LIVING WITH COVID

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Covid-19 will be with us for a very long time but the medical profession has unintentionally demonstrated what doesn’t work in combating it: lockdowns.  With Covid variants periodically arising, the best strategy suggests itself:  do everything to strengthen your immune system, including getting the vaccine and boosters, so that whatever virus attacks you, you’re prepared.  Also, wash your hands frequently, especially before every meal.  If you get Covid, there are effective therapeutics (treatments) readily available. The State with the lowest number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths is Florida…and Florida has no lockdowns and no mandated vaccinations, only voluntary.

Vaccination provides a personal benefit…it prevents you from dying from Covid.  It does not provide a public benefit…it does not prevent the vaccinated from spreading Covid (contrary to the BS you might have heard from politicians). Therefore, it should be an individual’s choice as to whether or not to be vaccinated. Deaths from the Flu are lower than deaths from Covid but Covid’s newest variant, Omicron, is very mild so far, so why all of the hysteria?  It’s way past the time to put Covid in perspective.

The unproductive and unnecessary government-mandated lockdowns have destroyed many businesses and lives.  Countries (like Sweden) and States (like South Dakota, Florida, etc.) that have not locked down are doing very well. If lockdowns, masks, and social distancing actually worked, the Pandemic would have been over by now.  Journalists, politicians, and physicians ask everyone to “follow the science”.  If everyone actually followed the science, they wouldn’t believe anything they hear about Covid from journalists, politicians, and politically- motivated doctors and agencies.

Instead, they would see to what other countries have done and the Covid studies they conducted.  In addition, natural immunity which one gets upon becoming infected with Covid, is not even being considered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) though it is far more long-lasting and protective than immunity conferred by the vaccine.  Most other countries do consider natural immunity. Anyone with significant managerial experience would weigh the risks versus the benefits of each potential action to combat the virus.  Obviously, this was not done by the medical community.

HOW I STRENGTHENED MY IMMUNE SYSTEM

I’m not a physician but I do follow the (real) science and I keep my immune system so strong that when I contracted the virus before I was vaccinated, I had symptoms for only 2 days (though I was 78 years old at the time).  I took daily 7,000 IU of Vitamin D, 1,000 mg Vitamin C, and after symptoms appeared I also took daily one baby aspirin, Pepsid, a Zinc lozenge, and Elderberry extract.  Everything I took for Covid was in addition to my other everyday supplements like a multi-vitamin/mineral capsule, magnesium, calcium, fish oil, quercetin, etc.

Good luck!

LOOK 20 YEARS YOUNGER

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As one ages, the body loses muscle mass and becomes frail.  This natural phenomenon is called sarcopenia.  It can be dramatically slowed or even reversed with the four basics of good health: 1) adequate amounts of high-quality protein, mostly with food (eggs, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, beans, nuts, whey powders), 2) movement (walking, exercise, cleaning, gardening, etc.), 3) adequate amounts of quality sleep, and 4) nutritional supplements (daily vitamin, resveratrol, calcium, magnesium, fish oil, 5,000 IU vitamin D, sublingual vitamin B-12, CoQ10, blueberry extract).

As you age, your skin dries, wrinkles, and thins and this makes you look old.  Two practices I learned of and used for an entire year to fully work was taking 1000 mg fish oil capsules/day and bathing only with Dove soap, plus avoiding bad habits like smoking and sunbathing, both of which wrinkle your skin. You can’t change your genetics but you can change enough of the four basics to good health to significantly delay, reverse, and possibly avoid Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases of aging.  The following explains the four basics:

