Remember that old admonition, “you are what you eat?”  Well, in many ways, that is absolutely true.  Yeah, yeah, we know that, doc.  But here’s a little pearl that you didn’t know.  With certain illnesses, such as asthma or allergic rashes on the skin, they can be induced by and exacerbated from a poorly functioning G.I. tract. (tummy and intestines)  Of course, one of the big offenders is sugar.  Not only does it aggravate the G.I. tract, but it sustains unnatural flora such as yeast. 

The inflammation that ensues shows its nasty head as a rash or chronic asthmatic cough.  How about recurrent nasal/sinus inflammation?  Yup, look to the G.I. tract.  This is also very important when looking at children.  Chronic gunky (that’s medical terminology!) noses in young children is not sinusitis.  For the most part, their sinuses aren’t fully formed.  It does represent a chronic inflammatory state usually in their adenoids (an area in the very back of the nose). 

So what can you do?  Let’s do the obvious first.  Treat the rash topically.  Even rubbed in baby oil oftentimes suffices.  To clean a G.I tract, think about a 2 month course of ‘probiotics’.  What!?   Yeah, it’s one of those fancy names that just means a replacement of normal G.I. flora.  It comes as a powder or liquid and totally tasteful.  Try going to www.LEF.organd consider their products.  During the probiotics and hopefully long after, cut out processed sugar completely.  (yes, that includes brownies).  Increasing soluble and insoluble fiber is also a must.  You can do this forever, if you like.  Products like ‘Fiber Choice’, ‘metamucil’, and Inulin are absolutely great choices.  Just remember to ‘rash’-un your portion.(Sorry, I couldn’t help myself)

I always like memorial day.  It makes us take even a moment, to remember those who have served and died for us.  But here’s the point.  Men and women are serving and dying for us every day.  I have promised to make every day a ‘memorial’ day -if only for a moment- to stop and remember.  I promise to not just see the new tally of deaths in Iraq, and move on quickly to the sports page.  I promise to stop and recall; to remember as well, those sweating, those wounded and those rehabilitating–in a response to serving in harm’s way for us.  I have a good friend, Ted, who is serving at the War College in Rhode Island.  When he leaves, he will be piloting in harm’s way again.  Guess who is serving with him?  His wife and family.  They have had to make the numerous moves, new schools, new friends and good-byes over and over again. 

I know that this is a ‘wellness’ blog and you’re wondering what the above has to do with wellness.  Well here goes.  In the ‘Jeopardy’ game of wellness, choose gratitude for $1000.  That’s the daily double for the day.  One cup of gratitude for our health, friends, air, food, mind, family (yes, even crazy uncle hank!) and especially ……. the Teds and Sharas serving for us– will add more health to your heart than a bypass!

Oh yes,….and thank you!      

How did I spend my weekend?  Well, I just finished an article on sugar and the glycemic index. I know, I know,–I’ve gotta get a life!  Nontheless, I finished the article thinking that the reader would be very confused by all of this.  There must be a better way.  So here’s what I’ve come up with. 

If you’re just getting started with this Glycemic Index stuff and weight loss, here’s the ‘hooked on phonics’ version from me.  Firstly, the glycemic index measures individual foods by the way they raise your insulin and sugar levels after consumption.  We use 100 as the high (but alcohol can actually be as high as 119!).  So a brownie ala mode would be 94 and broccoli would be less than 10 for 1/2  cup.  Where should your healthy glycemic index be for the carbohydrates that you eat?  Glad you asked.  Items should be 65 or lower on the scale.  Meats are not listed since they’re proteins.  Another example would be cheerios at 74 versus Fiber One or All-Bran at 30.  Books on the glycemic index are replete in bookstores or go to www.mendosa.com. 

Staying on the under 65 rule for six days is truly weight reducing and delicious as well.  Hey, what about day 7, you might ask?  Go ahead and try that brownie ala mode,–but how about eating just half of it. 

So the down and dirty guide is this:  Low G.I. (<30) are peanuts, all berries, cherries, grapefruit.  The foods with G.I. of 30 to 50 are apples, grapes, pears, yogurt, tomato soup, peas, beans, oatmeal, whole grain rye or whole grain wheat bread.  The 50 to 80 G.I.’s are potato chips, orange juice or any juice, and some pasta’s.  The high G.I. foods are cornflakes, rice, Grapenuts, bananas, white bread, ice cream. 

Well, you get the picture.  Enjoy!  Sweeten up your life, but keep the speed limit on your sugar under 65! 

So I was sitting in the playground with my daughter the other day, and this woman approached me with an all too common question.  She said, “Hey, you’re that anti-aging doctor.  What’s the secret to living longer?”  “That’s easy”, I said.  “Don’t die!”. 

