| More Lung Power, More Life; The Sun IS Your Sunscreen; A Shocking New Treatment |
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| Written by Al Sears | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 01 March 2011 14:36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March 2011, Issue No. 60 In This Issue:
More Lung Power, More Life Lung power is the number-one predictor of how long you’ll live. How well you breathe determines how long you’ll stay active and healthy. The medical journal Chest did a 29-year follow up to the Buffalo Health Study, which followed over 1,100 people up to age 89. They found that the better your lungs work, the less likely you are to die of any cause. The correlation was even stronger for heart disease.1 This makes me wonder about all those workout “gurus.” They keep telling you to do “cardio” which only wears down your heart and lungs. The studies prove that lungpower – not wearing down your heart with hours of aerobics – will keep you going. Most doctors aren’t aware of this, either. They don’t bother to measure your lungpower during a doctor visit. Yet it’s easy to do, and I measure it at my clinic. The best way to tell how powerful your lungs are is a measurement called VO2 max. That’s because VO2 max measures the amount of oxygen your lungs can use while you’re exercising at your maximum capacity. And the more oxygen you can get to your body, the better your body works. VO2 max is usually written in milliliters of volume per kilograms of body weight (ml/kg) because oxygen and energy needs are different depending on how big you are.
The chart to the right shows typical VO2 max measurements for non-athletes. Notice that VO2 max typically declines with age. But you don’t have to let it. In fact, this is one of the things I’m really excited about being able to do with my new anti-aging and wellness center. Have you heard about it? My goal is to make 100 years old the new 50. What we’re going to do is take a total measurement of what we call your Body Intelligence. We’ll find out how strong your bones are, your muscle strength, your capacity to squelch inflammation… We’ll take all that information and give you a Body IQ score. A higher body IQ means you’ll be able to do more, and have the same freedom and choices when you’re 100 that you have when you’re 50. I’m going to show you how to raise your Body Intelligence by increasing your VO2 max starting today. This will help you build a younger, disease-proof body. I’m also going to show you the only nutrient that increases VO2 max. But it starts with your lungs. Lung power is about working harder, not longer. The American Journal of Epidemiology looked at respondents from the famous Harvard Health study, which followed over 13,000 people for 15 years. They found that people live longer if they do vigorous exercises, but not if they only do light or moderate workouts.2 And the risk of death kept getting lower and lower not for those who expended energy for the longest time, but who expended the most energy. In other words, intensity is the key to lowering the likelihood of death. This is why, for example, elite marathon runners have lower VO2 max scores than Nordic skiers.
Have a look at these two photos: The Nordic skier on the left has powerful leg muscles, a broad chest and hugely powerful lungs. The marathon runner on the right has a sunken chest and skinny legs. Running shrinks down your lungs for efficiency because it’s a moderate workout. You need constant but low amounts of energy. That doesn’t build lung power. Nordic skiing is much more intense. Skiers expend huge amounts of energy pumping their legs and arms for thrust, as do sprinters. This kind of exertion builds real power and increases your lung capacity. And that’s why I talk to you about my PACE program all the time. With PACE, you can increase your VO2 max, giving you the lung power of a much younger person. This will increase your Body Intelligence and help you to live younger, longer. But as you can see from the photos above, it won’t happen by jogging for hours and hours. The best way to give your lungs the intense workout they need in order to grow bigger and increase your VO2 max is to progressively challenge your peak intensity. And that’s what PACE does. PACE stands for Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion. You start slowly, and little by little, you increase the challenge to your lungs until they’re working decades younger. For example, if you like to run, here’s how you might do it PACE-style:
If you’re in good condition, you can start your first exertion period by running an eighth of a mile (220 yards). Your intensity level should be moderate. After each recovery period, slightly increase the intensity. By the time you reach your 6th exertion period, you should be sprinting. And here’s where PACE is different.
What you’ll notice is that you’re panting less between each set. The reason is that as your VO2 max increases, you’re delivering more oxygen to your body with each breath. You won’t have to breathe as hard or as fast for very long because your lungs are working so well.