  1. FOOD: Chicken and fish are the only meats that don’t significantly raise your risk of death each year.  Processed meats cured with nitrites (lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, etc.) also significantly raise the risk of death.  Eat nine vegetables and fruits daily, but no potatoes, no sugared fruits, and only stone ground whole wheat bread. Use no or very little sugar or artificial-sugar-sweetened beverages.  Instead, use the natural sweetener, stevia, in your coffee or tea.  Only use extra virgin olive oil from California since 80% of imported olive oils sold in the U.S. are adulterated with cheaper oils.  Avoid partially-hydrogenated margerine as well as high-fructose corn syrup (found in non-dairy coffee creamer).
  2. EXERCISE: Aside from food, exercise is the next most important factor determining good health, both cardio and weights. If you can’t be bothered with these, then walking 30-minutes/day for 5 days each week is the next best thing.  Try walking at a moderate pace and every  5-minutes or so try stepping up the speed for a minute.
  3. SLEEP: Most adults need seven hours of sleep/night for optimum health.  Many people, however, suffer from obstructive or even central sleep apneas. If you snore, you may have sleep apneas.  I’ve tried C-PAP (continuous positive airflow pressure), Bi-PAP, and V-PAP since 1991 after an overnight sleep study showed that I had 59 arousals every hour of sleep.  I therefore now use (after 4 more sleep studies) a VPAP (variable positive airflow pressure) every night.  Sleep apneas cause wrinkles and fine lines around eyes as well as making your gut protrude, increase your chances of Alzheimer’s, etc.
  4. SUPPLEMENTS: a half-century ago there was very little research on nutritional supplements, and most health claims were therefore B.S.; today there is a ton of research (testimonials are not research) thanks to Life Extension Foundation-funded research, as well as  LEF’s monitoring and reporting of research from around the world.  Since many people have limited funds, you need to know the few essential supplements everyone should take daily: 1)multi-vitamin-mineral; 2)calcium; 3)magnesium; 4)fish oil; 5)vitamin B-12 lozenge; 6)5,000 IU vitamin D; 7)CoQ10; 8) Resveratrol; 9)blueberry extract.  Avoid most herbal supplements.

Your face reflects your overall heath.  While many are not too concerned about health benefits, most do want to look their best.  Hair dye will make you look a lot younger, however actions taken to improve your health will make you look your best.  Follow the four basics I cited above and you will look great.  Be sure to take fish oil supplements and use Dove soap and give it a full year to work its magic.  I’m 80 but am told I look 60 or younger so I know it works.

CHILDHOOD SEX-CHANGE SURGERY IS CHILD ABUSE

A very small percentage of the population say they prefer being the opposite sex.  If an adult wants this and is able to pay the costs for doing it, so be it.  However, there are some children who think they really should be the opposite sex and their parents and/or teachers agree and want to support the child in this endeavor.  I believe that this is a very bad idea simply because, up until puberty (about 13-years old), children are almost gender-neutral.  They become a man or woman when their sex hormones rev up at puberty.  Up until then, plus a few more years for mental maturity (18-21 years old), children do not have the experience to know what they want. I worked with a total of about 500 boys as a Scout leader for 7 years and then as a camp counselor five years and therefore I know something about children.

Most of those who undergo transgender surgery eventually return to their biological gender, often with missing parts of their anatomy and lifelong regret. So what’s behind today’s push to Transgenderism?  Specifically, why do some politicians, school administrators, and children’s hospitals, as well as many others actually encourage it?  So who are the culprits behind knowingly destroying children’s lives through pre-maturely advocating sex-change surgeries?

Absent hard evidence, which of course there will never be in this matter, all I can do is speculate.  My conjecture, however, is seasoned with over 60 years of following politics, reading, watching, listening, voting for both major political parties as well as listening to subject-matter experts: children’s hospitals, some surgeons, physicians and pharmaceutical companies have a vested financial interest in Transgender hormone treatments and surgeries.  Childhood sex-change is currently a multi-billion dollar industry and projected to grow rapidly.  Please note, however, that many public school administrators, counselors and teachers are true believers in this insanity.

Finally, it is my firm belief is that the political Left has helped create another niche group and is cultivating it in order to have it vote for its political candidates.  The Democrat Party of the past would not do such a thing knowing some of its negative consequences.  However, today’s Democrat Party is controlled by the woke far-left, which has very different values than classic liberals that believed in free speech, civil rights for all,  was anti-war, etc.

Legislation is needed to prohibit childhood sex-change surgery.

 

PREVENTING ALZHEIMER’S, PARKINSON’S, ALS, DEMENTIA, ETC. (audio interview)

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I interviewed Dr. Michael Smith [25-minute audio can be heard by clicking on the blue “play” icon  at the bottom of the final paragraph in this post on my blog, mikerussoexpose.com.].  The scientific literature shows that certain lifestyle choices and nutritional supplements can help delay and even prevent  Alzheimer’s, so I asked a medical doctor, who’s knowledgeable on the latest research in this area, what he thinks.  

