I got a message from a young woman who had written to me years ago after visiting my antiaging website and asking me for advice for a health problem she was having. She was told she had a thyroid problem but through her own research found out she was misdiagnosed!
She had been put on Omprazole, which is a “proton pump inhibitor” which decreases stomach acid. This can cause malabsorption of food, and she had to fight her doctor to get the tests that indicated that she had vitamin deficiencies.
She was on Omeprazoe for years, and she learned this drug should only be taken for several weeks. She was misdiagnosed and improperly prescribed medication. It was only through her own research and efforts that she is now on the road to recovery.
It’s a sad state of affairs when you have to do your own medical research to make sure your doctors diagnosis and advice is valid, but in many cases that’s what it comes down to. Nobody has as much interest in your health as YOU do!
Don’t assume that you are incapable of understanding things about your health. That’s the biggest mistake you can make! This is how the pharmaceutical industry has become so powerful and abusive. You can and MUST take an active role in protecting your health!
Ordinary people don’t trust in their own intelligence and intuitive wisdom to take control of their own health decisions. It’s always about the newest wonder drug or prescription they see peddled on TV , and they mistakenly assume this is the way to be healthier.
There are a few prescription drugs that are actually helpful in the short term because they control symptoms and allow people to function on a day to day basis. However the vast majority of these drugs are both dangerous and unnecessary, and more and more practicing physicians are coming to the same conclusion.
If your doctor refuses to listen to your concerns or chastises you for trying to learn more about your body and how it functions, then it’s time to find another physician. A good doctor will welcome a patient that is actively engaged in their own health decisions!
The Internet can be a great place to find information, but of course you have to use your head and sort out the bad information from the good. There are a number of good websites where you can find accurate and up to date information. I will list a few of these below:
http://www.charlespoliquin.com
These are just a few sites that provide useful information about a range of health topics, but of course there are others out there. At some point I will be doing a review of online information sources that I will post a link to in this newsletter.
#~#~#
I was about to say that fall is approaching, but in fact, it’s already here! Temperatures are dropping and it’s that time of year when people often get colds because they forget to dress warmly enough.
Yes I know about all the “scientific evidence” that supposedly disproves the idea that people “catch cold” because they don’t dress warmly enough, but my own personal experience seems to suggest otherwise.
The body is very sensitive to changes in it’s environment and this can have effects that you are not aware of. Take some time to evaluate your clothing going into fall and winter. Make sure you dress warmly and comfortably at all times.
Body heat is body energy…remember that! When you lose body heat you lose the energy your body needs for vital functions like your immune system and your hormonal system. Energy in the form of ATP is the “currency” of your day to day health. Preserve it!
Remember, ALWAYS dress warmly, preserve your precious energy for needed body functions, not warming the outside environment! The Earth has plenty of energy, it doesn’t need more from your body!
I can’t give a specific recommendation for thermal and cold weather wear because I am not an expert, but from what I have found online rial polypropylene is considered the best for outdoors.
Do some research on the web and get some good quality winter wear for both outside and inside. You will feel better and stay healthier!
#~#~#
For people who are into musical theater, Steven Sondheim is a magical name! This is one of Sonheim’s best songs sung by none other than Bernadette Peters. She becomes emotionally overwhelmed during the performance.
I believe this is because some years ago she lost her husband in a helicopter accident. It almost seemed like the orchestra kind of marked time a bit to allow her to recover her composure and finish the song. This is truly a heartfelt performance.
Here’s the Youtube link to her touching performance of “Not a Day Goes By”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMlQgyz834
For those of you who are Sondheim aficionados here’s the link to “Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnagie Hall”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E9CwofuHTk
If you are a lover of musical theater you will relish this performance! ENJOY!!!
#~#~#
This newsletter is read by people all over the world, so if you have something that you would like me to share such as music from your country or culture with the other readers, please let me know.
#~#~#
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”
Buddha
#~#~#
“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”
Helen Keller
Age Better #43 – Stop the MTHFR gene In It’s Tracks!
There are things that remind you that time is passing and seemingly quicker than it used to. My niece just turned 23 and is a married mom of 2. I remember babysitting her one evening many years ago so her mom and dad could get a rare night out.
She was months old and pretty much cried all of the evening until her mom came home, and then she was perfectly content again. Now she she has a 4 year old and a months old infant son of her own to care for. It’s hard to believe those years passed so quickly.
