Something You Should Know - The Hidden Price of Bargain Shopping & How to Stop a Common Cause of Illness

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Starting point is 00:00:44 So we've compromised things like quality, craftsmanship, durability, style, things like that. We've made compromises because we're so induced by price. We're so seduced by price. Then wait, how come kids get the whole summer off school? I'll tell you the real reason, which is not the one you likely think. And the chronic diseases we tend to get are the result of a lot of factors, including gum disease, inflammation, and even your faith. People who have what is called an intrinsic faith, meaning that they're committed to their

Starting point is 00:01:17 faith, they have lower rates of heart disease, lower cancer rates, etc., etc., etc. Science couldn't tell you what to believe, but whatever you do believe, believe it intently. All this today on Something You Should Know. This winter, take a trip to Tampa on Porter Airlines. Enjoy the warm Tampa Bay temperatures and warm Porter hospitality on your way there. All Porter fares include beer, wine, and snacks, and free fast-streaming Wi-Fi on planes with no middle seats. And your Tampa Bay vacation includes good times,

Starting point is 00:01:52 relaxation, and great Gulf Coast weather. Visit flyporter.com and actually enjoy economy. Something you should know. Fascinating intel. The world's top experts. And practical advice you can use in your life. Today, Something You Should Know with Mike Carruthers. Hi, welcome. You know, in every single episode of this podcast, you will hear me make reference to the show notes. That guest's book or their website is available in the show notes for this episode. But I often get emails from listeners asking questions, the answers to which are in the show notes. So they must not know what or where the show notes are, so perhaps it's worth a quick review. But the show notes are a written text description of what's in the

Starting point is 00:02:45 program, and that written description, which I write, is attached to the audio file. So wherever you find the audio for this podcast, you will find that written text description, whether it's on our website or TuneIn or Google Play or Stitcher or wherever. First up today, kissing. When couples kiss, they exchange a lot of information on a subconscious level, and this is information that could affect the course of the rest of their lives. Researchers found that a woman who kisses a man can detect information about his immune system and his genetic makeup that can help her decide whether he'd make a good mate, whether he'd be likely to father healthy children and would be around long enough to help bring them up.

Starting point is 00:03:34 Men and women also tend to prefer different types of kisses. In general, women prefer less tongue and more tenderness, whereas men tend to prefer a wet, sloppy kiss. One reason is that a man's saliva contains testosterone, a male sex hormone that can stimulate a woman's libido. By the way, if you think that the kiss a bride and groom share after exchanging their wedding vows is pure romance, think again. When ancient Romans reached an agreement,

Starting point is 00:04:08 they would kiss to legally seal the contract. That practice extended into the marriage contract as well, and it has continued to be a common practice in modern times, even though most couples are unaware of its significance. And that is something you should know. Who doesn't love a bargain? So many of our purchase decisions are made because of the price. The lower the price, the better. But I'm sure you've purchased things at a low price and later regretted it

Starting point is 00:04:38 because whatever it was you bought wasn't made very well or it didn't look, work, or do what you really wanted. Still, we like low prices, and we import a lot of cheap products from other countries because they're cheaper to make there, so they're cheaper to sell here. And that feeds right into our passion for low prices. But what's this passion for low prices doing to us? Well, one person who's looked at this is Ellen Ruppel-Shell. She is a writer for The Atlantic magazine and professor at Boston University.

Starting point is 00:05:12 She's also the author of a book called Cheap, The High Cost of Discount Culture. Hi, Ellen. So what is your contention here? What is the high cost of low prices? First off, we come to think of price first when we make purchases, and that's really new. Historically, we put value first. In the last century or so, we've been induced to put price first. There are many advantages to manufacturers and the stockholders for us to be putting price first, but there are fewer advantages to us as a consumer.

Starting point is 00:05:46 So we've given up things like, or we've compromised things like quality, craftsmanship, durability, style, fit in clothing, things like that. We've made compromises because we're so induced by price. We're so seduced by price. And there are many psychological reasons for that. Well, we've seen that, especially around, you know, holiday time or after Black Friday, when prices are dropped really low, people go nuts. Low price sparks a reaction in the brain, much like winning a game. It sparks our impulsive side, and we enjoy that kind of experience. And it often clouds our more reasoned side. So we often make decisions impulsively based on price, and when we bring those things home, more likely than not, we're disappointed with them. But it seems to me that just for everyday purchases, if I can save some money and keep more of my own money in my own pocket, what's the harm?