Now that may sound smart-alicky, but I then went on to explain that the biggest killer of women today is….., yup, heart disease.  Years ago, we physicians were taught that women were essentially immune to heart disease.  And we believed it!  We couldn’t have been more ignorant.  I can’t imagine the number of unsuspecting women, back then, who were told they had ‘heart burn’ but they were really having angina or real organ heart pain.  Let’s put a raging end to that ‘upset stomach/heart pain’ myth now and forever.

Some of the classic symptoms of cardiac disease in women, differ from those in men.  And though there are some overlaps, here are some of the major warning signs for women who may have underlying heart disease. 

Women can present with:   Acute breathlessness,  Sudden profound fatigue or loss of energy,  Dizziness or blackouts/fainting,  Jaw or neck pain–particularly left sided,  Pain in the left arm-shoulder or elbow,  Abdominal pain-nausea-unexplained discomfort or nausea,  Dull diffuse aching or pain in the chest. (Right sided pain can also portend cardiac disease.)

So the two take home points are that ‘heart burn’ can actually be “heart” burning pain.  Don’t be lulled into the antacid trap.  And lastly, don’t hesitate.  Go ahead and ‘waste the doctor’s time’,–please!  Early evaluation of heart disease is critical to, ………..yup, Staying Alive!

The Lion. How majestic, regal, and powerful. Clearly the ‘king’, the lion appears to be the equivalent of superman/woman for the jungle. The lion fears nothing, and because of it’s stature, the lion has no stalkers (other than man!). And yet, eventually it too dies. But from what?

Interestingly, the lion dies from starvation. Yup, this massive and formidable beast dies because it can no longer eat! How can that be you might ask? Well you won’t find the answer in the category ‘animals for $200′ on ‘Jeopardy’. But it all comes down to……..flossing! You see, lions live their lives on a diet of red meat. There are no vegetables or bone in their diet. Oh yeah, and no flossing or regular dental visits. The result is gingivitis –an infection of the gums–and loss of teeth. Without teeth, the lion now becomes the wimp of the jungle. Did I mention that lions don’t share? So the wimp now goes hungry….til death do him part.

Now I’m not turning this into the ‘animal channel’, but there’s an obvious lesson here for us. Floss? Yes, you’re gonna hear it again from me. Twice yearly dental check ups? You bet. Now for the wisenheimer who’s thinking, ‘heck, I’ll just get dentures’, there’s more to the story. The mouth is a portal for infection and disease entrance into the body. Excellent dental hygiene correlates with excellent health and a powerful immune system. So grab that floss and toothbrush and fend off the lion’s legacy.

So much talk nowadays about weight!  What’s the big deal?  You and me, –that’s the big deal.  We’re too big.  And we know that of all the ‘anti-aging’ techniques now professed, calorie restriction is the only proven success for living longer.  But here’s the cookie,-I mean kicker.  What are the facts we need to know about our own personal weight and weight loss program?  Glad you asked.

Firstly, what’s your ideal weight.  Not the ‘Men’s Health’/'Glamour’ magazine view but the weight that will best allow you to avoid diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke.  Here’s the ‘back to basics’ down and dirty formula.  For women, give yourself 100 pounds for being 5 feet tall and then add 5 pounds for each inch of height over 5 ft. (So if you’re 5ft. 4in., your ideal weight is 120 pounds).  Increase this by 10% if you’re large framed and decrease it if you’re small framed.  For men, use the same formula but start with 106 pounds for 5ft and add 6 pounds for each inch over 5 ft of height.(If you’re 6 feet, you’re ideal weight is178 pounds).

Now that you know your ideal weight, for example 150 pounds, multiply it by 12 to find the number of calories to take in each day to maintain that weight. For 150 pounds, it requires 1800 calories.  You can multiply your ideal weight by 10 if your not active or by 14 if your exercise daily.

What are the best calories to take in for reaching or maintaining your ideal?  I’ll save that for our next chat.  I can’t weight!!

     So here’s a frequent comment that comes across my desk.  “But doctor, it’s really tough to quit smoking/overeating/not exercising _____ (or fill in the blank yourself), because my spouse won’t change”.  Ok, ok, here’s a little hard love coming at you.  That you love, support and bond with your spouse is fabulous and it actually is a plus factor for longevity.  But if your spouse is into bomb de-fusing, you’re probably not going to visit the work site!  What I’m saying is that when it comes to your health and wellness, it’s time to be ’selflessly selfish’.  It’s the time when you can sincerely say, ‘it’s all about me’, and feel good about saying it!

     The commitment to your own health has to come from within.  I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know, but I do want to confirm your independence and right to make that change.  I love the old Yogi Berra-ism that states, ‘If you don’t change direction, you’ll end up where you’re going’.  So today is the day.  Why not commit to, just for today, being selflessly selfish and forging a path to your own wellness?  You don’t need a buddy for this.  You are your own best friend.  So if you don’t feel the wind of support, ROW!  We’ll talk about the ‘oars’ next time.

