Anti-Aging… Since When Did “Aging” Become A Bad Thing?

A posh term these days is “anti-aging”. We see anti-aging terminology all over the place – in cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, prescription medications, etc. 

Since I’m well past forty, I feel like I’m qualified to speak my mind. I don’t agree with the term “anti-aging”. This term simply carries a connotation that there’s something wrong with growing older. Quite frankly, I feel like I’m just now coming into my prime. Age seems to bring with it a degree of benefit. 

I prefer the terms “Preventive-Aging” and “Longevity”. These convey a meaning of being empowered with the preventive measures necessary for living healthier for longer periods of time. Let me give you a quote that I recently read:

The gradual wasting away of the body over the course of decades is not a necessary or normal component of aging. 

Rather, it is the natural outcome from a lifetime of unenlightened lifestyle choices.

The Conclusion…

Through unhealthy choices you may actually function and be aging biologically at the same level 

as someone 15-20 years older!

So, here’s the golden question…

How can you be one of those people who function and age biologically at a level equivalent to someone who is many years younger than you?

At Term That Makes No Sense…

If I’m totally honest, I must inform you that we, as Americans, have potentially been fleeced. Over the past 8 years, politicians have led us to believe that there is such a thing as “Healthcare Reform”. Sadly, this is not true. The reality is that it’s not “Healthcare Reform”. Instead, it is “Sick Care Reform”. Let me explain…

• Exponential number of Americans today are turning 65 years old
• Nine fold increase in the cost of sick care of those over 65 – 85 years compared to those prior to age 65 years.
• More than 75 cents of every dollar spent in healthcare goes toward treating preventable sickness (ie, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, obesity)
• Most medical providers are trained to wait until patients are drowning before they throw them a life preserver…. this is, in essence, “downstream” medicine.

What if there was a way to hedge the risks?

There is a way. It’s called “Preventive-Aging & Longevity Care”. A specialist in this area is astute at designing a longevity plan that is custom tailored to fit individual needs. Lifestyle choice coaching & hormone rebalancing are just a couple of the techniques implemented to help achieve these goals.

At Matrix Wellness Solutions, we are specialists in Preventive-Aging & Longevity Care. If you or someone you know would benefit from a personalized longevity plan, contact us for details.

To Your Health,

Brian Brown

Researchers Claim 72 Is The New 30

Some top age-management and longevity researchers believe that 72 is the new 30. 

A recent German study showed that life expectancy has risen faster in the past 4 generations than it has in the history of mankind. In 1935, life expectancy was 65 now it's 78. At the turn of the 20th Century, the life expectancy was just over forty years of age. 

A lot of this has to do with the industrialization of our work force, which created safer work environments for the American worker; no long were people at risk on the farm. Another study reported that life expectancy has extended by three months every year since 1840 and that birth and that babies born today are 200 times less likely to die in the first couple of years of life. Researchers believe that the introduction of antibiotics and improved healthcare have attributed to the latter. 

Isn’t it great that we live in a time when we can boast of these things? 

Wouldn’t it be even greater if we could ensure that the days we have are the healthiest days possible? 

At Matrix, we truly view our bodies as living temples of God. As such, we do our best to maintain this temple and help others do the same thing. We do this by developing a specific “Life Plan” custom tailored to each individual’s needs. A life plan includes: 

• Lifestyle Coaching 
• Weight Management Coaching 
• Nutritional Coaching 
• Hormone Rebalancing 
• Fitness Coaching 

When we put all of these things together, we may not be able to extend our years beyond what God intended for us to live, but we sure can make the years that we have much more healthy and full. 

To Your Health, 

Brian Brown

Do Women Need Testosterone?

I thought That Was For Men 

If you or someone you know has dealt with menopause, then you’re probably familiar with the hormones Estrogen and Progesterone. These are the most commonly talked about hormones in menopause. There’s a good reason these are some of the most commonly talked about hormones in women. Estrogen and Progesterone are two of the hormones that truly make a woman feminine vs. masculine. They also regulate a woman’s natural cycle and make it possible to bare children. 

However, one of the most overlooked hormones in menopause is Testosterone. That’s right… Testosterone. Most women that I talk to don’t even realize that they have this hormone, yet it’s just as vital as Estrogen and Progesterone when it comes to menopausal health. 

Testosterone in women is important in the following ways: 

• Improving well-being 
• Improving energy 
• Improving strength and endurance 
• Improving body composition 
• By decreasing visceral fat (fat around the middle) 
• By increasing muscle mass 
• Improving bone density 
• Improving sexual function (libido) 
• Improving metabolism 
• Improving hot flashes 
• Improving mood 
• Improving vascular headaches 
• Increasing collagen 
• Increasing skin thickness 
• Improving skin texture 
• Decreasing wrinkles 
• Decreasing cellulite 

Aside from the benefits mentioned above, there are known benefits in preventing heart disease. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (2002) noted that, “Carotid artherosclerosis was significantly lowest for women in the highest quartile of total testosterone compared with those in the lowest quartile”. In layman’s terms, this means that healthy levels of testosterone, in the upper 25% of the range, have significant benefits in lowering heart disease risk, specifically arterial blockages. 