Starting point is 00:06:50 I mean, this going for a low price on so many things seems pretty innocuous. Well, it starts kind of a chain reaction. So when we seek the lowest possible price, that means that the manufacturer of that product has to squeeze the lowest possible price out of the suppliers. And many of us work for these suppliers, or we work indirectly for these suppliers. So what we haven't noticed is that as the price of consumer goods has gone down since the 1970s substantially. For most consumer goods, the prices have gone down. Our income has been flat, and our expenditures have gone up. Okay, so on the average, Americans, their income has not increased since the 1970s,

Starting point is 00:07:42 controlled for inflation. Corporate profits have more than doubled. At the same time, we spend less for clothes, less for food, less for appliances, and even less for owning and maintaining a car. So as we spend less on these things, the cost of things that we cannot live without, for example, health care, education for our children, has skyrocketed at the same time that our wages and benefits have flatlined. So we've gone into debt to pay for these essentials. So we've been able to get tube socks for less than a dollar a pair, but we can't send Johnny and Mary off to college. But, well, now wait a minute. But if I can

Starting point is 00:08:25 somehow sell tube socks for a dollar and still make money, that's capitalism. That's American capitalism, and good for me. And it has very little to do with whether or not Johnny can go to college. And in fact, you know, that's

Starting point is 00:08:42 what drives our economic engine, is to be able to sell things efficiently. Well, not necessarily. Historically, there have been great objections to low price. In fact, historically, we've had laws to keep price cutting under control. Okay? That said, I'm not saying, I'm not suggesting that we reinstitute these laws. I'm suggesting that people consider when they buy something, they buy those tube socks for 50 cents

Starting point is 00:09:13 or a dollar, how those tube socks got to them and what price they're paying in real terms for those socks. But how would I ever know? And why would I want to take the time to think about what went into making these socks, and why they're so cheap? If a store is selling tube socks for 50 cents, and I want tube socks, and these socks fit me, and I need them, and they're only 50 cents, and I want to buy them, why would I give thought to any of what you just said? Well, you may worry about the quality. We oftentimes don't think about the product that we're buying. We look at the price and we're encouraged to look at it. It's not our fault. We're encouraged to look first at the price. You know, I was watching television last week. It was

Starting point is 00:10:01 really funny. It was one advertisement after another, and the first thing that I learned about each of these different products was how low the price was. There were advertisements for food, commercials for food, there were commercials for cars, commercials for clothing, and one after another, the prices were being paraded across the screen before I even knew what I was buying. So, for example, many things that are sold as good deals are really not a very good deal. When we get discounts, by definition, a discount means that some of us are paying more for something than others, right? It has to be, right, by discount. That means that someone supposedly is getting a short end of the deal, and some of us are getting the good end of the deal, right?

Starting point is 00:10:48 Okay, but that's not really the case. Many things are cheap because they're cheap. They're poorly made or they were inexpensive to produce. So you're not getting something that's necessarily what you really want. You're getting something that's low price. And a great example of this are some of the fast food breakfasts that are provided for under $5 or $6. And it looks like a lot of food. It looks like a great deal.

Starting point is 00:11:18 But you look at that plate, and there's nothing on that plate that you couldn't produce more cheaply at home. Yeah, well, but that's true of any restaurant meal. I mean, we're not only paying for the food, we're paying for the service and the convenience of it as well. And I think everybody knows that going in. But I get what you're saying. I'm speaking with Ellen Ruppel-Shell, and the name of her book is Cheap, the High Cost of Discount Culture. Hi, I'm Jennifer, a co-founder of the Go Kid Go Network. At Go Kid Go, putting kids first is at the heart of every show that we produce.

