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News and ideas worth your attention.
Four decades of writing on living long and living well, with 1,000+ posts on functional and longevity medicine.
Aug 17, 2026 · Healthy AgingStealth Infections May Be Speeding Up Your Aging Process – Here's How to Push Back
Most of us think of aging as something that happens entirely inside the body—our cells wear out, our systems slow down, and disease gradually takes hold. But emerging science suggests a more unsettling reality: aging may be profoundly shaped by what enters us from the outside. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens don’t just cause infections and disappear. They can linger silently for years, fueling chronic inflammation, exhausting the immune system, disrupting metabolism, and accelerating the biological processes that drive aging. Scientists now believe these hidden microbial burdens may help explain why we age faster and become more vulnerable to heart disease, dementia, cancer, and frailty. The implications are both sobering and fascinating.
Aug 14, 2026 · Healthy AgingThe #1 Food Habit Associated With Dementia Risk
Discover the #1 food habit associated with dementia risk and how reducing ultra-processed foods may help protect brain health and cognitive function as you age.
Aug 12, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip - Why Your Brain May Need More Than Glucose as You Age
For decades, we've been told that glucose is the brain's primary fuel. While that's true, research suggests that as we age, the brain may become less efficient at using glucose for energy.
Aug 10, 2026 · NutritionThe Easiest Health Hack in Your Kitchen? 7 Little Seeds With Big Dividends
For some of us, the idea of overhauling your life to enhance your health and wellness can feel daunting, even overwhelming. My advice: break it down into manageable steps. What you eat, and how well you eat, is a big part of the road map. And here’s what I’ve learned after doing this for a long time: the most reliable nutritional “wins” rarely look dramatic. More often, they’re as simple as a spoonful of something small, tossed into a meal you were going to eat anyway. Seeds are a perfect example. For such tiny foods, they pack an extraordinary amount of nutritional firepower into a small package: fiber, unsaturated fats, plant protein, minerals and bioactive compounds that can help support healthy aging.
Aug 7, 2026 · Gut HealthWhat Are Postbiotics?
You’ve probably heard of prebiotics and probiotics. Meet another biotic that can influence your gut health.
Aug 5, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip – Can Plants "Teach" Your Cells to Be More Resilient?
According to the theory of xenohormesis, when we eat these plants, those same compounds may serve as signals that activate our own cellular defense and repair pathways—essentially allowing us to benefit from the plant's response to stress.
Aug 3, 2026 · Healthy AgingMeet Your Exposome: The Hidden Force That’s Shaping How Fast You Age
So, how’s your exposome? You know, the totality of everything outside your body that can impact it, from infectious pathogens and industrial chemicals to diet, exercise, chronic stress, and even loneliness. Whether we think about it or not, together, these exposures leave a measurable biological footprint that can influence how we age and our risk for chronic disease. New research suggests that this collection of everyday exposures may have a greater impact on longevity than the genetic risks we inherit. The message is both sobering and empowering: while we can't change the genes we were born with, many of the most important influences on our health are within our control. Here's what the emerging science of the exposome means—and where it matters most in everyday life.
Jul 31, 2026 · Health & WellnessDoes the Scalp Have a Microbiome?
Yes — and it plays a surprising role.
Jul 29, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip: Cardiolipin—The Mitochondrial Fat Almost Nobody Talks About
Researchers have linked damaged cardiolipin to aging as well as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic dysfunction. Learn about it here.
Jul 27, 2026 · NutritionMy Go-To Green List: Ten Veggies That Do the Heavy Lifting for Your Health
“Let food by thy medicine, and medicine by thy food.” However you phrase it, it’s an excellent reminder not to get so caught up in meal timing regimens or the ins and outs of particular diets that we forget the most important thing, the food itself. And no type of food does a better job of keeping us intact and thriving than vegetables. But I can’t think of a richer, or more health and longevity-supporting haul of veggies than those of the green persuasion.
Jul 24, 2026 · Health & WellnessMicrobes and Memory
Researchers have been exploring the relationship between the gut microbiome and the brain for decades. Two new studies seek to explain how that microbial mix may affect cognitive function.
Jul 22, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip - Do You Need Electrolytes?
Enjoying hot weather this summer? Then you might want to know about important nutrients called electrolytes. When you sweat, your need for electrolytes increases.
