Planet Straya' Round 2

I'm greeted by three beautiful Chinese women, their light blue outfits matching the seats and carpet of the plane. I'm flying with Xiamen airlines this time around, with a stop in Shenzhen, Fouzhou, and then Sydney. I like this already. I sit down next to an older Chinese couple. After take off they switch seats to an exit row. Yes. I now have an entire row to myself for the thirteen hour flight. I check the map and notice we're flying over parts of the world I've never seen. Alaska, the Bering Sea, Russia, Sea of Okhotsk. I have a rest and when I get up we're flying over The Bering Sea and a very remote part of Russia. I look around and not one person is looking out the window. What? We're flying over raw untouched land for as far as the eye can see. I guess those artificial pixels are more interesting.

As  we hit the ground in Shenzhen I'm amazed how they can land when it's so foggy I can't even see the airport. The first class people get off the plane and then a flight attendant weaves in and out of the isle all the way to me and says, "come with me." Two men in suits are waiting for me and at this point I'm thinking, "what in the hell is going on?" So I ask, "what's goin' on??" No response. They can't speak a drop of English. Did America flag me cuz they had to put my bag through the security x-ray three times and then personally search it? Maybe this is about the ridiculous amount of herbal and nutritional goodies I brought with me? Who knows. They take me to a separate part of customs and make some gestures to sit here. I deduce that it's either about the herbal medicine or the fact that I have to get a 24 hour visa while in China. It's probably about the visa, even though it feels like they are detaining me. Finally I pass through, and yes it's about the visa. Geeze.

I enter the main part of the Shenzhen airport and the architecture is insane. It takes me a while to find my airline because I'm a clueless American. Security is trippin' out about my bag for the second time. Here we go again. They make me take out all my liquid extracts and everything is fine, but they say in body language and gibberish that I can't take the iodine through. And I'm trying to explain I take it for my thyroid as a nutritional supplement. That does nothing. The security guard is walking away with my iodine and I say, "Woah woah woah! Nuhhhh uhhh." I find someone that speaks Chinese and English and have him explain that this is ok. Boom baby. I'm good. Eat my dust Shenzhen security.

I land in Fouzhou and on the bus over to the main part of the airport I realize I was literally the only white dude on the plane. Now I have an almost twenty four hour layover, so I find a nice series of seats to lay down on and sleep. After kinda sorta sleeping for an hour or two at a time and reading I see a Chinese massage store. Nobody speaks English but I find out the uber deluxe package is 298 yen (about $55) for eighty minutes so I figure why not? After laying down a guy walks in and well that's a let down. A little later as he is literally punching and slapping my back, I'm just in my head like "What is this? You call this a massage???" Ironically I was just reading a book on the ego and here I am judging away because his massage techniques were different than what I've experienced before. I finally just let go and let the man do his job. It was painful at times but I left feeling pretty good. Right when I got out two Chinese women were giggling to each other looking at me. They said a few words in Chinese to which I said "I speak English", then I heard "Yu Handsum." Ah ha.

Waiting for the plane to board feels like an eternity because I'm exhausted but if I fall asleep I will miss the flight no doubt. The ten hour flight goes slowly but quickly at the same time. It's nice to be able to speak some English to people again. Unfortunately I didn't get a window seat because there was an amazing sunrise over northern Australia, and we flew into Sydney from a different angle this time and it was absolutely stunning. My most favoritest big city ever. I'm so happy to be here again. How can you really know how much you love something until you let it go for a while? If happiness could ever be an external location, it would be Australia.

I call the Auzzie bloke at the baggage claim "Sir" and he immediately says "don't call me sir," and then ends the conversation with a joke about Chinese J-pop. A prime example of why I love the people and the culture in Australia so much. They speak their mind. Straight up. None of this airy fairy oh I'm so scared to offend you or hurt your feelings so I'm gonna hide back in my lil shell and spout a bunch of nonsense I don't mean and hide it with a smile. I'd call that TooPolite Syndrome. When I die people will know I lived authentically without fear. Speaking of death, what a waste of money. I don't care if my ashes are put in the compost bin, fed to the fish, or dumped out of a plane over Australia. My body will not sit in a coffin perfectly clean, and if someone does that, the wrath of my soul will destroy it, then put on some groovy disco tunes to lighten everything up.

Back to the story. I'm in the bathroom, and I feel like a grease monkey. Security back in America took my toothpaste so I have to use some soap/shampoo, but it's all good cuz it's Dr. Bronners. I brush my teeth, wash my face, clean my hair, then get on my knees to use the automatic dryer. Someone walks past me and bursts into laughter. I'm like a wet dog getting dry under the blower. I don't care how I look to other people I just want to freshen up a bit!

Now I'm waiting in line to get my ticket to Brisbane talking with some dudes going up to Thailand for a month to do some Muay Thai, and after about an hour in line the lady at the desk tells me I'm at the wrong airport. What! I need to take a train or bus to the domestic airport, and I'm running low on time. I start booking it, cruize past some of the same parts I've already been back in March, find the bus, make it to the right terminal, get lost temporarily, get taken to the front of the line, and I see that my plane has been delayed slightly. Wow that was close. I'm sitting down, so sedated and tired from being up for about four days now with little sleep. Great state of mind to people watch. Are these people real? Or just projections of my subconscious? Let's find out. I sit next to a guy skyping someone from his iPhone. He finishes up and we start a conversation. He's an older Auzzie, and he just got done skyping an American. Would you look at that. In fifteen minutes we talk about everything from politics to differences of American and Australian culture, to where he grew up (Papua New Guinea), to where he's travelled. Again, why I love the Australian people. That openness and chill-ness and brutal honesty really turns me on. About Trump he said Australians don't like people who are full of themselves, and the main difference between politics in America vs Australia is that even though Australia has some real looney politicians, no one cares. Mmmm my kind of people. Focused on living and enjoying life. The hour and fifteen minute flight up the coast to Brisbane is magic.

