The Baby Boomer Diet

The simplest things give us nourishment—sunlight; oxygen; deep sleep; and pure, clean water. But we often take these everyday elements for granted, ignoring their power to heal and replenish our bodies and minds!

Therapies that recognize and honor such life-essential basics as breathing, rest, and basking in the sun are what you should consider first when you begin your journey toward restoring youthfulness and vitality.

Sunshine is as vital to our health as food, oxygen, and water. Certain ultraviolet rays (UVBs) help us make vitamin D, a potent anti-aging hormone and powerful nutrient that offers us countless health benefits. Anthropologists now believe that the pigmentation in our skin actually became lighter as an evolutionary mechanism to acquire more vitamin D when our ancestors migrated away from the equator.

The health benefits of vitamin D fill volumes of scientific journals, and its current widespread deficiency has been identified as a serious epidemic in the U.S., showing up in 80 percent of people of all ages—even newborns. This deficiency will cause us to age quickly … very ironic when most of us have been told to avoid the sun because of those ugly brown sun spots and wrinkles. This is why it is so important today to use sunlight wisely, which means obtaining moderate amounts directly on the skin and also taking vitamin D supplements.

Your body begins making vitamin D when the UVB rays of the sun react with the 7-dehydrocholesterol in your skin. However, vitamin D does not become a useful hormone until it travels via your bloodstream into the liver to become 25-vitamin D. (A 25-OH vitamin D test is what doctors often use to measure the vitamin D in your blood.) It then travels on to enter your kidneys and become the active form of vitamin D called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, also known as calcitriol or 1,25-DHCC. Presence of vitamin D signals your intestines to absorb calcium from your diet to build strong bones and teeth. (Please note that the health of your liver and kidneys is important for making vitamin D.)

Researchers at first believed that the kidneys made all the active vitamin D needed by the body, but by the mid-1990s studies began to show that cells in other organs create active vitamin D as well. In other words, the cells in your brain, lungs, colon, and breasts or prostate make it, too. Your brain cells, for example, take up 25-OH vitamin D, convert it into 1,25 vitamin D (the active form), and then consume it.

Vitamin D’s importance to our overall health is indisputable. It has now become one of the most intensely studied hormones. A deficiency is serious and well worth your immediate attention.

As with many of today’s health fads, sunlight phobia is a fairly recent phenomenon. We evolved in the sun, and our ancestors embraced and honored it for its life-giving qualities—some even worshipped the sun as God.

It is probably no coincidence that as people grow older, they tend to gravitate to warmer, sunnier climates such as Florida, California, and Arizona. Perhaps intuitively we know that to stay young and healthy, we need even more of this anti-aging hormone. Yet the American Academy of Dermatology, well funded by the sunscreen industry, has created so much fear of the sun that many of us never go outside, or only go out with chemical-laden, potentially cancer-causing sunscreens.¹

The Big D—It’s Not Just for Bone Health

We have known for a long time that vitamin D plays an important role in bone health, but it does so much more. In fact, it can be called a natural “gene therapy” because it positively influences the functions of at least 2,000 genes. Every tissue and cell recognizes and has a vitamin D receptor (VDR) for active vitamin D, even the white blood cells in the immune system. When 1,25-DHCC links to its VDR and then moves into the nucleus of the cell, then the correct programming of these vitamin D–related genes begins. Like a piano player who touches certain keys, it is the selective activation of these genes that determines the overall status of the immune system and its control of inflammation.

This helps explain why vitamin D is a potent weapon against osteoporosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), high blood pressure, inflammation, Sjögren’s syndrome, and thyroid infection. There is also an unmistakable connection between vitamin D deficiency and breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. You’ll notice that all these diseases typically occur later in life.

Immunity

By strengthening our natural immunity and protecting us from viruses, bacteria, and fungal infections that cause inflammation, vitamin D prevents and helps heal inflammatory skin autoimmune conditions, like psoriasis and dermatitis. This is true for types of intestinal inflammation such as IBS, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis as well. Vitamin D also inhibits dangerous autoimmune reactions, where the body turns on itself, as in the case of Hashimoto’s disease, a disease of the thyroid gland.ⁱ

Muscle Mass

Essential for maintaining muscle mass throughout life, vitamin D helps preserve the Type II muscle fibers that are prone to atrophy in older people. In addition, recent research reveals an association between higher vitamin D levels and improved physical functioning as we age.ⁱⁱ

Heart Disease

Researchers from the University of Warwick, England, evaluated 28 studies involving almost 100,000 men and women across different ethnic groups. The data revealed a strong association between high levels of vitamin D and significantly lower risk of both cardiac and metabolic disorders. Compared to those with low levels, men and women who had high levels of vitamin D had a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease by about 33 percent, elevated blood sugar by 55 percent, and metabolic syndrome by more than 50 percent.ⁱⁱⁱ Vitamin D also regulates insulin secretion by the pancreas and may increase insulin sensitivity better than some diabetic drugs such as Metformin.^iv

Weight Loss

Vitamin D and sunlight should be included in any successful weight-loss program. Believe it or not, even your fat cells have receptor sites for vitamin D. Give them adequate amounts and they become more active and burn up calories more efficiently. Also, your fat cells secrete a hormone called leptin that tells the brain when you are full. A deficiency of vitamin D prevents this hormone from working well so that you are less able to control your appetite.

