Amazing Olive Oil Benefits, How to Spot Fake Olive Oil

Some recent studies are showing that olive oil can help (a lot!) with cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It can help with diabetes. It can reduce inflammation and the chance of strokes.

But much of the olive oil in stores, including those labeled “Extra Virgin”, are cut with other vegetable oils. Read the article below to get the full story on the amazing benefits of olive oil, how to buy REAL olive oil, and how to test what you have to see if it’s OK.

The Amazing Benefits of Olive Oil (Be Aware of Fake Olive Oil)

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

Olive Oil is considered a superfood source.

It is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats. The key fatty acid in olive oil is oleic acid. This fatty acid has been found to be responsible for lowering inflammation.

Research also suggests that oleic acid can reduce levels of important inflammatory markers like high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and Interleukin-6.

Reduced Stroke Events Associated with Consumption of Olive Oil

Thirty-two cohort studies (42 reports), including 841,211 subjects found that olive oil was the only source of monounsaturated fat associated with a reduced risk of stroke.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Olive oil intake has also been shown to lower blood pressure. In one study, olive oil reduced the need for blood pressure medication by 48%.

The study found that a single dose of high polyphenol olive oil increased endothelial function (cells lining the interior of blood vessels), decreased “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidation, and moderated blood glucose.

Diabetes Benefits

Several studies have found that olive oil, combined with a Mediterranean diet, can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and improve insulin sensitivity.

Olive Oil and Helicobacter pylori

A study in humans suggested that 30 grams of extra virgin olive oil, taken daily, can eliminate Helicobacter pylori infection in 10–40% of people in as little as two weeks.

The results of lab studies showed olive oil’s phenolic compounds were effective against eight strains of H. pylori, including three that are resistant to some antibiotics.

Choose Your Olive Oil Wisely

Turns out many companies that make extra virgin olive oil dilute their product with cheaper, lower-grade oils like canola, safflower, or sunflower oils.

Brands that passed the University of California test were: Bariani, California Olive Oil, Kirkland Organic, Lucero, Lucini, McEvoy Ranch Organic, Olea Estates Ottavio. Look for the approval California Olive Oil Council (COOC Certified Extra Virgin).

If in doubt, you can test for fake olive oils yourself. Simply refrigerate the oil. It should become more solid as it gets colder. If your oil doesn’t become thick and cloudy in the refrigerator, you know it’s probably fake or lower-grade oil.

In addition, you can look for the seal denoting approval by the California Olive Oil Council, labeled as “COOC Certified Extra Virgin”

Seals of approval from the Italian Olive Grower’ Association, the Extra Virgin Alliance (EVA), and UNAPROL also signal a good pure product.

My advice: stick with high-quality brands that passed the University of California test of that have earned a seal of approval from one of the organizations I just mentioned.

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23278117/
https://www.nature.com/articles/1602724
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586551/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25274026/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8517637/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13129466/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15447913/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15380903/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10737284/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19531025/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22759331/

What’s Your Waist to Hip Ratio? Your Health Depends on It

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a quick measure of fat distribution that may help indicate a person’s overall health.

What does a person’s waist-to-hip ratio say about their health?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), having a WHR of over 1.0 may increase the risk of developing conditions that relate to being overweight, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

This may be the case even if other measures of being overweight, such as body mass index (BMI) are in normal range.

The following chart shows how the WHO classify the risk of being affected by weight related health conditions according to WHR:

Impact on Health

Research shows people who are “apple-shaped” are at a greater risk of certain health conditions than those who are “pear-shaped” (when the hips are wider than the upper body).

These health conditions include:

Cardiovascular disease: One study found that abdominal obesity increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Another study found the WHR predicted cardiovascular disease more effectively than BMI or waist circumference. A third study found that WHR is a better indicator of risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease than waist circumference alone.

Type 2 diabetes: A 2016 study found that an increased waist circumference was linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Fertility: A 2002 study found that women with a WHR of over 0.80 have a lower pregnancy rate than those with a lower WHR, regardless of their BMI.

A 2006 study with almost 15,000 older people (75 years of age or older), it was concluded that “waist to hip ratio” is more important than how much you weigh. The researchers looked at the relationship between waist to hip ratio and Body Mass Index (BMI – how we measure weight for height) and how many people died over the next 6 years.

