By: Jim Goetz Keto Project Movie Phase 1 is officially in the film!!! The last five plus years has been an arduous process of preparation and self discovery. Without the previous 5 years, the present would not be taking place and the following 5 years would not occur in the absolutely magnificent manner it is unfolding as. The Keto Project Movie is not simply about Dr. Mike Brandon eating hamburger patties as designated by the double blind test panel. It is about quality of food and how simply labeling something with jargon such as, keto, paleo, organic, etc. does not equate in any way to a lifestyle filled with vibrant success and longevity. Yes, one can manipulate hormone levels in a positive manner to regulate blood glucose levels and even body fat. However, from a cognitive and performance perspective, it really is all about quality. At least that's my theory. This movie is testing it and the end result you will be able to watch from the comfort of your own home on your favorite streaming media player (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Youtube Plus, etc). I am making this movie to not only entertain you but to bring forth the understanding and true knowledge in how to become a better version of yourself. If you can tell me that you are extremely happy in all aspects of life (relationships, career, financially, physically, spiritually), then I tip my metaphorical hat off to you. Congratulations!!!! I am confident I will in turn learn much from you. But if certain aspects are lacking, often times it is a result from our reality and that reality is strictly perception. Perception is an idea that is created in our brain through a myriad of electrochemical events that can be either positively or negatively manipulated by our external and internal environment. We have the power to put the proper ingredients into our finely tuned and very special bodies. Excuses of money or time or external influences can be made all day why we cannot eat how our bodies are designed to function optimally. I hear these excuses daily. But on a much grander scheme, what I am really hearing is excuses on why someone desires to fail in life and experience the pains, agony and struggles as opposed to both the physical and spiritual enjoyment of positive growth that we are blessed with in this very short experience in our current lives. Seth Kaelin of Standard Process Interview In my journey across the globe for the Keto Project Movie, I wanted to include the brightest of the bright. I met Seth Kaelin FNTP, CNP, BCHN who is the president of Clinical Wellness Solutions Inc and representative for Standard Process, while I was still a student in chiropractic college at an Association of New Jersey Chiropractors conference. I made it a point to go to every conference even while I was just a student as well to seek him out as he had extra meal replacement bars and I was typically hungry. We continued to keep in touch over the years and I had signed our clinic up to carry their products when needed for appropriate patient needs. I also personally attend many of the educational webinars he hosts with various experts in the functional medicine field. When I called Seth to be a part of the film, I intended for him to give us his view points on how to do a "roto rooter" on Dr. Mike Brandon's digestive tract. After consuming 600 Burger King burgers for a month (with zero other nutrients), it was felt that the overdose of the Standard American Diet (being fast food), required some TLC for his finely tuned body. Seth did not disappoint and discussed agonist/ antagonist relationships between many nutrients as well as types of diets and how they came about, benefits and who should use them and when. Seth was a welcome part to the film and will absolutely bring the pop to your living room! Neurological Results As referenced in a previous blog on this site, we had a full brain map completed of Dr. Mike Brandon's brain complete with thermal imaging. As the after results are not yet in, I will hold off on this for now and publish this when they are in at a later date. However, the experience to get there is still worth the mini entry. The date we had planned to go visit Sadar Psychological Services in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania was August 3. This was the day phase 1 ended for Dr. Mike. However, this was also the day that Tropical Storm Isaias hit New Jersey in full force. Now a tropical storm typically isn't that bad of a storm when you are in a state such as Florida. Electrical engineering is designed to withstand the winds and rain. Building structures are designed to stay put. Roads are designed not to flood. Even trees are designed to sway and bend and not snap across a road. Our journey from New Jersey to Pennsylvania was in no way designed to withstand a tropical storm. However, in the spirit of science and adventure, the FIT crew embarked on what should have been an hour and a half journey. When you multiply it by two (coming and going), it would equate to a three hour tour. A Gilligans Island foreshadowing took effect. Six hours later, we were back in New Jersey soaking wet and without a brain map completed. Fortunately we were able to get in the next day as Dr Mitchell Sadar PhD, BCN, BCB- HRV, Angelika Sadar, MA, BCN, BCB-HRV and Amy