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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.
451 written by Dr. Frank Lipman
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Sep 5, 2022 · Movement4 Ways Exercise ‘Snacks’ and Micro Workouts Get Big Results
These days, it’s all about “micro” work-outs, sometimes known as (I’m not kidding) exercise “snacking,” and it’s a great way to give your body and brain the TLC they need to function well all day, every day. So, if you’re ready to start ‘snacking,’ your way to a healthier you, here’s what you need to know.
Aug 29, 2022 · Healthy AgingThe Negative Health Impact of Social Isolation – and 4 Essential Ways to Reconnect
A lack of social connection, does a number on physical health. Studies show that higher levels of loneliness, as well as the poor quality and quantity of social relationships, are associated with shorter lifespans. Add to that a higher risk for heart disease, chronic inflammation, cancer and cognitive decline, and even an increased susceptibly to viral infection, and the physical downsides associated with loneliness are considerable. So, if over the past few years, you’ve retreated somewhat from family, friends and colleagues and you haven’t quite found your way back, I urge you to make the effort to turn the volume back up on those relationships.
Aug 22, 2022 · Nutrition8 Ways to Upgrade Health Fast with Leafy Greens
If we want to live a long and healthy life, wholesome foods – as in, no processed or sugar-packed crap – are non-negotiable. Problem is, when life/work/kids/travel etc. get in the way, eating well can sometimes take a backseat. But the good news is that it’s easy to radically upgrade your diet almost instantly, with almost no extra effort. The secret is leafy greens and lots of them, preferably organic or fresh from the farmers’ market. Think of them as nature’s vibrant health elixir and I urge you to indulge.
Aug 15, 2022 · Nutrition8 Reasons Why You Need to Focus on Maximizing Omega 3s
When it comes to protecting your health, not all fats are created equal. At the top of the health pinnacle are the omega-3 fatty acids, a key member of the omega fatty acid family which also includes the omega-6s. All of them are polyunsaturated fats. All are considered essential fatty acids, that is, we need them to survive but our bodies don’t produce them so we have to consume them in our diet. Omega-3s have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body and omega-6s, a pro-inflammatory effect. And we need both types – but the proper balance is the difference between a healthy future and a diseased one.
Aug 8, 2022 · Healthy Aging5 Ways Boosting Metabolic Flexibility Helps Keep Blood Sugar And Weight In Check
Eating three carb-heavy meals a day with carb-y snacks in-between is one way to virtually ensure that your body will be metabolically inflexible – which the opposite of what you want your body to do. As a result of those way-too-plentiful carbs, our bodies get less and less good at tapping into fat and burning it for energy, so much so that when we burn through our body’s carb stores – and it doesn’t take very long— it doesn’t readily switch to fat. We become literally weak with hunger. It's as if your backup generator doesn’t kick on when the power goes out.
Aug 1, 2022 · Gut Health7 Ways to Improve Your Skin through Your Gut
You know the old saying, the eyes are the windows to the soul. Maybe that’s true. But what researchers know for sure is that the skin is the window to what’s going on inside the body. What’s going on inside the gut, especially with the trillions of the bacteria that live there, often directly affects the skin. When the gut microbiome is out of synch with the rest of the body – a case of too few microbial strains or an overabundance of unfriendly strains – it often makes itself known in the form of common skin rashes, irritations and/or eruptions.
Jul 25, 2022 · Movement5 Ways Moving Your Body Builds Your Brain
Study after study has shown that people who move more don’t just have healthier hearts and lungs (and maybe better definition in the calf muscles). They usually score better on tests that measure memory and decision-making as well. There’s a reason that people in the health world sometimes call exercise “food for the brain,” and here are five more reasons to move more for brain health.
