June 17, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode we feature:
An interview with longevity expert Dr. Kara Fitzgerald.
The link between vitamin D and a healthy brain.
Limit the length of your arguments.
The pros and cons of Intermittent Fasting
And more ways you can improve your health today!
For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com
Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:08):
Gib, hello and welcome to another episode of the
podcast. I'm Gib Gerard. Todaywe are featuring yet another
intelligence for your healthwith Connie Celica. Episode of
the show this week, our guest islongevity expert, Dr Cara
Fitzgerald, she's the author ofthe book younger you, so she'll
have all kinds of stuff thatwill help you slow your body's
aging process. So here, withoutfurther ado, is intelligence for
(00:31):
your health with Connie Celica,if you're anxious about what you
have on your plate tomorrow, getmore sleep tonight, according to
the experts at UC, Berkeley,increasing your sleep by turning
in a little earlier or sleepinga little later can reduce
anxiety. It works by decreasingactivity in the area of the
brain that heightens stress, theamygdala. So if you have a job
(00:53):
interview tomorrow, an exam oran important sales call, get a
little more sleep, and you'llfeel calmer and more in control.
If you want to sharpen yourthinking, start by sharpening
your sense of smell. Doing asmell tune up for two minutes
every day can quicken yourthinking more than playing brain
games. Here's how to do it,according to UC Berkeley
(01:17):
researchers, while you'rewaiting for water to boil or
something to heat up in themicrowave, take out four things
in your kitchen to sniff, likecacao powder, black tea, coffee
and cinnamon, then close youreyes and sniff each one, trying
to identify the scent that typeof smell training rewires neural
(01:38):
connections responsible forquick thinking. It's so
effective that the scientists atUC Berkeley say doing that for
two minutes a day can cut therisk of memory problems by up to
50% that's because our olfactorysense is closely linked to our
brain's memory center, andrepeated exposure to smells
(01:59):
stimulates the turnover of nervecells, while simultaneously
sharpening your brain power.
Just grab different things tosmell every couple of weeks to
keep your mind sharp. Coming up,we'll talk to anti aging expert,
Dr Cara Fitzgerald. She'll breakdown the impact exercise has on
(02:19):
the aging process from how anytype of exercise can slow aging
to how skipping a workout canspeed up the rate at which our
body ages. But first, if youfeel a headache coming on, put
an ice pack across the front ofyour throat. The University of
Hawaii says that reduces headpain for 77% of people in as
(02:41):
little as five minutes. It'sbecause cooling the blood that
flows through the neck into yourbrain acts as a powerful
painkiller. We've been told ittakes 21 days to form a new
habit. Well, when it comes todeveloping a consistent exercise
habit, plan to spend a littlelonger on it. Researchers from
(03:04):
Caltech and the universities ofChicago and Pennsylvania looked
at habit formation, and theydiscovered it takes up to six
months to establish an exercisehabit. The study also measured
how long it takes to develop ahand washing habit, and that
only took a few weeks for peopleto do it on a regular basis. In
(03:25):
other words, not all habits arecreated equal. So why does it
take so long for exercise tobecome part of a routine? In a
word, effort, the study followed30,000 people who swiped their
ID cards as they entered a gym,and the results showed that it
takes six months for people toestablish a consistent gym
(03:47):
routine, and one of the biggestfactors was if people went on
the same days of the week eachtime, 70% of the successful
study participants went to thegym on the same days each week,
And the longer the amount oftime between gym visits, the
less likely someone was to goback. So if you want to make
(04:07):
exercise a habit, go the samedays of the week every week,
that makes you far more likelyto stick with it. Okay, listen
to this. Only 12% of US wash ourhands before eating, even though
we know our hands are germy. Infact, even if we don't touch
anything after we get into arestaurant, our hands often have
(04:28):
hundreds of times more germsthan an escalator handrail,
which means the germs already onour hands are just as likely to
make us sick than anything wetouch in a restaurant. So
regardless of whether or not youtouch the bacteria riddled menu
or the ketchup bottle thathasn't been cleaned before you
eat. Please wash your hands,because our hands are in
(04:50):
constant contact with our mouthand with things we put in our
mouth, making them the fastestroute to illness. Today, our
guest is Lauren. Longevityexpert Dr Kara Fitzgerald, her
book younger you focuses onstrategies for helping us all
live longer and better lives.
And the good news is thatscientists have identified
(05:10):
several lifestyle factors thatcan help us age more slowly than
the average person. So I askedDr Fitzgerald to share the most
important anti aging lifestylehabits,
controlling our blood sugar,diet is a huge player. How much
we're eating, what we're eating,exercise. Exercise is an anti
(05:33):
aging elixir. We need to bemoving our bodies. Sufficient
sleep is essential for slowingbiological aging and meditation
doing something about stress.
Stress is gasoline on the fireof aging. It pushes it forward.
So if we can remedy our stress,if we can turn the volume down
(05:55):
on stress, we are slowing andeven reversing our biological
aging process.
