Sitting Kills, Moving Heals is the title of a book by exercise physiologist Dr. Joan Vernikos. Her argument—one that has been confirmed by other scientists in a new field called “inactivity physiology” is not that sitting is necessarily bad for us; just that we spend far too much time doing it. The real problem is inactivity. Or put another way, it’s the absence of moving against gravity in a variety of ways throughout the day. Moving in opposition to gravity stimulates certain cell functions we need to be healthy, and we need to move frequently throughout the day. An hour at the gym after work won’t cut it. Dr. Vernikos became an expert on the physiological effects of gravity while working with NASA, where she observed the health-damaging effects of weightlessness on astronauts. Living in a gravity-free environment, she says, accelerates the aging process by about ten times. Changes in muscle and bone and other detrimental physiological changes that ordinarily occur in one ye…

Taking showers can cause cancer! Twenty years ago the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed hot showers on their list of cancer sources. The main culprit was chlorine. Chlorine is a poisonous chemical, a bleaching agent. Sure, it does a great job of killing living things in our water, like bacteria and viruses. The problem is we’re living things too. Chlorine gas was used as a deadly weapon during World War I! Chlorine is a pro-oxidant that causes free radical damage in the body, a major factor in aging and in every kind of disease. Chlorine and its by-products have been linked with various forms of cancer, neurological issues, reproductive problems, heart disease (including atherosclerosis and hypertension), decreased immunity, allergies, hypothyroidism and lung problems. When you smell chlorine in your shower, it’s because it’s escaping into the air as chlorine gas. Since showers are usually poorly ventilated, chlorine gas concentrations can be quite high. In…

Your body is harboring a couple of potential saboteurs! The words saboteur and sabotage come from French mill workers who would throw their wooden shoes, called sabots, into the machinery at work to make it break down or halt as a form of protest. The two potential saboteurs threatening to break down your body are inflammation and oxidation. Both are body processes that are helpful under normal circumstances, but if they get out of control, watch out!  If they’re allowed to develop into chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, they become health saboteurs of the first order and play a major role in every chronic disease, in problems with energy, and in the aging process itself. Unfortunately, almost everyone today is being damaged by these saboteurs. This is how it happens. Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, irritation or infection.  Cutting your finger, for example, will initiate an inflammatory process that enlarges blood vessels (the reason…

Want to age slower and live longer? Back in 1976, Dr. Benjamin S. Frank, a medical doctor and PhD molecular biologist, published a best-selling book, Dr. Frank’s No-Aging Diet.  This book proposed a revolutionary way of looking at aging. Dr. Frank was a miracle worker.  It was reported that he could take anyone over the age of fifty and, in 3-4 weeks, have them looking 10-15 years younger, with much more energy, endurance, and aerobic capacity.  Over twenty years of meticulous research and record-keeping, Dr. Frank documented achieving many health building and rejuvenating effects in his patients, including significant increases in energy and oxygenation, enhanced immunity and cognitive performance, improved capacity to tolerate low and high temperatures, smoother skin and thicker hair. Although his intent was to build general health rather than to treat specific diseases, his approach improved acne, ALS, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, emphysema, glaucoma and po…

The strongest and most hard-working muscle in your body, your heart is also associated with vulnerability . . . and for good reason.  Powerhouse though it may be, the heart is living tissue that requires proper nourishment. A nutrient called coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is essential for keeping your heart strong and healthy. Yet it’s quite possible your CoQ10 levels are suboptimal, leading to a condition that underlies many heart problems called “energy-starved heart.” Every cell in your body contains hundreds of little energy factories called mitochondria. CoQ10 facilitates various chemical reactions in the mitochondria’s energy-producing process. Simply put, when you lack CoQ10, you lack energy. Your muscles, including your heart, may be ready, willing and able, but there’s just not enough fuel in the tank. Even minor deficiencies in CoQ10 can impair heart function and eventually damage the heart itself. CoQ10 plays yet another crucial role in cardiovascular health: Keeping…