Exiting the plane onto the tarmac I always feel like a King. It's sunny, slightly humid, and just perfect. Before I know it I'm in a taxi. My driver is from the Himalayas in India. After a quick fifteen minute chat I have arrived. It's my first time couchsurfing as a guest. I weave through the tropical rainforest that is his front yard, make it to the door, yell in, apparently no one hears me, so I walk around back, and two dudes greet me with the biggest grins ever through the window. Then I meet William who is downstairs chillin' in his room. William is my host. Long blue hair with a blue beard and joker shoes. Class. I can't make it much longer so I talk for a bit, take a shower, then pass out into oblivion. I wake up and it's dark out. I arrived on a good night. It's supposed to be the biggest moon in like over a hundred years, man. The dudes offer me dinner and I'm admiring the house. The decor is wild with hand drawn paintings over the walls and some of the furniture, hundreds of pictures, and all sorts of other goodies. A few harmless little lizards are creeping along the walls.

I wake up at sunrise to the sound of my favorite kind of tropical birds. Everyone else is asleep so I enjoy some exploring around the local area. I found an exercise park which I love. Getting a workout in outside, free of charge. When I get back it's only like 6:00am. What? Apparently the sun rises around 4:30am. All the fellas head off to work or school early on, except me and William. He's outside going through some rosemary from the garden. I offer to help and for the next few hours I get to know him while we clean the home. This guy has unreal life stories. Working at a casino as a dancer in South Korea, a doctor diagnosing him with cancer then later he found out the doctor had the wrong name, after he gave away most of his possessions of course. Will is one of a kind. I really feel bad for the people that only hang around those who are of similar background or beliefs. You know, there's a whole world of awesomeness outside that lil tiny bubble.

I had to be at the Ferny Grove Station to be picked up by my next host, so me and Will made a lil trip out of it. I have some time before we leave so I go for a walk around the park and strip off most my clothes to roast on the pavement for a while. A car full of people stop near me and ask if I'm alright. I look over and smile, "just soaking up some rays thanks." Will is a solid tour guide showing me parts of downtown Brisbane. A big city had sex with a sub-tropical rainforest and gave birth to Brisbane. That pretty much sums it up. We hit up China town where he picked up some herbs, enjoyed exploring an intoxicating chocolate shop named Noosa Chocolates, where we sampled chocolate covered freeze dried strawberries, pecans, honeycomb, and other delights. Will has the sickest blue wallet I've ever seen with three little eyes on the top made out of Kangaroo skin. He's contacting the woman who made it so I can get a royal purple one.

We  sat and talked until my train arrived then I was off. I'm feeling so elated about everything that I'm dancing on the train most of the way. It was a fairly quick ride to Ferny Grove. I had the instructions of where I'd be picked up, but of course had to wander around a bit to find it. There she was. Summer was already there. Summer is the daughter of Elissa who is the workaway host I connected with before I left to Straya'. Man, this is the dream. Cruizing up to Mount Nebo (a close community of about five hundred people who live on top of a huge mountainous hill), windows rolled down, slightly cool breeze, and nothin' but smiles. I learned of her most recent travels to India swimming in pristine glacier water high in the Himalayas and studying Yoga. The Himalayas in North India have been on my must see places now for a while, and talking with her and the taxi driver just solidified that even more. We stopped at a park because she had a chiropractor appointment across the road so I read for a bit then noticed an organic food shop. I had to check it out, and it was just the kind of place I could spend hours. Needless to say I left with a little box of organic goodness. As we're riding up the dirt road to their home on top of Mount Nebo, sippin' on my lemon ginger kombucha, I'm so freakin happy. Talking with Summer about nutrition and meditation and yoga (both of which she teaches) I can already tell this is exactly the kind of place and environment I need to be in right now.

After 45 min we made it to "The Rainforest Home" and I met Elissa and the chickens and their two cats Nina & Siris. Elissa is so warm and welcoming. To my delight, she has a roasted leg of lamb and potatoes for dinner already ready. I'm still super jet lagged at this point, so I'm feeling a lil loopy, but the food is delicious and while I eat Summer and Elissa are going over everything for the meditation class for tonight. I met Eden, another one of Elissa's daughters, and the first thing she said to me made me seriously crack up. "Would you like some shitty healthy cookies or some delicious unhealthy cookies?" I tried to take a nap but it wasn't working out so I melted onto the couch outside. I was watching Siris stealthily sneak up the hill to scare away some Cockatoos, and Elissa smiled as she walked past me. "When I read your profile I knew you were a kindred spirit," she said.

Nina the little fluffball. 

Siris

On the drive into Brisbane for the meditation class Elissa put on some of the flossiest beats ever, and I was sitting in the back speechless. She is like a forty year old version of me in the form of a woman. We setup everything. Candles. Incense. Circle of pillows. I noticed the sign said "CTFO meditation" and I asked Elissa what that stood for. "Chill The Fuck Out!" Ha! To which I replied, "that's fucking awesome." Summer and Elissa started doing airplane and I was speechless again. Elissa looked over at me and said, "You have been smiling. All. Day." "You're doing airplane! That's part of my childhood!" The meditation class was easily the best one I've ever been to. Summer and Elissa are amazing. They intertwined the topic of our relationship with food into it, and at one point with eyes closed Summer painted a picture of a blueberry. The soil. The sun. The rain. The farmers. The truckers. The shop. And then when we opened our eyes there was a plate with one blueberry and one homemade chocolate. It was really a beautiful way to deepen appreciation for something that we all often take for granted. Food.

The next day as Elissa was explaining the work duties I was speechless again because this experience and environment is a near perfect manifestation of the dreams I wrote down earlier this year. Although the dreams were for my future family. It all applies here, and well, this is my Australian family.

No religion - ✔
Immersed in nature - ✔
No phone - ✔
Highest quality food and herbs - ✔
Amazingly loving & spiritual environment - ✔✔✔
Clean water (filtered rain water in this case) - ✔
Animals - ✔
No television - ✔
Interest driven home schooling ✔
Open space to travellers and friends from all over the world ✔

And Elissa designed this home and it's about 30-45 min away from town (both of which I wrote down as well).