Today, we're talking tolongevity scientist Dr Kara
Fitzgerald. She was just sayingthat getting regular exercise is
an anti aging elixir that'sproven to help us live longer.
So I asked her to explain moreabout why exercise is so
(06:18):
important and if there's aspecific type of exercise that
helps us age better than others.
So the research on thebeneficial effects of exercise
are just very far reaching. Theywill potently prevent the
diseases of age when we engagein any form of fitness, be it
resistance training, highintensity interval training,
(06:40):
cardiovascular training. All ofthese are beneficial, and then B
damage, the pro aging effect ofnot exercising is as stark and
powerful as the beneficialeffects of aging. So we need to
get out there and get movingnow. There is too much exercise,
(07:01):
and that can have a pro agingeffect. If you were an athlete,
if you were a competitiveathlete, I was a cyclist when I
was in medical school, and Ialways pushed it too far when I
was competing, at the end ofevery season, I would end up
with a case of sinusitis. We cansee this increased risk of
immunosuppression, of upperrespiratory infections and so
(07:23):
forth, and even a pro agingphenomena in people who are
overdoing it, like the ultramerit honor and things like
that. So in general, allexercise seems to be just
extremely beneficial, with theexception of no extremes.
If you're a woman who loves aspinach salad or some creamed
(07:44):
spinach, you are in luck,because no matter how you eat
it, even if it's pulverized in asmoothie, it reduces the risk of
ovarian cancer. That's accordingto the International Journal of
Cancer, that's because spinachcontains an antioxidant called
Camp for all that protects cellsfrom DNA damage that can trigger
(08:04):
cancerous mutations. And in a 14year study of 67,000 women,
those who consumed the mostcamphor, all were 40% less
likely to develop ovariancancer. Today's medical term
gastroparesis that refers to aslow stomach, meaning your
digestion and stomach emptyinghas slowed to a crawl. According
(08:29):
to gastrointestinal specialistDr Gerard Mullen, it normally
takes about four hours aftereating a meal for food to move
into the small intestine, butwith slow stomachs, digestion
takes much longer, or it maystop completely. Dr Mullen says
that usually happens if there'sa blockage somewhere, but for
(08:50):
one in 50 people, gastroparesisis a side effect of diabetes,
which damages the key nervebetween the brain and stomach,
called the vagus nerve. Whenthat happens, signals that
normally trigger digestion getdisrupted. So even if you just
ate a full meal, your brain maythink you're still hungry and
delay starting digestion. DrMullen says the main symptoms of
(09:13):
a slow stomach include extremefatigue and feeling full after
taking just a few bites of food,since your stomach may not have
room to store the food, that canalso cause bloating and
abdominal pain. So talk to yourdoctor if any of that sounds
familiar, because in most cases,you can take medication to get
(09:33):
your stomach moving again. Or DrMullins says, Try going for a
walk. Because generallyspeaking, the more we move, the
easier it is for things to movealong inside our body, and
that's today's medical termgastroparesis coming up. We'll
hear more from anti agingexpert, Dr Kara Fitzgerald,
author of the book younger you.
She'll answer this question whenit comes to vitamin D, what's
(09:56):
the best way to get more intoour system? System, is it
through our diet supplements ormore sun exposure, but first,
the keto diet could help fightcancer. Scientists in New York
found that high fat, low carb,ketogenic diets help starve
tumors of the glucose they needto grow. According to the
journal Cell Metabolism, theresearchers found that combining
(10:19):
the keto diet with drugs calledcorticosteroids, which reduce
inflammation, produced cancerfighting benefits. In studies on
mice, their tumors shrank andthey lived longer. The
scientists say keto causes toxicblood fats to kill cancer cells.
The experts are really hopefulthat this can be added to the
(10:39):
arsenal of anti cancertreatment. What's the best way
to speed recovery after anintense workout and reduce
soreness and stiffness the nextday, skip your usual hot shower
and take a so called recoveryshower instead. It's also being
called a contrast shower, and itrefers to switching from cold
(11:00):
water to hot and physicaltherapist Kristen main says it's
proven to help stimulate thecirculation of blood and oxygen
and speed up muscle repair.
Here's the science behind therecovery shower, first a cold
shower immediately after aworkout, reduces inflammation
and stiffness in muscles, jointsand tendons. It also reduces
(11:24):
after workout pain and soreness,just like icing and injury. Then
when you switch to hot water,physical therapist main says the
heat helps flush out the buildupof inflammatory cells, dead
cells and scar tissue, whichimproves the health of your
bones, joints and muscles. Thehot water also relaxes muscles,
(11:44):
improves mobility and reducesthe next day soreness and
stiffness. And here's the timingfor the process. You start with
a cold shower for two minutes,then slowly turn up the water
temperature from cold to hot,but not scalding. So you can
finish with a hot shower foranother two minutes, then repeat
(12:05):
the cold and hot cycle for fiveto 10 more minutes for optimal
recovery. Okay, listen to thisto recharge your brain. Take a
nap. A study in the journalGeneral Psychiatry found that
people who napped scored higheron tests of working memory,
attention span and problemsolving, that's because a nap
(12:25):
lowers inflammation, which inturn boosts your brain power
back with more healthintelligence from anti aging
expert Dr Kara Fitzgerald andmost people associate getting
older with growing moreforgetful and having a higher
risk for dementia, but a newstudy in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition says almostone in five cases of dementia
(12:47):
could be prevented if more of usjust got healthy levels of
vitamin D. So I asked DrFitzgerald how vitamin D
specifically plays a role inhelping us age better.