This works because when your body gets used to a particular challenge, it’s no longer challenging. At that point you stop progressing. You will then hit a “plateau” spending more time doing the same work, but no longer moving forward. From a fitness improvement point of view, nothing is happening. At this stage, you’ll need to change gears and do something differently. By varying your workout, you’ll give yourself new challenges as the old ones become tired and predictable. In this way, PACE is never a chore; it’s always new and exciting. Another thing that’s new and exciting is a recent discovery… Quercetin can increase your VO2 max. Quercetin is a flavonoid (flavonoids are antioxidants in plants) that you can get from onions, apples, berries, grapes and red wine. We know a lot about the benefits of quercetin. It’s anti-inflammatory, and it’s also a natural antihistamine. Because of its positive effects on lung function, researchers at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina tested quercetin to see if it would increase lung power and delay fatigue. They took healthy but untrained people and tested their VO2 max and the time it took them to tire out while riding. Then they split them in two groups. One got 500 mg of quercetin twice a day and the other got a placebo. After seven days, they tested the people again. The quercetin group had increased VO2 max by 3.9 percent without doing anything else. And their performance increased by an incredible 13.2 percent! Not that I would recommend this, but just for the sake of making a comparison, let’s say you ran in the Boston Marathon last year, and you finished with your best time ever of 4 hours and 10 minutes. If you could improve your performance by 13 percent, you would finish the race this year in about 3 hours and 37 minutes, shattering your previous best time by over a half hour! Quercetin can also increase your power output when you exercise. A study in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition looked at the performance of elite cyclists. Researchers put the cyclists through a time trial to get their baseline results. Over the next six weeks, they gave half the cyclists a vitamin formula with quercetin, and half got a formula with no quercetin. When the cyclists were tested again, the ones taking quercetin had increased their VO2 max by 3.7 percent, improved their speed significantly and increased their power by 10 percent! Their power increased so much that they were able to finish the trial faster even though they were pedaling fewer times per minute.3 This is one of the reasons I added quercetin to my new energy formula that complements the PACE program. You can get quercetin in a variety of foods. Some of my favorites include:
Plants of the allium family also have quercetin, including onions, scallions, chives, leeks, shallots and garlic. To boost your VO2 max and your Body Intelligence, you can take quercetin in supplement form. I recommend a 500 mg capsule twice a day. 1 Schünemann, Holger J., MD, PhD et al, "Pulmonary Function Is a Long-term Predictor of Mortality in the General Population," Chest Sept. 2000; 118( 3): 656-664 The Sun IS Your Sunscreen Corporations would have you believe the sun is a cancer-causing ball of radiation threatening our planet. But the fact is, the sun protects you from cancer. It enhances your health and is vital to your well-being. One of the most important ways the sun protects you is through your skin, which makes vitamin D from its ultraviolet type B rays. And it’s vitamin D that keeps you from getting not just skin cancer, but more than a dozen others. Here’s the proof in black and white:
I could go on … Meanwhile, if you followed conventional medical advice, you’d be putting sunscreen all over your body. But sunscreen lowers your body’s ability to make vitamin D by up to 95 percent. In today’s Health Confidential, I’m going to show you how to let the sun work with your body to prevent cancer. Keep reading to find out what’s really in sunscreens, when you should use sun protection and safe ways to help prevent sunburns. We Were Made to Live Under the Sun If you’ve been to a doctor, turned on the television, been on the Internet, or read a magazine lately, you’ve probably heard some form of this message: “The sun causes cancer. If you’re going outside, wear sunscreen no matter what. No excuses.” Does it seem as though scientists think nature must be wrong? I get the feeling they think millennia of trial and error resulted in a mistake with our survival. And even worse, that we need some kind of intervention – some synthetic chemicals – to make it right again. The truth is, your body already has everything it needs to properly protect itself from the sun’s UV rays. The real problem isn’t the sun. It’s that you might not spend enough time outdoors to trigger these natural defenses. Let me explain … Your native ancestors survived outdoors just fine. They lived and worked in the sun’s rays every day. They didn’t use sunscreen and they didn’t burn themselves to a crisp or die off from diseases caused by the sun. Why? Because our bodies are designed perfectly to live in our natural environment. When you’re out in the sun, your body itself takes action. Besides making vitamin D, which I talked about earlier, your body also starts to produce another natural protectant. A built-in sun block called melanin. Melanin is what causes your skin to darken or tan. And with just a little bit of sunshine every day – 20 minutes if you have light skin and up to three times longer if your skin is darker – you’re stimulating melanin production. By slowly developing this basic darkening, you allow yourself even more time in the sun without risk of burning. Sunscreen – a Toxic Skin Cocktail Corporations and modern doctors want you to put on sunscreen to block UVB rays. We’ve already seen how this affects vitamin D production. But sunscreen has another effect. It delivers chemicals and known carcinogens into your skin … chemicals that are banned in other countries. OMC can be found in 90 percent of sunscreens on the market even though studies found it can kill mouse cells - even at extremely low doses. And it becomes even more toxic when it’s exposed to sunlight. Other harmful chemicals include benzophenone and avobenzone. These attack the cells in your body causing premature aging. They are also estrogen mimics that can create hormonal imbalances, cause allergic reactions and skin irritation, and are known to promote the onset of breast cancer.6 And there’s plenty more. Below is a chart of some of the common chemicals found in sunscreen that you should avoid.
It’s Tough to Get Enough The problem is that even if you have the best intentions, there are a dozen other obstacles in the modern world besides sunscreen that keep you from getting enough sunshine:
And during the winter months, it’s not uncommon – even if you live in a warm, sunny climate like I do in South Florida – to get less sunshine just because the days are shorter. When that happens, you produce less melanin, and become more sensitive to the sun when you are exposed. You’ll need to be careful until melanin production kicks in again and can help prevent your skin from burning. Fortunately, there are ways you can help defend your skin until you can get more sunshine without chemical sunscreens.
