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The Empowering Neurologist – David Perlmutter, MD, and Dr. James DiNicolantonio


Today we are going to review a new book, The Longevity Solution, written by Dr. James DiNicolantonio and Dr. Jason Fung. Much about this book can be learned from its subtitle: “Rediscovering Centuries Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life.” The point being that much of what this book describes was known by our ancestors, and it’s our job to unlearn what we’ve come to know about aging, and relearn this crucial ancient wisdom.

This fascinating book does a deep dive into the mechanisms that are involved in aging and then takes up some very interesting topics that are currently a part of our day-to-day discussions relating to aging, including the notion of fasting, the importance of understanding health implications of foods like like tea, red wine, and coffee, the controversial ideas of consuming dietary salt, why magnesium matters, what makes for a healthy versus unhealthy fat, and even explores Blue Zones, areas in the world in which there is extended lifespan.

So let me invite you to move on to our interview and learn more.

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Should We be Treating Hair Loss with Fecal Material?

Alopecia areata is a form of baldness that affects approximately 2% of people in the United States. In this condition, hair is lost from various parts of the body, typically the scalp. The actual cause of this condition is unknown, but new research clearly supports the idea that this disease is an autoimmune condition, meaning it is a manifestation of a disruption of the regulation of the immune system. There is certainly thought to be a genetic component as well.

Treatment for this condition is often unsuccessful, but includes medications designed to treat immune imbalance. This may include the use of steroids. Continue reading

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The Empowering Neurologist – David Perlmutter, MD and Dr. Joseph Mercola

Dr. Joe Mercola is my guest today on The Empowering Neurologist. He is a board-certified family physician who has treated over 25,000 patients from around the world. Dr. Mercola encourages and educates people about safe and inexpensive nutritional, lifestyle and exercise options to radically reduce their risk of dying prematurely from dangerous drugs and surgeries, as well as cancer and so many of our common and largely preventable degenerative conditions.

The topic of our discussion today is his new book, Fat For Fuel. It’s a powerfully user-friendly text that not only clarifies the rationale for powering the body with fat as opposed to sugar and carbs, but also walks the reader through the straightforward nuts and bolts as to how to implement this program and achieve better health.

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Low Glycemic Diet Slows Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a leading cause of visual loss in elderly Americans. Worldwide, it represents one of the most common causes of irreversible blindness. To putstatistics related to macular degeneration in perspective, consider that the number of people living with macular degeneration is similar to the number of people whohave been diagnosed with all types of invasive cancers. While as many as 11 million Americans have some sort of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), even more compelling is the fact that this number is predicted to reach 22 million by the year 2050.

It has been estimated that the global cost of visual in permit related AMD is somewhere in the neighborhood of $350 billion. And unfortunately as things stand at the present time there is no cure for the most common type of AMD. There are some approaches that perhaps may slow the progression, but again, we don’t yet have any approach that can turn things around. Continue reading

Re-energize with Carnitine

As we age, it’s almost expected that we will experience greater levels of physical fatigue, mental fatigue, muscular wasting, and even cognitive impairment. So what can be done? No doubt there is clear merit to the recommendations to stay both mentally engaged and physically active, and there is excellent scientific research to support these recommendations.

Much research is carried out in the area of the nutritional supplementation as it relates to these factors of aging. Certainly one of the most attractive nutritional supplements is carnitine as it is fundamentally important in the transport of fatty acid fuels to the energy producing parts of the cell called the mitochondria. So for energy production in, for example, muscles and in the brain, carnitine is a fundamental player. The bottom line is, whatever can be done to enhance mitochondrial function may very well enhance various performance parameters as we age.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers needed to identify individuals who were likely to be suffering from the effects of aging, including those issues described above. So they decided to look at a group of 66 individuals who were at least 100 years of age. The study, which was placebo-controlled and double blinded, had a control group receiving a placebo pill while the treatment group received carnitine, a nutritional supplement, 2 g daily. Continue reading