Hence why I already extended my stay to the end of December.

Before I came to Australia this time I meditated on my last adventure here. City hopping every week is exhilarating and intense, but at the same time it can potentially lack depth, so this time around I wanted more depth in my experience and relationships.

It's the possibilitiy of dreams becoming a reality that makes life interesting

Why I Love Writing

I must give my former self much thanks for deciding to travel for six months in Europe, because that is where my desire to share my experience via my blog transformed into a real passion for writing. 

Writing is so many things to me at this point. For one it gives me the ability to slow down (not that my life is rushed) and meditate on my life. To creatively put my mind and heart on paper. Writing truly has become such a useful form of meditation in that it helps me continually see where I'm at, and also helps me create a vision of where I want to go. All day, thoughts come and go, but the act of writing them down helps the information, the ideas, sink deeper. 

Another profound reason I love writing is because it helps me remember. Not only remember great experiences but remember the state in which I was in. Just in the past two months I've purchased over twenty new books and I've read through close to ten, so writing forces me to re-think through all that information, to string it all together in my mind in order to make it stick. What good is new information if it doesn't stick? 

And then there is the obvious part of writing that I love. Sharing. And I mean genuinely sharing the depth of my mind and how I feel, because through that kind of sharing it not only becomes very therapeutic for me, but we all learn and grow together.

Man. I. Love. Writing.

A Year of Couchsurfing

It's making my day this morning looking through all my old couchsurfing references from last year so I wanted to share. For anyone that doesn't know, couchsurfing.com allows you to contact hosts (like me) all around the world and stay with them free of charge. It's a very enriching cultural exchange, an awesome way to make friends from every possible background & location imaginable, and for me, a great way to practice compassion.


Aubrie Patterson

Saint George, UT, USA

Andrew and I met through CSing before his journey to Europe, and I am so happy I got to meet him! His energy is so chill, he is so lighthearted and thoughtful and down to earth, how could you not love hanging out with him?? Good person, good vibes, lovely evening. Good luck, my friend!

Stepfanie Aguilar

Pasadena, CA, United States

Andrew is a really chill, awesome dude! I had a plan of meeting up with some friends at Zion National Park, and I needed a place to stay for 2 nights--- all last minute and he responded. I walked in and he was in the middle of baking some coconut muffins (yum!). I recommend staying with him if you get the chance.

Teresa Krause

Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Staying with Andew was very cool! He is a relaxed person and has sweet roommates. It was very interesting talking with him and nice to hang out – and on top of that his couch is even very comfy! I wish I could have spent more time there! Thank you!!

Sarah Irvine

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

I stayed with Andrew for 2 nights while I explored Zion National Park. He is a very generous and down to earth guy and gave up his room for me to sleep in during my visit! He also loves to cook and makes absolutely delicious banana ice cream!! It was great to share meals, good conversation and hang out with his roommates during my stay. I would recommend staying with him if your in the area. Thanks Andrew! Hope to catch up with you when your travelling again.

Cat Layne Thompson

El Paso, TX, USA

We stayed last minute and Andrew was still very accommodating. Him and his roommates were fun to chat with just about all types of things. If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend staying with him. I only wish we could have had more time to talk or hang out with these guys.

Ira Schleicht

Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Andrew was a perfect host. He is friendly, polite, funny and very caring. He served us (two friends of mine and me) some desert and a tasty banana-cinnamon milkshake. Then we played "cards against humanity" with Andrew, his roommates and three other couch surfers, who stayed in the flat at the same time.

Thank you for hosting us and giving up your comfy bed, your room and your restroom for us.

You're always welcome in Wuppertal:)

Laleña J

Bonita, CA, USA

I didn't get to spend too much time with Andrew, but I had a great time hanging out with him and his roommates. They've all got a knack for storytelling and made me feel at home right away. I, unfortunately, didn't get the chance to try out Andrew's famed cooking, but if he makes it out to Coachella, I'll make sure it happens! If you're passing through SW Utah, make sure to make a pit stop in Washington!

Katarzyna Bronia Iwanczuk

Rauma, Finland

We only spend one night at Andrew's place, but he was a great host! He gave us his own room and slept on the couch! Very modest, smart and knows a lot about healthy food. Thanks for everything Andrew! :)

Cyril Beyney

Dallas, TX, USA

I stayed only one night at Andrew's place. He is a great and generous host, I had a great time with him, his roommates and a group of 4 others couchsurfers that even kept me a part of the food they cooked for dinner when I arrived. Thanks for everything :)

Mario Herrera Möller

Temuco, Araucania, Chile

Andrew is a great guy, he hosted us with a friend and have a great time with them and they roommates :)

Hope we could see again.

Mario

Feli Schulz

Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany

Meeting Andrew was amazing! He gave us a warm welcome in his flat with his flatmates and gave us his bedroom with private bathroom! He loves cooking great stuff and he made the best chocolate-milk-banana Smothie ever! In the evening we went to a cave in the rocks with him and spent a great time together dancing around with glowsticks! It was so funny! After this he showed us the awsome view over Washington at night it was beautiful! Thank you for that great stay :)

Rebeka

Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Kärnten, Austria

Andrew and his roomates were really kind and they also were a lot of fun. We just stayed two nights, but they were also able to show us a really nice spot close to their house where we had an amazing view over st.george. We were also in a cave which was really cool. Andrew offered us his room and also towels which is reaaaaaally nice! You can be sure that you have a great experience during your stay and also the zion national park is just about an hour away. Thanks guys and do not forget to visit us in Germany and Austria!! :)

Rebecca Harmer

Melbourne, Elwood , Australia

With less than 24 hours notice Andrew came to my rescue, accepting me and my bunch of misfits.

We rocked up super tired and were welcomed in by him and his lovely housemates. He was super awesome and even gave up his bed for us, letting us all get the first decent nights sleep in ages which was very much appreciated.

Not only did he spoil us with delicious healthy smoothies but he also tried to perfect the British accent...the smoothies were awesome, the accent on the other hand ;)

Thanks so much for having us to stay, you're a legend!