As a general rule-of-thumb, if you have the opposite of the benefits mentioned above, you are likely deficient in testosterone. A simple blood test can confirm whether or not this is the case. If you suspect this is the case with you, ask for help to determine if you are a candidate for biologically identical testosterone replacement therapy. 

To Your Health, 

Brian Brown

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

How Is Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Different Than Conventional Hormone Therapy? 

The meaning of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is two-fold. 

On one hand, it’s meaning is derived from the natural substances from where it derives. For example, BHRT compounds are usually created from plant sources such as soybeans and wild yams; occasionally, these soybean and wild yam extracts will be synthesized, but only to make them more closely mirror the chemical structure as your own hormones. These substances more closely replicate human hormones in the body than Conventional Hormone Therapy (CHT) do. In many cases, CHT such as synthetic estrogen is derived from synthesizing compounds from horse by-products (ie, estrogen is synthesized from pregnant mare’s urine & contains numerous extra estrogens that the human body cannot process). 

Secondly, BHRT refers to the flexibility of dosing for the clinician. Because of the clinician’s ability to specifically compound the hormone exactly to a client’s individual needs, BHRT more closely replicates the biological states in the body. 

SAFETY 

BHRT and CHT differ greatly in their safety profile. In recent years, there have been two large studies – Million Women Study In the UK and US Women’s Health Initiative Trial -- that have shown the link between CHT and breast cancer, endometrial cancer, & ovarian cancer. Other studies have shown lack of benefit for preventing Alzheimer’s and have shown increased risk of heart disease and stroke. 

Allow me to interject a provocative thought: If puberty brings with it very high hormonal surges, then why don’t we see the incidences of female cancer, heart disease, and stroke increase during this time? This leaves us with the conclusion that there’s something significantly wrong with CHT. In the studies mentioned above, Progestin (on the market as Provera) was the culprit for increases the cancer risks and not conferring vascular protection. 

If you were to look at the research completed for BHRT, you would not find the same risks. One study (Hargrove et. al.; An alternative method of hormone replacement therapy using the natural sex steroids. Infert Repro Med Clin N Am. 1995;) demonstrated that BHRT reproduced identical benefits of synthetics with better outcomes and fewer side effects; because of this, BHRT improved patient compliance. Progesterone (do not confuse with Progestin/Provera) was shown to always be cancer and cardiac protective. 

What can I do about this? 

Trust me when I say that this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more to treating hormone imbalances than meets the eye, but when done right, can give a person protection against numerous age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Stroke, & Cancer. It will also likely help you feel more youthful and energetic, like you did in your 20’s. Each person’s treatment is customized to his or her own individual needs. The first step is to get a proper consultation and lab work. From there, a plan can be developed to get back in balance.

What Your Primary Care May Not Know About Your Thyroid May Hurt You

This past week, I accidentally recorded the Fox News Channel’s show, Sunday Housecall. Just as I was about to delete it from my DVR list, the show’s description caught my eye. One of the lead segments was on thyroid health. Out of curiosity, I decided to watch the recording. 

Dr. David Samadi made the following statement: “Your doctor may say that your thyroid hormones are normal, but they could be a low normal, not optimal enough. So, you may have to have a conversation (with your Primary Care Provider) and boost it toward the higher normal.” 

I see this all the time with our clients at Matrix Wellness Solutions. Sub-clinical hypothyroidism, as Dr. Samadi is referring to, is more common than one might think. It’s also one of the most overlooked disorders of aging. Now, don’t get me wrong. When I speak of “aging” in the last statement, I’m referring to anyone over 30 years of age. Few people realize that from age 30 to 50 years our thyroid hormone declines about 20-30% -- decline measured as decreased production, decreased conversion, decreased sensitivity, or a combination of these. It may still be in the normal range, but it’s definitely NOT optimal. 

Treating thyroid hormone to “optimal” levels is one of the most beneficial things we can do in medicine. It only takes a slightly different approach and mindset, but the benefits are numerous: weight loss, blood sugar regulation, osteoporosis prevention, mental clarity, short-term memory improvement, mood enhancement, and the list goes on. 

I’ve included the link to the Sunday Housecall segment, so you can check it out for yourself. 

Enjoy… 

Watch Video Here:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2186625153001/

If Protein Is “King”, How Much Do I Need?

Most people don’t realize that, as we age, our demand for protein grows. Problematically, as we age, we generally consume less protein. As such, our body’s defenses become weaker which makes us more susceptible to diseases and illnesses. Additionally, without the right amount of protein, we also struggle to maintain healthy blood sugar and insulin control, we feel hungry more often, and we struggle to regulate our weight. 

