Monthly Archives: April 2011

In my previous post, I described my interest in leading a life based on scientific evidence. The next step is to find groups and information resources that help achieve that goal.

Research Databases:

ACM Digital Library: an archive of computing research

arXiv: an archive of scientific papers in a variety of quantitative fields

Elsevier Journals: a list of scientific publications

Google Scholar: a search engine for scholarly literature

IEEE Xplore: includes millions of documents covering engineering and technology

JSTOR: a repository of academic content

PubMed: the leading database of medical references

SAGE Journals: a database of scientific publications

ScienceDirect: a large index of published scientific research

Science.gov: a search engine for 200 million pages of government scientific information

ScienceWatch Journal List: a list of thousands of scientific journals

Scirus: an incredibly comprehensive scientific research tool

SJR: a list of thousands of scientific journals and their ranking

SpringerLink: an index of millions of scientific articles

SSRN: a database of social science research

Wiley Online Library: a database of scientific publications

Science News:

Eurekalert: aggregates scientific press releases

PhysOrg: an extensive source of science news compiled by editors with scientific backgrounds

Science Daily: another source of frequently updated science news

University Rankings:

Academic Ranking of World Universities: features lists of the top universities in the world

Princeton Review: lists and ranks colleges

QS Top Universities: has lists of universities

SCImago Institutions Ranking: a ranking of academic research institutions

U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges: features college rankings and lists

Science Organizations:

University department web sites: these tend to be a great source of information on scientific advancements, especially sites created by research universities and schools with large endowments to fund research

Research institutes: private institutes also have plenty of useful information on their sites

Corporate R&D departments: some companies reveal very little information on their research and development efforts, but other departments (like IBM Research) share details of what they’re working on

Updated 7/4/2012

Living scientifically involves at least two important steps:

1. Examining every habit and belief (or at least the major ones) to check for scientific accuracy

2. Finding and implementing beliefs and behaviors that have predictive power

Scientific cause and effect determines everything that happens in the world. Whether or not an individual spends a lot of time focusing on scientific evidence, science still determines every aspect of a person’s life. I’m a huge fan of scientific information. I’ve read lots of information on science including popular books, works on the history of science, thoughts on the philosophy of science, press releases, textbooks, academic papers, and posts by blogging scientists. I’ve come to the conclusion that all of science can be summed up with two defining factors. These two elements are:

1. Explanatory power: This means that a certain theory explains some phenomenon in the universe better than other explanations.

2. Predictive power: This means that a scientific explanation can predict some aspect of the universe.

There’s a huge amount of work involved just in scientific speculation and getting to the point where a theory can be tested. I think it’s fair to also call that work scientific. The reason is that all of the preparation is focused on the ultimate goals of achieving explanatory power and predictive power. Dr. John Timmer, who has a PhD in molecular and cell biology and teaches at Cornell, outlines some other goals of science:

• Scientists on Science: The Questions

Other important aspects of science include:

• natural law

• peer review

• tentativeness

• data

• models

• theories

• evaluation

• testability

• falsifiability

• reproducibility

Groups like Quantified Self and Evidence Based Living are working to help people use data and research to improve their lives. There are many papers with useful predictive power stashed away in some corner of the Internet that would be helpful to many individuals and organizations. Data-mining thousands or even millions of papers to find explanatory and predictive power is an exciting area of scientific research. The predictive power of a theory is one of the best features of science. Predictive knowledge gained from science has huge implications in running a business or a society. Finding better predictors of longevity is a major goal of medicine.

Many people have trouble making up their minds about various ideas. I’m one of those people. I’ll read about something and completely change my worldview. Then the next day I’ll read about an opposite interpretation of the same thing and change my opinion again. There has to be a better way, and I finally found it. The key is to pursue scientific truth. Millions of scientific papers have been published in the past few decades. These papers have relevance to human life and decision-making. It’s important to focus on science-based research that has explanatory and predictive power. I need to cultivate the ability to change beliefs and actions in an instant if replicable scientific evidence shows that something in the world has changed or proved me wrong.

Here are some barriers to pursuing scientific truth. I encountered these problems in the past and hope to avoid them in the future:

• Being swayed by irrelevant news:

The key to getting the most accurate information about a topic is to find which side has the better explanatory and predictive capabilities. It’s difficult to do that if people get their news from journalists and politicians instead of replicable science-based research. It’s best to search for sources of information with explanatory and predictive power, since those items the basis of what science is. This technique can work for many scientific topics, since everything in the world is determined by science.

• Wanting everyone to like you:

If you’re the type of person who wants everyone to like you, it’s easy to be swayed on divisive topics by which side has the greatest hostility. Many people have an inherent desire for self-preservation. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I would change beliefs based on which side seemed more aggressive. If people from a certain religious organization or political party seemed more hostile, I would agree with them. If people from another religious organization or political party seemed meaner, I would then agree with them.

