Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey is one of the figures appearing in the documentary film "How to Live Forever." It's played straight but isn't a serious piece, as this review notes:

It's a huge subject, vital to every living person in the world - what it means to grow old and how one can cheat or at least postpone mortality. Fortunately, Mark S. Wexler eschews ponderousness in favor of a wry, observant, open-minded approach in his most informative and often quite funny documentary How to Live Forever. ... The film opens May 13 in New York followed by a national expansion May 22.

Still, there you have Aubrey de Grey in theater distribution (again) - and the more folk to hear his message, the better. It's still the case that the vast majority of people are not aware of the state of the art in longevity science, the near term potential for progress towards the repair of aging, and how to help make it all happen. For all the work of advocates over the years, this message remains insufficiently repeated and too quiet.

Another commentary is entitled "A Little More Fear of Death, Please?":

The title is something of a misnomer: with his mother gone, and himself on the downslope of 50, Mark Wexler makes a general study of life-extension experts, self-proclaimed and otherwise. ... Wexler's "wisest" friend, Pico Iyer, tells him that death's finality makes sense of life (for who?), but the director barely addresses the fear of death [and] his grief over the loss of a parent is neither as intense nor as personal as, say, Ross McElwee's in Time Indefinite. ... Wexler settles on the lasting resonance of art as mortality's consolation prize. ... His film, though, is a cutesy binder of folk remedies offering inadequate balm.

A little more fear of death indeed - a sentiment I endorse. What's not to fear about the downward slope of degeneration, increasing frailty, pain, suffering, and the calm madness of a world that accepts all this and does next to nothing about it?

Via Extreme Longevity: "Progeria is a rare disease in which children age very rapidly, acquire diseases of the elderly and typically die in teenage years with the phenotypical appearance of the elderly. The disease has been found to occur due to mutations in the LMNA gene which codes for the nuclear envelope proteins called lamin-A and lamin-B. These proteins are responsible for the security and integrity of the nuclear membrane surrounding the cell's DNA. When these proteins are mutated the DNA is poorly protected and quickly and extensively damaged leading to accelerated aging. In this study the researchers hypothesized that just as certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs or mutations) cause individuals with progeria to age rapidly, perhaps other variants of the gene would protect people from aging and lead to extreme longevity. To test this hypothesis, the researchers compared 16 SNP variants of the LMNA gene in persons over age 95 versus genetically matched younger controls. They detected a specific 4-SNP variation of the gene appeared to be more frequent in the elderly. They then looked for the presence of this haplotype in several other genetic databases of centenarians and again found a higher frequency than chance of the same mutation. The authors concluded 'these results suggest that LMNA variants may play a role in human lifespan.'"

Link: http://extremelongevity.net/2012/02/22/nuclear-lamin-gene-found-associated-with-extreme-human-longevity/

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

A study revealed that anthocyanins found in berries can help lower blood pressure and thus, manage hypertension.

Hypertension is otherwise known as high blood pressure or tensing of the arteries due to high pressure build-up. These arteries enable the transportation of blood from the heart to all the major organs and tissues in our body.  There are multiple causes of hypertension, such as obesity, chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus type 2, renal infarction and even pregnancy. The normal blood pressure is within the bounds of 120/80, blood pressure ranging to 139/89 is categorized as pre-hypertension, and blood pressure of 140/90 and above is placed on the high category.

Symptoms of hypertension includes chronic headaches that goes on for days, vertigo or dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, double vision or blurry, drowsiness, general fatigue, shortness of breath, and buzzing in the ears commonly known as tinnitus.

Hypertension Management

A treatment for this specific ailment varies but the most efficient cure for hypertension is using a complex approach. It includes patient’s history, age, gravity of the condition, therapy schemes that will concentrate on the ailment’s precise cause. Hypertension curable and it all begins with prevention.  This consists of keeping a healthy weight and lifestyle by avoiding excessive intake of alcohol, smoking cessation, and eating a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. Long ago, hypertension can only be controlled through the use of medications – but not anymore.

More natural forms of treatments are currently being introduced in the market. A study indicates that anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid found in strawberries, blueberries, cherries, purple grapes as well as in vegetables such as purple cabbage and beets, is helpful in alleviating high blood pressure.  According to a research study done by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and a UK based University of Anglia, multiple intake of anthocyanins reduces the dangers of hypertension by up to 12 percent. Hence, the most important advantage one can get from taking in foods that are rich in anthocyanin is the management of hypertension. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a result of chronic hypertension, and it is known to causes half of Europe’s death, and at the same time tallying Europe’s economy expense around $202 billion per year.

Research Findings

For an average span of 14 years, Harvard’s Eric Rimm led the researchers in gathering data from various subjects, consisting of 133, 914 women, and 23,043 men. Flavonoids and other subcategories were analyzed using questionnaires regarding food frequencies and were distributed every 4 years. An accumulation of 5,629 and 29,018 documented cases of hypertension were tabulated in men and women, correspondingly.

When the figures were finally reported, the researchers discovered that the topmost average consumption that ranges from 16.2 to 12.0 milligrams daily was correlated to an 8 percent reduction to the dangers of hypertension. On the other hand, a 12 percent increase in lowering hypertension risk was tabulated among subjects with ages from 60 and above, as compared to the nethermost consumption of anthocyanins, ranging from 5.7 to 6.8.

