Have you ever wondered how healthy you are?  What factors in your life affect your health?  What tests should you have run routinely to ensure that you are in good health – or, can modify your lifestyle to improve your health?

I have been giving a lot of thought to writing a book on this subject lately – one that can help people define their current health status, and make intelligent decisions regarding those factors in their lives that affect their health.  Obviously there are many factors affecting health – some are obvious, such as smoking.  Others are less obvious – such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  Most of us cannot recognize the symptoms associated with vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies.

A person asked me the other day for permission to ask me a question about my health.  Of course, I gave her permission.  She asked me about cleansing.  I, like most people, think immediately about colon cleansing.  Given a few minutes to think further on that topic, you might include liver cleansing as well.  You may know some of the basics of colon cleansing, but, like most people, are uncertain about how to cleanse your liver.  Yet this is an important factor in your health.

I answered her question regarding my personal knowledge and habits, and started to think further on the topic of cleansing.  The largest organ in your body is your skin.  How do you cleanse your skin?  Sweat!  Sweat cleans your pores.  Shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, perfumes, creams, after shave lotions, plus many other chemicals clog your pores and reduce your skin’s ability to function.  Simply sweating on a regular basis removes many of those chemicals – most of which contain toxins.

I continued thinking on the topic of cleansing.  A day or two later, I realized that the most important organ that should be cleansed daily, if not hourly, is your mind.  The world is full of negativity.  Eighty to ninety percent of everything you see, hear or read contains negativity.  Less than ten percent of those things (television, newspaper, books, friends, thoughts, etc.) that you encounter daily are essentially neutral.  That leaves a very small percentage of your daily encounters that are positive.  Cleansing your mind is important for your good health.

Emotions cause your body to create chemicals.  Negative emotions create the kinds of chemicals that can jeopardize your health.  Fear, anxiety, stress, discomfort, apprehension, panic, angst, trauma, etc feed your body a continuous stream of chemicals that harm your body.  These chemicals can cause illness, weight gain, pain, suffering and even death, if left unchallenged.  Conversely, positive feelings and thoughts encourage optimal health.

I allowed my mind to wander recently on the various aspects of health that people should know about their health.  I am a researcher – not a doctor or medical professional.  That being said, you, and only you, are still the person responsible for your health.  If you don’t know where you stand, how can you improve your health - or ask your medical professional the right questions to improve your health?

I will post several more blogs on this topic shortly.  This blog would be too long to do justice to the different aspects of your health.

Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

pH (prosperityHEALTH) Proactive Solutions for your Health and Wealth

Reproduction rights granted to all or part of this article with a link back to this article.  Copyright 2011 by MRO Global, LLC

Cyclooxygenase (COX) is an enzyme your body produces that regulates prostaglandins.  Prostaglandins are mediators and messengers.  You have two cyclooxygenase enzymes – COX 1 and COX 2.  COX 1 is an enzyme that regulates prostaglandins that maintain the health of your stomach and kidneys.  COX 2 is an enzyme is created when inflammation occurs due to injury or illness.

You take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) to reduce pain associated with an injury, headache, toothache or other illness or condition.  Scientists discovered that if the COX 2 enzyme could be inhibited from forming, the recovery would be faster and the pain would be lessened.  Think about it for a moment.  Assume you close the car door on your finger (this happened to me not very long ago).  The first thing you feel is the initial pain of the crushing of the door against the finger.  You might or might not have broken the skin, but as you look at your finger, you discover that it begins to turn red, it becomes hotter and it begins to swell.  You can actually feel pain associated with the injury.  The COX 2 enzyme was activated to induce swelling to prevent infection around that injury – a perfectly natural reaction of the body to protect itself.  However, the swelling adds to recovery time and exacerbates the pain associated with the injury.

What if you could inhibit or prevent the COX 2 enzyme from doing its job?  Normal healing would begin and the pain would not be as great.  NSAIDs (aspirin, acetaminophen, and other over the counter pain medicines) block the formation of COX 2.  It relieves the pain and you are happy.  No more pain or ache.  Like every drug, an NSAID has a side effect.  One side effect of a COX 2 inhibitor drug is to inhibit the COX 1 enzyme also.

Inhibiting COX 1 is not something you want to do.  COX 1 is required to keep your stomach lining healthy.  Your stomach lining cells are replaced every few days.  Interrupt this cycle and you can have serious damage to your stomach lining.  COX 1 also affects blood clotting.  If COX 1 is inhibited, then your stomach lining can be disrupted.  Stomach acid will create stomach irritation and digestive tract problems.  Intestinal or stomach bleeding will occur over time.  Your risk of serious health problems will increase.  All because the COX 1 enzyme was inhibited and not allowed to perform its job while you took a medicine to control pain.

