Relax & Reclaim

It’s a question that sounds simple—but the answer isn’t. Depending on who you ask, alternative medicine is either a valuable extension of modern healthcare… or a collection of treatments that don’t quite hold up under scrutiny. So when a longtime reader named Tabitha asked me: “… what in the hell is alternative medicine, anyway ?” I realized she had a point. It’s a term people use all the time—but rarely stop to clearly define. So let’s break it down. A Brief (and Honest) Explanation At its core, alternative medicine refers to health practices that fall outside what we typically consider conventional or mainstream medical care. Here’s where it gets more nuanced. Today, most experts use two related terms: Alternative medicine: used instead of conventional treatment Complementary medicine: used alongside conventional treatment You’ll often hear both grouped together as CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine). And the range is wide. It includes everything from acupuncture and herbal ...

We're at the finish line now as this is the last chapter of our series. We wanted to wrap this up for with more recent examples of what can only be called "diet insanity".  Let us know what you think about these crazy diet plans and most importantly, have you ever tried any of them yourself? Part 1 ,   Part 2 Anyway, let's go into a couple more examples before we wrap up, okay? By the year 2000, we had shifted our focus from just popping pills to seeking out "natural" remedies. We believed that plants were always a safe bet. Turns out, we were quite mistaken. The Rise and Fall of Ephedra In the early 2000s, Ephedra was all the rage. This plant-based supplement promised boundless energy and rapid weight loss, making it a favorite among athletes and busy parents alike.  But there was a serious downside. Ephedra acted as a potent stimulant, putting immense strain on the heart and being linked to high blood pressure and strokes. The most notorious incident invol...

Just when you thought the diet craziness came to a crescendo in the 1970s, the next few decades continued the ridiculous trends.  Check this out: If the 70s were all about liquid protein, the next two decades seemed to be about completely escaping reality. The 1980s and 90s were a wild ride filled with neon fitness tapes and those so-called "miracle" pills.  You didn't miss part 1 did you? The "Sleeping Beauty" Diet Ever hear of this one? In the 80s, one trend took the idea of "beauty sleep" to a whole new level. Enter the Sleeping Beauty Diet. The concept was pretty straightforward: if you’re knocked out, you can’t eat. Followers would take heavy sedatives to sleep for days on end, and there were even whispers of celebrities giving it a go. It wasn’t just lazy; it was downright dangerous. Overdosing on sedatives can lead to respiratory failure, and let’s be real—your body needs real nutrients to function, not just a long nap. The Fen-Phen...

We're not trying to trigger anyone around here. But, we got even more heat from this article and (even) this article . We want to reiterate that the Fibermaxxing series is informational only. We are not promoting this option at all.  All we are doing is letting you know about it and allow you to choose. We got a message sent through our contact form that kind struck us, like an uppercut punch. ✊  " I don't know what you all think you're trying to do here, but this is an unproven diet plan that you REALLY need to do some research on! I cannot imagine a more reckless position to take by bringing this to your audience and presenting it as being legitimate! Shame on you! Sincerely, Sophia "  Once again : * This article isn’t meant to strongly support or dissuade your decision. As always, we’re simply presenting what modern research says — and reminding you that you and your physician should decide what’s best for your personal health.* Well...we love you...

If you pay attention long enough, you can see when the old saying: "If it sounds too good to be true, then it isn't true" becoming a fact of life everyday. Take weight loss, for example. Somebody's always got a weight loss secret to sell you.  It's literally been that way for years. Let's go back a few years in time just to prove this point to you. Weight loss in the 1960s wasn’t just about salads; it was a whole chemistry experiment.  People were chasing quick results, and some doctors were more than willing to help out.  Enter the infamous "Rainbow Pills".  The Psychedelic Diet of the 1960s These colorful tablets looked like candy, but the ingredients were anything but sweet. Each dose packed a punch with amphetamines and barbiturates, along with laxatives and thyroid hormones.  The idea was to rev up your body, while the barbiturates were there to keep you from shaking like a leaf! By 1968, a shocking exposé in Life magazine revealed the grim trut...

New to the whole resistant starch thing? You’re in the right place. This is the companion piece to our main deep-dive — think of it as the “wait, but what about…” article for people just getting started. So wait, is this just regular potato starch from the grocery store baking aisle? Probably not. Most potato starch sitting next to the cornstarch has been processed, pre-cooked, or otherwise messed with in ways that destroy the resistant starch content. What you want specifically says “unmodified” on the label.  Bob’s Red Mill is the brand most people start with, and it’s widely available. If the label doesn’t say unmodified, assume it isn’t. Why would I eat raw starch?  That sounds weird. Fair reaction. But “raw” here doesn’t mean you’re eating something dangerous or gross — it just means it hasn’t been cooked, which is what preserves the resistant starch. It’s virtually tasteless and dissolves easily into cold liquid. Most people mix a spoonful into water, a smoothie, or juice and don...