That’s the wrong way of going about it. Hostile internet commenters are probably mentally ill. Mean people in general are also probably mentally ill. There’s nothing wrong with mental illness per se. It’s just that if you think of people as repositories of information, hostile individuals are sharing corrupt and inaccurate information. In fact, the hostility of a commentator or side of the debate may be a contrary indicator. The anger may indicate that the person or organization has turned to emotional arguments since they know the evidence isn’t on their side.

Scientific cause and effect determines everything that happens in the world. Global events will become more exciting as research from biology and physics gains more precision and begins to influence every aspect of human life as we know it. Everything happens for a reason. I don’t mean that in a spiritual way. We live in a universe of causality. Giving up new age belief systems and embracing science is the most effective way to save the world. Science can also unify the people in the world. It’s possible to talk about nanotechnology or molecular biology with another person without regard to their race or cultural background. Some of my most fulfilling conversations have happened this way. It doesn’t matter what demographic category a person belongs to as long as he or she has a basic understanding of the topic. Science is a shared language that transcends the barriers that separate people.

Science is also based on greater precision than folk wisdom. Continually updated and science-based information also provides better knowledge than the study of history. History only tells you what was possible. Science tells you what is possible and what can become possible in the future. One way to get started with this involves determining the relationships among people and institutions and events to gain a better understanding of them. That sets up the potential to think of all the possibilities of how these entities can influence each other. Then you can begin the work of predicting the actions of individuals and organizations. Arguing about what should be done about a situation isn’t very effective if you can’t predict potential outcomes. Scientific information can be turned into indicators like KPIs and dashboards to accurately understand the world on a moment-to-moment basis.

Systems thinking is an important conceptual model to have in a scientific decision-making toolkit. In systems thinking, you examine how a potential choice will affect a variety of variables and outcomes related to the decision. Scientific information sometimes focuses on single variables. Isolating individual pieces of evidence is important in scientific research. It’s also important to combine the entire corpus of evidence to understand how all the experimental results interact. One way of doing this is to engage in systems thinking. This involves thinking of every entity in the world and every scientific result as part of a complex system with multiple interacting parts.

In addition to generating new information, there’s a need for people who will synthesize and process information. Maybe artificial intelligence and better algorithms can become even more effective at searching for trends in information. Systems like EUREQA analyze scientific information. IBM’s Watson supercomputer is already making medical diagnoses. A potential next step is to enlist its capabilities in processing all of the published scientific information in certain areas of study.

It’s also important to gain precision when studying human behavior. In research that involves human subjects, it’s important to pay attention to actions instead of survey data. It’s more valuable to find out what people do instead of just what they say. Most psychology studies involve homogenous groups of undergraduate students. A way around this situation is to use greater precision in measuring human biology by studying diverse groups and using techniques from neuroscience.

Many individuals and companies base their goals on intuition or conventional wisdom. It’s important to base goals on scientific evidence instead. An organization can examine their goals and rank their value and ease of accomplishment using scientific evidence. By evidence, I mean published peer-reviewed research in addition to the results of tests conducted by the organization. Strategic planning and strategies in life and business need to incorporate scientific evidence.

The rise of citizen science – science outside the system – has an important role in the future of research. Scientists are sometimes worried about their careers and reluctant to take risks. Some professors and researchers are courageous enough to ignore unscientific conventional wisdom and pursue research that potentially offers better explanatory and predictive power. There is still a need for people to perform daring research that has a high chance of failure. Science hobbyists have fewer professional constraints. As the cost of research equipment continues to drop in price, open source scientists can accomplish more than ever before.

Living scientifically goes beyond simply earning money. Some politicians and pundits and education leaders say there’s a shortage of scientists. I don’t think that’s true. If there really was a shortage, postdocs would be earning $140,000 a year instead of $40,000 a year. If money isn’t a good motivator for going into science, what other forms of motivation could get the public interested in scientific fields? Many people want to get rich, find love, be healthy, and look good. In other words, they want to get paid, get laid, and get made. Scientific interest would dramatically increase in the world if scientists provided a greater focus on how to achieve those goals.

The scientific method can not only be used for making discoveries, but also as a useful thought experiment for decision making. When thinking about a decision, one strategy is to let socially conditioned ideas fall away and think purely in terms of cause and effect, action and reaction, decision and outcome. Some people are opposed to giving up their belief in right and wrong and acting only on cause and effect terms. That’s why this is just a thought experiment. It’s not an embrace of moral relativism. It’s not about discarding emotions. It’s an extra tool in your toolkit for thinking of decisions in terms of their most basic components.