Vitamin D regulates so manyphysiological processes. It's
involved in so much in the body,it's not surprising that when
(13:09):
we're deficient there's farreaching Fallout, and so we know
people who are deficient invitamin D have increased risk of
dementia. They also have smallerbrains. So when they actually
measure total brain volume,vitamin D, depletion is is
(13:30):
associated with a lower totalbrain volume, whereas somebody
who is sufficient in Vitamin Dhas a larger brain volume. So
via a variety of mechanisms,regulating neuronal growth,
blunting inflammation, helpingwith calcium regulation,
(13:52):
enhancing immune response, justreally kind of far reaching
influences on brain health.
Vitamin D is just incrediblyimportant. And I want to point
out that in this country, mostof us are either insufficient or
frankly, vitamin D deficient. Soabout 40% of us have
(14:13):
insufficient vitamin D levels inour blood, and almost 30% of us
are, frankly, vitamin Ddeficient. So it's such an easy
nutrient for us to get enough ofand yet. So so so many of us
don't do itback with more health
intelligence from Dr KaraFitzgerald, anti aging expert
and author of younger you. Shewas just saying that at least a
(14:38):
third of North Americans aredeficient in vitamin D, even
though it's essential forhelping us stay healthy and live
longer. And we often hear thatone of the easiest ways to get
more D naturally is to justspend more time in the sun. But
surprisingly, Dr Fitzgerald sayssun exposure alone probably
won't provide. All the vitamin Dmost of us need. I don't
(15:03):
know that we can count on sunfor sufficient vitamin D
anymore. Unfortunately, a lot ofus are wearing sunscreen as we
should be. We need to be mindfulof damage from the sun rays. We
can go out and have some sunexposure early in the morning.
But is that adequate? The onlyway that we're going to go is if
we measure it in our blood. Myexperience in clinical practice
(15:27):
is that, yes, we want to getsome safe sun exposure without
question, but we have tosupplement, and most of us need
to actually supplement throughthe summertime. So I think those
days of thinking we can getadequate tea from the sun are
gone and that we really need tohave our levels measured
regularly, and most of us willsee that we need to be
supplementing.
(15:47):
So as you said, sun exposure isnot the best solution for
getting adequate amounts ofvitamin D in the body. But can
we get more through foodsources, or is supplementing the
only way to go?
I think that supplementing isthe easiest way to get
sufficient vitamin D. I mean,it's not an expensive nutrient.
It's just widely available. Youcan get it from food. If you
(16:11):
want to do a little bit of liverthere's vitamin D fortified nut
based milk. You know, regularcow's milk is vitamin D
fortified, so you can get it incertain foods, but you'd have to
pay attention to make sureyou're getting enough to keep
your levels high. I have to sayI'm pro food. I want to have a
(16:32):
food forward approach with mypatients, but vitamin D is one
of those exceptions. It's justeasier to take it. Do
we need to worry about germs inour backyard? Here's the answer
from microbiologist Dr PhilipTierno, author of the book The
Secret Life of germs. He says,unless you have pets that use it
as their bathroom, rollingaround in the grass is perfectly
(16:53):
safe. That's not to say youryard is free from bacteria. It
is loaded with it, but most ofit is not harmful to humans. The
germs aren't pathogenic, whichmeans they don't cause disease.
As a matter of fact, there's acommon bacterium found in garden
soil that increases our feelgood hormone levels, so after
(17:14):
gardening, you'll feel lessanxiety and have better
concentration. The onlyexception in the backyard is the
sandbox. Cats like to use themas a litter box, and kids can
pick up parasites. Moreintelligence for your health
from longevity scientist Dr KaraFitzgerald, if you'd like to
know more about her or her book,younger you check out younger
(17:37):
you program.com, and sincethere's been a lot of research
coming out lately on the healthbenefits of intermittent
fasting, I asked Dr Fitzgeraldif fasting has any influence on
how well we age or not.
I want to say that the researchon fasting is really quite
solid. It's very regenerative,restorative. It kicks in stem
(18:00):
cell production helping us torebuild it lowers blood sugar.
Of course, we lose weight. Itlowers blood pressure, increases
energy, helps with brain health,produces something called
ketones, which are antiinflammatory fuel for the body.
So via a variety of mechanisms,either a full fast or an
(18:21):
intermittent fasting structureis smart for us, but we want to
make sure we're doing what'sright for us, the individual.
