Try This – 2/9/24

Hi Everyone!  

What if I told you that some of the biggest ailments of our time—depression, anxiety, infertility, insomnia, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer—have the same root cause? 

This is what my friends, Dr. Casey Means and her brother Calley Means, are on a mission to make people understand. In most cases, we have the power to prevent these pervasive diseases by taking control of what they call the unifying theory of major chronic diseases…

It’s called poor metabolic health, and if you’re a reader of this newsletter, you know just how important this topic is. 

So today, Try This readers, it is my honor to share THREE BIG IDEAS from the upcoming book by Dr. Casey Means and Calley Means, Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, which I believe will be one of the most important books of our time. 

If you’re worried about disease prevention or want to reclaim your health, no matter your age, you’re going to want to tune in because these big ideas change EVERYTHING and put us in the driver’s seat of our health.

Let’s get started.

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Big Idea #1: Metabolic Factors Are the Root Cause of Disease

Our current health model, which can be life-saving in acute situations, has a huge problem. We’re often passed around from specialist to specialist without the recognition that most diseases come from similar root causes. Yes, that’s right. Someone who has Alzheimer’s, another who has cancer, and another with heart disease could all have way more in common than you might think. Understanding the root causes of modern diseases and how to address each of them starts with viewing the body as an interconnected system. That means that our hormones, organs, cells, and vascular system are speaking to each other ALL THE TIME. 

While the same basic detrimental inputs cause disease, other basic beneficial inputs create the foundation for good health—and the best part is you have the tools to create health at your fingertips! And it starts with this unifying theory…

Things like acne, dementia, chronic infections, IBS, depression, strokes, heart disease, migraines, and chronic pain all have something in common: they can all stem from or be worsened by poor metabolic health, starting with insulin resistance. Here are some facts that might blow your mind: 

• Alzheimer’s disease has been dubbed “type 3 diabetes” because of how prevalent it is in populations with insulin resistance and impaired insulin. 

• According to one study, people with prediabetic glucose levels had a 60 percent higher stroke risk than those with normal glucose levels.

• If you have insulin resistance, you’re more likely to struggle with hearing loss! 

• One study showed that every additional 18 mg/dL of fasting glucose was associated with a 37 percent increased rate of developing depression. 

• The higher your blood sugar, the more likely you are to develop sinus problems, chronic headaches, and migraines. 

I hope you’re starting to notice a pattern here. Metabolic dysfunction can be found at the root of most of our chronic diseases today, and getting a handle on our metabolic health is the most critical thing we can do to prevent rapid aging and even early death. Big Idea #2: Healthcare's Incentives Are Deadly 

Our health institutions profit when we're sick and lose money when we’re healthy! Despite advances in technology and more and more money being spent each year on health care, life expectancy is declining. Why is that? It’s because decisions being made in disease prevention, nutrition science, and healthcare policy are flawed. If you follow the money, you might see that nutrition science is often funded by large food companies, and healthcare research is often funded by big pharma. If big corporations with vested interests have their hand in policy, how can we trust those in charge? 

Unfortunately, our children bear the burden of this broken system. Our school lunches are packed with processed and refined carbohydrates, vending machines filled with ultra-processed foods line the hallways, and kids are taught very little about the importance of movement and exercise, making 77 percent of teenagers too unfit to serve in the military. It’s up to smaller communities and families to protect children and set healthy examples for them. Good Energy shows us how to come out from the grips of big pharma and big food to become true leaders in our communities.

Big Idea #3: The Solutions Are Simple

In this modern world, technology has given us an abundance of ways to track our health, including continuous glucose monitors, sleep trackers, activity trackers, and even blood markers. I love incorporating all of these gadgets into my life because I like to nerd out on the data and make adjustments. But these tools are just icing on the cake! Setting the foundation does not always have to include fancy gadgets. In Good Energy, there’s a focus on doubling down on the basics. What are the basics? 

• Understand food as energy. Food is how you communicate with your body, and it determines the structure and function of our cells as well as the state of our microbiome. When we honor that food gives our body information, we can make powerful choices about what we eat. 

• Respect your biological clocks. That means understanding your sleep/wake cycles and giving sleep the respect that it deserves. It also means using tools like sunlight and darkness, BOTH FREE, to level up our health. 

• Find our way back to what modern life has stripped away. This looks like reducing our toxic burden, moving consistently throughout the day, and making ourselves resilient by using cold and hot therapies. 

• End our technology addiction and become fearless. We live in a society of endless doomscrolling and bad news. Becoming superhuman and achieving good energy includes managing what we are exposed to in the forms of media, community, and our relationships. 

How many people can say they’ve dialed in the four principles above? Not many! Just starting there can mean the difference between a life of dis-ease and one of abundant health. 

And these are just a few of the many big ideas you'll find in Good Energy. This book contains a blueprint for creating a lifestyle that will support your metabolic health and create your strongest body and mind. You’ll learn…. 

• Simple and delicious swaps for foods like pasta, cereal, pastries, and pizza

• How to create an ideal blood sugar-balancing meal that supports your mitochondria and microbiome

• A set of basic rules that can support your energy levels and insulin response

• And you’ll get a four-week plan that includes what tests to ask your doctor for, how to interpret them, and how to create lasting change 

Imagine a world where we all apply the principles of Good Energy and help our families and communities apply these principles too. We would see much lower rates of disease, happier and healthier children, and stronger communities and environments. 

It might feel like a distant dream, but it’s totally possible! And it starts with me and you. 

If you’re ready for some good energy, check out Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health today! It’s available for preorder now and hits the shelves on May 14, 2024. 

If you want more weekly tips on how to achieve good energy and the best foods for your metabolic health, check out Dr. Means’ newsletter, Good Energy Living.

Also, check out my conversations with Dr. Casey Means and Calley Means on the Dhru Purohit Show to learn more about their mission. 

Here’s to good energy, Dhru Purohit