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ⁱM. D. Griffin, N. Xing, and R. Kumar, “Vitamin D and its analogs as regulators of immune activation and antigen presentation,” Annual Review of Nutrition, 23 (2003): 117–145. (First published online as a Review in Advance on March 19, 2003.)

ⁱⁱ“Vitamin D Status Associated with Physical Function in Older Men and Women, Life Extension, April 30, 2010, http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2010/0430_Vitamin-D-Associated-with-Physical-Function-in-Older-Men-Women.htm?source=eNewsLetter2010Wk18-2&key=Archive (accessed 10/6/10).

ⁱⁱⁱJ Parker, O. Hashmi, D. Dutton, A. Mavrodaris, S. Stranges, N. B. Kandala, A. Clarke, and O. H. Franco, “Levels of vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis,” Maturitas, 65(3) (March 2010): 225–236, as found in article by Allen S. Josephs, M.D., “Vitamin D Continues to Dominate,” Vitacost.com website, February 24, 2010, http://www.vitacost.com/Vitamin-D-Continues-to-Dominate-printable?csrc=EM-FYH20100225:print (accessed 10/6/10).

^ivK. C. Chiu, A. Chu, V. Liang W. Go, and M. F. Saad, “Hypovitaminosis D is associated with insulin resistance and ß cell dysfunction,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79 (May 2004): 820–825.

Only the negative effect of UV rays is presented to the public. Yes, chronic or excessive exposure does, indeed, increase the risk of nonmelanoma (basal-or squamous-cell) cancers, but these types of skin cancer rarely spread, are rarely lethal, and can be easily removed by surgery.

There is very little evidence that the potentially deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma, is caused by sensible amounts of sun exposure. In fact, new research indicates that sensible amounts decrease the risk of cancers, including melanoma, by controlling cell growth and inducing cells that are malignant to become normal or to die of apoptosis (programmed death). While skin-cancer cases total about one million per year in the U.S., they are lethal in only about 2,000 cases, which is only .5 percent of all cancer deaths.²

Vitamin D regulates up to 200 genes that control cell growth and cellular differentiation, so it is not surprising that it prevents up to 16 other types of deadly cancer that do spread and do kill. So the benefits of the sun may far outweigh the small risk of skin cancer.

To harness the power of the sun safely, it’s important to understand the difference between UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays penetrate deeply, and when you are out in the sun too long, they have a negative effect on the elasticity of the skin. They cause wrinkles and brown or white pigmentation, sometimes called sun spots. UVA rays are the major cause of the potentially lethal melanomas. UVB rays, on the other hand, redden and can potentially burn the skin, but are the only rays that make vitamin D. Over time, without proper protection from sunburn, UVB rays can cause skin cancer. Once again, it’s a matter of prudent sun exposure.

What explains our hypersensitivity to the sun these days? After all, skin cancers were at one time fairly uncommon.

Remember, the first step in making vitamin D begins when the sun reacts with a type of cholesterol in your skin. Dietary fats and oils affect the quality of cholesterol in your body.

Our supersensitivity to the sun seems to coincide with the dietary changes that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century when we began eating fats and oils that were heated, refined, bleached, and deodorized. Instead of having small amounts of healthy, vitamin D–rich raw butter and ghee, we’ve been consuming margarine and trans fats for generations. The liver, which plays a key role in producing vitamin D, is also damaged by toxic fats and oils.

Even as you begin eating the recommended healthy fats and oils, poor absorption of dietary fats becomes another concern. Your liver and gallbladder may be in need of special care and attention, and your digestion of fats (which occurs in your small intestine) may be inadequate and will contribute to low levels of vitamin D.

The good news is that a probiotic diet, with lots of fermented foods, will improve the health of your liver and gallbladder and greatly assist in your digestion of fats. As the beneficial microflora work to keep your intestines optimally functioning, your liver benefits as well.

This is an area of much controversy, and there is a lot of negative information floating around on the Internet. With so much confusion, it is smart to turn to the experts out there who are doing the cutting-edge research, people like Dr. Michael Holick and Dr. John Cannell.