While no other subcategories of flavonoids were related to high blood pressure, researchers however, observed that the compound apeginin was linked to a 5 percent decrease in risk. When the maximum and minimum levels of intakes were compared, researchers added that a 6 percent reduction in the dangers of hypertension was noted for subjects over the age of 60 that has the topmost average consumption of flavan-3-ol catechin.  Also an important finding was documented stating that the consumption of blueberries among people of the same age group lessened their risk of hypertension by up to 10 percent compared to those who did not consume any blueberries. Dr. Rimm and his colleagues wrote that the results reinforce the theory that antihypertensive biological activities may be applicable to the processes of vasodilation linked with a particular flavonoid physical attribute.

Key Elements

According to Dr. Rimm and his colleagues, there is an existence of vast flavonoid structural varieties, but the likelihood that it can lower the effects of blood pressure is inadequate with regards to its similar anatomical composites which include the catechol and 4’ hydroxy flavonoids.

In addition, the research findings implies that distinct categories of flavonoids are connected with lowering blood pressure especially anthocyanins.  The data is highly significant due to the fact that anthocyanins are commonly found in blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, fruits that are normally consumed and can be easily added to a person’s dietary needs. Researchers also added that blackcurrants, blood orange juice and blueberries have an additional 500 mg of anthocyanins.

The researchers added, that the fundamental biological process wherein flavonoids helps control blood pressure comprise the influence of flavonoids with regards to the vascular movement of blood, vascular reactivity, and the process of glucose uptake.

However, researchers from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that the research needs additional thorough investigations, which will include intervention analysis to assess the ideal dosage of foods that are rich in anthocyanin that could prevent hypertension and reinforce the recommendation and remedy of hypertension.

Additional Information Regarding Flavonoids

Other than hypertension, anthocyanin, the flavonoid compound is also recognized by countless laboratory researches.

• Based on findings, anthocyanin is also potent in preventing cancer by delaying the development of pre-malignant cells, hastening apoptosis, which effectively kills cancer cells in a faster rate.
• It also helps in controlling inflammation by dampening allergic reactions.
• It also cancels out enzymes that damage the connective tissue and its antioxidant properties blocks oxidants from destroying connective tissue.  Furthermore, it repairs proteins that were damaged in the blood vessel wall.
• Anthocyanins, at the same time hinders abnormal protein production, a significant importance for diabetic patients, since profuse protein production may lead to retinopathy which takes place when the body tries to repair leaks from damage capillaries.
• Lastly, anthocyanins may help prevent brain damage. Since the human brain is highly vulnerable to damage by peroxynitrite nitration of tyrosine excess in proteins and enzymes causing neurodegenerative ailments and possible brain trauma. The nitrates impede receptor sites, hence stopping neural growth and restorative processes.  Anthocyanins’ job is to aid the brain by protecting it against neurological diseases.

Sources
madsci.org
medicinenet.com
nutraingredients.com
chiro.org
wrongdiagnosis.com
symptoms-of-hypertension.com
en.wikipedia.org

Discuss this post in Frank Mangano’s forum!

Here is some data for you to mull over today: the not so great odds that come with being male.

[The] disparity in mortality rates for males and females does not just occur in late adolescence/young adulthood. Males have a higher mortality rate at young ages (e.g. ages 1-4 the death rate for males is 12% higher than it is for females the same age) and older ages (e.g. ages 65-74 the death rate is 33% higher than it is for females that age). Considering the inequality in mortality rates between the genders across the lifespan makes it clear that it is not "nurture" alone that explains why males are more likely to die in every single age category, from the first year of life to age 85+.

The disparity between male and female life expectancy is well known and widely studied, but not definitively understood. What this means in practice is that there exists a very wide range of theories to explain some or all of the gender longevity gap:

Differing smoking rates, stem cell effectiveness, mitochondrial effectiveness, and the possible effects of hormones on the immune system are all on the list. [As well as the theory] that hormones influence the expression and activity of known longevity genes

Which is not to mention the raft of subtly different takes on evolutionary arguments to explain shorter male life spans, such as the debate over disposable soma theories as they apply to the genders.

On the one hand it is fascinating that we stand upon the verge of being able to repair aging, yet at the same time we cannot answer what appears to be a simple question about the nature of aging. On the other hand, this is an apt illustration that sometimes what appear to be simple questions are in fact very complex questions. In this case, the answer to why men and women exhibit different mortality rates and life expectancies must involve the summed interactions of all the systems of human biology, subject to the statistical blurring of a million different lifestyles lived concurrently by billions of people.

The path from epidemiology to clear vision of biological mechanisms is a long, tough trek - and in the end it will do no more for us than to make it easier to work on ways to change that biology. Which is all the more reason to place less of an emphasis on that and more of an emphasis on the path to repairing the forms of molecular damage that cause aging - which are already known and enumerated.