UPDATE SINCE MY INTERVIEW WITH DR. SMITH: 1) according to a CAIDE (Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia) study, coffee given to mice, equivalent to 5 cups of coffee a day by a person, gives  65% less risk of getting Alzheimer’s,  2) scientific research conducted at MIT developed and tested Magnesium L-Threonate which allegedly doubles long-term memory and increases short-term memory by 20% by increasing the density in the synapses between brain cells;  3) a supplement called PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) has been researched and allegedly found to foster the growth of new brain cells, something that had been thought to be impossible; 4) researchers have found that people who ate the most strawberries or blueberries delayed the onset of Alzheimer’s by 2 1/2 years; 5) to keep the brain from shrinking as you age, high-dose DHA (a transfatty acid in fish oil) or walking 6-9 miles/week are both effective; 6) methylene blue has been found to slow the progression of Alzhemier’s by 81% (and also is effective for Parkinson’s and Huntington’s); 7) there is promising research on reversing Alzheimer’s by an FDA-approved cancer drug, Bexarotene,  which reversed Alzheimer’s in 2 weeks in mice (note that a physician can prescribe a FDA-approved drug for any medical problem if s/he can justify its use); 8) taurine, an amino acid, has been  shown to promote the formation of new brain cells and enhance their connections (neurites) in laboratory studies; 9) Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (A-GPC), a B-vitamin, is a precursor to the fat that is in brain cells’ myelin sheaths which cover and protect the connections between brain cells,  and is required to repair them (their deterioration leads to dementia); 10) follow the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) to slow the rate of cognitive decline and protect against Alzheimer’s; 11) follow as much as possible the 36-point plan from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, especially by eliminating all simple carbohydrates and processed food, increasing vegetables, fruit, fish, sleep and exercise, taking daily vitamin D3, B-12 under the tongue lozenges, and Coenzyme Q10; 12) according to the Life Extension Foundation, its supplement, “Memory Protect,” which contains very low-dose Lithium and a colostrum-derived proline-rich polypeptide, has been shown in both animal and human studies to halt Alzheimer’s progression; 13) Vigra reduces the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s by 69% according to Dr. Marc Siegel on Fox News on 8/19/22, who cited a recent Harvard study; 14) the new anti-amyloid antibody drug, Leqembi, slows cognitive decline by 26%; 15) follow the Alzheimer’s Risk Reduction Program Daniel G. Amen, M.D.’s book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life; 16) according to a study presented at the American Society of Nutrition’s NUTRITION 2023 annual meeting (as reported in the January 2024 magazine, Life Extension), just over a half-teaspoon olive oil/day lowers risk of dementia by 28%; 17) according to the August 2023 Neurology magazine (reported in the January 2024 magazine, Life Extension),proton pump inhibitors (heartburn meds like Nexium and Omeprazole), after 4.4 years of use, was associated with a 33% increased risk of dementia later in life; and 18) according to a Harvard study published in the January 2022 issue of The American Journal of Clinical of Nutrition, “Compared with eating carbohydrates, eating protein was associated with lower odds of developing cognitive decline….”

In addition to the above, I take Life Extension Foundation’s (LEF) supplement, Cognitex Elite, because it contains ingredients shown to significantly improve brain function, such as Phosphatidylserine, Sage Extract, and blueberry extract; and I also take 3,000 mg fish oil/day because the EPA and DHA fatty acids it contains improves brain function and reduces inflammation; 

My interviewee, Dr. Michael Smith, a medical doctor (MD) with specialties in internal medicine and radiology, and currently serves as the clinical information specialist with the Life Extension Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to researching and disseminating information on preventing diseases and medical disorders.  In this interview he discusses preventing neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, and mild cognitive impairment.   He received his MD from Southwest Medical Center at the University of Texas in Dallas and has been with The Life Extension Foundation for 8 years.

In my interview with Dr. Smith, various nutritional supplements and lifestyle choices are discussed as ways of helping prevent the onset of neurological disorders. You will hear about how nerve cell structure is the focus of prevention, not function, which traditional medicine focuses on.  Also, hear about the benefits of phosphatidylserine, phosphoryl choline, coenzyme Q10, vitamin B-12 under-the-tongue lozenges, vitamin D3, fish oil, R Lipoic Acid, etc.  Also discussed are lifestyle choices such as your cookware, some baking powders, and more.

