The Fred Martinez Report

Posts

Showing posts from October, 2026

The decisive question is not whether human beings have freedom, dignity, or rights. It is whether those things are grounded in a good that human beings discover and participate in—or whether the exercise of will is increasingly treated as sufficient to create the very standards by which it is judged.

From Nominalism to Nietzsche – How We Got Into the Mess We’re In Today - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix Sun, Jun 8 at 12:47 AM https://dphx.org/tob-tuesdays-10/#:~:text=Ockham%27s%20solution%20was%20to%20get,language%2C%20only%20its%20external%20properties .... "... Language itself has fallen under the modern guillotine of Nominalism as new words and pronouns rapidly multiply to describe self-constructed realities rather than an interior, objective order of reality. The “betterment of mankind” has morphed into the “betterment of the individual self” with the teeth of civil laws to back up one’s perception of self and reality. After all, if, according to Ockham and Nominalism, God could command anything He wanted and make it Law, then why can’t man – made in His image and likeness – do the same?" ChatGPT: The passage presents a distinctly classical and Thomistic critique of modernity: when reality is no longer understood as possessing an objective order that reason can...

1, 2, 3

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1znp7G7PvH9UF_P7hHi6bTE8DeYy0Gwze/view?usp=drive_link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_bXVVlxNJdbdhfU9dnfBb7M_SkeVIcqE/view?usp=drive_link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LL35kqttBzWKldqd3eiANo1FwUZWc8IX/view?usp=drive_link

MERCOLA header logo ★ TOP STORY Are You Chasing Energy Instead of Building It? Feeling wired isn't the same as performing better. Some ingredients support the cellular systems behind strength, blood flow, and fatigue resistance without relying on a temporary stimulant rush.When you support your body's natural energy systems, you may find you can train harder, recover more effectively, and make steadier progress without depending on stimulants. 1.Match your supplement to your training goal instead of taking everything — Your body doesn't need every ingredient every day. If your priority is strength, power, and repeated high-intensity efforts, creatine deserves a high place on your list because research consistently links it to support for the rapid energy system your muscles rely on during demanding exercise. The most efficient way to get more creatine is by eating animal-based foods like grass fed beef. However, if you're not able to get enough creatine from food, or you're aiming to reach the recommended daily dose of 3 to 5 grams (g) per day, I recommend creatine monohydrate. It's one of the most studied and generally well-tolerated forms. Choose a clean product from a trusted company — no additives, fillers, or mystery flavors. Despite lingering myths, research has generally not linked creatine monohydrate to impaired kidney function in healthy adults,10 and any initial water retention typically eases within the first week or two of use.11 If your workouts involve repeated bursts of hard effort, research suggests beta-alanine, taken consistently over several weeks, may help your muscles gradually build the carnosine needed to delay fatigue. Picking supplements based on your actual training goals can save money and may produce better results. 2.Build your energy with food instead of stimulants — High-dose stimulant pre-workout supplements can keep your nervous system in a stressed, alert state, which may make it harder for your brain and body to shift into the deep, restorative sleep where recovery actually happens. Treat these stimulants as another source of stress instead of a performance tool. Before training, eat a simple meal or snack that includes carbohydrates, protein, and fluids so your muscles have the fuel they need without overstimulating your nervous system. Removing unnecessary stimulants from your routine, including pre-workout products and energy drinks, may create steadier energy throughout the day and help your body establish a more predictable rhythm instead of forcing you to chase the next caffeine boost. 3.Choose ingredients with transparent research instead of flashy labels — If you're shopping for a pre-workout supplement, turn the container around before you buy it. Look for products that clearly list the amount of every active ingredient instead of hiding them inside a proprietary blend. When you know the dose, you can compare it with the amounts used in research instead of paying for ingredients that are present only in tiny amounts. Prioritize ingredients with consistent evidence behind them, such as creatine for strength and power, instead of products that rely on long ingredient lists and marketing claims. 4.Treat your post-workout meal as part of your workout — Recovery starts the moment your training session ends. Your muscles rebuild most effectively when your body enters a rest-and-digest state instead of remaining in fight-or-flight mode. Eat carbohydrates after training to help replace the energy you used during exercise; some research suggests this pattern may also support healthier post-exercise cortisol levels, the stress hormone that rises during intense workouts.12 Pair those carbohydrates with about 20 to 40 g of protein within two hours after training, which equals roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g of protein per kilogram of body weight for most adults. Include about 2 to 3 g of leucine, an amino acid that helps activate muscle protein synthesis, the process your body uses to repair and build muscle tissue.13 When you recover well, fatigue tends to ease as your body continues rebuilding for your next workout. 5.Measure progress instead of chasing a feeling — Give evidence-backed ingredients enough time to work and judge success by measurable improvements, not by how energized you feel after taking a supplement. Track the number of quality repetitions you complete, the amount of weight you lift, how quickly you recover between workouts, and how rested you feel the next day. Those markers tell you far more about your progress than the temporary rush produced by stimulant-based products. Consistency with training, nutrition, hydration, and recovery tends to outperform short-term stimulation.

★ TOP STORY Are You Chasing Energy Instead of Building It? Feeling wired isn't the same as performing better. Some ingredients support the cellular systems behind strength, blood flow, and fatigue resistance without relying on a temporary stimulant rush. When you support your body's natural energy systems , you may find you can train harder, recover more effectively, and make steadier progress without depending on stimulants. 1. Match your supplement to your training goal instead of taking everything — Your body doesn't need every ingredient every day. If your priority is strength, power, and repeated high-intensity efforts, creatine deserves a high place on your list because research consistently links it to support for the rapid energy system your muscles rely on during demanding exercise. The most efficient way to get more creatine is by eating animal-based foods like grass fed beef. However, if you're not able to get enough creatine from food, or you're aim...

Reduce the Daily Strain Associated with Faster Biological Aging Your biological age reflects the cumulative strain placed on your cells and tissues over time. I recommend focusing first on the daily exposures and habits that interfere with cellular energy production, metabolic health, and your body's ability to repair itself. You don't need to change everything at once. Pick one step, make it consistent, and build from there. 1.Remove seed oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet — Start by reducing one of the most common sources of metabolic strain: excess linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils. My narrative review, published in Nutrients, explores the explosion of LA intake over the last century and how skyrocketing levels have altered the metabolic landscape of the modern world.4 Check ingredient labels for soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, and other seed oils, which appear throughout packaged foods, restaurant meals, and sauces. High intake of these polyunsaturated fats may push your cells toward less efficient energy pathways — the metabolic equivalent of running a car engine on the wrong fuel. It still runs, but it generates more exhaust and more wear. Replace these products with simple whole foods you prepare yourself. For cooking fats, choose tallow, ghee, or grass fed butter. If you eat restaurant food often, your first challenge is simple: Prepare one additional meal at home each day. Every meal you control gives you another opportunity to reduce your exposure to ingredients that work against healthy cellular energy production. A daily LA target below 5 grams may support healthier metabolic signaling over time. I recommend signing up for my Pax health platform, which includes two features — Food Buddy and Seed Oil Sleuth — that can help identify hidden sources of LA in your diet and estimate your total daily intake. 2.Give your cells enough carbohydrates to produce energy efficiently — Most adults need about 250 grams of targeted carbohydrates per day, with higher amounts for active individuals. Healthy carbohydrates from whole foods support steady cellular energy production instead of repeated crashes. If your gut health is compromised, with regular bloating or irregular bowel habits, begin with easier-to-digest carbohydrates like whole fruit and white rice. If your digestion is on track, root vegetables and properly prepared starches and grains work well for many people. Increase carbs gradually instead of forcing large amounts of fiber all at once. 3.Build and preserve muscle with enough protein and daily movement — Your muscles support metabolic health, physical resilience, and healthy aging. Aim for about 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound (or 1.32 to 1.76 grams per kilogram) of ideal body weight, with one-third coming from collagen-rich sources like slow-cooked meats or bone broth. Pair adequate nutrition with regular movement. Walk daily, limit prolonged periods of sitting, and add strength training twice a week. If you're inactive now, start small. Track your walking time for one week, then set a goal to gradually work toward about one hour per day. 4.Protect your circadian rhythm and use sunlight wisely — Your sleep-wake cycle affects metabolic health and cellular energy production. Get natural outdoor light early in the day and reduce bright artificial light at night. Consistent light exposure at the right times helps your body maintain the daily rhythms that support sleep and repair. Sunlight also supports vitamin D production, nitric oxide release, mitochondrial melatonin, and cellular energy. Melatonin is produced primarily inside your mitochondria in response to near-infrared light exposure, which is one reason why natural sunlight matters here in a way indoor light does not. Avoid intense sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until you've reduced seed oil intake for at least four to six months, since high LA levels increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun. Once you have reduced your seed oil intake, solar noon is the optimal time for sun exposure. 5.Reduce your daily exposure to environmental toxins — The research points toward biological aging as a reflection of many exposures that build over time, including environmental toxins. Start with the exposures you encounter every day. Run a high-quality air purifier in the room where you sleep to reduce the pollutants you breathe for hours each night. Use a high-quality filtration system designed to remove fluoride, along with other environmental chemicals and pesticide residues. Cut your contact with plastics as well. Store food and drinks in glass whenever practical, avoid heating food in plastic containers, and don't drink from plastic water bottles, especially those that have been left in a hot car. Heat increases the release of chemicals from plastic, adding to your cumulative exposure. Spend regular time outdoors in green spaces, too, as a simple way to reduce the stress burden on your body. You don't need to eliminate every environmental exposure at once. Focus first on the ones you encounter most often, then reduce them one by one. I recommend viewing this process as a long-term effort to restore the conditions your cells need to produce energy efficiently. You can't change your chronological age, but your daily choices influence the metabolic and environmental strain placed on your cells. Small improvements that you sustain give you a practical way to address the cumulative factors associated with faster biological aging.

★ TOP STORY Is Your Body Aging Faster Than You Are? Your birthday may reveal far less about your health than you think. Researchers found another measure of aging tied to striking differences in the risk of several cancers. Reduce the Daily Strain Associated with Faster Biological Aging Your biological age reflects the cumulative strain placed on your cells and tissues over time. I recommend focusing first on the daily exposures and habits that interfere with cellular energy production , metabolic health, and your body's ability to repair itself. You don't need to change everything at once. Pick one step, make it consistent, and build from there. 1. Remove seed oils and ultraprocessed foods from your diet — Start by reducing one of the most common sources of metabolic strain: excess linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils . My narrative review, published in Nutrients, explores the explosion of LA intake over the last century and how skyrocketing levels have altered the metabolic la...

FM vs. ChatGPT: Rist gives you the historical alarm: Leo XIII represented a significant development in Catholic political vocabulary by making rights much more central. Fortin gives you the philosophical alarm: The danger is that the rights framework can alter the underlying conception of political morality by shifting attention from virtue, justice, and the common good toward individual claims. Villey goes still deeper: The modern subjective “right” may itself be a corruption of the classical meaning of ius. Kraynak then asks whether modern natural-rights language can really be identified with the older Christian tradition merely because Christians supplied some of its historical ingredients. And Manent asks what happens to political community when the individual is conceived primarily as the bearer of rights. So the four critiques converge without being identical. The strongest Fortin-style formulation I would revise my earlier defense of Leo to this: Leo XIII did not simply abandon the classical Catholic understanding of law, virtue, justice, and the common good. His rights language remained substantially subordinated to natural and divine law. But that does not establish that his increasing reliance upon rights represented no conceptual development. Fortin would press the more fundamental question: whether importing rights as a primary category into Catholic political discourse risks shifting the center of gravity from objective justice and human perfection toward individual claims. The historical significance of Leo's language therefore cannot be dismissed merely by pointing out that he continued to affirm duties and natural law.

Yes—but I would sharpen the thesis considerably. The strongest version is not “Leo XIII invented modern rights, therefore Leo XIII caused Francis,” but rather: Leo XIII represents an important development in Catholic social vocabulary in which “rights” became a prominent way of expressing claims grounded in natural law. The theological question is whether that vocabulary remained subordinated to objective law, virtue, duties, the common good, and humanity’s ultimate end—or whether later Catholic discourse could detach “rights” from those foundations and turn them into autonomous claims of individual entitlement. That distinction matters enormously. 1. Leo XIII himself does not appear to make the separation you are worried about When you actually read Leo's Rerum Novarum , his use of “rights” is remarkably embedded in duties, natural law, divine law, justice, family, religion, and charity . For example, immediately after discussing the rights of workers and employers, Leo di...