If those reasons aren’t enough to live according to scientific evidence, there’s another argument. There’s no escaping from science. It’s a system that even rich people are subject to. There’s no way of avoiding it. Everytime you’re in accordance with science, you win. Everytime you go against science, you lose. Some people talk about major scientific failures of the past as a reason to be skeptical of the scientific method. It just means it’s important to increase the level of precision or improve the experiments. Scientific failures are the result of designing poor experiments or measuring the wrong things. Even wealthy people can’t escape science. They have advantages insofar as they can gather more data, hire better scientists, and create better experiments. But no matter what they do the scientific method is still in effect. Science can be very subversive. Results of experiments can overturn widely held belief systems. Scientific findings can change entire societies. The application of science can disrupt established power structures and create entirely new ones.

Many successful people keep lists of goals for short-term and long-term scenarios. Here’s an interesting way to set and keep track of goals in a way that incorporates reality and science. Start by creating a list of goals with the following categories:

1. Physical and mental health

2. Relationships

3. Career

4. Finances

5. Material goods

6. Social contribution

7. World events

Next, go through and rank goals in each of the categories on a graph, with the two axes as follows:

1. Label one axis as “effort required to accomplish”

2. Label the other axis as “scientifically plausible”

As you acquire new information while working on the goals, update the goals and their placement on the graph.

The future of science is incredibly exciting. Let’s live scientifically.

Update: My post Resources for Living Scientifically describes some ways of finding accurate scientific information.

Updated 6/6/2012

The New Evolution Diet is a book by Dr. Arthur De Vany, an economics professor who has also studied nutrition for decades. His interest in nutrition came about when doing research to solve his family’s health problems. That research paid off, as Dr. De Vany discovered science-based methods of improving health. He has been studying and advocating paleolithic nutrition longer than nearly anybody. The goal of his book is to combine research from anthropology and biochemistry to discover the best human diet. The book cites plenty of scientific research in the endnotes. The list of meal plans is also very helpful.

Following are some of my notes from the book, though I also recommend buying it and not relying on these notes alone.

• Early humans who lived on a paleolithic diet were tall, muscular, and lean. Men looked like NBA guards and rugby players. Women looked like healthy supermodels with an hourglass shape.

• When contemporary hunter-gathers enter industrialized society, they end up with health problems.

• Modern lifestyles and diets lead to problems with metabolism and inflammation, which in turn cause most illnesses.

• Our genes are still very similar to those of the human beings who lived 40,000 years ago.

• Humans evolved with genes designed for an active lifestyle instead of a sedentary lifestyle.

• Increased muscle mass leads to the release of substances that promote health.

• Giving up sugar and starches will stabilize blood glucose and decrease the amount of insulin needed by diabetic patients.

• Short bursts of high-intensity exercise lead to better results than long, moderate, regimented exercise.

• Measurements that are important indicators of health and longevity include: fasting insulin level, body composition, strength, sprinting time, and testosterone (for both males and females), C-reactive protein level, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

• Snacks aren’t necessary, as eating between meals keeps the body’s insulin level higher than it needs to be.

• The New Evolution Diet food pyramid is (from bottom to top, meaning most to least):

1. water when thirsty

2. colorful vegetables

3. meats and seafood

4. fruits

5. nuts, good oils, and other healthy fats

6. fresh spices

• Other food suggestions:

1. Eat whole foods.

2. Eat some food raw.

3. Eat a variety of foods to balance out toxins.

4. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly.

5. Eat only two or three meals a day rather than snacking.

6. Don’t deprive yourself of food.

• Eating meat and fish promotes feelings of satiety.

• Adequate protein intake is important for maintaining bone mass.

• Organic, grass-fed meat and small fish are better to eat than factory farmed animals or larger fish.

• Fruit contains fructose, so it’s best to not eat too much of it.

• Watermelon may elevate testosterone.

• Good nuts to eat are almonds, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, and filberts. Cashews, peanuts, and seeds can have too many toxins and carbohydrates.

• Omega-3 oils can reduce inflammation.

• Foods to avoid:

1. grains, since they contain antinutrients

2. dairy, which contains excess growth hormones and antibiotics

3. starchy foods (potatoes, root vegetables, green beans, and lima beans)

4. oils (since enough fat comes from meat)

5. added salt

6. processed food

7. soy products, which are high in estrogen and toxins

8. peanuts, which contain the carcinogenic toxin aflatoxin

• Brief and intermittent fasting improves insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammation and oxidation, and turns on the body’s repair mechanisms. It increases the average and maximum life span by as much as 67 percent in rodents. Intermittent fasting also decreases the incidence of tumors and kidney disease in animals. It may also help treat stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases.

• Low levels of insulin and carbohydrate lead to DNA preservation through gene repair, stress resistance, and cell maintenance.

• A branched chain amino acid supplement can reduce sugar cravings.

• The paleo diet stabilizes blood glucose, which leads to improved mood, fewer feelings of hunger, and increased willpower.

