Morning everyone!
Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health.
Recently, my son Andy Rogers, PA-C went to an A4M (American Academy of Anti-Aging) conference in Hollywood, Florida and came back with a lot of information about the future of anti-aging. In this week’s Doctor’s Note I want to share some of the things he learned at this conference that might help you in your journey to being your healthiest self.
Let’s dive in.
The Importance of Nutrition
Think of your body as a car. An amazing vehicle. You can add all the bells and whistles, do tune-up’s, upgrade the interior, buff the exterior, but if you put mud (for example) in your gas tank, instead of premium gas, it won’t run well! You have to think about the foods you put in your mouth or none of the other things will matter.
It’s all about nutrition and what you eat. Every speaker at the A4M conference agrees with this. In regards to your health, what you put into your body will dictate everything. You are what you eat, so look at what you’re eating.
Note: One suggestion that Andy heard from a popular speaker is “eat the rainbow”. Have a colorful plate. If you eat food that is charred and bland, that’s what your inside is going to look like. Different colors benefit different systems. Literally, LOOK at what you eat!
The Mediterranean Diet
Every speaker at the conference had a different opinion about which diet is best. You had your vegan people, paleo people, keto people, plant based people, etc. Interestingly, everyone agreed that the only diet proven to increase longevity was the Mediterranean diet. This comes from clinical data. More interestingly they noted, this is the way “poor” people used to eat. So the idea that you have to have more money to eat good food is wrong. You can eat healthy on a budget.
Other diet mantras and topics of interest:
More plants and less meat
Plating makes foods more appetizing and appealing
Culinary medicine – teaching people how to cook for your health
Gut Health
I had a patient recently come in who was in her sixties and diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. As I do with all my patients, I started interacting with her and listening to what’s been going on. She talked about her GI doctor and how he immediately wanted to put her on a heavy hitter medication called Humira, which costs a lot of money and has side effects. She did not want to take this. I asked her if this doctor ever mentioned her diet. She said, “NO”. They never talked about what she was eating. Note: You can’t diagnose someone with a gut problem without asking what they eat!”
Gut health was a huge topic at the conference, emphasizing the relationship between serotonin and your gut. Serotonin is made in your gut. Comfort foods are called “comfort” foods for that reason. Comfort foods make you immediately feel better and then worse. You must protect your gut and support serotonin, otherwise your serotonin won’t be used well. There is a brain to gut connection, and there is also a gut to brain connection.
Other Anti-Aging Tips From The Conference
Nitric Oxide comes up a lot at these anti-aging conferences. I recently did a podcast on Nitric Oxide. What happens in the heart is happening elsewhere. You have to have endothelial health. If you can’t vasodilate or constrict, it’s a sign of aging. We’re talking about the lining of your arteries. Remember, we’re fighting inflammation.
Another interesting fact mentioned was that we have to tailor ourselves to the modern world. Let’s face it, we live in a stressful society. We are meant to only think as fast as our bodies can move, and that’s simply not realistic anymore. We have to learn to manage our lifestyle and keep stress levels down.
Two things that were brought up in the conference: (1) we are not in nature enough and (2) we are not being kind enough. To manage the stresses of the modern world we are living in, we should try to get out in nature, and be more kind to others. This will help!
Other notable topics of discussion:
There was a clinic mentioned that will not put patients on SSRIs without first implementing lifestyle change (exercise, improving eating habits, etc.) for one month.
Metformin and GLP-1 medications
Glutathione is also huge! It’s the mother of all antioxidants, and it gets depleted so often. For example, every time you drink alcohol it depletes your glutathione.
There is a product called Glutaryl that is proving to be the longest lasting Glutathione supplement. It’s transdermal (goes through the skin).
You have to take Vitamin D. We’ve been saying this for years.
Every patient with an autoimmune illness (this includes Long Hauler Covid) needs to be put on Low-Dose Naltrexone.
IV’s and more available benefits of IV’s compared to other routes of administration. Myer’s Cocktails prior to travel and PRN were really pushed to keep your immune system in tip top shape as we nose dive into a toxic world.
The first 1000 days of your life sets the course for your immune system. This was an interesting observation that was brought up at the conference.
A few other things Andy experienced:
The Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber: I’ve heard that you need to do this 2-3 times per week to get the benefit. Andy learned at the conference that you might need to do it everyday to get the health benefits.
The Red Light Therapy Bed: This looks like a tanning bed. Great for blood cells. I use an infrared sauna daily that has red light therapy also and I love that.
It was so affirming to hear Andy talk about his experience at the Spring anti-aging conference. We are trying to keep up with all the new advancements concerning healthy aging and share our thoughts with you. Remember, an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.
