Circulation is a problem for many people: but there are some simple, and natural, ways to deal with poor circulation for many people.

Circulation is so important for health because the blood takes nutrients to every cell in the body, and removes the waste products which are produced. So by optimizing the circulation we really do maximize our health and our energy levels.

Herbs are just one way to boost our circulation and can be used in addition to a healthy diet and good exercise levels.

The herbs I think are best are:

The Heart and Circulation Programme
http://www.shs100.com/acatalog/90-day_Heart_and_Circulation_Programme.html

Cayenne Pepper
http://www.shs100.com/acatalog/cayenne-capsules.html

Ginkgo Capsules or Drops
http://shs100.com/acatalog/Ginkgo_Capsules.html

Free Circulation Report

Here is a great Free 50 page circulation report – improve your circulation naturally:

http://stunninghealth.com/circulation-boost-squeeze

Related articles

• How does the circulatory system work? (greenanswers.com)

Tips for Good Circulation is a post from: Living To 150

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1. Glycation Causes More Rapid Aging

Glycation is the combination of sugar with protein to form a tarry mess of non-functional tissue. This happens as we age, and certain things can cause it to happen more.

Glycation is responsible for the wrinkling of our skin, which looks bad: but worse than that, it means the glycation is also happening within. Inner “wrinkling” causes organs which need to be flexible, to malfunction. The organs which most need to be flexible get the most problems – the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes.

The two main factors causing glycation are;

1. High blood sugar levels

2. Eating fried, roast and barbecued foods – even grilling uses a high temperature so, although better than frying, it is still not too good.

Glycation caused by high sugar levels explain why diabetics get problems with those “flexible” organs mentioned above. The high sugar levels in a diabetic’s blood causes these organs to harden up earlier than they would in natural old age.

Foods cooked at a high temperature – and especially if browned – create massive inputs of glycated tissue into the body, and cause more once inside. So, poaching, simmering and casseroling are all preferable.

Read more here:

http://livingto150.com/aging-and-longevity-glycation/

Related articles

• Bitter truths about sugar (thehindu.com)

Glycation Causes More Rapid Aging is a post from: Living To 150

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1. Dementia – Low Saturated Fat, Low Sugar Helps
2. What Is The Maximum Human Lifespan?
3. Obesity Causes Serious Diseases

Obesity is responsible for generalized inflammation in the population, a recent study confirms.

Generalized inflammation, also called asymptomatic inflammation (because you can measure it in the blood, but it doesn’t necessarily cause pain or discomfort) is closely correlated in many studies with serious disease. For example, it correlates closely with both cancer and heart disease. In fact, inflammation correlates more closely with heart disease than do LDL cholesterol levels.

As we age, generalized inflammation tends to increase, as measured by the presence of inflammatory markers such as c-reactive protein (CRP) and many other blood factors. This is one factor that makes us more likely to develop degenerative diseases as we age.

But this study showed that a larger waist circumference caused a greater rise in inflammation than a smaller waist size.

Just another reason to get that weight down.

Related articles

• Rheumatoid Arthritis and Heart Attack Risk (everydayhealth.com)

Obesity Causes Serious Diseases is a post from: Living To 150

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1. Atherosclerosis is an Immune Disease

Fish oil supplements are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids. Eating foods rich in omega 3 is another way that we can supply our body with all the fatty acids that we need. Some people would argue that we don’t need supplements. A healthy diet should be more than enough to provide us with all the essential nutrients that we need.

In the past, that statement would be more true. People didn’t need fish oil pills or supplements back then. Most of our foods don’t go through as much processing and are our grandparents’ and great grandparents’ diets are healthier. They prepared and cooked most of their foods and they used to get most of their ingredients fresh from the farm. But today, we thrive on the convenience of fast food. We hardly know where our foods comes from or how it’s prepared. And when we do cook our food, we use processed ingredients to make cooking easier and faster.

