Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones (51 page)

When you take those things into your body, you’re taking in organization and integrity, which then traps oxidation. We can only live without food for a couple of weeks at most. We can go without water for maybe a day or two, but it is oxygen that is our key nutrient. Proper management of oxygen is the key to longevity.

SS:
Thus
oxygenation!

PS:
The beauty of the herbs that are in Zyflamend is that they are all very powerful free radical scavengers, all of them. Zyflamend delivers green tea also, which is a wonderful food, and virtually every research study that comes out indicates that populations that consume the largest amounts of green tea are the ones that have the best overall health. To me, the World Health Organization kind of said it all when they listed Japan as being the number one country in the world with healthy life expectancy.

One of the other herbs we included in the formulation is rosemary. A number of years ago, I was formulating a bar. To make the bar the most stable, the bar formulators told me I had to add one-tenth of 1 percent of a rosemary extract. I said, “My God, that’s such a small amount! It will really have that kind of effect on a bar? It’s going to give me an extra six months shelf life on the bar and it’s not going to degrade?” Then it came to me: Shouldn’t rosemary be able to do it for a human body as well?

I looked at Rutgers and other prestigious universities that were doing research on rosemary, and I found that it does have self-protective effects that are quite profound.

Again, the right chosen herbs can have profound antioxygen effects. And, Suzanne, the whole inflammation process is at the root of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. All of these diseases have at their root oxidative stress, which is poorly managed utilization of oxygen. The beauty of these herbs is that they help the body manage oxygen so it doesn’t cause these premature aging processes.

SS:
Fantastic.

PS:
Columbia University is constantly doing research, and so is MD Anderson on cancer. They’re finding dramatic effects at normalizing cell growth in terms of reminding cells what their missions are. A cell that loses its genetic integrity, by nature, should commit suicide in a process called apoptosis. However, when the body’s systems lose some of their intelligence, cells lose this genetic programming to commit suicide. Instead, they undergo rapid and uncontrolled cellular growth, which we call cancer. The way to correct that is to infuse the cells and remind the cells of their innate intelligence.

The beauty of herbs like ginger, turmeric, green tea, and rosemary, which are in Zyflamend, is that they remind cells when they’re not behaving themselves to undergo apoptosis.

Here is something amazing to hear: Keep in mind that MD Anderson is one of the leading facilities in the world in drug development for cancer treatment. The lead researcher there, Bob Newman, said that we pretty much are done with drug development. We’ve done everything that we can do. We’ve come up with the best chemicals that we can think of to kill cancer cells. We’re done, it’s over. The future of drug development is going to be in polypharmaceutical herbal development.

Newman says that we consider a drug for cancer to be effective if it can extend life by three months. Very few people talk about the quality of those three months. But people who are just flat-out brilliant say they have no doubt that herbs are the future. In the five thousand years that people have been using turmeric or ginger or green tea, how many fatalities have been reported from people taking too much turmeric? How sick do people get? So they get a little diarrhea or they have a little stomach upset. But their hair is not falling out, and they’re not dying from the treatment. This is very exciting. The beauty of it is that you’re seeing these very brilliant, different types of minds at work here, beginning to see the light of herbal medicine. It’s just very, very promising.

SS:
Which takes us to the reishi mushroom.

PS:
Yes, it’s almost mystical in nature. It is the number one medicine in traditional Chinese medical practice. This mushroom has been referred to as the mushroom of immortality. It contains constituents that lower cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, and boost the immune system by countering viruses and bacteria. There are hundreds of references on the immunologically active effects of the reishi mushroom. It works on virtually every system of the body.

SS:
Is reishi mushroom something you buy in a capsule form?

PS:
You can buy it in a capsule or in extract form. I was initially attracted to it because of its reputed effects on the nervous system. It strengthens memory and sharpens concentration. Interestingly, it was given to the Taoist monks of China to calm the mind and improve the
value of meditation. To me, anything that I could use that could safely and effectively get me out of what is referred to as my “monkey mind” was very attractive to me.

SS:
What’s interesting to me about the supplements and herbs you’ve chosen if you were stranded on a desert island is that vitamin C isn’t there. Nor are some of the newer ones like phosphatidylcholine. Where do you place those other supplements in terms of importance? Also, Alan and I take about thirty supplements a day. Do we take too many?

PS:
Those are good questions. I try to apply common sense as much as I can. What I am enthusiastic about are herbal supplements because they’re plants, foods that you should be able to get from your diet. If you were left with plant-based, herb-based supplements, you would probably be the healthiest.

Ultimately, I believe when our bodies come down with an infection, it’s that the energy systems of the body just need a recalibration. I’m kind of a strange person with regard to coming down with flus or colds or whatever. I really believe they are a good thing, as long as they are happening not more than two or three times a year. I really do believe it’s the way the body tunes itself up. One of the most important things the body can do to heal itself is to go through a periodic cleansing like that.

My dad was a physician and fifty-nine years old when he passed away. He used to be so excited that in ten years he’d never had an infection. I really believe he would have been better off had he had a number of infections. Infections can help fortify your immune system.

SS:
Because of the inflammation?

PS:
Yes. This issue reminds me of what Hippocrates used to say: “Give me a fever and I’ll cure any disease.” Once your body temperature gets raised, your immune system goes into a hyperactive wonderful mode. All those white blood cells start gobbling up anything that shouldn’t be there. If you ever look at somebody after they go through a good fever, they look wonderful. Drinking fluids is very important when you’re feverish. It helps you keep flushing.

