Test your DNA (with all of the caveats mentioned earlier)
• 23andMe: Perhaps the best-known personal genetics company, 23andMe lets you begin your gene exploration online by ordering one of its kits for $199 (prices subject to change). Once you receive your Personal Genome Service, you register and spit into the included container. After you mail back your saliva, it takes six to eight weeks for your results to be processed. Once the test has been completed, you can take advantage of 23andMe’s relative finder in addition to learning about your disease risk.
• Pathway: The PathwayFit test gives you a personalized look into your genetic code and analyzes your metabolism, eating habits, and the way your body responds to exercise. The test, along with a lifestyle questionnaire, tells you how to optimize your diet, workouts, and lifestyle for a strong metabolism.
• SmartDNA: SmartDNA offers genomic testing through registered practitioners. Their Genomic Wellness Test covers over a hundred DNA changes and provides a comprehensive analysis with action steps for a personalized optimal wellness program.
• Gene by Gene: The tests offered by Gene by Gene range in price from a $195 for a non-legal DNA profile to a $950 forensic-infidelity test. Its tests cater to specific circumstances, such as Paternity Peace of Mind, Twin-Zygosity, and Complex Family Reconstruction.
• DNA Ancestry: This $99 DNA test, a new service from Ancestry.com, focuses on your family’s origins. The entire database boasts some ten billion entries and thirty-four million family trees. While other tests emphasize health, this one emphasizes region of family origin.
Other tests mentioned in the book
• Psychomotor Vigilance Task
– www.buypvt.com/
– https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/psychomotor-vigilance-test/id1034227676?mt=8
– https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mind-metrics/id460744094?mt=8
• Methylation panels
– Doctor’s Data methylation profile provides functional assessments of the phenotypic expression of methylation SNPs in plasma. www.doctorsdata.com/methylation-profile-plasma/
– HDRI methylation pathway panel www.hdri-usa.com/tests/methylation/
• Microbiome: Ubiome http://ubiome.com, Doctor’s Data Comprehensive Stool Analysis www.doctorsdata.com/comprehensive-stool-analysis/, or smartGUT by www.smart DNA.com
• Quicksilver Mercury Tri-Test measures methylmercury and inorganic mercury, allowing analysis of exposure sources, body burden, and the ability to excrete each form of mercury. Building an informed picture allows your practitioner to plan a successful approach to detoxification. www.quicksilverscientific.com/testing/mercury-tri-test
Recommended laboratory tests
Basic blood panels: Blood tests speak the language of conventional physicians, so I typically start with blood (and try to build a bridge). Ask your doctor to order the following:
• VAP cholesterol: includes subtypes of LDL and HDL plus lipo(a), VLDL
• Ferritin
• Thyroid panel: TSH, free T3, reverse T3
• Adrenal panel: cortisol, DHEA
• Sex hormones: estradiol, progesterone, DHEA; free, bioavailable, and total testosterone
• Liver function (ALT, AST, total bilirubin)
• Fasting blood glucose
• Hemoglobin A1c
• Homocysteine
• High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)
• If you’re overweight, add leptin, insulin, IGF-1 (growth hormone).
• If your doctor won’t order these tests, consider going to WellnessFx.com or MyMedLab.com.
Omega-6/omega-3 ratio: Offered from Metagenics or Vital Choice. You can also get this done as part of the NutrEval (see below) by Genova. If you are having new symptoms of ADD in perimenopause, get this test. Omega-3s have been proven to be effective, yet most people don’t optimize their levels.
Additional hormone profile: If your doctor is the more open-minded type, check out one of the following tests.
• Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones by Precision Analytical. It will tell you about your adrenal health and inform you of your estrogen metabolism (that is, if you have a modifiable tendency toward breast cancer). https://dutchtest.com
• Genova’s Complete Hormones test. www.gdx.net/product/complete-hormones -test-urine
• Genova’s Menopause Plus will test your melatonin and cortisol levels in your saliva, as well as your estrogen and progesterone. What I like about this one is that they’ll test your estrogen and progesterone over three days for a more representative result. www.gdx.net/product/menopause-plus-hormone-test-saliva
Genova’s NutrEval: For those of you who really love to measure everything, and want to know where your nutritional gaps and excesses are, consider your prayers answered: www.gdx.net/product /10051. The cost is reasonable for people with insurance who qualify for Genova’s Pay Assured program at $169. Add on vitamin D for $5.
Heavy metals:
• Doctor’s Data unprovoked or provoked test for urine toxic metals. www.doctorsdata .com/urine-toxic-metals/
• Mercury. I commonly see women with fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, low sex drive, and underperforming thyroids. I encourage them to take Quicksilver’s Tri-Test for mercury. www.quicksilverscientific.com/testing/mercury-tri-test
Telomeres: For those soul sisters who delight in quantifying biological age, the best marker is your telomeres, the little caps on the ends of chromosomes, similar in function to the aglets on shoelaces, that keep your chromosomes from unraveling. Get those telomeres tested at Lifeline.com (best) or Spectracell.com.