And I think this is key, wehave, certainly in our clinical
practice, seen individualsbecome nutrient depleted because
they're fasting their selfprescribed fasting structure was
(18:43):
too intense. We've seen peoplemove into something we call
orthorexia, or which is a formof of disordered eating, because
they're restricting so severely.
So we want to make sure thatwe're doing something that's
sustainable and smart for us,and so I would, I would get
guidance in this arena,what's better for your health
than going for a walk, going fora walk with someone else? Over
(19:05):
40 separate studies confirmedthat people walking in groups
reduced their body mass indexand body fat. They also lowered
their blood pressure, restingheart rate and cholesterol. But
it's the social aspect thatreally makes a difference. Dr
Kylie ball is a professor ofexercise and nutrition Sciences
at Deakin University, and shesays seeing other people
(19:29):
engaging in exercise sends themessage that it's a positive and
socially desirable experience.
Also, compliance for groupfitness activities is as high as
98% where solo Fitness Plans arefollowed only 35% of the time.
And when we walk with others, wewalk longer and farther than we
(19:53):
do when we walk by ourselves,and we walk more often when we
walk with others. And in a studyby UCLA, one. We feel socially
supported, like by exercisingwith others, we have fewer food
cravings and are less likely toovereat. Here's an email I
received at Connie atintelligence for your
health.com. It comes from AmyOlson, who writes, I've always
(20:16):
felt like I have a lot ofearwax. What is normal? Amy, if
excess earwax is somethingyou've experienced your whole
life, it's probably normal foryou, because according to Dr
Maura cosetti, the director ofthe Ear Institute at Mount
Sinai, some people simply havemore earwax than others, and
here are a few reasons why.
First, some people geneticallyjust make more ear wax. It's an
(20:39):
inherited trait. Also, some skinconditions can cause people to
make more ear wax too, likeeczema and psoriasis, because
those skin conditions can alsooccur in the ear canal. And
older people tend to have moreear wax as we age, the outer
part of the ear canal where theear wax is made, starts to sag.
(21:00):
When that happens, ear wax canget trapped in the ear canal.
Finally, your ear buds couldplay a role. If you wear them
regularly, they could result ina larger amount of wax in your
ears because it gets trapped.
The same thing happens withhearing aids. However, if your
(21:20):
hearing is muffled, or you feela sense of itchiness or fullness
in the ear, you should see anear, nose and throat
professional to get thingschecked out. Thank you for your
email. Amy, I hope this helps.
Okay, listen to this. Only everargue for three minutes, that's
According to psychologist DrJohn Gottman from the University
(21:40):
of Washington. He says the mostimportant points in any argument
are brought up within the firstthree minutes. After that,
people start throwing in thingsthat are unrelated, or they
start repeating themselves, andusually at a higher volume. So
cap arguments at three minutesfor each person to express
themselves, then digest what'sbeen said and reconvene later to
(22:04):
come to a compromise. Healthfocused apps really do help us
lead healthier lives. That'saccording to new research from
the University of Washington,which analyzed more than 200
studies looking at the effect ofdifferent technologies on diet,
exercise, weight and tobacco andalcohol use, they found that
(22:24):
people who used health trackingand support apps were more
likely to eat better, exercisemore, quit smoking and engage in
other behaviors linked to healthand longevity. The apps that
were most effective were onesthat incorporated goal setting
and self monitoring, likelogging calories or miles
walked. Other features thathelped the most were forms of
(22:47):
communication, like gettingencouraging or motivational text
messages or being able to videochat with a counselor. If you
want to try a health focusedapp, the experts recommend
looking for ones that help youto set goals and make you
accountable for your behavior,by recording what you eat or how
many steps you take, moreintelligence for your health.
(23:08):
From longevity scientist Dr KaraFitzgerald, and in her book
younger you, she breaks down alist of quote gene whisperers,
which are foods proven toinfluence our DNA in a way that
helps slow down the agingprocess. And at the top of Dr
Fitzgerald's list of genewhispers is eggs. So I asked her
how eating more eggs could helpus live longer.
(23:35):
Eggs have a fairly importantbrain, liver, heart, sort of
total body nutrient in it,called choline. Choline is also
very essential for geneexpression, so it plays a key
role in supporting which genesare on and off. We don't make it
(23:57):
very efficiently so we are ableto make it in the body, but we
just don't do a good job. Andnot surprisingly, as we get
older, we make it less and lessefficiently, and so we need to
get it from our foods. And oneof the best, richest sources of
choline is found in eggs. We canalso get choline in mushrooms
(24:19):
like shiitake or enough key ormaitake, we can get choline in
soy, but I would suggest thatyou get organic forms of soy and
even fermented forms of soy, andwe can get a nice amount of
choline in liver.
That's it for our show today,our special intelligence for
your health with Connie Selig.
Edition of the podcast, I'm GibGerard, don't forget to rate
(24:40):
comment and subscribe on Applepodcast. Spotify, wherever you
get your podcast. It helps usout a lot. And also you can
reach out to us on social media.