Neurological disorders are so devastating that all avenues must be pursued since traditional medicine has no cures; therefore prevention has become especially important.  If you have any neurological disorders in your family, listening to this audio should be helpful.  Click on the blue link below and then the hyperlink under it.

I’m not a physician.

Michael Smith-Preventing Neurological Audio

Interview by Mike Russo

DID GOVERNMENTS PROLONG THE COVID PANDEMIC?

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Ending the Covid-19 Pandemic was not only important for everyone’s health, but also for every nation’s economy to normalize.  From the beginning of the pandemic most governments around the world made poor decisions that resulted in the pandemic lasting many years.  They did this by misusing the authority governments are granted during emergencies. Most, but not all, had good intentions.  Because the Pandemic was caused by a novel (new) virus, and authorities and scientists therefore didn’t know how to properly handle it, the early miss-steps by governments were completely understandable.  However,  many later studies provided in-depth information that suggested the best policies to pursue to deal with the virus.  Since I’m an American who has followed U.S politics since 1960, I’ll restrict my analysis to America.

Americans were told that “lockdowns” of businesses were necessary to slow the spread of Covid.  Many States and Cities did this which resulted in hundreds of thousands of small businesses and restaurants going out of business and millions of Americans losing their jobs.  Most public schools were also locked down resulting in many millions of school children missing over a year of in-person learning.  Americans were forced to endure other hardships including even low-risk children and young adults wearing masks and proven therapeutics which were scandalized and denigrated.  I contend that most of these actions were politically-motivated, did little or nothing to combat the Pandemic, and even made the situation worse than it would have otherwise been.

Some of these actions have been uncovered and are widely acknowledged, like New York governor Cuomo’s directive that had elderly  nursery-home residents hospitalized for Covid  returned to their nursery homes (which led to widespread Covid deaths in nursery homes). Many bad actions by governments have not yet been uncovered but are suspected with much justification.  For example, each month over 200,000 migrants illegally cross our southern border, almost none being tested for Covid-19 or vaccinated. To me this indicates how the Biden Administration really felt about controlling the virus.  I believe, as do many Americans, that it wanted to prolong  Covid-fear until the 2024 Presidential election so that there would be  justification again for unsolicited ballots being blanket-mailed, allowing similar unprecedented election fraud that occurred in the 2020 Presidential election.

What should governments have done to overcome the virus and get back to normal?  With many Covid studies now completed, as well as the results in from countries around the world, it has become much clearer what path should have been taken and what path should be followed now. One of the relevant facts are from an Israeli study that shows that the natural immunity one gets from having had the virus is 27 times more effective than vaccine immunity.  In addition, natural immunity stops a person from being infectious to others, which the vaccine does not.  Finally, while vaccine immunity begins to wane after 3-6 months, natural immunity lasts much longer.  Other relevant facts come from countries, such as Sweden, and States such as South Dakota and Florida, that did not lock down.

Today, countries and States that rode out the virus without imposing lockdowns are doing much better than States like New York and California, with their non-mandated-state economies are booming.  Very high doses of Vitamin D strengthened my immunity to the extent that my Covid lasted  only 2 days.  For those who got sicker, therapeutics like Regeneron and Ivermectin were very effective in curing Covid, and even more therapeutics are now being widely used.  With the Pandemic over, Covid should be treated like one more illness that can make you ill and even kill you. Vaccinations should be encouraged but not mandated.  Governments, hopefully will follow the science next time.

The author of this post, Mike Russo, is not a physician but does have a Masters degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, including  a course in research methods.  Moreover, he has taken Masters-level courses in program analysis and evaluation, and law from George Washington University.

 

WHAT YOUR DOCTOR DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT STAYING HEALTHY

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What you don’t know can hurt you, especially in the field of medicine. But in the words of a cousin-in-law physician, “doctors are healers, not teachers.” In fact, there’s a lot of information necessary for the maintenance or restoration of your health that you need to know, especially as you age… and you probably won’t hear it from your doctor unless you know enough to ask him or her very specific questions and then only if your doctor is up to speed on whatever it is you want to know. The average length of a doctor visit is 11 minutes… doctors simply don’t have the time to meet at length with patients.