From the LifeStar Institute: "Leaders in the biology and polices of aging research at the first LifeStar Institute Global Aging Science Summit conclude the time has come to launch an ambitious global effort to keep aging generations youthful, productive, and engaged to unprecedented ages. In laboratories all over the world, using genome sciences, diets including calorie restriction, and techniques of cell science and regenerative medicine, scientists are now keeping living organisms alive and healthy for increasing lengths of time never before thought possible. The obvious question: When will medical science do the same for us? ... The scientific panel proposes that the United States and nations across the world create a global collaboration and launch an Apollo-like Project with the following goal: translate laboratory knowledge about the degenerative changes of aging into new kinds of medicines for humans that can prevent and repair those changes. The panel urges governments and the biomedical industry to fund three key initiatives: (1) Use public health agencies to inform citizens on how they can improve their lifestyles. (2) Develop the first genuine anti-aging medicines that are able to boost the body's ability to maintain health (3) Develop and apply regenerative methods that can remove, replace, repair, and neutralize the cellular and molecular damage that accumulate in aging bodies and restore youthful structure and function."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.lifestarinstitute.org/index.php?pagename=aging_science_meeting_paper

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Via PhysOrg.com: "A technique that combines nanotechnology with adult stem cells appears to destroy atherosclerotic plaque and rejuvenate the arteries ... nanoparticles (microscopic particles with at least one dimension less than 80 nm) were infused into the heart of pigs along with adult stem cells. After the nanoparticles were heated by laser light, they burned away arterial plaque. However, nanoparticles were less effective at eliminating plaque if not combined with adult stem cells. ... Unlike angioplasty, a common treatment for atherosclerosis, this new technique seems to actually demolish the plaque. ... The researchers found that plaque volume shrunk considerably in the nanoparticle groups immediately after the procedure (an average of 28.9 percent across the three groups) and six months later plaque volume had declined 56.8 percent on average. ... both groups that received stem cells showed signs of new blood vessel growth (neovascularization) and restoration of artery function."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.physorg.com/news198775684.html

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

There's always something interesting in the news when it comes to progress in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. This is the sort of research community we want to see for every field that might impact human aging and longevity: large, thriving, dynamic, and attracting plenty of attention and funding. The practical result is that we live in exciting times - organ regrowth is right around the corner, as is the prospect of meaningful repair or replacement of many types of aged tissue. Regenerative medicine is not a one-stop solution for all of aging, but it is one of the necessary pillars of the true rejuvenation biotechnology that will be developed in the decades to come.

Here are a few articles that caught my eye of late; the mainstream media seems to be picking up the level of attention they are giving to the cutting edge of regenerative medicine these days.

Seeing local scientists at heart of regenerative medicine

In one lab, a surgeon builds a pink, pulsing heart, cell by cell. In another, a researcher literally sprays new skin onto severely burned patients. Elsewhere, a scientist re-creates the delicate folds of the ear - on the back of a mouse. Sound like science fiction? It already is science: Researchers in Boston and beyond are building everything from blood vessels to internal organs, using engineering tricks and dome-like bioreactors. Tonight, in 'How to Build a Beating Heart,' National Geographic Explorer investigates those efforts to transform human health, revealing the pulse-quickeningly cool side of regenerative medicine.

Building body parts: Saving lives, salamander style

If an injured salamander can grow a new limb, why can't a human? Maybe they can, say researchers at the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Starting with stem cells from patient's bodies, scientists at this Wake Forest University facility have grown 22 different types of tissues and organs. Lives are being saved and more amazing successes are on the way.

Skin cells help to develop possible heart defect treatment in first-of-its-kind Stanford study

Using skin cells from young patients who have a severe genetic heart defect, Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have generated beating heart cells that carry the same genetic mutation. The newly created human heart cells - cardiomyocytes - allowed the researchers for the first time to examine and characterize the disorder at the cellular level. ... the investigators also report their identification of a promising drug to reverse the heart malfunction - for which there are currently no decent treatments - after using these newly created heart cells to check the effects of a plethora of compounds.

College of Veterinary Medicine to perform an animal stem cell first

The first animal stem cell procedure in Oregon done entirely in a veterinary facility is scheduled for Thursday at the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The procedure will be performed on Basco (pronounced "Bosco"), a 7-year-old German Shepherd suffering from osteoarthritis in his left rear hip. ... Fat tissue is removed from the animal, the stem cells are separated and activated, and then injected into the affected area. Within three to four weeks of the procedure, Basco should be moving well, with little or no pain, Medi-Vet predicted.

Veterinary medicine is far ahead in its application of first generation stem cell therapies; if you're a human in need of the same sort of treatment, you'll have to leave the US to find it. The principle effect of heavy US regulations on medical development is to ensure that working, beneficial, reasonably safe treatments take a very long time to come to the clinic and are very expensive when they arrive. Fortunately the FDA can't do anything about the competitive service providers and medical research and development groups in other parts of the world. Thus, absent a sea change in the state of regulation in the US, medical tourism will be a part of all our futures, and we will benefit greatly from the fact that at least some parts of the world are not as shackled and held back by a full-on command economy medical system.