All of our links are listed downin the show notes. We try to
respond to every DM, everymention of the show, because
ultimately, we do the show foryou guys. So thank you so much
for listening. You.
Gib, hello and welcome to another episode of the
podcast. I'm Gib Gerard. Todaywe are featuring yet another
intelligence for your healthwith Connie Celica. Episode of
the show this week, our guest islongevity expert, Dr Cara
Fitzgerald, she's the author ofthe book younger you, so she'll
have all kinds of stuff thatwill help you slow your body's
aging process. So here, withoutfurther ado, is intelligence for
(00:31):
your health with Connie Celica,if you're anxious about what you
have on your plate tomorrow, getmore sleep tonight, according to
the experts at UC, Berkeley,increasing your sleep by turning
in a little earlier or sleepinga little later can reduce
anxiety. It works by decreasingactivity in the area of the
brain that heightens stress, theamygdala. So if you have a job
(00:53):
interview tomorrow, an exam oran important sales call, get a
little more sleep, and you'llfeel calmer and more in control.
If you want to sharpen yourthinking, start by sharpening
your sense of smell. Doing asmell tune up for two minutes
every day can quicken yourthinking more than playing brain
games. Here's how to do it,according to UC Berkeley
(01:17):
researchers, while you'rewaiting for water to boil or
something to heat up in themicrowave, take out four things
in your kitchen to sniff, likecacao powder, black tea, coffee
and cinnamon, then close youreyes and sniff each one, trying
to identify the scent that typeof smell training rewires neural
(01:38):
connections responsible forquick thinking. It's so
effective that the scientists atUC Berkeley say doing that for
two minutes a day can cut therisk of memory problems by up to
50% that's because our olfactorysense is closely linked to our
brain's memory center, andrepeated exposure to smells
(01:59):
stimulates the turnover of nervecells, while simultaneously
sharpening your brain power.
Just grab different things tosmell every couple of weeks to
keep your mind sharp. Coming up,we'll talk to anti aging expert,
Dr Cara Fitzgerald. She'll breakdown the impact exercise has on
(02:19):
the aging process from how anytype of exercise can slow aging
to how skipping a workout canspeed up the rate at which our
body ages. But first, if youfeel a headache coming on, put
an ice pack across the front ofyour throat. The University of
Hawaii says that reduces headpain for 77% of people in as
(02:41):
little as five minutes. It'sbecause cooling the blood that
flows through the neck into yourbrain acts as a powerful
painkiller. We've been told ittakes 21 days to form a new
habit. Well, when it comes todeveloping a consistent exercise
habit, plan to spend a littlelonger on it. Researchers from
(03:04):
Caltech and the universities ofChicago and Pennsylvania looked
at habit formation, and theydiscovered it takes up to six
months to establish an exercisehabit. The study also measured
how long it takes to develop ahand washing habit, and that
only took a few weeks for peopleto do it on a regular basis. In
(03:25):
other words, not all habits arecreated equal. So why does it
take so long for exercise tobecome part of a routine? In a
word, effort, the study followed30,000 people who swiped their
ID cards as they entered a gym,and the results showed that it
takes six months for people toestablish a consistent gym
(03:47):
routine, and one of the biggestfactors was if people went on
the same days of the week eachtime, 70% of the successful
study participants went to thegym on the same days each week,
And the longer the amount oftime between gym visits, the
less likely someone was to goback. So if you want to make
(04:07):
exercise a habit, go the samedays of the week every week,
that makes you far more likelyto stick with it. Okay, listen
to this. Only 12% of US wash ourhands before eating, even though
we know our hands are germy. Infact, even if we don't touch
anything after we get into arestaurant, our hands often have
(04:28):
hundreds of times more germsthan an escalator handrail,
which means the germs already onour hands are just as likely to
make us sick than anything wetouch in a restaurant. So
regardless of whether or not youtouch the bacteria riddled menu
or the ketchup bottle thathasn't been cleaned before you
eat. Please wash your hands,because our hands are in
(04:50):
constant contact with our mouthand with things we put in our
mouth, making them the fastestroute to illness. Today, our
guest is Lauren. Longevityexpert Dr Kara Fitzgerald, her
book younger you focuses onstrategies for helping us all
live longer and better lives.
And the good news is thatscientists have identified
(05:10):
several lifestyle factors thatcan help us age more slowly than
the average person. So I askedDr Fitzgerald to share the most
important anti aging lifestylehabits,
controlling our blood sugar,diet is a huge player. How much
we're eating, what we're eating,exercise. Exercise is an anti
(05:33):
aging elixir. We need to bemoving our bodies. Sufficient
sleep is essential for slowingbiological aging and meditation
doing something about stress.
Stress is gasoline on the fireof aging. It pushes it forward.
So if we can remedy our stress,if we can turn the volume down
(05:55):
on stress, we are slowing andeven reversing our biological
aging process.
Today, we're talking tolongevity scientist Dr Kara
Fitzgerald. She was just sayingthat getting regular exercise is
an anti aging elixir that'sproven to help us live longer.
