YOU CAN TELL BY THE HEADING THAT OBVIOUSLY I WAS IN PAIN. IT ALL BEGAN WITH LEFT UPPER LATERAL INCISOR PAIN (THE LITTLE TOOTHER TO THE SIDE OF THE FRONT UPPER FOUR). HAVE YOU EVER CHEWED ON ALUMINUM FOIL? I HAVE. NO, I WASN’T OUT OF GUM AND WALKING IN THE DESERT. JUST A SLIVER HAS BEEN STUCK TO SOMETHING I ATE AND YIKES WHAT AN ELECTRICAL PAINISH RESPONSE. WELL THAT’S WHAT I FELT LAST WEEK. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A NERVE DISEASE. A LITTLE ‘AMBESOL’ TOPICALLY AND LUKE WARM FLUIDS GOT ME THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
MY DENTIST SHOWED ME THE HIDDEN CAVITY AND NOTHING FLAT, I WAS CAPPED AND BACK CHEWING ON CARAMEL NUT YUMMIES. (NO!)
SO WHAT’S MY POINT? WELL, IT’S JUST A REMINDER THAT THE OLD SAGE OF FLOSSING TWICE A DAY AND BRUSHING AS OFTEN, REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHY? BECAUSE IT’S ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHER’S RULES THAT I’VE ADHERED TO SINCE YOUTH. YEAH, DOC, BUT YOU HAD A FILLING! YES, AND I FORGOT TO MENTION, ON MY OWN TEETH. AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT SO MANY OF OUR ILLNESSES STEM FROM POOR DENTITION. IN FACT, BACTERIA CAN ENTER THE BLOOD STREAM FROM THE MOUTH AND HAVE EVEN BEEN IMPLICATED IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE.
“STORE BOUGHT” OR YOUR ‘OWN-IES’, LET’S SET A GOAL OF A.M. AND P.M. FLOSSING AND BRUSHING. THE ONCE OVER ‘LISTERINE’ BEFORE A MAKE OUT SESSION, JUST WON’T CUT IT! mY GOAL IS TO KEEP THE TOOTH FAIRY AT A DISTANCE
Now please don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to ruin your day but recently, the Harvard School of Public Health announced results of a study on the 10 most preventable deaths. (ever notice how these articles never have 11 or 17! Must be the Letterman ‘top 10′ trickle down effect.) At 10, is alcohol USE and abuse. Overall, it takes away from us far more than it gives. #9 is excessive intake of trans fatty acids. These are man made fats and found in all the so called junk foods. They hide well in foods and attack fiercely. #8 is low intake of omega 3’s (fish oil). In my opinion, only FISH are exempt from needing this quality supplement! #7 is excessive salt intake. Responsible for 100,000 deaths a year. (More than the entire Viet Nam war). #6 is elevated LDL cholesterol. Let’s leave this one with –the jury is still out on this one. More on it in a later Blog. #5 is elevated blood sugar. Yup, no doubt about this one. Sugar is more addicting than heroin. #4 is lack of physical exercise. Now come on, it’s 2009. Let’s at least walk away from this blog. Walking is king. #3 is being obese or overweight. This is a national crisis and extends down to infancy. We need to reset the legacy for our children. #2 is high blood pressure. This, to me, is ‘Duh!’. Just look at the above numbers and they all add up to …. oh yeah, high blood pressure. It accounts for 230,000 deaths in women. #1 is hard to believe. Smoking. Now truth be told (and it alway is), I was once a smoker years ago as a Navy fighter pilot. But hopefully everyone has learned, since 1964, smoking kills. The words out but the addiction is real. Need help? Call me or any physician who gives a damn and get whatever it takes to help with this devastating drug—nicotine. Otherwise, everything else just goes up in smoke!
So I guess it’s true. Everyone needs a good ‘woman’. Heck, even a good woman needs a ‘woman’. Sorry for the punny-ness, but I wanted to remind all of us that there truly are some very basic needs that we have and they are embodied in ‘woman’. I know, I know, it couldn’t get any cornier, but here goes:
W–water! Take this one to the bank with you. We are made up of 80% water. The earth is 75% water. Getting the picture? How much do you need each day? Here’s a rule of thumb: Take your weight in pounds and divide by 2. That’s the number of ounces of water needed per day. (180 pounds= 90 ounces of water —for those mathematically challenged)
O–oxygen. Almost obvious, but we forget how important each breath is. Breathe in to a count of 4 and out, to a count of 6. Great for relaxing and reminding us of that amazing gift. We do it more than 23,000 times a day but seldom cherish one of them.
M–minerals. So much out there today on vitamins and minerals. Are they really needed. Yup, -or so the studies support. At least a multivite (and that usually requires 2 to 4 capsules/day). One squished hard pill just won’t cut it. Customized vits are great because one size does not fit all.
A–asleep/activity. Yeah, I know, it’s a cheesy fit but the best i can do on Friday afternoon. Exercise is 30 min per day. 20 of aerobic interval fun and 10 of resistance (strength) training. Add stretching (yoga) for a gold star. Sleep: 7 hours per night. A must! Your body simply cannot readjust and prepare in less time. More on that later. I’m about to take a nap.
