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The Human Longevity Project – Secrets of the World’s Healthiest People

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The Human Longevity Project is a first-of-it’s-kind 9 part online documentary filmed over 2 years, in over 50 locations, with over 90 expert interviews!

Join Health Researcher, Jason Prall, as he travels the world investigating why certain people live extraordinarily, healthy, happy and long lives.

Here is a trailer to inspire you to watch and learn and go on this amazing journey with Jason and the people he interviews:

With this documentary he wants to share that there are

  • populations all over the world that are virtually free of chronic disease
  • places where people typically live well into their 90s and 100s
  • ways to live a healthier, longer and happier life, using strategies that work for the oldest populations… free of fad diets and short-lived health trends.
  • ways to get clear on what naturally works to cure depression, anxiety, and overwhelm
  • new and proven ways to treat and prevent most epidemic diseases
  • tools to turn your mitochondria into a powerhouse for your body, so you get more energy and stamina throughout the day

Jason not only traveled the world to learn from these healthy populations, he interviewed leading researchers, doctors and experts to uncover the underlying mechanisms that afforded them such long, healthy and happy lives.

The results are stunning and scenery is superb!

(It’s truly magnificent and I’ve only seen snippets! It takes me back to my late 20s when I backpacked through Europe and lived like the locals did, eating amazing local food, explored beautiful Greece and Turkey and met incredible people!)

What’s wonderful is that you can now learn the secrets of the world’s healthiest people, and how to apply their wisdom to your modern life.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from just a few of the amazing speakers:

Yes to having a sense of purpose – a sense of purpose is the only one thing you need! Purpose is SO important and Deanna Minich, PhD shares why on The Human Longevity Project.

Do you have a sense of purpose? And how has it helped you heal and live a fuller life?

I know that quitting my computer job over 15 years ago and going back to school to become a nutritionist was the best thing I ever did! Helping others finding nutritional solutions for their anxiety symptoms is so incredibly rewarding. It’s my purpose in life – that’s for sure! I actually consider my own anxiety and panic attacks a gift now – a gift that led me to what I do today!

I love this quote from Preston Smiles:

It’s not the happy people who are grateful, it’s the grateful people who are happy

And don’t you just love his name and lovely smile too!? So much wisdom!

And wisdom from 68-year old Cristina in Costa Rica – go barefoot and walk on the ground to raise our defenses and build immunity.

Ayako, from Japan, is 83 years old and she says this:

The most important thing is balance in your way of eating, sleeping and work. If there is an imbalance you will get sick

I hope you feel as excited about this as I do! You can register for The Human Longevity Project here

Enjoy every beautiful minute of it!

Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health and may contribute to unresolved anxiety, SIBO, oxalate issues and high cortisol

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A new paper by Martin Pall, Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health, states the following:

Repeated Wi-Fi studies show that Wi-Fi causes oxidative stress, sperm/testicular damage, neuropsychiatric effects including EEG changes, apoptosis, cellular DNA damage, endocrine changes, and calcium overload.

He states that EMF effects are often cumulative, EMFs may impact young people more than adults and that voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) activation plays a role in all seven effects:

Each of these seven is also produced by downstream effects of the main action of such EMFs, voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) activation.

Peroxynitrite is a very powerful oxidant leading to major oxidative stress in the body and his landmark VGCC paper covers how peroxynitrite is created:

EMF activation of VGCCs leads to rapid elevation of intracellular Ca2+ [calcium ions], nitric oxide and in some cases at least, peroxynitrite

I’m studying the human threats of Wi-Fi and EMFs in the practitioner ElectrosmogRx course being taught by Nick Pineault, so the timing of this new paper is excellent.  Nick’s course is highly recommended too.

I’ll have much more to share once the course is over but this is just some of what I’ve learned so far about the biological impacts of EMFs (other than what is mentioned in the above new paper by Martin Pall):

  • A contribution to mitochrondrial dysfunction
  • Increased inflammation
  • Glutathione depletion
  • Glutamate excitotoxicty
  • Break down of the blood brain barrier and other barriers like the gut
  • Melatonin depletion

And much more – all of which have major implications for mental health (and other health conditions too of course).