Starting point is 00:11:52 That's why we're so excited to introduce a brand new show to our network called The Search for the Silver Lightning, a fantasy adventure series about a spirited young girl named Isla who time travels to the mythical land of Camelot. During her journey, Isla meets new friends, including King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and learns valuable life lessons with every quest, sword fight, and dragon ride. Positive and uplifting stories remind us all about the importance of kindness, friendship, honesty, and positivity. Join me and an all-star cast of actors, including Liam Neeson, Emily Blunt, Kristen Bell, Chris Hemsworth, among many others, in welcoming the Search for the Silver Lining podcast to the Go Kid Go Network by listening today. Look for the Search for the Silver Lining on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Starting point is 00:12:37 Since I host a podcast, it's pretty common for me to be asked to recommend a podcast. And I tell people, if you like something you should know, you're going to like The Jordan Harbinger Show. Every episode is a conversation with a fascinating guest. Of course, a lot of podcasts are conversations with guests, but Jordan does it better than most. Recently, he had a fascinating conversation with a British woman who was recruited and radicalized by ISIS and went to

Starting point is 00:13:06 prison for three years. She now works to raise awareness on this issue. It's a great conversation. And he spoke with Dr. Sarah Hill about how taking birth control not only prevents pregnancy, it can influence a woman's partner preferences, career choices, and overall behavior due to the hormonal changes it causes. Apple named The Jordan Harbinger Show one of the best podcasts a few years back, and in a nutshell, the show is aimed at making you a better, more informed critical thinker. Check out The Jordan Harbinger Show. There's so much for you in this podcast. The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. So Ellen, don't you think this quest for the lowest price is somewhat human

Starting point is 00:13:53 nature? I mean, who hasn't bought something, some clothes item that was on sale that was such a good deal, and it's still hanging in your closet with the tags on because you bought it because it was such a good deal, but it's really not something you'd ever wear. Right. I mean, I opened my book talking about that very thing. I was shopping for a pair of boots to go with an outfit that I had bought on sale. So I went to my store, my local store, and I tried on a bunch of boots, and none of them

Starting point is 00:14:21 fit very well, and none of them were looking that great. And I asked him, look, do you have some Italian boots in the store or some Spanish boots in the store? Because these were all Chinese boots. And he said, yeah, I have a couple of pairs. And he went and he got me a pair and they were great. They were really great. But they were a lot more expensive than Chinese boots. So I bought the Chinese boots. I wore them once. I threw them in the back of my closet because they didn't really fit very well and they weren't that great looking

Starting point is 00:14:49 anyway. I never wore them again. And it made me think, because I added these boots to what I call my pile of shame, which is a pile in the back of my closet of stuff that is not the right color and not the right fit or really not what I wanted. And I looked at that pile of shame and I thought, you know, this is something that needs rethinking. So what's the advice here? I mean, knowing what you know and what you've learned from doing this research, how do you shop differently than when you were buying those boots? Oh, I shop completely differently now. I really do.

Starting point is 00:15:24 I used to comparison shop for everything. You know, rather than going in and thinking, what is it that I really wanted? I really was very deal prone. I really liked getting good deals. Now, when I go in shopping, I think about what is it that I want and what is good quality? And I try to find what I want first and look at the price second. Now, obviously, I have a balanced budget. You know, I have kids, I have expenses, and I have to be careful. But if I can't get the quality I want for the price I want to pay, I delay the purchase if I can. And that has changed the amount of stuff that I have, the amount of stuff I bring into the house, and it's changed my perception of products.

Starting point is 00:16:14 Why do I want this? Why do I need this? What am I looking for? The most important thing is when I buy something that it has to work for me. So if I buy a wrench, it's got to work. It doesn't matter how cheap it is. First and foremost, it's got to work. It's got to be a good wrench, okay? In the past, I really would be motivated by price, and I would buy many things that would end up either going to the mission or going to the garbage or going to the back of my closet. But aren't there plenty of things that are inexpensive, i.e. cheap, that work just fine? I mean, if you're going to buy a screwdriver, you could buy it from a very expensive boutique-y kind of hardware store, or you can go to Walmart or wherever and get a cheap screwdriver,

Starting point is 00:17:07 and it's probably going to turn the screw just fine. There are some products that are just fine. You're right. I'm not saying that you have to pay a premium for everything you buy. Definitely not. Anything but. Definitely not. But, you know, you go to some of these discount stores, and I've done it myself, take school supplies. You buy the pencils. They don't sharpen properly. The erasers don't work. And I think many people in your audience can relate to this. I don't know if you have kids, but it's shocking.

