Tag Archives: Health

Temperature, Heat and Humidity

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Hot weather and humidity are with us this week. Below is important terminology to know so you can stay informed and aware.

Heat Wave: The Heat Index, or the “Apparent Temperature,” accurately measures how hot it feels when relative humidity is added to the actual air temperature.

Humidity: The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. The higher the humidity, the slower sweat evaporates. This is one way your body regulates its temperature.

Heat Advisory: A period of excessive heat is expected. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will create a situation in which heat-related illnesses are possible.

Heat Wave: A period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and unusually humid weather. Typically a heat wave lasts two or more days.

Remember to stay safe and take necessary precautions during this hot weather.

Beat the heat and stay hydrated!

Exercise as Medicine: Just Get Moving!

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You can come up with a million reasons for not being physically active.

Roughly 3.2 million people die each year because of physical inactivity, according to WebMD. Regular exercise — aerobics, resistance, stretching and balance — especially among older adults, is critical to good health.

Healthspan is more important than lifespan. On average, people live up to 20% of our lives unhealthy. ~ Institute for Public Health

But it’s important to know that stillness or lack of exercise is bad for your longevity and healthspan.  “Healthspan” can be defined as the period of one’s life that one is healthy, according to the Institute for Public Health. However, being “healthy” means being free from serious disease. A disease is considered to be serious if it is a leading cause of death.

Caring about extending the well period of one’s life should be intuitive – if one is past their healthspan, it means they are chronically sick, often with a degenerating condition. Therefore, most people would agree that staying within their healthspan is desirable.

To extend a person’s healthspan, first healthcare professionals must be able to measure it.  Once they can measure it, then they can improve it.

Unlike the average lifespan, which is now 79.3 years in the US, healthcare professionals don’t have a statistic to mark the end of the average healthspan. To address this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed an indicator, HALE – healthy life expectancy.

To improve healthspan, treatments are required, but treatments don’t necessarily mean drugs. First, there are many commonalities around lifestyle that could delay the onset of most, if not all, of the serious diseases. It might seem like common sense, but maintaining a healthy plant-based diet with regular exercise and without smoking and drinking alcohol and nurturing strong social relationships are the surest ways to promote one’s healthspan and limit the onset of most diseases.

Food, Exercise and Social Connections as Medicine to improve Healthspan.

Resistance:

  1. https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/ss/slideshow-truth-about-exercise-aging
  2. https://publichealth.wustl.edu/heatlhspan-is-more-important-than-lifespan-so-why-dont-more-people-know-about-it/
  3. http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.HALEXREGv

Healthy Aging: Nicotinamide Riboside

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Blog Post at a Glance

  • The trace nutrient nicotinamide riboside (NR), a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and a form of vitamin B3, may help slow brain aging
  • NR may help to boost levels of NAD+, which typically declines in the brain with age, leading to metabolic and cellular dysfunction
  • The NAD+ precursor niacinamide is also beneficial, but it’s not widely promoted because it costs much less than other NAD+ precursors, including NR
  • Since NAD+ declines with age, boosting it has been described as a fountain of youth for extended lifespan and increased resilience to disease

Nicotinamide Riboside (B3) is often celebrated as a “fountain of youth” and has been linked to many health benefits, including better endurance, improved cardiovascular health, cognitive enhancement, and anti-aging support.

Nicotinamide riboside is naturally produced in our bodies. It’s a chemical compound which acts as a precursor to vitamin B3.

For a long time, nobody really knew about nicotinamide riboside. Its mechanisms were not well-understood and, at first glance, it didn’t look like it profoundly affected the body in any way.

Over the past decade, a number of studies have been performed on nicotinamide riboside, radically changing the way scientists think and feel about this chemical compound.

Nicotinamide riboside has been linked to a number of surprising and powerful benefits. Early research on the chemical has been noteworthy.

Established scientist from Harvard and Cornell University have had much to say about this breakthrough anti-aging fighter that is making 55 year old individuals feel like they are 35 in the gym again.

That research, performed by Dr. David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School, showed that each mouse’s cell age decreased from 2 years to 6 months after being given molecules of Nicotinamide Riboside. In other words, mice that were 2 years old had the cells of 6 month old mice after being administered Nicotinamide Riboside.

So not only does Nicotinamide Riboside reduce the effects of aging, it actually appears to turn back time and make the cells function like they did when they were younger.