What qualifies me to write on this subject? I’ve had 34 surgeries and a huge array of medical problems in my 80 years, and I come from a large family who collectively has had a lot of experience with the medical establishment.  Moreover, since my first brain tumor surgery in 1969, I’ve read lots of medical literature and tried to keep up with the latest developments in medicine, health and nutrition that many physicians simply don’t have the time to follow.  Finally, I took 37 credits of biological sciences in undergraduate school so I understand, to a large extent, how the human body works.  One of my physicians once told me, “You’re the healthiest-looking sick person I’ve ever seen,” so I must be doing something right.

The following is my list of ten health tips which I believe should add at least 10-plus healthy years to your expected lifespan.  Of course there’s no guarantees in life but your likelihood for achieving much better health should be vastly improved,  The ten are: 1) choose the best health insurance you can afford, 2) eat a healthy diet, 3) exercise, 4) get adequate sleep, 5) maintain good relations with family and friends, 6) take dietary supplements and herbals, 7) get tested, 8) take responsibility for your health, 9) get effective medical treatment, and 10) keep up with the latest in health, medicine and nutrition. Continue reading

BENEFITS OF VITAMIN D, RESVERATROL, POMEGRANATE JUICE, DARK CHOCOLATE, GREEN AND BLACK TEA AND TESTOSTERONE (audio interview)

I decided to interview Dr. Smith (25-minute audio: click on the blue “play” icon at the bottom of this introduction to hear it.  Although there is some information about these foods and supplements, you don’t hear much from the medical profession…and the research I’ve seen suggests significant and substantial improvements to health and a reduction in medical disorders from them. Therefore, I wanted hear from a medical researcher and MD what the real benefits are.

The interview revolves around the research findings on vitamin D, resveratrol, pomegranate juice, dark chocolate, green and black teas, and testosterone.  Dr. Michael Smith is a medical doctor with specialties in radiology and internal medicine, and currently serves as the clinical information specialist with “The Life Extension Foundation” (LEF.org), a non-profit organization devoted to researching and disseminating information on preventing disease and medical disorders. Dr. Smith has been with The Life Extension Foundation for many years. He received his MD degree from the Southwest Medical Center at the University of Texas in Dallas.  In the interview, Dr. Smith makes it very clear that the only way to accurately determine: 1. The appropriate amount of vitamin D to take for optimum health (5-8,000 International Units), 2. What percentage of cocoa solids your dark chocolate should have for optimum benefits (70%), 3. How much green tea you need to drink each day (unless you take a green tea supplement…18 cups), black tea…the new green tea, 4. The benefits to the heart and prostate from pomegranate juice,  5. The benefits of proper levels of testosterone and how to obtain a physician who will prescribe testosterone for you (LEF Health Advisers will help you find a doctor in your area). To listen to this interview, please click on the following blue “play” button. Michael-Smith-LifeExt-Reversatol-DarkChoc-Tea-Testosterone Interview by Mike Russo.

A DIET FOR LIFE

THE PROBLEM WITH MOST DIETS

Have you ever lost weight but later gained it all back?  Do you care what you eat and drink affect your health and appearance?  Ninety-five percent of dieters regain all of the weight they lose in a diet!

In 1993 the Denver Post reported on a study of 1,532 autopsies of teenagers and young adults who died from trauma in a dozen cities.  Early heart disease was found in the coronary arteries of half while 100% of the teens had fatty patches in their hearts’ aorta, the body’s and the heart’s main artery.  In addition, a 1988 Harris poll conducted for Prevention magazine showed that 64% of U.S. adults were overweight.

Being obese, according to Prevention’s Giant Book of Health Facts, substantially increases the risk of colon, prostate, breast cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and many other illnesses.