Starting point is 00:17:37 Pens that run out of ink very fast, pencils that won't sharpen, erasers that won't work. These are not value to me. These are not, no matter how low the price is, I still have to bring it home, try it out, get frustrated, and throw it away. But sometimes it seems, for some people, I'm not one of those people, but sometimes it seems that the bargain itself is the reward. It almost doesn't matter what you buy. It's such a good deal.

Starting point is 00:18:09 Like, you'd be a fool to pass it up. And that that gives some people satisfaction. The thrill of the deal is incredibly compelling, and there's a tremendous amount of psychological research on this. And I know this myself. It's a very strong emotion for me. If I see a cashmere sweater for $39.99, I make a beeline for it,

Starting point is 00:18:32 and I have to, you asked me for recommendations. What I would tell shoppers is you see that cashmere sweater for $39.99, and first you have to think, how is it possible that this cashmere sweater is $39.99? Is it as good a cashmere sweater for $39.99, and first you have to think, how is it possible that this cashmere sweater is $39.99? Is it as good a cashmere sweater as I would expect it to be?

Starting point is 00:18:52 Is it really warm? Is it doing the job? How much cashmere was used in the making of the sweater? Then take a walk around the store before you grab it and think about whether you really want it and you really need it. Because I am the typical shopper who is very, very motivated by price. And that's been very helpful to me, is to walk away, think about it, and then if I still want it, think again, and then if I still want it, I'll purchase it. The other thing is, I think many of us don't realize that we hate to part with money.

Starting point is 00:19:26 All of us hate to part with money. Again, psychologists have done studies on this. We think of it as a lot. It's a bummer. Actually taking dollars out of our wallet and handing them over to someone else is a bummer. Credit cards, much less so. So if we use credit cards, the combination of bargains and credit cards is a pretty dangerous combination because we get the thrill of the bargain, what we perceive to get as a bargain, but the pain of pain is muted by using credit cards. So we tend to overbuy.

Starting point is 00:20:04 And I know I've read that shopping carts play a role in this. I mean, for years, department stores, and many still, but no department store had shopping carts. Grocery stores had shopping carts. But now many department stores offer shopping carts. Exactly. I mean, shopping carts were, by the way, they were controversial when they were introduced in supermarkets. Men didn't like shopping carts were, by the way, they were controversial when they were introduced into supermarkets. Men didn't like shopping carts because they thought they were feminine. And women didn't like shopping carts because it reminded them of baby carriages. People hated shopping carts.

Starting point is 00:20:36 But they got adapted into supermarkets. And then relatively recently, they got brought into department stores. And when you have a shopping cart, on average you'll buy one more thing than if you don't. Talk about reference pricing, because I think a lot of people don't know what they are and what they do. Reference prices are the price you would pay if you were paying full price. And reference prices have a huge psychological impact on buyers. Even if you don't believe it, you say, oh, come on, I know, you know. Subliminally, you do believe it. Subconsciously, you do believe it. And reference prices have a huge impact. So we're

Starting point is 00:21:18 much more likely to buy, say it's a, I don't know, a sweater, you're much more likely to buy that sweater if they said sweaters reduced from $100 and now cost $50 than if it's the same sweater for $50. But if you think about it rationally, you shouldn't be more likely because it's the same sweater. Well, that's the whole way mattresses are sold. I mean, no one's ever paid full price, reference price for a mattress ever in the history of mankind. Every mattress is on sale. Absolutely. That's a big trick.