Scientists developed COX 2 drugs that prevented COX 2 from forming while causing very little COX 1 inhibition.  However, the additional side effects of these ‘COX 2 selective’ drugs (VIOXX, CELEBREX, etc) are far worse than inhibited the COX 1 enzyme.  NSAIDs, which inhibit the COX 1 enzyme, account for 16,500 deaths each year and over 100,000 hospitalizations in the United States alone.  How many of you are taking ‘low dose’ aspirin to lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke?  Now matter how low the dose is, your COX 1 enzyme is being inhibited and you are putting your stomach and kidneys at risk.

I’ve made it a personal quest of mine to research and examine anything that claims to be a COX 2 inhibitor without inhibiting the COX 1 enzyme.  I’ve only found two supplements to date that can do this.  I came across several more items this past month that advocated the suppression of COX-2, but did not mention COX-1.  I did my due diligence in hopes that I would find another supplement that would be beneficial to all.

One article stated that thyme oil inhibits COX-2 and suppresses inflammation.  Actually, there are six essential oils – thyme, clove, rose, eucalyptus, fennel and bergamot – that show positive COX-2 inhibition, but the thyme essential oil works better than the others do.  An essential oil is simply the concentrated essence of the main aromatic chemical compound.  Essential oils are usually obtained by distillation or solvent extraction, and are used in aromatherapy.  Essential oils have been used for generations to address a number of different maladies.

Further research found that thyme oil inhibited both COX-1 and COX-2 almost equally.  There were no side effects that I could find.  It was interesting that most of the research articles never mentioned the COX-1 inhibition – I thought that was interesting.  Omega-3 fatty acid is another COX-2 inhibitor that I read about this past month.  Omega-3 fatty acid is made up of EPA and DHA.  EPA is eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA is docosahexaenoic acid.  Again, most of the literature lauded the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acid in the suppression of COX-2.  However, after digging far enough I found that omega-3 fatty acid does inhibit COX-1.  However, there are trade-offs that you have to know about.

I had to do more research because omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential oils for good health.  The biochemistry of each of the omega 3 and 6 fatty acids provided some interesting and reinforcing data.  Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids can be inflammatory or anti-inflammatory – imagine that!  Omega 3 is an anti-inflammatory agent.  It improves your health and reduces the risk of cancer, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.  At the end of the biochemical process the COX 1 enzyme is actually used to create EPA.  In this case, it does not inhibit the COX 1 enzyme, but actually uses it as part of its biochemical processing.

High levels of omega 6 compared to omega 3 are not healthy.  Omega 6 can be pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory – depending on the levels of omega 3 and other nutrients such as magnesium and B vitamins.  The typical diet in the United States has ratios of omega 6 to omega 3 in the range of 20:1 to 40:1.  This is highly inflammatory and detrimental to your health.  Continuous and chronic levels of inflammation in your body increase your risk of degenerative diseases and aging.  Both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are needed for good health – don’t eliminate omega 6 fatty acid from your diet – just moderate the amount your take and ensure that your omega 3 to omega 6 ratio is closer to 1:2 or 1:4.  A good indicator of your heart health risk is the measurement of your omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids – far better than homocysteine levels and cholesterol.  COX 2 is used at the end of the biochemical process rather than COX 1 that increases the inflammatory processes in your body.

The last article addressed N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and COX-2 inhibition.  NAC also inhibits COX-1.  Thyme oil, omega-3 fatty acid and NAC provide many benefits that all of us should consider worthy of our consideration.  For example, omega-3 fatty acid inhibits the COX-2 enzyme that typically promotes inflammation.  Omega-3 fatty acid inhibits inflammation by several other processes at the same time.  Omega-3 fatty acid targets interleukin 1-beta, leukotriene B4, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and thromboxane – all of which promote inflammation through different methods.  NAC enhances glutathione, reduces oxidative stress, provides protection against influenza, improves insulin sensitivity, fights Helicobacter pylori (infection that causes ulcers) – just to name a few.