My speculations about chronic anxiety, insomnia, benzodiazepine issues, SIBO and oxalate issues

Based on the above and making some extrapolations from the research I am speculating that EMF overload may play a role in the following situations in some susceptible individuals:

  • Why some individuals have chronic high cortisol and yet nutritional support for the adrenals offers minimal help? And why some individuals continue to experience anxiety and insomnia (due in part to high cortisol and/or low melatonin) despite making all the root cause changes to diet, addressing gut health and addressing nutritional deficiencies? Or why ongoing nutrient support is needed despite following a healthy lifestyle?
  • Why some individuals on benzodiazepines have such a difficult time with tolerance, physical dependence and tapering, and even continue to experience adverse effects long after their last dose. This is based on extrapolations from research showing “Chronic benzodiazepine administration potentiates high voltage-activated calcium currents in hippocampal CA1 neurons”
  • Why so many have issues with dietary oxalates (found in nuts, wheat, leafy greens like spinach, strawberries, eggplant, kiwi fruit and other healthy vegetables and fruits) leading to increased anxiety and pain. I’m just starting to look at all the research – here is one paper that discusses the effects of electromagnetic radiation on the rat kidney: “kidney tissue is extremely sensitive to oxidative damage since it is one of the organs involving intense oxidation processes”
  • Why we are seeing such an increase in SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and why are there so many individuals who cannot resolve their chronic SIBO.  I’m still looking for some research linking EMFs and SIBO and/or IBS but Nick writes about this in his book. Is the high use of the cell phone for texting and communicating on social media playing a role since you hold your phone on your lap right by your belly? I did find this interesting research: could oxalate issues be contributing to chronic SIBO?

If you can relate to any of the above and you are now wondering if your Wi-Fi exposure could be playing a role, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Please share your situation and symptoms and your current Wi-Fi and EMF exposure i.e. what are you being exposed to and for how long each day are you using various devices.

How to start mitigating your EMF exposure

I’ll be sharing more in the next few weeks, connecting some of the dots, digging into the research and sharing all the steps you can take to mitigate your EMF exposure. Here are some tips to get you started right now:

  • No electric blanket or clock radio next to your bed
  • Never have your cell phone on in a moving car (you can use Google maps with your cell phone on airplane mode – just do the search first and then put your phone on airplane mode)
  • Always have your cell phone on airplane mode at night (it’s even better to switch it off completely) and when carrying it in your bag or on your person
  • Never hold your cell phone to your ear – only ever speak on your cell phone using the speaker or use a hollow-tube headset
  • Stop texting/reading social media with your phone on your lap (it’s right by your belly and may be affecting your microbiome)
  • Do not allow children to use your cell phone or iPad or similar smart device unless they are on airplane mode.
  • Remove Wi-Fi from your home or at least (for starters) switch it off at night
  • Get rid of your wireless “toys” like wireless keyboard and mouse (I really didn’t want to get rid of mine)
  • Work on your laptop via an external wired keyboard and work on battery mode (charging it when you’re not working)
  • Get rid of cordless phones and get a corded phone

Nicolas Pineault is an investigative journalist and is the author of “The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs” (my Amazon link). He is an expert on EMFs and his book is a wealth of knowledge.

I’d love to hear your level of awareness and concerns about the risks of EMFs? And what you currently do to reduce the risk for you and your family? And have you noticed any improvements in health or strange symptoms?

Or are you not concerned?

If you’re a practitioner is this something you discuss with your clients or patients? Have you observed they respond better to your recommendations and heal more quickly?

An “omnivore” like diet or Paleo diet is associated with reduced anxiety and depression

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A new study published last month, Do patterns of nutrient intake predict self-reported anxiety, depression and psychological distress in adults? SEPAHAN study, reports that

An “omnivore” like diet high in amino acids, cobalamin, zinc, phosphorus, saturated fat, cholesterol and pantothenic acid is associated with reduced psychological disorders.

This was a cross-sectional study, meaning it was a type of observational study design where the outcome and the exposures in the study participants are measured at the same time. The aim was to find an association (rather than causal relationship) between patterns of nutrients intake and psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression.

The study authors had 3846 Iranian adults between 18 and 55 of age complete questionnaires in order to assess their diets and nutrient patterns, as well as psychological factors including anxiety, depression, and overall health in general. This group comprised 1712 males and 2134 females.

The study results

After calculating the daily intakes of 57 nutrients (including individual amino acids,

starch, dietary fiber, simple sugars, different fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive substances), 3 nutrient patterns were identified:

1) the “omnivore” pattern

high in individual amino acids, cobalamin, zinc, phosphorus, saturated fatty acids, cholesterol and pantothenic acid

in both women and men, with pyridoxine (vitamin B6) high in men only

2) the “grains and dairy” pattern

high in thiamin, folate, selenium, iron, starch, maltose, betaine, calcium, riboflavin, and niacin

and low in the following

mono-unsaturated fats, vitamin E and polyunsaturated fats

3) “fruits and vegetables” pattern

high in copper, vitamin C, glucose, fructose, potassium, dietary fiber, sucrose, vitamin A, magnesium and vitamin K.

These are the associations that were observed after adjusting for confounding factors:

  • Men in the top tertile of the omnivore nutrient pattern had lower anxietyand depression scores than those in the bottom tertile
  • Women in the top tertile of the omnivore nutrient pattern had better overall poor health scores than those in the bottom tertile and had lower odds of psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression.

