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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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Aug 7, 2023 · Health & Wellness7 Physical and Mental Benefits of Vitamin Sea – and How to Get Yours
It’s as if your body and brain are telling you somewhat explicitly that they need some ‘TLSea’ – and they are: research shows that folks who live in close proximity to coastal waters report substantially better health, both mentally and physically, than their land-locked counterparts. The good news though is that even just a visit to, or a view of, a ‘blue space,’ be it any body of water, can have a positive impact on mental health, particularly on depression – so indulge in this natural treatment brought to you by Mother Earth.
Jul 31, 2023 · Healthy Aging5 Health-Enhancing and Life-Lengthening Benefits of Grandparenting
Parenting. As any mother or father can tell you, it’s not easy. Rewarding, for sure, often joyous, but it’s still a job that can sometimes feel overwhelmingly challenging. (Remember the terrible two’s? The teen years?) But, when all those years of parenting give rise to the next generation and you become a grandparent, delight becomes the default. As a very proud grandfather, it is pure joy to watch my young grandson grow physically, mentally, emotionally is a thing of beauty. And, seeing how much he loves having Janice and me spend time with him, fills us with love and gratitude as we nurture this very special, life-long relationship.
Jul 24, 2023 · Health & WellnessHow to Kick Forever Chemicals Out of Your Body and Your Life!
Over the last few months, you may have been hearing quite a bit about ‘forever chemicals,’ or PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which encompass roughly 4700+ man-made chemicals that don’t break down in our bodies or in nature and, no surprise, have the power to wreak havoc on our health. As more of the dangers associated with PFAS have come to light, safe to say the concern about these nasty toxins has radiated far beyond the wellness community to ordinary concerned citizens, which recently has resulted in almost half of the states in the U.S. enacting over 100 laws to ban or restrict the use of PFAS to help curb the chemical assault.
Jul 17, 2023 · Health & Wellness10 Ways to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits and Lock in Good Ones
When you come right down to it, the major part of living a healthy life boils down to developing good habits and weaning yourself off the bad ones. When you’ve got a routine that incorporates the essentials and dispenses with, for instance, regular desserts or alcohol or hours of streaming and bingeing as your unconscious default, you’re in business. This doesn’t count as a revelation – good habits are good for you, bad habits are bad. But, it's the next step, the “how,” that isn’t so obvious – what are the best ways to internalize those healthy habits and rid yourself of the compunction to do the unhealthy things?
Jul 10, 2023 · NutritionWhy Choline is So Essential for Your Health – and How to Get Yours
If you’re not familiar with choline, well, you’re not alone. In fact, choline wasn’t even recognized by American health authorities as “essential” until 1998, so it is, in its way, a relative newcomer. And, while our bodies do produce some small amounts of choline, we need to be mindful to consume a sufficient amount of this essential nutrient in our diets or else we’ll be in trouble. It turns out that choline plays a key role in many of the, yes, essential things that the human brain and body need to do, from thinking clearly to smoothly pumping blood to burning fat for energy.
Jul 3, 2023 · Nutrition9 Simple Ways to Make Your Kitchen a Greener and Healthier One
Though plenty of people still cling to their plastic, these days we know that doing so is bad news. Over time we’ve realized that plastic-based convenience comes at a high price, exposing our bodies to far too many health-bashing endocrine disruptors or EDs. What makes EDs so scary is that they have the power to wreak havoc with your hormones – think stimulating cancer development and triggering immunity, fertility, metabolic, developmental and cognitive problems - so in short, it’s time to get this crap out of your kitchen and your life.
Jun 26, 2023 · Health & Wellness9 Things to Know About Optimizing Brain Function with Nootropics
Not sure I’ve ever met anyone who’s not interested in having a well-functioning brain and as time marches on, we tend to desire it even more. There are a number of things you can do to keep your brain moving in a positive direction for as long as possible, like the usuals of high quality sleep, whole foods, no sugar and movement, but another you may wish to add to the list would be ‘nootropics.’ Though the name alone might stop you – it does have a bit of a 50’s sci-fi ring to it – the phrase comes from the ancient Greek which, literally translated, means “mind turning.” These are substances that when ingested may enhance mental performance.