Lily Kingsbury

CA, USA

Andrew is a fantastic host!! We rolled in really late and he greeted us with homemade banana ice cream and smiles. A generous and lovely human, we were very impressed. Thanks Andrew, you made our roadtrip even better. :)

Laura Eck

Giessen, Hesse, Germany

We had a great time at Andrew's place! He and his flatmates were super nice to us and even took us with to a great spot at night. We had fun dancing with some glow sticks and balloons in a cave, was a new experience to us and we just loved it! Afterwards we squeezed ourselves through a gap up to a point where you get a breathtaking view over Washington.

I know others already said that but Andrew is a great in the kitchen, he let us try all his meals he made and one of his tasty smoothies. Super yummy!!

He also gave us a great advice where to hike at Zion National Park.

Thanks again for those two days!

sho

Nara, Nara, Japan

I stayed with Andrew for two nights.

Andrew and his roommate are so funny!!!!

He made some drink for me, its name 【kava】

It was awesome!!!!! Taste was kind of dirt!!! lol

But it is really famous in Vanuatu and good for health :)

And he made really interesting black rice for me!!

You can enjoy with him everything in St.George!!!!

Thank you Andrew!!!!

See you again in Japan :)

Ryan Spaulding

Rochester, MN, United States

Andrew is a very cool and genuinely generous dude. He kindly opened his space to us while traveling, we played some hilarious games involving cards and humanity, and ate his homemade zucchini bread. Thanks again Andrew!

Matthew L Bedrosian

San Francisco, CA, USA

I was treated to a strawberry-fudge smoothie immediately upon arrival in Andrew's home. Need I say more?

Toms Valainis

Cēsis, Cēsis Municipality, Latvia

Hey Andrew! Finally we found some time for references! We are thankful that You hosted us! You are really nice guy! You should go and explore the world or come to Europe! Thank You for cakes that You made for us!

Best wishes!

Tom and Lasma.

Jason Clarke

Thornton, Milford Haven, United Kingdom

I stayed with Andrew for two nights while I explored Zion. Would definitely recommend staying at his place. Andrew was flexible, chilled and welcoming. He offered me a cooked meal, home made tea and we played cards against humanity with his housemates. Thanks Andrew! Hope we cross paths again on our travels! :)

Western vs Eastern Medicine

I think this post is long overdo but I definitely need to share my perception of both sides and how I became so passionate about Eastern Medicine in the first place. For a little background and context the sole reason I am in this field of study and so very passionate about it is because years ago my lifestyle was so unhealthy and imbalanced. I was a complete wreck, but from that state I became open to anything. Anything that could help me. I saw a few different psychiatrist's and one woman diagnosed me with some wacky mental disorders like depersonalization and major depression, then wrote me a script for some antidepressants and an anti-psychotic drug called risperdal without hesitation. Thank goodness I never took the risperdal. I tried a few different antidepressants over the months and they just made me numb and zombie-like, so I stopped taking them entirely. I saw another psychiatrist named Michael Dorsey who I saw numerous times and I'll never forget the man. He really helped me understand my own behavior better. At the same time this was happening I began reading up firstly on the brain. I just wanted to feel better and learn more about what I could do to help myself. Eventually I had a drawer full of supplements. Everything from fish oil and vitamin C to nootropics (cognitive enhancers) like piracetam, oxiracetam, aniracetam, and choline bitartrate. Some of it helped a little bit, but it was a painfully slow process. My research into the brain soon spilled over into the rest of the body and I kept on learning and trying new things, desperate to try and heal myself.

That process went on for months and months and finally I stumbled on some Eastern literature. Specifically on Taoism which is a Chinese philosophy and science of living in harmony with the natural flow, or cosmic structural order of the Universe. I clicked instantly with it and fell in love. On every level it was so clear to me. Maybe I was a Taoist master in a previous life because seriously it felt so very natural and intuitive to me. It just made sense. I kept on reading and discovered the oldest herbal system in the world. Chinese Tonic Herbalism. Otherwise known as "Superior Herbalism." These Superior Herbs are not considered to be "medicinal" in the usual sense of the word. They are not used to treat or even prevent specific diseases or disorders.  The tonics are used to promote over-all well being, to enhance the body's energy, and to regulate the bodily and psychic functioning, to protect the body and mind so as to create what the Chinese call "radiant health." I read about the number one herb (out of countless) in their system, duanwood reishi mushroom (which grows on a special type of tree), and was absolutely fascinated. "The most revered herbal substance in Asia" "The herb of spiritual potency" I thank the heavens for my openness because not many things have had such a profoundly positive impact on my life. I tried reishi first and within a few weeks noticed a very deep sense of calm. Slowly over time it did all that it's purported to do. It helped out my inner life immensely by giving me pure clarity to accept the things I couldn't change and shed damaging beliefs I had about myself and the world. 

To get back to the point, the way I personally define Western medicine is the idea of treatment rather than prevention. The focus on disease and how to treat those diseases, rather than focusing on prevention and life enhancing strategies. Does that make sense? I know some people can take my passionate feelings as being harsh and disrespectful but that's never my intention. I just write about what I'm passionate about. I think where Western medicine truly thrives is in surgery and the ability to stitch anyone up, and provide life saving procedures. It really is incredible, and it makes me proud to live in America.

I like to make a distinction from that side of Western medicine versus the treatment of chronic health problems, where I believe the system is incredibly flawed and one-sided, and that's the part that usually comes out in my writing. Does it make sense that the whole of the medical system is based on disease? Let me paint a picture. Someone falls off a cliff and surgeons go in and put you back together, or say "hey man you fell off a cliff and it looks like you have cancer now, we have to blast your body with radiation and you gotta take all these pills or you are gonna die." That part of Western medicine frustrates me beyond description. What if instead of focusing on stitching someone back together after they fell off a cliff (cancer, any kind of disease, etc), we instead focused on giving people the practical, effective, and sustainable tools (diet, lifestyle, exercises, stress reduction techniques, etc) so that they would have the awareness and strength to never be in that position.