• The worst foods to eat include pizza, wheat bread, soy products, refried beans, rice, casseroles, processed white flour, energy bars and drinks, artificial sweeteners, cereal, and high-fructose corn syrup. These foods lead to unfavorable alterations in metabolism and promote a stress response.

• Short intense exercise sessions are best because they promote mitochondrial health and prevent excessive cortisol secretion.

• Beneficial exercises to do in short intense sessions are: stationary bike, leg curls, seated leg extension, leg press, seated cable row, barbell row, incline dumbbell press, and lateral raise.

• Good aerobic workouts include sprinting in short intense bursts and then walking. Other good aerobic workouts are tennis, basketball, and jumping then squatting.

• There’s no advantage to letting muscle recover between sets.

• Negative repetitions are great muscle builders.

• Contracting against the stretch of the muscle is another way to build and retain muscle, and is best done with machines for safety reasons.

• Eating right after a workout is a bad thing, since it shuts down the fat-burning phase and suppresses metabolic gene expression.

• Sugar, grain, and alcohol consumption can lower testosterone.

• Important predictors of health status are lean body mass, low fasting insulin, leg strength, grip strength, and low inflammation.

• Glucose restriction improves DNA repair.

• A low-glucose diet suppresses factors associated with aging such as free radicals, glucose protein molecules, glycosylated protein, and advanced glycation end products.

• Good supplements include:

1. vitamin D

2. omega-3 fish oil capsules

3. melatonin (before bedtime) taken occasionally

4. branched-chain amino acids (15 grams with each meal for one week on, one week off until you reach your desired body composition, and 5 grams a day after that)

5. antioxidants (such as Ultrathione Health Packs)

A couple of months ago I read the book Relaxation Revolution by Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist who founded the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. The book is an awesome introduction to the science of meditation. I knew that meditation could lead to changes in the human brain, especially in the prefrontal cortex. What I learned from the book is that meditation can also lead to genetic changes. The book covers some information that was previously published as the following medical paper:

• Genomic counter-stress changes induced by the relaxation response

Research published in the field of epigenetics has shown that a variety of behaviors can impact the human genome. The research conducted by Dr. Benson and other physicians demonstrates the effectiveness of meditation in “activating” genes associated with health and “deactivating” genes associated with illness. There is only a one in ten billion chance that these results were due to chance alone, indicating a strong effect for meditation.

The book also discusses many other research studies that demonstrate the health benefits of practicing meditation.

When it comes to talking about psychiatry and psychiatric medications, some groups of people are opposed to them in varying degrees. Some of these organizations are completely unscientific and it makes sense to ignore them. Other people are merely a little skeptical of pharmaceutical companies. It makes sense to be skeptical, since it’s easy to find cases of pharma companies skewing the evidence in these ways:

• ghostwriting papers for academic researchers

• burying data that doesn’t support the company’s desired conclusions

• skewing data with statistical trickery and other sleight-of-hand maneuvers (such as testing a drug in young test subjects when it will actually be prescribed to elderly people)

• spending money on marketing medications that offer few benefits over existing ones

• paying doctors to be spokespeople for medications with flimsy evidence

I don’t have any argument with those skeptics. Other critics accuse pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists of disease-mongering, where medical organizations relabel normal human behaviors as mental illnesses. In this post, I’m going to take the side of academic and industry organizations in their push to classify more human behaviors as mental disorders. That’s because the old human experience just doesn’t cut it anymore.

I used to be skeptical of psychiatry before discovering the extensive research linking human behaviors to biological causes. Some of the best evidence comes from brain scans and autopsies which illustrate the neurological differences between mentally healthy and mentally ill people. Those types of studies undermine many of the arguments from the antipsychiatry movement.

The average human brain isn’t capable of dealing with many of the scientific and technological challenges the world faces. Improving resilience in the face of stress could dramatically enhance human capabilities. Better human brains could help deal with the world’s environmental and economic problems. Many people around the world want to be smarter. Increasing human intelligence through medication would allow people to escape from poverty.

Even though I’m arguing in favor of classifying aspects of the human experience as treatable disorders, this process still needs to be based on scientific evidence. It’s not as simple as saying something like:

“crazy girlfriend = borderline personality disorder”

Evidence for mental illnesses should come from:

• genetic testing

• neuroimaging

• studies that show the ability to predict life outcomes

The current system of diagnosing disorders and prescribing medications is not yet based in science, but it can be someday.

The growing legal economy of medical marijuana brings together three great trends: capitalism, healing people, and increasing enjoyment of life. Many research studies highlight the medical benefits of cannabis. The Dr. Oz site also has videos and articles about medical marijuana. The American government is dealing with three simultaneous wars, massive debts, levels of high unemployment, and rising oil prices. Even though the DEA continues to operate, it is becoming increasingly difficult for federal and state governments to enforce laws against drug use (both legal and illegal).

