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August News 2023 (Con't)

How do I know if I have an oxalate sensitivity? The best way, of course, is to come in and let me test you on oxalates, but if that is not possible, here are some odd symptoms that an oxalate-sensitive person could experience: Itchy rashes, frequent urination and bladder pain, poor or slow wound healing, frail skin that bleeds easily, joint pain, osteoporosis, calcium deposits, digestive problems, neurological problems like clumsiness, balance issues, or tremors, insomnia, fibromyalgia, vision problem and more tartar than usual on your teeth.

My oxalate sensitivity was discovered - by me - when I developed a slight tremor in my hands, and since I didn't want to be one of those old ladies with shaky handwriting I went on a serious search for the possible cause of this new symptom of mine. I serendipitously discovered Sally K. Norton's book, Toxic Superfoods and by the time I had finished the book, I realized that I was eating a ton of oxalates every single day: I immediately eliminated spinach, raspberries, Swiss chard, almonds, yams, beets, yellow and russet potatoes, chocolate and beans - all favorite foods - and within ONE WEEK I was tremor free. Yes, it's that profound. Now I pretty much stay away from most of the above oxalates, except for decaf tea, and if I see that pesky tremor return, I just become much more diligent in my food choices and the tremor goes away. And, yes, it's as easy as that.

The best way to have a good life: "If we try humbly, with some happiness, to enhance our benevolence, that will be the best way to have a good life." Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist Monk. (Or,another way to put that is this: The "outside" of the person that you see and experience is not who they really are - they are much bigger than that because they are a chip off the old block, The Divine Spirit. Just as you are. And I am. Instead, have a healthy and loving compassion for other's faults and annoyances and start reaching for the Truth of who they are, the inner Divine Being.)

Big, Fat No-no to the newest pharmaceutical bomb, Biogen's Lequembi: This is the new Alzheimer's drug with the oxymoronic adverse reaction of brain bleeding. What? Research says it cannot reverse cognitive decline or stop it from getting worse. What? And it's administered by IV every 2 weeks. That's a drag. The good news(?) is that it MAY slow decline by about 5 MONTHs over 18 months for people with MILD symptoms. The yearly cost is $26,500 of which Medicare MAY pay 80%. Oh, and BTW, people with even one APOE4 genetic marker or are on blood thinners should never use it. Since APOE4 is the major marker for dementia, one could surmise that a lot of the Alzheimer's people out there could have the APOE4 gene. Dr. Bea gives this new drug a big, fat raspberry.

Want to add about 20 more years onto your Lifespan? I thought you might say yes. The July meeting of The American Society for Nutrition reported on a study of 719,147 people ages 40-99. The study was done via questionnaires and medical records dating from 2011 to 2019. The researchers came up with 8 lifestyle factors which they think make all the difference in our longevity. It's better to start these lifestyle factor at age 40, but it's certainly good to start these at any age, because, as I believe, every little bit counts at any age. They found that women who followed these 8 practices had a roughly 21 year increase in lifespan while men had a 24 year increase in lifespan. The research also suggested that those of us who adopted maybe not all 8 of the lifestyle factors and maybe not quite perfectly could increase lifespan as well.

1) Exercising: That includes muscle strength, balance and aerobic and some experts in the field of longevity think that exercising is THE most important one of the 8. Read Peter Attia's book on longevity - Outlive; his argument is very compelling.
2) Good Social Relationships: Get out there, join book clubs, see your friends sooner rather than later. I know we were all rather set back with the COVID isolation, but it's time now to put yourself out more.
3) Good Sleep Hygiene: Figure out what you need to do about this and do it.
4) Not Binge Drinking: Oh dear, I hope this won't be a problem for you.
5) Healthy Diet: You already know what to do about this. I am partial to the Mediterranean Diet as an all-encompassing good-for-you way to eat.
6) No History of smoking: Good luck with that. What about my Marlboro's all through college…
7) Maintaining minimal stress: What with the world situation and the problematic presidential election coming up, I would recommend at least meditating and a practice of detachment from the outer world.
8) Being free of an opioid addiction: OK! I'm good with this one!

Bring Napping out of the closet! As you know, I have been a napper (I call it "rebooting" now) most of my life and have never been embarrassed about it or considered it a "weakness" like many of you appear to feel. Honestly, some of you act like you are telling me a deep, dark secret when you "admit" to napping. Maybe this will make you feel better: Latest research shows that S of us over 65 (27%) take at least one nap during the day and that "regular daytime napping is linked to bigger, healthier brains." The University College London conducted research with 878,982 participants of European ancestry ages 40-69 and observed that "those who napped 30 minutes or less early in the day showed positive cognitive effects."

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