Fortunately for me, I keep learning and discovering new things that I believe can retain the quality of our health and give us many more years of enjoyable life. I promised that in this newsletter I would share cutting edge stuff with you and here’s an interesting item I just discovered.
I think I talked about the MTHFR gene defect in one of my past newsletters. It’s pretty common in North Americans. About 55% of the population have some variant of this gene, and it can cause a lot of health problems.
The cheap and easy way to tell if you have this gene defect is to eat asparagus and note whether your urine has a strong odor after about an hour or so. If it does, then you have the gene defect.
The MTHFR gene is responsible for converting folic acid into a form that the human body can actually use called “Methylenetetrahydrofolate” This is known as the “reduced” or “methylated” form of folic acid.
Since your body cannot use ordinary folic acid, this gene must be working correctly in order to convert folic acid into the methylated form. What happens when the gene is defective?
Well…your risk for things like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke, depression, migraines, birth defects, miscarriage, mental illness, ect. Are greatly increased! Methylation is also how your body repairs your DNA (and protects you from cancer).
That’s the bad news! The “good news” is that I have stumbled on a cheap nutritional supplement that can help anyone with this gene defect. That may sound like quite a claim, but it has a very sound basis in science.
Here are some abstracts from Pubmed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22102928
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23212058
By using the “reduced” or “methylated” form of folic acid, you can bypass the problems these gene defect causes. This product is called “methylfolate.” It’s probably made by a number of companies, but I like Jarrow Formulas for both quality and price.
I just picked up a bottle and do notice quite a difference, mainly the mental aspects of this gene problem being alleviated. I feel more relaxed, less tense and anxious. That is the outward sign that the product is working.
Now please understand that I am not claiming that this supplement cures or prevents any disease. I am only saying that since the MTHFR defect causes you not to be able to utilize folic acid, you can take a form of folic acid that your body CAN utilize.
You will be hearing more about this as time goes on, but right now I believe that “methylfolate” is one of THE most valuable nutritional supplements you can take. Here is a link to it on Amazon:
http://www.age-better.info/methylfolate
If you try this nutritional supplement, please let me know how it works for you. Dosage requirements would vary from person to person, but the rule of thumb I go by is to start with the smallest dose, and see how that works for you.
Start with one capsule (400 mcg) and you can take this 3-4 times per week or every other day. If you have the MTHFR gene defect, you should notice a feeling of calmness and well being.
You can tell if you have this defect by eating asparagus and noticing of yoiur urine has a strong odor afterward. If the odor is present, this is an indication that you have this gene defect, and would benefit by taking methyl donors like methylfolate, SAM-E, or trimethylglicine.
#~#~#
Do you have a disease, or other medical condition that you or someone close to you is suffering from that you would like me to research and write about? Then please let me know. I can’t give medical advice because I am not a doctor.
But I CAN research things for you and look for the most cutting edge information on that topic and present it to you and everyone who reads this newsletter. Our knowledge is advancing rapidly, and I am here to report on the very latest on health, wellness, and anti-aging for everyone who reads “Age Better.”
So if you have questions, or comments, please share them with me. I love hearing from you!
#~#~#
Call me infantile…BUT I ‘ve always been a comic book aficionado. I grew up reading Marvel Comics and to a lesser extent DC as well. With that said, it’s way cool to see the characters I read so many years ago, being recreated on the big screen.
Thor 2 “The Dark World” will be out in November, as will Captain America “The Winter Soldier.” Captain America is played by actor Chris Evans who grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts, about 30 minutes from where I live.
I can’t wait for these films and will review them when they are out. “Agents of Shield” is coming to television in the fall, I believe the first episode will be September 24th. Due to demand by fans, Agent Phil Coulson will be resurrected from the dead (he died in The Avengers). He plays “director Fury’s” right hand man.
This series should be great fun!
#~#~#
This weeks musical clip is a Bruce Hornsby number called “White Wheeled Limousine”
that features one of my favorite guitarists Pat Metheny, who incidentally attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston (about 3 miles from my house!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqNdp1SLC4g
There is also an excellent trumpet solo by John D’Earth as well. Hornsby’s piano meshes well with Matheny’s guitar, and I wish the clip did not end when it did, but it’s still a treat!
#~#~#
This newsletter is read by people all over the world, so if you have something that you would like me to share such as music from your country or culture with the other readers, please let me know.
#~#~#
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Benjamin Franklin