Dr. Holick’s excellent book, The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem (Penguin/ Hudson Street Press, 2010), is an excellent place to turn for credible information and a list of charts that tell you how long to expose yourself to the sun depending on where you live and the color of your skin. Dr. Holick is the scientist who discovered the active form of vitamin D and has worked closely with other experts in his field uncovering the truth about this essential anti-aging hormone. See his website: www.vitamindhealth.org.

Also, it would be wise and commendable to join (and financially support) Dr. Cannell’s nonprofit organization, called the Vitamin D Council (www.vitamindcouncil.org). This way you can stay updated on the fascinating and extensive research being done around the world. If you spend time on his website, you will be thoroughly convinced that vitamin D is for you. Dr. Cannell sends out an informative, educational newsletter that is free.

Both Cannell and Holick are comfortable recommending at least 5,000 IUs per day of a vitamin D supplement (for an adult). After testing, you may want to increase the amount to 10,000 IUs per day. However, evidence is mounting that even higher levels may be needed by many of us. The larger amounts are important if you have not been out in the sun or have signs of osteopenia, osteoporosis, or cancer.

If you are overweight, you will need to take more (perhaps twice as much) because vitamin D gets locked into fat cells and cannot be released. Anyone with intestinal disorders, like Crohn’s disease, inflammation problems, or diarrhea, requires larger amounts, and supplements may not be useful at all. (See the “Tanning Beds?” section, later in this chapter.)

Can you take too much vitamin D in supplement form? This is a hotly debated subject among researchers today, and many currently believe that you can. (You can never overdose on vitamin D made from sunlight or food.) Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity (from taking too much from a supplement) include nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, and elevated blood pressure. If you experience these problems and excessive supplementation continues, you could suffer kidney failure.

Currently, however, your doctor will want you to reach blood levels of 54–90 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) of blood (or 135–225 nmoles/L). These numbers are ones to watch, however, as newer research suggests that levels of 80–90 ng/ ml (or 225 nmoles/L) are even better. (Lifeguards often have levels as high as 100–200 ng/ml.) If you want to rejuvenate and experience greater vitality, then levels in the low 30s will be grossly inadequate.

As extensive, worldwide research continues to unfold, it’s still not clear what the precise “ceiling” vitamin D levels might be. However, levels higher than were originally thought safe are now proving to be quite harmless and even beneficial (even up to 200 ng/ml) as long as simple blood tests show that your parathyroid hormone levels and your calcium-to-phosphorus ratio remain normal.

You can obtain your own levels of vitamin D by visiting your doctor or by ordering an inexpensive blood-test kit from the Vitamin D Council website, or from www.zrtlab.com. (You should retest three or four times per year.) Blood levels do change. If your levels are high at the end of the summer, they may be quite low in the winter, so retest. As new information on the benefits of vitamin D, as well as the recommended blood level and supplement dosage, is being compiled monthly, choose a doctor who is up-to-date on the latest research. Also, joining Dr. Cannell’s nonprofit will keep you current. As new guidelines become available, you’ll be one of the first to know.

A supplement alone isn’t sufficient if you are truly serious about rejuvenation. Vitamin D from sunlight remains in the body at least twice as long as that derived from diet. What’s more, there are unique substances in sunlight, called “photoproducts,” that you cannot obtain from food or a supplement. Scientists, including Dr. Holick’s group, are now looking carefully at these photoproducts, feeling certain that if they are there, it must be for a biological reason.

You’ll definitely feel happier from sunlight. Research shows that when you go into the sun, keratinocytes in your skin cells actually create endorphins, which improve feelings of wellbeing.

Exposure to the sun helps regulate our circadian rhythms. We sleep better and are far less likely to suffer from depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). (Supplements do not improve circadian rhythm.)

You should never go into the sun and get burned. Start sunbathing for short periods at first, and slowly and carefully build up a base tan. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, working outdoors probably helped build a resistance to sunburn. It appears that those who have developed higher vitamin D levels (like roofers and lifeguards) do not burn as easily. Therefore, correcting your vitamin D deficiency with supplements before spending time in the sun might be wise, especially if you are fair-skinned and tend to burn easily.

Midday is the best time to sunbathe because the rays reach us directly. In the morning or afternoon, they are coming in at angle and are not as effective.

Most people can go into the sun starting with 10 minutes at first and then building up to as much as 60 minutes at midday (depending on how intense the sun is in your area). If you must remain outside longer, you should then apply a chemical-free, broad-spectrum sunscreen that shields you from UVA and UVB rays. Badger sunscreen, which is zinc oxide and herbs (no chemicals), was rated the safest sunscreen of more than 600 tested by the Environmental Work Group (www.ewg.org). See www.badgerbalm.com for more information.

