One small change in your health condition can be the first sign of a major health problem. But usually we tend to ignore them until it is too late. You have a wonderful family and good job. But suddenly you notice that you cannot control your temper any more, and you shout at your kids without a good reason and you start forgetting important things at work and making costly mistakes.
You have been passionate with your spouse for many years, but now you do not feel anything anymore. Intimacy is now a chore, not pleasure. And then you start having chest pain when walking. You go to your doctor and get tests done just to learn that you now have a heart disease. Then what is next? How long do you think you will live?
According to the Bible, the first man, Adam lived 930 years. Impossible, of course, for us. But the longest living person on the earth, Jeanne Calment, lived 122 years and 164 days. At least 10 people lived more than 116 years. This means that it is possible to live more than 100 years and to be active. But how? The average life span is about 80 years and does not mean an active life. So what is the secret to live more than 100 years? What is the secret to not die prematurely?
Unfortunately official medicine denies the existence of the fountain of youth. So it was not possible to find it in the medical textbooks or articles. Therefore I decided to do my own investigation to find the answers to only 2 questions:
1. Why we may be at risk of dying prematurely.
2. How to prolong our lives naturally.
I decided to find the proven respectful studies to get the answers. But it was not that easy.
Normally they do medical scientific studies on a huge number of people, who do not know certain information,which can lead to bias in reporting results. The money for these studies is coming from big pharmaceutical companies to prove the efficiency of their new drugs. They want to sell. But there are two problems with these so called scientific studies.
First - is the existence of bias. If you are interested in getting your drug sold, which report are you going to publish: favorable or negative?
Second problem is that "Big Pharma" is about selling drugs. Do you think they are interested in making you healthier and/or prolonging your life naturally? Do you think they are going to give money for this?
Longevity secrets - from real people
First thing I realized was: it can be done. Jeanne Calment, who lived 122 years and 164 days, was pretty active until the every end of her life and was not suffering from any significant chronic conditions. She even smoked until age 117. But how could she stay and achieve health until the very end? In medical school I learned that people die because they are sick. Therefore healthy people do not die. Sounds like an axiom. Turned out I was wrong.
First breakthrough was the Kitava study in 1989.
Can people die healthy?
It started with Staffan Lindeberg, MD from the Department of Medicine, University of Lund, Sweden. He decided to study the population of the Island of Kitava in Papua, New Guinea, which is about 24,000. To his surprise even old people over there did not have heart disease, diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer and any other health condition we hear about every day. Juptner in 1960 has got the same results. So I thought: this is it! Now i know where to look for my answers. Healthy people do not die! But there was a big problem with Kitava study: the average life span was about 45 years! It means: they were dying healthy! So being healthy does not mean that we live longer!
Same thing with a famous Danish Eskimo study.
Tho Danish scientists Bang and Dyerberg discovered, that Eskimos have almost no heart attacks, our number 1 killer in the world, despite the fact that their cholesterol is not low. But do they live linger? Not that I know of.
Second breakthrough was Blue Zones, areas of the world where people live longer.
Because official medicine does not give the prescription for longevity Dan Buettner from National Geographic went to Japan to learn more about Okinawa longevity secrets. But according to demographer S. Jay Olshansky of University of the Illinois in Chicago, as well as 51 longevity experts in their position statement in 2002 that "There are no lifestyle changes, surgical procedures, vitamins, antioxidants, hormones, or techniques of genetic engineering available today with the capacity to repeat the gains in life expectancy that were achieved during the 20th century."
Really?
Fortunately to the humankind they did not know that there are a few areas on earth where people simply live longer -- Blue Zones.
What they did to find longevity secrets: they went to Blue Zones
To get the truth about longevity secrets journalist Dan Buettner and other members if his expedition identified the Blue Zones: Sardinia, Italy: Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California, US: Costa Rica. They decided to learn from real people, not from theory, how to live longer. But what did they find?
None of them relied on the modern western medicine. Period. But does it mean that it is bad? Not really. Because with the help of the modern western medicine we are going to discover the secrets of longevity later on.
