - he went from being told he'd never work again to running 10k in six months on keto. He showed Ally where to read about this and Ally decided to have a go, in March 2016. Within weeks many problems had cleared up. Ally has spent the time since trying to understand all he can about why this worked for him, and so many others.At the time, there was no ecosystem for metabolic mental health. Dr. Georgia Ede was one of the only voices on this in 2016. When Baszucki Group came into the field and stimulated the research in the area in 2022, Ally and Dr. Brown decided it was time to start MetPsy.Next year in Oxford, Ally will be leading a study on ketogenic diet plus MetPsy for ADHD with depression. He'd like to focus on the crowdfunding campaign for this. Baszucki Group will very kindly be matching the first £10,000 in donations. If you are interested in donating and following along, go to bit.ly/adhdketo . Ally also provides mental health coaching at metpsy.com . Ally is also the host of the "Ally Houston Transforms Podcast" We hope you enjoy this episode.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On this episode of Ancestral Health today, we bring you Richelle Sepulveda. She is adjunct professor of psychology at North Idaho College. She is also part of a team of patient-led researchers at the This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

In this episode we bring you Anya Kaats. Anya spent a decade working in various roles within the natural products / wellness industry, before realizing that “wellness” culture was making her sick. In 2016, Anya radically restructured her life to focus on a more holistic approach to health, prioritizing authenticity, purpose, community, somatic, spirituality, and psychological well being. After a lifetime battling digestive and hormonal health issues, a truly holistic approach to “ancestral health” is what finally eliminated them. For several years, Anya hosted a podcast called A Millennial’s Guide to Saving the World. Anya currently lives in Crestone, CO with her partner Chris. In 2020, Anya and Chris founded “The Crestone Conglomerate” with the goal of re-creating reciprocal and egalitarian ways of living on the land and with community. Anya also writes for the local paper, The Crestone Eagle, teaches Contact Improvisation, helps to organize the Crestone Energy Fair, and spends her summers volunteering in some of Crestone’s most beautiful gardens. Find Anya on Instagram - @anya.kaats, or at anyakaats.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On this episode of Ancestral Health Today we bring you Naturopathic doctor, coach and Author Nadia Pateguana, N.D - Dr, Pateguana works with clients from a holistic perspective, not seeing organs or illnesses, but seeing people. She is a graduate from The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (www.ccnm.edu) in 2004 and has a Degree in Honours Biology from McMaster University (2000).  Dr. Pateguana's interest has always been how to heal the human body. In search for her own wellness, she discovered Naturopathic Medicine.She believes in the Healing Power of Nature; the body's ability to heal itself. The first and foremost Principle is "To Do No Harm", and she tries to follow this to the best of her capacity at all times. With a strong science-based approach, CCNM's 4 year program includes TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Nutrition, Counselling, and all the other Medical Sciences. Her focus has always been on Nutrition. Mostly, she uses FOOD as medicine!She was born in Mozambique, but raised in Canada, where she completed her studies, and then, life took her back to her home country for ten years. There, she ran a multidisciplinary clinic as the Medical Director and Naturopathic Doctor. Currently, and proudly, she swork as a Health Consultant with Dr. Jason Fung and Megan Ramos at the The Fasting Method by IDM since 2016. The TFM program recommends a Real Food and Intermittent Fasting approach to help people overcome Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome conditions such as Obesity, Diabetes, Fatty Liver, PCOS, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Inflammation, Pain and the like. Her special focus is on helping women with PCOS overcome infertility through dietary modifications.In April of 2020, her first book written with the best-selling author Dr. Jason Fung, titled "The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting" was published and released. Check out her site for advice on Insulin Resistance, Women's Health, Fasting, Diet and practical recipes.Enjoy this conversation with Dr. Pateguana.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On today’s an episode we bring you a special presentation by Lucy Mailing Phd from the ancestral health symposium. All of our past AHS presentations can be found on our YouTube channel Rewilding the gut: what modern microbiome science can tell us about restoring ancestral diversity - Lucy Mailing (AHS21) The gut microbiota plays essential roles in human health and has been implicated in many chronic diseases. This dense community of microbes has co-evolved with its host over million years of evolution, but in recent decades has been substantially affected by modern industrialization. According to some estimates, we’ve lost about half of our ancestral microbial diversity. In this talk, I discuss the evidence for lost microbial diversity, the effects of diet on the industrialization of the gut microbiota, and the potential benefits for a “wilder” gut microbiome. I also review several studies that highlight potential strategies to “rewild” the gut, including the removal of processed foods, the inclusion of fiber or fermented foods, exercise, time spent in natural environments, social interaction, and fecal transplants. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On this episode of Ancestral Health Today, we take a look back into Ancestral Health Symposium 2014 where Dr. Robert Lustig spoke about sugar not being an ordinary commodity. Dr. Lustig is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He specializes in the field of neuroendocrinology, with an emphasis on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system. His research and clinical practice has focused on childhood obesity and diabetes. Dr. Lustig holds a Bachelor’s in Science from MIT, a Doctorate in Medicine from Cornell University. Medical College, and a Master’s of Studies in Law from U.C. Hastings College of the Law.Dr. Lustig has fostered a global discussion of metabolic health and nutrition, exposing some of the leading myths that underlie the current pandemic of diet-related disease. He believes the food business, by pushing processed food loaded with sugar, has hacked our bodies and minds to pursue pleasure instead of happiness; fostering today’s epidemics of addiction and depression. Yet by focusing on real food, we can beat the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity, and disease. All of our past AHS presentations can be found on our YouTube channel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On today’s an episode we bring you a special presentation by L Amber O’ Hearn, M. Sc. from the Ancestral Health Symposium. All of our past AHS presentations can be found on our YouTube channel Ancestral Health Today “For decades, the Dietary Guidelines of America have recommended strictly limiting added dietary salt primarily on the basis of real but largely clinically irrelevant effects on blood pressure. Members of the Low Carb and Paleo Diet communities have pointed out the senselessness of these recommendations, while also noting observational correlations between moderately higher salt intake and lower mortality. While it's true that salt has been highly prized in post-agricultural times, evidence does not support high sodium intake in either the Paleolithic or modern non-agrarian societies. In this talk I will present anthropological and biological evidence for and against increasing salt intake, with special attention to the ketogenic and animal-food-predominant dietary contexts” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On this episode of The Ancestral Health Today Podcast, our host, Isabel Burnett tries to bridge the gap between health optimization and the nuanced complexities of multi-systemic chronic illness, with an emphasis on infection-associated complex diseases such as long covid and MECFS. Isabel started out wanting to be a doctor, but she was derailed by MECFS, which she has had since childhood, and worsened in adolescence. Isabel became a systems engineer and worked in the pharmaceutical sector while continuing to struggle with managing ME. She later became a Board certified health coach, initially to better understand managing her own condition, and later to help others in similar situations. Isabel became familiar with the ancestral health framework around 2016 while researching modalities for herself and her clients. She became fascinated with the concept of evolutionary medicine, especially as a plausible explanation for how our bodies react to modern-times inputs and triggers in light of evolutionary biology's mechanisms. Driven by her own struggles, Isabel embraces citizen science, leveraging her profound understanding of systems and her love for science to unravel the complexities of chronic illness. Her journey has evolved into a mission, fueling her work  to redefine research paradigms and improve patient outcomes. Isabel's passion lies in exploring the microbiome's role in health, dissecting the neuro-cognitive implications of chronic illness, and unraveling the intricate web of immune, metabolic, and inflammatory pathways. She believes in empowering patients to be catalysts for change, to reclaim agency over their health narratives. She has an unwavering commitment to reshaping the future of healthcare. As she continues to lead the charge, she embodies the spirit of empowerment, turning adversity into opportunity, and offering hope to countless others on similar journeys. Isabel emphasizes that while all humans have the same basic biological needs encompassed in the ancestral health framework, not all have the same outcomes when moving towards this framework, especially in the context of the dysfunction and changes created by these conditions. The evolutionary concept of "cell danger" response is a great place to start to explore these challenges.When not immersed in her work, Isabel finds joy in nature, foraging