MY CREDENTIALS ON LOSING WEIGHT AND DIETING

What do I know about diets to be advising anyone on losing weight?  My first diet dates back to 1969 just after I had a large brain tumor removed.  During recuperation from my surgery, my wife cooked my favorite foods and fed me well to the extent that I became heavy at 210 pounds, which for me was a lot.  To lose weight I checked out all of the known diets at the time, which all seemed unhealthy to me…and any weight lost would be almost guaranteed to be gained back, like most dieters experience.  So over the years I decided to create my own diet, based on the lowest-calorie foods of my favorites.  To be successful, my diet had to lead to permanent weight loss as well as being healthy.

CREATING A DIET 

It seemed to me that diets failed to result in long-term weight loss because the foods they were restricted to were foods that people did not particularly like.  Consequently, as soon as the desired amount of weight was lost, a dieter would return to his/her old eating habits and this would inevitably lead to gaining all of the lost weight back.  This phenomenon needs to be taken into account if your goal is permanent weight loss.  Keeping this in mind, a workable diet would use, to the extent possible, smaller portions of the dieter’s favorite foods but keeping high-calorie forbidden and restricted foods to an absolute minimum.  For my personalized diet, I looked up the caloric content of all of my favorite foods and concentrated on eating low-calorie foods, which were basically fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and 1% milkfat milk and yogurt. I also concentrated on nutrient-dense, non-starchy foods so I avoided potatoes, rice, white bread, pasta, etc.  Finally, I weighed myself every morning but also used a full-length mirror to check daily how my body looked.

For information on good nutrition, I started by reading a book called, Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Nutrition but were Afraid to Ask, by David Reuben, M.D.  I also read about a dozen diet books, including Dr. Robert Atkins’ books on his ultra-low carbohydrate diet and Dr. Barry Sears’ diet books on “The Zone,”  which is based of Nobel prize-winning research.  Recently, I’ve been following the “Intermittent Diet” where I fast from after dinner to lunch the following day.

For health reasons, I only used extra-virgin olive oil, used the no-calorie natural sweetener, Stevia, in place of sugar to the extent possible, avoided all foods made with partially-hydrogenated oils (trans-fatty acids), and also avoided foods with high fructose corn syrup.  In other words, I used no coffee creamer,  but did use only whole milk to whiten coffee.  In addition, I only used mustard (13 cals./tbs) instead of mayonaise (100 cals./tbs) on sandwiches.

I limited eating meat and ate mostly chicken, fish, and grass-fed lean beef.  Since I love animals, I even tried being a vegetarian for an entire year, eating beans , eggs, milk, and tofu as my main sources of protein. Finally, I walked and exercised at home every day in order to change my “set point” and therefore burn more calories every hour, even while resting.

 THE RESULTS

Using variations of my diet from age 25 to age 79 I was able to maintain my normal weight.  However, beginning at age 70 it became much more difficult for me to maintain a normal weight due to Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X.  To counter this was difficult but possible…I used exercise and walking every day, a very low-carbohydrate (modified Atkins diet), low-calorie, smaller meals, green tea extract supplements, resveratrol supplements, and fish oil supplements.  I even used Metformin, a prescription drug for diabetics and pre-diabetics since I was pre-diabetic.  Finally, I tried many diets over the past 50 years, including the newer diets, Paleo and Keto, but quickly quit the last two after my research found them to be unhealthy.  The most recent very effective diet I tried was one of the variations of the “Intermittent Diet”… I only ate during daylight hours.

FINAL & MOST IMPORTANT WORD 

You don’t need much willpower to lose weight…you simply need to create an environment where you will lose weight no matter what!  Specifically, remove all high-calorie and unhealthy snacks from your home so that, when you want to snack, your choices are limited to natural applesauce, hummus, celery, carrots, pickles, refried beans with corn chips, etc.  No ice cream or pizza in the freezer, no cookies, cakes, pies, chips or pretzels in your house  or apartment.  When you eat at a restaurant, don’t go overboard…and no desert.  Do all of this and you will lose weight.  If you have Metabolic Syndrome, you need to go on a modified Atkins diet (Atkins diet, but using only healthy fats, fish and meats, plus eat beans so you will consume a little more carbohydrate than Atkins allows).  Follow my recommendations for a lifetime and you’ll be thin for a lifetime (and you should add years to your expected lifespan).  Good luck!

