Blood Tests (Part I)

Action to take

When you have your annual physical, include blood testing for fibrinogen,
homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and possibly C-reactive protein.

Why

I normally focus on what I know best—what it takes mentally to grow young
and live with purpose. Sometimes, news about physical health issues is so noteworthy
that I address it as well. The research source that I have grown to trust the most
for health news is the nonprofit organization, the Life Extension Foundation.
It has a history of championing causes ten years before mainstream medicine
and federal agencies acknowledge the problem or remedy.

Everyone agrees that exercise and good nutrition are vital to cardiovascular health.
For the past decade, cardiologists have focused on cholesterol in the battle against
heart disease—initially on total cholesterol and later on keeping HDL high and LDL low.  
The Life Extension Foundation’s research indicates several factors foster cardiovascular
problems and cholesterol probably isn’t the most important factor–certainly not the
preeminent factor. Fibrinogen is one of those overlooked independent risk factors
that has a substantial body of animal and human research indicating that higher levels
of fibrinogen bring higher risk of heart attacks and stroke. In a 2006 study, for example,
fibrinogen was the only independent risk factor to predict who was most likely to die
within 42 months of a heart attack. It also is a risk factor for cancer.

The liver produces the protein fibrinogen to make fibrin for the “mesh” that forms
to enable clotting to heal a wound or stop bleeding. Fibrin also helps in gathering platelets.
We need some fibrin. Americans’ sedentary lifestyles and fat rich diets, however,
often result in levels that are too high. A simple blood test can check fibrinogen levels.
The optimal range is 200-300 mg/dL. Factors that appear to reduce fibrinogen levels include:
• fish oil (e.g., fish such as salmon or from supplements)
• olive oil
• niacin (vitamin B3)
• Vitamin A
• keeping homocystine levels down (which usually can be reduced with vitamins B6, B12,
and folic acid and lowering saturated fats)
• foods and supplements that thin the blood, e.g., aspirin, garlic, green tea, Ginkgo, and Vitamin E

If you do nothing else, when you have your annual physical, include blood testing for fibrinogen,
homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and possibly C-reactive protein. Elevations of any of these is a
red flag for high risk of cardiovascular disease. I’ll discuss homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and
C-reactive protein in the next issues.

Quotes

very disease is a physician.
~Irish proverb

Humor

A new arrival, about to enter hospital, saw two white coated doctors searching through the flower beds.
“Excuse me,” he said, “have you lost something?”
“No,” replied one of the doctors. “We’re doing a heart transplant for an income-tax inspector
and want to find a suitable stone.”

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Cancer Milestone

Action to take

Enjoy the good news that the incidence rates of cancer are declining
and five year survival rates have passed 50%.

Why

In the 1940’s, only one of four cancer patients survived five years.
In the 1960’s, survival was one in three. Now it has reached one in two.
Meanwhile, incidence rates have been dropped by .5% per year from
1991 to 2001.

Surgeries are often less radical and chemotherapy is often more targeted.
This brings a better quality of life for survivors. A few decades ago,
the public knew little about cancer beyond it being a “death sentence.”
In 1979, Norman Cousins’ book described how he used humor to
help overcome cancer, alerting people to the role of psychological
factors. Now there are thousands of support groups, hundreds of
books, and lots of media attention. A decade ago it would have
been hard to imagine millions of Today Show viewers watching
Katie Couric’s colonoscopy on live television. Inspired by her example,
the number of colonoscopy exams in the US increased 20% the following month.
A recent American Cancer Society report says that half of all cancers
are preventable. Cigarette smoking is the biggest cause of lung cancer, which
comprises about a third of cancers in America. Lung cancer has a very poor
survival rate. US smoking rates are declining and more businesses are now
smoke free. Smoking also contributes to several other types of cancer.
Other priority prevention measures include losing weight and testing for
breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostrate cancer.

Cancer research shows great promise. The future will soon have
genetic testing indicating what medications and treatments are
likely to be the most effective. For those who want alternative approaches
to treating cancer, the Moss Reports and the Life Extension Foundation
offer scientific perspectives on alternative medicine approaches
to cancer treatment.

Our nation’s two biggest causes of death are cardiovascular diseases
and cancer. For both, survival rates are showing substantial improvement.