PopSci examines medical tourism for stem cell therapies, an entirely rational response to the unnecessary costs and delays imposed on medical development by the FDA: "The FDA thinks all stem-cell procedures should undergo clinical trials for safety and efficacy before companies begin selling them as therapies. Its formal review process, the agency maintains, is the only way to protect patients from treatments that are ineffective or downright dangerous. But with multistage clinical trials lasting up to five years and costing as much as $100 million, a growing number of doctors and patients have started pursuing other options. ... In a controversial move in 2005, the FDA reclassified autologous stem cells that are manipulated by growth factors or other compounds as drugs. This criterion holds whether the cells are derived from a patient's own body or from someone else's. Many believe that the policy change gives the agency more authority than Congress ever intended it to have. Grekos's theory is that pharmaceutical companies are pressuring the FDA to treat autologous stem cells as a drug in order to secure their own future profits." Clinical trials are taking place overseas, as the article notes. The quality of therapies offered varies widely, as is true whether or not a market is regulated: this means you have to do some legwork to find out who is well regarded. But at least the option is available - there has to be freedom to experiment and to choose if there is to be rapid progress.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-06/offshore-operations-crossing-atlantic-pursuit-stem-cells

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

This particular researcher is somewhat fixated on TOR (when all you have is a hammer...) but this open access paper provides an interesting set of ideas on why men and women have differing life expectancies: "Women have lived longer than men in different countries and in every era ... Yet, it is believed that men do not age faster than women but simply are weaker at every age. In contrast, I discuss that men [do] age faster. From [an] evolutionary perspective, high accidental death rate in young males is compatible with fast aging. Mechanistically, hyper-activated mTOR (Target of Rapamycin) may render young males robust at the cost of accelerated aging. But if women age slower, why then is it women who have menopause? Some believe that menopause is programmed and purposeful (grandmother theory). In contrast, I discuss how menopause is not programmed but rather is an aimless continuation of the same program that initially starts reproduction at puberty. This quasi-program causes over-activation of female reproductive system, which is very vulnerable to over-activation."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.impactaging.com/papers/v2/n5/full/100149.html

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

A decade old drug for leukemia, Mylotarg, has been proven to cause more deaths than no leukemia treatments at all.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is finally removing a leukemia drug in the market, Mylotarg, after studies showed that the drug actually caused four times more mortalities than having no treatment at all.

In addition to a higher mortality rate for patients who trusted Mylotarg, it was also found that the drug produced very little or no benefits when used as a treatment.

Deadly “fast-tracking”

This unfortunate series of events can be traced perhaps to how the drug Mylotarg was approved in the first place. A decade ago, Pfizer approached the US Food and Drug Authority with the new drug for leukemia. The FDA was then implementing a new abbreviated or “fast-track” process of approving new drugs.

Mylotarg was one of the drugs that were approved using this abbreviated approval process, which did not require extensive clinical trials. With a clinical trial that involved only 140+ patients and little other proof of effectiveness, Pfizer was given the go signal to release the drug in the international market; indeed, with dire consequences.

The dire statistics are all we need to see why Mylotarg was finally pulled from the market: 5.7% of all Mylotarg patients died after undergoing treatment. Leukemia patients who did not receive Mylotarg or any other treatment have a mortality rate of 1.4%.

Alongside the withdrawal of Mylotarg from the international market, Pfizer has also withdrawn support for an experimental new drug for osteoarthritis called Tanezumab. Tanezumab was supposed to be prescribed for pain caused by osteoarthritis. Shockingly, Tanezubam actually caused more problems for people who had osteoarthritis.

The use of the experimental drug in clinical trials led to full joint replacement procedures and worsening osteoarthritic conditions. Tanezubam was due for the final stage of testing before FDA approval. An estimated annual revenue of $100 million was expected if the drug was approved (good thing it wasn’t approved!).

What is leukemia?

Leukemia is a devastating form of cancer that target blood-producing tissues in the body, including the marrow and even the lymph nodes (collectively, the lymphatic system). There are several types of leukemia; both children and adults can suffer from the disease.

The problem usually starts when the bone marrow begins producing abnormal white blood cells – more than what the body can handle.

The body has its own system of dealing with malignant and abnormal cells. When cancer occurs, this internal system is defeated. Cells that normally commit cellular suicide become ‘immortal cells’ and ‘forget’ to die naturally, as they should to keep the balance in the body.

Some of the general symptoms of leukemia include:

• Tenderness or pain present in the bones
• Night sweats
• Petechiae or abnormal red spotting of the skin
• Person easy bleeds or easily bruises
• Lymph nodes become swollen
• Uncontrollable weight loss
• Frequently bodily infections
• Fatigue
• Bodily weakness
• Fevers
• Chills

Handling leukemia naturally

The body can be strengthened to fight off this type of cancer naturally:

1. Traditional Ayurvedic medicine recommends a diet of fruit, green salads and vegetables to combat infection in the body and to help purify the body of toxins (this is actually backed by medical science; fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and fiber that all come together to fight off infection and restore balance in the body).

2. Leukemia patients should stay away from stressful situations. Relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation are recommended for natural strengthening of the immune and lymphatic system.

3. Leukemia patients often suffer from a type of anemia; in such cases, B-complex and iron supplements are recommended to help the body restore the iron content of red blood cells.

4. Folic acid deficiency can result from conventional treatments for leukemia, so folic acid supplementation is also important if the patient is already undergoing chemotherapy or other conventional cancer treatments.

5. During the onset of the disease and treatment, leukemia patients are often prone to infections (primarily because leukemia attacks white blood cells, the body’s natural defense).