What if? That what if is already happening all over Asia and India. I forgot to mention about the Ayurvedic system originating in India which in a lot of ways is very similar to Taoism in that it understands everything in a human being, the body, mind, and soul, are intimately connected, so therefore seeing symptoms as a problem with one organ system or one part of the body is simply out of alignment. For example, treating depression with antidepressants, anxiety with anti anxiety meds, high cholesterol with statins, etc. That's not to say medications (just a fancy name for drugs) don't have their place, because they do, but they should NEVER be the first option and NEVER given out for any chronic health problem without first taking a well rounded comprehensive look into the person's life. You feel me? I honestly don't believe anyone could argue against that point, but if you could please post in the comments. I find it very inspiring that in most parts of Asia when someone has cancer they believe it is unethical to provide such a strong harsh treatment like radiation and chemotherapy without tonic herbs like medicinal mushrooms that balance out the side effects and enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. 

The other dark side of Western medicine is the big pharmaceutical companies that seem to have little empathy for people in that they keep creating all these expensive medicines that are simply not needed. Ads today are loaded with new drugs fueled by potentially huge profits and equally huge side effects! The epidemic of pain killer abuse (as well as plenty of other pharmaceutical pills like benzos) is a huge problem, as well as misdiagnosis and surgeons taking out organs before trying other profoundly more sustainable options. Also, the government and the FDA's nutritional and dietary recommendations leading people to sickness and disease. Imagine if all those billions of dollars used to produce and advertise all sorts of different drugs, all the billions of dollars used for cancer research, all the billions of dollars used to focus on disease rather than prevention, went into spreading awareness about the bountiful supply of perfectly safe and life enhancing herbs, foods, clean water, exercises, healthy activities, lifestyles, etc. Imagine that. How profound that would be. For the collective human consciousness to expand exponentially and yet simplify. To get back to our roots and our true nature of joy, peace, and balance.

Even though it may seem like I'm against Western medicine in every way, i'm really not, but I definitely vibe infinitely more with Eastern medicine such as Taoism and Ayurveda, and it feels great to be clear on what I want to do with my life, and what I believe is my mission here. To genuinely help and heal people using all the truly practical, effective, and sustainable tools and healing strategies that are available to me.   

Iodine : The Most Misunderstood Mineral

Before I start, let me preface this post with a little story. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism (supposedly) when I was in high school and shortly after I was put on Synthroid, which is a synthetic man-made thyroid hormone called thyroxine. Of course at the time, I didn't have the awareness that I do now so I didn't question anything.

When I was in Europe in 2014 I decided to ween myself off of Synthroid slowly without anyone's consent. I literally felt no different. And this is a medication that people are "supposed" to be on for life. What?

Fast forward to a few months ago when I was living in Washington, and my mom brought up a good idea that I should get my thyroid levels tested because it's free. I didn't have any desire to at first because even if my levels were off there was no way I was going back on the medication, but I'm glad I did, because that is what brought me to the understanding I have today. My tests came back and my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was abnormally elevated. Knowing that information I dove headfirst into reading up on the thyroid gland itself. What does it do? How does it work? What is a TSH test? For one, I found out that the TSH test, which is the main test that is done to diagnose thyroid problems, is not very accurate at all. Someone could have an elevated TSH but that doesn't necessarily mean they have a thyroid problem. Also, sometimes people actually do have thyroid problems but the TSH test doesn't confirm it. The main problem with basing the status of the thyroid gland with a TSH test is that it does not give you the full picture of what is happening. It doesn't get to the root of the problem, and oh am I not surprised I'm saying that at all. Why can't Western medicine come to the blatantly obvious realization that the body, mind, and spirit are one? How can you treat someone so close-mindedly? Does it make any sense that when treating a person for anything you wouldn't seek to get a better idea of what is really going on by getting a clear picture of the person's lifestyle, past, habits, relationships, diet, etc? But sadly that's not how the system in the West is setup.

Iodine : The Most Misunderstood Mineral

In my research of the thyroid gland I kept coming across iodine. At the time I had the knowledge that I'm sure most of the general population has about iodine. Iodized salt and the orange goo that hospitals use as a disinfectant. Wow is it so much more than that. Not only is iodine absolutely vital for proper thyroid functioning, but every cell and organ in the body needs iodine. On top of that, iodine cannot be made by the body, so it has to come from an external source. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental retardation worldwide. 

I was fascinated by just doing basic research on iodine and I knew that this was potentially life altering information so I ended up buying three different books on amazon and continued researching online. The internet is such a powerful tool. My method for researching goes like this. I hear or read about something, and I do some basic searches on google to give me a basic understanding. Depending on what it is I'll buy a few books, read published research articles/studies, look through several different awesome message boards/forums where real people talk about their experiences. And then comes the most important part, trying it out for myself. I believe this is the best way I can gain a well rounded knowledge of anything, because I'm looking at several different sources (not buying into the one sided mainstream bull shit) including research articles/studies, how long it's been used from a historical perspective, anecdotal experiences, and then funneling all of that through the lens of my own experience. All this talk about knowledge is power in the education/school world. Knowledge is power. What a load of crap. Knowledge means nothing unless it is applied and in my opinion, shared. 

Let's talk about iodized salt. Actually, first let's talk about the recommended daily allowance for iodine. A measly 150 micrograms. One thing that I know to be absolutely true is the government/FDA's food/nutrition/vitamin/mineral recommendations are fucking terrible. Terrible. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) was put in place to prevent certain diseases. For example, iodide to prevent goiter (swelling of the thyroid), vitamin C to prevent scurvy, vitamin b-12 to prevent anemia, etc. The key take away from all of this is the recommendations do not take into account what is needed for the body to be in an optimal state. We're talking bare minimums here. When you see 100% RDA on your multivitamins or cereal or yogurt all that means is you're getting just enough, just barely enough to prevent certain things like scurvy and anemia. A very interesting note about iodine is on average the Japanese consume about 13.8 milligrams per day. Milligrams. That would be 13,8000 micrograms (compared to the RDA of 150 micrograms). And they have remarkably lower levels of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. Obviously there are other lifestyle factors to take into account but it's an interesting find nonetheless. So how do they consume so much more than Americans? Their diet is loaded with foods like seafood and sea vegetables, which have the highest concentrations of iodine on the planet.