So here’s a question for you.  Where’s your sex organ?  If you pointed below your belt, you’d be wrong.  The single major director for sexual desire, erection ability, susceptibility of clitoral stimulation, ability to enjoy intimacy, impassion love in your life and……we could go on and on but we won’t, …..is your brain.  And so that you realize how important our brains are for sexual fulfillment, let’s talk about testosterone. 

Testosterone is present in men and women.  The difference lies in the amount.  But here’s the thing.  Testosterone has it’s major receptors in the heart and the brain.  Isn’t that amazing.  When I say the big ‘T’ word at conferences, everyone thinks it’ll be about ‘whoopee juice’.  But the amazing aspects of Testosterone are far more reaching.  For example, if you have severe heart disease (heart attack, stents, bypass) testosterone has been shown to be truly ‘whoopee juice’ for the heart.  It improves cardiac output, vascularization and angina symptoms. 

How about diabetes?  Yessir, the big ‘T’ comes through again.  Many ‘age management’ physicians use injectable testosterone to improve insulin and glucose control. 

So if you already have heart disease or diabetes w/ low testosterone levels, and your doctor suggests using testosterone, look her in the eye and say, “Whoopee!”

‘Ikigai’ is a Japanese word that really has no exact counterpart in English.  The best that I can come up with, are more like concepts than definitions.  It conveys the idea of one’s personal fervent goal in life or daily ‘giving’ activity.  For me, it’s simply the reason to get up with a smile each day.  So why all this palaver about an asian word?  Well, as I research the literature on longevity, one point continues to dazzle me.  Ikigai! 

The areas of the world with the highest numbers of centenarians (eg. Okinawa), have been studied extensively and some patterns of their lifestyles have become evident.  Yup, now you’ve got it.  Ikigai is one the top consistent findings.  Regardless of being 100 or 115 years old, they all have a daily ‘fervent goal’.  They range from tending their garden and sharing the vegetables with others, to volunteering at clinics. 

This need for purpose in one’s life seems to prevail in all of the centenarians.  And so, I thought it most fitting to title our blog in honor of what they have taught us.  Who knows, maybe this blog can be my ikigai when I’m 100.  But for now, my fervent goal is just to wake up!  Stay tuned and be fascinated with the centenarian’s other gifts to us, –particularly in regard to diet and exercise.   I look forward to you sharing your own ‘ikigai’.

10. Sleep:  No more or less than 7 to 8 hours/day.  Avoid reading or T.V. in bed.  Yes, warm milk before bedtime actually works!  Nice going ‘grandma’!       

9.  A daily vitamin, 1 aspirin, Coenzyme Q10, vitamin D, vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid, D-ribose, resveratrol, and omega 3’s (fish oil) are well established as having efficacy.  Let’s stick with proven winners.

8. Consider Stem Cell self donation and preservation for future use treating debilitating diseases–particularly w/ a strong family history of a disease such as diabetes or coronary artery disease.  Treatments are 3 to 5 years away.  This is the bleeding edge of medicine for the future.

7. Yearly medical screenings:  Mammograms, colonoscopy, full yearly lab panels that evaluate cholesterol,kidney etc., dexa scan for osteoporosis, Blood pressure, urinalysis and full eval. for diabetes, and prostate are the minimum.  Self breast and testes exams are great for screening and might be fun. 

6. Cognate.  Play games, cards, chess, learn a new language, try crossword puzzles, music lessons or just good old reading.  Anything to keep those brain neurons firing is all that’s needed.  all the broccoli in the grocery won’t strengthen the brain the way intellectual pursuits will.

5. Stress.  It’s like air; it’s here to stay.  Decreasing and managing it is crucial to decreasing total body inflammation.  Use 30 min./day of walking, meditation, sitting and watching any aspect of nature.  Try to accept that controlling our lives and environment is an impossible goal.  Stress is inevitable, but chaos is optional.

4. Appetite:  Calorie restriction has been shown to increase longevity.  1200 to 1500 calories per day is the goal.  Don’t like counting calories?  Use the Glycemic index and choose foods less than G.I. 65 (www.mendosa.com).  The truth?  As you eat, you are and as you think, you will become.

3. Give.  Give to others, give to yourself (yes, even an occassional hot fudge sundae!), give to those who need and most of all, give yourself to others.  Learn to give the two most precious gifts that you have.  You and Time.

2.  Activity.  Try the SOS formula.  Six out of seven days, do 20 min. of aerobics (eg. walking, swimming etc.) and 10 min. of strength training.  30 minutes.  That’s all you need for health.  What about the 7th day?  See you on the hammock!

AND the number 1 health pearl is:  Avoid toxins.  Tobacco, sugar, more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day, carbonated drinks, and sex (just kidding!).