malnutrition Archives - Hormones Matter

From Severe Osteoporosis to Recovery: An Unlikely Success Story

Published on April 12, 2023

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I was first diagnosed with severe osteoporosis when I was thirteen years old. I am now thirty three. My osteoporosis was secondary to prolonged malnutrition, delayed development and low weight caused by severe gut complications stemming from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) – a heritable connective tissue that runs in my family. Osteoporosis can be a very challenging disease to treat, as bone is incredibly slow to rebuild.

It’s hard to describe the fear associated with having osteoporosis at any age – the sense of porosity in the structure holding you together, the deep dread of your fragility holding you back from participating fully in life, the terror that you could sustain a serious fracture, which among the elderly, could be fatal.

Living with osteoporosis constantly challenged my confidence. I couldn’t help internalize the feelings of failure and weakness for having bones more fragile and brittle than someone nearing the end of their life, let alone just beginning it. Subsequent bone injuries from exercise (including hip stress fractures and shin splints) were a constant source of both pain and stress.

For years following my diagnosis, I had no clear way to treat the illness, as the causes of my debilitating gut issues and low weight remained a mystery, until my early twenties when I was diagnosed with EDS.

I remember the first time I had a DEXA (bone density) scan following my EDS diagnosis. The osteoporosis had gotten worse, not better. The junior doctor allocated to discuss my results could not contain their shock and had to leave the room at one point. My spine was particularly bad with a T score of -4.5. For context on what this means:

Normal: 0 to -1
Osteopenia: -1 to -2.5
Osteoporosis: -2.5 or lower
Severe osteoporosis: -3.5 or lower

I felt overwhelmed navigating all of the literature on how best to treat osteoporosis. And I struggled to overcome the terror instilled in me from looking at too many photos of brittle, hollow bones. I couldn’t help feeling awfully hollow inside.

Given the severity of my condition, I was encouraged to take bisphosphonates – a class of drugs that slow down bone loss. However, researching the side-effects (which include bone and joint pain, jaw problems, gut and kidney issues), I decided against this. Considering what I stood to lose by not treating the osteoporosis, this was not a decision that I took lightly.

Instead, I pored through journal articles, books and videos, eventually cobbling together a plan of action that integrated nutrition and exercise to heal my bones.

It’s important to mention here that I consider treating bone health just one part of treating overall health. My overall health was very compromised, so I had to take a holistic approach.

Treating my severe gut issues was my first priority. My gut was so dysfunctional that it regularly became impacted and was often silent on ultrasounds, indicating little to no movement was taking place. I often ended up in hospital in agonizing intestinal pain from all the pockets of air that would form around the sites of impaction. I began taking an entero-kinetic medication to help restore peristalsis to my gut. This enabled food to move through and nutrition to be absorbed. It also helped me to increase my food intake.

My gut flora was really compromised from years of malnutrition and dysmotility, so I also began a course of herbal therapy. The herbs were originally prescribed to treat another condition I was dealing with (chronic neurological Lyme disease), however they also ended up massively improving my gut. I know this because prior to starting the herbs, I suffered from multiple food intolerances and major FODMAP issues. After taking herbs for eighteen months, all of my gut problems subsided and I can now eat all foods with no discomfort, including dairy products which I have struggled with all of my life. This made getting adequate calcium from my diet a lot easier than simply relying on supplements. The herbs I used are those prescribed for Lyme disease by American herbalist Stephen Buhner, and adapted by Dr. Bill Rawls. You can see specific ingredients at Dr. Rawls’ website by searching (see Advanced Biotic and Adaptogen Recovery).

Fixing up my gut allowed me to eat from a wide range of foods, but critically it enabled me to restore my weight to a healthy level. I was underweight from the ages of thirteen to thirty, which led to primary amenorrhea. Restoring my weight and menstrual cycles played a vital role in helping protect my bones. Low weight is the most common cause of hypothalamic amenorrhea, and this lack of periods leads to estrogen deficiency which adversely affects peak bone mass and increases the risk of osteoporosis.

I follow a healthy whole foods diet, however I am no purist. After years of restrictive diets in the hope of fixing my gut problems, I am now a big believer in non-restrictive approaches to eating. In my experience, scarcity mindsets and restrictive eating rarely does good things for our bodies and minds. So, I now eat from a wide variety of foods, and have no foods which I consider off-limits. I would say my diet primarily comprises fresh fruits and vegetables (several, with plenty of different colors, at every meal), whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, goat’s milk yoghurt, avocados, parmesan cheese, seafood (particularly fatty fish like salmon, and sardines), tofu and tempeh, grass-fed whey protein powder, root vegetables, and a little lean meat mainly in the form of kangaroo and chicken.