Food sensitivity testing: Cyrex provides multi-tissue antibody testing for the early detection and monitoring of the complex autoimmune conditions that may be accelerating the aging process for you. Array 2 will assess leaky gut, array 3 checks for gluten sensitivity, and array 4 will look at cross-reactive food sensitivities. www.cyrexlabs.com
Ways to calm down with your smartphone
• 10% Happier. My favorite app for wandering minds.
• Calm. This is a simple mindfulness meditation app that will bring more joy, clarity, and peace of mind into your life.
• Headspace. This app will help you learn mindfulness meditation in just ten minutes a day! Free for ten days.
• Insight Meditation Timer. Download the app and join my group Younger (search for Younger in the groups). Meditate with us and post us a message on your favorite visualizations and other practices.
Life coaching
Handel Group www.handelgroup.com
New Ventures West www.newventureswest.com
Drinks
ENERGIZING TEA VARIETALS
Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients. It is used to improve mental alertness and thinking and has a host of health benefits, including preventing atherosclerosis, lowering high cholesterol, and controlling blood-sugar levels. Here are some of my favorite brands:
• Tealux
• Stash organic
• Genmaicha Japanese Loose Leaf green tea (this is my favorite green tea)
• Matcha is green tea that has been finely ground into a powder.
White tea is made from buds and young leaves, and is minimally processed. It is loaded with polyphenols and is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
• Tealux (this white tea has been shown to be low in lead)
Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea made from the leaves, buds, and stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. It is used to improve mental clarity.
• Numi’s Iron Goddess Oolong tea is one of my favorites. It’s light and delicately flavorful with a smooth body and sweet finish.
COFFEE
• Bulletproof coffee is grown at high altitudes in Central America, hand-harvested, and carefully processed to minimize performance-robbing mold toxins and to maintain flavor.
• Longevity from David Wolfe is rich in antioxidants and has a robust, delicious flavor.
COLLAGEN (FOR COLLAGEN LATTE)
• Bulletproof Collagen Protein is sourced from pasture-raised cows untouched by drugs or hormones. Benefits include increased energy, speedier recovery, and a boosted immune system.
• Green Lakes Hydrolyzed Collagen is also sourced from grass-fed cattle. The hydrolyzed collagen gelatin allows for rapid absorption and is soluble in cold water.
Recovery Paste
After burst training of a minimum of 4 to 5 rounds of maximal effort, replete your glycogen stores and repair your muscles with a recovery paste. Mix 2 scoops of Dr. Sara’s Reset360 All-in-One Shake in chocolate (I prefer chocolate but other flavors are vanilla, berry, and cappuccino) with coconut water to desired consistency. Add stevia to desired sweetness and consume within 45 minutes of workout.
Supplements
• Berberine dose is 400 mg once or twice per day. Efficacy improved with milk thistle. Take a holiday after two months, then restart later if fasting blood sugar is elevated. Recommended: Aging Reset Essentials at Reset360.com.
• Resveratrol dose is 200 mg once per day. Recommended: Aging Reset Essentials at Reset360.com.
• Branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs) dose is 3 to 8 grams during or immediately after workout. Recommended: Designs for Health, Pure Encapsulations, and Thorne.
How to measure and reset your blood sugar
Frequency: Daily; however, measure every week if your fasting and postprandial (after-a-meal) blood-sugar levels are in the optimal ranges.
Supplies needed: A blood glucose meter (you can purchase one at your local drugstore without a prescription), blood glucose test strips, a lancing device, lancets, and a control solution (optional).
Instructions: There are two important times to check your blood sugar. The first is in the morning, after you’ve not eaten for eight to twelve hours, and the second is two hours after you’ve eaten. Start by measuring your fasting blood sugar before eating breakfast. In addition, it’s helpful to measure your blood sugar two hours after a meal, particularly dinner.
Heart rate variability
If you ask your doctor what your pulse is, he or she will usually give you a single number, typically between 60 and 90 beats per minute. But the heart does not beat like an unchanging metronome; the intervals between one heartbeat and the next are variable. HRV is the beat-to-beat variation in consecutive heartbeats as shown in electrocardiogram (EKG) recordings.
So if the number your doctor gives you for your heart rate is 62, your heart is really beating between some range, such as 56 and 67. A healthy heart rate is always variable because a body is always in a state of physiological and emotional change. When you inhale, your heart rate speeds up, and when you exhale, it slows down.
HOW TO MEASURE HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV)
There are many options available to monitor HRV at home, on the go, and while working out. Most require an app on a device such as an iPhone and a heart rate monitor. There are wrist-based monitors, as well as Bluetooth-enabled chest-strap monitors. I recommend a chest-strap version, as it is more likely to give a clinical-grade measurement. Two apps that I recommend are SweetBeat HRV and HeartMath’s Inner Balance Transformation System.
