first radio interview done

I just got off the phone with Stan Milam, a radio host from WCLO in Janesville Wisconsin. He interviewed me for 18 minutes on the air about "The Asian Diet". It was fun and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to spread the word about how adopting some of the principles of the diet can prevent disease and promote wellness. I will soon post a link to the podcast.

Today is Monday and I am at the Tiffani Kim Institute, performing acupuncture. I work half-days on Mondays. This afternoon my wife and I will take our daughter to the pediatrician. We are considering going to China this summer and want to discuss the health risks to a 6-month old. We don't want her to need too many vaccinations while she's still so young. The powers that be state that vaccines are effecive and safe, but I'm not so convinced. I worked in mental health for many years, and am very afraid of autism.

The CDC says they are safe and effective. The way they define "safe for vaccines is different that how they define "safe" for drugs. Drugs have to be compared to placebo, or no drug. Vaccines are compared to existing vaccines. So if we have an approved vaccine that is causing adverse effects in 16 out of 1000 people, and then the new one causes advers effects in 18 out of 1000, that difference is not statisically significant and then 18/1000 becomes the bar. As far as effective goes, there are a lot of people who still get the diseases for which they have been vaccinated. Now, I don't want to get all anti-vaccine here. It is a choice for the parents. Vaccines have saved lives. But I don't like the administration of multiple diseases at the same time, and I don't like vaccines being administered before they could be necessary. At birth, they want to give every child a hepatitis vaccine. My little girl would only be exposed to the Hep if my wife had it (which she does not), or through sexual contact or IV drug use. My newborn was not going to be engaging in these behaviours, so I think we can wait a few years for that. A generation before us, most people got the measles and did not die. It's not like the plague where no one can survive it.

There are some things that can kill babies, like menenigitis. So we are vaccinating for that. Not that you all need to know what we are choosing for our daughters medical care. This is a tangent- back on track. . .

I may be going to china to study some more this summer. Check out the newest reviews of my book on amazon. or go to theasiandiet.com and read more about the asian diet.

First Radio Interview coming up,.

So, there is more excitement to report. My publicist just called to tell me that I have been booked on a talk radio show on WCLO in Janesville, Wisconsin. This Monday, June 8th at 10 A.M. I don't know if they will have a podcast of it available after the show, (in case you are part of that small percentage of the world who do not live in Janesville).

My book is very down on dairy. So I imagine that is what they will want to talk about (being in the heart of dairy country). If I can get the US dairy council to try to discredit me, then I will know that my book has become successful. They can discredit me all they want, but you can't argue with 3000 years of tried-and-true culture. The Asians have far less dairy, and they have far less diet-related disease, and far less cancer.

Dairy turns to phlegm in an adult body. Phlegm can manifest in many different ways; one of which is as an abnormal growth such as a cyst, fibroid, or tumor. The Chinese understand these abnormal growths to be basically phlegmballs. They noticed more in the populations that had more dairy. So the lesson was learned that dairy is not best for adults. We can have it in moderation, but there has been a real concerted campaign to convince us that Milk is a healthy food; and it is not.

Dairy is appropriate for infants, or individuals who are emaciated. It is designed by nature to grow tissue (including fat). Most Americans are not looking to put on more mass, but are rather trying to lose or at least maintain their weight. It is best to eat a lot of vegetables, mostly cooked, simple grains, and a little of everything else.

The Asian Diet featured on AOL

An interview with me was just posted to AOL.com's "That's Fit" site. Check it out at http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/05/14/asian-diet-for-weight-loss

I am grateful to be very busy lately and have not had as much time to post. Everyone go to www.theasiandiet.com and www.acfom.com for more information about my book and practice.

I have my first book signing on Monday the 18th at The Book Stall in Winnetka, IL at 7pm. This will be after eight hours of teaching, so my voice may be a little fried. A bunch of people have RSVP'd that they are going to attend though, so I am happy.

Then in June I have a signing at the Border's books and music in Wilmette, and July has me at the Barnes and Noble in Old Orchard shopping center in Skokie, IL And then in August I am giving a lecture and book signing at the Evanston library in Evanston IL. I am looking for more groups to present to, so if you know of any, please let me know at jason@theasiandiet.com.

So there was a little bit of controversy with this first printing of the book. theasiandiet.com The book is, and should be, titled "The Asian Diet: Simple secrets for eating right, losing weight, and being well." A long time ago, the publisher and I were coming together on the subtitle and someone suggested "how the ancient principles of moderation and balance will help you eat right, lose weight, and live longer". Well, that's the cover that made it to the printer for the first run. They only printed 2000 at first, so it was not too bad, but if you get one of them, they will be the collectors' edition and I promise that I will autograph it for you.

Another thing I have been working on is creating a radio show on blogtalkradio. I have not yet decided on the time, length, or frequency, but I may start hosting a call-in show for questions about health, acupuncture, and the Asian Diet. I will keep people posted.

Today was a great example of how people are misinformed about food. I have a friend who has been slowly putting on weight. We got to talking and she revealed that she eats very healthy. She has yogurt, cereal, microwave diet meals, fat-free and sugar-free baked goods, and cottage cheese. The Asian Diet will tell you that none of these things are healthy. For one thing, diary is designed to make things grow. Overweight people do not want to grow. Secondly, they are cold. Cold food steals your energy in order to heat it. This slows your metabolism. Diet microwave meals have a lot of preservatives and chemical additives. Keep it simple and eat simple foods. Just because it says "lean" or "fat-free" or "sugar-free" does not mean it's good. I've got some great Arsenic that is low-calorie, no saturated fat, caffeine free, lactose-free, etc. That doesn't mean it's good for you.

Somehow we have been convinced that foods are nothing more than the sum of their parts. This is how medicine used to see the body, but now they recognize the interactions between the different systems. The same is true for foods. They are immensely complex, and so are our bodies. To simplify an orange to equaling vitamin c is like saying that people have value because of their livers and for all that their livers can do. There is a lot more to us than our livers, and there's a lot more to an orange than vitamin C. We did not evolve by seeking out and eating sources of vitamin C. We evolved by eating food. Plain and simple. As Michael Pollan wrote in his book "In defense of food: an eater's manifesto" we should "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants". It's a good book and I suggest everyone read it. And if you would like to read more about chinese medicine check out acfom.com

They tell me that I should keep these posts short, so

Well, I guess I'm not a very good blogger, having taken 2 weeks off since my last post. Right now I am between patients in my Wilmette office, A Center for Oriental Medicine, www.acfom.com. I am re-reading The Web that has no Weaver, by Ted Kaptchuk. It was the first book I read on acupuncture some 12 years ago. Ted wrote it as he returned from China and had just learned all about chinese medicine. He updated the book after practicing for 20 years. I am interested to see how his insights have changed. I also have to get re-familiar with it since it is the textbook that I will be teaching from when I teach my intro to Oriental medicine class in May.

I am also thinking about what I will tell the medical staff when I present Grand Rounds at UIC medical center. I have an hour to present, am and not sure what is best to tell the docs. Maybe about the theory, the research, the integration. I have a month to prepare the power point.

And I'm starting to think about how I am going to promote my book when it comes out. "The Asian Diet: Simple secrets for eating right, losing weight, and being well" is due to be in stores April 13th. I need to hire a press agent and start promoting it in the next month or so. I don't know anything about selecting a press agent, so I will have to learn.

Well, I have to go pull needles from a patient. Stay tuned. The excitement never ends.
Jason