Quotes

Show me a patient who is able to laugh and play, who enjoys living,
and I’ll show you someone who is going to live longer. Laughter makes
the unbearable bearable.
~Dr. Bernie Siegel

Humor

My apologies to not catching the source.
Interviews with cancer survivors included one
who described how his oncologist told him and
and his parents that he might want to smoke
marijuana to help with the nausea and pain from
the treatments. This was a dream come true–
a doctor telling his parents that he should smoke pot.

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

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Needs vs. Wants

Action to take

When thinking and speaking, be accurate
about what you need vs. what you want.

Why

My wife asked if there was anything I needed from the grocery store
and I said some beer. Then I thought, I don’t need beer, I want beer.
The distinction is subtle, but offers several benefits. Saying I want
rather than need:
~ makes me more consciousness that this isn’t something my body needs
~ prompts me to consider whether I am making a healthy choice
~ prompts me to be more likely to make a healthy choice
~ raises my consciousness as to physiological effects
~ prompts gratitude as I realize I have many choices
~ prompts gratitude as I realize I can choose many things beyond my needs
That’s a lot of benefits from just being more conscious of one word choice.
Why fuss about semantics? Painlessly making healthier lifestyle choices fosters
living longer, healthier and living with purpose. So does having more gratitude.
I’m always looking for easy ways to foster growing young and living with purpose.
The distinction can have a lot of nuances. I may want a beer to help me relax
and unwind. If the outcome I want is to relax and unwind, being clear that it is
a want and not a need makes me more aware that I have several choices
for how to relax and unwind.

Sometimes wants are complicated by physiological needs. Wanting coffee
in the morning might be to prevent a headache from caffeine withdrawal
and to counter the lack of sleep from coffee the night before.
Physiological need distinctions can be controversial and confusing.
Research indicates that caffeine stimulates estrogen (estradiol) production.
This can increase the risk of cancer, especially for women at risk for
endometriosis and breast cancers. Some research suggests that pregnant
women metabolize caffeine at only a fourth of their normal rate.
The livers of fetuses cannot metabolize caffeine so the caffeine stays
in their systems for days.

Some research indicates caffeine increases menstrual muscle cramps.
Many women, however, report it relieves cramps and is calming
(partially from its diuretic effect). Then there is research indicating
that coffee has health benefits. What to make of the contradictions?
We need to pay attention to how caffeine affects us (and possibly
experiment with reducing or eliminating consumption to see the difference).
At the very least, moderation is needed, and extra moderation is
needed during pregnancy and breast feeding.

I have just been addressing what we eat and drink. Whether we need or just
want a new car and whether it is a Saturn or a luxury car has its nuances as well.

Quotes

Daddy, I don’t need your help.
I’ve been very intelligent since I was two years old.
~Sharon Brickey (last year when she was 4)

The road to success is a toll road. Pay that small, daily fee,
and you’ll be able to go most anywhere you want.
Leave some time for fun, and you’ll enjoy the ride.
~Steve Goodier (writer)

A rich person is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.
~(source unknown)

Humor

If we are to believe the HBO series, Big Love,
a man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.
~Michael Brickey

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Four Stupidest Things Americans Do To Their Skin

Action to take

Make sure you protect your skin from the sun every day you–
are exposed to the sun and only use skin care products that are:
~pH balanced
~free of mineral oil
~free of dyes and fragrances

Why

A friend called me in distress. To celebrate his birthday his kids washed
his new car–only they used Brillo scouring pads. What would you say to the kids?
We periodically replace worn out cars. Most Americans do the equivalent of a
car wash with scouring pads to their skin every day. We have to live
with our skin the rest of our lives. How you look affects how you feel
and how others treat you. Don’t do the stupidest things to your skin.

Stupidest Mistake #1 Using Soap

You’re probably thinking I’m nuts. Don’t we need soap to be clean and
get rid of germs? Your sebaceous glands keep your skin at a pH between
5.5 and 6.5 (slightly acidic) for optimal health. Most soap is very alkaline
and strips your skin of its protective oils. What may feel “squeaky clean”
is really dehydrated and vulnerable to free radical damage. All soaps, shampoos,
shaving cream, moisturizers, and cosmetics should be pH balanced to protect
your skin. It may sound like I am overreacting, but it makes a difference.