Starting point is 00:21:57 Mattresses are always on sale because we only buy them once every 10 years or whatever. We don't really know the price, and we literally cannot look inside a mattress. We cannot see what they're really made of. And even if we could see, we wouldn't know what to look for. So mattresses are a classic case of where the reference price is always really high and the mattress is always on sale, and we really don't know what we're getting. Well, it certainly is a mind shift, and it's probably a better way to think about shopping, at least some of the time, at least for some of what you buy. I mean, you know,

Starting point is 00:22:29 if I'm going to buy a banana, I think I'm going to find the cheapest banana I can find. But there are a lot of things where I think you're right. I mean, you know, how well it's made, how long it will last, does it really fit as good as it should fit? Those considerations ought to move up the list. But right now, for most of us, I think price is at the top of the list. Ellen Ruppel-Shell has been my guest. She's a writer for The Atlantic magazine and professor at Boston University. And her book is called Cheap, The High Cost of Discount Culture. There's a link to the book in the show notes.

Starting point is 00:23:03 Thanks, Ellen. People who listen to Something You Should Know are curious about the world, looking to hear new ideas and perspectives. So I want to tell you about a podcast that is full of new ideas and perspectives, and one I've started listening to called Intelligence Squared. It's the podcast where great minds meet. Listen in for some great talks on science, tech, politics, creativity, wellness, and a lot more. A couple of recent examples,

Starting point is 00:23:37 Mustafa Suleiman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, discussing the future of technology. That's pretty cool. And writer, podcaster, and filmmaker John Ronson, discussing the rise of conspiracies and culture wars. Intelligence Squared is the kind of podcast that gets you thinking a little more openly about the important conversations going on today. Being curious, you're probably just the type of person Intelligence Squared is meant for. Check out Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts. Do you love Disney?

Starting point is 00:24:11 Then you are going to love our hit podcast, Disney Countdown. I'm Megan, the Magical Millennial. And I'm the Dapper Danielle. On every episode of our fun and family-friendly show, we count down our top 10 lists of all things Disney. There is nothing we don't cover. We are famous for rabbit holes, Disney-themed games, and fun facts you didn't know you needed, but you definitely need in your life.

Starting point is 00:24:30 So if you're looking for a healthy dose of Disney magic, check out Disney Countdown wherever you get your podcasts. One thing I know has come to light in recent years is the connection between inflammation and disease. Maybe you've heard, I know I've heard that, for example, gum disease, which causes inflammation in your mouth, can lead to heart disease, which seems kind of hard to grasp. But here to explain the connection and what you can do about inflammation to improve your health is Dr. Duke Johnson. Dr. Johnson is an internationally known medical researcher and authority on chronic diseases. He's medical director of the Neutralite Health Institute Center for Optimal Health in Southern California, and he's author of the book Optimal Health. Welcome, doctor. So, explain this connection between inflammation and illness, Optimal Health. Welcome, doctor. So explain this connection between inflammation

Starting point is 00:25:25 and illness, if you will. Chronic inflammation is an overstimulation of our immune system. And our immune system was really designed to protect us against bacteria, viruses, and etc. And it's a very powerful system. but because of our industrialized lifestyle, we are overstimulating it so that we're setting loose a dangerous active system and is actually in its chronic state causing damage, which is leading to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Well, when you say inflammation, well, when I think of inflammation, I think of swelling. Like if somebody breaks their wrist and it all swells up, that swelling is inflammation in my medical opinion. Great. No, you ask a very great question. Inflammation is really defined by four words,

Starting point is 00:26:18 red, hot, swollen, and tender. And everyone's really familiar with it if you get a sliver under your skin. Your skin turns red, hot, swollen, and tender because it's an immune system war zone. So how does that, those four symptoms that you just described, how does that translate into chronic disease? Probably the easiest analogy I could give would be, let's say your body is like a house and there's a lion in the house designed to protect your body from mice, bacteria, viruses, etc. And so the way our immune systems are designed is that when a mouse comes in, the lion gets up, it gets angry, it goes over, kills the mouse, and then

Starting point is 00:26:58 lays back down again. Well, in our modern society, we have a lot of research, for example, around C-reactive protein, and there are scores of inflammatory molecules that are associated with the immune system that false chemicals, false fats, herbicides, pesticides, et cetera, which have been shown to be associated with increasing these molecule levels, are in essence what they're doing is kicking the lion. So the lion is up, it's walking around, it wants to kill something, it doesn't know what to kill, so it's knocking over lamps, tables, chairs, etc. So what is it that people are doing in their life that causes this problem?