Jul 18, 2022 · Gut Health6 Smart Strategies to Combat Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth
Your belly is misbehaving. A lot. So what’s causing the trouble? There are any number of possible culprits, but one of the biggies that’s often overlooked is SIFO, or small intestinal fungal overgrowth, which, left unattended can make you unwell for quite a long time. So, instead of letting SIFO get the better of you, now’s the time get it on your radar – and learn what to do about it.
Jul 11, 2022 · Health & Wellness12 Tips to Help Combat Estrogen Dominance – and Help Keep Hormones Balanced
Estrogen dominance, though it may not sound like a big deal, the symptoms range from annoying to serious: extra-strength PMS; heavy periods; weight gain; an increased risk for everything from depression and anxiety to uterine fibroids. The reason the laundry list of potential problems is so long is because cells throughout the body, including your brain cells, come equipped with estrogen receptors. That allows this one hormone to be involved in hundreds of different processes. Yes, estrogen plays a crucial role in puberty, but it’s a “sex hormone” whose influence extends way beyond sex and reproduction. So keeping it in check is more important than you may realize.
Jul 4, 2022 · Nutrition4 Benefits of Bitters – and 4 Ways to Put them to Work
As we age, so do our digestive systems and our natural production of the digestive enzymes necessary for the proper breakdown of food decreases. As a result, healthy digestion suffers, which can trigger inflammation, allergic reactions and a host of gut troubles. But one of the easiest ways to stem the tide is by ‘getting bitter with it’ – as in start working few key bitter treats into your diet to help stimulate digestion and the release of digestive enzymes, all without a whole lot of extra effort.
Jun 27, 2022 · Health & Wellness8 Ways to Fight Jet Lag and Enjoy Your Travels
Between COVID-19 concerns and border closings, staying close to home has been our pandemic norm. This summer, however, it’s quite a different ballgame. Anyone who can go is going somewhere, and millions are heading overseas. For some, it’s about being able to hug their far-flung loved ones again while, for others, it’s a simply to enjoy a much-needed change of scenery. Whatever the reason, travel beyond our borders often brings with it a few headaches, and one of the biggies is jet lag. It can make a hash of your first few days away from home and knock you down for a bunch more after your return.
Jun 20, 2022 · Healthy Aging7 Essential Ways to Protect Your Heart – and Save Your Brain
As the heart goes, so goes the brain. At one level, it’s common sense that the major organ systems in your body depend on each other. If one organ heads south – be it the kidneys, lungs, liver, what have you – the whole person is in trouble. But the connection between heart and brain is especially intimate. They can help each other, and hurt each other in ways that, odds are, will determine how long and how well you live from middle age on. Our advice? Do everything you can to protect them both.
Jun 13, 2022 · Nutrition5 Ways Quercetin Can Help Protect Your Heart, Brain, Immunity – And Longevity
If the last two plus years have taught us anything, it’s that a strong immune system makes all the difference in the world, sometimes, literally, the difference between life and death. Among the many immunity-supporting habits I’ve discussed over the years, getting more quercetin into your system has to be one of the easiest, yet it’s often overlooked. To protect yourself against what ever comes next, your best defense against whatever comes next is a strong offense – and quercetin is a smart and simple way to help keep your immunity tank topped up.
Jun 6, 2022 · Nutrition12 Clues To Help Decode Egg Carton Labels – And Get The Good Stuff!
An egg is an egg is an egg – or is it? Not that long ago, buying a dozen eggs was a pretty simple affair. You went to the store, opened the lid to check for any breakage, paid for the carton and were on your way. Fast forward a few decades and eggs have gotten, well, a bit complicated -- eggs in all sorts of grades, categories and colors, with egg cartons featuring labels so elaborate, even a food scientist might need a moment to figure out exactly which ones to buy. How to source the best, healthiest possible? Here are a few pointers to keep in mind next time you’re stocking up.