More states such as Colorado are taking matters into their own hands and creating medical marijuana registries. In 2009, United States Attorney General Eric Holder said that the USA would end raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. With America still experiencing economic problems in 2011, federal and state agencies are continuing to make tough decisions about which laws to enforce and which to ignore. Legalizing medical marijuana or marijuana in general could also prevent Mexico from turning into a dangerous and failing country that threatens American border security.

Two of the best introductions to the business of marijuana are:

• Marijuana Inc – a documentary about the marijuana industry which became the most popular show ever broadcast by CNBC

• How Marijuana Became Legal – an extensive article explaining how marijuana use has effectively been decriminalized in some places

Two recent books also provide informative introductions to the business of medicinal marijuana:

• Cannabiz – a history of the medical marijuana industry by journalist John Geluardi

• Joint Ventures – a book examining the rise of the medical marijuana business by CNBC reporter Trish Regan

Following is a list of some of the major companies in this space. The marijuana economy also includes thousands of smaller dispensaries around the world.

• Altitude Organic – premier medical marijuana dispensary

• ArcView Group – an investment group that invests in medical marijuana businesses

• Boss Enterprises – provides consulting services for the medical cannabis industry

• Cannabis Medical Solutions – provides merchant services for medical marijuana businesses

• Cannabis Science – works to commercialize phytocannabinoid pharmaceutical products

• Cannamerchant – provides point of sale systems for medical marijuana dispensaries

• Centennial Seeds – produces seeds for medical marijuana

• CW Analytical – ensures the safety and quality of medical marijuana products

• Full Spectrum Labs – provides product certification and safety testing to the medical cannabis industry

• General Cannabis Inc. – an umbrella company that has several divisions in the medical marijuana space

• GrowOp Technology – creates hydroponic and agricultural equipment for growing medical marijuana

• Igrowhydro – provides indoor gardening equipment

• Kaneabis – a hedge fund being developed to invest in the medical marijuana industry

• Medical Cannabis Network – a company that makes the StrainBrain technology that detects and categorizes marijuana strains

• Medical Marijuana Inc. – provides business and management solutions to the marijuana industry

• Medicine Dispensing Systems – offers dispensing technology for medical marijuana

• Oaksterdam University – offers training for the cannabis industry

• OD Media – marketing for the cannabis industry

• Prairie Plant Systems – Canada’s contracted producer of medical marijuana

• Quick Trading Company – provides information products about cannabis

• WeGrow – provider of hydroponic systems, grow lights, and more

Many state governments are involved in economic development. Kansas, where I live, has a bioscience authority that works to attract biotechnology businesses to the state. Along similar lines, states like New Mexico are helping create entire marijuana business ecosystems. According to the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program site, New Mexico has approved the production of marijuana by licensed growers.

Updated 10/14/2011

The TIOBE Index is a widely used measure for ranking the popularity of programming languages. It’s been criticized on various criteria. I wanted to explore some alternatives for measuring the usage of programming languages.

• Langpop tracks a group of indicators to measure programming language popularity.

• The Transparent Language Popularity Index is an open source tool that measures the popularity of programming languages on the web.

• Jobs Tractor ranks language trends in programming jobs.

• RedMonk is a technology analyst firm that ranks programming languages.

• Programming book sales are another indicator of programming language popularity. The State of the Computer Book Market from O’Reilly Publishing describes sales trends in programming books.

• You can check LinkedIn profiles of software developers at top companies. These are the companies that have raised the most venture funding or received the most media buzz or generated amazing technical achievements. Then you can find out what programming languages are most popular. Information on funding rounds can be found on Crunchbase. Techmeme aggregates news about new and exciting startups and technology achievements.

• You can use sites like Alexa, Quantcast, and Compete to examine the levels of traffic to the most popular sites devoted to discussing certain programming languages.

• IT salary surveys are another useful resource. Most of these reports tend to talk about sysadmin skills instead of development skills, but some of them mention salary expectations connected with knowledge of specific programming languages.

• Sites like Dice and Indeed are other places to examine the popularity of programming languages in relation to certain job markets.

• Code search engines and code hosting sites may also provide useful information on the types of languages being used in projects (most of which are free or open source software). An example is GitHub’s Top Languages page.

Updated 5/22/2012

Post traumatic embitterment disorder is one of the most interesting mental disorders being proposed for inclusion in the DSM-V. The DSM-V will be the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the body of information used by psychiatrists, therapists, pharmaceutical companies, and insurers to diagnose and treat mental disorders.

