The Heart as a Field/Information Generator

As discussed in this abstract, there are some very interesting properties of the heart muscle that go beyond its function as a "piston pump".  The authors, from the Center for Frontier Medicine in Biofield Science, University of Arizona, describe two additional properties:

1.  The rotational contraction, producing torsion.

2.  The production of electrical and magnetic fields, with each contraction, that extend within and outside the body.

They point out that there has been little exploration as to the potential therapeutic value of heart generated field activity.  They hypothesize that these heart generated fields may transfer information that is pivotal to normal body function, and, that the source of the information is based on the following physiological actions:  vortex blood flow in the left ventricle, electrical and magnetic fields, heart sounds, and pulse pressure generating amplitude and frequency information.

Reference

Med Hypotheses.  2005;64(6):1109-16.
Cardiac torsion and electromagnetic fields:  the cardiac bioinformation hypothesis.
Burlesion KO, Schwartz GE.

Natural Aromatase Inhibitors

The topic of natural aromatase inhibition came up recently in a Ray Peat interview discussing breast cancer research.  Aromatase is an enzyme manufactured in the body that converts androgens, such as testosterone, into estrogens, thereby increasing overall estrogen levels.  In that context, aromatase can contribute to an estrogen excess, or, "estrogen dominance", especially if progesterone levels are deficient.

As mentioned in the interview, there are many natural substances that can inhibit aromatase activity.  For example, naringenin, found in orange and guava juice, and orange peel, and apigenin, found in celery and parsley, are potent anti-aromatase substances.  Other anti-aromatase foods include white button mushrooms and the tea leaf, Camellia sinensis, commonly consumed as green or black tea.

Aspirin was also mentioned as an effective aromatase inhibitor.

References

Friday Night Talk, KMUD Radio Audio Archive, March 20, 2015:
http://kmud.org/programs-mainmenu-11/kmud-audio-archive.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17178902
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11739882
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23370353
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19127721
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20669045

Brain Fats, Gut Bacteria, Metabolism, & Longevity

As discussed in Dr. Peat's latest newsletter, Directing epigenetic adaption, there is an assumption that, because we have polyunsaturated fats in our brains, and bacteria in our intestines, the presence of these substances is somehow an adaptive advantage, if not an essential requirement for proper function.  As Dr. Peat points out, these assumptions may not be in our best interest.

As it happens, there is experimental evidence that both polyunsaturated fats and intestinal bacteria interfere with cellular metabolism, ultimately promoting the formation of nitric oxide, lactic acid, and inflammation in a self perpetuating vicious cycle.  Research also shows that both germ free animals and animals fed a diet free of polyunsaturated fat tend to live longer, have a higher metabolic rate, less susceptibility to obesity, diabetes, and tumors, and heal more quickly than animals with "normal" levels of unsaturated fats in their tissues and bacteria in their intestines.

Besides avoiding polyunsaturated fats and bacteria-feeding starch, restriction of dietary arginine can also help to lower nitric oxide formation since arginine is readily converted into it.

References

Directing epigenetic adaptation, Ray Peat's Newsletter, January 2015