In addition to restoring my gut health, I added in a range of supplements to strengthen my bones. After researching multivitamins, I settled on the Calton’s Nutreince because it is available as a powder (EDS can make swallowing capsules challenging) and was formulated specifically to treat osteoporosis. You can read more about the multiyear process that the Calton’s went through to develop this product in their book Rebuild Your Bones.

Nutreince contains 500mg of highly absorbable calcium citrate together with Vitamin K1 & K2, Vitamin D3 and other bioavailable micronutrients that are crucial for bone health. I took a little extra Vitamin D on top of that found in Nutreince, to bring my daily intake up to 3000 IU, ditto with calcium to ensure I was getting 1200mg of calcium per day from a combination of food and supplementation. The food sources I relied on for calcium primarily included things like parmesan cheese, goat’s yoghurt, grass-fed whey protein powder, salmon with the bones, sardines, and to a lesser extent nuts, legumes and leafy green vegetables.

The remaining part of my action plan was exercise. I took up high load strength training, supervised by an exercise physiologist. I train three times per week for an hour each time (including mini rest breaks between sets). My program includes a rotating range of moves, but for the bones particularly – bench presses, deadlifts, and squats. I am currently squatting 45kg, deadlifting 50kg, and bench pressing 30kg. Each week, I aim to increase the weight that I lift, such that I can do 5 reps, with only 2 remaining reps in reserve (i.e. I could only lift that weight another 2 times before running out of strength). For context, I weigh 56kg, so I am gradually moving up to be able to lift more than my body weight. I never imagined myself lifting weights, but the feeling of strength I am building through each successive session is a wonderful experience.

I also removed some things. These included: long distance running – which, in my case, was stimulating excess cortisol and increasing my rate of injury. Given my history of gut issues, I tend to find it hard to fuel this level of endurance exercise (I used to run half marathons), which in turn sets me up for a higher risk of lower bone density. In time, this may shift, but for now, I am sticking to shorter distances and thinking of resuming soccer, given its fun and research shows it contributes to strong bone density. Bones get strong when they are loaded from multiple directions, hence sports like soccer are great, compared to things like long distance running which involve moving only in one direction for a long time.

I also worked on reducing my overall stress levels. I was a chronic workaholic, so (not without difficulty) I reduced my work hours, took up meditation and started therapy. I also gave up coffee, given research linking caffeine and bone loss. I have never drunk alcohol, which when consumed regularly and in large amounts, can also increase the risk of low bone density. However these choices are personal only, and coffee and alcohol in moderation, may not be a problem for some.

So in summary, this is what I did:

Healed my gut and overcame my food intolerances with herbal therapy
Increased my food intake (from a wide, unrestricted range of whole foods) to restore my weight and menstrual cycle
Ensured intake of key nutrients needed for bone – from both supplementation and diet – equivalent to 1200mg calcium, 3000 IU of Vitamin D and at least 120mcg of Vitamin K1 & K2
Added in supervised strength training 3x per week building to being able to lift more than my own body weight

So, how did all of this stack up? The proof is in the results. Below is a summary of my T scores over the past four years.

A few things to note before you read these results:

Bone can take up to nine years to remodel, so these results are showing you only partial results of the changes I’ve primarily made in the past three years
These results have been achieved since turning thirty, which is the age at which peak bone mass is achieved.
Regarding the hip scores – the 2022 measurements were done using a more sensitive measurement technology called QCT, as opposed to DEXA technology used in previous measurements. QCT consistently produces lower scores than DEXA, so is not a fair comparison with the 2020 and 2018 scores. If these were DEXA scores, they would likely be higher, i.e. show greater improvement.

	2022	2020	2018
Spine	-1.1	-3.6	-4.2
Femoral neck	-1.59	-1.8	-2.3
Total hip	-2.13	-1.7	-2.4

You should always seek your own medical advice when treating something as complex and serious as osteoporosis, however these results show that it is entirely possible to reverse osteoporosis through nutrition and exercise, without having to endure the side effects of conventional pharmacological treatments, nor the ongoing fears that living with the prospect of an incurable disease too often instills.