One recent nicotinamide riboside study concluded that taking nicotinamide riboside as an oral supplement, “resulted in a remarkable induction of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism, with an increase in mitochondrial mass.”

Mitochondria is directly linked to aging. As our bodies age, our mitochondrial production – and functionality – declines. This leads to a wide range of degenerative diseases and ultimately makes us look and feel older.

By promoting mitochondrial biogenesis, nicotinamide riboside may be able to “kickstart” the body’s anti-aging processes in a way that no other chemical compound can. That means you look, feel, and think younger.

Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) acts as a highly effective NAD+ booster, but it also works as a vitamin B3 (niacin) supplement.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a key coenzyme found in all living cells. It is a dinucleotide, which means that it consists of two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups. One nucleotide contains an adenine base, and the other contains nicotinamide.

NAD+ is essential for life, one of the most versatile molecules in the body, and an important area of focus for aging research.

Since NAD+ declines with age, boosting it has been described as a fountain of youth for extended lifespan and increased resilience to disease.

In 2020, James Clement, author of “The Switch: Ignite Your Metabolism With Intermittent Fasting, Protein Cycling, and Keto,” said NAD+ may be depleted by 50% by the time you’re 60 (compared to in your 20s or 30s), and when you’re 70 you may only have 10% of the amount you did when you were younger.

“And then at 80, there’s almost none,” he said, adding that this will seriously impair your body’s ability to repair broken DNA. “You can see how this huge build-up of damaged DNA in every cell of your body is potentially one of the driving forces of these morbidities that you see with aging, heart disease, cancer [and] Alzheimer’s …“

Nicotinamide riboside is one of the most effective NAD+ precursors to support nucleus and mitochondrial health. That means it boosts cellular energy and reduces the effects of aging by enhancing cellular communication throughout the body and mind.

References:

  1. https://supplementpolice.com/niagen/
  2. https://supplementpolice.com/nicotinamide-riboside/
  3. https://drjosephmercola.com/could-this-vitamin-slow-brain-aging-and-ward-off-alzheimers/

Four Types Of Exercise Can Improve Your Health And Physical Ability

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Research has shown that it’s important for older Americans to get all four types of exercise or physical activity:

  • Endurance (aerobics),
  • Strength and Resistant,
  • Balance, and
  • Flexibility.

Each exercise or physical activity has different benefits for your health and well-being. Additionally, doing one or more kind of exercise can improve your ability to do the others, and variety helps reduce risk of injury and promote healthy aging over the long term.
Endurance exercises for older adults

Four Types of Exercise infographic. Click to open infographic webpage.

Endurance activities or aerobic exercises increase your breathing and heart rates. These activities help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you perform the tasks you need to do every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also can delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, heart disease, and others. Physical activities that build endurance include:

  • Brisk walking or jogging
  • Yard work (mowing, raking)
  • Dancing
  • Swimming
  • Biking
  • Climbing stairs or hills
  • Playing tennis or basketball

Increase your endurance or “staying power” to help keep up with your grandchildren during a trip to the park, dance to your favorite songs at a family wedding, and rake the yard and bag up leaves. Build up to at least 150 minutes of activity a week that makes you breathe hard. Try to be active throughout your day to reach this goal and avoid sitting for long periods of time.

Gauging your exercise intensity

When you’re being active, try talking: if you’re breathing hard but can still have a conversation easily, it’s moderate-intensity activity. If you can only say a few words before you have to take a breath, it’s vigorous-intensity activity.

References:

  1. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/four-types-exercise-can-improve-your-health-and-physical-ability

Live Every Single Today

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“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” ~ Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 4:6-8

It’s important to live every single day without regret, with clear goals and with purpose

Bronnie Ware, an Australian palliative carer, wrote a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. In it, she describes the five most common wishes she heard from her soon-to-depart clients.

  • I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. Stringently adhering to cultural norms at the expense of your own passions will result in disappointment and bitterness.
  • I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. Time is non-refundable so if you spend it working, then you can’t spend it doing more meaningful things.
  • I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. It is only by being open and honest about your thoughts and feelings can you form genuine bonds with other people.
  • I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends. It is dispiriting to be disconnected from those who truly understand you and accept you as you are.
  • I wish I had let myself be happier. The expectations and opinions of others should not prevent you from being happy with who you are. Moreover, happiness can be found in the journey, not just the destination, which you often never reach.

