Healthy Aging

Blood Viscosity: The Unifying Parameter In Cardiovascular Disease Risk

By Ralph E. Holsworth, Jr., DO & Jonathan V. Wright, MD - Vol. 13, No. 1. , 2012

Increased blood viscosity is the only biological parameter that has been linked with all of the other major heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL, type-II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, age, and male gender. Until recently, technological limitations made it impractical for doctors to measure this key risk factor. Fortunately, that’s changing.

Putting PSA Testing in Perspective

By Erik Goldman

The recent Preventive Services Task Force draft recommendation against routine Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) screening has a lot of guys pissing vinegar, with some calling the new report “a death sentence.” More moderate voices call for recognition of the limits of PSA testing while cautioning against sweeping policy moves. Integrative Urologist Dr. Geo Espinosa sheds some light.

Is Herpes A Trigger for Alzheimer’s Disease?

By Erik Goldman - Vol. 12, No. 2. , 2011

An emerging line of research is implicating the herpes simplex virus and other infectious pathogens as underlying triggers for formation of β-amyloid plaques in the brain, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The possibility that there is an infectious component in the development of Alzheimer’s opens new possibilities for preventing and treating this devastating disorder.

Telomerase Activation, Inhibition of Cellular Aging Becomes a Clinical Reality

By August West - Vol. 12, No. 2. , 2011

Cellular longevity is governed by telomeres, the DNA caps on the ends of chromosomes. Telomere length is regulated by an enzyme called telomerase. When telomerase activity is high, so is telomere length, and this delays cellular senescence. Substances including Omega 3s, vitamin D and folate have been shown to slow telomere shortening, but until recently researchers had not found anything that could actually activate telomerase and lengthen short telomeres. That changed with the discovery of a unique compound within the root of the Astragalus plant.

Food Sources of Vitamin K

By John Neustadt, ND / Contributing Writer - Vol. 12, No. 1. , 2011

Phylloquinone, a naturally-occurring form of vitamin K, is found in several different types of foods.

Are We Inducing Osteoporosis?

By John Neustadt, ND / Contributing Writer - Vol. 12, No. 1. , 2011

Commonly used drugs like broad-spectrum antibiotics, oral corticosteroids, and anti-ulcer meds, have deleterious effects on bone, increasing the risk of osteoporotic fractures.