Jared Diamond, an American evolutionary biologist, physiologist, bio-geographer and non-fiction author, wrote a remarkable piece for Discover Magazine, in May 1987.

It is about; how agriculture set the stage for class division, and is responsible for many of the modern health problems.  Jared Diamond was an influence for me when I was seeking answers about modern lifestyle problems, and indeed, he’s a man who has inspired me to make this website.

From the article:
“…recent discoveries suggest that the adoption of agriculture, supposedly our most decisive step toward a better life, was in many ways a catastrophe from which we have never recovered. With agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism, that curse our existence.”

This is a must-read – so do yourself a favour and read it here:
http://www.agron.iastate.edu/courses/agron342/diamondmistake.html

Health and fitness group starts
A new non-profit health and fitness group has started in Umina.

The Caveman Power group, formed by Umina resident Mr Matt Emery, has been operating for six months and already has 20 members.
Mr Emery said the group’s main aim was to assist with health issues such as mental health, emotional health and physical health.
“We are specifically focused on fighting modern diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression,” Mr Emery said.
“We do this by means of bushwalks, mountain bike rides and other means.
“We offer free diet and nutrition tips and free fitness programs.”
Mr Emery said the group also did charity walks with money raised used to help fight the diseases.
Mr Emery said the group’s broader philosophy was “finding contentment by being true to our biology”.
“Modern society is causing a lot of modern diseases,” Mr Emery said.
“We take the perspective as if we were cavemen transported into modern times.
“We intend to combine the best of modern science with the best of primal wisdom.
“At the end of the day we are all about having fun and getting healthy.”
Mr Emery said the group was targeting those who were inexperienced or new to fitness, people with permanent incapacities and injuries, people stressed by modern day society and people who feel they “don’t fit in or are marginalized”.
He said the group also had a lot to offer the experienced health fanatic.
He said most interest was coming from women, especially in the 30 and over age bracket.
Mr Emery said all interest received from men was spread across all age brackets.
He said the website, www.cavemanpower.com.au, had become “incredibly popular”.
“We have lots of interest, about 50 per cent, from the USA,” Mr Emery said.
The site offers free advice as well as a free newsletter.
“As far as I’m aware this is the first group of its kind. It’s unique.”
He said the group was making efforts for people to start groups “around the world”.
Mr Emery said he was currently working on a “Modern Caveman” book.

Check out a photo so the story here http://www.cavemanpower.com/forum/peninsula_news-t74.0.html

Here’s an interesting story from News-Medical.net

From the article;
An Australian psychiatrist has accused the medical profession of over-diagnosing depression, and says thousands of people are wrongly being prescribed drugs to treat it. According to Professor Gordon Parker of the University of New South Wales, the current threshold for what is considered to be “clinical depression” is too low and he warns that the condition is becoming less credible.

Get the full story here http://www.news-medical.net/?id=28914
——————–

I think he makes an interesting point about the “exaggerated marketing claims” of drug companies being a contributing factor towards the escalating diagnosis of depression. And I do feel that mass-marketing is always ready to cash in on something, no matter how pitiful. Mass marketing is all about the art of lieing…. but I digress…

I think Modern society is not only a cause, but also a symptom of depression. Consider this fact; Nigerians have the lowest rate of global depression.

I’m very interested in how we can get through this unnatural modern environment without going completely mad, so here is my little list that helps me to keep the blues away;

• Bush Walking
• Exercising
• Being around warm people
• Hobbies
• Hot Chilli Thai food
• Talking to you on this forum

What are your tips for keep the blues away? (stuff you actually practise)

It’s not looking good according to the WHO (World Health Organisation)…

“Depression is the leading cause of disability, and the 4th leading contributor to the global burden of disease in 2000. By the year 2020, depression is projected to reach 2nd place for all ages, both sexes. Today, depression is already 2nd in the age category 15-44 years for both sexes combined.”

Quick facts from the WHO;

• Depression is common, affecting about 121 million people worldwide.
• Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.

…and I am not surprised
By now you’re probably aware of my feelings towards modern society, therefore i’ll skip the rant about how society is making us sick… BUT, the above figures do prove a point; that modern society is an unnatural environment and is not conducive to overall contentment.

So what’s the problem?
I’m not 100% certain… but I do suspect that consumerism is deteriorating the fabric of society. And mass marketing is constantly telling us to buy more, get more, eat more, be more, etc.