SS:
I was saying to my husband, Alan, the other day that he has a built-in health barometer in his head. He’s an old soul, you know. He
has always consumed enormous amounts of blueberries and enormous amounts of pomegranate juice and fruits. He eats lots of nuts, raw nuts, cashews, and almonds. He’s always munching on things. It’s interesting how he naturally gravitates to all that is proving to be so beneficial. When it’s blueberry season, he’ll just eat them by the case. So in a way, he listens to his body and what his body is asking for, and he goes and gets it.

PS:
In some ways, Suzanne, I believe that people like yourself are facilitating, whether you’re aware of this or not; you are part of a mission of humanity. You’re part of a voice of consciousness for the better part of humanity. And you are …

SS:
Using up energy.

PS:
You are using up energy but you’re also doing what you’re called to do. You don’t have to do this.

SS:
Well, thank you. It’s a privilege to deliver this information.

PS:
When you’re out in the world, your body is under enormous demand, and you have to breathe polluted air; more and more research is showing that polluted air ages you quite rapidly. Unless you use the appropriate measures, even though your mind is in wonderful shape, your body will show the wear and tear of the pollution.

SS:
One last thing: I find what you’re doing in your company so interesting. I find its values are in the right place. As someone who started this company, what was your mission? What were you trying to accomplish?

PS:
Our company slogan at New Chapter is “Delivering the Wisdom of Nature.” This is based upon our very deep belief that for every disease, there is a plant or a remedy that the divine force has offered.

SS:
Thank you, Paul.

PAUL SCHULICK’S TOP FIVE ANTIAGING RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The eight best supplements to take for health and antiaging are selenium, rhodiola, cinnamon, coenzyme Q10, omega-3 fats, LycoPom (a formulation of lycopene, pomegranate, and cinnamon),
Zyflamend (a formulation that is a combination of ginger, turmeric, green tea, and rosemary) and reishi mushroom.

2. Omega-3 fats are important in the diet because they help prevent heart disease, block inflammation, fight weight gain, and alleviate depression. You can obtain these healthful fats from fish, fish oil supplements, omega-3-rich eggs, flax, and walnuts.

3. Pomegranate juice is among the best foods in terms of antioxidant content. A good practice is to drink one eight-ounce glass a day, or you can take supplements containing pomegranate extract.

4. Green tea is also high in antioxidants and beneficial compounds. Virtually every research study that comes out indicates that populations that consume the largest amounts of green tea are the ones that have the best overall health.

5. Herbs like ginger, turmeric, green tea, and rosemary help protect cells and make it possible to normalize cell growth to protect against cancer, which is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.

CHAPTER 28
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. R
ON
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OTHENBERG:
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UMAN
G
ROWTH
H
ORMONE
, T
HYROID,
AND
M
ELATONIN

Dr. Ron Rothenberg is an antiaging specialist who has had several careers, from pediatrics to tropical medicine to emergency medicine and now full circle back to preventive medicine. Dr. Rothenberg was the tenth MD in the world to become fully board certified in antiaging medicine. He specializes in advanced preventive medicine, BHRT for men and women, and what has been called “the ultimate executive physical.” Over one-third of his patients are physicians, and he has educated more than twenty thousand physicians in hormone optimization and antiaging, preventive, and integrative medicine. He is the founder of the California HealthSpan Institute in Encinitas, California, and director of the Menopause Institute in La Jolla, California. He is a full clinical professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
.

SS:
How does a doctor go from the emergency room to antiaging medicine and the Menopause Institute?

RR:
The emergency room is a great place for a doctor to get experience in the entire world of medicine. We deal with everything. We’re not cardiothoracic surgeons, but if an emergency patient
comes in with a knife in his heart and needs to have his chest cracked and heart sutured, we’ll give it a try. It’s all about saving lives. I was one of the first doctors in the country to be board certified as an emergency medicine specialist. It is interesting that like antiaging medicine and bioidentical hormone replacement today, years ago the prevailing idea in the medical community was that emergency medicine was not necessary. Well, thirty years later concepts change, and emergency medicine is definitely mainstream. But after a while you have to leave the emergency room or it will kill you. The hours are so long and the stress so intense that at some point you have to make a change.

It was my own journey. I’m sixty now, but at about fifty-two or so I was starting to feel my age—just a gradual decline. I was doing okay, still surfing and practicing medicine. But everything from memory to body composition to libido was a little bit off. So I started looking into this on my own. At that time there were
Newsweek
articles on hormones and vitamins, but I still had the conventional doctor mind-set—oh, vitamins, expensive urine, ha-ha, what a big joke. Then I started reading the original medical literature to see what information there was that could make me healthier. I studied the benefits of limiting the high-glycemic-index carbohydrates and began a 40/30/30 Zone-type nutrition plan. I began to exercise regularly (surfing is great, but there are long spells with no waves) and combined resistance and aerobics. I began a regimen of vitamins and antioxidants. My hormone levels were measured, and when a deficiency was present, I began replacing my declining hormones with bioidentical ones. I began changing, mentally and physically. The other doctors in the hospital said, “What are you taking? We want some of that.” But it’s not just “taking a pill”—it’s a whole lifestyle based upon nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and supplements. From there, I developed an antiaging medical practice. It’s interesting that now about a third of my patients are physicians. And if you count nurses, vets, and other health care people, it’s about half.

SS:
What is the mission of your institute and your menopause clinic?

RR:
The mission of the California HealthSpan Institute is to provide ultimate state-of-the-art preventive and antiaging medicine. We
spend almost all day with a new patient designing customized plans of nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, vitamins and neutraceuticals, and bioidentical hormone replacement when needed in men and women. We continually fine-tune the programs based upon our patients’ needs and new medical research.