You’ll definitely feel happier from sunlight. Research shows that when you go into the sun, keratinocytes in your skin cells actually create endorphins, which improve feelings of well-being.

You’ll want to protect your face and hands by wearing sunscreen and/or a hat. The less clothing you wear, the more vitamin D your body will make. If you are fortunate enough to live in a sunny region of the country, only 20 minutes in the sun a day will give you what you need. If you are an African American with darker skin, Dr. Holick suggests that you may need as much as three to ten times that amount of exposure.

Tanning beds have been shown to dramatically increase vitamin D levels in the blood. If used properly, they can safely produce vitamin D in the winter months when it is impossible to get enough sun to prevent disease. However, they must be used in moderation and responsibly. Dr. Holick tells his readers to find a facility that has been certified by the International Smart Tan Network. He recommends that you make sure they use low-or medium-pressure fluorescent lamps. He also warns that you must be just as cautious as you would with regular sunlight and protect your face and lips with sunscreen and your eyes with goggles.

If you have an intestinal-absorption problem (due to surgery, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or diarrhea from infections), you may not respond well to vitamin D supplementation. Tanning beds could be a good alternative for you.

Certain nutrients are “cofactors” that are essential for the assimilation of vitamin D. The most important cofactor is magnesium, but your diet and supplements should also include sources of vitamin K₂, zinc, boron, and a small amount of vitamin A. For example, all the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D require magnesium. Basically, vitamin D won’t work in the body without it. If you try to elevate your vitamin D levels and are deficient in magnesium, you will only intensify your magnesium deficiency. If, after taking vitamin D, tests show that your levels are not rising, look elsewhere for the problem.

Simply taking your vitamin D supplements with your largest meal of the day may quickly improve your blood levels of D. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic examined 17 patients who were not getting better under treatment. By taking vitamin D with their biggest meal, they boosted the level of vitamin D in their blood by an average of 56 percent.³

Sun-dried mushrooms such as dried shiitake (often exposed to extra sunlight during the growing process to create even more vitamin D) are your richest dietary source of this wonder nutrient. Fresh mushrooms don’t supply nearly as much, but are still quite good.

Wild or wild-caught salmon and albacore tuna are excellent sources of vitamin D. Farmed salmon never has the vitamin D content of wild or wild-caught salmon. The term wild-caught means the salmon are born in hatcheries and released into the wild. Every year in Washington State, elementary-school classes vie for the privilege of performing this task—really! All hatcheries mark these fry (the fish, not the kids!) by clipping their fins so they can’t be confused with the truly wild salmon.

Sockeye salmon cannot be farmed, so it’s your best choice. Atlantic salmon from your local supermarket is always farmed. Canned salmon contains vitamin D but is overcooked and difficult to digest.

Canned sardines, mackerel, and tuna can also provide you with vitamin D. Depending on the brand, cod-liver oil (www.greenpasture.org) is right up there with wild salmon as a good source of D. However, upping your intake of cod-liver oil above two tablespoons a day could cause an overdose of vitamin A. Fermented milk kefir, butter, ghee, and egg yolks provide only small amounts of D, so you can’t correct a deficiency relying on these alone. Ocean’s Alive Marine Phytoplankton (www.sunfoods.com) is a high-quality, vegan source of vitamin D.

Please don’t think you can get vitamin D from fish-oil capsules. While a potentially excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids (depending on the company and quality), fish oil does not contain vitamin D.

Remember that vitamin D tells your intestines to absorb more calcium and is essential to the uptake of this mineral in your diet. So increase your dietary calcium by eating plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collards, escarole, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts. Sea vegetables are another excellent source of calcium. Avoid calcium-depleting nutrients, especially sugar, and too much fruit, alcohol, and caffeine. Drugs like prednisone and diuretics also deplete calcium.

By increasing your intake of vitamin D and calcium, doing resistance exercises that work against gravity (yoga, Pilates, walking, weight training, climbing stairs, or dancing), and making sure you digest your food well (with enzymes and fermented foods and drinks), you are well on your way to creating superhealthy bones that will be resistant to breaks and deterioration as you age.

Most of us use only a fraction of our full breathing capacity and, particularly when we’re stressed, breathe from the chest in short, gaspy intakes. Proper breathing should originate from the diaphragm—full, deep, and rhythmic.

Deep abdominal breathing has many benefits for antiaging. For example, did you know that breathing directly affects your body’s pH balance? Poor breathing also results in chronic fatigue, muscle cramps, cold hands and feet, heartburn, PMS, impaired concentration, and more.⁴ Proper breathing can help you metabolize your food better and improve your ability to concentrate and remember.