Bernsteil are avid professionals and beyond supportive in this endeavour in the Keto Project Movie. While attempting to get to Phoenixville, PA from Colts Neck, NJ, we encountered rain blindness on the highway, downed trees, downed power lines, motor vehicle accidents galore, rock slides and rivers that took over roads. At one point I decided to see if we could drive through an area of road that was covered in water flowing across it. The two chances were that we either made it through or we lost the car. As I got further into the stream and realized it was a mighty Mississippi sibling as it raced past my knees, I realized that driving through it was not the best of ideas. Regardless, we did indeed get the testing accomplished. Results will be published once available. Physical Performance Testing In my crossover FIT Lab/ NFL combine testing...Dr. Mikes end results sucked. There's no way to soften that blow. He was in no way remotely close to strength, endurance, power, or speed. He sucked. His performance decreased I believe as a result of poor nutrition. He was not getting the nutrients necessary to perform at a high level as a complete 30 year old male. I do not believe this had as much to do with the type of diet he was consuming as opposed to the quality of food he was consuming. Fortunately, the movie has a lot more of him sucking wind. For now, you will have to take my word for it. I am confident that his future performance will improve when we retest him in 30 days and 60 days from now. Ketone Testing Ketone testing was interesting but not. Dr. Mike had zero carbohydrates for a month (other than perhaps the idea cellulose or other may be included in the all beef patties). However, we have yet to reverse engineer the hamburger patties so I cannot say for sure. He technically remained in ketosis (0.5mm/L - 3.0mm/ L) with his results for the month. Yet even after his 5 day fast, he never reached over 2.0. The vast amount of protein he consumed would elevate glucose levels and thus insulin levels in the blood and keeping his results lower. It was the 5 day water fast he did post burger consumption where his ketone levels did not budge much that caused an eyebrow to be raised. If his post physical performance exam did not suck so badly (medically speaking....SUCK), I would have believed his body was becoming more keto adapted and thus gluconeogenesis took effect and replenished his muscles with glucose. Here are his results week by week (average): Week 1: 0.8 mm/L Week 2: 1.8 mm/L Week 3: 1.0 mm/L Week 4: 1.4 mm/L Blood Laboratory Results As much fun as it is sticking Dr. Mike with a needle... let's face it. Some don't mind. Some do it for science. Dr. Mike does it for both. As Dr Mike is okay with waiving his HIPPA rights for science and the Keto Project Movie, his results are posted blow as well as a discussion of them. Realistically, if you want to be the subject of many eyes- there is no such thing as privacy.
Aside from the physical performance aspect left to analyze, Dr. Mike completed a myriad of aqueous lab testing. Most individuals do not like being stuck with a needle. They will do it either because mentally they don’t mind it or they are doing it for science. Dr. Mike falls into both categories. Now I could easily make a movie and not quantify anything. It would be entertaining and make people think and hopefully create a positive experience for them. But really good things in life are not easy. They are hard and one earns them through diligence and persistence. When we do not quantify our goals, we leave subjective reasoning to tell us what changes we are making. Then we get stuck at some aspect and have no guidance for which to interpret results and change direction. Weaknesses in the universe can become opportunities. When a football team fails to penetrate a defense and earn meaningful yardage to score, various coordinators and the head coach utilize film and information from the players to create a new plan. If the defense fails to adapt, the stagnant team will overcome their failures and become victorious. The same goes with us as humans. Let’s use weight loss as an example. Individuals will look in the mirror, use a scale or determine changes by how their clothes feel (either looser or tighter). Yet if someone has a high level of reverse T3 and low free T3 while having normal levels of TSH and T4, they will fail. This is just one of many examples that lead me to the expression, “If you’re not testing you’re guessing and always test for success”. I sincerely believe that quality of food matters. I have stated for a long time that our bodies are finely tuned machines. If we utilize poor quality fuels, our bodies will perform poorly and even break down often. If we utilize only the highest of quality of fuels, our bodies will thrive and rarely break down. Yet most individuals don’t even realize what fuels are high quality for them. Many individuals have not even done an IgG or IgA panel or micronutrient assay. These are some basics that I recommend to do yearly as our bodies change. Our environments change. Our bodies change the way they react to our environments. This is more important than a CBC! Even if a CBC is off, there are reasons to why it is off. Often times these two basic tests can give you answers. Imagine if your diet consisted