COVID-19 & VITAMIN-D: HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED? (audio interview)

Michael Smith, MD

Vitamin D is becoming the superstar in drastically reducing the chances of dying from the Coronavirus.  According to the Life Extension Foundation, deaths from all causes are less with adequate Vitamin D supplementation (2-5,000 IU/day), however Indonesia actually studied the issue with 772 volunteers, about half of whom had normal blood levels of vitamin D (over 30 nanograms), 213 with insufficient levels (21-29 nanograms), and 179 with deficient levels (under 20 nanograms) and found that nearly 99% of the D-deficient participants died.  The study has some questionable research design but it’s still noteworthy.  Incidentally, I got Covid-19 while having extremely high Vitamin D blood levels and was sick for only two days.  Learn about the many benefits of Vitamin D in the audio interview I conducted with Dr. Smith back in 2011 (see below).

Dr. Michael Smith is a medical doctor with specialties in radiology and internal medicine, and, at the time of our interview, served as the clinical information specialist with The Life Extension Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to researching and disseminating information on preventing disease and medical disorders.

If you listen to the interview with Dr. Smith of the Life Extension Foundation, you will have the opportunity to learn about:

1. Why do you should take vitamin D and how much?…
2. Why and how much and what type of fish oil you should take…
3. The importance of vitamin K2 to your heart, arteries and bones and where you can get adequate amounts.
4. The value of Co-Enzyme Q10 and the type to take…

To listen to my 26-minute interview with Dr. Michael Smith, please click the blue Link  below.

Michael Smith – Vitamin Audio

Interview by Mike Russo.

CONTROLLING HEARTBURN

Acid Reflux, heartburn, GERD…many names for stomach acid creeping up past a weakened lower esophageal sphincter (LES) into the esophagus and burning it since the esophagus is not protected from stomach acid like the stomach.  Stopping heartburn is very important because chronic heartburn can lead to esophageal cancer, and a hiatal hernia causes my chronic heartburn.

For about six months I had a major case of heartburn which bothered me most of the time.  Since proton pump inhibitors  (Nexium, Protonix, etc.) and other acid- reducers have many bad side effects, like the stomach having too weak an acid environment to digest important nutrients like calcium and thus pose a significant increase in the risk of hip fractures due to the consequent osteoporosis, I only used them for the recommended two weeks at a time.  Proton pump inhibitors helped me greatly but after the recommended two weeks, my heartburn returned.  Then I only used Tums and other calcium carbonate chews to quickly reduce my stomach acid when I had stomach pain.

I am not a physician, but over the years I tried all of the well-known remedies such as: 1)avoiding greasy or fried, spicy and acidic foods, 2) placing 6″- high blocks of wood under the  head-of-my-bed supports, 3) not eating for a few hours before going to bed, 4) not wearing tight fitting belts or pants, 5) not lying down flat after eating, 6) not drinking coffee or eating chocolate, but if I really craved it, just having a cup or two a day of coffee or an ounce or so of chocolate/day, maintaining healthy weight, eating smaller but more frequent meals, avoiding alcohol, and stopping smoking.

I tried all of these remedies at once, and still do, and although it helped during the daytime, it didn’t make any difference while I was sleeping (when it’s easier for stomach acid to flow up the esophagus).  So what else was out there other than medications that could allow me to get 5-7 hours of sleep?  After searching around, I eventually read that cabbage juice was effective, so I tried eating about 1/5 can of sauerkraut every night about an hour or so before I went to bed.  To my pleasant surprise, I was able to sleep straight through to 7 am instead of my usual 2-4 am, because my heartburn did not flare up with pain at its usual time.  Over the days, weeks and months I continued my bedtime sauerkraut snack-cure to the extent that my heartburn completely disappeared.  Today my heartburn is usually but I still eat sauerkraut at bedtime whenever I have a flare-up.  Sauerkraut works.  Try it!  There’s nothing to lose (except your heartburn).

OBAMACARE EQUALS NO HEALTH INSURANCE (unless it’s subsidized)

A very useful guide though a little outdated

When Joe Biden became our next president on November 3, 2020, Obamacare continued to be America’s healthcare system.  In June of 2023 it remains in effect.  As of 2022, approximately 35 million Americans were coved by Obamacare-supported medical insurance coverage.  Therefore, Americans need to know something about it.

