Page 16 - Winter2008

public water supplies began. Since then, a whole traditional animal fats with corn, soy, and canola oils has most certainly
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slew of potentially psychoactive drugs and food been a major factor contributing to the ongoing decimation of the American
additives has been released onto the market, Dream.
although none has received such an orchestrated
campaign of government support as the choles- A SILVER LINING
terol-lowering statins, which produce episodes As future-orientation diminishes and impulse disorders increase
of transient global amnesia in the worst cases across social strata, more children will get in trouble in school, more
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and modest impairments in cognitive function- poor people will go to jail, and more rich people will get multi-billion
ing for the average adult user, but whose effects dollar handouts from the government. Families that stubbornly—or he-
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on personal finances or social and family life and roically—hold on to old-fashioned work ethics and savings habits will be
whose cognitive effects in the young children punished by inflation while banks that lend out money they do not even
to whom they are now marketed have not been have to reckless investors will be rewarded with more money created out
studied. of thin air. Although this scenario may sound like a recipe for disaster, the
As will be shown in this article, nutrient- truth is that while the big boys at the top are partying away the remains
rich animal fats are so important to a healthy of the public’s wealth, each of us in the traditional foods movement is
psychological and emotional disposition that rebuilding society from the bottom up.
the orchestrated campaign to replace meat and As communities become more connected to their resident farmers,
eggs with soy and refined grains and to replace they will begin to recapture the basic principles of wealth creation that

FIGURE 1: ARACHIDONIC ACID COOPERATES WITH VITAMINS A AND D
TO REGULATE STRESS VIA DOPAMINE AND CORTISOL

Linoleic Acid
Vitamin A

Arachidonic Acid

Vitamin D

Endocannabinoids

Regulation of Dopamine and Cortisol

Regulation of Anxiety, Depression and Motivation

Arachidonic acid is converted as needed to the endocannabinoids, key regulatory molecules within the central nervous
system that support the production of adequate dopamine and curb the production of excess cortisol. In doing so, they
help prevent anxiety and depression while supporting the motivation to sustain goal-oriented effort over time. Arachidonic
acid can be directly supplied in the diet through animal fats or be made from linoleic acid found in animal fats and plant
oils. Vitamin A helps the body make arachidonic acid from linoleic acid and helps the body make the receptors and other
proteins that carry out the cellular response to dopamine. Vitamin D helps maintain the calcium necessary to signal the
conversion of arachidonic acid to endocannabinoids and may be involved in directly initiating this signal as well.
16 Wise Traditions WINTER 2008