As it turned out, WHR is even more accurate than BMI for predicting the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death. In other words, it was “location, location, location” of fat that was most important – not how much you weigh. 

More studies include related to WHR and Health Issues include:

A 2021 study found that WHR is an accurate tool for predicting hypertension.

A 2015 study showed that increased WHR is a better indicator than BMI for predicting complications in trauma patients.

A 2018 study shared that a high WHR was a significant predictor of death in women with heart failure.

A 2016 study found that a high WHR was associated with hypertension and diabetes.

The Health Benefits of Decreasing WHR

A 2020 study found that decreasing WHR by 5 percent significantly lowered risks of developing chronic kidney disease in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

So how do you measure your waist to hip ratio? You need a tape measure and a calculator. Here’s how you do it: 

1: Measure your waist at the smallest point – usually at the naval or just above it
2: Measure you hips at the widest, largest part
3: Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement (Waist Measurement ÷ Hip Measurement)

The idea here is that your waist should be smaller than your hips. If your waist is bigger than your hips, than you may have too much fat concentrated around the middle part of your body – something known as “intra-abdominal obesity”.

The concept is quite simple here in that intra-abdominal fat is bad for your health.

Conclusion

Measuring a person’s WHR is a quick way to get an indication of:

1. Overall health
2. Obesity levels
3. Risk of weight-related health conditions

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

References:

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/m14-2525
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejhf.1244
https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-016-0297-z

Nervous System “Switching:” Tattoos, Piercings & Scars Can Damage Your Health

Do you have a health problem that hasn’t resolved with conventional medical treatment? 

A possible reason for your frustration is “Autonomic Dysregulation” or nervous system switching. Over the past three decades, I’ve seen thousands of chronic cases resolved only because I could test for and help the body to heal from nervous system switching.

Most medical schools in the US don’t teach nervous system switching, so your doctor has probably never heard of it. However, it’s not uncommon and can have a devastating but hidden effect on your health.

Scars, including tattoos, are the most common cause of nervous system switching.

“Autonomic dysregulation” is the technical term for nervous system switching. Switching causes the electrical orientation of your nervous system to “switch” back and forth from positive to negative. Switching can happen once every few minutes to once every few milliseconds.

Common Switching Symptoms

(If you find yourself on this list, you should consider getting tested):

• Getting suddenly worse or better from a health problem with no apparent reason. Also, you may alternate back and forth between recovering and relapsing.
• A treatment, remedy, supplement, or drug working to help you heal suddenly becomes ineffective.
• Some drugs may have opposite effects (for example, coffee puts you to sleep).
• Drugs may work in extremely large or small doses only.
• Extreme sensitivity to drugs or supplements.
• You have health conditions that should resolve, but you just can’t get well.

What Causes Nervous System Switching?

Your body runs itself using a special dedicated nervous system called the autonomic nervous system (“ANS”). The ANS is a private network that you have no control over. It handles your heart rate, digestion, immune system, etc.

Most of the nerves in the ANS are right under your skin. There are so many that if you took away the rest of your body and just left your ANS, you’d still be recognizable.

If you cut through your skin, these underlying ANS nerve cells are damaged. If the cut doesn’t heal completely, it will leave a scar.

Sometimes a damaged nerve cell inside a scar won’t heal and will partially block a nerve path. This blockage can store up electrical energy from the nervous system and then suddenly release it. This sudden charge released into your ANS can flip the entire nervous system’s polarity (positive or negative electrical charge) for an instant.

Nerve cells heal slowly, so this condition can go on for many years. The scars can be from surgeries, accidents, tattoos, piercings or other causes. If you have several scars, not all of them may be causing the problems, so it’s important to test to find out which one(s) are involved.

There are other causes for nervous system switching, such as infections, toxins, and even dead teeth.

Testing for Nervous System Switching

The most accurate way to test for switching is a lab test called Heart Rate Variability or “HRV,” usually used for nervous system research.

How HRV testing works:

Your autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate beat to beat, depending on internal and external environmental factors. By measuring the variability of your heart rate, beat-to-beat-to-beat, and comparing this measurement between standing and lying down, it’s possible to determine the condition of your ANS. The test takes less than 10 minutes and is highly accurate.