Another regret heard most often is:

I wish I’d taken better care of my health.  Most people do not think about their health until they experience a health challenge.  And at that point, we  make promises to ourselves that if we get better we’ll do a better with our health and well-being. But, I t shouldn’t take a major health challenge to get us to prioritize and focus on our health, fitness and diet. Your body must be your major priority and should be cared for. Nourish it with healthy food, exercise it daily and get a sufficient amount of sleep. Small healthy habits every day will compound and make a big difference over the long-term.

Never give up on yourself

Life and how you live it everyday is a choice. It is your life. Choose consciously, choose wisely and choose honestly. Choose happiness and focus on what is good and positive. Always be grateful.

References:

  1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/life-s-biggest-decisions/202106/the-6-most-common-regrets-people-experience
  2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/10/18/the-25-biggest-regrets-in-life-what-are-yours/?sh=63f5f3f6488

Health: There are No Limits

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“Once you pass the age of fifty, exercise is no longer optional. You have to exercise or get old.” ~ Dr. Henry S. Lodge. M.S., Younger Next Year, pg. 113.

People tend not to exercise because they are tired at the end of the day, But, in reality, people are tired at the end of the day not because they get to much exercise of physical exertion, explains Dr. Henry S. Lodge. M.D., leading NY internist and Columbia Medical School Professor. Instead, people are tired at the end of the day because they do not get enough exercise and as a result, they are not fit.

People are mentally, emotionally and physically drained and exhausted from being sedentary, states Dr. Lodge. Study after steady demonstrates that productivity increases and an individual functions better each day when they are fit. In short, time spent exercising and getting fit is life enhancing and extending.

So, make daily exercise a habit or routine like taking a shower or brushing your teeth. In short, your body craves the body’s chemical reaction resulting from exercise and movement.  So it’s important for you to “Do Something Everyday”.

Start exercising at a level that matches your current level of fitness, Dr. Lodge urges. Start out a level that is hard enough to make you sweat like walking at a brisk pace for twenty to thirty minutes. But, before you get started, check with your medical doctor.

Getting and staying fit is wonderful if you’re healthy, but it’s essential and life saving if you’re not healthy. Your life will improve dramatically once you commit to the habit of regular exercise.

Your long term endurance exercise goal should be to do long and slow aerobic exercise for three hours or more at 60% to 65% of maximum heart rate for three hours without getting exhausted.  You should be able to do something like an all morning bike ride for three hours or more well into your sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties.  You should make a real commitment to do something like that at least once a month

If you can get to the level of three hours or more of endurance exercise and stay there, life will be good, says Chris Crowley, New York Times bestselling co-author of “Younger Next Year”. Crowley recommends that you:

  1. Exercise six days a week for at least 30 minutes for the rest of your life.
  2. Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life.
  3. Do serious strength training, with weights or body weight, two days a week for the rest of your life.
  4. Eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water. Quit eating crappy food like refined sugar, refined carbs and processed foods.
  5. Maintain close relationships and social connections.
  6. Get adequate sleep and reduce stress.
  7. Have an attitude of gratitude.  Always be grateful.

“Open heart surgery is hugely popular these days, apparently because so many guys prefer it to learning about aerobic exercise and working out.” ~ Chris Crowley, Younger Next Year, pg. 116.

Crowley believes that it’s possible that Americans, as a society, “can be radically healthier, more energetic, more fit, more optimistic and effective by making modest, behavioral changes. Putting off 70% of today’s aging is a simple matter: Move a lot more!…quit eating crap!…connect with others!, he emphasizes.” The combination of sedentary lifestyle  and the crappy food we eat is wrecking Americans lives and ruining the economy. The nation spends “20% of our national income on health care”. Half of the amount spent on healthcare could be saved “because 50% of our bad health is simply the result of the ridiculous way we eat and live.”

Final thoughts…staying deeply connected with and caring about family and friends and others are essential for healthy aging and longevity. Staying in touch… caring… is hugely important.

References:

  1. Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D., Younger Next Year, Workman Publishing, 2nd Edition, New York, December 24, 2019.
  2. https://www.youngernextyear.com/bios/

“Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and Smart―Until You’re 80 and Beyond” – According to authors Chris Crowley and Dr. Henry S. Lodge, M.D., men 50 or older can become functionally younger every year for the next five to ten years, and continue to live like fifty-year-olds until well into their eighties. To enjoy life and be stronger, healthier, and more alert. To stave off 70% of the normal decay associated with aging (weakness, sore joints, apathy), and to eliminate over 50% of all illness and potential injuries.