Back to iodized salt. One important distinction about iodized salt is it's lacking in iodine. The two are very different and iodine nourishes different parts of the body much more effectively than iodide alone.  And no, iodized salt is not giving you even close to enough. Not only does the amount of iodide diminish drastically with time (let's be real how long have you had that table salt on your counter?) but table salt is a highly refined and bleached product so what you're left with is a salt that is sodium chloride (just one teeny tiny part of salt) and a bunch of anti-caking ingredients and toxic preservatives like aluminum. It drives me up a wall when people still buy into the idea that salt is bad. SALT IS NOT BAD! And while I'm at it NEITHER IS FAT OR CHOLESTEROL. Salt is only bad when it is consumed as sodium chloride (table salt/morton's salt) because it is completely stripped of all the other minerals that balance it out. Real unrefined salt does not elevate blood pressure. Just as real fat does not make you fat. These two ideas have been totally debunked. Of course fat is bad when you're consuming manipulated fat like margarine (yuck) and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Anyways, back to the matter at hand, iodine/iodide must be supplemented every day unless you eat seafood and sea vegetables all day. 

The pioneers of iodine research, Dr. Abraham, Dr. Flechas, and David Brownstein, have used what is called an iodine loading test on over 30,000 patients and over 95% percent of those people were deficient. 95 fu**ing percent! An iodine loading test measures the amount of iodine in your urine in a 24 hour time period after ingesting a 50 milligram tablet of iodine/iodide. The idea, which has proven to be the most effective way of determining iodine levels in the body, is that when you are sufficiently saturated your body will excrete over 90% of the ingested iodine.

How did we get so deficient in the first place? Well, let's take a look at some chemistry first. Iodine is part of a class of elements known as halogens. The halogens are bromine, chlorine, fluorine, iodine, and astatine. Some of those might sound familiar. The monumental problem here is all the halogens are toxic except iodine. What happens is when any of the toxic halogens such as bromine, chlorine, fluorine, and astatine enter the blood stream they compete with iodine for receptor sites all over the body, especially in the thyroid gland. That's just one of the negative aspects of the toxic halogens. And as it is today, we all have way too much of the bad guys circulating around and not enough of the valiant good guys like mister iodine. Where do the bad guys come from? The one we all probably get the most of is bromine. All commercial flours since the early 1960's used iodine as a dough conditioner, and for some strange reason there was a misplaced erroneous concern of getting too much iodine, so all iodine was replaced with the toxic flame retardant known as bromine (to be used as a cheap bread conditioner). Yes, bromine is used as a flame retardant in electronics, couches, mattresses and much more. It's also used as a pesticide, antibacterial agent in pools and hot tubs, preservative in sodas & medications, and a fumigant for pests. Next time you munch on that piece of bread just remember that. Mmmm yummy flame retardant. The freaky thing is it doesn't even need to be labeled. The only way you can be sure is if the flour or bread or whatever else the globally massive wheat business creates is free of bromine, is if you see "non-bromated flour" or talk to the wheat producer directly. If that's not freaky enough, we also have fluoride, which for the past fifty years the American Dental Association has advocated as a preventative measure against dental caries, even adding it to tap water! The fluoridation of the water supply has been based on terrible science and why on earth would something toxic be added to the water supply when there are no studies that show ingesting fluoride has any benefits at all. Hence why many countries around the world have banned the fluoridation of the water supply, and also banned adding bromine to all flours. What is America waiting for?

The historical use of iodine goes way back over 15,000 years ago. Back then, it was used in the form of all different kinds of seaweeds. Just 150 years ago supplemental iodine in the form of Lugol's solution (iodide/iodine formulation) was considered a "universal medicine." How did this knowledge disappear? One reason iodine has been thrown out the window is because of a research duo in 1948. Their opinion was contradicted by all the previous years when iodine was used liberally for everything from syphilis to breast cancer. Somehow iodine's historic benefits were suddenly snatched from the medical text books (for med school not to teach about iodine is just wrong) and largely banned from human research. Another reason is because when antibiotics such as penicillin came into use after World War 2, iodine was considered "old fashioned," a cardinal sin in the medical community.

"It is important for women to detoxify toxic halogens before becoming pregnant. Similarly, it is important for women of child-bearing age to correct iodine deficiency before pregnancy." 

 A pregnant woman who has optimal iodine levels can increase their child's IQ by 20-30 points. 

I read quotes like this from David Brownstein who's treated thousands and thousands of patients using the iodine protocol and holistic treatment plans and it's so profound to me. I'm so grateful that I'm learning about all of this now. The body cannot thrive without sufficient iodine, and neither can the growing baby. Iodine plays such a crucial role in brain development that if you are not sufficiently saturated as a pregnant mother your baby has a much greater chance of having health problems like ADHD, depression, dwarfism, autism, and mental retardation.

Being the scientist and the patient, I ordered an iodine loading test for myself and the results were surprising. In 24 hours I excreted 19.2 milligrams out of 50 milligrams which puts me at a measly 38% saturation (above 90% is the optimal level). What? How? My diet has been impeccably clean for the majority of the past four years! But that proof has given me clarity because now I know why my thyroid was messed up in the first place. After thinking about all the bromine laced wheat I consumed growing up (french toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, pasta for dinner, that's a lot of bromine over the years!), all the fluoride in my system from tap water, toothpaste, medications, soaking up all the chlorine from showers and baths and pools, it's clear as day to me. My thyroid wasn't deficient in Synthroid, it was deficient in iodine. But then I think deeper. Why has sushi always been my favorite food? Is it just because it tastes amazing, or is there something else going on? Well lets think, what is sushi made of? Raw fish and nori (seaweed). Among the highest sources of iodine on the planet. All those random cravings I had, was it just because I missed the tantalizing taste of sushi? Or was that my body trying to tell me that I'm more than moderately deficient in iodine?