Treating Switching Scars and Tattoos

Short Term: To temporarily stop switching (usually up to a few days), you can laser the scar for about 5 to 10 minutes with a “cold” laser (a laser using bio frequencies of 600 to 700 nanometers). I use these lasers in the clinic. You can find them for about $300.

Long Term: Repeatedly treating the scar with vitamin E may eventually break down the scar tissue and assist the damaged nerve cells to heal. I usually tell patients to rub the oil on their scar twice a day for at least three months.

Both these techniques can be effective on tattoos as well.

When other stresses are causing nervous system switching, more specific treatment techniques are needed.

Patient Stories

These stories are from patients whose nervous systems were switching. Resolving the switching was instrumental in their successful treatment.

Thanks to following Dr. Billiot’s advice and recommended supplement regimen, my health has significantly improved. Not only have I lost weight, but my cholesterol, blood sugar, and A1C are now within normal limits. I look forward to continuing to see improvement and am super thankful!— M.M.

I’ve had four months of normal periods for the first time in my life! I’ve ovulated properly and my period has been on a consistent schedule. I’ve also been producing normal levels of hormones by myself for the first time ever! I’m very proud of my body!— S.R.

HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE

The High-Performance Health Trap

“I create my own success in life. (I don’t waste time with excuses or blaming others.)”

This can be the high-performance attitude of:

• Corporate CEOs
• Sports heroes
• Moms
• Employees working their way to a better job
• Entrepreneurs and business owners
• Teachers
• YOU!

If this is YOU, ask yourself this simple question, and give yourself an honest, thoughtful answer:

WOULD I PERFORM BETTER AND BE HAPPIER IF I PHYSICALLY FELT BETTER?

Does your answer start you thinking of multiple health issues you are ignoring? Sleep, energy, digestive problems, weight, pain, brain fog, memory, concentration?

Just for a second, imagine your life without these health problems. How are these problems slowing you down, frustrating you, worrying you, or frightening you?

ARE YOU IGNORING THESE PROBLEMS BECAUSE YOU DON’T THINK THEY HAVE A SOLUTION?

Did you ask your doctor about these problems and get no help?

High-performance people commonly push through health issues. Nothing stops them! This habit can become a trap when the problems aren’t temporary. The person can just keep going until they crash.

If You Feel Bad, Something is Very Wrong

The truth is that if you take the right actions, you can reverse your health issues, improve your performance and happiness, and avoid worse problems in the future.

If you don’t do anything effective about your health, your happiness can be reduced. Your health may worsen, and you may eventually have a health problem that your doctor can diagnose. At this point, treatment will likely be long-term medication to control a symptom while your health continues to deteriorate.

There Is a Solution That Will Work for You

The truth: You can resolve your problems and return to a higher level of physical and mental performance. As a high-performance person, this may be all you need to know.

Are you ready to prioritize your health, so it gets handled? The alternative might be kicking the can down the road.

You Don’t Need a Treatment; You Need a Guide and a Program

For problems that don’t respond to medical treatment, no single treatment is likely to help. Your problem is probably more complex than a single drug, supplement, or diet solution.

You need an entire program to work with your body, diet, and lifestyle to restore your life and health. You’ll also need a guide working with you through the program to ensure you get a full result.

This doesn’t have to be hard. It could be done in less time than you may be imagining.

I understand how you feel; it was my own frightening health experiences that inspired my clinic. I’ve been where you are myself.

I’ve been helping cases like yours for 28 years and have developed a comprehensive program that is individualized and unique to you. What I do isn’t a secret! You can go to my Information and Education Hub webpage and read as much as you like about what I do and how it works.

Here is your plan:

1. Use the link below to go to my online health quiz, (or just call to talk to us.)
2. If you submit your quiz, we’ll call you for a phone consultation to determine if it’s likely that we could help you.
3. You’ll get started toward feeling better and achieving your health goals.

START A PLAN!

Feeling So Much Better!

The Secret Willpower Formula

How many of your health problems could improve if you had more willpower?

What if you:

• Stopped eating sugary foods?
• Exercised regularly?
• Went to bed on time?
• Drank less (or no!) alcohol?
• Stopped smoking?
• Ate fresh vegetables and lean meats instead of fast or processed foods?
• Didn’t skip meals?
• Stopped eating junk food?