N–nutrition. Pearls: Low glycemic index of <65 carbohydrate scale foods. Eat like a king in the morning, a beggar at lunch and a hermit at night (eg. soup). Sorry guys, size matters. Each portion should be palm size---that's palm, not including fingers! Approximately 3 ounces.
So, be a guy, be a gal,—but always be WOMAN!
No, this is not a word from the wise, –just from the ‘wiser’. Wiser now am I, having walked the path of medical mistakes myself. So I thought I’d pass some ‘hazard’ signs along as you walk your path.
Firstly, know that medicines kill or injure more than 100,000 people a year. More than the VietNam war! Got your attention? Good. Always ask ‘why’ you’re being given a medicine, what it interacts with and what are the side effects.
Statins (cholesterol lowering meds) definitely will also lower your hormones, e.g. testosterone etc. They also wipe out your Coq10 and Carnitine which help supply energy to every cell in your body. If you take a statin, please add Coq10 and acetyl L Carnitine to your daily regime.
Many people over 50 take a diuretic (water pill) and non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen (Advil) and many others. Taken together, the two drugs double the risk for congestive heart failure. Also, aluminum containing antacids will block the absorption of many prescription drugs for two hours. Also, ladies AND men, if you have been given steroids for arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases or any other problem (including to hit home runs or tackle better!), you are at high risk for osteoporosis. Time to check is now.
Whew! We could go on and on and so we shall in the blogs to come. We can all learn to be wiser about medications and supplements (did I fail to mention Niacin can raise your blood sugar, cause flushing and raise your liver enzymes if taken in too high a dose. Wow, a vitamin!).
Words for the now wiser, including me.
Please forgive this for sounding a tad ’sermonette-ish’ but it all came about from a visit to the grocery store. A young lady came up to me with her 6 year old and questioned with “Aren’t you the anti-aging doctor?”. I responded with my usual retort of “No, I’m all for aging. I’m anti-olding!”. Aging is the passage of time, olding is forgetting my wife’s first name or just not having the energy to do anything. (and, of course, a host of other symptoms!)
Anyway, where was I (?)–speaking of aging. She asked me for a secret to encourage her to start her exercise resolution for the year. I told her that the greatest motivation was right before her eyes. The best gift, the best habit, the best legacy that she could give to her child would be to forget “her” exercise plan and work on “their” exercise plan. That’s right,–’their’s’. Why not walk together, skip together, shop for the right foods together and explain why certain foods are the best, and try new foods, and cook together, and do elastic band resistance training together. How about making up rewards like home made t-shirts that match and say “We Do It!”? And what about……well, you get the idea. It’s all about passing on this most important health legacy to your family regardless of their age,–or yours. After all, they can’t help it that they are soooo young. See ‘ya at the check out counter.
HI TO ALL, YES, WE ARE FINALLY BACK UP ON OUR BLOG SITE. EVIDENTLY MY MOUSE GIGABYTED MY RAM TO A ROM … GUESS I CAN’T FAKE IT, –I HAVEN’T A CLUE WHAT WENT WRONG BUT OUR TECHIES SAVED THE DAY. SO YES, WE’RE BACK. AND SPEAKING OF BACKS, HERE’S A THOUGHT. OUR BACKS ACTUALLY CONTROL A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OUR LIVES. JUST HAVE A DISC PROBLEM SOMETIME AND SEE HOW DEBILITATED YOU BECOME.
SO HOW ‘BOUT TRYING THIS FOR FUN. LIE ON THE FLOOR AND LET YOUR SHOULDERS AND THE SMALL OF YOUR BACK (DOWN BY THE HIPS) SINK INTO THE RUG. BREATHE. IF IT’S TOUGH RELAXING, TENSE ALL OF YOUR MUSCLES FOR 10 SECONDS AND BREATHE OUT AND SINK INTO THE FLOOR. THIS IS THE POSTURE YOU’RE SHOOTING FOR WHEN YOUR UPRIGHT. DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, STRESS AND A HUNDRED OTHER SYMPTOMS SHOW THEMSELVES AS POOR POSTURE. AND POOR POSTURE IS JUST PAIN WAITING TO HAPPEN.
THINK ABOUT STANDING STRAIGHT, BREATHING DEEPLY AND HEAD HELD HIGH BEFORE YOU ENTER ANY BUILDING. IT’S A GREAT REMINDER AND TELLS THOSE SEEING YOU, “THAT’S A TOGETHER CAMPER”.
YES IT’S THINKING A TAD OUTSIDE THE BOX, BUT TRY IT EVERYTIME YOU’RE ABOUT TO ENTER A BOX! (HOUSE,OFFICE,CAR,BEDROOM,ELEVATOR,GYM,CHURCH,GROCERY,—-WOW, WE’RE ALL ABOUT BOXES!)
Originally Posted: June 2nd, 2008
‘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’.
Originally Posted: June 5th, 2008
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!”
Originally Posted: June 13th, 2008
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.
Originally Posted: June 24th, 2008
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!!