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More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, and like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

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This article was published originally on June 1, 2022.

The Myth of Nutritional Equivalence

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on May 10, 2022

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Over the last several months, I have been fascinated by the fuel preferences of the mitochondria in the different organs of the body. It seems that the mitochondria in each organ system have specific fuel preferences. The muscles like protein and carbs, the heart likes fatty acids, and the brain has all sorts of fuel preferences depending upon region and state of health. This is mind-blowing and contrary to medical textbooks on the subject. For as long as anyone has cared to address the fuel preferences of the mitochondria, an overly simplistic, black-box model has prevailed. The gist of which is the errant presumption that so long as there are sufficient calories ingested, no matter from where those calories originate, carbohydrate, protein, or fats, real food or processed garbage food-like products, the mitochondria will magically convert those foods into ATP, the energy used by our cells to perform the myriad functions of living. To some extent that is true, but woefully short of the real picture. Nevertheless, we have built an entire economy of medical thought supporting the ‘it just doesn’t matter’ model of feeding.

Based upon this equality of calories presumption, I have seen doctors ‘prescribe’ ice cream and other processed foods devoid of nutrients to children with growth deficiencies. Just as egregious, are the sugary chemical concoctions (Ensure, Boost, and the like) served to severely ill patients in any American hospital under the banner of ‘medical nutrition’. Admittedly, financial interests play a role, but undergirding those interests is the long held belief that calories are all that matter; a belief, that I would argue, we as a society, are all too happy to accept. It is a simple idea, one that doesn’t require much thinking, and best of all, lets us eat anything we want as long as the calories are balanced in our favor. Who among us has not convinced ourselves of the ‘healthiness’ of some low-calorie treat?

The Wonder of Fortified Foods

A similarly troubling assumption about food equivalency and one I see all too often is that enriched and fortified foods are nutritionally equivalent to native foods. This is certainly the reasoning behind the hospital protein drinks where calorie density plus fortification equals nutrition. But does it really? Do we really believe so strongly in the powers of modern industrial food chemistry that the foodstuffs we produce with seemingly infinite shelf lives, all manner of chemically derived flavor enhancers and colors, loaded with corn syrup, trans fats, and other delectable substrates are somehow converted into ‘healthy’ foods by the magic of fortification? Moreover, do we really believe that those processed substrates appropriately fuel the mitochondria?

Apparently so.

Just last week, some internet troll tried to argue that there was no such thing as vitamin or mineral deficiencies in modern America, citing food fortification programs as his example. Similarly, a few months ago I spoke at a conference on this topic and the physicians in the audience were incredulous about the idea of nutrient deficiencies for the same reasons. Even prominent researchers bang the food fortification drum. Consider this study.

“Only a small percentage of the population had total usual intakes (from dietary intakes and supplements) below the estimated average requirement (EAR) for the following: vitamin B-6 (8%), folate (8%), zinc (8%), thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-12, phosphorus, iron, copper, and selenium (<6% for all).”

It seems that we have solved malnutrition once and for all. Foodstuff fortification equals nutrition. You can have your Oreos and meet minimal nutrient requirements. End of story.

food fortification

Or is it?

Dig a little deeper and we see that we have done nothing of the sort. About the same study cited above, a secondary study said this:

“Without added nutrients, a high percentage of all children/adolescents had inadequate intakes of numerous micronutrients…”
“Among all age/sex subgroups, when considering only intrinsic nutrient intake from foods, approximately 25% to 100% had inadequate intakes of numerous nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, folate, and calcium. Among females aged 14 to 18 years, approximately 23% to 92% also had inadequate intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc…”
“When nutrient intakes contributed from fortification were added, the %<EAR for vitamins A, D, B-6, C, the five enrichment nutrients, and zinc shifted sharply lower.”

Translation: most of the nutrients contributing to the presumption of nutrient sufficiency come from fortified food products and not actual food. So while fortification provides a bare minimum of nutrients and staves off outright malnutrition, can it be considered healthy? I don’t think so, but when we buy into the nutritional equivalence, calories in, calories out model of health, what we are saying is this:

fortified foods

Is nutritionally equivalent to this:

meat and vegetables

We are saying that it does not matter what types of foods we consume so long as they are fortified and so long as the calories balance. We are back to the notion that prescribing ice cream to spur growth in kids, fake ‘nutrition’ drinks for the ill and elderly, and all manner of other convoluted dietary machinations are okay, somehow healthy, and even, logical.