Your diets give you access to thyme oil, omega-3 fatty acid and NAC.  These highly beneficial compounds are going to be present in your bodies through normal eating.  In fact, because of the choices you make in eating, some of you will have significantly more of these items than others.  The United States population is drowning in omega-6 fatty acid and missing omega-3 fatty acid.  Omega-6 fatty acids are typically found in vegetable oil, corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, and many other food groups (avocado, eggs, poultry, pumpkin seeds, etc.).  Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are found in combination in many common oils.  Fish oil contains over ten times omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid. Flaxseed oil contains four times omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acid.  Safflower oil contains no omega-3 fatty acid.  Canola oil contains two times omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid.  Corn oil contains over thirty times omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid.  If you wanted to reduce your omega-6 fatty acid intake, you should eliminate or significantly reduce safflower oil and corn oil.  You can do that easily in your cooking oil selection, but you can’t control what you get in restaurants

I use olive oil (an omega-9 oil) and coconut oil (a medium chain fatty acid) for cooking.  I could write several blogs on coconut oil – it is that beneficial for your health.  Olive oil contains almost no omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.  Olive oil contains approximately 85% monounsaturated fat (oleic acid).  Omega-9 oil is not an essential fatty acid since your body can produce omega-9 fatty acid from unsaturated fat.  Omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 oils are all unsaturated fatty acids and are generally considered healthy.  However, as I mentioned earlier, it is the ratio that determines your optimal health – especially your heart health.

To finish the story of COX 1 and COX 2, two natural supplements inhibit the COX 2 enzyme without inhibiting the COX 1 enzyme.  They are mangosteen and curcumin (turmeric).  There is a specific xanthone in the mangosteen fruit that has been shown to specifically inhibit the COX 2 enzyme without any inhibition of the COX 1 enzyme.  Remember earlier the finger in the car door episode?  I went inside immediately and drank six ounces of whole fruit mangosteen juice.  Later that night I drank three ounces and then continued my normal three ounces/day regimen after that.  I never had any swelling, redness or heat around the injury.  I had full flexibility (without pain) in that joint (middle finger) and could do every normal function during the day without any feeling of pain.  If I squeezed on the spot where the injury was, I could feel pain, but I stopped doing that quickly.

Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

Copyright 2011 by MRO Global, LLC

Reproduction rights granted to all or part of this article with a link back to this article.

Free radicals exist all around you.  You create them 24 hours a day through exercise, breathing, eating, stress, etc. Free radicals are atoms or molecules missing an electron. An atom or molecule missing an electron has a mission to replace that missing electron no matter what. Every part of your body is at risk of a free radical attack. 

Once the free radical attack begins, it cascades into a chain reaction – the atom or molecule that was robbed of an electron is now a free radical – missing an electron – and it must get a replacement. When electrons are robbed from DNA or other important cells in your body, the cells tend to function poorly or even die as a result of free radical damage.



Dennis Harman conceived of the free radical theory of aging (FRTA) in the 1950’s. FRTA asserts that your organs age because of the long-term effect of free radical damage. Antioxidants provide extra electrons and effectively stop the chain reaction of free radical damage. Your body produces antioxidants to prevent cellular damage. Additionally, the foods you eat provide other sources of antioxidants that your body cannot manufacture. 



Immune System and Inflammation



Many scientists and doctors today believe that the main cause of most disease is based on chronic low-level cellular inflammation brought on by long-term free radical damage. Infection, irritation or injury activates your immune system. Your immune system directs a flood of white blood cells to the location of the infection, irritation or injury. Pain, swelling, heat and redness are typical signs that your immune system is working properly. Inflammation is the first and very critical step in your body’s fight against infection and begins the process of healing.



When inflammation is persistent, your immune system is continually activated. This condition is known as chronic inflammation. A good test to determine the level of overall inflammation in your body is the highly sensitive C-reactive protein test (CRP). Nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, medication, beneficial sleep and a positive attitude can lower inflammation levels in your body.


Inflammation and the COX enzyme



There are anti-inflammatory medicines (aspirin, ibuprofen, acetomenaphen, naproxen, etc.) that can reduce inflammatory conditions. However, the side effects of these anti-inflammatory medicines can be severe. In the 1990’s, scientists discovered enzymes involved in the inflammation process. Cyclooxygenase (COX) was found at the site of all inflammation. Further studies revealed that COX is really two different enzymes – COX-1 and COX-2.  COX-1 is present in almost every tissue of your body and acts as a protector. COX-1 preserves the healthy lining in your stomach for example. It also assists in kidney function and is responsible for platelet function. COX-1 is a very important enzyme to keep you healthy. COX-2 on the other hand, is part of the normal process of healing. It initiates the swelling, redness, heat, pain associated with inflammation.