And this doesn’t include the fact that most of foods themselves today are not as healthy as they were in the last century. For example:

• Fatty fish. This used to be a good source of omega 3 fish oil . But now we have to be a bit more cautious as some fish are contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides and inorganic compounds.
• Beef. Beef used to be a good source of omega 3 back in the days when cows were allowed to graze and they were grass fed. Now cows are kept in pens and they are corn fed, so their meat contains fat with too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3 fatty acids.
• Eggs. In the past, eggs were naturally rich in omega 3 and other essential fatty acids. That’s because chickens used to be able to graze and eat insects and grass. This made the eggs more nutritious. But now chickens are kept in small coops and grain-fed. So when you eat eggs – ‘free range’ is important.
• Flaxseed. Flaxseed isn’t a very good source of omega 3 fatty acids as most people believe. Our body needs DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids. Flaxseed contains ALA, which the body has to convert to DHA and EPA. The problem with ALA though is only 2% of t is converted to DHA and ALA.

As you can see, we really need to take fish oil supplements everyday if we want to get all the health benefits of omega 3. Omega 3 is vital for anti-aging it has so many benefits. But get it in the right way.

Can Fish Oil Supplements Give You More Omega 3 Than Omega 3 Foods? is a post from: Living To 150

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Let’s face it, it is tricky to decide on a healthy diet. (It is even trickier to stick to your healthy diet!)

I like very much the intelligent and considered approach of Michael Eades MD to, among other things, healthy diet. As I do, he believes a high carb/low fat diet is neither good for health – nor for the weight reduction for which it is often adopted

In this blog post, Michael Eades displays a YouTube video of a Stanford University researcher discussing the merits of four popular diets. He then discusses the recorded analysis at length, making clear his own well thought out views.

The four diets discussed are the Atkins diet, the Ornish diet, the Zone diet, and the LEARN diet.

This is a chunky post! But if you are prepared for a long watch (YouTube), and a longish and intelligent read, you can learn tons about the best diet for you from a thorough read of this post.

I will certainly be keeping an eye on Michael Eades’ blog from now on. Very interesting and well informed.

Atkins, Ornish, Zone, LEARN – Healthy Diets Compared is a post from: Living To 150

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I am continuing with the interval training mentioned in a previous post. You may remember this is the exercise method Terry Grossman put me onto when I visited him in his anti-aging clinic in Denver in the summer.

What a great method of exercise interval training is! I particularly like it because 1. you don’t have to go out, and 2. it’s quick – get it done, and that’s it. It’s also very active. That suits me too.

My favourite (and hardest) routine involves 7 types of abdominal crunches and is carried out using only a sofa! Rock hard abs guaranteed in 3 months – if you keep it up. You don’t have to want to be a hunk to do it – reduced abdominal fat is also correlated with lower levels of cancer and heart disease.

The video showing you how to get rock-hard abs is the second one on this page.

Interval Training Continues Apace is a post from: Living To 150

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Gosh – that interval training is invigorating! (Is that a synonym for ‘knackering?) I have done some most days for the last week.

It is such a flexible system.

I have done press-ups one day, rowing another day, this 6 minutes programme on two other days.  I have two other simple exercises – ‘mountain climbing’ and step-ups – in hand. This is excellent exercise.

The crazy thing is – I imagine I could end up looking like a hunk! That is because interval training builds lean muscle. That has never been my desire… but it might (???) happen.

A 57 year old hunk sounds repulsive…. but then in Denver my H-scan test said my results were those of a 38-year old. So a 38 year-old hunk is maybe ok.

Measuring Improvements

I am benchmarking myself – taking blood pressure, measuring percentage body fat, recovery heart rate after exercise, resting heart rate and lung capacity.

I am also doing the same for others who are accompanying me on this journey for good health.This includes my Dad who is in good health, a little overweight and 84; and a friend who is 70, well overweight and has had heart surgery. Clearly he will be running everything past his doctor.

Then I – and they if they keep up – will be measuring improvements. That will be encouraging.

I am looking forward to tomorrow morning’s exercise.

Exercise – Bring It On! is a post from: Living To 150

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It is very important to have a slim waist if you are to be healthy. Abdominal obesity, especially, is correlated to higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

So, if you have a bit of extra tummy, make it a priority to get rid of it.

The main ways to do that for most people are: 1. Cut down on starchy food (potatoes, pasta, rice, bread) and 2. Carry out appropriate exercise; the best sort is interval training.