So I asked her to explain moreabout why exercise is so
(06:18):
important and if there's aspecific type of exercise that
helps us age better than others.
So the research on thebeneficial effects of exercise
are just very far reaching. Theywill potently prevent the
diseases of age when we engagein any form of fitness, be it
resistance training, highintensity interval training,
(06:40):
cardiovascular training. All ofthese are beneficial, and then B
damage, the pro aging effect ofnot exercising is as stark and
powerful as the beneficialeffects of aging. So we need to
get out there and get movingnow. There is too much exercise,
(07:01):
and that can have a pro agingeffect. If you were an athlete,
if you were a competitiveathlete, I was a cyclist when I
was in medical school, and Ialways pushed it too far when I
was competing, at the end ofevery season, I would end up
with a case of sinusitis. We cansee this increased risk of
immunosuppression, of upperrespiratory infections and so
(07:23):
forth, and even a pro agingphenomena in people who are
overdoing it, like the ultramerit honor and things like
that. So in general, allexercise seems to be just
extremely beneficial, with theexception of no extremes.
If you're a woman who loves aspinach salad or some creamed
(07:44):
spinach, you are in luck,because no matter how you eat
it, even if it's pulverized in asmoothie, it reduces the risk of
ovarian cancer. That's accordingto the International Journal of
Cancer, that's because spinachcontains an antioxidant called
Camp for all that protects cellsfrom DNA damage that can trigger
(08:04):
cancerous mutations. And in a 14year study of 67,000 women,
those who consumed the mostcamphor, all were 40% less
likely to develop ovariancancer. Today's medical term
gastroparesis that refers to aslow stomach, meaning your
digestion and stomach emptyinghas slowed to a crawl. According
(08:29):
to gastrointestinal specialistDr Gerard Mullen, it normally
takes about four hours aftereating a meal for food to move
into the small intestine, butwith slow stomachs, digestion
takes much longer, or it maystop completely. Dr Mullen says
that usually happens if there'sa blockage somewhere, but for
(08:50):
one in 50 people, gastroparesisis a side effect of diabetes,
which damages the key nervebetween the brain and stomach,
called the vagus nerve. Whenthat happens, signals that
normally trigger digestion getdisrupted. So even if you just
ate a full meal, your brain maythink you're still hungry and
delay starting digestion. DrMullen says the main symptoms of
(09:13):
a slow stomach include extremefatigue and feeling full after
taking just a few bites of food,since your stomach may not have
room to store the food, that canalso cause bloating and
abdominal pain. So talk to yourdoctor if any of that sounds
familiar, because in most cases,you can take medication to get
(09:33):
your stomach moving again. Or DrMullins says, Try going for a
walk. Because generallyspeaking, the more we move, the
easier it is for things to movealong inside our body, and
that's today's medical termgastroparesis coming up. We'll
hear more from anti agingexpert, Dr Kara Fitzgerald,
author of the book younger you.
She'll answer this question whenit comes to vitamin D, what's
(09:56):
the best way to get more intoour system? System, is it
through our diet supplements ormore sun exposure, but first,
the keto diet could help fightcancer. Scientists in New York
found that high fat, low carb,ketogenic diets help starve
tumors of the glucose they needto grow. According to the
journal Cell Metabolism, theresearchers found that combining
(10:19):
the keto diet with drugs calledcorticosteroids, which reduce
inflammation, produced cancerfighting benefits. In studies on
mice, their tumors shrank andthey lived longer. The
scientists say keto causes toxicblood fats to kill cancer cells.
The experts are really hopefulthat this can be added to the
(10:39):
arsenal of anti cancertreatment. What's the best way
to speed recovery after anintense workout and reduce
soreness and stiffness the nextday, skip your usual hot shower
and take a so called recoveryshower instead. It's also being
called a contrast shower, and itrefers to switching from cold
(11:00):
water to hot and physicaltherapist Kristen main says it's
proven to help stimulate thecirculation of blood and oxygen
and speed up muscle repair.
Here's the science behind therecovery shower, first a cold
shower immediately after aworkout, reduces inflammation
and stiffness in muscles, jointsand tendons. It also reduces
(11:24):
after workout pain and soreness,just like icing and injury. Then
when you switch to hot water,physical therapist main says the
heat helps flush out the buildupof inflammatory cells, dead
cells and scar tissue, whichimproves the health of your
bones, joints and muscles. Thehot water also relaxes muscles,
(11:44):
improves mobility and reducesthe next day soreness and
stiffness. And here's the timingfor the process. You start with
a cold shower for two minutes,then slowly turn up the water
temperature from cold to hot,but not scalding. So you can
finish with a hot shower foranother two minutes, then repeat
(12:05):
the cold and hot cycle for fiveto 10 more minutes for optimal
recovery. Okay, listen to thisto recharge your brain. Take a
nap. A study in the journalGeneral Psychiatry found that
people who napped scored higheron tests of working memory,
attention span and problemsolving, that's because a nap
(12:25):
lowers inflammation, which inturn boosts your brain power
back with more healthintelligence from anti aging
expert Dr Kara Fitzgerald andmost people associate getting
older with growing moreforgetful and having a higher
risk for dementia, but a newstudy in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition says almostone in five cases of dementia
(12:47):
could be prevented if more of usjust got healthy levels of
vitamin D. So I asked DrFitzgerald how vitamin D
specifically plays a role inhelping us age better.
