We can all be misled by slick marketing and propaganda.

I would have thought that couldn't possibly happen to me, critical thinker that I pride myself in being. But I have been seriously misinformed by well-credentialed experts who had my deepest admiration and respect.

How do I know? By dealing with my secret struggle of progressively declining health over the last two years. Insomnia stalked me; my entire body was highly inflamed and incredibly painful. I felt hot and angry 24/7.

I could not for the life of me understand why I was feeling so horrible when I took such good care of myself. How could I possibly tell anyone about this when I followed what I'm teaching based on what I'd been taught?

Fortunately the nutritionist I stumbled upon has helped me to begin to turn around these very troubling and "mysterious" issues that no one could get to the bottom of.

The very good news is that I have already been intuitively doing much of what I'm now learning. The other really great news is that while I'm upset about being mislead on many levels, my ego isn't so invested that I'm unable to admit these bombshells.

A bad misconception is all the fish oil we're told is "good" for us. I remember one of my instructors at a weeklong intensive certification course telling me this and I brushed it off as nonsense because everyone else said it was a super food.

"In declaring EPA and DHA to be safe, the FDA neglected to evaluate their antithyroid, immunosuppressive, lipid peroxidative (Song et al., 2000), light sensitizing, and antimitochondrial effects, their depression of glucose oxidation (Delarue et al., 2003), and their contribution to metastatic cancer (Klieveri, et al., 2000), lipofuscinosis and liver damage, among other problems." (The Great Fish Oil Experiment, Ray Peat, PhD, www.raypeat.com).

Ray Peat, who has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon, with specialization in physiology, has been booing fish oil for decades. Why isn't he more publicized? Why has he been blackballed?

I suspect it's the fat egos and wads of money that would be lost are why the same old greedy game.

The quantity of quality cod liver oil I took was well below the massive amounts the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Price-Pottenger Nutritional Foundation recommend for healing fibroid tumors in women and for reducing systemic inflammation.

Here's the conundrum: by taking the fish oil in the first place, I inflamed my system. I took more to bring that down, which just made things that much worse.

My mysterious physical ills were classic symptoms of vitamin A poisoning and escalating acute systemic inflammation. We all know how ridiculous it would be to subject ourselves to a daily x-ray to reduce pain and inflammation. But that is exactly what the experts did. "For a few decades, x-ray treatments were used to relieve inflammatory conditions, and most of the doctors who promoted the treatment were able to retire before their patients began suffering the fatal effects of atrophy, fibrosis, and cancer. (But a few people are still advocating x-ray therapy for inflammatory diseases, e.g., Hildebrandt, et al., 2003.)

In experiments that last just a few weeks or months, there may not be time for cancers to develop, and on that time scale, the immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects of oxidized fish oil might seem beneficial.

The fish oil fad is now just as old as the x-ray fad was at its peak of popularity, and if its anti-inflammatory actions involve the same mechanisms as the anti-inflammatory immunosuppressive x-ray treatments, then we can expect to see another epidemic of fibrotic conditions and cancer in about 15 to 20 years." (The Great Fish Oil Experiment, Pay Peat, PhD, www.raypeat.com).

Please read the article and investigate Ray Peat. If what he has to say resonates with you, great-- you think it's just another load, that's OK too. I would be remiss if I didn't inform you of why I'm doing what I'm doing and why I am so alarmed.

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/fishoil.shtml

All vegetable oils, even cold pressed (including flax seed), go rancid the moment they're exposed to air, never mind what happens in our nearly 100-degree bodies. Makes sense to me. Mary Enig, PhD won't say that but Ray Peat, PhD will and does. The two of them do agree on butter and coconut oil.

Who to believe?

Unfortunately we're being incredibly misled on so many critical issues and the oils we're told are super foods are just another load to add to that Mother Lode of hooey.

I stopped taking fish oil four weeks ago and my symptoms have abated by 25 percent on a good day. But, I'm so debilitated right now I can't even work out; my journey back to total health will take at least a year. I have no doubt there will be readers galore scrambling to tell me how good these oils are.

I'll never go near any oil or fat except coconut oil, olive oil, butter or ghee.

DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in this column are for information only and not intended to replace your current medical protocols. Always consult your health practitioner before undertaking any dietary changes or exercise programs.
Nancy is a CHEK Institute Holistic Lifestyle and Exercise coach and an ACE certified, IDEA awarded Master personal fitness trainer. She helps clients find optimal health and fitness through practical nutrition, holistic conditioning and lifestyle coaching out of her home in SeaTac. For more information contact Nancy at 206-852-4768 or visit her Web site at www.nancyjerominski.com