1. Starchy Food: It is starch which makes you fat – not fat!! It is healthy to cut right down on the potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, and increase lean protein, vegetables, salads and moderate amounts of fruit. Fruit juice should be an occasional treat as the sugar hit is nearly equivalent to that of Coke.

2. Interval Training: This is a type of exercise where you really hammer it for one mintue, then recover for 1-2 minutes, then repeat.

(Ignore government recommendations of ‘cardio’ 3 times a week – yes, that’ s better than doing NOTHING: but interval tarining is definitely the way to go for every reason. – Reduce heart disease, cancer; improve heart and lung capacity; lost abdominal fat.)

Get the low-down on interval training at this site of mine where I’ve written a few articles on the topic.

Be Slim To Stay Healthy is a post from: Living To 150

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I recently posted an entry about how I had changed my exercise routine in line with keeping healthy and… well, living to 150.

My visit to see Terry Grossman in Denver changed all that again. He told me about the PACE method of exercise popularized by Al Sears. I’m not sure who got onto it first… but interval training is the more generic name used.

Underlying the method is the fact that: cardio is bad. At least, in the way most of us understand it.

With cardio exercise (or aerobics) you stretch yourself moderately for half an hour or so 3 times a week. This, says Sears (and he has a lot of evidence) tells the muscle cells they need to be ready for this sort of moderate action. In response, the muscles become smaller and more dense. Not good.

The effect is to shrink the size of the lungs and the heart – the last thing we want. We want large muscles in the heart and lungs to make them ready to accommodate any sudden capacity demands. If these can’t be met by the heart, a heart attack is more likely.

So I am getting onto the ‘interval training’ bandwagon. Wish I’d heard about it before.

Check it out here – and get a free 6 minute workout.

I will be posting more about this fantastic method of exercise. Stick with me if you really want to get healthy – and keep healthy.

Exercise – A Reassessment is a post from: Living To 150

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We all know that aerobic exercise help us to keep healthy, and help avoid cancer and heart disease.

Moderate weight training – such as on machines at the gym – has been shown to help maintain muscle bulk as we age – an important factor, as many falls by old people are due to weakened muscles.

The latest research shows an additional benefit of weight training: it reduces cancer.

In this study, scientists led from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, tracked 8,677 men aged between 20 and 82 for more than two decades, and studied their weight training habits.

The results were that men who regularly worked out with weights and had the greatest  muscle strength were 30 to 40 per cent less likely to die from a cancerous tumour.

Exercise Regime

It seems clear that exercise needs to be of two kinds:

1. Aerobic exercise – such as fast walking, swimming, running – any exercise where there is no rest. This should be for 20 minutes or more twice a week.

2. Weight training of the major muscle groups, also twice a week, and perhaps for 45 minutes a time. However, previously, it was thought that this just prevented muscle degeneration with aging.  This study seems to show a protective benefit against cancer too.

Although the study was of men, women should benefit too. Weight training does not have to result in big muscles – your trainer will advise if you don’t want to ‘get chunky’!

Report

Weight Train To Avoid Cancer is a post from: Living To 150

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When I visit the Grossman Wellness Centre later this year, one of the tests I will have is the ultrafast CAT scan.

There is on great advantage of consulting with someone like Terry Grossman who is an expert in anti-aging therapies as well as a ‘regular’ doctor. This is that certain conventional diagnoses or treatments may be desirable where is can be judged that the potential for harm is less than the harm which may be caused by not doing them.

The ultrafast CAT scan is, I believe, one of these diagnostic methods.

Heart Symptoms May Be Too Late

Way before any heart symptoms occur, calcium deposits can be detected in the heart muscle and the coronary arteries – the small arteries which feed the heart muscle itself. It has been found that these are the early stages of arterial deposits.

One study of 6,700 people found that those with the most calcium deposits in the coronary arteries suffered ten times the number of cardio-vascular events (eg a heart attack) than those with the least.

An ultrafast CAT scan can detect calcium deposits and thus identify disease – especially coronary heart disease – early. It can then be treated.

Little Radiation

The ‘ultrafast’ part is that the amount of radiation used is much less than for a conventional CAT scan.

