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I’m increasingly distrustful of the mainstream (aka legacy) media. Ownership of it is in the hands of surprisingly few people. This makes reported news susceptible to manipulation by folks that have an agenda that may be at odds with your desire for “just the facts.”

In 1976, when the U.S had only three or four national over-the-air TV stations and no Internet, 72% of Americans trusted mass media. A Gallup poll found that in 2023, only 32% of Americans had a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust in the mass media. A larger percentage—39%—had “none at all.” In view of AI or CGI-generated imaging, it’s getting hard to believe anything you don’t see with your own eyes.

Most of the mainstream media (aka legacy media) consumed in the U.S. originates from a handful of companies. From a 2021 essay by Helen Johnson:

In 1983 there were 50 dominant media corporations. Today there are five. These five conglomerates own about 90 percent of the media in the United States, including newspapers, magazines, book publishers, motion picture studios and radio and television stations. As of 2020, the five media giants are AT&T (Time Warner, CNN, HBO), Comcast (NBC Universal, Telemundo, Universal Pictures), Disney (ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel Studios), News Corp (Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post) and ViacomCBS (CBS, Paramount Pictures).

Alternative Media for Your Consideration (not for local news, sports, weather)

By no means do I endorse or agree with everything you see or hear at these sites.

• Tucker Carlson on X (news, opinion, politics, interviews)
• RamzPaul on Rumble (news, cultural commentary, nationalism)
• The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble (politics, news, opinion)
• Michael Farris’ podcast “Coffee and a Mike” (interviews)
• “Redacted” with Natali and Clayton Morris on Rumble (news, cultural commentary)
• Jeffrey Prather’s “The Prather Point” on Rumble (preparedness, Deep State exposure, communitarianism)
• The Epoch Times (U.S. and international news, lifestyle, health, Falun Gong)
• The Unz Review (cultural commentary, economics, literature, politics, conspiracy)
• Catherine Austin Fitts at Solari.com (for personal finance and investing, banking, government)
• RT at RT.com (news and commentary from a Russian viewpoint)
• O’Keefe Media Group (citizen journalism, expose wrongdoing)
• Democracy Now! at http://www.democracynow.org or on YouTube (independent global news)
• Paul Craig Roberts at paulcraigroberts.org (opinion, politics, cultural decay)
• Al Jazeera at aljazeera.com (international news organization based in Qatar)
• Lew Rockwell at LewRockwell.com (news and opinion)
• Alex Jones at Infowars.com (news, opinion, health, politics, economics, conspiracy, vitamins)
• Vox Popoli at voxday.net (philosophy, economics, politics, books, Arktoons, socio-sexual hierarchy, Christianity, classic literature)
• Russell Brand on Rumble.com (news, social commentary, iconoclasm, politics)
• Glenn Greenwald on Rumble.com (mostly politics)
• Stew Peters Network on Rumble.com (social commentary, news)
• Karl Denninger, The Market Ticker at market-ticker.org (finance and politics)
• The Joe Rogan Experience at Spotify.com (long-form interviews with comics, entertainers, politicians, scientists, etc.
• The Chris Hedges Report at The Real News Network (TheRealNews.com) or YouTube, or ChrisHedges.substack.com (wide-ranging interviews, essays)
• The Real News Network at TheRealNews.com (journalism “advancing the cause of a more just, equal, and livable planet”);
• Elijah Schaffer’s “Slightly Offensive” channel at Rumble.com (social commentary, interviews)
• Censored.tv (Comedy and cultural commentary; some free content, much behind paywall)
• Louder With Crowder podcast (Steven Crowder: comedy, news, politics)
• Judging Freedom (Andrew Napolitano) on YouTube (law and politics)
• The Jimmy Dore Show on Rumble.com (comedy, news, politics)
• Timcast IRL (Tim Pool) podcast or YouTube (news, politics, culture)
• Matt Taibbi at http://www.racket.news and the podcast America This Week (news, opinion, cancel culture, culture war)

I’d like to know if you agree or disagree with these choices, or if you’d add any.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Diabetes Daily has in interesting article that addresses that question. A snippet:

In October 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report examining low-carbohydrate diets like keto in children and adolescents. You probably won’t be surprised that the authors are concerned. Despite the increasing popularity of carbohydrate restriction, evidence to support the benefits of low-carb diets in young people under 18 with obesity or diabetes is very limited. And though diabetes authorities have acknowledged that carb restriction has “the most evidence” for improving blood sugar levels, the American Diabetes Association has only endorsed low-carb eating as one of multiple possible eating patterns.

