http://undergroundwellness.com Hungry for Truth? Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:49:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://undergroundwellness.com/compulsive-overeating-is-it-all-in-your-head/ http://undergroundwellness.com/compulsive-overeating-is-it-all-in-your-head/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:52:39 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5129 by Sean Croxton My exploration into the human brain continues. Last night I was hanging out in my bathtub (yeah, I do that once in a while) reading a book called Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. You can imagine how geeked out I was to learn that humans are only species with the ability to prospect. In other words, we can look forward in time and consider the future. Which means that we do whatever the heck we can do to control the future. We believe that this sense of control makes us happy. And when we lose this control, we freak out. I'm sure you can relate. Why is prospection exclusive to humans. Well, it's because we have ginormous frontal lobes in our brains. In fact, a frontal lobotomy -- or chemical/mechanical destruction of the frontal lobe -- would not affect you much. The only major side effect of such a procedure would be the inability to think into the future. The ability to prospect is gone. I found this interesting because a lobotomy was, at one time, a common and effective treatment for anxiety. What do people typically feel anxious about? The future! No frontal lobe, no future. Anxiety gone! Trippy, huh? Anyway, our last video was about impulsive overeating and its connection to decreased activity of the prefrontal cortex, the front one-third of the brain responsible for planning. Today, we're discussing another type of overeater called the compulsive overeater. This individual may have increased activity in a part of the brain located deep within the frontal lobe called the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG). Increased activity in the ACG may be due to low levels of brain serotonin. Dr. Daniel Amen and I discussed this type of overeating in THIS PODCAST a couple weeks ago. Proven and natural ways of increasing brain serotonin are supplementing with 5-HTP, l-tryptophan, or St. John's Wort, as well as using the brain-boosting spice saffron. But before you head out to the local supplement store to grab some 5-HTP, be sure to check out THIS PODCAST with Dr. Daniel Kalish. According to Dr. Kalish, serotonin and dopamine are antagonistic -- when one goes up, the other goes down. This can cause a problem down the road. Load up on information, and then decide what is best for you! And enjoy today's video. I'm out! Sean Croxton Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss Host, The Paleo Summit ]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/compulsive-overeating-is-it-all-in-your-head/feed/ 3 http://undergroundwellness.com/impulsive-overeating-is-it-all-in-your-head/ http://undergroundwellness.com/impulsive-overeating-is-it-all-in-your-head/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:42:35 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5126 by Sean Croxton I have a huge man crush on the human brain right now. And doing THIS INTERVIEW with Dr. Daniel Amen last week was beyond brain candy for me. Of the 5 brain types Dr. Amen outlines in his books, I find that a ton of people are dealing with a bad case of impulsive overeating. They just can't seem to say no! They're in that constant state of starting their new healthy lifestyles "on Monday". For a lot of people, this type of behavior may not be as simple as willpower. They may be dealing with a real brain problem. More specifically, their prefrontal cortexes (PFC) may be underactive. When the PFC is down, it may be an indication of low dopamine levels in the brain. In OUR PODCAST, Dr. Amen discusses how to increases dopamine levels via supplements like rhodiola, ginseng, l-tyrosine, as well as through exercise. In many cases, the key to getting healthy is in between the ears. Check out today's video on this very topic. Oh! I forgot to mention that one other cause of low PFC activity is toxins. And when I say "infections", I mean brain infections. If you'd like to take Dr. Amen's FREE Brain Audit, please visit the Amen Clinics website. Out! Sean ]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/impulsive-overeating-is-it-all-in-your-head/feed/ 3 http://undergroundwellness.com/the-paleo-summit-is-here/ http://undergroundwellness.com/the-paleo-summit-is-here/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:19:46 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5115 by Sean Croxton I live for days like today. As you may recall, a few weeks after I launched my e-book The Dark Side of Fat Loss, I blogged about how I had found myself at an impasse wondering what my next move would be. Soon after that post, I spent a weekend hanging out with my friend Kevin Gianni, who has hosted several very successful online summits, including The Great Health Debate and The World Cancer Summit. It was on that weekend that I decided to try my hand at hosting a summit of my own. I ran a few topics by Kevin, and as soon as I said "Paleo" he said "yeah, that's the one". At that very moment, I went to work on the Paleo Summit. Kevin and I were attending a conference called Superhero You, hosted by memory expert Jim Kwik. As soon as I walked back into the event room, I pulled out my notebook and started writing down the names of the Paleo/health experts I