If breathing is so basic to life, why do we breathe so poorly? Some people believe that as infants we breathed perfectly. But over time we developed “muscle armoring,” beginning with the diaphragm and continuing to the pelvis, chest, back, legs, and throat.⁵ These muscular tensions, along with poor posture and self-consciousness about keeping our stomachs flat, compromise the easy, effortless breathing we enjoyed as babies.

There are a number of breathing techniques you might try to dismantle this muscle armoring, including bioenergetics, the Alexander Technique, and various styles of yoga and yoga meditations. Holistic retailers such as Gaiam offer CDs that guide listeners through simple breathing exercises.

With regular practice, breathing correctly will begin to become second nature. You will feel new levels of stamina, as well as improved digestion and elimination. Many people who have practiced deep breathing regularly report that it generates a profound feeling of contentment and alleviates anxiety and nervous tension.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a treatment dating back to the 17th century, although it has only been recognized in conventional medicine since the 1940s. It involves breathing 100 percent oxygen while under increased atmospheric pressure. In this way, the oxygen concentration in the body increases up to 20 times its normal amount at the cellular level. Basically, the increased pressure deposits a lot of oxygen into the blood plasma in all bodily cells, tissues, and fluids.

The treatment, which is painless, consists of lying down on a bed inside a pressure chamber. Patients can sleep or even read while in the chamber—there is no need to wear a hood or a mask. Some people can experience a popping in their ears due to the increase in pressure, similar to what is experienced when changing altitude in airplanes. Chewing gum or swallowing hard can alleviate this.

My friend Raymond Crallé introduced me to HBOT in 2008. Raymond, who has been a practicing physical therapist in Delray Beach, Florida, for 35 years, believes that when HBOT is delivered on a long-term basis, it can slow down the aging process. He uses it in his practice to treat a variety of brain and sports injuries. Ray himself is testament to the antiaging benefits of oxygen therapy. He is the proud father of two amazingly calm yet alert and intelligent little girls. His oldest daughter received oxygen from birth. His youngest began doing so while she was in the womb.

In their book, The Oxygen Revolution, authors Paul G. Harch and Virginia McCullough argue that hyperbaric oxygen actually acts at the DNA level to stimulate growth and repair hormones. Although HBOT has long been an effective treatment for burn victims and those suffering from decompression sickness, many healers are beginning to see that it has a much more far-reaching impact in promoting natural healing and can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including Alzheimer’s, fibromylagia, viruses, and immune-system disorders. Others, like Harch and McCullough, believe that HBOT can literally rejuvenate our “tired brains,” which have suffered chemical and toxic insults over the course of a lifetime that have contributed to premature aging.⁶

As you know by now, according to the Principle of Balance, everything has two sides. We must always look for the negative one so we can balance or fix it. For example, antibiotics have saved millions of lives. But had we known 60 years ago to look for their downside, we might have prevented hundreds of millions of yeast or fungal infections.

What is the drawback of HBOT? Oxygen, while it does much good, also creates more free radicals. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also puts a burden on and stresses the liver.

So what can be done to undo the negative side effects of HBOT yet still reap its many benefits? How would you create balance? There are three recommended actions:

1. Significantly increase the amount of antioxidants you consume during your weeks of therapy. Your diet should include even more of the enzyme-rich fruits and vegetables recommended on the Baby Boomer Diet. Fermented foods and liquids are the ultimate antioxidants, so consume large amounts.

Activated Air

“Biophysically altered” air is another way to counter free radicals or oxidative stress. The Active Air device, manufactured by Eng3, can be used at home. A valuable healing and anti-aging tool, it can help strengthen your immune system and accelerate recovery from illness. It is also a great way to create energy.

The Active Air device creates higher levels of oxygen in the body, but it does so in a different way than HBOT. Unlike HBOT, which delivers concentrated air, this technology delivers an oxygen level that is the same as regular air. Because of the free-radical damage done by pressing oxygen into the system, hyperbaric treatments should be considered a shortterm solution, while an activated-air machine actually repairs and protects against free-radical damage.

Go to www.eng3corp.com to learn more.

Increase your levels of glutathione, a master antioxidant. A green shake made of Vitality SuperGreen combined with un-denatured whey-protein concentrate helps increase glutathione. Up the amount of minerals you take in via food and supplements to keep your body more alkaline.

2. Cleanse more actively. Cleansing your colon at this time with home enemas or with a visit to your professional colon therapist is key.

While undergoing HBOT, the mitochondria in your cells receive significantly more oxygen. This increases energy in your body (the positive). But what happens when your energy goes up? Your cells immediately start to cleanse and push out toxins. These toxins put a greater burden on your liver (the negative).

Yes, you may be having a healthy elimination each day … but this is a time when your body will need to eliminate even more than usual. Colon therapy is wonderful way to create balance.