Also you do not have to go to deserted island to live better - Loma Linda, California is only 60 miles from toxic Los Angeles. But this made the mystery even more complicated: if it is not the place, it is not the specific fad diet, it is not the air, so what is it? That is why the Blue Zone expedition learned and documented what differs Blue Zones from the rest of the world.
Is it really water from the Fountain of Youth?
When a Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon came to Florida in 1513 BC, he was looking for the Fountain of Youth. He did not learn medicine and he did not know anything about genes and vitamins. But he knew: it has to be water. And he was right: they drink plenty of water in Blue Zones, but not too much, especially in Nicoya, Costa Rica. They say that it is because of the high content of calcium in it. But there is plenty of calcium in green vegetables, especially organic. Or calcium OTC pills. But do they prolong life? Not that I know of. Do we have to drink enough water to live longer? Absolutely!
Water is necessary for detoxification: it helps you to get rid of your toxic waste. The question is: is it water itself, or it is something in the water we do not know about?
1550 BC, Venice, Italy there was no modern technology, no Internet and no microscope. But the first Anti Aging manual is written by Luigi Cornaro --"The Sure and Certain Method of Attaining a Long and Healthful Life". Without tools and information he figured out that moderation is the key. He did what he preached and he lived about 90 years and maybe even more. It took scientists more that 500 years to discover that Luigi Cornaro was right. They took two groups of mice. One of them was fed as much as they wanted to. Another group was given food just to keep mice alive. Guess what group lived longer? The mice that were given just enough food to survive. But mice are not people. So they did the same with monkeys and they results, suggestive, that calorie restriction is beneficial for monkeys. But did it do the same to people?
In the Blue Zones they do.
How Much Should You Eat?
Calorie restriction is the main feature of the all Blue Zones lifestyles. But there is a big problem with calorie restriction alone: if you do not have enough calories, how can you combat infection or trauma or other stress situations? In Kitava Island they do not have plenty of food and they die on average at age of 45. So the longevity secret is not only less food to eat. But what else?
If you ask a dermatologist about the sun exposure, he will tell you how dangerous it is. So they did not know how dangerous sun exposure is. And they spent a lot of time in the sun. Do not think they were sunbathing! They did not have time for it. They had sun exposure naturally, as a part of their busy life. Have you ever seen a monkey on the beach?
Not really. Because monkeys know how to do it right. As a child I learned that the sun is good for me. My mom told me that if I did not get sun exposure I would get a bone condition called rickets, because the sun is good for the bones. What I did not know was: sun makes our immune system stronger to better protects us from infection and cancer.
Not all times of the day are good for sun exposure, though. The best hours are before 10 AM and after 5 PM, because at those times you get more UVA and less UVB, which is harmful. But if you have to be in the sun from 10 AM to 5 PM use clothing, umbrellas and hats to protect yourself from UVB, because sunscreens are not that reliable.
It's In What You Eat
What about living longer? They have plenty of sun in Africa, Kitava or Florida. But they do not live that long.
Could the secret be the magic food they eat? Maybe. They tend to eat more tomatoes and nuts. And this is understandable. Nuts are good for your health, because they are good for your heart: They have plenty of omega 3 fatty acids. Like fish, that is the staple of Eskimo diet. They do not have heart attacks. But Eskimo do not live long, either.
Tomatoes are different from nuts. They are the part of a rainbow diet. Think about it: if fruits or vegetables are of bright color, they are actually inviting you to eat them, and they are good for you. And tomatoes are known to be beneficial for your health: they protect from prostate cancer, head and neck cancer, breast cancer and neurodegenerative diseases as well as harmful ultraviolet radiation. Sounds like they are better than modern western medicine that cannot protect you from any cancer. It can only detect it early.
But what is the secret of tomatoes? If you go online, they will tell you, that it is antioxidant lycopene as well as vitamins A and C, that do the miracle. What they usually do not tell you is that lycopene from tomato is going to your adrenals, testes and liver. Does it have anything to do with longevity?
Or maybe those people in Blue Zones live longer because they know some special ritual, like a dance or meditation? Not likely. They move naturally by doing their chores and getting food. That is why they do not have time to go to the gym. They actually do not have them. But do they need to? I doubt it. They work hard enough. And when was the last time you saw a monkey at the gym.