Starting point is 00:27:39 Well, from my perspective, it was really obvious to see. I have patients in 30 different countries around the world. And so what I have done is looked in the World Health Organization to find out when, what the major causes of death are for each of those countries, and found that as each country industrializes, then heart disease and cancer become major causes of death. In the United States, it started at the turn of the 20th century. Literally, I've got a graph from the Ministry of Health of Japan that heart disease and cancer were not an issue until after World War II. They were not an issue in Korea until after the Korean War.

Starting point is 00:28:20 They were not an issue in China until the 1990s. And so, in other words, there's something about our industrialized lifestyle that basically brings on these chronic diseases. As our Western lifestyle spreads around the world with using prepackaged foods, you know, false fats, etc., etc., we are falsely stimulating the immune system to be in a chronically active state. And to stop that, what do we do? Well, the way is, in essence, get back to the lifestyle we used to have pre-industrially. In other words, there are lots of steps we can take, including eating five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables.

Starting point is 00:29:02 I mean, everybody used to eat organically 50 years ago or 70 years ago or so. But fruits and vegetables have been shown to be anti-inflammatory. I think the greatest benefit of the Mediterranean diet is the fact that in the Mediterranean diet was a lot of fish. And as we know, salmon contains omega-3. Omega-3 helps to reduce inflammation. Is this the same reason that you sometimes hear doctors say, and other medical people say, that you should take an aspirin a day to reduce inflammation? Is this all part of the same thing?

Starting point is 00:29:38 In fact, you hit right on it, Mike. For example, think of this for a moment. People who have chronic gum disease have an increased risk of heart attacks now what do the gums have anything to do with the heart okay and then another thing is that you know we we gave people aspirin to help reduce um the the final clotting mechanism that would occur in our coronary arteries that leads to a heart attack well after about 10 years of recommending that people take aspirin, those individuals were studied and found that those people who took aspirin for many years had reduced risk of colon cancer.

Starting point is 00:30:16 In other words, the decreased inflammation was even decreasing the risk of colon cancer. So in other words, you can start to see this whole scenario of how inflammation is intimately involved in many different scenarios, and that's how I lay it out very carefully in the book. So going to the dentist is good for your heart? Believe it or not, it is. Anytime we can keep inflammation down, especially chronically. And so almost every risk factor, and this was in essence my aha moment, I had taught how to reduce the risk factors for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, et cetera, for many years. Well, in 2004, I found research that showed that in essence, every risk factor that we've known for years that are associated with chronic disease also

Starting point is 00:31:05 increase inflammation. So in other words, those risk factors just weren't the direct damage themselves. For example, smoking isn't just direct damage in and of itself from the chemicals in the smoke, but it also stimulates the immune system because the immune system sees smoke as being foreign. And that causes inflammation? Absolutely. Absolutely. There's many, many studies that show that the risk factors associated with elevated levels of these inflammatory molecules, and there are many of them. But C-reactive protein is one of the most widely studied, and it is a molecule that the immune system releases, but there are interleukins

Starting point is 00:31:46 and chemokines. There's just scores of them, actually. And so there's a lot of research coming out. And all of the research in the last five years has only supported this observation. But what about diseases that run in the family? Does this inflammation thing trump that, or does heredity trump inflammation? Explain that. Well, you know, in all honesty, I would say yes for the following reason, is that a gene is really like a light switch. And just because you have a light switch in your house doesn't mean the light is on. A gene has to be turned off and turned on. And if we live the appropriate lifestyle, we can actually help keep bad genes turned off. And part of what we also find is that, for example, we now know through a new science

Starting point is 00:32:35 called nutrigenetics that the foods that we take not only are absorbed into the cells, but they're also absorbed into the nucleus of the cell where the DNA is. And so anti-inflammatory molecules like omega-3 actually work at the level of the DNA, turning off some of these bad genes. So if we know what to do, even though we might have some bad genes, if we know how to live, we can turn off some of those bad genes. Do supplements help? They can help. They definitely can help. I mean, certainly the foundation is a