However, it can be very hard to find a sunscreen with the right mix of protection and nutrients. This is why I’ve been working with my team of experts to create a natural sunscreen with the benefits of zinc oxide and shea butter that’s completely safe. It has no chemical fragrances or dyes, leaves no white residue and moisturizes at the same time. It’s perfect for a day at the beach, fishing, tennis or any outdoor activity. Keep checking back for updates. You’ll be hearing more about it soon! ___________________________________________ 1 Grant, W.B. et al, “The association of solar ultraviolet B (UVB) with reducing risk of cancer: multifactorial ecologic analysis of geographic variation in age-adjusted cancer mortality rates,” Anticancer Research 2006; 26:2687-2700 A Shocking New Treatment “Deep brain stimulation” is what they’re calling it. It almost sounds soothing and nice. Did you hear about this? Scientists use electrodes to “stimulate” the brains of depressed people. The whole thing works through surgically implanted probes in your brain that are connected to an electrical device sewn into your chest.
They say it’s like a pacemaker for your brain. I call it the new shock therapy. People with Parkinson’s disease use similar things to improve their mobility. But when the devices are turned on, the patients can’t talk. The flow of electricity interrupts other brain functions. I don’t believe anything that invasive can be good for you. And it’s just another in a long line of “treatments” for depression that the modern medical industry has come up with over the last 30 years. First there were the original drugs used to treat depression like Prozac and Zoloft. They can be helpful for those with severe depressive conditions, and millions of people have benefitted from their use. But recently, doctors have taken it upon themselves to go beyond the intended use of some newer medications. There’s a growing list of pharmaceutical drugs being prescribed “off-label” to people who are depressed. Off-label means a drug was approved to treat one condition, but is being prescribed for a different use – without FDA approval. For example, the drugs Seroquel and Risperdal are powerful anti-psychotic medications. They’re intended to be given only to people who have schizophrenia, manic episodes or autism. But doctors are giving them to patients who are depressed, even though the drugs are not approved to treat those patients. Not only that, but the drug companies have been hiding the side effects of their drugs for years. One of the most common problems hidden from you over these last 30 years is that many if not all of these drugs are addictive. Drug companies have gone out of their way to prove that their medications are not addicting. They back up the claims with their own scientific studies, or don’t reveal the studies at all if they show the wrong result. Now that we’ve seen non-drug-company-sponsored studies, we know that patients do develop problems, both physical and mental, from stopping some prescription drugs. This is because if you use them for long enough, stopping can cause a response where your body creates more of the original symptom so it can receive a larger dose of drugs. The medical industry likes to call this “discontinuation syndrome.” But it sounds a lot like withdrawal because of addiction to me. And even though the symptoms aren’t usually life-threatening, they can be distressing to people going through them. People sometimes mistake them as signs of heart problems. This has led patients to go to the emergency room, spending hours getting diagnostic tests that frighten them even more. Now modern medicine is trying something even more frightening. A surgically implanted electrical device that might help you be in a better mood, but impairs speech and other brain functions. I believe you should have the choice as to whether or not you continue to take a medication. And having surgery should not be a choice between being happy and being able to talk. That’s why I prefer using natural remedies in my practice. They’re completely safe and effective, and have no dangerous side effects. Try my natural four-step prescription for a better mood, more confidence and a happy outlook on life: Step 1: Get some exercise. Regular physical exertion releases serotonin – the “feel good hormone” – in your brain. I recommend an invigorating 10 to 15 minutes of exertion at a time. Exercising for long periods is a waste of time, and leads to overuse injuries. Instead, try doing 10 minutes of calisthenics using your own body weight. That’s short enough not to wreck your body, and long enough to leave you feeling energized. That’s because exercise also gives you a psychological boost – a release of endorphins. They’re the brain’s natural morphine-like pain relievers. They also cause a sense of pleasure. Step 2: Get some sunshine. There’s a reason we describe someone who is happy as having a “sunny disposition.” Sunshine enhances your health and well-being. You were designed to live under the sun. Sunshine also releases serotonin in your brain. And here’s something most people don’t know. Many depressed people have trouble sleeping because they don’t make enough serotonin. Your body uses serotonin to make melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone. This is why it’s easy to fall asleep in the warm sunshine. It’s also why exercise and going outdoors are two of the best ways to avoid becoming depressed. And the feel-good effect is multiplied if you can exercise outside. Step 3: Eat foods that are native to you. Processed foods are filled with chemicals that affect hormones, brain function and mood. Choose fresh and natural instead. Protein contains amino acids, which feed the brain and regulate emotions. Stay away from stimulants, including caffeine and alcohol. They cause mood swings, anxiety, depression and insomnia. Step 4: Get some extra help if you need it. If you’re still not feeling enough relief, there are a few nutrients you should take a look at.
___________________________________________ 1 Conklin, et al, “Long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake is associated positively with corticolimbic gray matter volume in healthy adults,” Neuroscience Letters 2007; 421(3):209-12 DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENT AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS E-NEWSLETTER ARE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. IT MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL ADVICE, AND WE DO NOT INTEND FOR THIS INFORMATION TO BE USED TO DIAGNOSE OR PRESCRIBE FORMS OF TREATMENT.
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| Last Updated on Friday, 17 July 2015 12:23 |