Instead they have a healthy social life. They have big supportive families. They live together with their children. They support each other emotionally. And it works!
Should You Drink Red Wine?
Also they do not forget to drink red wine. Especially in Sardinia. And France. The last is known for so called French paradox. They eat plenty of saturated fat, but do not suffer that much from heart disease. So scientists looked into it. And they found the substance from red wine, called Resveratrol. High doses of it supposedly is mimicking calorie restriction effect in mice, resulting in longer life. And it can be sold as a pill. But there is a problem with Resveratrol: red wine has such a small amount of it that it cannot explain low incidence of heart disease in France.
Nevertheless because of the publicity the consumption of red wine increased. Wine and Resveratrol manufacturers were happy.
Or maybe there is another explanation of the French paradox?
As per OECD French work much less hours a week than Americans. Only in Norway, Sweden and Netherlands do they work less than in France. That short weekly working hours make sense: human beings are hunters -- gatherers. They did not work that much.
Looks like they enjoyed much more pleasures in their life than we do.
What is means is: French do not have that much stress and human beings are not designed to have that much stress, plus red wine helps you to relax.
Conclusion: less hormone cortisol, which sometimes can kill. Wait a second! May be it is all about hormones? Remember about lycopene from tomatoes? It goes to adrenals, testes and liver to protect your hormone production and proper their disposal by the liver
2008. Long Island, New York. Auditorium in a luxury hotel. A podium is taken by the a young woman in her 30s. She looks astonishing. Her eyes are shining and emit so much energy that it energizes everybody in the auditorium. She is very passionate about what she is saying.
People in the auditorium are breathless and catch every single word she is saying. But her real age is 61. Her name is Suzanne Somers.
I'm listening breathless to what she is saying. Suddenly it strikes my mind: "It is not cholesterol, not cancer, not your high blood pressure that are killing you. It is your hormones," -- she is saying. How could it be? That is not what I was taught in the medical school ad residency program. This is not on the Internal Medicine Board Exam.
But she is not a doctor, she is not a scientist. She is an actress! So what! I still remember the story from the past, when a lot of children were coming to the local hospital with all their hair falling out. All the doctors could not figure it out why. But the nursing aide knew: it was radiation. And she was right: children were exposed to radioactive waste.
Think about it: when you are young, you do not have cancer, heart attack, high blood pressure or cholesterol. Problems start developing when your hormones are low: menopause or andropause, when you cannot make babies anymore. This is because mother nature wants you to leave the space for younger individuals, who can make babies!
And so your hormones go down, making your body weak and unprotected. But it this is correct, how do they trick their bodies in Blue Zones? How did Jeanne Calment do it for 122 years? Was it possible that she was able to maintain a somehow relatively high level of women's sex hormone estrogen? We do not know. But the fact, that she was riding a bicycle at age 100 and she fractured her leg at age 114 means shows that she managed to do so. But how?
As soon as a woman runs out of eggs, her estrogen should go down! Another example: a man -- centenarian from Nicoya. His name is Rafael Angel Leon Leon. He had a lot of girlfriends and finally got married to a woman 40 year younger than him at age 92. It means that at age 92 he still was sexually active and could attract a much younger woman. But it is not possible without having enough sex hormone testosterone. So somehow he managed to keep his hormones up! But how?
When Jeanne Calment was asked how she could maintain her health and youthful appearance, she was always attributing it to olive oil, port wine and chocolate. Could it be olive oil? I knew that olive oil is good for your heart and vessels. What I did not know was, that it contains iodine.
We all know that iodine as well as selenium is necessary for thyroid hormone production. But what about estrogen?
For many years doctors were puzzled because breast diseases often go with thyroid problems. Iodine deficiency, that causes goiter and thyroid cysts, can cause breast cysts as well. Also low iodine was linked to breast cancer. They found that low iodine results in high estrogen level, leading to breast cancer. This does not match with the theory, that olive oil, high in iodine, can increase estrogen level to balance hormones of post menopausal women. So it is not iodine?