Doing this list (if you only could!) might improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, energy level, concentration, joint pain, cholesterol, weight and make you much happier.

Now, you know this already. So what’s stopping you? (Joke)

The Flip Side

So imagine that you will not be successful with the list above.

• You might have to start (or continue) taking prescription medications that reduce some symptoms while doing nothing to improve your health, which may become worse.
• You may have to continue living with your health problems and any new ones.

Health care has never been as technologically advanced as today. You should be able to find some help and recover your health and happiness. But for many, this can be highly elusive.

Twenty-five years ago, I was stuck in this exact problem. I had a severe health condition and was given a choice, basically, between infertility and possible death. Lovely.

Happily, I was able to get my health back AND have a family.

What I learned could help you as well.

I’ve spent the past 28 years successfully helping over 10,000 patients recover from “impossible” health conditions.

The Secret Formula

A big part of getting your body to improve its health is diet and lifestyle.

So, that puts us right back at the beginning: Willpower!

Here is the formula I’ve discovered that can solve willpower problems:

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO DO THINGS THAT WORK.

Changing your lifestyle and diet can be challenging. If you can’t see the difference or if the changes leave you feeling terrible (hungry, hangry, tired, sore, and deprived), it’s hard to be successful.

But what if the changes you tried WORKED? What if you felt better, could think more clearly, lost weight, had less pain… and didn’t feel hungry, hangry, tired, sore, or deprived?

An Example:

You come to me with a health problem that seriously impacts your life. I tell you, “Modify your diet like this, take these supplements every day and come get acupressure treatments a couple of times a week.” You do what I say, and you are so much better within a few weeks.

If I ask, “Was that hard to do?” you’ll say, “No! It wasn’t hard; everything I did worked!”

If I then ask, “Here’s what I need you to do next. Are you up for it?” you will be happy to do whatever I ask—as long as it works.

If you have done treatments, drugs, diets, or exercise that didn’t work, this explains why it all seemed so hard.

The Takeaway:

Diet and lifestyle changes are very hard to do. Unless you get immediate positive feedback, these changes are all but impossible to continue long-term.

Most health conditions are well beyond the point of being cured with only diet and lifestyle improvements. It can take quite a bit more help to get your body “over the top” and healing.

There is a technology that addresses these issues successfully, and can result in regaining your health AND lifetime improvements to your lifestyle and diet.

A big part of getting your body to improve its health is diet and lifestyle.

So, that puts us right back at the beginning: Willpower!

Here is the formula I’ve discovered that can solve willpower problems:

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO DO THINGS THAT WORK.

Changing your lifestyle and diet can be challenging. If you can’t see the difference or if the changes leave you feeling terrible (hungry, hangry, tired, sore, and deprived), it’s hard to be successful.

But what if the changes you tried WORKED? What if you felt better, could think more clearly, lost weight, had less pain… and didn’t feel hungry, hangry, tired, sore, or deprived?

An Example:

You come to me with a health problem that seriously impacts your life. I tell you, “Modify your diet like this, take these supplements every day and come get acupressure treatments a couple of times a week.” You do what I say, and you are so much better within a few weeks.

If I ask, “Was that hard to do?” you’ll say, “No! It wasn’t hard; everything I did worked!”

If I then ask, “Here’s what I need you to do next. Are you up for it?” you will be happy to do whatever I ask—as long as it works.

If you have done treatments, drugs, diets, or exercise that didn’t work, this explains why it all seemed so hard.

The Takeaway:

Diet and lifestyle changes are very hard to do. Unless you get immediate positive feedback, these changes are all but impossible to continue long-term.

Most health conditions are well beyond the point of being cured with only diet and lifestyle improvements. It can take quite a bit more help to get your body “over the top” and healing.

There is a technology that addresses these issues successfully, and can result in regaining your health AND lifetime improvements to your lifestyle and diet.

Did You Unknowingly Consent to Damaged Health?

Do you agree with this statement?

“If I had health problems or developed them, I’d go to my doctor to make sure I didn’t have anything serious, and to get treatment options so I can feel better and avoid future complications.”

.

So far, so good, right? How about this statement?