And yet, there are many people in the diabetes community who believe in the effectiveness of low, even very-low, carbohydrate diets for their children. There’s at least one study that supports their advocacy

I’m not a pediatrician and never treat children in my hospital practice, not even 17-year-olds. Nor have I reviewed the pertinent pediatric scientific literature. So I’ve never been comfortable writing about keto diets for children. The linked DD article was reviewed by Anna Goldman, M.D.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Melvin Konner and S. Boyd Eaton are highly respected pioneers in the paleo diet movement. Their new article in Evolutionary Anthropology is titled “Hunter-gatherer diets and activity as a model for health promotion: Challenges, responses, and confirmations.” For the low, low price of $15 USD you can read it here.

Abstract

Beginning in 1985, we and others presented estimates of hunter-gatherer (and ultimately ancestral) diet and physical activity, hoping to provide a model for health promotion. The Hunter-Gatherer Model was designed to offset the apparent mismatch between our genes and the current Western-type lifestyle, a mismatch that arguably affects prevalence of many chronic degenerative diseases. The effort has always been controversial and subject to both scientific and popular critiques. The present article (1) addresses eight such challenges, presenting for each how the model has been modified in response, or how the criticism can be rebutted; (2) reviews new epidemiological and experimental evidence (including especially randomized controlled clinical trials); and (3) shows how official recommendations put forth by governments and health authorities have converged toward the model. Such convergence suggests that evolutionary anthropology can make significant contributions to human health.

  Steve Parker, M.D.

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Only one thing really matters. That’s your relationship with Jesus Christ/God. Who was Jesus? Did he exist? Was he crucified for your eternal salvation?

Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He died for my sins. After my death, I’ll be with him in heaven forever.

Steve Parker, M.D.

I’ve run across a number of patients who slowly increased their alcohol consumption over months or years, not realizing it was causing or would cause problems for them. Alcohol is dangerous, lethal at times.

From a health standpoint, the generally accepted safe levels of consumption are:

• no more than one standard drink per day for women
• no more than two standard drinks per day for men

One drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits (e.g., vodka, whiskey, rum, gin).

Dry January was conceived in the UK in 2012 or 2014. (A related concept is Sober October.) The idea is simply to abstain from all alcohol for the month of January. The Alcohol Change UK website can help you git ‘er done. Many folks notice that they sleep better, have more energy, lose weight, and save money. There are other potential benefits.

If you think you may have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, check your CAGE score. It’s quick and easy.

Alternatively, if you make a commitment to a Dry January but can’t do it, you may well have a problem.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Check out this video about the benefits of sobriety.

PPS: This guy quit drinking alcohol for 30 days:

Radical new information on osteoarthritis from Paul Ingraham:

One of the most deeply held beliefs in musculoskeletal medicine is that osteoarthritis is a “wear and tear” condition — that joints slowly crumble under the onslaught of gravity and use and abuse. This fundamentally mechanical view of arthritis directly suggests that the heavier we are, the more likely we are to have trouble in our load-bearing joints.

But that’s just not the case: osteoarthritis prevalence doubled in the 20th Century independent of age and weight (Wallace 2017).

So something else has to be going on. People got heavier on average, but not twice as heavy!

Or consider this: obese people get more osteoarthritis of the hand (Jiang 2016), but probably not because they are walking on their hands.

So … why?

This post weaves together the threads of several past posts about the biochemical foundations of seemingly “mechanical” problems, and you may recognize some pieces. But this is an all-new synthesis, anchored by some good science news you can use — practical and encouraging, which is a rare pleasure.

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It’s a short read, well worth your time.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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From Peggy at Buttoni’s Low-Carb Recipes:

If you think you don’t like cabbage (like my husband) you have GOT to try this recipe!  You’ll swear you are not eating cabbage!!  No cabbage odor or strong taste whatsoever to this dish!  It is a delightfully crunchy side dish with grilled Tandoori Chicken or pork chops!  I order my nigella seeds (black onion seeds or kalongi seed) on-line, but you may be fortunate to have a spice supplier where you live.  I would not recommend omitting them, as you will miss out on a flavor layer that is quite nice.  Once you taste this recipe (without alterations) you’ll wish you had found this simple recipe long ago!  This dish is Atkins Induction, Primal and Paleo friendly.

I haven’t tried this yet but will someday. Filing it here so I don’t lose it. Click for details.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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If so, it may well be because of your genes according to an article at SBS.com. Particular genes determine whether you can detect a bitter chemical (called PTC) in broccoli and other brassicas like cauliflower and brussels sprouts.

“On average, about 70% of us can taste something bitter in broccoli or PTC, but those with two copies of the bitter sensitivity gene are closer to 20%, and they are much more likely to hate it.”

U.S. President George H.W. Bush said in March 1990, “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!” He banned it on Air Force One.

Most of us at the Parker Compound like broccoli. My wife usually sautes it in olive oil and seasons with garlic, other herbs, and salt.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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