One aspect of PTED that’s so interesting is that it gives a name to a phenomenon that’s readily apparent in the world. All of the following personality types seem to be suffering from embitterment disorders:

• People who can’t let go of grudges to the point where their hatred of a person or thing totally consumes their life

• Angry commenters on internet message boards who repeatedly and consistently express anger towards a certain person, organization, or idea

• Stalkers who operate in the real world as well as virtual worlds

A German researcher named Michael Linden conducted most of the research on this disorder. Here’s selection of papers on the topic by Dr. Linden and others:

• Posttraumatic embitterment disorder (PMID: 12792124)

• Post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED). Differentiation of a specific form of adjustment disorders (PMID: 14722662)

• The psychopathology of posttraumatic embitterment disorders (PMID: 17318008)

• Posttraumatic embitterment disorder in comparison to other mental disorders (PMID: 18087208)

• Suggestion of a new diagnostic category: posttraumatic embitterment disorder (PMID: 18330747)

• The Post-Traumatic Embitterment Disorder Self-Rating Scale (PTED Scale) (PMID: 19229838)

• (Post-traumatic) embitterment disorder: critical evaluation of its stressor criterion and a proposed revised classification (PMID: 20148750)

I imagine that this disorder is probably caused by abnormalities in the brain’s serotonin system. Having a low level of serotonin is linked to aggression. PTED shares similarities with obsessive compulsive disorder, as people with OCD have trouble shifting their focus away from intrusive thoughts. OCD involves problems with the serotonin transporters in the brain. Deficiencies in GABA and BDNF may also be related to frequent feelings of embitterment.

Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and co-owner of NorCal Strength & Conditioning. His gym is ranked as one of the top 30 gyms in America by Men’s Health. His book The Paleo Solution is endorsed by Professor Loren Cordain, the researcher who literally wrote the book on the paleo diet. The book also has endorsements from UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and NFL player John Welbourn.

Following are some of my notes from the book. The book cites hundreds of research studies in the endnotes, but for reasons of simplicity I’m not including them here.

• Epidemiological studies show that sugar – not fat – is associated with obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

• Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were very healthy. They were as tall or taller than modern Americans and Europeans. Despite a lack of medical care, they had remarkably low infant mortality rates and had more than ten percent of their population live into their sixties.

• Hunter-gatherers were virtually free of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cavities, bone malformations, near-sightedness, and acne.

• Hunter-gatherers had strength and endurance on par with modern athletes.

• Our genes are still nearly identical to those of the early humans who lived 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.

• Starchy agricultural crops provide a fraction of the vitamins and minerals found in fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.

• Many diseases are caused by inflammation: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autoimmunity, infertility.

• Protein releases a relatively large amount of the hormone peptide YY, which is very satiating.

• Excessive fructose is involved in the development of obesity, depression, and diabetes.

• Eating nutritious fruits, vegetables, and good fats avoids the problems associated with eating nothing but protein.

• The paleo diet helps reduce insulin resistance, oxidation, and inflammation. Those processes are behind the development and progression of many diseases.

• Many types of cancer share a common mechanism related to hyperinsulinism. Elevated levels of insulin increase the likelihood of DNA errors that lead to cancer. Elevated insulin also derails the system of apoptosis. That’s a bad thing, since it means the elimination of the safety net that normally kills cells that become cancerous.

• Elevated insulin can also lead to prostate enlargement, polycystic ovarian syndrome, uterine fibroids, nearsightedness, fibrocystic breast disease, infertility (in both males and females), alopecia, and other problems.

• Gluten and grains are addictive and the cause of many health problems. They lead to gut irritation, increased systemic inflammation, impaired nutrient absorption, and the potential for autoimmune disease. Even quinoa irritates the gastrointestinal tract.

• Conditions that can be prevented and treated by giving up grains: celiac, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjogren’s, multiple sclerosis, reproductive issues, vitiligo, Huntington’s, narcolepsy, allergies, multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, gall stones, dysphagia, Type 1 diabetes, schizophrenia, autism, depression, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, hypothyroidism, porphyria, and more.

• The components in grains disrupt the hormonal signaling cascade. This in turn makes people feel hungry most of the time.

• Grains have molecules that fit into the opiate receptors in the brain, making them addictive.

• Dairy and legumes can also cause inflammation and gut irritation. They can aggravate autoimmune diseases.

• Eating more fruits and vegetables is a healthier alternative to eating grains.

• In every clinical trial performed, low-carb diets provide more weight loss and better cardiovascular disease prevention than high-carb, low-fat alternatives.

• Lauric acid is commonly found in coconut oil and palm oil. It has antiviral properties that fight HIV, chicken pox, cytomegalovirus, and other viruses. It also helps heal gut irritation. Populations that consume large amounts of lauric acid have low rates of cardiovascular disease.

• Stearic acid decreases Apollo protein-A (a marker of systemic inflammation).

• Oleic acid improves insulin sensitivity and glucagon response.

• Eicosapentaenoic acid is a potent anti-inflammatory, thins the blood, and blocks angiogenesis (one of the mechanisms necessary for cancer to spread).

• Docosahexaenoic acid is critical for fetal brain development and normal cognitive functions throughout life. Adequate amounts of DHA can help prevent preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression. DHA has antitumor and anti-inflammatory actions.