High doses of vitamin C can help strengthen the body’s immune function. It is also an effective antioxidant, which reduces cellular damage from free radicals. Vitamin E can also be taken as a protective measure against the side effects of treatment.

6. Chlorella supplementation may be explored to increase the production of healthy blood cells. In addition to increasing healthy blood cell production, chlorella also fights off the growth of cancerous cells in the body, which is very important when a person is fighting off leukemia.

7. Garlic can help fight off infections and can also protect the body from further ravages of cancerous cells. Since leukemia patients have sensitive digestive tracts, garlic supplementation may be explored. Don’t forget to consult with your healthcare provider before trying this.

8. According to the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research, the following can help control the growth of cancerous blood cells and manipulate the cancer-forming process: vitamin B6, parsely, vitamin D, extract of green tea, why protein, grits, calcium D-glucurate, D-limonene (can be sourced from citrus fruits), niacin, choline, selenium, perilla oil, super miraforte, resveratrol, indole-3 carbinol, melatonin, pantothenic acid, licorice root.

Sources:
articles.mercola.com
herbs2000.com
mayoclinic.com
ayurvedic-medicines.com
apjohncancerinstitute.org

Discuss this post in Frank Mangano’s forum!

From the Telegraph, news of continuing incremental progress in understanding the mechanisms of regeneration in lower animals: "research into how Planarian worms can regrow body parts - including a whole head and brain - could one day make it possible to regenerate old or damaged human organs and tissues ... We want to be able to understand how adult stem cells can work collectively in any animal to form and replace damaged or missing organs and tissues. ... Any fundamental advances in understanding from other animals can become relevant to humans surprisingly quickly. If we know what is happening when tissues are regenerated under normal circumstances, we can begin to formulate how to replace damaged and diseased organs, tissues and cells in an organised and safe way following an injury caused by trauma or disease. This would be desirable for treating Alzheimer's disease, for example. With this knowledge we can also assess the consequences of what happens when stem cells go wrong during the normal processes of renewal - for example in the blood cell system where rogue stem cells can result in Leukaemia."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7618602/Worms-regeneration-ability-unravelled-by-scientists.html

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Via EurekAlert!: "Adoptive immunotherapy is targeted to situations when the immune system fails to detect a disease [such as cancer]. The adoptive immunotherapy strategy is to harvest T cells from the patient, engineer them to spot the disease and then send them back in, like police detectives with a reliable tip. A major drawback, however, has been that the T cells still need to call for back-up forces from a variety of other cell types in the body, but they can't. They die out quickly without doing enough good. The new approach is to further engineer the T cells to be able to support themselves rather than relying on other immune cells [and] to insert the ability to switch that self-support on or off, to ensure that they don't grow out of control. That way, the T cells can persist in fighting the disease without becoming a cancer themselves. ... This is an integration of a cell-based therapy application with new synthetic biology tools that have come up from foundational research. ... Generally, the results showed that their engineering produced healthier, faster-growing populations of the T cells, until the drugs were withdrawn and growth shut down. In the human cell cultures, for example, the technology led to a 24 percent increase in the live T-cell population compared to controls and 50 percent fewer cells dying off."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/sumc-ntr042110.php

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Capital Region Progressive Medicine and Longevity Practice, PLLC

1873 Western Ave, Suite 203 Albany, NY 12203

Ph: 518-452-4910 Fax: 518-452-4914

Latest news

April 2,2010 Welcome Dr. Gulyas & Staff We are pleased to welcome Dr. Joseph Gulyas to our office beginning April... ...more

November 15, 2010 The "Gut Brain" and Digestive Health The digestive tract is an exquisitely complex interface between diet and... ...more

December 24, 2012 Be-Thin NOW AVAILABLE BE-THIN Sublingual Spray A natural way for the body to lose... ...more

Jan. 25, 2011 Higher Protein Low-Glycemic Diets are Key for Weight Maintenance A recent article published in the November New England Journal of Medicine... ...more

November 14, 2011 Dr. Erner attends Age Management Medical Group (AMMG) conference in early N The Following are conference Highlights: *The goal of testosterone... ...more

October 6, 2011 Dr. Erner Moderator at 2011 Annual Probiotic Seminar These are the highlights of key points of the Sept. 23 & 24 symposium I... ...more

March 11, 2012 TELO-100 We are happy to report that we are now offering TELO-100. Nobel Prize... ...more

Sept 23, 2013 Longevity Breakthrough-Telo-100 Dr. Erner is pleased to announce the availability of a new supplement... ...more

March 30, 2015 Cybersecurity Cybersecurity: A non-issue in our practice. Due to a yearly waiver that... ...more

June 23, 2015 Welcome Muhammad Jamil, Ph.D. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jamil to our office beginning April, 2015!... ...more

October 8, 2015 Empower Yourself with radiation-free Breast Health Screenings We are pleased to announce that our office is now providing preventive... ...more

7/22/2010 Study shows water consumption increases weight loss during diet interventio STUDY SHOWS WATER CONSUMPTION INCREASES WEIGHT LOSS DURING DIET... ...more

April 2010 NEW INCENTIVE PROGRAM Effective March 2010 we're pleased to let all of our patients know that... ...more

February 1, 2010 Use of Meal replacement Products Increase Weight Loss A recent article published in Obesity 2009 showed that the most important... ...more