for mushrooms and plants or nurturing her garden. She indulges her culinary creativity through traditional cooking experiments, from fermenting to sprouting. And amidst it all, she finds time to feed her mind with scientific literature, exploring the realms of plants and sustainable living.We hope you enjoy today's episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Michael Crawford discusses the essential role of the essential fatty acids DHA and ARA in the evolution and health of the human brain. Dr. Crawford is visiting professor at Imperial College in London, and has been Director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition since 1990. For his pioneering discovery of the role of DHA in the brain in 1971, and its importance in prenatal nutrition, Michael was elected by his peers to the Hall of Fame at the Royal Society of Medicine in 2010. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 4 books, most recently "The Shrinking Brain", which documents the evolutionary evidence for the role of the marine food web in human evolution, and the societal threats posed to brain health and intelligence posed by recent changes to the food supply and the human diet.Dr. Crawford highlights the essential functions of DHA and ARA in cell regulation, immune response, and vision, and their importance in brain growth and construction. He emphasizes the significance of the marine food web in providing an abundance of DHA and the role of the combination of marine and land food webs in human brain growth. Dr. Crawford challenges the dominant theory of that humans brains size increased as a result of hunting in African savannahs, and presents evidence that access to marine foods at the shoreline drove human brain development.Dr. Crawford discusses discuss the subsequent decline in brain size since the advent of agriculture, and particularly with modern diets. He emphasizes the importance of maternal and prenatal nutrition, and the ongoing need for DHA and arachidonic acid in brain development. The discussion ends with the prospects for developing marine agriculture to ensure good mental health of future generations.ReferencesBook: Crawford and Marsh The Shrinking Brain and the Global Mental Health Crisis, 2023Publications:  http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/michael.crawfordHere is a guide to topics discussed in this podcast episode:Time     Topic00:00     Introduction and Background 01:44     The Role of DHA and ARA in the Evolution of the Brain06:12     DHA in Early Single Cellular Organisms07:45     The Universality of DHA in Animal Eyes and Brains09:12     The Universality of DHA and ARA in Mammalian Brains11:24     The Decrease of Brain to Body Size Ratio Across Species18:16     How Access to Seafood Explains the Larger Brains of Humans21:45.    Rebuttal of the Savannah Hunting Theory of Human Evolution26:10     The Extinction of Megafauna and Human Brain Growth27:47     The Decrease in Human Brain Size Since Agriculture29:47     The Importance of Iodine and Marine Minerals and Vitamins33:36     Evolutionary Mismatch and Epigenetic Impact of Modern Diets38:35     The Importance of Maternal and Prenatal Nutrition41:25     Nutritional Requirements for Brain Development into Adulthood46:50     Benefits of Mussels, Oysters and Fish for Brain Health47:56     Farmed Fish vs. Wild Caught Fish49:18     The Potential of Marine Agriculture to Ensure Global Mental Health55:19     Michael Crawford's Current Research This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com

On this episode of ancestral health today we welcome Miguel Casali, MD for a discussion about his evolution from traditional medicine to ancestral health and what keeps the medical system confined as the world population sees an increase in chronic illness. Miguel Casali is a doctor with a humanistic approach. He is driven by curiosity, learning from different cultures he has been driven to reject hierarchical structures that place the physician as the ultimate authority. Miguel sees his patients as human beings at the center of their stories and sees his patients as human beings first. Miguel likes to take time with his patients, both to treat and prevent further health issues. He believes in removing barriers to care, so that patients can seek the care they need anywhere.This is why his vision expands globally, where he networks with other teams providing accessible models anywhere in the world. Miguel has successfully transitioned from a traditional health care model, where he practiced for many years in Spain, to now practicing independently in both Spain and Ireland, with plans to expand to other European countries as well as India. His vision centers around ancestral health principles and evolutionary medicine, merging the ancestral and the modern to provide his patients with the best possible outcomes and strategies that are sustainable and implementable in modern life. You can find Miguel on X, linked in and soon on the metabolic care website, but often you will find Miguel traveling the world, learning and sharing to continue to make this vision grow and help as many people around the world as possible.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancestralhealth.substack.com