Jun 19, 2023 · Health & Wellness9 Ways to Connect With Nature – the Medicine Just Outside Your Door
More than just being good for your emotional life, one fact that often gets overlooked is that connecting with nature creates incredibly positive physical changes in the body as well, making time spent in nature a powerful natural medicine, and one I happily ‘prescribe’ to all of my patients. What’s more, time in nature is one more pillar of wellness – along with good sleep, whole foods, and plenty of movement that can make or break how well you feel right now and for as long as possible in years to come.
Jun 12, 2023 · Nutrition3 Reasons to Love Organics – And 17 Ways To Buy More Of Them For Less
The increased demand for and supply of organic food has narrowed the cost differential, putting more organic options within reach for more people. Still, I know price can be a concern. That’s why I want to explain why I’m so passionate about organics and offer a few ways to help you enjoy more of them without emptying the piggy bank. In the end, investing in the cleanest, least altered, healthiest food possible is a lot less costly than a lifetime of prescriptions and doctor visits, so I feel strongly that organics are an essential investment in long-term health everyone should make. Here’s how to do it with an eye toward the bottom line.
Jun 5, 2023 · Nutrition9 Instant Health Upgrades That Happen When You Quit Booze
Everyday we’re bombarded with TV images advertising all the good things that drinking alcohol brings – fun! Spontaneity! Romance! Too bad they rarely show us the other side, the busted lives and wrecked livers that come with blatantly abusive drinking. But for a much larger group of us, it’s a more subtle erosion of the quality of life – trouble sleeping, feeling a bit dragged out and mentally maybe a step slower – that is so routine we may not even think about what’s behind it. All too often, a so-called moderate alcohol habit that may even stay within government recommendations –no more than two daily drinks for men, one for women – nevertheless chips away at our physical and mental health. It’s time we call alcohol what it is: a toxin, and as we get older, the body gets less shy about confirming its toxic status.
May 29, 2023 · NutritionMy 9 Rules of Good Food and How to Get Yours
Big Food has so dazzled us with the quantity of what they produce, it’s helped made it easy to overlook or consciously ignore quality. The result? The food we’re putting into our systems, however reasonable in cost and tasty they may be, is making us sick and ultimately contributing to shortened life and health spans -- and making a hash of our health on a global scale. I have a few thoughts on how you can beat the odds by shopping and eating smarter.
May 22, 2023 · NutritionLet’s Get Nuts: 7 Nuts That Taste Great and Boost Health
It’s hard not to love nuts. They’re portable, convenient, delicious and deliver a solid dose of nutritional goodies that help your body thrive. Eating more nuts is one simple, virtually effortless healthy habit that I encourage everyone (everyone who isn’t allergic, that is) to indulge in. Nutritionally speaking, the average nut punches above its weight (and small size), yet it’s one of nature’s most often overlooked superfoods! Whether you’re trying to snack smarter or add more flavor and texture to your morning oats and lunchtime salads, nuts are always a great idea.
May 15, 2023 · Nutrition7 Ways to Balance Your Brain, Belly and Mood with Food
In a post-pandemic world, depression and anxiety are all too common afflictions, but before you reach for the pills, consider the plate, that is, the food you eat every day. It can have a major, and all too often, underappreciated, effect on your mood. Why? A lot of it has to do with the role of the bacteria in your gut, the microbiome, which play crucial role in maintaining your emotional well-being. Feed the good bugs in your belly what they want, they, in turn, will take care of you.
May 8, 2023 · Healthy Aging7 Ways Positive Relationships Support a Healthy Brain, Heart and Life!
While we have finally emerged from the social darkness that came with the pandemic, a lot of us are still working on finding our footing again. It’s not unusual for patients to tell me they don’t go out as much anymore, or don’t see friends and relatives as much as they used to before COVID changed the ground rules. While these slightly untethered feelings are fairly normal, and may be with us for a while, it’s extremely important that we work on rekindling relationships and retraining ourselves to cultivate new ones. Why? Because social interaction is one of the keys to health and longevity.
May 1, 2023 · Nutrition7 Trendy ‘Health Foods’ that Aren’t as Healthy as You Think
The idea of wholesome foods being great for body and mind is almost a no-brainer, what’s not always so clear is what, exactly, constitutes a truly healthy option versus one that seems good for you but, in reality, isn’t.