Stupidest Mistake #2 Mineral Oil

Baby oil is 100% mineral oil. Why? Cloth diapers needed a barrier between
the baby’s skin and wet diaper. With absorbent paper diapers, an oil barrier isn’t needed.
So now we can use baby products that nurture your baby’s or grandbaby’s skin so it can
breathe and not get diaper rash. In the U.S. most cosmetic companies use mineral oil
because it is cheaper than water-based alternatives and it seems to moisturize
because it coats your skin. Your body is water based and like oil and vinegar
salad dressing, mineral oil doesn’t interact much with your water based skin.

Most European countries ban mineral oil from cosmetics and skin care products.
Some pricey cosmetics even use water-based moisturizers in Europe and mineral oil-based
moisturizers in the U.S. Mineral oil coats your skin, clogs your pores, and prevents
your skin from breathing. It keeps your skin from exfoliating dead skin cells and toxins.
It keeps your skin from absorbing vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants in a moisturizer.

Stupidest Mistake #3 Fragrances and Dyes

The most common causes of skin reactions and allergic reactions are the fragrances
and dyes that are added to soaps, shampoos, shaving cream, moisturizers, and cosmetics.
Having your hair smell like coconuts or mangos or bananas or be a pretty color often
comes with a cost. For the healthiest skin–no fragrances, no dyes.

Stupidest Mistake #4 Sun Damage

Most people don’t get enough sun. Sun is vital to feeling good and avoiding depression.
Like bears, many people respond to less sunlight in the winter by becoming depressed,
grouchy, and less active. Our bodies use sunshine to produce Vitamin D. Many Americans
have insufficient Vitamin D, a vitamin that helps with calcium absorption and
preventing osteoporosis. By all means, try to get some sunshine every day.

But sun also is by far the biggest cause of skin damage–wrinkling, drying, and skin cancer.
Skin cancer is three times more common than breast cancer and lung cancer combined
and accounts for half of new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. Sun tans are a sign of sun damage
to the skin and sunburn greatly increases the risk of skin cancer. Sun tans may look good
in the short run but in the long run they contribute to leathery, wrinkled skin and a
much higher risk of skin cancer.

If you insist on a suntan, ask me about a safe way to tan your skin without the sun or with
less sun. With the ozone depletion, sunscreen becomes even more important to healthy skin.
For prolonged sun exposure, use a sunscreen and if your skin gets red, a post sun skin treatment.
For modest sun exposure, use a moisturizer that includes a sunscreen.

Seeing Your Future

Imagine it is tomorrow morning and you are looking in the bathroom mirror.
Make a mental snapshot of how that looks now. Now imagine that 20 years
have passed and during those 20 years you didn’t give your skin much thought
–and now it shows in dry, wrinkly, perhaps even leathery skin with age spots.
It has some suspicious areas that you need to have your doctor check to
make sure it isn’t skin cancer. You say to yourself as Satchel Paige said,

“If I had known I was going to live so long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
Make a snapshot of the picture. Now imagine that tomorrow you start being kind
to your skin–using skin care products that are pH balanced, free of mineral oil,
free of fragrances, and free of dyes. You use a botanically based moisturizer
that includes a sunscreen and you are careful about sun exposure. Within days
your skin starts feeling softer and smoother and has a healthier glow. Within weeks
wrinkles get a little smaller and scarcer. And 20 years later your skin still looks good.
Which future do you want? Which image do you want to have to look at for several decades?

Quotes

Won’t you come into my garden? I would like my roses to see you.
~Richard Sheridan
The saying that beauty is but skin deep is but a skin deep saying.
~John Ruskin

Humor

The hung over barber nicked the customer he was shaving.
Annoyed, the customer quipped, “See what happens when you drink too much?”
“Yeah,” said the barber, “it makes skin more sensitive.”

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Preventing Diabetes

Action to take

Just say no to the bread served before meals and follow
the other eating habit tweaks described below.

Why

Most Americans are aware of the obesity epidemic but most haven’t caught on
to its sister–the diabetes epidemic. U.S. diabetes rates are soaring due largely to
our eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, and living long enough for our habits to haunt us.

At about 250,000 American deaths a year, diabetes directly causes far fewer deaths
than heart disease or cancer. It’s pervasive profile, however, makes for a very compromised life.
It often causes:
–loss of vision
–male impotency
–fatigue
–increased sores and infections that are slow to heal
–dry sensitive skin
–bladder control problems
–heart and cardiovascular problems
–kidney damage which in extreme cases requires dialysis
–numbing and tingling in hands and feet.