Sadly, most Americans consume a larger proportion of carbohydrates vs. proteins in their daily diet. This imbalance only accelerates the problems mentioned above and sets us up for failure with regard to our health. Another longstanding trend is to reduce fat intake. While there’s nothing wrong with reducing saturated fats in our diet, going to an extreme low fat diet can be detrimental to your health both physically and emotionally. Low fat diets are notorious for causing depression in those who ascribe to this type of diet modification. 

We must strike a healthy balance between carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In my recent review of current medical research, there is a large amount of evidence that proves the health benefits of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, moderate -fat diet. These benefits include weight loss, blood sugar regulation, insulin reduction, lower blood pressure, less blood vessel inflammation, and preservation of healthy metabolism. 

There is a quick way to calculate your protein need per day. The formula is as follows: 

Your Weight (in pounds) ÷ 2.2 = Your Weight (in kg.) 

Next… 

Protein Need FOR WOMEN: Your weight in kg. × 0.82 = Amount of Protein Grams/day 

Protein Need FOR MEN: Your weight in kg. × 0.89 = Amount of Protein Grams/day 

When increasing your dietary protein, it’s best to be medically supervised when doing this type of diet, so make sure you drink plenty of water and consult a wellness specialist before embarking on this type of diet.

Sneaky Thyroid Problems That Slip Under the Radar

I'd like to share story about a patient that I've worked with for the past few years. This person has struggled with anxiety and mild depression since about 1998, And has been on approximately 3 different antidepressants during that time period.

When this person discovered that we were treating hormone imbalances, they mentioned to me that they would like to get their hormones checked. When we got their results back we discovered that they had  subclinical hypothyroidism.

Let me explain what subclinical hypothyroidism is. Subclinical hypothyroidism is a condition in which a person has very minimal changes in their labs but have significant physical symptoms that relate to standard hypothyroidism.

This client of mine had symptoms such as thinning hair, sadness, low energy, low motivation, cold intolerance, muscle tension, weight gain, and mild anxiety. These are all the symptoms of standard hypothyroidism; however, when we checked their labs, they seemed "normal". As is the case 99% of the time, this type of hypothyroidism often gets overlooked. That's exactly what happened in this person's case.

Two weeks after starting thyroid medication, this person stopped their antidepressant on their own. When they came back for follow-up after one month, they discussed the fact that they had stopped their antidepressant. When asked how they were feeling, they said they were feeling better than they had felt in over 15 years. 

If this particular scenario sounds like you, or someone you know, give us a call at Matrix Wellness Solutions. There may be a good chance that there's a hormone imbalance that can be corrected.

Thanks,

Brian G. Brown

PART 1 - Hormones: Are They The Fountain Of Youth?

When I received my medical training, very little time was spent on hormone management…. may I repeat, VERY LITTLE TIME WAS SPENT ON HORMONE MANAGEMENT. It was actually about 4 hours of lecture. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a drop in the bucket, considering most body systems were covered over days. 

I have to be honest though; it really didn’t matter to me at the time that our training was so sparse… This was probably because hormones didn’t affect me personally. However, as I’ve gotten past the magical “40” number, it’s become VERY important to me. In fact, you might say it’s become a passion of mine. 

When I read things like, “Alzheimer’s is a preventable disease” and it all boils down to proper hormone management, I get fired up. I’m fired up for two reasons: One, hormones play such a crucial role in disease prevention, vitality and youthfulness, yet my medical education DID NOT teach me this; Two, I’m excited to live in a time where information is king and I can get the education I need to make things right again. 

It goes without saying that the management of hormone imbalances is an art. It takes a specialized skill set and a willingness to think outside the box. Because we use Biologically Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHR), it takes a little time to get all of the stars to line up just right, but when they do, the results can be astonishing. 

In my personal quest to better understand the management of hormone imbalances, I have discovered that there is no shortage of solid proof, in the medical literature, that BHRT is safe, and it’s also very effective in the prevention of things like: 

Alzheimer’s Disease 

Heart Disease 

Stroke 

Osteoporosis 

Cancer 

Premature Skin Aging 

Age Related Weight Gain 

In most cases, BHRT can also reverse some of these illnesses and help restore us to a more youthful state. I know that it may seem like I’m making this out to be the next fountain of youth or the next anti-aging miracle, but that’s not my intention. The fact of the matter is, we can’t stop aging and there’s no such thing as the fountain of youth, BUT we can slow the effects of aging and wind back the hands of time just enough to make us feel vibrant again, like we did in our 20’s. 

You may be asking, “How do you do this? I have my hormones checked every year, and my doctor says that my hormones are just fine.” I’ll answer this question in the next segment later this week. 

Stay tuned next week for Part 2.