wanted to be a part of the event. I wrote down the topics. I nailed down a launch date. Well, I missed my launch date by a week, but it's okay. We need to be flexible with our goals. Everything else I wrote down happened...and then some. This morning, the event that began with a thought -- an idea -- went into pre-launch with the 8-day Paleo Summit event kicking off on Sunday, February 26th. Making this idea a reality required a ton of hard work on the part of me and my team, but it was well worth it. And soon I will be sharing the fruits of our labor, including presentations from -- * Mark Sisson * Dr. Jack Kruse * Jimmy Moore * Dr. Cate Shanahan * Denise Minger * Chris Kresser * Mat Lalonde * Diane Sanfillipo * Sarah Fragoso * Dr. Thomas O'Bryan * So many more!!! Recording with these health and wellness all-stars made me realize that there are people out there who are way smarter than me! :) The Paleo Summit presenters are some of the most brilliant people I have had the pleasure of speaking with. They certainly motivated me to step my game up a few notches. You can see the full schedule and get registered to receive FREE videos interviews with Gary Taubes and Mark Sisson by CLICKING HERE! When you register, you'll also receive a handful of Paleo Summit preview videos. No, these aren't just audio files you'll get access to during the summit. Allyson the Assistant and I have been busting our tails making the TWENTY-THREE audio recordings into Powerpoint-like video slideshow presentations! We're taking the online summit game to a whole new level. I promise, you guys are gonna flip out when you see and hear this! And best of all, it's FREE! Like my uncle says, "you can't beat FREE". Thanks so much for your patience and support. For the past 6-8 weeks I have taken time away from blogging and posting YouTube videos in order to make this summit happen. Now that we've launched, the blog and YouTube channel are now BACK. Be sure to check back for new posts. I've been reading a ton and have a lot to say! Out. Sean Croxton Host, The UW Paleo Summit ]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/the-paleo-summit-is-here/feed/ 7 http://undergroundwellness.com/my-2011-reading-list/ http://undergroundwellness.com/my-2011-reading-list/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:40:01 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5077 by Sean Croxton Vacation is nice. I've been lying in bed the last couple hours, adding books to my Amazon wish list and thought I'd share with you the books I read in 2011. It's a trip. You can kinda see the phase I am going through in life by looking at the books I read. Right now -- since the radio show and YouTube channel are on holiday hiatus -- I've been reading a lot about marketing and success. Next week, I'll get back to reading about more health-related topics. So here's my 2011 Reading List. Most are available in my Amazon Store. These are just the books I actually finished. There are a bunch more that I got about halfway through. Next year, I'd like to have a list of 75. I learned some speed reading tactics from Jim Kwik a few weeks ago. Working like a charm! Please leave your book recommendations in the comments below! Always looking for a good read. Thx! Deep Nutrition by Dr. Catherine Shanahan Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes Additiction: The Hidden Epidemic by Pam Killeen Lights Out by T.S. Wiley The Five Love Languages by Gary D. Chapman Primal Body—Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas The Obesity Epidemic by Zoe Harcombe The New Metabolic Effect Diet by Drs. Jade & Keoni Teta The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson The New Evolution Diet by Art De Vany The Book of EST by Luke Rhinehard Earthing by Clint Ober Inflammation Nation by Floyd Chilton The Emotion Code by Bradley Nelson The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton Spontaneous Evolution by Bruce Lipton The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife ND The Palm Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife ND Eating for Energy by Yuri Elkaim Forever Young by Dr. Nicholas Perricone The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk Disconnect by Dr. Devra Davis The Simple Success Solution by Deb Cheslow and Angie Flynn Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale The Potbelly Syndrome by Russell Farris The Gabriel Method by John Gabriel Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis Life Unlocked by Dr. Srini Pillay Devil in the Milk by Keith Woodford UNmarketing by Scott Stratten The Baby Boomer Diet by Donna Gates The 50th Law by Robert Greene Money Success & You by John Kehoe Delivering Happiness by Tony Shieh Drive: The Shocking Truth about What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz Rework by Jason Fried The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy Happy Almost New Year! Sean]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/my-2011-reading-list/feed/ 43 http://undergroundwellness.com/are-chemicals-making-you-fat/ http://undergroundwellness.com/are-chemicals-making-you-fat/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:26:42 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5069 by Sean Croxton There’s a lot more to fat loss than meets the eye. I’ve sat through many conferences, read hundreds of books, and spoken with countless experts about the causes of and potential solutions for our modern obesity epidemic. Everyone has their own opinion. Some make sense. Others are overly simplistic -- take the