Because diabetes impairs blood circulation to legs and feet, foot tissue
can literally die and turn black. Every year thousands of diabetic Americans
have to have a foot or leg amputated. I even saw one patient who
not only lost his legs but his penis as well.

I know that just reading the about the devastating effects of diabetes
isn’t going to get many (including myself) to adopt an ideal diet.
Rather I am interested in little tweaks in our eating habits that
give lots of leverage.

Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes accounts for 90-95% of the 21 million Americans with diabetes.
The three keys to prevention are:
1. don’t become obese
2. go easy on the junk foods
3. keep stable blood sugar levels

Let’s focus on stable blood sugar levels. When you eat a simple carbohydrate,
such as white bread, your body quickly converts it to glucose and your
blood sugar level spikes. This brings a surge of energy and perhaps nervousness.
About an hour later the surge wears off, your blood sugar level plummets,
and you feel tired and hungry.

These five tweaks can keep blood sugar levels stable and prevent Type 2 diabetes:
1. Eat food with protein, fat, or fiber (e.g., nuts, olives, salad, vegetables, fruit)
before eating any high glycemic index food
2. Go easy on the bread (bagels, etc.) and try to stick to 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread.
3. When eating high glycemic index foods limit yourself to modest portions.
4. Try to graze with several mini meals or snacks spaced through the day
as opposed to three meals with one or two of them being large meals.
5. Increase the fiber in your diet or take a fiber supplement. Fiber slows the
conversion of food to sugar and decreases calorie absorption. (It also helps colon
health and prevents constipation.)

So here is your test. You are at a restaurant and the waiter brings a basket of bread.
How many pieces do you eat? The best answer is none or you at least
you have an appetizer with protein or fat first. Restaurants serve rolls
to give people something to do and something to eat while waiting for their food.
The glycemic surge keeps customers feeling good, but isn’t good for their health.

Most Type 2 diabetes can be prevented. Often Type 2 diabetes can be
reversed (“cured”) with weight loss and improved eating habits. A few tweaks
in eating habits can make a huge difference in the long-term quality of your life.

Quotes

1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
~The American Diabetes Association

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Breathing

Action to take

At least once a day, expel all the air from your lungs.

Why

Yoga instructors, singing coaches, athletic coaches, exercise gurus,
meditation gurus, and even Lamaze instructors all try to teach us
deep breathing. We know we should. But few of us actually do it.

I believe change can be easy if you engineer it well. Going from
multi-tasking to peaceful meditation is too big of a jump for most Americans.
We try it a few times and give up–or decide we “just don’t have the time.”

When it comes to deep breathing, we have it backwards.
Few people breathe as deeply and fully as possible
when they try to take a deep breath. If you expel all the air
from you lungs, however, you usually get most of the air out
and create a very strong vacuum. That vacuum sucks air back in
and prompts your body to breathe more deeply for several minutes.

You don’t have to have a yoga matt, incense, and classical music.
You can do it at a stop light, while waiting for a file to download,
or standing in line at the grocery store or post office. Using that five
seconds of downtime gives you five minutes of better breathing benefits.

The procedure is a snap. The other trick is remembering to do it.
Sometimes you might choose to expel all the air in your lungs include:
~after brushing your teeth (seeing it as part of daily hygiene)
~before eating (it may also result in less overeating)
~any time you are stopped at a red light (even if listening to a CD or the radio)
~waiting in a line (may relieve boredom and impatience as well)
~before watching TV (if you are watching to relax, relax more fully)
~when going to bed (can also help you get to sleep)

Which ones fit best with your lifestyle?

Quotes

When you breath, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.
~(source unknown)

Humor

Lamaze: You get to go through 36 hours of contractions;
he gets to hold your hand and say, “Focus… breathe…push… Good Girl!”

Poor grammar in medical records: The baby was delivered,
the cord clamped and cut, and handed to the pediatrician,
who breathed and cried immediately.

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Centenarian Heroes

Action to take

Forget Superman and Beckman. Choose remarkable centenarians as role models. Here are four who recently made the news:

Why

At 104 R. Waldo McBurney maintains a downtown office in Quinter Kansas where he sells honey from his 199 colony of bee hives. He still competes in several track events in the Senior Olympics. In 2004 he came out with his first book,
My First 100 Years.