No amount of radiation is good; but the information from this scan can be so valuable that you might decide – as I have – to take the risk from the small dose involved.

The machine scans many ‘slices’ of the heart and coronary arteries and feeds this information to a computer. The computer is programmed to extract the large amount of information and piece it together.

Treatment With Nutrition

If calcium deposits are discovered they can be flushed out – or at least greatly diminished – by a carefully chosen cocktail of nutritional supplements.

Herbs for the Heart

Meanwhile, I take herbs for the heart every day – a formula based on Hawthorn – as I know from iridology analysis that I have a muscle weakness in the heart tissue.

Hawthorn is a great herb which is safe in use and has been highly recommended by herbalists for centuries.

More info: Ultrafast CAT scan

Checking for Heart Risk Factors is a post from: Living To 150

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Patrick Holford – one of the UK’s foremost publicists for natural healthcare – has started a bandwagon rolling to make the population aware of metabolic syndrome. This is the syndrome focused around excessive sugar consumption which produces ‘insulin resistance’ of cells. Metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance probably kills most people in this country.

So it’s good that Holford is shouting about it.

Insulin Resistance of the Cells

In insulin resistance, our cells become more or less immune to the effects of insulin.

The insulin is produced to make the cells take sugar out of the blood. The result is that the sugar remains in the blood, causing increased inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, is linked to serious disease.

Which Diseases are Caused?

Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance have been closely linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.

All the ‘biggies’, really. This is a vital syndrome to know about. And the crucial point of understanding the symdrome is CUT DOWN ON SUGAR. That means all sugar; and you need to know that pasta, potatoes, bread (of all kinds – even wholemeal) and rice is nearly all sugar.

Holford says Metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance is worse for our health than excessive salt or fat in the diet.

He has a point.

How to Combat Metabolic Sydrome

His answer is to eat ‘Low GL’, or low glycaemic load. This is pretty much the same as low GI – low glycaemic index - which you might have already heard of.

It means that when you eat starchy food – oats, wheat, rice, pasta, bread – make sure it passes into the blood slowly. Eg wholemeal rather than white; porridge rather than popular cereals.

Vegetables, Fats, Protein Way to Go

Certainly – focus on low GI (I mean GL) when you do eat starchy food.

But fundamentally, think ‘low sugar’ with your diet. Eat starchy food rarely. This means cut down dramatically on rice, bread, pasta, potatoes. And sugary food itself, of course.

Pile on the vegetables and salads.

Focus on fish and lean meat – eg turkey and chicken breast.

Minimise sweet fruit, eg apples and mangoes, which are high in sugar; and fruit juices – which are very high in sugar. Do eat berries, though, which are lower in sugar and highly nutritious.

This is probably a very new approach to your diet; but it is essential if you are to avoid the ‘insulin resistance’ epidemic which is hitting us now. Crazy as it may sound, it will greatly help you to avoid the major degenerative diseases.

• More about Metabolic Syndrome
• Article about inflammation
• Patrick Holford’s GL Revolution Tour of 11 UK cities

Metabolic Syndrome Kills is a post from: Living To 150

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The latest “Statins Beat Heart Attack” headlines would be wryly funny if they weren’t so tragic.

Short sighted journalists are fooled by profit-hungry drug companies who, as often seems to be the case, are driving partisan research chemists.

“Statins Reduce Heart Attacks”

This is not news, and it is not even surprising. Anything which reduces general inflammation in the body will reduce heart attacks. This includes Omega 3 fatty acids, and any number of herbs including nettles, ginger and turmeric. The problem with using statins instead is the many side-effects users have reported.

The New Trial

The new trial is clearly partisan. For a start, it is called ‘Jupiter’, which stands for Justify the Use of Statins… Hmmmh – little doubt about the results they are looking for, then.

The particular brand of statins it ‘justifies’ is Crestor, made by AstraZeneca which costs around £26 a month. As the predominant statins used in the UK are the generic Simvastatin which cost £1.42 a month, the trial results are great for AstraZeneca. No doubt certain sectors of the community will be calling for the replacement of Simvastatin with Crestor (is it me – or isn’t that also a toothpaste?).