• Linoleic acid (found in vegetable oils) is pro-inflammatory. Nuts and seeds should be eaten sparingly, since the Omega 6 fatty acids in them can lead to a pro-inflammatory state.

• Gamma linolenic acid can act as an anti-inflammatory agent.

• Arachidonic acid is critical for adapting to exercise, muscle repair, and brain function – but can be harmful in excessive amounts.

• Trans fats (aside from the small amount of trans fats found in grass-fed meat) ruin liver function, knock blood lipids out of alignment, and destroy insulin sensitivity.

• In general, omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory and omega 6 fats are pro-inflammatory. A strategy for rebalancing in favor of good fats is to eat grass-fed meat and small wild-caught fish and also to avoid sources of omega 6 fats (seed and grain oils).

• Our hunter-gatherer ancestors only worked 10 to 15 hours per week. They spent the rest of the time socializing, traveling, and playing.

• Increasing levels of cortisol lead to a decrease in testosterone levels.

• High cortisol levels lead to the death of gray matter in the brain.

• Making the bedroom completely dark by covering up light sources is a way to improve sleep.

• Alcohol turns off the release of growth hormone, so if you drink, drink earlier in the evening.

• The NorCal Margarita (2 shots of gold tequila over ice, juice of 1 lime, splash of soda water) is better than other drinks, since it has less sugar and less gluten. The lime juice blunts insulin release and the carbon dioxide in the soda water extracts the alcohol from the drink and delivers it to your system faster.

• Owning more material goods doesn’t make people any happier.

• Exercising leads to beneficial epigenetic changes.

• Exercise benefits the functioning of hormones like growth hormone, IGF, and BDNF.

• Interval training leads to greater improvements in body composition, VO2 max, and power production.

• Good exercises include squats, walking lunges, push-ups, body rows, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, push presses, dumbbell presses, dumbbell rows, and ball slams.

• Some ways to enhance training include increasing reps, increasing the intensity, circuit training, laddering (adding one repetition to each movement of a series of movements), moving a wheelbarrow loaded with heavy items, and using a weighted backpack or weight vest.

• For people with autoimmune conditions, cutting out the following foods (in addition to grains, legumes, and dairy) can be helpful: eggs, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers.

• Good foods to eat more of include colorful vegetables, herbs, spices, small wild fish, lean meat, olive oil, coconut oil, and coconut milk.

• Grass-fed meat is healthier than grain-fed meat.

• Grass-fed butter is fine to eat occasionally (except for people with autoimmune conditions) since it has a better fatty acid profile.

• Fruit can have too many carbs for some people to handle. Vegetables are an equal or better source of nutrients.

• Supplements are only useful when following the other guidelines in the program.

• Vitamin D can help prevent or treat cancer, autoimmune conditions, infertility, insulin resistance, Types 1 and 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory conditions.

• Low Vitamin D levels are a risk factor for contracting the H1N1 influenza virus and experiencing the cytokine storm that leads to the deaths caused by the virus. Inflammation also worsens the cytokine storm.

• People with signs of systemic inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, or autoimmune conditions would benefit from 1 gram of fish oil for every 10 lbs of body weight (such as 25 g of fish oil per day for a 250 lb person). As the healing process accelerates, this amount can be decreased. Most healthy people are fine with a dosage between .25 g and .5 g per 10 lbs of body weight.

• Magnesium supplementation can help prevent or treat insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and chronic fatigue/fibroyalgia. Magnesium is relaxing and good before bed. If supplements paradoxically excite you, take them in the morning instead.

• Digestive enzymes can be important supplements for people who experience gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune disease, or significant systemic inflammation.

• Probiotics are important to the digestive process and in protecting the gut lining.

• Iodine can treat amenorrhea and other estrogen-related and insulin-related issues in women.

• Alpha lipoic acid and N-acetyl-L-carnitine can reverse insulin resistance, treat diabetic neuropathy, reverse symptoms of dementia, and improve concentration.

S.C.O.R.E. for Life is a book by Jim Fannin, the mental performance coach who gained fame for his work with Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid baseball player of all time. Jim Fannin coached Roadriguez before every single game of his career. Rodriguez even wrote the foreword to Fannin’s book. Many aspects of the S.C.O.R.E system were originally based on research studies performed alongside several professors from Ohio State University. It’s an excellent book and a fun read. The book shares some similarities with other works on sports psychology, but Fannin has developed a set of techniques that are truly ahead of the game.

Following are some of my notes from the book. The acronym “S.C.O.R.E.” stands for five traits:

Self-discipline

Concentration

Optimism

Relaxation

Enjoyment

The Mind of a Champion:

• Champions have only 1,100 to 1,300 thoughts per day. They have fewer thoughts but hold them longer.

• Champions perform detached from the future. They live in the moment without anxiety towards potential outcomes.