Without subsidies, Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unaffordable for most people.  Because it is so bad, many looked to President Trump to repeal and replace it with something much better and much less expensive.  Because employers were not required to provide heath insurance for part-time workers, most new jobs employers created  in the U.S. under Obamacare were part-time.

I’ve been a supporter of universal healthcare since the year 2000 and, although I did not vote for President Obama in 2008 and 2012, I was hopeful that he would make good-healthcare-for-all a reality.  It did not cross my mind that Obama would promulgate legislation that would destroy healthcare for many more Americans than it might help.  It also did not occur to me that healthcare premiums for the unsubsidized would double, triple, or even quadruple because of Obamacare…and that deductibles would be as expensive as four to twelve thousand dollars/year and co-pays double for the unsubsidized what they had been pre-Obamacare…and that all of these consequences combined would have the cumulative effect of destroying healthcare for tens of millions Americans.

Let’s give the creators of Obamacare the benefit of the doubt and assume that their hearts were in the right place, and that the passage of the ACA was not simply an attempt of government takeover of 1/6 of the U.S. economy (with healthcare).  The Affordable Care Act demonstrated that it was not affordable and was pitiful health insurance…it was poorly and incompetently designed and executed.  It reminds me of  the homily that “an elephant is a mouse designed by committee,” but in the case of the ACA, it was designed by one political party in Congress.

But wasn’t Obamacare  designed to be like Romney-care, which was passed by Mitt Romney when he was a Republican governor of Massachusetts?  That’s what politicians said to justify Obamacare, but that’s not true.  Romney-care only affected about  8% of the Massachusetts population.  Obamacare affected everyone except those exempted by the President. Romney-care did not have penalties or mandates that Obamacare did until it was repealed by President Trump in his tax-rate-cuts law. The very few good aspects of Obamacare, pre-existing conditions and coverage by parents’ insurance until age 26, could  have been simply added in new health insurance Federal legislation.

Although Obamacare  is clearly very bad and expensive health insurance, except for those receiving significant subsidies or exemptions,  the U.S. may be stuck with it. The reason is totally political.  One sixth of the economy is healthcare.  The ACA or “Obamacare” is a politician’s dream come true but the average American’s nightmare.  With thousands of dollars required for deductibles before reimbursement by insurance companies kicks in, Obamacare for most ends up basically being only catastrophic health-care insurance, which is important and necessary, but not something one should pay a lot of money for.

An opportunity for Obamacare to be either repealed and replaced came with the 2016 Presidential election.  Only if Republicans controlled the Presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives could Obamacare be replaced with healthcare that was affordable and truly cared about people.  Legislation failed in 2017 because of Senator John McCain, who promised to vote for a Bill in the Senate to overturn it and then, last minute without informing anyone in advance, did not vote to overturn it.

WHEAT BELLY, GRAIN BRAIN

I just read two books on  wheat’s very bad effects on everyone’s health: Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, M.D. and Wheat Belly by William Davis, M.D.

Many are familiar with the medical condition called Celiac Sprue, which is a condition of the gastrointestinal tract that is extremely sensitive to wheat gluten to the extent that it could eventually even kill someone with that condition.  However, both Wheat Belly and Grain Brain are much broader in their scope than Celiac Sprue and cite research and studies showing how modern-day high-yield dwarf wheat, which was developed and began being used in the 1970’s, is very bad for everyone.

Grain Brain focuses on the adverse effects of wheat on the brain.  I was especially interested in the huge reduction in the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s if one stops eating all wheat products (e.g., bread, pasta, pizza, cake, cookies, pies, wheat breakfast cereals, etc.).  In addition to Alzheimer’s, there’s a number of other neurological disorders that wheat increases the likelihood of.

Wheat Belly, on the other hand, focuses on the accumulation of visceral fat around mid-sections, that increase the incidence of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, accelerated aging, etc.  It also looks at how high-carbohydrate foods, in addition to simply wheat, are really bad for your health.

Some mitigating actions come to my mind, such as only eating gluten-free wheat products.  However, gluten-free adds new problems, such as eating simple high-carbohydrate food without any protein, much fiber and greatly reduced vitamins and minerals.  Also, since high-yield dwarf wheat was developed and became very widespread in the 70’s and is especially bad for health, eating earlier forms of wheat are less harmful for your health.