Anti-Aging and Keeping Mitochondria Healthy

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Nicotinamide riboside — also called niagen — is a form of vitamin B3 that might be able to reverse signs of aging and might keep your mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, healthy.

One of the hallmarks of aging is a process known as “mitochondrial dysfunction”, a term that refers to our cells’ general loss in power and efficiency over time. It may be one of the reasons we age at all. Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs when your mitochondria lose the ability to function normally. It can happen if the mitochondria present in your cells are not functioning as they should. And if the mitochondria are at the heart of why we age, it makes sense to look at every possible way of keeping them functioning for as long as possible.

That’s one of the reasons why some of the world’s leading scientists are turning to nicotinamide riboside. This unique form of vitamin B3 shows the potential to affect mitochondrial health and in turn, many of the age-related problems associated with it.

Understanding the mitochondria.

Inside almost every cell are these tiny, strangely shaped organelles called mitochondria— “the powerhouses of the cell.” These mini-organs are responsible for producing 90% of the energy we need in our bodies. The mitochondria are the reason why we exist as the complex animals we are today, rather than bacteria.

We didn’t always know just how vital the mitochondria were to our health. One key way of keeping mitochondria healthy is a molecule known as NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). Our cells naturally produce NAD+, and we use it constantly throughout the day.

We also know our NAD+ supply declines as we age. Once researchers realized NAD+ could be the key to keeping our cells healthy, they scrambled for a way to make more of it.

The beginning of the vitamin B3s.

Researchers already knew of two vitamins that began the chemical process to increase NAD+: niacin and nicotinamide. These were discovered in the 1930s and used to treat pellagra, a potentially deadly vitamin B3 deficiency disease.

Niacin would also go on to be a treatment for high cholesterol in the 1950s. However, people found that ingesting niacin in high doses sometimes resulted in an annoying skin flush that was both irritating and unsightly.

Nicotinamide didn’t cause the skin flush and could in theory provide a lot of the same benefits, but it inhibited the activation of important cellular repair promoting proteins known as sirtuins. Neither nicotinamide nor niacin were as effective as researchers were hoping they’d be.

Although these two vitamins were NAD+ precursors, they weren’t ideal solutions. With niacin’s negative side effects, and the relative effectiveness of nicotinamide, researchers still didn’t have a good enough vitamin supplement for increasing NAD+ levels.

The discovery of nicotinamide riboside.

Another vitamin B3 known as nicotinamide riboside was discovered in the 1940s in yeast. But it wasn’t until the early 2000s that scientists began to see the potential of this third form of vitamin B3 to not only increase NAD+ but also improve human health in general. In 2004, a Dartmouth College research team discovered that nicotinamide riboside, like its vitamin B3 brothers, was also a precursor to NAD+.

The team, led by Charles Brenner, PhD, found that nicotinamide riboside could increase NAD+ in mice and that those mice experienced a plethora of health benefits as a result.

The mice showed everything from improved blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels to reduced nerve damage, and resistance to weight gain. Dr. Charles Brenner found these results so inspiring, he took the next step to see what nicotinamide riboside could mean for human health.

In 2014, Dr. Charles Brenner became the first human to consume nicotinamide riboside as a supplement. The results were just as promising. This relatively unknown form of vitamin B3 significantly increased his NAD+ levels safely, quickly, and without any negative side effects.

Conclusion

Nicotinamide riboside (NR), also called niagen, is an alternative form of vitamin B3. NR is promoted as an anti-aging supplement because it is converted by your body into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme or helper molecule, which is critical to cellular repair and the repair of damaged DNA, and which acts as fuel for many key biological processes, such as:

  • Converting food into energy
  • Repairing damaged DNA
  • Fortifying cells’ defense systems
  • Setting your body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm

“NAD+ is gradually lost as we get older or develop chronic diseases. Loss of NAD+ is linked to obesity and other negative lifestyle habits like smoking,” Christopher Martens, assistant professor of kinesiology and applied physiology and director of the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research said. “Because more NAD+ is needed to counteract those negative consequences, it’s more likely to be depleted in the face of negative lifestyle habits.”