COX-2 is found everywhere there is inflammation.
It is possible through nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to inhibit COX-2. That is good. However, NSAIDs also inhibit COX-1 – and, that is not good. The side effects of many NSAIDs are ulcers, prolonged bleeding, kidney problems, etc. to name a few. The inhibition of COX-1 by NSAIDs actually makes the NSAIDs more toxic to your body.



In the late 1990’s, pharmaceutical companies developed COX-2 selective inhibitors (Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra). These COX-2 selective inhibitors concentrated primarily on obstructing the formation of COX-2, but still prevented COX-1 from functioning properly, but not to the same extent of NSAIDs. However, the COX-2 selective inhibitors had more severe side effects than NSAIDs – increase risk of heart attack and stroke. Vioxx was removed from the marketplace in 2004 and Bextra was withdrawn in 2005.


Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor

Copyright 2010 MRO Global, LLC

Reprint rights granted with links to this blog article

The Basic Energy Level

Every cell in your body has its own power supply.  Mitochondria are the power generators converting oxygen and other nutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  ATP is the chemical power grid controller of each cell.  It powers all the metabolic activities within the cell.  Additionally, mitochondria control cellular differentiation, cellular signaling, cell growth and cell death.  It is an important part of every cell in your body.  Mitochondria allow cells to produce up to 15 times more ATP than they would otherwise.  Your bodies demand a lot of energy just to sleep, and much more when you are active.

Free radicals are atoms or molecules that have unpaired electrons.  Paired electrons are very stable.  Unpaired electrons are highly reactive – they seek and destroy anything in its path to obtain that extra electron to be stable.  Free radicals are generated by all chemical processes in your body.    As such, a plethora of free radicals are generated within each mitochondrion every second.  It’s just the way things work.  Your body has the ability to counter this onslaught of free radical destruction with atoms or molecules that readily give up an extra electron – they are called antioxidants.  Without an adequate supply of antioxidants, the mitochondria are defenseless to oxidative damage (think of excessive rusting).  If unchecked, your body will experience a decrease in ATP production.  In a relatively short period, your cellular membranes will become damaged and molecular decay will begin.  This free radical oxidation process can lead to further damage in other cells in your body.  Over longer time, it becomes chronic low-level inflammation.  This chronic low-level inflammation will lead to early aging and the onset of many degenerative diseases.

One of the Many Saviors

Your body protects itself in many ways.  One of them is coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ10).  CoQ10 is part of the energy creation network in your mitochondria.  Ninety-five percent of the energy your body uses every day is generated by your mitochondria.  Your heart, liver and kidneys use the most energy and have the highest concentration of CoQ10.  CoQ10 is generated in the mitochondria.  It protects the mitochondria by neutralizing free radical attacks – similar to an antioxidant.  CoQ10 also assists in the ATP production process making it more efficient. CoQ10 is vital to each energy-producing cell in your body, especially those high-energy cells in your brain, heart, liver and kidneys.  The levels of CoQ10 in your body, like many other components, start out healthy and proficient, and then begin to decline around 20 years of age. As you age, the levels fall precipitously. CoQ10 supplementation is needed to counter the effects of age and hormonal changes.

CoQ10 is typically found as ubiquinone in supplements.  Ubiquinone is converted in your body to ubiquinol.  The conversion process is not efficient.  The Japanese developed a way to produce ubiquinol about three years ago.  CoQ10 supplements containing ubiquinol are more expensive and difficult to find, but are worth it.  CoQ10 offers a wide variety of protection to your body.  I have read many articles claiming to enhance your immune system, inhibit blood clot formation, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, prevent and treat heart damage and strengthen heart function.

Statin drugs used to treat cholesterol.  Atorvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), fluvastatin (Lescol), cerivastatin (Baycol or Lipobay), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and simvastatin (Zocor) deplete natural levels of CoQ10 in your body.  The chemical process initiated by a statin drug is to shut down your body’s production of CoQ10.  CoQ10 supplements can counter the effects caused by statin drugs.  Natural sources of CoQ10 are oily fish (salmon and tuna), organ meats (liver) and whole grains.  As with any supplement, check for any drug interactions before adding CoQ10 to your daily regimen.  One of the most interesting facts I’ve discovered about cholesterol is that 50% of the people dying from heart disease have healthy levels of cholesterol.  It begs the question, why are statin drugs used to reduce cholesterol, when cholesterol is not a very accurate assessor of heart disease.  More importantly, why is it prescribed without additional CoQ10 supplementation?  I don’t know.  You may want to ask you doctor.

Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

Copyright 2010 MRO Global, LLC

Reprint rights granted with to original post.

I’ve written many blogs on having balance in your life.  Most people focus on one or two areas and ignore the others.  What do I mean?  Allow me to identify six specific areas in your life that should have some level of balance – Physical Activities, Mental Activities, Spiritual Activities Relational Activities, Financial Activities and Time Management.  I will be discussing each of these areas in similar detail in my prosperity blog.  I have selected physical activity as a topic for both blogs.

What happens when you suboptimize anything in your life?  The other areas suffer.  Maybe not to a major extent, but over time, degradation appears.  If you spend two hours a day working out and ten hours of your life working to earn a living, how much time do your have for relationships, a spiritual life, personal development, etc.  You have limited your time for other parts of your life.  I am not saying you should stop exercising two hours a day.  I am saying that you should not ignore other important aspects of your life’s development, satisfaction and happiness.

Maybe you don’t have a spiritual life – or, a relationship with family or friends.  Is it necessary?  I think so if you want true happiness in your life.  You have been programmed to spend the majority of your day working for a paycheck.  You are paid to occupy space and to be productive for a number of hours every day (at least five days a week).  However, what are you actually doing to maximize the financial return for the rest of your life?  Is your retirement account growing beyond your expectation?  Earning money is only part of the financial activity segment of your life.  You should grow in knowledge of budgeting, spending, investing, etc.  The same is true with the other activities in your life.

Divide your life into three segments.  The first segment is your growth segment – the phase of your life in which you are growing – this phase is the same for all areas.  Allow me to establish boundaries so that everyone can visualize the same picture.  This growth phase is from age zero through age 25.  By that time you have grown from an infant to a mature adult – physically speaking.  You exercised unconsciously as a young child – running here and there – just having fun in life.  In school, exercise might have been forced on you to an extent in a prescribed Physical Education program – or, you might have been involved in one or more sports programs.  Even in early adulthood, there are residual physical activities that many people do – still hitting the gym, running, etc. 

However, along about the age of 25, many people begin to ‘slack off’ from their routines.  Exercise is minimized to an extent – I’m talked about the greater population.  Life has other priorities.  Does physical activity comprise only one physical activity?  What do I mean by that?  Most people assume that physical activity must have something to do with sweating and cardio development.  However, balance within physical activity includes more than just exercise.

You have heard the term, ‘work smarter, not harder.’  The same applies to physical activity.  Your body changes with age – look around you, and you can see examples everywhere.  Your physical activity program should adjust throughout your life in order to have a healthier life when you retire.  Exercise is only one program.  Diet and nutrition are two others.  Has your knowledge of diet and nutrition improved over the years?  What about your knowledge of breathing, meditation, and stretching, etc?  There are many aspects to overall physical health.

I define the next phase of your life as the range from 25 to 65 years of age.  This is your primary working life.  Life gets in the way of many things – marriage, kids, new jobs, new demands, travel, just to name a few.  In the first phase, physical activity is generally on an upward trend or maintained at a high level overall.  In phase two, the line trends downward and then levels off at a lower level compared to phase one.  Even exercising two hours a day every day from age 25 to 65 does not equate to ‘improved’ overall physical health.  Biochemical systems operate differently, parts wear out, and stress begins to take a toll. 

The third, and final, phase is defined from age 65 to death – your retirement phase, so to speak.  Statistically, if you make 70, you will make 80 years of age.  Statistically, if you make 95, you will make 105 years of age.  All of us want to be in good health in our retirement years.  We don’t want to be a burden on others.  Compare the number of prescription medicines you were on at age 5, compared to age 25, compared to age 45, compared to age 65 and compared to age 85.  Do you see a trend?  If you were smarter, earlier in your life, could you have prepared your body, your overall health, so that you could eliminate the need for prescription meds; or, in the worst-case scenario, you might need only one or two?

Your final phase is generally visualized as a further declining trend line bottoming out with a flat line at the lowest level in your life.  You just can’t get that much exercise with a walker or wheelchair.  However, you could be maximizing your knowledge of geriatric nutrition and appropriate cardio, stretching, breathing and body-weight exercises. 

Visualize your typical life span with the three phases of life defined previously.  You can see an upward trend line in the first phase (age zero to 25) with a high level of activity compared to the other two phases.  The second phase (age 25 to 65) shows a downward trend from the first phase and a leveling off at a lower level compared to the first phase.  Likewise, the same trend is seen in the third phase (age 65 to death) – downward and an overall lower level of physical activity.  What if you knew this was going to happen to you in advance?  Could you do something?  The answer is, ‘of course!’ 

This blog started by discussing balance in your life.  The plan for your life should include balance and an increasing smarter way of doing things with all aspects of your life.  Little changes made today, this week, this month can have an effect on your retirement years.  Think about it.

Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

Will a good diet prevent Alzheimer’s?  Probably not!  Because our foods contain many products that allow Alzheimer’s to develop – or – they exacerbate conditions which make it worse.  Sugar, processed white flour, processed oils and milk products have all been shown to be factors in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.  How many of us each all or part of foods from those groups.  You would be incensed if you really knew the quality of the oil you are using for cooking and eating.  High quality oils, especially olive oil, are not as abundant or accessible as they were a few decades ago.  Fresh fruit and vegetables provide a good basis for a healthy diet.  Processed and fast foods contribute to poorer health and should be reduced or avoided.  Be discriminate in your food selection.

Supplementation provides many benefits, but like many processed foods and oils, you might not be getting what you think you are getting.  The quality and biological adaptability – the quickness and usefulness of the supplements you digest – are not always obvious.  When I shop for supplements, I read every label carefully before buying.  I know that vitamin E is made up of eight different chemicals.  Most stores offer you one option – alpha tocopherol.  Gamma tocopherol is far better for your health, but it is extremely difficult to find.  The same story applies to many other supplements.  You need vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. Vitamin D3 is needed by your body and is much more effective than vitamin D2.  Vitamin K is made up of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2, and vitamin K2 has two main components.  A little research will help you decide what is best for you.

Vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B4 (adenine), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid) and B12 (cobalamin) are needed for good health and promote good brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.  Other good brain supplements include:  omega 3 oil, quercetin, xanthones, lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, ubiquinol (newer form of Co-enzyme Q-10), ginkgo biloba, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and glycerophosphocholine.  Magnesium and manganese are also highly recommended to enhance brain health.

Not every chemical gets to your brain.  There is a blood-brain barrier and it is extremely difficult for most chemicals to pass through it.  You need to keep the right chemicals going in to stay in good health and you need to force the wrong chemicals out.  Tryptophan is converted to serotonin in your body.  Serotonin can navigate through the blood-brain barrier.  However, if you are deficient in certain B vitamins, all the tryptophan you take will be used to address that deficiency.  Your brain has a lower priority in the big scheme of things.  Aluminum has been found in the brains of people who died with Alzheimer’s.  Mercury and fluoride are chemicals that you want to eliminate from your body.

Use it or lose it has been the slogan for years.  Yes, you do need to use your brain – and that does not include watching television.  Do crossword puzzles, play cards, play chess, and add additional breathing exercises to your daily regime.  Deep breathing exercises and physical exercise provide more blood flow to your brain and helps your brain actually regenerate new neurons.  Look at the supplements you are taking and make sure that they are the correct ones.  Remove sugar and processed foods and oils from your diet.  Exercise more and keep your brain engaged.  You will feel better, look better and be able to live a much higher quality of life as you approach 100 years of age and beyond.

Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

I’ve been researching breathing and health.  My July newsletter covered this topic from a macro perspective.  One specific area that surprised me was the ‘breathing volume and oxygen uptake efficiency’ test.  I have always been very healthy throughout my entire life.  I’m on no prescription medicines and have not been except for specific treatments of a temporary nature.  I’ve lifted weights and run for decades – not to be competitive, but for appearance, flexibility, strength, endurance, improved health, improved immunity, etc.

A couple of years ago I changed my running regime from slow, long distance jogging to explosive sprints – run as hard as I can for as long as I can – then recover and do it over and over again.  I believe it is a very good exercise for my heart, and it gives me a little more time for other things during the day.  As a runner, I know that speed and endurance is directly related to the ability to use the oxygen you breathe in as efficiently as possible.  I took the following test (along with many others) to assess my level of performance compared to the norm.  I was surprised with my results – they were not what I had expected.

There are four ways to eliminate waste from your body – defecation, urination, perspiration and breathing.  Breathing accounts for over 70% of the waste elimination process.  I do breathing exercises daily, but I now realize that I need to more and to do different ones to gain improved efficiency in my oxygen uptake and efficiency.  Please take the following test and see how well you compare to the rest of the world.

You can perform this test lying down, sitting in a chair or standing.  I recommend standing.  Stand with your legs at shoulder width apart and with a very slight bend to your knees – don’t stand stiff legged.  Inhale as much air as you can and count aloud as fast as you can as you exhale.  It should be loud enough to be heard and understood – imagine an auctioneer whispering.  Count until you can’t count any more – use every cubic centimeter of oxygen you have in your lungs.  Bend over if you have to to extract that last little bit of air.  You can do this several times to see how high a number you can reach.  In the past week I have been able to almost double the number I achieved in my initial test.

Do not start counting until you start your exhalation process.  Don’t skip and numbers.  Don’t hold your breath as you are counting – let it come out slowly.  Don’t whisper.  If you reach 100, then start over at one.  Ensure you include the entire number – forty, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, etc.

The worst recorded test value has been four and the best is 310, yes, 310 – I shook my head at that number also.  If you are above 90, then you are OK, but should continue to improve.  Here is the statistical breakdown of the test results from thousands of test takers.  59 and below (47% of takers) is rated as POOR.  60-89 (35% of takers) is rated as FAIR.  90-109 (10%) is rated as GOOD.  110-149 (5%) is rated as very good.  Above 150 (2%) is rated as excellent.

There is a direct correlation between the numbers you counted and you overall health.  The lower your test score, the higher the likelihood that you have a disease (that you might not know about) or can easily catch a disease.  The histories of the test takers have shown those with the lowest numbers have the highest number of health issues.  Those with ‘excellent’ numbers rarely encounter a disease.  Oxygen is used by your body to kill germs, viruses, yeast, and fungi; to increase vitality; to improve sleep, to heal wounds, to calm your nervous system, to enhance your body’s waste elimination system, etc.

Longevity is dependent on your breathing volume.  It can be measured scientifically by measuring the amount of air you can expel in one second.  The more volume you process in you lungs in one breath indicates a higher efficiency of oxygen uptake and absorption.  Oxygen uptake is somewhat counterintuitive.  Some would think it is the amount of oxygen you retain when you hold your breath.  However, it is really measured during the exhalation phase of your breathing – that is why the higher you can count indicates higher oxygen uptake efficiency.

Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

This blog is part four on a series of blogs I am doing on retirement – this one is health related.  http://prosperityprofessor.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/prosperity-–-university-of-retirement-part-four/

When do you want to retire – at what age?  Most people pick an age between 55 and 70.  Let’s say for a moment that you want to retire at age 65.  How long will you live in retirement.  Most people based their answer on an age that their parents died or an age that they have thought about over time.  For purposes of this blog, let’s say that you plan to live until age 85 – that’s twenty years in retirement.  Twenty years of spending just like you are today plus inflation – interpret that as you will be spending twice what you are today at age 85 as you will be at age 65.  That’s sounds pretty nearly impossible that you could be spending twice as much in just twenty years.  Think back twenty years ago – how much were you paying for food, gasoline, telephone, medical care, etc.  OK, so, your house is paid for and you won’t have that expense, but you will still have your home taxes – plus the value of your home could double in twenty years if you don’t protest your taxes every year.

Where am I going with this blog?  I asked the basic question – how long will you live?  For purposes of this blog, the answer is 85.  What will your life be at age 84 – the year before you die?  What is your mental capacity, your physical capacity, your financial capacity, your spiritual capacity, etc.?  You would still hope that you think clearly – no Alzheimer’s; and, you can do most of what you want to do physically.  Your finances are OK, but they could be better.  If your health is that good at 84 years of age, why would you be dead in one year?  Actually, if you live to age 70, statistically you will live to age 80.  Most people underestimate their life span.  You should plan to live until at least age 100 for financial purposes – and for your health.

The University of Retirement spends the third year concentrating on your health.  Generally, you can make changes late in life and still enjoy the fruits of those changes.  What changes?  Diet and exercise are just two – there are many more.  Just as you did in year one – concentrated on your personal development, you will spend your third year concentrating on your physical health.  Learn about what you can do to control your life.  Learn about the typical deficiencies most people have, such as vitamin D.  If most people have a deficiency and you are not aware of it, not have taken any actions to eliminate this deficiency, then you probably have that deficiency also.

Do you get an annual physical?  Why not?  What if you have to pay for it yourself?  Is that too large an expense for you?  You are responsible for your health – not your doctor.  You need to know where you stand year to year so that you can take better control of your life.  I recommend to family, friends and clients to get extra health tests, even if you have to pay for them yourself, when you get your annual physical.  I get and recommend a highly sensitive c-reactive protein test, a homocysteine level test, a D-25 (vitamin D) test and an AMAS (antimalignin antibody in serum) test and some others. 

