Archived News of the Week

August 2020

Maybe we should stop showering so much: I am not suggesting we stop regular handwashing; please keep that up in this stressful time of COVID: However, "... our skin is a living, permeable, dynamic interface that connects us to the world around us - a complex, diverse ecosystem rather than a barrier that should be sterile and pristine.'" Thus claims James Hamblin, author of Clean: The New Science of Skin. He goes on to say and with which I agree that "soap washes away not only natural oils but also many of the microorganisms that make our skin their home, disrupting the natural balance they might otherwise achieve." We have too much hygiene nowadays, and probably should stop showering every day and going easy on soap when we do shower. (Maybe the nether parts only.)

Hamblin also scoffs at trying to promote the skin's internal collagen production by ingesting collagen in our smoothies: "It's like if you needed new tires and you put rubber in your gas tank." Finally, we both agree that the skin is an ecosystem that is in constant connection with the health of the rest of our body as well as with the world beyond. So, the usual holds true: A good diet and clean air go a long way in keeping us young and wrinkle-free. (And so will La Mer.)

If you smoke, stop. And don't eat the large fries anymore: Did you know cigarette smoke contains acrolein, a toxic aldehyde which attacks the retina, and also more than doubles the numbers in people with macular degeneration? But then there are french fries fried in some sort of cheap seed oil, like those at fast food restaurants. Get this: A cigarette produces 18 to 98 micrograms of acrolein and a large french fries, produces about 154. That means that eating a large french fries can give you the same amount of acrolein as smoking 8 to 9 cigarettes, and they both can cause lung cancer. Pick your poison.

Speaking of Seed Oils: Go to drcate.com and read about her Hateful Eight which are canola, corn, cottonseed, soy, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed and rice bran. If there are any in your pantry, get rid of them now and start carefully reading labels when you shop and don't buy anything with the Hateful Eight in them anymore. They came from factories, they kidnap your metabolism and will destroy your health. Use only coconut and olive oils and sometimes sesame plus ghee and butter.

Dementia News: Since the number of older people, including those living with dementia, is rising, it behooves us all - no matter what age you are now - to understand what we can put into place as a lifestyle as early as possible. The Lancet, in their 2020 Report of The Lancet Commission has come up with 12 modifiable factors to enhance and/or maintain our cognitive reserves, and they are: Minimize diabetes, treat hypertension, prevent head injury, stop smoking, reduce air pollution, and reduce midlife obesity. These six will "reduce neuropathological damage (amyloid or tau-mediated, vascular or inflammatory.)"

The second six are: Maintain frequent exercise, reduce occurrence of depression, avoid excessive alcohol, treat hearing impairment, maintain frequent social contact and attain a high level of education. These second six will "increase and maintain cognitive reserve". Each of the above 12 could warrant their own book, but this is an outline for you to see where you stand right now and make changes as needed.

Centenarian Study: Where you live may have a significant impact on the likelihood that you will reach centenarian status. New research from Washington State University, 6/17/20, suggests that people who live in highly walkable, mixed-age communities may be more likely to live to their 100th birthday.

Increasing Blood Flow to the Brain: Max Lugavere watched his Mom descend into Alzheimers at age 58 and decided to make it his life's work to study this disease. I highly recommend his book, Genius Foods. He's done his homework and has tons of good information in his book.

Our brains are massive oxygen consumers so ensuring that blood flow is abundant and unimpeded is one way to keep our cognitive power supply free of interruption. When O2 is scarce in the brain we open ourselves up to Vascular Dementia. So, how do we keep our brains oxygen-happy? One way, of course, is to exercise daily to the point that you are breathing hard. Here are the other ways: Eat dark chocolate, eliminate or reduce grains, sugar and starches, eat more potassium (avocado, banana, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mushrooms and salmon). And indulge yourselves in nitrate-rich foods which tend to dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow. Arugula is the best, followed by beets, butter lettuce, broccoli, and Swiss chard.

Vitamin D: Yes, believe it or not, I am going to talk about this again. But, it's important to know what I am going to tell you and that is if you take supplemental D (which most of you are), you MUST take supplemental magnesium and vitamin K2. Why? Because the K2 prevents the excessive arterial calcification that high-dose supplemental vitamin D may cause as it is releasing calcium into the bloodstream. Why Magnesium? Because magnesium helps increase vitamin D. "It would take 146% more D to achieve a blood level of 40 ng/ml if you don't take the supplemental magnesium of at

This is all a very precise balancing act: While Vitamin D improves magnesium absorption, taking large amounts of vitamin D can deplete the magnesium as magnesium is required in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. Research has shown that a combined intake of both supplemental magnesium and vitamin K2 has a greater effect on vitamin D levels than either one individually. You need 244% more oral vitamin D if you're not taking Mag and K along with the D. Sorry, this is confusing but just do it.

COVID Safety: Just remember TIME, SPACE, PEOPLE, PLACE. Time is the duration of time spent with people or in a store; the shorter the better. Space means social distancing of 6 ft. People means wear your mask and only be with those people who have been practicing safe social distancing and Place means preferably outside.

Stay safe, try to be happy, know that nothing lasts forever and see if you can figure out this quote by Eckhart Tolle: " Life is the dancer and you are the dance." (I have been chewing on this for at least 2 weeks now!)

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