Of Fructose, ATP, and the Magical Mitochondria

If we take this logic one step further, we arrive at the door of that magical mitochondrial black box that will take any fuel we give it and turn it into ATP. Admittedly, to some degree that is true. No matter the origins of that fuel, mitochondria will break it down into its carbon skeleton and through a series of reactions produce ATP. That’s their job. The question, however, is at what cost. That is, are these food products the most efficient and desirable fuel substrates? More specifically, what is the energy cost to convert garbage food into ATP? Consider something as simple as fructose and how it moves through the glycolytic machinery:

“The flow of fructose into the glycolytic pathway gives the appearance that fructose is a benign fuel suitable for human (over)consumption; in reality, fructose’s conversion to fructose-1-phosphate drains ATP from the cell, promotes a dramatic inflammatory response, and leads to clinical features of insulin resistance, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome via several mechanisms, one of which is increased production of uric acid.” Alex Vasquez

Although the mitochondria will convert these fructose-dense foodstuffs into ATP, there are costs; costs that can only be accounted for if one moves beyond the black-box model of mitochondrial metabolism. And yes, I know, fructose comes in fruit and vegetables too, but where most folks get their fructose is not from fruit or vegetables but in the form of high fructose corn syrup, the staple sweetener in all processed foods.

Fortified Versus Real Food

The way I see it, there are at least two issues to consider when assessing the healthiness of food. Firstly, and as I mentioned previously, the mitochondria in the different organ systems require different macronutrients, one a well-balanced diet from real food would provide. In contrast, a diet derived from starchy, high fructose corn syrup sweetened and chemically processed carbs no matter how strongly fortified will never be able to match a well-balanced diet of whole foods.

Second, to get from macronutrient to ATP takes a whole host of nutrient co-factors, vitamins, and minerals, to power the enzymes responsible for this process. Take a look at the figure below from our book. There are 24 vitamins and minerals needed to convert what we eat into ATP. More, if you consider all of the ancillary processes not charted here.

Mitochondrial Nutrients

mitochondrial nutrients

Even when the scales balance on our calories in, calories out model, they do not balance in the mitochondria and health depends entirely on the mitochondria. Diets heavy in processed foods not only lack the basic macronutrients, typically protein and good fats, but the minimal nutrients provided by these foods are neither sufficient to power the mitochondrial enzymes tasked with converting these products into ATP, nor are they sufficiently ‘nutritious’ to overcome the ATP costs of clearing all of the garbage that these products contain. This leaves us with decrements in ATP, and in a state of constant metabolic distress, which itself demands additional energy to resolve. It is a downward spiral to be sure; one where the use of ice cream or pseudo-nutritional drinks only hastens.

What do the Mitochondria Need?

A diet rich in real, organic foods is a good start. Look what happens when someone who is disabled by a chronic, neurodegenerative illness changes her diet. Health becomes possible.

Dr. Terry Wahls: Minding your mitochondria

Although a change in diet may not be all that is required, it is the foundation upon which health can be built; a foundation that is just not possible when ice cream is prescribed as nutrition.

We Need Your Help

More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, and like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

Yes, I would like to support Hormones Matter.

Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay.

This article was first published on August 13, 2018.

Longstanding Mitochondrial Malnutrition in a Young Male Athlete

by OC

Published on April 5, 2021

6937 views

Male athlete with mitochondrial malnutrition

My health issues started rearing their head in ninth grade, and given the vitiligo of my mother and MS (stabilized) of my father, perhaps it should not have been much of a surprise. I had mono in middle school, and then after getting a bad virus at the start of freshman year, my health deteriorated rather quickly.

Over the course of the first few years of high school, I was diagnosed with immunoglobulin deficiencies, gastritis induced anemia that was often recurrent, IBS, elevated blood sugar, insomnia, and hypothyroidism. I also developed hand tremors and was told I had SIBO. I was a student athlete and was often exercising over eight hours a week at the time. My diet in middle school represented the Standard American Diet, but after my health issues started, I ate a diet that loosely resembled the paleo diet without much benefit.