calories-in/calories-out fat loss formula, for instance. And most completely miss the point by approaching the topic with extreme tunnel vision. In my opinion, solving problems usually calls for some lateral thinking, or what I call thinking outside of The Box. In other words, getting to the bottom of obesity requires that the conversation move beyond just diet and exercise alone. This conversation can go in many directions. We could talk about the effects of sleep deprivation on weight gain, the role of stress in blood sugar dysregulation, or even how infections contribute to insulin resistance and thus fat storage. But one leading cause of obesity that often gets lost in this ongoing discussion is how the abundance of toxic chemicals in our air, food, water, and even those lurking in your kitchen and bathroom cabinets are making you fat. It is blatantly obvious that obesity has steadily risen as our food supply has become more processed and refined. I think we can all agree on that. Yet during this same period the number of chemicals in our environment has exploded in lock-step with our waistlines. For instance, in his fascinating-yet-kinda-scary book The Hundred Year Lie, author Randall Fitzgerald states that in a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control involving 2,400 adults and children, more than two hundred synthetic chemical toxins were found in the subjects’ bodies, with a hundred more chemicals suspected to be present. The human body was never intended to deal with this kind of chemical assault. In fact, when you think about it, your body is a highly complex machine within which literally thousands of biochemical reactions are taking place at all times. If you’ve ever taken a laboratory course in Chemistry, you know that mixing random chemicals together can be a bad idea. You never know what you’re gonna get! According to a growing number of research scientists studying obesogens, the chemicals we inhale, eat, drink, and lather ourselves with during and after a shower are making us fat.]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/are-chemicals-making-you-fat/feed/ 6 http://undergroundwellness.com/the-cure-for-blur/ http://undergroundwellness.com/the-cure-for-blur/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:18:27 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5054 by David S. Hestrin Since childhood, I wore glasses. My eyesight was getting worse and worse each year - starting at 20/20 and eventually as bad as 20/400. And then, in my mid twenties my eyesight started improving to the point where I got checked at the eye doctor and my prescription was nearly cut in half, from -4 to -2.25. One early morning, on the way back from shopping at an organic wholesaler in San Francisco, I decided to stop by the Redwood City DMV to get the restriction for corrective lenses taken off my license. I was a bit nervous and excited. At first I looked into the machine they used to test me with and the first letter was blurry. I thought to myself a word that starts with 'f', and then took a breath relaxed and proceeded to read all the letter perfectly and passed the test. The photos of my licenses before and after are at my website. Since then I haven't spent another dime or any more time at an optometrist or lens grinder. Since 2006, I had been curious about the phenomenon known as natural vision healing or the Bates method. Through this method I learned about eye exercises, relaxation, and how corrective lenses -- eyeglasses and contacts -- are actually the problem. I had heard of many stories of people improving their eyesight before, but didn't think about it applying to me. Both my parents wore glasses and I never thought about the mechanisms behind blurry vision. As it turns out, glasses, contacts, and laser surgery, are not treating the cause of blurry vision at all! I read about these people that improved their eyesight. They said that it was excess strain that caused the blur. This is what convinced me to give it a chance. I could feel immense tension in my shoulders, neck, and my eyes did not feel relaxed at all. When I began working on improving my eyesight, I could barely read the computer screen. I would have to squint, enlarge the font, or use pinhole eyeglasses to see. However, within a few relaxation sessions I could read the screen comfortably. Since then, I began documenting my journey in eyesight improvement and sharing it on youtube, my blog, and articles at Natural News. Dozens of people began sharing their stories with me about their improvements. I took on clients to help them improve their eyesight through decreasing stress and improving relaxation. I worked with people in their early teens all the way to their early nineties, and wrote two E-books: I Can See Clearly Now; The Strain Is Gone and The Cure For Blur. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Sean and he gave me a space to share my story with you... So I wanted to give the readers something they can actually do to improve their relaxation and see how it connects to their eyesight. Now lots of people want exercises for how to improve their eyesight, and that's great and all, but the truth is... It's not about exercises. It's not about having to "strengthen" your muscles. Your muscles aren't weak at all. My hypothesis is that the eyesight is blurry because contradicting muscular contractions are squeezing the eyeball out of shape. How is this possible? Well, first you must know that the eyeball is filled with what is called the "vitreous". What is the "vitreous"? It is 99% water. So now when you think about over-straining muscles that are enveloping what is similar to a water-balloon, can you believe that this would squeeze it out of shape?]