The mysterious decline in bee populations is causing an agricultural crisis. Bees not only produce honey, they pollinate flowers and plants. Diagnosing the problem may come from a young scientist. Or it may come from 101-year-old beekeeper Wendell Cummings. He has kept bees since he was a child. Several years ago he downsized his honey business. He still does a lot of observing and thinking about bees. He believes he the mysterious decline in the bee populations is due to a new strain of beetles from South America. Scientists are seriously studying his theory.

Centenarian Kathryn Davis could have spent her millions self-indulgently. Instead she donated $20 million for clean up and conservation along the Hudson River where she still loves to kayak. Her “1000 Projects for Peace” scholarships awarded $10,000 scholarships to undergraduates who develop and implement grassroots ideas for peace. She also has funded several projects to study Russian language and culture.

Jose “El Nino” Temprana was a Cuban sponge diver and lobster fisherman. He left Cuba in 1994 after spending thirty years in a Cuban prison for opposing Fidel Castro. At 105 he achieved a dream he has had since prison He became an American citizen. He still enjoys gardening and socializing with lots of friends.

Quotes

We don’t get to choose our parents, but we select our lifestyles.
~ R. Waldo McBurney, 104 year old beekeeper and fitness advocate,

I love the thought of people enjoying the river, sailing, kayaking, hiking.
~Kathryn Wasserman Davis, philanthropist

Humor

I was always taught to respect my elders and I’ve now reached the age when I don’t have anybody to respect.
~George Burns

If you live to be one hundred, you’ve got it made. Very few people die past that age.
~George Burns

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.

Longevity Insurance

Action to take

Consider longevity insurance.

Why

Only a third of Americans say they would like to live to 100.
Their reasons include fearing they will run out of money and be poor.

In a previous blog I cited a British man who bet $200 he would
live to 100 and eventually received $50,000 for winning his bet.
Since then the odds makers want to increase the target to 110 years old.

But there is a relatively new way to win that kind of bet – longevity insurance.

Personally, I dislike life insurance as I hate betting against myself.
You (or rather your survivors) only get the money if you die.
Longevity insurance rewards you for living longer and helps make sure
you have enough income starting at age 85. For example, let’s say a
65-year-old man pays $50,000 in after tax money for a longevity policy.
At age 85 he starts collecting $3,614 a month ($43,368 a year)
for the rest of his life.

If he dies before age 85 he and his heirs receive nothing. For women,
the monthly payments would be somewhat lower because of a longer
life expectancy. Of course you can purchase the insurance before age
65 and receive even higher monthly premiums at 85.

At age 65, life expectancy for American men (2004 data) was
82.1 years and women 85 years. Met Life, Hartford, and other insurance
companies are betting that in most cases they won’t have to pay anything.

You could take the same money and invest it in stocks or bonds.
That would allow you to take money out in an emergency and to
pass on money to heirs. If you get a 6% after tax return rate
on your investments compounded over 20 years, you would start
coming out ahead a shortly before your 90th birthday
with the longevity insurance.

The primary advantage of the insurance is less concern about outliving your money.
It also might be out of reach in the event of a lawsuit or divorce. Unlike life insurance,
you don’t need to qualify, you only need a birth certificate.

The biggest risk with longevity insurance is not living to 85 and collecting nothing.
Another risk is the insurance company could go out of business.

Another consideration is the likelihood of inflation. Whether you invest the money
in an IRA or have longevity insurance, the money will probably have far less purchasing
power in 20 years. At 4% inflation compounded annually, $1,000 in today’s money
would be worth $456 in 20 years. In our previous example the monthly payment
would be equivalent to $1,648 in today’s dollars and each year the value would be a little less.

With life expectancies likely to increase, purchasing longevity insurance in the future
is likely to bring lower monthly benefits than are being offered now. If you believe
you have a good shot at living to 100 or older, longevity insurance can be a good bet.

Quotes

Corporations often purchase “key man” insurance on staff they can’t afford to lose.
Think of yourself as the key man or woman in the business of your own life.
But rather than buy life insurance, do what it takes to live longer and healthier.
~Mike Brickey

Humor

My wife and I took out life insurance policies on each other,
so now it’s just a waiting game.
~Bill Dwyer

The insurance man told me that the accident policy covered falling off the roof,
but not hitting the ground.
~Tommy Cooper

Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?

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Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.