Are “Signs of Aging” Sometimes Side Effects of Medications? Loss of appetite. Muscle weakness. Fatigue. Memory problems. Dizziness. Confusion. Increased risk of falls. These symptoms are often accepted as a normal part of aging—but growing evidence suggests that many are instead related to medication burden, especially in older adults. As people age, they tend to accumulate prescriptions. Each medication may be individually justified, yet together they can create a cascade of side effects that mimic or accelerate what we label as “aging.” When Medication Effects Are Mistaken for Aging A widely read guest essay on Scientific American by journalist Laura Newman highlighted this issue through a deeply personal lens. Newman’s article was prompted by the death of her 92-year-old mother, who had been prescribed a high-dose cholesterol-lowering medication despite her small body size. When she developed severe muscle weakness, it was initially dismissed as…

. . . or taking good care of your nerve cells?  Alzheimer's disease has become an epidemic. Many people today fear losing their mental capacity more than they fear having a heart attack or getting a cancer diagnosis. One in eight individuals aged 65 and under now has Alzheimer's. For those aged 85 and older, it's one in two! Bad as this is, if the epidemic continues to grow at its current rate, the number of people in the U.S. with Alzheimer's could triple by the year 2050! Though these odds are alarming, Alzheimer's is easy to prevent. In fact in healthy cultures in the past, it didn't exist. The risk factors for getting Alzheimer's are familiar to anyone who's read my books: poor diet, nutritional deficiency, toxins, stress, free radical damage, chronic inflammation, blood sugar disregulation and insulin resistance (from eating sugar and other refined carbohydrates), excess body weight, stress, not enough exercise, particular prescription drugs, excessive use of salt and dehydr…

We don’t fully understand the aging process. Some people believe that our cells are programmed to divide only so many times and then they stop. However, we do know that the a group of 30,000 people called the Hunzas who lived on the mountain peaks of the Himalayas, lived to be an average age of 120 without being sick a day in their lives. We recognize there is nothing that can be done about getting chronologically older, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to become biologically older. Raymond, at age 70+ has the arteries of a 30-year-old, and he hopes that at his next check-up he will have the arteries of a man younger than 30. Our mission at Beyond Health is about slowing down the aging process and staying healthy for life.…

Fish and flax oil are our two best sources of omega 3 fatty acids. The omega 3s are absolutely necessary for good health, and most Americans are deficient in them - a significant factor in our epidemic of chronic disease. However, a recent study offers a good reminder that these fats must be handled with care, as they are readily oxidized both outside and inside of the body. Excessive oxidation causes cell damage and aging. . . . it CAN, if taken without antioxidant protection!In this study, mice fed a daily diet containing 5% fish oil (the equivalent of about 4 tablespoons of cod liver oil on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet) demonstrated increased oxidative stress, which promoted aging and diminished their lifespan.Does this mean we should avoid fish oil? Absolutely not! It means that with high doses, it is very important to take the specific antioxidant vitamin E as well. One capsule for each 40 lbs. of body weight taken with breakfast is ample protection in most cases.Meanwhile, fla…

Gut HealthOne good thing about getting older is that we generally become more self-accepting, warts and all.  And if we’re getting a little paunchier in our mid-sections, in the broad scheme of things it’s just not the big deal it would have been in our greener years. Besides, as my good friend Alice says, “everybody’s fat now.” But cosmetic issues aside, gaining fat is an indication that our cells are in trouble. The fact that we’re hardly alone in this predicament doesn’t mean it’s not something to be concerned about. A spreading middle means we’re headed in the wrong direction—the direction of premature aging and chronic disease. Fat cells produce inflammatory chemicals, and chronic inflammation is a common denominator of chronic disease. Being overweight increases your risk of high blood sugar and is the single best predictor of developing type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar causes glycation—a “sugar-coating” of proteins, and since our bodies are made of protein, gly…

Authentic, traditionally crafted balsamic vinegar is more than a culinary luxury  it is a biologically active food containing organic acids, polyphenols, and fermentation-derived compounds that influence metabolism, mineral absorption, cardiovascular health, and cellular resilience. Below is a structured, science-guided summary of the documented physiological effects associated with vinegar consumption, with emphasis on traditionally aged balsamic varieties. 1. Metabolic Support Weight Management + Blood Sugar Regulation Key Mechanisms Mechanism Effect Acetic acid slows gastric emptying Reduces glucose spikes Improved insulin sensitivity Enhances metabolic control Triglyceride reduction Supports lipid metabolism Appetite regulation Helps caloric balance Clinical Findings Obese subjects consuming 1–2 tbsp vinegar daily for 12 weeks showed reductions in body weight visceral fat BMI waist circumference triglycerides Individuals taking vinegar…