The Internet provides a lot of information – research both sides of story.  Research the prescription drugs that you are taking.  For instance, statin drugs are recommended for cholesterol, but there is a lot of evidence indicating that statin drugs do more harm than good.  All prescription drugs have side effects and all of them are harmful to your long and healthful life.  There are options to most prescription medicines, but your doctor is not allowed to tell you about them – he must protect his practice and he is legally bound to tell you to take a prescription medicine.  Read the side effects on your prescription and make a determination if you are willing to live with them.  Yes, today you might not have any side effects, but the longer you take the prescription med, you will begin to see them.

Knowing what is healthful is only part of the question.  You must take action.  If your diet needs changing – think about the better health you’ll have later in your life because you made that change.  The same applies to physical exercise.  Action is required.  I get many health newsletters on the Internet and several health magazines.  I like Life Extension magazine more than others.  The third year of the University of Retirement does not require you to buy a book a month, but you can spend a small portion of your budget for your retirement on those subscriptions that add value to your life.  Ask your doctor what magazines he subscribes to or reads each month.  That will give you a place to start.

You want to be in excellent health to enjoy your retirement.  Take a year to really research what you can do.  Improve your knowledge of health and nutrition just like you did in year two to learn about finance.  Similarly, don’t trust your health to your doctor – just as you are taking control of your finances.  The Law of Attraction (and many other sources) tells us that we become what we focus on or think about.  If that is so, then start thinking about how healthy you will be at age 105 or 110 or 115.  If you start thinking about that today, you will probably reach one of those ages in good health.  Use your subconscious mind to help you arrive in style as you past 100 years of age.

Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin

I’ve heard of antibiotics and even taken some when needed.  I’ve heard of probiotics and believe strongly that I need something to offset the killing fields of antibiotics – something to replenish the healthy bacteria in my gut.  I came across the term ‘prebiotic’ several months ago and thought that I would do some research and maybe post of blog on that topic. 

A food that is not digestible and stimulates the growth of healthy bacteria in your digestive system is called a prebiotic.  My mind tells me that this is similar to probiotics – something that encourages the growth of good bacteria in my digestive tract.  So, what is the difference?  Is a probiotic the same thing as a prebiotic?  The definition of a probiotic by the FAO/WHO is a live microorganism which when administered in adequate amounts confers a health benefit to the host.  Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria are the most commonly used microorganisms for probiotics.  FAO is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the WHO is the World Health Organization (also operating within the jurisdiction of the United Nations).

So, is the only difference that of digestibility?  I’m guessing so.  Prebiotics are nutritionally classified as a soluble fiber.  If so, then every dietary fiber could have some prebiotic effect in your digestive system.  With further research I found a clearer definition of a prebiotic from the 2007 Journal of Nutrition – a prebiotic is a selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora that confers benefits upon host well-being and health.

Prebiotics are contained in many traditional foods – soybeans, jicama, oats, wheat, and barley to name a few.  Prebiotics are also found in breast milk – an important source for the development of your infant’s immune system.  It is important to realize that no particular plant or food is a prebiotic – they contain prebiotics – some more than others do.

The FDA has not set a recommended daily allowance for prebiotics.  However, it is recommended that four to eight grams are required for good digestive health.  The prebiotic does not focus on one specific type of gastric bacteria, but provides an enhanced environment for them to grow.  Your immune system grows stronger and you have the ability to enhance the absorption of minerals when beneficial gastric bacteria grow in your digestive system.

Let’s assume you desire to average six grams of prebiotics from common food sources – how much of what would you have to eat?  One and a quarter ounces of raw garlic – a little less than two ounces of raw leek, two and a half ounces of raw onion or a quarter pound of cooked onion, a quarter pounds of raw asparagus, a quarter pound of cooked whole wheat flour, a quarter pound of raw wheat bran, one and a third pounds of raw bananas, etc.  Obviously people don’t typically eat one and third pounds of bananas a day, but you can combine a little of this with some of that and average out of daily needs and still watch your caloric intake and overall nutrition.

Studies have shown that prebiotics work well to increase mineral absorption, especially calcium.  Other benefits noted from these studies are increased immune system effectiveness, reduction in risk of colorectal cancer and reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disorders.  Intestinal regularity is one of the first signs that every thing is working according to plan.  Don’t overload to catch up on what you might have been missing.  You might also notice a temporary increase in gas, bloating and number of bowel movements.

Choices have consequences.  Your Prosperity Professor, Red O’Laughlin