3. Take extra special care of your liver. Body Ecology’s protocol encouraging a mostly raw diet is especially appropriate during HBOT because a raw diet is best for the liver. Take care to eat few or no fats or oils at this time, avoiding cooked saturated fats in particular. Take a liver-cleansing supplement such as Body Ecology’s LivAmend, which works by increasing bile flow. Bile is produced in your liver, and toxins are dumped into the bile and then sent to your gallbladder. When you eat, this stored bile is deposited into the colon, where it stimulates peristaltic movement so that the toxins can be eliminated with the bowel movement. Because the daily bowel movement is usually not sufficient to remove toxins fast enough, colon cleansing at this time is highly recommended. If you’re having a daily HBOT session, then a daily enema or at least four colontherapy sessions per week is best.

Insufficient sleep plagues 50 million to 70 million Americans today, especially women. Yet, sleeping deeply like a newborn baby is crucial for restoring your prenatal jing. It is absolutely fundamental for staying young, healthy, and vibrant. And … it’s free!

As the years pass, sleep often becomes more elusive. If you are not falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up on time feeling refreshed, you’ll want to change this as soon as possible. The Principle of Step by Step tells you to first and foremost create more energy to heal or to reclaim the vitality you had in your mother’s womb.

It must be important to sleep; there is not an animal on the planet that doesn’t do it. A really great night’s rest is an investment in your anti-aging bank account. Insufficient sleep is associated with increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, depression, and obesity.

Your brain is very much affected by the quality of your sleep. Research clearly confirms what you’ve probably already observed—your mood, cognition, and memory are negatively affected by sleep deprivation. Notice the vast difference in what you are willing to do for yourself and for others when you’ve gotten a great night’s rest.

In fact, a recent study with university students found that sleep can help you remember something you need to do in the future. After giving a series of tests to 24 students who slept after processing and storing the idea of a planned task, researchers found that these students were more likely to follow through on their intentions than those who tried to tackle their plan before going to sleep. Researchers believe that this process, called prospective memory, occurs during slow-wave sleep (an early pattern in the sleep cycle) and involves communication between the brain’s hippocampus (memory formation) and its cortical regions (memory storage).⁷

But it’s not only your mood and memory that are impacted by sleep. Your very life depends upon it! The North Carolina DMV’s Driver’s Handbook offers up this little cautionary statistic: “Anyone who has had less than five hours of sleep the night before is four to five times more likely to crash than someone who got eight hours of sleep.”⁸

And a team of British and Italian researchers determined that if you regularly sleep less than six hours a night, you are 12 percent more likely to die prematurely. Chronic insomnia (the inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate amount of time) also elevates one’s risk of an earlier death. Interestingly, these researchers—after analyzing 16 sleep studies that included more than 1.3 million people—also found that sleeping too much (more than nine hours a night) might be an important sign of a serious or potentially fatal illness.⁹

So the solution is to sleep within an optimal range of seven to nine hours every night. But bear in mind, this applies to adults only. Babies and toddlers spend many more hours in sleep a day, around 10 to 14. Children require between 10 and 12, and teenagers need at least 9 hours. By contrast, older adults tend to sleep a little less, more lightly, and to take more catnaps.¹⁰

Early in the night, there is a greater amount of slowwave deep sleep, which is the most restorative sleep. Growth hormone is produced during the initial onset of nightly sleep. Go to bed early and you’ll not only become “healthy, wealthy, and wise,” you’ll also look and feel younger. Smaller pulses of growth hormone are also released later in your sleep cycle, so if you only sleep for five hours, you won’t obtain enough of this rejuvenating hormone.

Boomers on the Cutting Edge

Ceragem Massage Beds

One of my most recent discoveries for combatting aging is the Ceragem Jade Massager, an at-home thermal massage bed that stimulates the body to heal itself. Ceragem utilizes far-infrared light, the warm, penetrating rays naturally produced by the sun. This far-infrared light is combined with the gemstone jade to provide deep and healing heat to the body. It is an excellent way to detoxify, increase circulation, reduce inflammation, and alleviate stress.

As the heated jade slowly rolls over your back, the spine is stretched, and knots of tension are released. Decompression takes place, giving more space for the disks and the nerves, thus improving the communication that takes place between the brain and the various organs via the nervous system. This spinal alignment not only positively affects the health of every organ in the body, it can relieve chronic backaches and sciatica pain as well.

Ceragem is at its best as a detoxifier: The polished jade safely heats deep into the body, increasing circulation, while mobilizing toxins from fat cells, thus aiding in the elimination of heavy metals, chemicals, cholesterol, and lactic acid, as well as hundreds of other toxins. Removal of such toxic residue from the body improves cellular function, enhancing overall health and slowing down the aging process.