Starting point is 00:33:05 good diet. There's just no substitute for a good diet. So many people use supplements in a way of saying, in essence, well, I'm just going to eat lousy and make up for it with supplementation, which is really a misnomer because what you take into your body is really a river of food and supplementation is only sprinkling on the river. So supplements can't overwhelm, but if you have a good foundation, certainly what they do is they assure that we reach adequate levels that we may have a difficulty finding in our diet. For example, there's some research concerning vitamin D and vitamin D's benefits for reducing the risk of about four different cancers,

Starting point is 00:33:43 and it also has been shown to turn off the gene of about four different cancers. And it also has been shown to turn off the gene that's associated with MS. So just to have that assurance and that protection is a wise step in my opinion. So if the diet is so fundamental and so important to this whole discussion, how do you know what kind of diet to eat? If so much of the information is contradictory and who knows who's right, is there anything you can say definitively that pretty much everybody agrees is important to have in your diet? You know, there are a lot of studies that have shown that in essence, five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables every day have so many benefits. They reduce the risk of cancer.

Starting point is 00:34:27 They reduce the risk of heart disease. They reduce the risk of diabetes. And people who are obese have a tendency to lose weight when they eat that because fruits and vegetables are full of fiber and et cetera, and they reduce our appetite in a lot of ways with that fiber there. Now, where dark meats can come in is that especially if they're not free range or if they're not raised on organic foods, if they're filled with, if the animals have been filled with grains, especially grains not grown organically,

Starting point is 00:34:56 if the dark meats have herbicides, pesticides, if they have antibiotics in them. I show in the book research that shows that all of these are associated with not only inflammation, but in addition to that, that meat that is fed that way has a tendency to have higher levels of one of our required fats called omega-6, which is actually an inflammatory molecule. And we get way too much omega-6 in our diets today. You also say that faith and belief can, well, can basically add years to your life. You know, there's over 1,400 studies that have shown that people who have a committed religious faith have better health. And no one wants to talk about it in the scientific community because they feel uncomfortable talking about this whole scenario. But when there are so many studies,

Starting point is 00:35:49 it's ridiculous. And it's an area of study at Duke University, National Institute of Health is doing research, Harvard is doing research on this. But what's of interest, and no one has compared different religions, that's not the point. What we find is the people who have what is called an intrinsic faith, meaning that they're committed to their faith, they have lower rates of heart disease, better recovery from heart disease, lower cancer rates, better recovery, lower drug abuse rates, better recovery, etc., etc., etc. So no one is, you know, science couldn't tell you what to believe, but whatever you do believe, believe it intently. And other than recognizing that that is so, there's really no way to explain it. Not at this point. I mean, there's been a lot of speculation. Some people have thought, well,

Starting point is 00:36:33 maybe it's because of a group gathering, or maybe it's because of a social atmosphere, etc., etc. But when you compare people of a committed religious faith versus those who join service organizations, what the research has shown is that the people with committed religious faith have better health, and those that are joined service organizations don't get the same benefits. So it's not just the social atmosphere. It's really not known. That's why it's understudied. It's really fascinating. But the link is clear. The link is clear. If you had three studies, you'd say, well, maybe there's understudied. It's really fascinating. But the link is clear. The link is clear. After, you know, if you had three studies, you'd say, well, maybe there's something to this.

Starting point is 00:37:08 But when there have been hundreds of studies, you have to think, wow, maybe there is something to having a committed faith. Now, there's certainly going to be secondary benefits of living a healthier life. And, you know, maybe there's a reduction in stress. Who knows? But that's why it's being studied. Is pretty much all of the medical community on board with the connection between inflammation and disease? And where did it come from?

Starting point is 00:37:34 How did somebody pick this up? The whole concept of inflammation being involved started in about 1995 when some inflammatory molecules were noted in patients who had heart attacks. And so at that point, the big question became, is inflammation a cause of heart disease or a result? And so it's been a debate until finally there's been a plethora of research that keeps pointing in that direction. The Jupiter trial came out, which is a huge study, where they took individuals with normal cholesterol and put them on a medication, a statin, which lowered their cholesterol. So they had normal cholesterol and put them on a medication, a statin, which lowered their cholesterol. So they had normal cholesterol and they lowered it,

Starting point is 00:38:10 and they lowered it to a very low level, and they also found that those people had much lower heart attack rates later on. But what the statins do is they also lower inflammation. And so some of the concluding researchers in that study said, oh, well, the key to this is to lower cholesterol to rock-bottom levels. But another group of researchers are saying, well, it's obvious that it's really the inflammation, because there was a study done by the Air Force a few years ago that did almost the identical thing. They took normal cholesterol people, lowered it with a medicine, though, that didn't lower inflammation, and they found no difference in the heart attack death rates. And so it really points to the fact that reducing inflammation is a real key.