Vitamin D regulates so manyphysiological processes. It's
involved in so much in the body,it's not surprising that when
(13:09):
we're deficient there's farreaching Fallout, and so we know
people who are deficient invitamin D have increased risk of
dementia. They also have smallerbrains. So when they actually
measure total brain volume,vitamin D, depletion is is
(13:30):
associated with a lower totalbrain volume, whereas somebody
who is sufficient in Vitamin Dhas a larger brain volume. So
via a variety of mechanisms,regulating neuronal growth,
blunting inflammation, helpingwith calcium regulation,
(13:52):
enhancing immune response, justreally kind of far reaching
influences on brain health.
Vitamin D is just incrediblyimportant. And I want to point
out that in this country, mostof us are either insufficient or
frankly, vitamin D deficient. Soabout 40% of us have
(14:13):
insufficient vitamin D levels inour blood, and almost 30% of us
are, frankly, vitamin Ddeficient. So it's such an easy
nutrient for us to get enough ofand yet. So so so many of us
don't do itback with more health
intelligence from Dr KaraFitzgerald, anti aging expert
and author of younger you. Shewas just saying that at least a
(14:38):
third of North Americans aredeficient in vitamin D, even
though it's essential forhelping us stay healthy and live
longer. And we often hear thatone of the easiest ways to get
more D naturally is to justspend more time in the sun. But
surprisingly, Dr Fitzgerald sayssun exposure alone probably
won't provide. All the vitamin Dmost of us need. I don't
(15:03):
know that we can count on sunfor sufficient vitamin D
anymore. Unfortunately, a lot ofus are wearing sunscreen as we
should be. We need to be mindfulof damage from the sun rays. We
can go out and have some sunexposure early in the morning.
But is that adequate? The onlyway that we're going to go is if
we measure it in our blood. Myexperience in clinical practice
(15:27):
is that, yes, we want to getsome safe sun exposure without
question, but we have tosupplement, and most of us need
to actually supplement throughthe summertime. So I think those
days of thinking we can getadequate tea from the sun are
gone and that we really need tohave our levels measured
regularly, and most of us willsee that we need to be
supplementing.
(15:47):
So as you said, sun exposure isnot the best solution for
getting adequate amounts ofvitamin D in the body. But can
we get more through foodsources, or is supplementing the
only way to go?
I think that supplementing isthe easiest way to get
sufficient vitamin D. I mean,it's not an expensive nutrient.
It's just widely available. Youcan get it from food. If you
(16:11):
want to do a little bit of liverthere's vitamin D fortified nut
based milk. You know, regularcow's milk is vitamin D
fortified, so you can get it incertain foods, but you'd have to
pay attention to make sureyou're getting enough to keep
your levels high. I have to sayI'm pro food. I want to have a
(16:32):
food forward approach with mypatients, but vitamin D is one
of those exceptions. It's justeasier to take it. Do
we need to worry about germs inour backyard? Here's the answer
from microbiologist Dr PhilipTierno, author of the book The
Secret Life of germs. He says,unless you have pets that use it
as their bathroom, rollingaround in the grass is perfectly
(16:53):
safe. That's not to say youryard is free from bacteria. It
is loaded with it, but most ofit is not harmful to humans. The
germs aren't pathogenic, whichmeans they don't cause disease.
As a matter of fact, there's acommon bacterium found in garden
soil that increases our feelgood hormone levels, so after
(17:14):
gardening, you'll feel lessanxiety and have better
concentration. The onlyexception in the backyard is the
sandbox. Cats like to use themas a litter box, and kids can
pick up parasites. Moreintelligence for your health
from longevity scientist Dr KaraFitzgerald, if you'd like to
know more about her or her book,younger you check out younger
(17:37):
you program.com, and sincethere's been a lot of research
coming out lately on the healthbenefits of intermittent
fasting, I asked Dr Fitzgeraldif fasting has any influence on
how well we age or not.
I want to say that the researchon fasting is really quite
solid. It's very regenerative,restorative. It kicks in stem
(18:00):
cell production helping us torebuild it lowers blood sugar.
Of course, we lose weight. Itlowers blood pressure, increases
energy, helps with brain health,produces something called
ketones, which are antiinflammatory fuel for the body.
So via a variety of mechanisms,either a full fast or an
(18:21):
intermittent fasting structureis smart for us, but we want to
make sure we're doing what'sright for us, the individual.
And I think this is key, wehave, certainly in our clinical
practice, seen individualsbecome nutrient depleted because
they're fasting their selfprescribed fasting structure was
(18:43):
too intense. We've seen peoplemove into something we call
orthorexia, or which is a formof of disordered eating, because
they're restricting so severely.