May 30, 2022 · Health & Wellness8 Ways Sunshine Upgrades Your Health – And 8 Ways To Enjoy It Sensibly
There's just something about the sun – it draws us in, bringing with it a sense of hope, renewed energy and of course, light. It also feels wonderful. While sunlight is indeed, beautiful, life-affirming and life-supporting, get too close – or more likely, stay in it too long – and you’ll get burned, which is where the trouble starts. However, some sun exposure, in measured doses, will actually improve your health so it is important to get some, without over-exposing or over-doing it, even when wearing sunscreen. Remember the operative phrase here is “some exposure,” as in not long enough to make your skin pink. Here is my prescription for how to do it sensibly.
May 23, 2022 · Healthy AgingHormesis: The Little 'Good Stress' Keeps You Young
How well you age is largely under your control, with genetics thought to be responsible for just 25% of your health. What that means is that incorporating healthy behaviors now is an excellent way help slow your aging roll over time, boost longevity and sidestep many of the problems that can take the life out of your lifespan. How create a better and longer ‘healthspan’? One of the simplest and most effective ways is to do it is to harness the health-boosting power of hormesis.
May 16, 2022 · Health & WellnessThe Future of Medicine: Preventative, Predictive, Personalized
Practicing medicine is fascinating and rewarding work – but, unfortunately, the mainstream medical ‘system’ often interferes with the mission of health and healing. Here's my vision of the future of medicine.
May 9, 2022 · Sleep3 Ways To Upgrade Your Day To Sleep Well At Night
Restful, restorative, sometimes elusive sleep. Why is it that something that is so natural, so essential and necessary for good health can become so hard to do well? Has modern life has taught us now not to sleep? In a word, yes. It’s that perfect storm of a few less-than-stellar habits which, when combined, over time, wind up teaching your body how not to sleep. The good news however is that we can re-learn the art of sleep well at night by taking steps during the daylight hours to set the stage for sleep success at night. Here’s what you need to know and do to master the art:
May 2, 2022 · Healthy Aging8 Simple Ways to Slow Aging from the Inside Out
If you want to increase your “healthspan” – the number of healthy years you can enjoy – step away from the Botox needle and towards these highly effective youth-preservers, to stay young on the inside
Apr 30, 2022 · Health & WellnessEleven Eleven Wellness Center Welcomes Dr. Myles Spar
Dr. Spar is joining the team at Eleven Eleven – assisting patients interested in optimizing their performance.
Apr 25, 2022 · Health & Wellness18 Ways to Purge Plastic From Your Day-to-Day
We are all drowning in plastic! Even if you try to avoid it, the stuff still manages to worm its way into our lives in a range of subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Not only does it pollute the environment, but plastic is horrendous for your body, which is why I urge you to include a plastic purge on your spring cleaning to-do list. The more of it you can remove from your day-to-day, the better it will be for your health and the planet’s as well. Here are my 14 tips to help you purge.
Apr 18, 2022 · Gut HealthMeet Your Good Gut Health-Making Trifecta: Pre, Pro and Postbiotics
Mealtime can be a force for good, provided you feed your gut – the bacteria inside your gut or the gut microbiome – with pre, pro and postbiotics.
Apr 11, 2022 · Healthy Aging9 Ways to Hack Your HGH (Human Growth Hormone) – And Put the Brakes on Aging
The idea of the Fountain of Youth, has been around thousands of years, with writings on the subject going as far back as the 5th century or so. Throughout history, explorers have gone in search of it and some have even died trying. You, however, don’t have to. Instead, you can tap into one of the best anti-aging ‘fountains’ out there and doesn’t require any travel at all. Best of all, it’s actually inside you – and it’s called HGH, or Human Growth Hormone, your natural, internal “fountain of youth.”
Apr 4, 2022 · Healthy Aging6 Ways Manage Your mTOR – and Show Aging the Door
Though there are quite a few ways to go about it what you may not know is that how well (or poorly) you age has a lot to do with mTOR, an under-the-radar body system that helps guide the aging process. Here’s a topline on how manage it, put it to work for you when needed, and tame it when you don’t.