Drug Company Strategy

Statins are the best thing that have happened to drug companies for a long time. They are turning into a license to print money. One prime benefit of selling statins is that they are being used by younger and younger people – and they ‘need’ them for life.

As the drug companies see their profits slashed by cheap generic replacements – they simply come up with a new twist – as in this case – to show, by a flawed study, the superiority of their new, replacement product. Then they get to milk it drug until the patent runs out.

This is exactly what they did with HRT (ERT); each time the evidence showed that HRT damaged health, new research unearthed a new supposed benefit of HRT so they could persuade doctors to keep prescribing it and journalists to keep writing about how good it was.

What To Do Instead Of Taking Statins

This trial was carried out by selecting people with a high level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood. They were then given statins.

Agreed – CRP does indicate general inflammation in the body which gives a raised chance of heart and artery disease as well as of diabetes, various cancers and Alzheimers’ disease.

Where I don’t agree is the treatment. Drugs are not usually necessary.

To treat raised CRP a combination of herbal treatment and fish oils will usually bring it down. Take these, then recheck CRP in 2-3 months.

Ideally, CRP should be less than 0.5 mg/L (milligrams per litre) in men and less than 1.5 mg/L in women.

Avoiding Statins – or Coming Off Them

Don’t just stop statins if you are taking them. Come off them with professional guidance. Most certainly involve your doctor in this process. Similarly if you have been told that you need to take statins. Be cautious. Around 50% of people come off statins because of the side-effects; but don’t put yourself at risk by just not taking them – you need an alternative strategy.

1. The following link leads to an article which contains a list of 8 natural alternatives to lower cholesterol, based on sound science:
Natural ways to cut cholesterol

Extract from this article about avoiding statins:

“HOW TO AVOID STARTING STATINS
If your doctor advises you to begin taking a statin drug, suggest a lower dose or a delay in initiation of the drug until you have had two to three months to try natural cholesterol- and LDL-lowering agents. Patient involvement in treatment decisions is commonplace today, and most physicians will work with you. A rough rule of thumb: adherence to a low-fat, high-fiber diet (that eliminates processed foods), along with some of the nutritional supplements discussed in this article, will lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 30%. Keep this in mind when starting your program. ……..”

See the article for more detail.

2. This article covers the role of general inflammation in generating disease
Aging and Longevity – 4. Inflammation

Also, read Life Extension Revolution, by Miller, Chapter 7:  Cooling Inflammation: Disease-Proofing Your Body

Above all, don’t fall for the drug-company hype; because that’s what it is. In 2004 the pharmaceutical industry was estimated to be receiving $22 billion (£14 billion) from statin drugs.

Do your research and make your own mind up. And it’s not easy to get your CRP checked regularly – but is very, very useful to do so as it gives an early warning of problems to come.

Statins – Don’t Be Fooled By The Research is a post from: Living To 150

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Antioxidants have been recognized as vital for good health since the early 1980s. However, one class of antioxidant is particularly beneficial: the poyphenols.

Polyphenols are particularly beneficial for reducing the risk of heart disease as well as for reducing aging tendencies in general.

Professor Williamson, Professor of Function Foods at Leeds University, has published a list of 20 common foods which are particularly high in polyphenols.

The list is:

• Berries:
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Cranberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
• Apples
• Oranges
• Red Grapes (and red wine)
• Cherries
• Peaches
• Plums
• Broccoli
• Cereal bran
• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onions
• Spinach
• Black tea
• Green tea
• Coffee
• Dark chocolate

Caution

The benefit of dark chocolate will be partly outweighed (sorry about this…) by the sugar content.

Similarly, apples, oranges, cherries, peaches and plums can all be high in sugar so this must be born in mind when eating these foods, as sugar promotes glycation among other things.

Black tea is not so good if taken with milk (eg the omega 6 fatty acids present in high amounts in dairy foods promote inflammation, and need to be minimized in the diet).

However, all things in moderation 

‘Newspaper’ article from the Mail Online

Antioxidants Crucial For Health is a post from: Living To 150

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Inflammation is shown, in this image, affecting some of the major joints. We all know and understand this type.