Learning about iodine and the brain it makes me wonder if the depression I've experienced, the brain fog, the sometimes strange emotional states, if it was caused in part due to not having enough iodine in my diet. I think so, and I'm so excited to see what level of health I can achieve through optimizing my iodine levels. You can see now that the recommendation of 150 micrograms will do virtually nothing to give you the life changing benefits that iodine has the potential to give. The optimal maintenance dose is around what the Japanese consume. Anywhere from 13.8 to 25 milligrams. But that's only if you are already saturated enough, and the majority of people aren't. So, for a therapeutic dose it's wise to work up to 50 milligrams (and stay at that dose for at least six months to a year, then take the iodine loading test again) and even more if you are battling cancer or a serious condition, but hey I'm no holistic practitioner (yet). Oh, did I mention that an iodine deficient state predisposes you to basically every cancer known to man?

Is it any wonder that thyroid and breast disease have skyrocketed since 1970? When just years before iodine was taken out of the food system and replaced with its toxic cousin bromine. Also, lower iodine levels means IQ levels dropping and obesity rates rising.

This has been an ongoing research project that was fueled by my desire to learn more about my own health condition and question the norms that society and the medical community have put in place. I think I've come to a solid understanding of iodine as it is, and it's truly an invaluable (and cheap) resource today in the toxic world we live in. For anyone wondering I'm now at 36 milligrams of iodine a day, slowly increasing up to 50 milligrams a day and I already feel the cobwebs in my brain clearing up, day by day. Iodine helps build all the hormones, all the feel good neurotransmitters, it concentrates in the thyroid so that when the blood circulates through the gland it will help clean the blood, it increases metabolism helping you naturally lose weight, it clears the mind. it's vitally important if you are thinking about having a kid (for men too), pregnant or nursing, and it strengthens every cell in the body and keeps the massive amounts of toxic halogens in modern day life out of the body. If that ain't reason enough to look into this I don't know what is.

If you are interested in doing the 24 hour loading test here's the link. $70 well spent.

Two incredible books on iodine can be found here and here.

Lugol's solution is the liquid form that I personally take. About $20 which will last months and months and enhance your life in every way.

Or if you prefer a tablet form this is the same exact formulation.

Also, it's very important when supplementing with iodine to follow the iodine protocol which includes other nutrients and unrefined salt and plenty of clean water (good place to start is to take your body weight in pounds, divide that by two, and drink that much per day in ounces) that help iodine enter the cells more effectively and help the detoxification pathways in the body. One company has put all the companion nutrients in one formula (minus the salt) which makes it easy. Personally, especially my first several days of taking iodine, I experienced some detox reactions such as feeling achy all over and fatigued, but that's a good sign. Taking the companion nutrients and around one and a half teaspoons of pure unrefined salt throughout the day did the trick.

If you are currently on Synthroid or experiencing any thyroid problems, it's pretty much guaranteed you are iodine deficient. Also, it would definitely be smart to look into more natural ways of dealing with thyroid issues like taking a product made from desiccated porcine thyroid glands because it contains all the thyroid hormones like T1, T2, T3, and T4, unlike Synthroid which is just T4. 

Iodine is a pure medicine used safely for thousands and thousands of years.

A different perspective on Food

I think one of the most important pieces of advice I could give to anyone that is interested in up-leveling their diet is diversity. Diversity. If you stop for a moment and really think, what does my diet consist of? How much variety am I really getting? The answer could surprise you.

Spin the clock back over ten thousand years ago, in the days when humans had to forage and hunt simply to survive, and you find that the majority of our ancestors had an incredibly diverse diet. Wild plants, herbs, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, animals of all sorts (and eating all of the animal I might add, instead of the least nutritious flesh meat), birds, and depending on the location lots of fish, reptiles, insects, different roots, leaves, and the list goes on. Of course, all of this diversity may have been spread out over the weeks and months but nonetheless, the diet of humanity before agriculture began was so very different than it is now.

First I want to say, what a beautiful gift agriculture is. Agriculture gave humans the ability to settle down for months at a time or even all year, and that led to freeing up incredible amounts of time to other creative and lifestyle pursuits. Thanks to agriculture we can enjoy the life that we have, where we have incredible freedom and ample time to do as we please.

On the other hand, due to agriculture humans have effectively crippled the food system (nutritionally) over thousands of years. How so? The ability to selectively seed any crop. Instead of an incredibly varied and wild diet, which didn't always please the senses (bitter herbs, sour fruits, etc), we could now look at nature's most delicious tasting gems and say, "well imma grow a thousand fig trees." I can understand how that kind of thinking would be experienced at that time. Hell, I guarantee I would have done it too. Why grow some bitter herbs and sour fruits when you could grow acres of fig and date trees? I believe that blindness to the outcome of those choices has contributed to the worlds declining health. Declining health you say? Well Andrew! Look at how our life expectancy has increased. Well, I have a counter to that statement, how about look around. People are sicker then ever. And what boggles my mind is that sick has become the new norm! Obesity has become an epidemic, cancer and mental disorders run rampant, and people are dealing with all sorts of chronic health issues that didn't even exist a hundred years ago! Let me clear the air, it is not normal to have cancer. It is not normal to be overweight, it is not normal to have any chronic health challenges. It is not normal for men to have faulty prostates after the age of fifty. It is not normal to experience chronic fatigue. These things are not normal!

Fast forward to our modern day world, not even taking into the consideration the fact that most of the food at any particular store is highly processed, the reality is most of the average diet consists of just a handful of different foods. How crazy is that?! Any processed or fast food (which accounts for way too much of the average diet) is basically just a combination of genetically modified corn, wheat, and soy. The wheat, corn, and soy fed to countless factory farmed animals, and then the clever reintroduction of those three crops into everything from cereals and candy to condiments and dressings.

