Tag Archives: wellness

Staircase or Slide?

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            Mandy Rice-Davies, a secondary figure in the “Profumo scandal,” later described her life as “one slow descent into respectability.”[1]  That’s pretty much the conventional view of aging.  More than a decade ago, one student of epigenetics[2] argued that aging became linear after puberty.[3]  Or, as a friend once remarked, “Once an adult and twice a child.” 

            Modern Science is beginning to have doubts.  In place of a slow descent along a glide path leading to your children abandoning you in your wheel-chair at the dog track, it has been suggested that aging happens in more-or-less predictable “bursts.”[4]  One study[5] analyzed molecular changes from blood samples.  What the researchers discovered was that at around age 44 bodies experienced molecular changes in muscle function and the metabolization of fat and alcohol.  At around age 60, more changes occurred in muscle function and in immune dysfunction.[6]  It is posited that the changes may explain why people have more trouble processing alcohol after age 40 and why they become more vulnerable to illnesses after age 60.

            Of course, poor life-style choices around diet and exercise appear to play a large role in progressive ill-health.[7]  Do the poor choices produce the metabolic changes?  Well, studies of mice found “sudden chemical modifications to DNA” happened in early-to-mid life and again in mid-to-late life.  Probably not a huge share of obese, alcoholic mice.[8]  Similarly, a study of blood plasma from 4,000 participants showed spikes of proteins linked to aging in the fourth, seventh, and eighth decades of life. 

            So far, researchers haven’t discovered any major ways to countering or controlling aging.  That would be to ask too much of Science at this early stage.  Are there significant differences between individual humans?  Are there significant differences between men and women?  Can anything significant be done to slow aging?  More work needs to be done. 

            Then there’s the $64 question: can anything be done to understand and control cognitive decline?  Who wants to be some “fine figure of a man” with his feeding instructions tattooed on his forehead for the convenience of the para-professionals? 

[1] On Rice-Davies, see: Mandy Rice-Davies – Wikipedia; on the “Profumo affair,” see: Profumo affair – Wikipedia 

[2] Epigenetics – Wikipedia  You’re probably going to want to skip right down to the “Functions and Consequences” section. 

[3] Mohana Rabindrath, “Aging in Adulthood May Occur in a Series of Bursts,” NYT, 18 March 2025.

[4] Mohana Rabindrath, “Aging in Adulthood May Occur in a Series of Bursts,” NYT, 18 March 2025. 

[5] Of 108 subjects spanning ages 25 to 75 years old.  If they were testing in 5-year groups (25-30-35 etc.), then that’s 11 groups.  Basically 10 subjects per group.  Really thin to my mind.  If they’re testing in 10-year groups (25-35-45 etc.), then that’s 20 guys per group.  Still really thin.  So, you’re entitled to go “In a pig’s eye; come back when you’ve got a real study.”

[6] Spoiler Alert: I’m 71 according to the government.  I don’t feel like whatever I imagined being 71 felt like.  Also, there’s a guy in my workout group who has the nickname “Spoiler.”  Naturally, all his online posts are labeled “Spoiler Alerts.” 

[7] More of Same on Longevity. | waroftheworldblog 

[8] Although there is probably some grad student betting his career on such studies. 

More of Same on Longevity.

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            “Old age is a ship-wreck.”—Charles de Gaulle.  It sure is for a large percentage of Americans.  As adults, better than half have some chronic illness (cancer, heart disease, diabetes).  By the time they hit the traditional retirement age (65), four-fifths of them have at least two chronic conditions.  Only a handful reach age 80 without some sort of health problem. 

            How does this handful dodge so many of the bullets that hit the vast majority of people?  Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist interested in aging and longevity sought answers.  He hypothesized a genetic explanation.  That didn’t pan out, so he turned his attention to common features of what he calls “Super Agers.”[1]  He and his team of researchers found the “super agers” to be “thinner, exercised more frequently and seemed “remarkably upbeat,” often with rich social lives.”[2] 

            In Topol’s view, “nothing surpasses regular exercise for promotion of healthy aging.”  Then, “healthy eating and a good night’s sleep are also crucial.”  He’s less prescriptive about what to eat than are some, but he’s hard and fast on what not to eat: highly processed junk.  These “foods” promote inflammation, which can contribute to all sorts of other maladies. 