of chicken and chocolate peanut butter whey protien shakes and all of those foods were causing an inflammatory reaction? This is exactly what was happening to my wife Chantea as she was training for her first NPC figure show. She was doing literally everything right and did amazing! But once she cut out these things and we replaced them with end grass fed beef and pea protein and almond butter shakes in flax milk, she thrived! In reviewing Dr. Mikes lab results (above), many things can be ascertained. One thing is for certain, the 600 burgers and water did have an effect on Dr. Mikes body. Despite the extremely high amount of iron consumed, his iron levels did not exceed the reference range. However, it did go up quite a bit from 90 ug/DL to 142 ug/DL. This is significant! If Dr. Mike is anemic (as appears he may be but I will get into that later), this may have helped a bit, which would not have happened if he were eating a purely vegetarian diet. It would be interesting to see if this level would continue to rise or if he would level out somewhere. Now his vitamin D levels are obscenely low! Over the past month they went up 7.6L to 13.1L. This went up most likely as he has been to the beach far more this month than ever before. Dr. Mike does not spend much time outside in the sun. This will affect his hormone production in being so low. It’s recommended he consume between 10,000 iu - 20,000 iu per day of vitamin D3 and retest this in 3 months. His B12 levels are high but being water soluble does not appear to be a big deal. As this level was always within the appropriate range, the anemia would not be pernicious anemia (type so many vegetarians encounter). His B vitamin levels did rise due to his diet as beef is extremely high in B vitamins (crucial for so many physiological processes). Dr. Mikes total cholesterol went up to still not enough. He went from 149 mg/DL to 182 mg/DL. From an anti-aging and vitality standpoint, I would be more comfortable if his total cholesterol was around 220 with a ratio of HDL to LDL at around 1. Yet it may be understood that his extremely low vitamin D levels are not allowing his body to synthesize cholesterol and thus adequate hormone levels. Some aspects to take into consideration is that Dr. Mike is extremely physically active and fit. However, these extremely low levels of cholesterol would typically be deducted from either over training, taking a medication such as a statin or low vitamin D levels or a combination. Dr. Mike is on zero drugs or supplements and is being overseen by myself for his training and Chantea Goetz utilizing HRV biofeedback to quantify his autonomic nervous system. Dr Mikes triglycerides went up by two mg/DL, which is not the end of the world but interesting enough. Now we get into some fun pannels (not that the previous ones were not interesting). The first being inflammation. Aside from myloperoxidase (MPO), everything went up with only the oxidized LDL becoming critical. His LP-PA2 test shows a significant increase in blood vessel inflammation. While not critical yet, the amount that he went up in being an individual who is physically active and gets plenty of rest each night is alarming. Dr. Mike typically consumes zero sugar and consumed zero sugar this entire month. It would be deduced that these levels rose to higher levels due to oxidized fats in his diet. End grass fed theoretically should not have these so we should see that after phase 3. Persistence of consuming sub par meat may lead to heart disease. This also includes organically raised (grain fed) fish. Vegetable oils would also be understood to cause inflammation such as this. Homocysteine levels are understood to be indicative of risk of heart disease. Dr. Mike is now at the upper echelon of what would be considered appropriate. Unfortunately for him, I consider upper or lower ranges to also tell a story. The real big story is the oxidized LDL. These are now in unhealthy levels flowing through his blood vessels causing damage everywhere they go. He now has higher levels of LDL while also being oxidized. This is a recipe for disaster! I would have thought sodium levels might have been higher. However, they are not. This may be due to the extreme amounts of water Dr. Mike was drinking daily. However, with this being said, he is still showing signs of decreased renal function (kidney). Albumin levels and BUN levels are high. This could also be due to very large amounts of protein being consumed. The liver breaks down the protein into nitrogen and ends up in the kidneys. It will be interesting to see what these levels are after consuming zero non end grass fed beef for 30 days. With far lower amounts of protein than even required being consumed, it’s believed these levels will drop. Albumin is also high. As hydration does not seem to be the factor, then most likely this is due to high levels of protein in the burgers. What is fascinating is that liver enzymes returned to normal. I will admit when I first saw Dr. Mikes initial labs, I was about to scrap him as a test subject. He was not consuming alcohol and does not have hepatitis but was showing inflammation of his liver. It would have been more appropriate if post 30 days of burgers his enzymes increased. Most likely he had an infection, perhaps subclinical allergic reaction