Mass marketing is becoming increasingly clever and deviously surreptitious in it’s execution. I think mass marketing is an evil form of psychotherapy, constantly trying to get into our subconscious. Try and go one day without running into mass marketing – it’s not easy.

The vicious cycle
Here is the formula of modern society;

• Work 40 hours a week, and become time poor.
• Being time poor we have to buy ready made food, which is expensive.
• Being time poor we become stressed, we need to buy a holiday.
• Now there is less money so we have to work more.

Repeat the above steps and add more working hours (and stress) for each cycle. And for each cycle, you get a step closer to depression.

Obviously my example is a very generalised one. But the principle of “work more for less” stands true. I feel great sadness when I see people filling their shopping carts with overpriced processed foods – it saddens me because I know that some corporation has just cashed in on the sweat of their hard work. Not to mention the fact that the processed food is very likely to be unhealthy.

I realise that the consumer is responsible for their choices, but I can’t get away from feeling that somehow, even though there are 1000′s of products to choose from, there really is little choice, if any.

Time to fight back
If you’re are reading this article then you’re already taking affirmative action, because you’re seeking…. don’t stop seeking, learn the truth! Get informed and fight back!!!

My favourite website of all time is this one.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Every Sunday they post new secrets, all the secrets are anonymous, and the best ones are displayed in a Museum in New York.  They also sell a book, from which all the funds get donated to charities that support depression and suicide.

It is the most poignant “as real as it gets” website I have ever seen.  Check it out…

What is your ONE favourite website?

The Caveman Power Diet puts you into a mild state of Fight or Flight, which increases your energy, and your ability to burn fat.

This subtle fight or flight feeling you experience is a very natural state for your body to be in, it is the key to your success. Embrace it for what it is; animal motivation. The Caveman Power Diet is a very open do-it-yourself diet, it encourages you to feel content in a way that suits you personally.

The focus is more on how to eat rather than what to eat, which gives you the freedom to enjoy food, which is the most basic of animal instincts. So go ahead and feast yourself on the Caveman Power Diet!

Click here to read  The Caveman Power Diet

Kellogg’s is misleading the Australian public. They are keeping people unhealthy, and why not, they’re making a tonne of money…

Did you know?

• Kellogg’s Nutri Grain is 31% sugar.
• Kellogg’s Just Right is 31% sugar.
• Kellogg’s Sultana Bran is 23% sugar.
• Kellogg’s Special K is 15% sugar.
• Kellogg’s All Bran is 14% sugar.

Cathi Cohen, in her book, Raise Your Child’s Social IQ, offers the following list of characteristics of children with positive and negative self esteem:

Kids with High Self-Esteem

• Have fairly stable moods
• Set realistic goals and achieve them
• Have self-motivation and “stick-to-it-ness”
• Can accept rejection or critical feedback
• Can say “no” to peers
• Are realistically aware of their own strengths and weaknesses

Kids with Low Self-Esteem

• Often blame others for their actions
• Need to be liked by everyone
• See themselves as losers
• Are critical of others
• Get frustrated easily
• Have trouble accepting responsibility for their actions
• Make negative comments about themselves
• Tend to be quitters

Hmmmm… interesting. I can identify with points from both lists.

I see it all the time; people choosing food packages that proudly declare “95% Fat Free”, so let me say this just once…

FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU.

SUGAR IS BAD FOR YOU!

LOW FAT (usually) = HIGH SUGAR

Next time you are choosing anything that’s labelled “Low Fat”, make sure you check out the ingredients and/or the nutrition table on the packaging for signs of high sugar (simple carbohydrate) content.  The food corporations have been using this trick for a while, and let’s face it; do you seriously think the food corporations exist to make you healthy?  They are corporations, and they exist for one reason only; to make money.

Ori Hofmekler on his excellent blog says:

It is now known that the sympathetic nervous system virtually rejects eating! Here is the heart of the problem: most of us eat under stress during the day – and we’re not supposed to! We are supposed to eat very little! That’s the way the human body was designed. When you take a flesh machine designed to run on very little food and overwhelm it with food, bad food to boot, bad things are going to happen. Recent scientific literature on intermittent fasting proves my point.

I’m convinced that eating at night is very natural. It makes sense that Primal Man would feast at night after hunting during the day, and I have tested this theory out on myself with excellent results.
The typical anecdotes you hear from people are usually along the lines of “eating at night is bad because food will turn to fat whilst you sleep”. Well I say to that; RUBBISH.

Check out the rest of the article here, it’s an excellent read http://www.warriordiet.com/blog/archives/8-Are-We-Inherently-Night-Eaters.html