References:

  1. https://www.truniagen.com/blog/our-ingredient/is-nicotinamide-riboside-really-an-anti-aging-supplement/
  2. https://www.truniagen.com/blog/science-101/mitochondria-the-powerhouse-of-the-cell/
  3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nicotinamide-riboside
  4. https://neurosciencenews.com/nicotinamide-riboside-alzheimers-22550/

Box Breathing

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Box Breathing is a good tool if you’re feeling anxious or highly stressed. It is a very useful technique to help slow down your breathing. It is also a technique used a lot by first responders and even Navy seals to help them remain calm and improve their concentration in order to respond to difficult and stressful situations.

Box Breathing works when you feel stressed or anxious by helping to distract the mind, as it’s focused on the deep breathing and counting, which then in turn helps calm the nervous system, lower your blood pressure and calm the heart, as well as helping you think and behave more clearly and rationally.

May be an image of text that says 'Box breathing Hold for Hd4 4 counts Benefits of box breathing: counts 4 for Inhale 1. Brings balance to your mind and body 2. Regulates your natural rhythm 3. Effective in dealing with stress, anxiety and anger Exhale for 4 counts Hold for 4 counts'

How does it work?

  • Breathe in through your nose for the count of 4
  • Then hold for the count of 4
  • Exhale for the count of 4
  • Again, hold for the count of 4

Repeat as many times as you need to until you begin to feel relaxed and calm.

Breathing properly brings more oxygen to your brain, helps your body and your mind to relax and heal, expands and strengthens your lungs, and calms your nerves. Box Breathing done consistently, first thing in the morning, a few times throughout the day, and right before bed can and will work wonders!

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

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The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States.

The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.

How To Take Care Of Yourself

If you’re struggling, you can call or chat with the Lifeline, which is available 24/7 and confidential. There are crisis counselors available to listen and support you without judgment. Additionally, if you’re struggling, you can:

Make a safety plan: Have a step-by-step plan ready for if/when you feel depressed, suicidal, or in crisis, so you can start at step one and continue through the steps until you feel safe. Creating a safety plan can include listing your coping strategies, identifying the people in your life that may support you through a crisis, and more.

Limit your news consumption. The constant replay of news stories about traumatic events can increase stress and anxiety. Try to reduce the amount of news you watch, read or listen to, and engage in relaxing activities instead.

References:

  1. https://988lifeline.org
  2. https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/black-mental-health/

National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health (An Unreported Crisis by Major Media Outlets)

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By 2018, suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24.

Health professionals, who are dedicated to the care of 73 million American children and adolescents, have witnessed soaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) to join together to declare a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Nationally, adolescent depression and anxiety — already at crisis levels before the pandemic — have surged amid the isolation, disruption and hardship of COVID-19. Children and families across our country have experienced enormous adversity and disruption, writes the American Academy of Pediatrics.  The inequities that result from structural racism have contributed to disproportionate impacts on children from communities of color. 

In the declaration, the groups emphasize that young people in communities of color have been impacted by the pandemic more than others and how the ongoing struggle for racial justice is inextricably tied to the worsening mental health crisis.

And, this worsening crisis in child and adolescent mental health is inextricably tied to the stress brought on by COVID-19 and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and represents an acceleration of trends observed prior to 2020.

Rates of childhood mental health concerns and suicide rose steadily between 2010 and 2020 and by 2018 suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24.

“Young people have endured so much throughout this pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating mental health crisis facing our patients,” AAP President Lee Savio Beers, M.D., FAAP, said in a statement. “Today’s declaration is an urgent call to policymakers at all levels of government — we must treat this mental health crisis like the emergency it is.”

The pandemic brought on physical isolation, ongoing uncertainty, fear and grief.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers quantified that toll in several reports. They found between March and October 2020, emergency department visits for mental health emergencies rose by 24% for children ages 5-11 years and 31% for children ages 12-17 years. In addition, emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts increased nearly 51% among girls ages 12-17 years in early 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.

In other research, the CDC found nearly 45 percent of high school students were so persistently sad or hopeless in 2021 they were unable to engage in regular activities. Almost 1 in 5 seriously considered suicide, and 9 percent of the teenagers surveyed by the CDC tried to take their lives during the previous 12 months.

In short, the pandemic has intensified this crisis: across the country mental health professionals have witnessed dramatic increases in Emergency Department visits for all mental health emergencies including suspected suicide attempts.

References:

  1. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health
  2. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/17718
  3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/12/05/crisis-student-mental-health-is-much-vaster-than-we-realize/