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/the-cure-for-blur/feed/ 4 http://undergroundwellness.com/the-year-and-maybe-more-in-bloopers/ http://undergroundwellness.com/the-year-and-maybe-more-in-bloopers/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:45:23 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5049 by The Entire UW Gang!! Everyone loves bloopers. I'm taking these last two weeks of the years to recharge my batteries for a HUGE 2012. So, I decided it would be fun to post some of the most hilarious moments we've had behind the scenes at UW. I am so fortunate that I get to have this much fun at work. Love my job!! Enjoy. Sean Croxton Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss ]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/the-year-and-maybe-more-in-bloopers/feed/ 1 http://undergroundwellness.com/how-to-remove-flouride-from-your-water/ http://undergroundwellness.com/how-to-remove-flouride-from-your-water/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:58:37 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5042 by Sean Croxton & David Getoff He did it again! Clinical Nutritionist and Traditional Naturopath David Getoff rocked the house last night on UW Radio. In the clip below, he gives us an update on how to remove toxic fluoride from your water. To listen to the entire show, click RIGHT HERE! Happy Friday, peeps! Sean Croxton Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss ]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/how-to-remove-flouride-from-your-water/feed/ 3 http://undergroundwellness.com/flouride-is-good-for-you/ http://undergroundwellness.com/flouride-is-good-for-you/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:17:16 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5018 by Will and Susan Revak Thanks to Seanʼs work, a lot of attention is given to the quality of food we eat, what types of food nourish us best, and above all how to use the toilet for the ultimate elimination! :) When we talk about food, Sean helps us see why we want to eat natural, organic, ʻreal foodʼ and certainly choose foods free of toxic ingredients. Doesnʼt it seem appropriate to give a similar amount of consideration to the oral hygiene products we use on a daily basis? We believe that to create optimal health and wellness we have to hold the same standard for our personal hygiene products as we do for the foods we eat to nourish our bodies. But why do we need to put the same consideration to our oral hygiene products as we do for the foods we eat? After all, we arenʼt eating our toothpaste, right? I will let Dean Vafiadis, DDS, president and founder of the New York Smile Institute answer this question... "Most of what you put in your mouth goes into your bloodstream, even if you don't swallow it." Dean Vafiadis, D.D.S. In fact, some chemicals enter your system faster through the mouth than by the usual stomach route. So, at this point, letʼs turn our attention and take a look at the main controversial ingredient in oral hygiene products, fluoride. While there are valid points on each side of the fluoride argument, we have found the main difference is how broad of a perspective each side takes when viewing the subject. Those in favor of using fluoride in the mouth are looking from the viewpoint that goes something like this, “applying fluoride on the teeth helps to reduce tooth decay so we should use it”. Those not in favor of using fluoride take a broader, more holistic view. This more general approach questions whether the benefits of using fluoride on the teeth are greater than the risks of fluoride on the health of the whole body. Since our company produces organic toothpaste alternatives, you can guess where we stand on this argument. It would be different if using fluoride was the ONLY way to achieve greater oral health. Then we may have to weigh more closely whether the benefits of using fluoride was more important than the risks. But, there are plenty of ways to create greater oral health without using fluoride. So, hereʼs our major concern about fluoride exposure… Fluoride displaces iodine in the body. There it is. Did you miss it? Doesnʼt sound like a big deal, does it? While that doesnʼt sound so terrible, hereʼs my case for fluoride poisoning from toothpaste (and water fluoridation) being a driving cause for subclinical hypothyroidism which has direct links to all of the major modern diseases we find in our global culture.]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/flouride-is-good-for-you/feed/ 10 http://undergroundwellness.com/uw-tv-the-water-show/ http://undergroundwellness.com/uw-tv-the-water-show/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:11:41 +0000 UW Sean http://undergroundwellness.com/?p=5011 by Sean Croxton, David Getoff, and Brett Klika You're gonna love the latest (and final) episode of The Underground Wellness Show! My guests are clinical nutritionist, naturopath, and water expert David Getoff and my main man Brett Klika. Don't forget David Getoff is on UW Radio TONIGHT at 5pm PT/8pm ET. It's Ask David Getoff! Call in (347-237-5608) with you questions! Click HERE to listen live via internet. Or dial the number of above to tune in by phone. It's gonna be a classic...again! Enjoy. Sean Croxton Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss ]]> http://undergroundwellness.com/uw-tv-the-water-show/feed/ 2