The Zone:

• A person is in the zone when he or she is totally immersed in the present moment.

• Thoughts lead to emotional reactions. If you don’t like how you feel, change how you think.

Self-Discipline:

• Write down aspects of the various arenas of your life (Self, Romantic Relationship, Family, Finances, Friends, Hobby). Then identify potential coaches for each area.

• Identify negative thoughts in each area and ways to reduce those thoughts.

• Follow these three steps:

1. Create a collection of visions for your life. See something positive in the future for each of your arenas.

2. Create no more than five goals with timelines that you will accomplish to reach the vision in each arena. Make the goals measurable.

3. Break the goal down into necessary action steps for reaching your goals and eventually fulfilling your vision.

• Develop a daily routine where you visualize your ultimate goal, and the steps you will take to reach it. See each step of the goal in your mind’s eye.

• Four types of visualization are: task imagery (visualizing the same task over and over), situational imagery (visualizing the task while adding conditions and circumstances), symbolic imagery (visualizing a metaphor for success), and aftermath imagery (visualizing what happens after your vision or goals have been reached).

• Create routines that will lead towards the accomplishment of your goals.

• Determine the essence of each of the arenas of your life. This includes the highest-impact actions that will lead to success.

Concentration:

• Focus for extended periods of time until your goals are met.

• Train to develop Zone vision, where your eyes double or triple their shutter speed to give you the illusion that everything is in slow motion or the objects are larger than normal.

• Frame your day and your performances by beginning and ending with purpose and enthusiasm.

• Engage all of your five senses.

Optimism:

• Avoid negativity and negative people.

• Have a supreme belief and expectancy that you will succeed.

• Stand up straight and keep your chin up.

• Use positive self-talk.

• As you go to bed, select a goal and visualize it as being accomplished. Repeat the same visualization upon awakening.

• While in a relaxed state, repeat the following phrase silently to yourself and say it as if it’s so: “I believe in me.”

• Believe you’re the best even before you get the rewards.

• When you make an error or mistake in any endeavor, be prepared to do one of the following immediately after the performance:

1. Act like it didn’t happen. No thought. No judgment. No acting like a victim or judge.

2. Do it over correctly in your mind.

3. Gather your energy for the next objective, target, or performance.

4. Make a deposit of positives. Say the desired results as if it’s so. Use an affirmation.

• Continue practicing the basics of the actions that lead to your goals so you don’t become overconfident.

Relaxation:

• Breathe through your stomach, especially when the intensity of the moment increases.

• Get a massage (major-league baseball all-stars get massages).

• Loosen your jaw and stick your tongue out to relax (like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in their greatest performances).

• Tense and release the muscles in your body.

Enjoyment:

• Add more laughter to your life in order to perform better.

• As absurd as it sounds, try skipping to improve your mood and improve your performance.

• Reward yourself for a job well done.

S.C.O.R.E. Levels:

• Measures for tracking S.C.O.R.E levels:

1. S – This person has goals and is committed to achieving them. He is patient and under control of the situation. He is punctual and ready to perform immediately. He has strategies and tactics and is prepared to alter them if necessary.

2. C – This person has high quality in their work or play. She is accurate. She performs with little distraction. She only needs to be told once when given direction. She completes each task before moving on to the next.

3. O – This person is confident and looks confident. He is always upbeat and looks for solutions instead of dwelling on problems. His verbal and nonverbal language is positive.

4. R – This person is calm and cool under pressure. She does not worry or express anxiety. Her jaw is unhinged as she performs, and she breathes normally.

5. This person is a delight to be around. He laughs and exudes enthusiasm and excitement. When he performs, you can feel his passion for the activity.

Why Do S.C.O.R.E. Levels Fluctuate?:

• S.C.O.R.E. Breakers: criticism, gossip, dirty look, crossed arms, disappointed head shake, bad weather, bad lighting, bad luck, misunderstandings, injustice, trouble in social relationships, delays, interruptions, worrying, concern over what other people think, low self confidence, unrealistic expectations, thinking of negative past events, anticipating negative future events, not knowing certain information, uncontrolled sexual impulses

• S.C.O.R.E. Makers: praise, inviting smile, warm embrace, look of delight, beautiful weather, music, good luck, fulfilling social relationships, being knowledgeable, good sleep, good nutrition, exercise, romantic love, platonic love

The S.C.O.R.E. System:

• Have goals for different timelines: lifetime, annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily, a single performance, and a single moment

• Reboot the brain when things are going poorly: Take a deep breath and visualize a blank scene. Unhinge your jaw. Relax your tongue and be still for 10 to 15 seconds. Then open your eyes, raise your chin above parallel, and direct your full focus to the task at hand.

• Have strategies and tactics to restructure a situation if things are not going well (such as asking a question to change the flow of a conversation).

• Conduct objective performance evaluations whether you win or lose.