So we want to make sure thatwe're doing something that's
sustainable and smart for us,and so I would, I would get
guidance in this arena,what's better for your health
than going for a walk, going fora walk with someone else? Over
(19:05):
40 separate studies confirmedthat people walking in groups
reduced their body mass indexand body fat. They also lowered
their blood pressure, restingheart rate and cholesterol. But
it's the social aspect thatreally makes a difference. Dr
Kylie ball is a professor ofexercise and nutrition Sciences
at Deakin University, and shesays seeing other people
(19:29):
engaging in exercise sends themessage that it's a positive and
socially desirable experience.
Also, compliance for groupfitness activities is as high as
98% where solo Fitness Plans arefollowed only 35% of the time.
And when we walk with others, wewalk longer and farther than we
(19:53):
do when we walk by ourselves,and we walk more often when we
walk with others. And in a studyby UCLA, one. We feel socially
supported, like by exercisingwith others, we have fewer food
cravings and are less likely toovereat. Here's an email I
received at Connie atintelligence for your
health.com. It comes from AmyOlson, who writes, I've always
(20:16):
felt like I have a lot ofearwax. What is normal? Amy, if
excess earwax is somethingyou've experienced your whole
life, it's probably normal foryou, because according to Dr
Maura cosetti, the director ofthe Ear Institute at Mount
Sinai, some people simply havemore earwax than others, and
here are a few reasons why.
First, some people geneticallyjust make more ear wax. It's an
(20:39):
inherited trait. Also, some skinconditions can cause people to
make more ear wax too, likeeczema and psoriasis, because
those skin conditions can alsooccur in the ear canal. And
older people tend to have moreear wax as we age, the outer
part of the ear canal where theear wax is made, starts to sag.
(21:00):
When that happens, ear wax canget trapped in the ear canal.
Finally, your ear buds couldplay a role. If you wear them
regularly, they could result ina larger amount of wax in your
ears because it gets trapped.
The same thing happens withhearing aids. However, if your
(21:20):
hearing is muffled, or you feela sense of itchiness or fullness
in the ear, you should see anear, nose and throat
professional to get thingschecked out. Thank you for your
email. Amy, I hope this helps.
Okay, listen to this. Only everargue for three minutes, that's
According to psychologist DrJohn Gottman from the University
(21:40):
of Washington. He says the mostimportant points in any argument
are brought up within the firstthree minutes. After that,
people start throwing in thingsthat are unrelated, or they
start repeating themselves, andusually at a higher volume. So
cap arguments at three minutesfor each person to express
themselves, then digest what'sbeen said and reconvene later to
(22:04):
come to a compromise. Healthfocused apps really do help us
lead healthier lives. That'saccording to new research from
the University of Washington,which analyzed more than 200
studies looking at the effect ofdifferent technologies on diet,
exercise, weight and tobacco andalcohol use, they found that
(22:24):
people who used health trackingand support apps were more
likely to eat better, exercisemore, quit smoking and engage in
other behaviors linked to healthand longevity. The apps that
were most effective were onesthat incorporated goal setting
and self monitoring, likelogging calories or miles
walked. Other features thathelped the most were forms of
(22:47):
communication, like gettingencouraging or motivational text
messages or being able to videochat with a counselor. If you
want to try a health focusedapp, the experts recommend
looking for ones that help youto set goals and make you
accountable for your behavior,by recording what you eat or how
many steps you take, moreintelligence for your health.
(23:08):
From longevity scientist Dr KaraFitzgerald, and in her book
younger you, she breaks down alist of quote gene whisperers,
which are foods proven toinfluence our DNA in a way that
helps slow down the agingprocess. And at the top of Dr
Fitzgerald's list of genewhispers is eggs. So I asked her
how eating more eggs could helpus live longer.
(23:35):
Eggs have a fairly importantbrain, liver, heart, sort of
total body nutrient in it,called choline. Choline is also
very essential for geneexpression, so it plays a key
role in supporting which genesare on and off. We don't make it
(23:57):
very efficiently so we are ableto make it in the body, but we
just don't do a good job. Andnot surprisingly, as we get
older, we make it less and lessefficiently, and so we need to
get it from our foods. And oneof the best, richest sources of
choline is found in eggs. We canalso get choline in mushrooms
(24:19):
like shiitake or enough key ormaitake, we can get choline in
soy, but I would suggest thatyou get organic forms of soy and
even fermented forms of soy, andwe can get a nice amount of
choline in liver.
That's it for our show today,our special intelligence for
your health with Connie Selig.
Edition of the podcast, I'm GibGerard, don't forget to rate
(24:40):
comment and subscribe on Applepodcast. Spotify, wherever you
get your podcast. It helps usout a lot. And also you can
reach out to us on social media.
All of our links are listed downin the show notes. We try to
respond to every DM, everymention of the show, because
ultimately, we do the show foryou guys. So thank you so much
for listening. You.
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