Deep relaxation is another of the many benefits of the 40-minute treatment. In fact, it’s so relaxing that within just a few weeks of use, disturbed sleep patterns are usually normalized; and sleeping through the night, one of nature’s greatest healers, is once again possible. The abdominal program is not only excellent for removing extra inches, it also brings the healing far-infrared heat to all the digestive organs while stimulating the peristaltic action of the colon, helping to restore regular bowel movements—a necessary component to turning back the clock.

For more information or to order a Ceragem Jade Massager, contact Oasis Wellness Center at: www.oasis-wellness.com.

Rapid eye movement (REM) or “dream” sleep is active sleep—important for the development and health of your brain. REM increases later in the sleep cycle and just before you naturally awaken.

Melatonin, often called the most potent antioxidant in the human body, is critical to restorative sleep. A natural hormone secreted by the pineal gland in your brain, melatonin increases with darkness, causing drowsiness. It then decreases with the morning light, and you begin to wake up. Because the production of this important hormone is suppressed by light, working late into the night, especially on the computer, or watching late-night television might be cutting off years from your life.

Most of us look for shortcuts when it comes to sleep. As with weekend-warrior exercise, we think we can “make up” weekday deficits by sleeping in on the weekend. But that’s not how it works. Here are a few suggestions for restorative sleep:

— Reset your circadian rhythm. Get up early and start to move. Try stretching with the ancient yoga posture called the Sun Salutation. A walk in the morning light will help you sleep better that night. In the spring, summer, and fall, sunbathe midday for 20 to 30 minutes.

— Start to unwind as the evening begins. Take a Chinese herbal formula called Peaceful Spirit (available from www.jingherbs.com). The herbs open your heart, calm your spirit, and relax your nervous system to prepare for the evening ahead. The main ingredient, reishi, is often called the “mushroom of immortality” and is also an excellent source of vitamin D. Called their “happy formula” by Jing Herbs, Peaceful Spirit is used as a treatment for sadness and anxiety because another ingredient, the polygala root, strengthens the connection between your heart (shen) and your adrenals (jing). The Chinese asparagus “puts a wing on your heart.”

— As bedtime approaches, begin to celebrate the ritual of sleep. Take a hot bath and create a “sleep sanctuary,” with soft organic bedding, candles, soothing incense or aromatherapy, gentle music, and the like.

— You may need to take something to help you sleep. Noncaffeinated teas such as chamomile, tulsi, skullcap, and valerian have a mildly sedating effect. In Chinese medicine, the “shen herbs” are calming.

• If you have issues with an overactive mind that won’t shut off and let you sleep, Bupleurum & Dragon Bone (also from Jing Herbs) can help. This classic formula has been used for more than 2,000 years with great success. It differs from Peaceful Spirit because it addresses an overactive liver energy that causes inner “chatter.” It also moves the energy out of your head and into your heart, where your “spirit resides during sleep,” giving you a sense of well-being and of feeling like you are at home in your own skin. Because of the calming and grounding qualities, Bupleurum & Dragon Bone formula is used for insomnia; however, other modern-day applications are: anxiety; angina pectoris; and addictive behaviors such as smoking, drinking, drug use, and overeating.

• If you can’t sleep because of hot flashes, night sweats, dryness, and irritability, then Jing Herb’s Winter Yin Formula is a modified classic formula for clearing “heat” and for those who have depleted their reserves of energy.

• Melatonin supplements can be purchased at your local health-food store and can help regulate sleep. When taken short-term, melatonin is safe and is especially useful when you travel and change time zones. Side effects may include morning grogginess, vivid dreams, and a lower body temperature. Melatonin also suppresses your desire for sex. Supplements can be purchased in one-to fivemilligram capsules. You will have to experiment to find the best dosage for you. Start with the lowest amount and increase if necessary. Taken 45 minutes before bedtime, time-released versions may be a better choice if you awaken often during the night.

— Aim for eight hours of sleep a night. Some of us will require a little more, while others will function just fine on seven hours if it is quality sleep. Napping works for many, and you may feel the need to take rejuvenating catnaps during the day. (See “Power Napping” below.) What’s most important is that your sleep be restful and restorative, with three to five complete sleep cycles that take you from drowsiness, into light sleep, followed by deep and then deeper sleep, and ending in REM.

— Your last meal of the day should have been a calming grain-like seed (quinoa, millet, buckwheat, or amaranth) that helps create more serotonin (which then turns into melatonin).

— Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time. This also helps set your biological clock. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that is too “stimulating” before bedtime. That includes alcohol, caffeine, and sugar, which disturb circadian rhythms.

— Light also interferes with production of melatonin, so get rid of the night light in your bathroom or bedroom. Several hours before bed, withdraw from visually stimulating activities like television, the Internet, take-home work, and so on. Vigorous exercise can also be a bit too exciting to the body, leaving you energized rather than calm. Try more soothing kinds of exercise, like yoga or stretching or a leisurely walk, if you need to relieve tension.