Nov. 23, 2010 WEIGHT LOSS ALERT!! A recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine reported that... ...more

January 1, 2013 New Supplement Policy for 2013 We are pleased to announce that effective 1/2/13 we will be changing our... ...more

January 1, 2013 New Supplement Policy for 2013 We are pleased to announce that effective 1/2/13 we will be changing our... ...more

Sept 23, 2013 Integrative Medicine Preceptorship Dr. Erner has developed a program in conjunction with Integrative... ...more

October 8, 2015 Bariatric surgery & Suicide Risk A recent study by Canadian researchers suggests that people who undergo... ...more

October 8, 2015 Bariatric surgery & Suicide Risk A recent study by Canadian researchers suggests that people who undergo... ...more

May 5, 2009 Mesoderm Dr. Erner is now offering mesoderm at the office. Mesoderm is helpful for... ...more

The Capital Region Progressive Medicine and Longevity Practice, PLLC is based in Albany, NY.

Dr. Erner offers a comfortable, relaxed setting and a high quality, personalized approach to your preventative health care needs.

New Patient appointments as well as follow-up visits are conveniently scheduled and you can anticipate being seen in a timely fashion on the day of your appointment.

Area of practice include:

Read more from the original source:
Capital Region Progressive Medicine and Longevity Practice ...

The HCGLongevity Dietat the Raby Institute for Integrative Medicine follows the protocols developed originally by A.T.W. Simeon, MD at the Salvator Mundi International Hospital, Vatican, Italy in the mid 1970s and as practiced by Dr. C. Marten of Rotten-Ergan, Germany.

Typically, this intensive medically supervised weight reducing and body re-shaping program provides outstanding results in as little as 4-6 weeks. The features of this program are a well-balanced, low calorie diet and regular injections of HCG that aids in the depletion of abnormal fat stores with virtually no hunger pangs.

Advantages of HCG and Weight Reducing Program

(Losing Weight without Being Hungry)

With most other weight loss programs, the majority of weight lost is muscle mass and healthy structural fat.This is not the case with the HCG Longevityweight loss program! With the HCG Longevity Diet the focus is on losing unhealthy stored fats typically foundon the thighs, hips andabdomen. The aim of this medically supervised program is to lose weight while barely disturbing the bodys own protein stores, mainly by depleting abnormal (hypo-metabolic) fat deposits while preserving lean body muscle mass.

Initial Program: $1,000

Subsequent Programs: $750 Initial Package includes:

Initial Consult - 1 hour in the office

Eight follow-up consults (Community Class Sessions)

HCG Injections/Tablets

B12 Injection with each visit excluding initial visit

Practitioners trained in theHCG Longevity Diet include:

Additional Infomation on the HCG Longevity Diet

To find out more aboutLongevity Dietat the Raby Institute for Integrative Medicine, or to schedule an appointment with one of our Longevity Diet practitioners, contact the Raby Institute at 312-276-1212 or info@rabyintegrativemedicine.com.

Read this article:
HCG Longevity Diet | Raby Institute for Integrative Medicine

During the Middle Ages in Europe, the average life span was approximately 40 years. In 1897, the most common causes of death were influenza, diarrhea, and pneumonia. By 1997, the most frequent causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Since the 1950s, medical science has been able to reduce deaths due to heart disease 45% and strokes by 60%. Blood screening for DNA damage and other advanced technologies have made early detection of cancer and other ailments a reality, increasing life expectancy still further. Because of modern sanitation and medical advancements, the life span of Americans continues to increase. Today, the average life span is about 85 years.

Longevity medicine is dedicated to a new approach to aging and to preventive medicine. The purpose of longevity medicine is not to live longer as an "older" person, but rather to delay the onset of the aging process and give people a greater number of healthy, quality years. Longevity medicine believes that aging is a treatable condition that can be prevented, slowed, and even reversed through existing medical and scientific interventions.

The longevity movement, while embracing sophisticated high-tech innovations, aligns itself mostly with economical and pragmatic lifestyle modifications. The effectiveness of proper diet, exercise, and social support cannot be overstated. Although we live in a youth-oriented culture that places a premium on beauty, fitness, hedonistic indulgence, and sexuality, the longevity movement is about extending the quality of life with a healthy recognition of our ultimate potential.

Dr. Partovi believes that the growth of longevity medicine, which has been fuelled by the rise of natural and integrated medicine, has been due largely to the hope that the ravages and diseases of aging can finally be prevented through our ever increasing understanding of nature, offering the hope of negligible senescence where once no hope existed. We empower our patients to take charge of their own health; we join them and work with them on their journey toward optimum health and maximum longevity.

Please contact us directly to schedule an assesment and to learn more about the latest in individualized longevity medicine protocols.

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Dr. Ryan Partovi | Longevity Medicine | Preventive Care ...