Starting point is 00:38:53 And with diet and the right interventions, we know how to do that. And we know how to do that. And in my global perspective, you know, anyone who is sitting in my position would have seen what I saw. I'm not the most brilliant guy on the planet by any means. But when I could see that this consistent pattern of industrialization and westernization was associated with chronic disease, it became so obvious that that's why I wanted to finally get this information out, because I think that's why there's been so much confusion. And I hate fads because fads will cause people to run and get excited about something. But without the science there, or if that fad also increases inflammation, it's doomed for failure.

Starting point is 00:39:33 And finally, I'd seen enough fads where I thought, I just can't take this anymore. I've got to write a book. And you did. And the book is called Optimal Health. It is by my guest, Dr. Duke Johnson, who is an internationally known medical researcher and authority on chronic diseases. There is a link to his book in the show notes. The 2020-2021 school year has been, well, it's been a pretty weird school year, with most students attending most of the year at home, on their computers in their bedrooms. Nevertheless, the school year is either over or just about over for most students.

Starting point is 00:40:15 And then comes summer vacation. And why is it that kids get the whole summer off of school? It's commonly believed that school kids started taking summers off in the 19th century so they would have time to work on the farm. And as nice as that story is, it isn't true. If they did take time off for farming, it would have been in the spring and fall when crops are planted and harvested, not in the middle of the summer while they're all growing. Before the Civil War, kids did not in the middle of the summer while they're all growing. Before the Civil War,

Starting point is 00:40:45 kids did not get the summers off. But as people moved to urban areas and cities got denser, they also got hotter. All that brick and concrete created that urban heat island effect in the summer. So city dwellers would head up to the cooler countryside. School attendance wasn't mandatory back then, so classrooms were being left half-empty every summer. At the same time, labor unions were taking hold, and the eight-hour work week meant adults were getting more time for themselves. So taking vacations away from home became more popular. Advocates also started arguing that the brain was like a muscle and it needed a break. And on top of all that, there was no air conditioning and schools were miserably hot

Starting point is 00:41:32 in the summer. So by the beginning of the 20th century, schools started giving kids more time off during the summer. And here we are. And that is something you should know. I imagine you found this episode interesting. I found it interesting putting it together, and I hope you found it interesting to listen to. And I hope you'll share it with someone you know, so they'll find it interesting too. I'm Mike Carruthers. Thanks for listening today to Something You Should Know. Hey, hey, are you ready for some real talk and some fantastic laughs? Join me, Megan Rinks. And me, Melissa Demonts, for Don't Blame Me, But Am I Wrong? We're serving up for hilarious shows every week designed to entertain and engage and,

Starting point is 00:42:13 you know, possibly enrage you. And Don't Blame Me, we dive deep into listeners' questions, offering advice that's funny, relatable, and real. Whether you're dealing with relationship drama or you just need a friend's perspective, we've got you. Then switch gears with But Am I Wrong, which is for listeners who didn't take our advice and want to know if they are the villains in the situation. Plus, we share our hot takes on current events and present situations that we might even be wrong in our lives. Spoiler alert, we are actually quite literally never wrong. But wait, there's more. Check out See You Next Tuesday, where we reveal the juicy results from our listener polls from But Am I Wrong.

Starting point is 00:42:49 And don't miss Fisting Friday, where we catch up, chat about pop culture, TV, and movies. It's the perfect way to kick off your weekend. So if you're looking for a podcast that feels like a chat with your besties, listen to Don't Blame Me, But Am I Wrong on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Contained herein are the heresies of Redolph Buntwine, erstwhile monk turned traveling medical investigator. Join me as I study the secrets of the divine plagues and uncover the blasphemous truth that ours is not a loving God and we are not its favored children.

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