"What You Don't Know..."You can learn strategies approved by Harvard Medical School for healthy longevity. Stress is the killer. "What You Don't Know, Can Kill You?"Most of us secretly subscribe to the philosophy, "what-you-don't know, can't hurt you." Come on, admit it, reading or hearing about sickness and dying makes us antsy and queasy, so we change the channel or delete the email. Me too. Researchers at Northwestern University interviewed 3,260 patients and concluded: "People who can't navigate health information have a 50% greater chance of dying earlier, than those who comprehend prescription bottles and ask their physicians about side effects." The research appears in the Journal Archives of Internal Medicine, 7.24.07. Asking questions of your physician is vital. Low health literacy among college graduates is common, and a strong predictor for early patient deaths. Merck You heard the noise about Vioxx, a medicine Merck marketed to millions as a painkiller. Unfortunately, they did not test the aftereffects, just the cash stream from their profits. It appears Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Merck settled the 26,600 lawsuits from patients for $4.85 billion dollars on 11.9.07. If you were still alive, it would be nice to share in the settlement. Those who refuse to read about nasty stuff caused by defective medical prescriptions would lose out on early knowledge and be ignorant of their legal options. Mind-Body Connection If you take the time to comprehend the gist of the information in the next few paragraphs, you might just live up to ten (10) years longer. It requires some effort, so that rules out 75% of us. Are you interested in an extended healthy longevity? Each cell of our body and brain contains a recording device called a telemere. So what? It shortens each time your cells divide. Wait ? Short telomeres are linked to the Big Three diseases, Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke. Get this ? the shorter the telomeres of your cells, the more rapid your aging. Yes, aging can be accelerated or retarded, and decelerated. Longevity requires longer telomeres. Telomerase (Telos means 'Ends' in Greek) What keeps your cell's chromosome ends (telomeres) long? Answer: an enzyme in your cells called Telomerase. It particularly keeps your immune cells young, long, and with the ability to continue dividing (cell division). N.B. Too short to divide and there is no cell division. Result: you cash in your chips way too early. Who Says So UCLA scientists, led by Dr. Rita Effros at Geffen Medical School published this research at the Journal, Brain, Behavior & Immunity, May, 2008. "When the body is under stress, it boosts the production of the hormone, cortisol. The Fight-or-Flight syndrome, produced by your Sympathetic Nervous System, activates the stress hormone, cortisol. Remember this: too much cortisol in your bloodstream and your immune cells stopping dividing and die. It's part of your Autonomic Nervous System and linked to your Amygdala, located in the Limbic System. Google: amygdala, limbic system, brain control of emotions. How Long is Too Long When cortisol remains (elevated) in your bloodstream for an extended period of time or is repeatedly triggered by stress, it wears away (shortens) the immune system cells. Type A personalities tend to experience more stress episodes than calm, relaxed folks. Their immune system pays the penalty by a noticeable weakening of the ability to defeat infections, destroy viruses and inflammations. Research in enhancing telomerase levels would help your immune cells survive by beating off the effects of cortisol. What Works Today Research at Harvard Medical School for the past 15 years indicates that daily meditation for 15 minutes daily helps to reduce stress up to 75%. It requires a personal commitment to a ritual of relaxation strategies for about twelve weeks. Google: Dr. Herbert Benson, Harvard Medical School; mantra meditation. For details, ask us how to successfully meditate to protect your natural immunity from stress damage. Endwords Are you seriously interested in extending your life through longevity strategies? We call it StressBusting, and it has been used by thousands of SpeedLearning.org graduates. We are convinced that increased longevity requires having a purpose and meaning to one's life. It begins by a personal commitment to discovering the secrets of being a life-long-learner. Would it help your career to read-and-remember three (3) books, articles and reports in the time others can hardly finish one? Ask us how. See ya, Copyright © 2008 H. Bernard Wechsler www.speedlearning.org hbw@speedlearning.org 1-877-567-2500 Toll Free ----------------------------------------------------------- Author of Speed reading for Professionals, published by Barron's, |
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