It is taken as a tenet around here that involuntary death is a bad thing, and the process of getting to be dead despite your own wishes on the matter is arguably worse - it involves a great deal of ongoing suffering and pain as the body progressively fails. Greatly diminishing the incidence of death is one aim of the longevity science movement, achieved through the elimination of degenerative aging, the greatest cause of death. Can we say why being dead is bad, however? That is supposedly a harder job than declaring suffering to be bad and worthy of amelioration - though most philosophers fail to consider the economic costs of destruction, and in the end it should all come down to "I've decided I don't like it, and so I'll work towards doing something about it through progress in medical science." Reasons beyond personal choice are unnecessary, but here is a brief tour of some of the philosophy of death and nonexistence: "We all believe that death is bad. But why is death bad? In thinking about this question, I am simply going to assume that the death of my body is the end of my existence as a person. But if death is my end, how can it be bad for me to die? After all, once I'm dead, I don't exist. If I don't exist, how can being dead be bad for me? ... there's a puzzle raised by the Roman philosopher Lucretius, who thought it a mistake to find the prospect of my death upsetting. Yes, as the deprivation account points out, after death we can't enjoy life's pleasures. But wait a minute, says Lucretius. The time after I die isn't the only period during which I won't exist. What about the period before my birth? If nonexistence is so bad, shouldn't I be upset by the eternity of nonexistence before I was born? But that's silly, right? Nobody is upset about that. So, he concludes, it doesn't make any sense to be upset about the eternity of nonexistence after you die, either. It isn't clear how best to reply to Lucretius. One option, presumably, is to agree that we really do need to treat those two eternities of nonexistence on a par, but to insist that our prebirth nonexistence was worse than we thought. Alternatively, we might insist that there's an asymmetry that explains why we should care about the one period but not the other. But what is that difference? Perhaps this: When I die, I have lost my life. In contrast, during the eternity before my birth, although I'm not alive, I have not lost anything. You can't lose what you never had. So what's worse about death is the loss."

Link: http://chronicle.com/article/Is-Death-Bad-for-You-/131818/

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

No great surprise here, given that calorie restriction in mammals slows almost all measures of aging investigated to date: "Long-term caloric restriction (CR) has been reported to extend the life spans, delay the onset and decrease the incidence of a broad spectrum of age-associated diseases. However, its effect on rat explorative behaviour is still unclear. In the present study, a number of behavioural measures were continuously monitored in 3-, 12-, 24-25-, 28-29- and 35-44-month-old male Wistar rats that were fed either ad libitum or placed on a caloric restricted diet. A gradual decline in locomotor activity of the ad libitum fed rats has been determined during aging in the open field test. In the CR groups, 3-month-old rats exhibited lower levels of exploratory behavior, compared to rats on the control diet. 24-25-month-old CR rats exhibited higher levels of exploratory behaviour, compared to ad libitum fed animals of the same age. Chronic dietary restriction nullified the age-dependent decline in locomotor activity and explorative behaviour of rats."

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22590739

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Brain Health can be maintained as we age even in the face of Alzheimer's Disease, Memory Loss, Parkinson's Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis by treating the underlying factor that effects brain function. Inflammation of the brain's nerve tissue is the common factor in these neurological disorders. Inflammation eventually leads to dysfunction and destruction of the normal neurological processes. Dr. David Perlmutter's research on these challenging neurological diseases has shown that the "brain is on fire"(www.perlhealth.com). There are very few pain receptors in the brain, which is why we do not feel warning pains of this type of inflammation of the nerve tissue.(Headaches are mostly caused byarterial inflammation in the brain, not by brain tissue inflammation.)

The approach to Brain Health at the Longevity Healthcare Center is to determine the imbalance causing inflammation andaim to relieve it. Although the brainhas regenerative capacity,it does require proper environmental and nutrient balance to restore optimal function.

Our comprehensive Brian Health Program addresses the health of the whole person. Treatment plans are designed to relieve the imbalance that causes the disease, aiming torestore optimal function. Simple symptom relief treatments commonly prescibe pharmaceutical solutions of "taking a pill", this doesnot address the underlying cause nor improve organ function.

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Brain Health

Many lower animals can regenerate from injuries that mammals cannot naturally heal - yet the fundamental components of their biology are much the same when considered at a high level. It's all cells and signalling molecules under the hood, and we're all sitting on branches of the same evolutionary tree. So it seems very plausible that there is something to be learned about regeneration from the biochemistries of species that can regrow lost limbs, completely heal heart injuries, or even grow half a body when needs must. Here is a small selection of research from the past week or so, illustrative of the work of a number of scientists investigating animals ranging from flatworms to salamanders.

Zebrafish Regrow Fins Using Multiple Cell Types, Not Identical Stem Cells

What does it take to regenerate a limb? Biologists have long thought that organ regeneration in animals like zebrafish and salamanders involved stem cells that can generate any tissue in the body. But new research suggests that multiple cell types are needed to regrow the complete organ, at least in zebrafish.

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Limb regeneration has long captured people's imaginations.Traditionally, when people have looked at how a limb regenerates, they see a group of cells forming at the amputation site and the cells all look the same. So they've imagined that these cells have lost their identities and can become anything else. Our results show that this is not the case in the zebrafish fin. And there is mounting evidence that this is not the case in the salamander limb. ... This is evidence that we can't necessarily do regenerative medicine by plopping in generalized stem cells. The key may be to induce the cells that are already there to grow again. We need to understand and account for every cell lineage and then convince them to play ball together.

And just to show that there's no consistency whatsoever in nature, the story for the humble planarian appears to be quite the opposite.