Entering college, doctors convinced me that my issues were due to malnutrition from undereating. I was encouraged to eat more and so I did. Over the next two years, I followed an unrestricted diet with a mix of junk and traditional health food. I went from 130 to 190lbs, a 60 pound weight gain. My stomach issues got better, but everything else remained the same, except I started experiencing anxiety and exhaustion. The doctors were right, but their advice was wrong. I wasn’t malnourished from a lack of food, but from a lack of the micronutrients that allow the mitochondria to convert food into energy. Looking back, it is no wonder I had no energy.

Just recently, I discovered the articles about thiamine on this website. It all began to make sense. Thiamine is a required mitochondrial nutrient, one that I was likely missing. I began thiamine and magnesium. I had previously tried magnesium, but I was intolerant to it. Since taking the duo for two weeks, I have started to notice a bit more energy, much better warmth in my extremities, and more stable blood sugar. However, that was preceded by major nausea, freezing low body temps, and worse blood sugar instability than ever suggesting a thiamine paradox at work. Here’s to hoping that this treatment works wonders going forward.

Health History

Current Age: 20
Height: 6ft
Gender: Male
Weight and body fat: 190lbs 15% Body fat

Family History

Mom with vitiligo
Dad with stabilized MS

Middle School

Had mono at one point, always generally had minor fatigue
Junk food diet

Ninth Grade

Got terrible stomach virus at start of year
Developed hand tremor
Found out I was anemic with collagenous gastritis. (I suspect it was actually iron overload aka Morley Robbins theory.)
Treated with Prilosec and iron supplements
Ate relatively low carb
Lots of tennis

Tenth Grade

Developed IBS
Discovered IGG and IGA deficiency and low vitamin D
Got SIBO diagnosis
Restricted diet even more by eliminating gluten and dairy
Lots of tennis and track

Eleventh Grade

Diagnosed hypothyroid
Took synthroid without success
Lots of tennis and track

Twelfth Grade

Unrestricted diet as doctors convinced me that undereating was the cause of my issues. I went from 130lbs to 160lbs.
Lots of tennis, track, and weightlifting

Freshman Year of College

Ate paleo style to drop weight, dropped to 150lbs.
Main issues were insomnia, chronic dry mouth, cold hands and feet, GERD, bloating, anxiety

Summer Before Sophomore Year Through End of Sophomore Year

Started eating a lot again, unrestricted, and went up to 175lbs over the course of a year with lots of heavy lifting
Fasting blood sugar of 99 and then 104
Same symptoms as freshman year
Tried things like megadosing zinc, megadosing vitamin D without success

Junior Year Through March 2021

Same symptoms as freshman year, but slightly improved due to nutrient density
Got shingles and recovered
Ate lots of eggs, whole milk, liver, oysters, ground beef, chocolate, liver, potatoes, rice, bagels, butter — Ray Peat style
Felt a bit better and warmer, but exhaustion became a symptom
Had negative reactions to magnesium supplements despite low RBC
I was trying to implement root cause protocol (Morley Robbins) after discovering my ceruloplasmin was low
Donated blood per Morley Robbins advice. Of all the stuff I have done, this provided the most benefit to me in terms of improved thyroid function and general sense of wellbeing, but still had tons of issues

Present

Discovered thiamine and this website and began thiamine supplementation. First with thiamine mononitrate March 20, 21. Suddenly, I had energy.
Switched to 250 mg Benfotiamine with 120 mg magnesium on March 24^th.
Switched again to 100 mg Thiamax with 125 mg magnesium on March 25th.

We Need Your Help

More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

Yes, I would like to support Hormones Matter.

Image by hansmarkutt from Pixabay.

The Thiamine Book: What Reviewers Say

by Chandler Marrs, PhD

Published on July 18, 2018

5266 views

Since releasing our book: “Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition,” we have received many positive reviews. Here are what the readers say.

What the Reviewers Say

From Erin:

As a patient, this book has really opened my eyes. For over two years now, I’ve suffered from debilitating symptoms due an adverse drug reaction to metronidazole (aka, Flagyl). These symptoms mysteriously wax and wane—some days I barely notice them and then, due to a mild illness or physical exertion, they resurface, sometimes forcing me to back to bed to rest and recoup for days at a time or longer…
…Every single one of my symptoms is listed in this book. It even explains why they keep flaring up.

From Metabolic Mom:

This book was life changing to say the least! After reading it, I was able to see thiamine issues back into my childhood and discovered I was presently dealing with full blown beriberi. After 6 weeks of supplementing with thiamine, my thyroid function is coming back to normal levels without medication. That’s pretty incredible since Drs tell you that you have to take medication for the rest of your life. I’m so thankful for this book! It’s expensive but the information is invaluable! Read it and then read it again!