But Generalised Inflammation is something that we all need to be aware of – whether or not we have aches and pains.

Generalised Inflammation is present in many people – and they rarely know about it.

This insidious type of inflammation is implicated in all major degenerative diseases:

• Heart disease
• Artery disease
• Some cancers
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Diabetes

In other words, many studies have shown that a significant number of the people suffering from these diseases

have generalised inflammation, demonstrated by blood tests.

As these diseases occur more as we age, I think we can usefully add:

• Aging

to the list of diseases which inflammation causes.

Measuring Inflammation

Inflammation can be detected by testing the blood for c-reactive protein (molecule pictured left) and fibrinogen. If the levels of these two are high, bringing them down can usually be fairly easily achieved through the right vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbs.

More Information

As well as my more detailed article on Inflammation, here are links to some books on the topic from Amazon UK:

Stop Inflammation Now!
The Inflammation Syndrome
The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan

Essential To Address If We Are To Get – And Stay – Healthy

Inflammation is a crucial issue to address to slow down aging and the onset of degenerative diseases. I find it fascinating that this issue is:

• Easy to measure (through blood tests)
• Usually easy to treat
• Therefore within our individual control

And also that it is:

• Talked about by hardly anyone who is charged with looking after our health.

Inflammation Kills is a post from: Living To 150

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Researchers in Canada found that orange juice taken alongside a drug for hayfever – fexofenadine – reduced its absorption by half.  It is likely that there would be similar effects on many other drugs.

The researchers suggested that the spike in blood sugar was the mechanism which caused the reduction in drug absorption. In this case, other fruit juices will have a similar effect. (The previously identified interference of grapefruit juice with some drugs involves a different mechanism.)

The researchers advised drinking fruit juices 4 hours away from any drugs being taken.

Fruit Juice And Diabetes

The blood sugar spike caused by drinking fruit juice is also responsible

for the increased risk of diabetes they cause. Sugar is already pouring into the blood stream for most people. This comes from digested starches (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta) as well as from direct sugar sources – eg soft drinks. With extra sugar on top of this from fruit juices, the current dramatic rise in diabetes not surprising.

I advise:

• Avoiding drugs as much as possible, in general, and trying to use natural methods such as nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes
• Avoiding fruit juice – which increases the risk for diabetes. Whole fruit in moderation is fine – because the fibre reduces the spike.

If you take these two actions, then the finding from this study need not be a concern.

Mail Online coverage of the study
Life Extension Foundation comprehensive article on Diabetes

All Fruit Juices Can Interfere With Drugs is a post from: Living To 150

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There is news currently about how statin drugs are associated with lower levels of Alzheimer’s disease.

This is not surprising – because statins lower inflammation; and there is a link between Alzheimer’s disease and low-level inflammation. 

However, the solution to low-level inflammation is NOT to take statin drugs. Just as the answer to cholesterol is not to take statin drug – except in isolated cases.

Measuring Low Level Inflammation

Currently, the best and cheapest way to find out if you have a raised level of low-level inflammation is to measure c-reactive protein, or CRP. This substance has a raised level if inflammation is present. This blood test is simple and not expensive.

Treatment

If CRP is high, treatment to lower inflammation is a combination of herbs and nutrients. Some important options are:

- Fish oils/Omega 3 fatty acids
- The ‘master hormone’ DHEA
- Bromelain – from pineapple
- Nettle leaf
- Ginger
- Turmeric

For more details, check out Philip Miller’s excellent book: "Life Extension Revolution", p 191.

Alzheimer’s treatment protocol

And – as a general rule – don’t take the statins!

Statins & Alzheimers – Right For Wrong Reason is a post from: Living To 150

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I hate to report this, but a solid study has shown that drinking orange juice once a day increase type II diabetes risk.

The reason I hate to report it, is because many people will be as shocked as I was – or even disbelieving – when first hearing that their morning ‘health’ drink could actually be unhealthy.

But it is true.

The Whole Fruit, Nothing But The Fruit

All fruit juices are similar to sugar water. True, the sugar is not glucose; it’s fructose. But it still spikes up blood sugar after drinking it.

