You likely have heard about the woes of newly elected New York Republican house member George Santos. The inconsistencies in Santo’s history were first published by New York Times reporter Michael Gold. Gold reported: “By his account, he catapulted himself from a New York City public college to become a seasoned Wall Street financier and investor with a family-owned real estate portfolio of 13 properties and an animal rescue charity that saved more than 2,500 dogs and cats.”
Liar, Liar, pants on fire
We have subsequently found out that virtually none of this is true. He didn’t simply embellish his resume—he created an extensive story of pure fiction. It’s not uncommon for public figures and politicians to expand and stretch their resumes, but it’s very rare for them to spew out a long list of outright lies. Santos has now admitted his transgressions, but he has refused to walk away from his seat in the House of Representatives. What the heck are we supposed to make of this sordid tale? Most people assume he is simply a sociopath who can lie with ease. I have a little different perspective on his story.
Focus on the Brain
I am a Family Physician with over 40 years of clinical experience. My special interests are the connection between diet and brain function. Years ago, I introduced a new disease model to the medical and scientific professions based on the concept that highly processed food is neurotoxic. I call this disease Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. People with CARB syndrome share these two characteristics:
- They develop up to 22 brain dysfunction symptoms that overlap with many traditional brain disorders, creating massive confusion in the medical and scientific communities. These symptoms impair an individual’s ability to function normally.
- They have excessive body fat (obesity), regardless of their size, weight, or BMI.
You end up with folks who have screwed up brain function and a long list of metabolic problems. They often demonstrate very bizarre behavior and reactions that are very unusual for healthy individuals with normal brain function.
Follow my logic
Because I haven’t personally examined or treated Mr. Santos, my views are purely speculative. As you read through the 22 brain dysfunction symptoms typical of CARB syndrome, Mr. Santos seems to have most of them. His bizarre behavior and distorted statements start to make some sense. He also clearly has excessive body fat. How do I know this to be true? Over decades I have measured the body composition of every patient at every visit, eventually accumulating over 10,000 such readings. Trust me—I can accurately estimate your percent body fat by simply looking at you. As you glance at his photo above, you can probably appreciate his excessive body fat yourself.
This is where it gets tricky. People can have excessive body fat (obesity) with completely intact brain function and no CARB syndrome. Most of these folks tend to be metabolically healthy with little or no insulin resistance. If you view images of people throughout history or from cultures with no highly processed food, some will demonstrate visual obesity. None of these folks had CARB syndrome, a disease that has only emerged over the past 75-100 years when highly processed food began to infiltrate our diet.
The symptoms of CARB syndrome are generated from low levels of monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Highly processed food and alcohol consumption seem to be driving this depletion of monoamines. Low levels of these chemicals directly lead to craving sweet and starchy food and alcohol, resulting in even more depletion. Long ago I learned that boosting levels of theses monoamines is the fastest way to eliminate these cravings as well as the other symptoms of CARB syndrome. The most effective way to do so is to take a supplement that contains L-tyrosine and 5-htp, the precursors of these monoamines. The amino acid L-glutamine also suppresses such cravings. Years ago, I developed a product called CARB-22 that contains all of these ingredients along with some co-factors.
Reversing CARB syndrome
I learned to treat people who fit the CARB syndrome pattern using CARB-22, sometimes temporarily combined with low dose brain drugs. Over time their brain function would dramatically improve and their body composition would improve without restricting calories or traditional weight loss dieting. Because at the present time you can’t go to your healthcare provider to get a diagnosis of CARB syndrome, my book “Brain Drain” teaches people how to make their own diagnosis and arrange for their own treatment.
If my suspicions about Mr. Santos are correct and if I had the opportunity to treat him, I predict that his brain function and metabolic status would dramatically improve, and he might actually become an effective and respected politician. If you know Mr. Santos, please let him know that I am willing to evaluate and treat him at no cost.