Then I got lucky. I knew that they use iodine -- 125 to label certain molecules. What I did not know was: it was estrogen that was marked with iodine. What it means? Iodine is easily incorporated into estrogen molecule. Does it mean that iodine activates estrogen? So far iodine -- estrogen connection remains mystery.
It could be not only iodine that prolongs life. It could be other micro-elements that make hormones and enzymes active. But why do we need them in extra amounts? Don't we get them enough with food? Not at all, because of soil depletion. In fact even if we eat fruits and vegetables, we get 5 to 7 times less micro-elements and other nutrients than we are supposed to. But could people get them in Blue Zones? Could it be from their secret fountains of youth? Or may be from the middle of the earth? From volcanoes for example?
To prove my theory, I started looking for any volcanoes, active or inactive around Blue Zones. Except Loma Linda all of them have volcanoes around. Even if Loma Linda does not it still is the place of frequent earthquakes that can result in increased levels of micronutrients and hence much better body functioning. But is it true? We need more studies about Blue Zones. But none of them are in the near future. The Blue Zones longevity secret still remains the mystery.
Are you at risk of dying prematurely?
If you see a snake approaching you can run away or you can kill it. But what if you are asleep? Then you are dead. Who should you blame? The snake or yourself, because you did not make your home safe?
Same thing is with your health. Do you want to create the safe and health space around you? It is not a rocket science to do this. It is like having car. If you follow your car manual and do maintenance regularly, you will enjoy smooth ride for many years. If not -- you will become the regular customer of repair shops. Follow your body manual: do whatever human being are created for.
Unfortunately it is not that easy. Normally we decide what to eat based on two principles:
1. Food has to be tasty.
2. It is supposed to deliver maximum energy in the shortest possible period of time.
But these principles do not work for us because:
1. Our food taste is so modified from the original, therefore we cannot rely on it. I'm talking about processed food, modified fruits and vegetables, corn but not grass fed cattle, etc.
2. Energy content is much higher because of additives like various carbohydrates, oils etc.
Now you are on your own to pick up your food. You cannot rely on your natural mechanisms. You have to rely on your knowledge to make sure, that you live long enough.
So how can you check if you are at risk of dying prematurely? Check if you are truly following your body's manual:
Are you eating the same food as cave men did?
Are you drinking about the same amount of water cave men did?
Are you getting enough sun exposure to synthesize enough vitamin D to protect yourself from fractures because of weak bones, heart disease, arthritis, autoimmune disease and cancer?
Are you moving naturally?
Are you are a part of your family and community?
Are your food, water and air clean?
Are you exposed to any other toxins like dyes, plastics, fumes, drugs etc.?
Do you go to bed with sundown and get up with sunrise?
This is the basic checklist that might help you to identify if you are following the manual or not, are you at risk of dying.
How to live longer -- Blue Zones checklist:
- Get enough sunlight, but not too much to get plenty of vitamin D. Monkey on the beach sunbathing?
- Restrict your calorie intake, but still get enough calories to fight infection or stress.
- Eat plenty of tomatoes.
- Move naturally. Remember monkey in the gym?
- Eat handful of nuts regularly.
- Drink enough water.
- Be social.
- Get enough sleep (at least 8 hours a day).
- Follow Paleolithic diet -- avoid processed food!
- Balance your hormones!
The bottom line is that you need to make one change to get on the path to being healthy. Every commitment you ever made began with one step at a time. Commit to making a change and see where it can lead you. No one that was famous for leading ever just jumped in and led. You have to work to get what you want and you will notice that things can fall, and will fall into place.
You have to be brave and be ready to make a change.
Living a "blue zone" life style isn't that hard. You came across many good ideas to take with you in your new goals. Also you should learn how to improve your health and mind, by learning more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and neurotransmitter balancing. All these components, which we work with in our offices, can be key to giving you the life you always wanted.
You can:
- have better intimacy
- improve your mood
- improve your relationships
- get rid of menopause and andropause symptoms
- get better working productivity
- live longer
- look younger
Isn't this worth a commitment?