The whole fruit contains fibre which slows sugar absorption down. The juice has most or all of the fibre removed so that the passage of sugar into the blood stream is rapid.

The Path To Diabetes (type II)

The 3-step pattern leading to diabetes can then emerge:

1. Sugar in the blood demands insulin, from the pancreas. Insulin influences ‘receptors’ in the cell walls to allow sugar to pass inside.
2. Over time the cell wall receptors become less responsive to repeated insulin insults. The pancreas has to produce more and more for the same result.
3. The overworked pancreas becomes can’t keep up with the demand for insulin. Blood sugar builds up and diabetes is present.

Avoid Diabetes – And Delay Aging

A feature of diabetes is that sufferers get aging diseases much earlier than the rest of us.

This is why diabetics tend to get problems with heart and arteries, kidneys and eyes at a relatively young age. Control of the diabetes is essential; and for most, perfectly possible.

Control Through Diet

Although input from an experienced practitioner is always helpful, one of the main approaches to dealing with Type II diabetes (also called ‘maturity onset’ diabetes) is through a rigorous diet.

This is the same diet as a ‘healthy aging’ diet, but with more care taken to keep blood sugar low.

This means reducing intake of sugar and starches (mainly potatoes, pasta, rice and bread) dramatically such that your blood sugar remains at a low-normal level – not just a moderate level.

Blood sugar can be monitored through regular blood tests.

A practitioner can advise on supplements to be used. Also see:

• Life Extension Foundation – diabetes for a great article
• Life Extension Magazine August 2008, p67 "Metabolic Disease and Heart Attack, which is very relevant. 
• www.meta-syndrome.com for information on Metabolic Syndrome.

Finally, here is:

• A report of the Orange Juice study

Orange Juice Gives You Diabetes is a post from: Living To 150

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Avoiding facial wrinkles is a big issue for many people – especially many women. Some resort to extreme measures such as injecting toxins into the skin – Botox – or surgical operations.

However, this ignores the main functional problem produced by  wrinkles; they don’t just affect the face, but affect the whole body. In fact, the main problem with wrinkles is that they reduce the flexibility of organs which need to be flexible. Facial wrinkles are just the external indication of the main problem; glycation.

By reducing the flexibility off the brain, heart, kidneys and eyes glycation promotes aging.

So, to help you keep looking young externally, and also to help you keep young internally, addressing glycation is a key issue.

The Main Causes Of Glycation

The Main causes are:

1. Blood glucose, which is too high.
2. Eating foods cooked at temperatures which are too high

1. High Blood Glucose

A continually high level of blood glucose promotes glycation. The main solution, for most people is dramatically to cut down the amount of starch in the diet; bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Ideally, don’t eat any. Practically, reduce to a bare minimum.

Preferably, monitor blood glucose level with blood tests.

2. Food Cooked At High Temperature

Food cooked at temperatures above 250°F promote glycation. To avoid this, avoid frying, grilling, roasting, [and broiling]. Prepare foods uncooked [salads], and use slow cooking, steaming, simmering, stews to prepare your food.

Ideally, make sure all the food you eat is prepared in this way. Practically, only eat foods cooked at high temperatures on rare occasions, such as when visiting friends.

Practical application

When eating out, it’s a fairly simple matter to choose foods which follow these guidelines. Salad-and-something is a common option; or or a protein choice plus mixed vegetables – hold the potatoes.

As in all things, don’t strain too much to avoid glycated foods 100%. But 95% is great – and it will help your skin, long term.

How To Avoid Aging Wrinkles is a post from: Living To 150

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Reliable and valuable research on health issues is not easy to come by – and I want it every day, whether for myself or to help customers of my herbal company, Specialist Herbal Supplies.

One of the websites I go back to again and again is that of Life Extension Foundation. If you have a health condition and you want to find a treatment protocol for it, you can probably find one on their website.

The treatments recommended include prescription drugs where these are appropriate for consideration as well as recommendations for supplements and herbs. All recommendations have references to studies validating the benefits cited.

A highly recommended site to help you understand how the body works, and how disease processes develop and how you can treat them.

Great Health Research Site is a post from: Living To 150

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