From Jean:

This book is a god send, it addresses many specific ailments that have accumulated because of B1 deficiency, now I have a scientific reference tool to aide in my healing…

From Healthytoo:

…“Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition” will rapidly become the authoritative source on thiamine, and, hopefully, will stimulate fruitful medical research on this important topic.

From Integrative Doc777:

Chandler Marrs and Derrick Lonsdale have written a wonderful, informative, well-researched book on thiamine (vitamin B-1). They cover the history of thiamine deficiency disease (Beriberi), thiamine’s importance to the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, its importance in mitochondrial aerobic energy production, and specific health conditions along with case studies that demonstrate that targeted thiamine supplementation can be profoundly useful for seemingly hard to understand health conditions. I’m hoping the authors will write books on the other B-vitamins because they are masters at covering the essentials and beyond. Dr. Dean Raffelock

From Simon:

…This book outlays the entire model on how many of the “common” diseases, seen in the 21st century, is a result of this high calorie malnutrition, with Thiamine acting as a gatekeeper all the way down to the mitochondrial level.
I highly recommend this book, from my hero Dr Derrick Lonsdale and his co author on this Dr Chandler Marrs.

From Kelly Brogan MD:

As a conventionally trained physician who came to see the limitations of the allopathic approach, I am so grateful to have this science-based text supporting the vanguard of natural healing. The truth is that we are getting sick in more and more complex ways, and dysautonomia is emblematic of the ways in which our bodies are struggling in the setting of malnutrition and toxic burden. This text is clinically relevant, evidence-based, and entirely readable. In fact, a deep desire to contribute to the healing of “mysteriously” sick patients comes through in the tenor of this writing. For clinicians and struggling patients alike, this text is a one-of-a-kind essential resource on the newest biology of healing.

From Edward Manning:

As a primary care physician, I can attest that the book “Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition” by Lonsdale and Marrs should be required reading for all physicians. It points out a glaring deficiency in our concept of disease. We all see puzzling clinical presentations that often may be explained by nutritional deficiencies.

From Russell Johnson:

As a non-medical professional, I read Dr. Lonsdale’s book for two reasons: The first was to know even more about Dr. Lonsdale,whose knowledge, skills, and persistence literally saved my youngest daughter and later her second born son from having less than a full and normal life. The second was to better understand for myself, why given today’s medical advances, many patients are still condemned to a life of less physical and/or mental potential because their doctor followed the “standard treatment.” Obviously, for non-medical people, such as myself, the book is a “tough read” in terms of the scientific vernacular it uses – but it can be done, and by working through it, I think that any non-medical person will become a better patient or caregiver. When I am finished with the book, I intend to donate it to the Chief Medical Officer of our State with the recommendation to send it to all of the Doctors in the State.

From Kenneth Hull:

This amazing information.
Giving real direction to so many of us that have a wide spectrum of mystery illnesses.
I learned so much following Dr. Marrs’ Facebook page, Hormones Matter. Reading Dr. Lonsdale’s articles.
Real Hope. Real Help.
The book was a must have. It does not disappoint.
I suggest buying a copy for your Doctor too!

From Amy (Dr. Russell Schierling):

Incredible Book that Covers Much More than the Title Suggests. Back in my days at Kansas State University, I was a dual major in their nutrition / exercise physiology program, where I naturally took lots of classes on diet. There were any number of 3rd world diseases that I learned about, including beriberi. Dr. Marrs’ book explained how relevant beriberi (vitamin B1 deficiency) is to our modern Western culture as well as the fact that it’s not just a third-world phenomenon —- another example of what living a high carb lifestyle does to metabolic function. From a ‘Functional Medicine’ point of view, this book is groundbreaking, showing how numerous metabolic pathways are fouled up when people consume too much processed junk. “Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition” is not only relevant to today’s primary care provider, it’s a primer for thinking outside the box, with every point made backed by peer-review. When I first got this book several months ago, I was writing notes in a spiral notebook for a book review on my website (which I hope to do this summer). Before long I realized that my review might end up being longer than the book itself. Since reading the book I’ve become a regular follower of Dr. Marrs’ work on her Hormones Matter website, where she covers any number of equally important and related topics. Dr. Russell S Schierling (using my wife’s account), Dr. Schierling.com.

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