This type of diet is also referred to as a Paleo or cave-man type of diet. Even though this study was only showing associations and not a cause-and-effect, it’s still very encouraging to see new research in the field of nutritional psychiatry, further supporting the results we see in clinical practice.

What are the mechanisms?

The high amino acids provide the building blocks for the production of our feel-good neurotransmitters such as serotonin, GABA, dopamine and endorphins, with zinc being a key co-factor for making these brain chemicals. The authors share some of the mechanisms for the association in the discussion section of the paper:

Dietary protein intake and also individual amino acid status have been linked to psychological status in previously published studies. For instance, methionine in the form of S-adenosyl-L-methionine, tryptophan and serine were inversely associated to depression. Lysine, arginine, beta-alanine, tryptophan and tyrosine have been shown to have anxiolytic effects. As amino acids are important precursors for neurotransmitters; they might affect psychological condition. Important neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are made from amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan, respectively.

Pantothenic acid is a B vitamin that is key for stress and adrenal health. Low levels of B12 or cobalamin can be associated with both anxiety and depression, as well as fatigue. Both zinc and B12 are common deficiencies, and more so in vegetarian and vegan diets. The authors discuss some possible zinc mechanisms:

  • zinc has antidepressant-like activities such as up-regulation of the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene
  • zinc is an antagonist of the glutamate/N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor

Seeing saturated fat and high cholesterol mentioned in favorable terms in a study – both of which are needed for a healthy brain and for good blood sugar control – is always exciting. The authors discuss these possible mechanisms:

low serum total cholesterol may increase the risk of depression and suicide attempts. It is hypothesized that low cholesterol intake might cause a depressed central serotonergic activity which in turn leads to depression.

Here is my addition to the discussion: in our interview on a prior Anxiety Summit, Dr. Kurt Woeller and I discuss the link between low cholesterol and low oxytocin and the role this plays in anxiety, social bonding and depression.

One area I’m a little confused about is the findings on pyridoxine (vitamin B6). They report it was high only in men in the omnivore group, and not in women. As they report, vitamin B6 is also a key co-factor in the serotonin-tryptophan pathway and we know it’s important for alleviating anxiety- related PMS symptoms in women. It’s mentioned in the concluding paragraph for playing a role in the association for both men and women and yet it is not mentioned in the abstract. I’ll report back as I find out more.

Here are some actual real-life results from someone eating this way

I blogged about anxiety and depression success stories on Paleo and grain free diets around this time last year. I shared Andrea’s feedback about her diet-mood results with a grain-free and high fat diet:

I happened upon a fat loss diet that had me cut out grains, most dairy, and sugar while focusing on mostly meat, fish, fats from nature such as butter, olive, and coconut oils. Nuts, seeds, and legumes were allowed too. These rules made it so I had to avoid processed foods. There was one day a week of eating anything.

Within 6 weeks I was shocked that I got much much more than fat loss. My depression, anxiety, mood swings, sleep issues and all but one pesky health symptom disappeared. I was stronger, faster, and felt energy I never remember having.

Have you found benefits with an omnivore or Paleo diet? Less anxiety and depression? Better overall health? More energy? Better sleep?

If you’re a practitioner have you found this approach works with your clients/patients?

Label GMOs for the safety of food for our families and children

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There is an initiative in CA to label products that contain GMO (Generically Modified Organisms) ingredients. Label GMOs is a great site for everything you need to know and the Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/labelgmos

“Help ensure the safety of food for California families and children. Let’s get labeling of genetically modified foods on the Ballot for 2012.”

“Because this is a California Ballot Initiative, we need in-person, physical signatures. We cannot gather online and have until April 22nd to gather 800,000 signatures to get this on the 2012 California Ballot.”

I think these statements say it all:

“We Currently Eat Genetically Engineered Food, But Don’t Know It”

“GMO Corn is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as an Insecticide” – wow! I did not know this!

“Today, as much as 86% of corn in the U.S. is GMO” so if you’re eating processed foods you are eating GMO ingredients.

“also potatoes altered with bacteria genes, “super” pigs altered with human growth genes, tomatoes altered with fish genes, and fish altered with cattle growth genes”

You can read more from Label GMOs here and I know you’ll want your food to be labeled.

The Millions Against Monsanto Facebook group is growing by the day and has some great resources for learning about GMOs   Millions Against Monsanto. It’s an open group so feel free to join and learn and comment.

This was a pretty sad and poorly researched GMO article in the Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/19/4272670/label-this-one-do-not-touch.html

But good to see how many people are not putting up with poor reporting like this! One good thing is understanding how the uninformed think.

You can read some of my earlier posts on GMOs, where I talk about why GMOs are unhealthy and also labeling of GMO salmon in California last year.  At this stage we just don’t know enough about the possible long term consequences to our physical and mental health.