Apr 24, 2023 · Sleep5 Thoughts on What Happens to Your Brain When Don’t Sleep Enough
There are any number of ways to keep your brain healthy, having to do with healthy diet, movement and stress reduction. But one of the big brain savers is all about what you do at night, and by that we mean sleep. It is truly amazing, refreshing, restorative stuff and if you’re not getting enough or just not doing it very well, the consequences can be more serious than you might think. Sure, an under-slept brain won’t be able to perform particularly well on the team Zoom call or, for that matter, doing any kind of activity that rises above the routine, but that’s just the beginning of the problems.
Apr 17, 2023 · Healthy AgingInsulin Resistance: The Warning Sign You Can't Afford to Ignore
The food we eat to keep our metabolism running and us alive can, if we’re not careful, poison us. If we’re consuming too many carbs and not burning them off, glucose (sugar) builds up in the bloodstream which in turn drives up the hormone insulin required to get it out of the blood and into our cells for fuel. Unchecked, that sends us down the path of “insulin resistance” -- the pancreas can’t make enough insulin to do the job because the cells on the receiving end are becoming progressively less sensitive to it. Worst-case scenario: type 2 diabetes – but you don’t have to go there.
Apr 10, 2023 · Gut HealthStep Away from Sweeteners To Keep Your Gut Happy and Healthy
As people have become conscious of the dangers of sugar, many are making an effort to purge it from their lives – and that’s a big step in the right direction. If you’re in the process of kicking sugar, keep up the good work, and give yourself a pat on the back. But I’ve got some news for you that you may not want to hear, even though you need to. If you’re relying on non-sugar, ‘non-nutritive’ artificial sweeteners (NNS) to ease the transition, you’ve got to kick them too. The problem is, sweeteners of any stripe are as crappy for your body as sugar, but in different ways.
Apr 3, 2023 · MovementHere’s Why You Must Add Strength Training to Your Fitness Mix
Having a solid cardio routine is great for your cardiovascular system but, what many people overlook, even among those who are really into exercise, is the importance of strength training. It is absolutely vital for maintaining health and well-being, particularly as we push into middle-age and beyond. One thing that can get in the way for many people is the desire to avoid spending time in the gym pumping iron and flexing in the mirrors with a bunch of sweaty strangers, and I can’t blame them for wanting to steer clear. But the good news is there are many other ways to challenge your muscles, and maintain your physical strength by finding a routine that suits you best.
Mar 27, 2023 · SleepSleep Tech that Actually Helps Upgrade Your Nightly Zzzzzzzs
The core good-sleep habits that I’ve advocated for long before our lives were upended, are now even more important ---but the good news is you’ve now got a new sleep ally in your corner – in the form of an array of sleep tracking devices that have the potential to change the rules of the sleep game in your favor. Where to start? Here’s my in-a-nutshell guide to the ‘sleep tech’ that’s ‘disrupting’ sleep in a good way – and why you should take advantage:
Mar 20, 2023 · Gut Health9 Ways Your Microbiome Impacts Your Metabolism
Your gut bugs have more to do with your metabolism than you may realize –research shines a lot more light on how intertwined they may be.
Mar 13, 2023 · Health & WellnessThe Main Factors Impacting Your Blood Sugar and How To Manage Them
Advances in medical science have refined our understanding of how diet and lifestyle affect glucose levels (that is, the amount of sugar that circulates in the bloodstream), putting more power in your hands to ensure that sugar isn’t doing a number on your health. It’s never been easier to identify the trouble-makers so you can clean up your sugar act before real metabolic trouble begins – and the time to start is now.
Mar 6, 2023 · Health & WellnessYes, You Really Do Need a Multivitamin
Taking a multivitamin is essential for sustaining your health and improving the quality of cell functioning. Most vitamins serve as catalysts to reactions occurring in our body, like the spark plugs in an automobile. Your body on the other hand is like a factory, with a hundred trillion cells working to keep you healthy. These cells need raw materials, the 13 essential vitamins, to roll down the assembly line. Without these raw materials, your body needs to scavenge from your bones or your liver, or the assembly line shuts down. This causes energy loss, pain, disease, depression and aging. So yes, you really do need a multivitamin.
Feb 27, 2023 · NutritionThe Perils of Moderate Drinking – Especially for Women
So, what if your drinking doesn’t quite fall into what most would consider a problem, but more of a relaxing, end-of-day ritual? Here too, I urge you – and particularly women – to take a hard, clear-eyed look at how alcohol bashes the health of your body – even if you are doing everything else ‘right’ – and start taking steps to end this very unhealthy relationship. To get started, here’s some food for thought.