Just like with anything in life, diversity is vital. Diversity is vital to the person who wants to be truly physically fit. Diversity is vital to someone who wants a sharp and intelligent mind. Diversity is vital to anyone that wants to enhance their life. The body was not designed to just process a handful of selectively grown crops, it was designed to process the true abundance that is nature. The leaves, roots, barks, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, meat, insects, birds, and plants of every kind.

I don't believe it's possible to be in an optimal state of being living off of a standard diet, even if you do eat primarily organic or local foods. Due to years of mono cropping and spraying pesticides and herbicides, soil is depleted of vital life giving minerals. The number of environmental toxins that have been introduced just in the past fifty years is staggering which puts unseen stress on the body. And throw all of that together with an imbalanced overworked lifestyle and so many fear based organizations and institutions, and you have a perfect storm of destruction.  

One of my huge passions the past couple years has been reading, researching, and trying out different tonic herbs. When I say tonic herb I'm not referring to herbs like oregano and rosemary, I'm talking about herbs (otherwise known as superior herbs in Chinese Herbalism) that are absolutely non toxic, and promote a long, healthy, vibrant, happy life, without side effects, even when taken for an extended period of time. Herbs like ginseng, he shou wu, holy basil, ashwagandha, goji berries, schizandra berries, astragalus, rehmannia root, reishi mushroom, just to name a few. These herbs provide a tonifying effect that normal foods simply cannot accomplish. From teaching immune cells to know how to effectively defend against invaders , to balancing gut flora,  to obliterating tumors and cancer cells, to increasing the body's ability to handle stress, to enhancing mental and spiritual awareness. Tonic herbs are an incredible gift from the earth and are so very underutilized in the Western world of endless one-directional medications.

I hope this post has been informative and maybe kinda sorta inspired you to be more aware of how your diet impacts your life, and how valuable it is to reintroduce those forgotten foods (such as bitter, sour, or pungent herbs) into your diet. 

The subtle energy of your food becomes your mind. 

The Beauty Industry

I guess you could say I'm kind of a unique dude, sitting here at 12:38am thinking about yes, the beauty industry. According to the statistics the beauty industry will be reeling in over 265 billion in world wide revenue next year. That is insane, but what's even more insane is what the beauty industry is founded on.

This is purely my own theory, but from a psychological perspective the beauty industry is founded on peoples feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem. Think about it. If everyone in the entire world woke up every morning and looked in the mirror and felt completely satisfied with the way they looked the beauty industry would collapse. But no, the rows and rows of shelves at stores and warehouses all over the world continue to be stock piled with an endless array of lotions, shampoos, conditioners, makeup, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving creme, moisturizers, weight loss pills, facials, and the list goes on and on. If you take a step back and look at all this the question becomes, of all these products what do we actually need?  None of it. Absolutely none of it.

It really is incredible that the beauty industry is able to brainwash millions and millions of people through constant advertising that all of this stuff is absolutely needed. You need shampoo everyday to clean your hair and keep it shiny. You need toothpaste to keep your teeth clean. You need lotion to keep your skin moisturized. You need conditioner. You need sun tan lotion because the sun is so very dangerous. You need makeup to look beautiful. You need cologne and perfume to smell good. What a load of horse shit.

Society has us absolutely convinced that we need all this stuff. At this point I could write a whole page just praising the beauty industry for how intelligently they've constructed this whole idea of "beauty." It really is a work of psychological art. To be able to have people convinced you need to look a certain way and be free of external imperfections to be attractive & socially acceptable. For the men, they play on our powerful sex-drive. Adds for cologne and deodorant that make the scents seem irresistible to women. As if putting on a certain deodorant or cologne will have loads of hot chicks flocking to you. For women, it seems to be that if you don't have the flawless skin, the nails, the mascara, and the smooth legs then you aren't really attractive or acceptable at all. Oh, and you can't forget the shiny lustrous hair, and you gotta know if you have a few pimples on your face or your legs have some natural hair then you are one ugly woman. This incredibly over the top perfectionist idea of "beauty" is complete nonsense.

I do believe, however, there is a difference between "need" and "want." The point I'm trying to emphasize here is the idea of "needing" something external to feel beautiful and acceptable. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to dress up all fancy or put on makeup or cologne or whatever. But in the truest sense, it is not needed. You feel me?

From a nutritional stand point alone, none of these products are needed if you simply feed your body with vibrant whole foods free of chemicals, plenty of good quality fats, and clean water. Dr. Weston A. Price did some fascinating work decades ago where he traveled around the globe and studied cultures living on a traditional diet. What he found was those people had near perfect teeth, no cavities, and robust health. You think those people have lil plastic toothbrushes and bottles of chemically laced lotions and shampoos and toothpaste?

I know from my own experience that anything external is directly related to the internal world. For example, I haven't used anything on my face for months and months, not even cleaning it at night, and I haven't had any inflammation (zits) on my face whatsoever. So much of our health is diet related. People have to realize that anything you put on your skin or in your hair is being absorbed into your blood stream. From the aluminum in the average deodorant, which not only causes brain cells to shrink and die, but is also linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Dementia, to lotions and shampoos that contain petroleum bi products that are linked to cancer to the toxic fluoride in tap water and toothpaste and pharmaceuticals that deplete the body of vital minerals like magnesium & iodine. Whether you are aware of it or not, these products are slowly but surely adding to your toxic load. It's amusing to me to think of parents that are so quick to condemn things like cigarettes when they are feeding their kids processed junk, sodas, and then on top of all that slathering their bodies with chemically laced sun tan lotion (that prevents the life giving absorption of vitamin d3) before they go out. Oh the sweet irony.

Even if you would like to still use some of these products it doesn't mean you have to go to the store and buy a shiny bottle of Aveeno. It's so easy to make super cheap cleaning products, toothpastes, moisturizers, etc at home that are a fraction of the cost and don't add numerous toxins to your system.

As long as people buy into the mainstream idea of beauty and continue to feel dissatisfied with imperfection, the entire industry will continue to thrive on a thing called low self esteem.