Jul 20, 2026 · Healthy AgingAging Isn’t Just Wear and Tear - It’s Dysregulation — and it’s Time You Tame It
There’s the sympathetic nervous system that puts the body in high alert mode—raises body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, respiration, the works—and primes us for action. And then the parasympathetic system cools everything down, letting the body reset and repair. Together they make up our “autonomic nervous system” that either controls or at least strongly influences the physiology that operates below the level of conscious awareness. If we’re young and healthy, the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems toggle back and forth almost effortlessly, responding to the day’s challenges and recharging at night. But as we get older, we tend to get stuck in high gear – the sympathetic system dominates – and we pay a price for that. The parts wear out; we generate more metabolic waste. We can’t sleep properly, compounding the damage. Net result: we age faster.
Jul 17, 2026 · MovementExercise Rewires Your Body — At the Molecular Level
Exercise affects health at the deepest level. Learn more.
Jul 15, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip - Summer Hydration
As temperatures rise, keeping your body well-hydrated becomes more important than ever. Warmer weather increases the risk of dehydration, which can affect everything from energy levels and mood to digestion and brain function.
Jul 13, 2026 · NutritionThe Hidden Power of Resistant Starch—The Carb That Behaves Like Fiber
Though it may sounds strange, chilling foods like rice, potatoes, pasta, and even bread can transform some of their digestible starch into something called resistant starch—a form of carbohydrate that resists digestion and reaches the colon intact. There, it feeds beneficial gut bacteria, supports the microbiome, and may help improve blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, and appetite regulation. In other words, yesterday’s leftovers might actually be better for you than a freshly cooked plate. Resistant starch offers a surprising twist in nutrition science: with a little kitchen chemistry, some everyday starches can become powerful allies for metabolic and gut health.
Jul 10, 2026 · NutritionCould Nutrient Deficiencies Be Causing Your Fatigue?
Always tired? Here’s what to do if a nutrient deficiency is contributing to your exhaustion.
Jul 8, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip - Why You Should Dose Your Summer Sun
Here are some of the most important benefits of healthy sun exposure. Remember: limit exposure during peak hours, wear protective clothing, and use sunscreen to protect against harmful UV rays.
Jul 6, 2026 · Healthy AgingBeyond Resveratrol: The Surprising Second Act of Sirtuins
You may, or may not, have heard of sirtuins, a family of enzymes that influence the way our genes do their job of making the proteins that run our bodies. But I’d be willing to bet that most of my readers are familiar with resveratrol, the compound found in red wine. That’s because, about twenty years ago, the resveratrol/sirtuin story was front-page news. Since then, the excitement over resveratrol has cooled off somewhat. But, what’s taken its place is a more sophisticated conception of human aging, one that’s mediated by the balance between growth – new proteins, new tissues -- and cellular maintenance and repair.
Jul 3, 2026 · Health & WellnessCould Blood-Sugar Fluctuations Be Causing Your Fatigue?
Always tired? Here’s what to do if blood-sugar issues are the reason why.
Jul 1, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip - 6 Ways to Help Protect Your Thymus
Understanding the thymus helps us better understand why immune health changes with aging — and why supporting this often-overlooked organ may be an important part of long-term wellness and longevity.
Jun 29, 2026 · Health & WellnessCalm In A Capsule: What Ashwagandha Can Do For Body And Mind
Ashwagandha, a mainstay of traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine has been prescribed for a few thousand years to treat physical and mental fatigue. And over the past decade or two, Western researchers have been measuring its benefits across multiple health domains: stress-reduction; mood; sleep; brain; hormones; even physical strength. Pretty impressive for a shrub (technical name: Withania somnifera) grown all over Asia, the Middle East and Africa, whose Sanskrit name, Ashwagandha, translates roughly to “smell of the horse.”
Jun 26, 2026 · NutritionThe Best Foods to Balance Your Nervous System
What you eat directly affects your autonomic nervous system. Focus on these foods and nutrients to support neurotransmitter balance, stress resilience, and calm.
Jun 24, 2026 · Health Coach TipsHealth Coach Tip - The Thymus-Longevity Connection
There is another organ that may play a surprisingly important role in how well we age: the thymus. Here's what you need to know.