and was asymptomatic. Let’s discuss thyroid function. The most important of all the thyroid hormones is T3. This is the active form of the thyroid. It is the most responsible hormone for your metabolism. Dr. Mike is low. His reverse T3 is in the upper range and increased from 7 to 23 ng/DL. His TSH and T4 remains mostly the same. As T3 decreases, TSH should increase to increase T4, which in turn increases T3. His body is no longer converting to the active form of thyroid (free T3). As a result, in time, his metabolism will decrease. Despite eating only his caloric requirements, he may unknowingly begin to gain body fat and decrease muscle tone as he will not realize his caloric requirements decreased. Sex hormone binding globulin (SBGH) is high. This means other hormones are binding to this protein. This is causing low levels of estradiol, free testosterone and T3. Now Dr. Mike previously had low estradiol and lower than what I would consider appropriate levels of free testosterone for being 30 years of age. His SBGH was also normal at baseline. All of his levels have now plummeted. When it comes to Dr. Mikes copper to zinc ratios- they have become poor. There is a strict inverse yet positive relationship between the copper to zinc ratio and systemic oxidation. Systemic oxidation leads to premature aging of the body. Think about the Statue of Liberty and if that oxidation you see on the outside were to occur within your body! However, his ratios were lower most likely due to the amount of zinc he was receiving. It will be interesting to see how this progresses in his next tests. Dr. Mike claims no changes in sexual performance as backed up by his very willing Irish Catholic virgin girlfriend awaiting their marriage and only time to be with one another as the time they procreate either a strapping well rounded young man or equally as well rounded and amazing daughter. Most likely this will change as the weeks tick by. As testosterone raises so too does estradiol. They will appear equally as low together. Progesterone is high in efforts to raise his hormones. However, with chronically low vitamin D levels, his hormones are a mess. I am going to currently leave the interpretation of his CBC alone until we can rule out some other findings that may be unrelated to the film. Dr. Mike agreed to get an ultrasound of his heart to rule out a DDX in regards to basic findings of anemia. Based on these current findings of what seems to be on the surface a “normal and healthy” individual; despite exercise and an active lifestyle and being a genius when it comes to the human body- Dr. Mike will begin to increase body fat and lose all muscle definition and his awesome abs will be gone. He will experience cognitive decline as a result of inflammation and begin to have difficulties ambulating. His blood vessels will continue to become inflamed and most likely show calcifications. His desire to be with a woman will decrease and his ability to procreate will decrease. His wife will end up leaving him and due to his increased irritability so too will his friends and colleagues- he will be alone. As his arteries become more inflamed and his body becomes more obese, he will develop coronary artery disease and become brittle until eventually he dies alone. Now while Dr. Mike ate hamburger patties from Burger King and only hamburger patties from Burger King, what would have happened if he at the bun with 10g of sugar in it as well and a myriad of other pro inflammatory ingredients? What Dr. Mike ate was most likely healthier than the Standard American Diet. Even in the documentary, The Sugar Movie, the subject ate only “healthy” foods. In reality these foods were chock with sugar. Dr. Mikes diet was void of highly refined and processed foods. If the beef was truly 100% all beef- it’s only downfall was most likely the fact it was chock full of arachadonic acid due to the genetically modified grains the cows were fed. Was what he ate truly worse than what you eat daily? Even vegetarians (see the podcast Dr. Mike and I did on the Game Changers Movie) are devoid in key nutrients and often consuming more processed foods than those who are mostly carnivore. This is a sad picture and unfortunately it happens every day. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 47% of Americans have a risk factor for heart disease and heart disease is the leading cause of death among both men and women. 18.2 million adults have coronary artery disease (6.7% of Americans) and 20% of deaths from coronary artery disease occur in adults under the age of 65. This equates to a death from coronary artery disease once every 37 seconds!!!!
Im an avid believer and I believe my hypothesis will hold true that Dr. Mikes lab results will be night and day different after the end grass fed beef portion of this experiment. I also believe that the results will be vastly different after phase two, which I call the keto rooter phase (I literally just made this up). It matters not the fad diet you are consuming. What truly matters is the quality of foods you are consuming and more importantly, the foods your body specifically needs. Anything else can be compared to eating rat poison. Both will kill you. Be a better version of yourself. Live Functionised!
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