Pluripotent adult stem cells power planarian regeneration

Ever since animals, such as lizards and starfish, were observed regenerating missing body parts, people have wondered where the new tissues come from. In the case of the planarian flatworm, Whitehead Institute researchers have determined that the source of this animal's extraordinary regenerative powers is a single, pluripotent cell type.

...

This is an animal that, through evolution, has already solved the regeneration problem. We're studying planarians to see how their regeneration process works. And, one day, we'll examine what are the key differences between what's possible in this animal and what's possible in a mouse or a person.

Heads or tails? Worm with abundant ability to regenerate relies on ancient gene to make decisions

This amazing ability of the planarian flatworm to regenerate its entire body from a small wedge of tissue has fascinated scientists since the late 1800s. The worms can regrow any missing cell or tissue - muscle, neurons, epidermis, eyes, even a new brain. Now Petersen and colleague Peter Reddien of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that an ancient and seldom-studied gene is critical for regeneration in these animals. The findings may have important ramifications for tissue regeneration and repair in humans.

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In the paper, the authors describe how the gene notum acts at head-facing wounds as a dimmer switch to dampen the Wnt pathway and promote head regeneration. When the head or tail of a planarian is cut off, Wnt is activated. This Wnt activity turns on notum, but only at head-facing wounds. In a feedback loop, notum then turns Wnt down low enough that it can no longer prevent a head from forming. In tail-facing wounds, however, notum is not activated highly, a condition that promotes tail regrowth. (It takes the worm about a week to regrow a head or tail.)

The researchers are intrigued by this new role for notum. Like the Wnt signaling pathway, notum is highly conserved throughout species, from sea anenomes to fruit flies to humans, but little is known about its roles in biology. Because both notum and the Wnt signaling pathway are so evolutionarily ancient, their interaction in planarians may indicate a relationship that is important in other animals as well.

Wnt appears in a lot of published research into regeneration - it's clearly important in these processes, and the more that becomes known about the signalling systems of which it is a part, the better.

Mitochondria crowd your cells, roving descendants of ancient bacteria that were long ago co-opted to serve as power plants, turning food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy store chemical used to power cellular machinery. As a legacy of their bacterial origins, mitochondria carry their own DNA, separate from that in the cell nucleus. Making ATP is a messy business, creating all sorts of reactive molecules as byproducts, and that mitochondrial DNA is more vulnerable than the safely enclosed nuclear DNA. The balance of evidence strongly implicates mitochondrial DNA damage as one of the contributing causes of aging. A damaged gene can no longer be used as a blueprint for the process of gene expression that produces the protein machinery that is vital to the operation of a mitochondrion, and from there matters only go downhill - it's a long road that ends up at atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration, and many other forms of advanced age-related degeneration.

Thus finding ways to repair mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is of great importance - but this is still a minority field of science in comparison to stem cell medicine or cancer research. Nonetheless, mitochondrial repair has been attracting some attention in the past week, as an important new line of research made it to the press release and publicity stage. The technique demonstrated is not really repair, per se, more a method of working around damage to mitochondrial genes - but it looks to be a great improvement over existing methodologies in terms of cost, time, and difficulty. This may enable broader and faster progress towards therapies that can remove the harm caused by damaged mitochondria. You might peruse these recent posts for more details on the work:

• A General Method for Correcting Mitochondrial Mutations
• SENS Foundation on Recent Mitochondrial Research

The new method is a way to deliver more or less arbitrary RNA to mitochondria, which should allow for continued function even after mutational damage to important genes. Production of RNA is a first step in the convoluted process of gene expression - by which genes are used as a blueprint for proteins - so it's quite possible to skip the gene and start with the RNA. This shortcut is the basis for a range of modern life science research, and one obvious use is to correct for a missing or damaged gene: find a way to provide the patient with an ongoing supply of suitably crafted RNA molecules targeted to the right places in his or her cells and it won't matter that the gene is broken.

I should note that there are only thirteen genes in the mitochondria that are important for the purposes of this discussion, but the process of producing repairs or workarounds for each one has been hard, very different for each of them, slow, and difficult up until this point. A method that works in a very similar way for all of them is a big deal.

The researchers presented on their work in RNA last year at SENS5, and I see that the SENS Foundation volunteers moved up the presentation video in the queue for processing and posted it to YouTube today:

A decline in the function of mitochondria may contribute to the aging process and age-related disorders. A functional decline could arise from accumulated mtDNA mutations over time, leading to reduced oxidative phosphorylation and other untoward effects on mitochondrial activities. Strategies that restore mitochondrial function could potentially offset key aspects of aging decline. RNA import into mammalian mitochondria is considered essential for replication, transcription, and translation of the mitochondrial genome but the pathway(s) and factors that control this import are poorly understood.

In recent studies we have shown a role for polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPASE) in regulating the import of nuclear-encoded RNAs into the mitochondrial matrix. ... A mitochondrial RNA targeting signal was identified that enables the import of heterologous RNAs in a PNPASE-dependent manner. Combined, our studies show an unanticipated role for PNPASE in mediating the translocation of RNAs into mitochondria and provide a potential therapeutic route for halting or reversing the decline in mitochondrial function with aging.

In short, the researchers have found a mechanism that can be hijacked in order to import RNA into the mitochondria as desired.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm