Ask Doc On Wednesday night, we held a special presentation: "Oil $500: How to Make a Fortune From the Biggest Event in the Oil Business in 50 Years."
Porter Stansberry sat down with our new analyst, Flavious Smith, recently the chief oil and gas officer and executive vice president at Forestar (FOR)... growing the value of his division from $30 million to $312 million in seven years.
They talked about...
- Whether oil prices have hit a bottom...
- Why they think oil could go to $500...
- One of their favorite ways to take advantage of the oil-price boom.
If you missed the presentation, we're working on uploading it to the "Education Center" section of our website now... That's how valuable we think this information is.
In his newsletter, Commodity Supercycles, Flavious explains what could happen to cause the price of oil to skyrocket, as well as when you should ideally take your gains and close a recommended position. Click here to learn more and lock in your 50% discount.
Q: Great article on diverticulosis. I would like to note a medical error though, and for very good reason, as I will explain.
The more severe problem is diverticulitis. That happens when the pouches get infected (-itis means infection).
Diverticulitis means inflammation of, not infection of. The reason this is important is because of the havoc antibiotics can have on the gut bacteria balance. Very large sample, credible studies show no difference in treatment outcome of diverticulitis with bowel rest vs antibiotic therapy. The easy button is to run to the doctor, and his easy button is to put you on antibiotics. However, this should be done only when certain criteria are met, such as severe pain, fever, nausea and vomiting, which constitutes the small minority of cases of diverticulitis. A simple 3 day regimen of a clear liquid diet, and some electrolytes will resolve most cases in a more economical and much safer manner. – M.C.
A: Excellent point, MC! Diverticulitis is infection of or inflammation of the diverticula (you're right, -itis means inflammation, not infection).
You're also right that too often antibiotics are the first course of action. That's a big mistake if the cause of bowel problems is simply inflammation. Antibiotics wipe out healthy bacteria in your gut too, and taking too many for non-bacterial ailments leads to drug-resistant bacteria.
If you experience some symptoms, see if a clear liquid diet will help rest and reset your colon. You can find a full list of drinks and foods to try on the Mayo Clinic site, here. As MC points out, infection typically isn't the case unless the pain worsens or includes fever, nausea, or vomiting.
What's more, try adding probiotics to your diet. Several research studies point to the benefits of probiotics and their role in reducing symptoms from diverticulitis. I recommend getting them through food, but supplements with multiple strains of live cultures also work. Take a look at my essay on probiotics here.
Q: I had to laugh reading what one of your readers wrote about having thousands of Bordeaux wines stored in his cellar. We don't even have cellars in Florida and I just keep a dozen or so bottles in my wine cooler or fridge.
I have numerous places to buy and/or taste wines including Total Wine but I don't go out of my way to buy anything special that costs more than $20. So I just pick and choose from those under $20 and mostly I'm happy with what I find at Sams Club, BJs or Total Wine stores. – D.G.
A: Thanks for sharing your story, D.G. Lots of people wrote in about special wines they've had. A few people wrote in to call me a wine snob.
I'll confess, I love cheap wine... including boxed wine. When I held a white wine taste test, one of the most popular picks was the lowest-cost wine we tasted – a $10.99 five-liter box.
I've had my share of good $10 bottles of wine. You certainly don't need to spend a fortune to experience an extraordinary bottle of wine.
Q: I would love to know what you recommend for seasonal allergy relief and also long term how can we eliminate or reduce allergy symptoms. – C.F.
A: My go-to treatment during allergy season is the Neti pot.
The Neti pot is an old Hindu device used to wash the sinuses. (Neti means "nasal" in Sanskrit.) You can purchase plastic ones with balanced salt solutions (in packets you mix with water at home) at your local drug stores for about $10. By using gravity and the solution, you can gently rinse your sinuses. When I get tickles in my nose or post-nasal drip and sneezing, I know it's time to do a rinse once or twice a day... It feels funny at first... But if you're stuffy from pollen, this is a great way to clean out the areas in your nose that trap the pollens.
Be careful... Overuse of the Neti pot (either more than twice a day or for more than a couple weeks) or using tap water can worsen things, leading to bacterial sinus infections.
There is no "cure" for seasonal allergies yet, but there are ways to reduce your risk of developing allergy symptoms...
A 2007 study found children on the island of Crete who ate a traditional "Mediterranean diet" – heavy in olive oil, tomatoes, and fish – were less likely to have seasonal allergies. Researchers believe this is because the Mediterranean diet is packed with foods that fight inflammation. When you have allergies, the tissues lining your throat and nose are inflamed.
Several other studies show probiotics – the live and active cultures in yogurt – can reduce allergy symptoms in kids.
Vitamin C may also help reduce histamines – the chemical that causes allergy symptoms, like sneezing.
And just like when you have a cold... warm, thin liquids like tea or soup can help ease mucus congestion.
Nuts – which are packed with vitamin E and magnesium – can protect against wheezing and inflammation, too.
How do you combat seasonal allergies? Let us know at [email protected].
- Porter Stansberry: We have officially entered the 'Escher Economy.'
- Something different: Why we spend more on Mother's Day than Father's Day.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Retirement Millionaire Daily Research Team
Baltimore, Maryland
June 16, 2017