Not only is regular and restorative sleep important, research reveals that taking naps can also improve cognitive performance and your ability to absorb new information.

A study at the University of California–Berkeley recruited 39 healthy adults and assessed their ability to learn and memorize with or without naps. The participants who napped between learning sessions (for 90 minutes) improved their scores by 10 percent, while their non-napping counterparts saw scores dropping by 10 percent.¹¹ Napping can also be beneficial for those who have insomnia issues or problems with sleep apnea.

Many cultures, especially those in hotter climates, have long known the value of napping … think of Spain and their famous afternoon siestas. However, in America’s corporate culture, it can be a bit more challenging to find time for napping, especially if you work at an office and follow a typical 9-to-5 schedule. You might consider taking a 30-minute nap during your lunch break after you’ve eaten. Some companies even provide “meditation” rooms for employees who need to “recharge their batteries” for a little while.

Boomers on the Cutting Edge

The Earthing Pad

Remember free radicals … those oxidizing villains that result from chronic stress and environmental toxins? Sixty years ago, we Baby Boomers began to wear shoes with synthetic soles and unknowingly lost our connection with the greatest free-radical neutralizer, Mother Earth.

Throughout most of human history, we walked barefoot or slept on the ground. When in contact with the earth, its tranquil energy naturally transfers to any conductive object—whether it is a metal rod, a wire, a tree or plant, an animal, or a barefoot human—and it becomes “grounded.” The known effect of grounding is to discharge and prevent the buildup of electrical stress.

Our bodies are mostly water, and minerals are excellent conductors of electricity (electrons). The free electrons on the surface of the planet are easily transferred to the human body as long as there is direct contact. Unfortunately, synthetically soled shoes act as insulators so that even when we are outside, we do not connect with the earth’s electric field. When we are in homes and office buildings, we are also insulated and unable to receive the earth’s balancing energies.

Having your bare feet touch the ground connects you with an infinite supply of free electrons. The Earthing Pad is a unique tool for neutralizing the painful and chronic inflammation that causes autoimmune and degenerative diseases, including aging.

In fact, the patented Earthing technology is the only way, without standing directly on the ground, to connect with Earth’s electrons. It allows you to connect to the earth during sleep or while you work. As it neutralizes free radicals in your body, it supports your immune system; reduces stress and anxiety; and is fundamental to sound, restorative sleep. There is no question that maintaining a functionally “young” immune system is an excellent strategy for preserving the quality of life and slowing senescence. As Earthing greatly reduces oxidative stress, it is expected to increase life expectancy and improve health.

To learn much more about this simple but essential healing tool, read Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? by Clint Ober, Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., and Martin Zucker.

To purchase an Earthing Pad for your desk or bed, go to www.longevitywarehouse.com. The products offered on this website allow you to conveniently ground yourself when indoors. They are “barefoot substitutes.”

Everyone in your family should be working and sleeping on an Earthing Pad. An affordable anti-aging tool, it should be under your feet while you work on your computer and on your bed at night.

The famous Sunday-afternoon nap, in a favorite armchair or hammock, was once practically an American institution … and for many of us who want to stay youthful and young looking, it certainly should become one again!

• You are an experiment of one, so try taking a few afternoon naps and observe how you feel afterward. If you complain of waking from naps groggy and disoriented, it may be that you have gone into deep sleep (stages 3 and 4), which means you won’t wake as easily. But if your nap only takes you through the first two stages of sleep, you will most likely wake up feeling energized and more alert. As the first two stages of sleep take about 10 minutes each, the best napping time is around 20 minutes.¹²

• Don’t nap late in the day, as this can interfere with your regular sleep schedule. The prime napping time is between 1 and 3 in the afternoon.

• Try not to nap for more than about 30 minutes. Longer than that may actually have the opposite effect of what you intend, and you may wake feeling tired and listless. You might want to set your watch or phone alarm to make sure you don’t “over-nap.”

• Try to find a darkened room or use eye pillows or a mask to create daytime darkness. Quiet is essential.

One method is to sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor, back upright but supported by the chair. Then simply breathe into and out of your belly slowly for about five to ten minutes. If you are tired when you do this, you will usually fall asleep. If that happens, lie down or just take a nap in the chair. Even if you don’t feel sleepy, you will benefit from the quiet contemplation and deep-breathing exercises. Even taking a mental siesta for ten minutes here and there during the day will improve your outlook and attitude.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to move on to some truly innovative, cutting-edge approaches to anti-aging. These recommended therapies and products are the latest and greatest in the life-extension field of medicine. Let’s start with detoxification therapies.