“If my doctor diagnosed me with a “chronic” disease and recommended a long-term medication, I wouldn’t be happy about it but would probably take the meds to avoid more problems in the future.”

(“Chronic” means it doesn’t go away or keeps coming back, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, depression, diabetes, digestive problems, anxiety, female hormone problems, etc.)

.

Did you accept this, or did you have doubts?

Did you feel that long-term drugs were inevitable, or were you upset that your health had fallen to this?

Did you wish for some other solution than drugs but have no idea what to do?

Did you realize you just received a “life sentence”?

When you are prescribed a long-term medication, you are being told that you’ll have this disease long-term, maybe for the rest of your life.

These medications do not “cure” your condition, they (attempt to) manage the symptoms. Meanwhile, the condition will likely worsen, and new conditions will often occur.

Do you wish for some other solution than drugs but have no idea what to do?

Your prescriptions may be protecting you from some serious consequences of your condition but may not be effective with the concerns and symptoms that affect your day-to-day life. Also, your health isn’t improved by these drugs, and your now-compromised body is very likely to develop more problems.

.

Your Prescription May Be Causing New Health Problems

Many medications affect your nutrition:

• The medication can attach itself to a nutrient and pass it out of the body
• The medication can alter the pH in the gut so that the nutrient can’t be adequately absorbed
• Some medications need specific nutrients for them to be able to work and may cause deficiencies.

The Failure of Conventional Medicine

You CAN Be Happy and Healthy

Blood Pressure Medications and Nutrient Deficiencies

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

I first want to give you a brief overview on how medications impact important nutrients.

HOW MEDICATIONS AFFECT NUTRIENTS
The following are a few ways that blood pressure medications can affect how our bodies absorb essential nutrients.

• The medication can attach itself to a nutrient and pass it out of the body
• The medication can alter the pH in the gut so that the nutrient can’t be properly absorbed
• Some medications need specific nutrients in order for them to be able to work.

The Following are Blood Pressure Medications, Nutrients Commonly Depleted and the Negative Impact of the Deficient Nutrients

ACE INHIBITORS
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE Inhibitors) are one of the most commonly used families of blood pressure medicines. Examples include; ramipril, enalapril, lisinopril, quinapril, fosinopril, trandolapril and captopril.

Nutrients that can be depleted by these medicines are zinc, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Deficiencies in these nutrients can cause hair loss, slow healing of wounds, loss of taste or smell, prostate problems, loss of sex drive, frequent infections, leg cramps, weight gain, bone loss, high blood pressure, higher risk of cancer

CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS
Another commonly used family of blood pressure medicines. Examples include; amlodipine, nifedipine, felodipine, diltiazem and verapamil.

Nutrients that can be depleted by these medicines are potassium, calcium, vitamin D and possibly Co-Enzyme Q10.

Symptoms that can occur due to deficiencies in these nutrients are fatigue, leg cramps, frequent infections, thirst, muscle weakness, bone loss, confusion, high blood pressure, confusion, heart disease and rapid or irregular heartbeat.

BETA BLOCKERS
Examples of beta blockers include; atenolol, metoprolol, sotalol and bisoprolol.

Beta blockers can deplete the body of Co-Enzyme Q10 and melatonin.

Symptoms that can occur due to deficiencies in these nutrients are insomnia, disrupted sleep, increased risk of cancer, autoimmune disorders, muscle cramps, memory loss.

CENTRALLY ACTING BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS
Clonidine and methyldopa are examples of this.

These blood pressure medications can deplete Co-Enzyme Q10.

Depletion of Co-Enzyme Q10 can result in fatigue, weakness, muscle and leg cramps, memory loss, frequent infection, liver damage, higher risk of heart attack, higher risk of cancer.

Conclusion

The above blood pressure medications may in fact cause nutrient deficiencies making it more important to consider supplementing with these nutrients to decrease the negative symptom consequences

IMPORTANT

Always discuss this important information on blood pressure nutrient deficiencies with your healthcare provider.

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

References:

Pharmavite. Common drug classes, drug-nutrient depletions, & drug-nutrient interactions. www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/about_us/sponsored_resources/Nature%20Made%20Handout.pdf. Accessed September 20, 2019.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5874849/
https://nutritionreview.org/2016/12/practical-guide-avoiding-drug-induced-nutrient-depletion/