• The SweetBeat HRV app focuses on stress reduction, training, and heart rate recovery. It will alert you when your HRV is not at a healthy level, prompting you to engage in a stress-reduction effort. The training component assesses whether you can train full out, or whether you should have a low-intensity day or even a day off.
• The HeartMath Inner Balance Transformation System is an application that comes with a sensor and an earpiece that takes a pulse reading from your earlobe. The system encourages you to moderate your breathing and focus on positive emotions in order to reduce negative stress, improve relaxation, and build resilience. By synchronizing your breathing using a breathing pacer on the app, you can make your HRV healthier and achieve a state of coherence.
Favorite forms of movement
• Chi Walking and Chi Running www.chirunning.com
• Forrest Yoga was developed by Ana Forrest and is an intensely physical and internally focused practice. www.forrestyoga.com
• Barre classes are a combination of postures inspired by ballet, yoga, and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises.
– Dailey Method: www.thedaileymethod.com
– Barre3: http://barre3.com
– Bar Method: http://barmethod.com
– Pure Barre: www.purebarre.com
RELEASE TECHNIQUES
• Active-release therapy (ART) is a soft-tissue, movement-based technique developed by P. Michael Leahy. The aim is to address problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. www.activerelease.com/
• The Feldenkrais Method uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve movement and enhance human function. Benefits include increased ease and range of motion, and improved flexibility and coordination. www.feldenkrais.com/
• Tension and trauma-releasing exercises (TRE). This is a technique that uses a set of six exercises to release deep tension in the body by evoking self-controlled tremors, a muscle-shaking process sometimes called “neurogenic muscle tremors.” http://trauma prevention.com
• Anat Baniel Method has helped me with chronic tension in my neck, shoulders, and chest. Anat is a clinical psychologist and dancer whose focus is on how to reorganize the brain through movement. Her subtle work has helped me learn how to release old grooves of long-standing tension. www.anatbanielmethod.com
• Yamuna body rolling is a fitness method developed by Yamuna Zake. It combines healing, wellness, and injury prevention in a single, simple workout. Balls of various sizes and firmness, along with body weight and small movements, are used to release tension from your neck, back, leg muscles, and more. www.yamunausa.com/
• Jill Miller of Yoga Tune Up believes that restrictions in the diaphragm can make it hard to calm down the nervous system. She advises using small, grippy balls or a two tennis balls, and placing them under the midback.
• Other: Sue Hitzmann’s Melt Method. www.meltmethod.com
Exposures
MOLD
To learn more about mold, I recommend Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker’s excellent website Survivingmold.com.
SAFE SKIN PRODUCTS
• Annmarie Gianni. Annmarie Skin Care sells effective, organic, and cruelty-free beauty products made from natural oils and herbs. www.saragottfriedmd.com/skincarelove/
• Tarte Cosmetics are clean and serious powerhouses in the makeup department.
• Josie Moran cosmetics are made from natural, organic, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly ingredients. The company is committed to selling makeup that looks as good on you as it is for you. www.josiemarancosmetics.com/
• OSEA is a natural skin-care brand that provides high-quality, ecologically responsible, and natural skin care. OSEA stands for “ocean, sun, earth, and atmosphere,” and the company is committed to the four elements of our planet and working with nature for the most pure and effective products. http://oseamalibu.com/
• Hairprint is committed to healthier hair-coloring alternatives based on green chemistry. They offer a nontoxic method to restore gray hair to its natural color. It works for brunettes and darker-colored hair, not blondes, although I’ve had good success with my light brown hair. www.myhairprint.com
SAUNAS
Saunas increase circulation, lower blood pressure, and are associated with longevity. It’s like a mini workout, and the heat allows you to sweat out toxins through your skin. In my home, I have a two-person sauna by Sunlighten. My husband and I love it. Date night in the sauna! www.sunlighten.com/
TOXIN-FREE TAMPONS AND ALTERNATIVES
• Seventh Generation tampons
• Veeda tampons
• Natracare tampons
• Diva Cup menstrual cups
• Lena menstrual cups
ALTERNATIVES TO PAINT WITH VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS)
• low- or no-VOC paints
– Mythic Paint
– Colorhouse Paint
– AFM Safecoat Paint
– Milk Paint
• The U.S. Green Building Council is transforming the way buildings are designed, built, and operated. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/.
Brain games
NeuroRacer is a therapeutic video game created by Professor Adam Gazzaley of the University of California at San Francisco. Gazzaley designed NeuroRacer to combat age-related mental decline by using neurofeedback and TES (transcranial electrical stimulation) to boost brainpower. The game specifically aids working memory and attention span, and these improved skills were transferable to the real world. Learn more at Professor Gazzaley’s lab’s website: http://gazzaleylab.ucsf.edu /neuroscience-projects/neuroracer/.
Trackers
For tracking your fitness and sleep, I recommend Jawbone Up and Misfit Ray.
Vision testing and improvement
• www.essilov.com, www.visiongym.com
• Apps: Attentive Eye Test, Vision Test, and Eye Chart