Then there’s loneliness (“social isolation” in academese).  No one to talk to about your triumphs or disasters.  No one to share your enthusiasms.  There’s probably an up-side here to sports fans.  (Bound to be one.  Well, that’s a snotty thing to say.)  It’s been a problem for a long time.  Popular culture commonly associated lonely with individual experience, rather than as a social problem.[3]  Back in 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a “Minister for Loneliness.”  I don’t know what became of that initiative, but at least people recognized the seriousness of the problem.  Similarly, Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, warned of loneliness as a health issue.[4]    

            Topol is pretty much dismissive of many pseudo-scientific approaches to extending lifespan and health span, or improving cognitive function.[5]  OTOH, he sees drugs like Ozempic as having an “extraordinary potential to promote health span.”  The drugs both promote weight loss and reduced inflammation. 

            Many authors are now touting the opportunities for longer life and better health available to individuals making the right choices.  That would seem to imply that shorter life and ill-health are the product of individuals making bad choices.  Why does such a large share of Americans make such poor choices and then stick to them?  The machinations of “Big Food”?  A cultural shift from personal responsibility and self-reliance to feelings of impotence and dependence in “mass society”?  Or, conversely, a shift from a coercive, normative society to a laissez-faire and diversity-celebrating society?  The internet may not be the cause of loneliness, but it seems to be an accelerant.

            Be that as it may, there’s a cardinal sitting on the planter in my yard.  Dark red head, then a dustier sort of red below it.  Beautiful. 

[1] Eric Topol, Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity (2025). 

[2] David Shaywitz, review of Topol, Super Agers, WSJ, 7 May 2025. 

[3] Couple of my favorites: Sea of Heartbreak and I Still Miss Someone 

[4] U.K. Appoints a Minister for Loneliness – The New York Times; and A Rao, “US surgeon general warns of next public health priority: loneliness”, The Guardian, 2 May 2023. 

[5] Still, they’re all over the commercials during the network news at dinner time.  As best I recall. 

Making Your Life Longer and Better.

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            There’s life span and then there’s health span.[1]  How to prolong both?  There are some simple and cheap things to do. 

            First, work out.  Stan Pocock[2] once told a bunch of young men that “It’s not about the rigging, it’s about the rowing.”  He meant that the exercise equipment doesn’t matter, but how and how hard you do the exercise does matter.  So, what works?  Both cardio and strength training cut the risk of cardiovascular disease.  You know, heart attacks and strokes.  Walking and running around the neighborhood provides cardio.  Body weight calisthenics provide good, basic strength training.  Later, you can scale up with some weights if you’ve a mind to.  OTOH, 28-pound cinder blocks are $2.18 a piece at Loew’s. 

            How much exercise?  Well, anything is better than just sitting in the Barcalounger with a beer in your fist.  More formally, 150 minutes a week of “moderate” intensity aerobic exercise provides a baseline.  Walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, gets you to 150 minutes.  After that base, 75 minutes of “vigorous” aerobic activity from running or swimming is a desirable further goal. 

            If you don’t like working out alone and don’t find a gym much of an improvement, then try a free exercise group available in much of the country.[3] 

            Second, eat some version of the Mediterranean diet.  That means eating unprocessed whole foods like whole grains, fruit and vegetables, and lean proteins (chicken and fish for example).  These kinds of diets can cut the risk of cardiovascular disease.  When shopping, work around the outside edge of the grocery store. 

            Third, try to get seven hours of sleep a night.  During sleep, the body regulates hormone and blood sugar levels.  Also, your brain can clean out toxins. 

            The best approach is to build a regular sleep schedule.  If you have to be up by 5:00 AM, then you have to be asleep by 10:00 PM.  Some people and early-birds, some are night-owls.  It’s probably shoveling sand against the tide to fight these traits.  So recognize their power when figuring out when to go to sleep and when to wake.  Then, you have accommodate your work schedule, your family responsibilities, and your exercise schedule to your sleep schedule.  In the case of work and family, they can easily take precedence.  Who knew that such standard aspects of life could threaten your health?  It’s a conundrum. 

            Fourth, “train your brain to be optimistic.”  Depression and loneliness are mental states that increase the risk of early death.  Perhaps people can train their brains to be more optimistic.  The current scientific research is only suggestive, rather than definitive.  It is suggested that talk therapy and journaling can help re-direct the mind.  Equally or more important, at least intuitively, is positive connectedness to other people.  Such connections reduce stress and improve mood.  OTOH, “negative” connectedness—spending time with people who run you down—has a bad effect.  Track the changes in how you feel that come from changes in how you live.  Feeling more fit, better fed, more rested, and more connected can shape attitude. 

[1] Mohana Ravindranath, “Inexpensive Longevity ‘Hacks’,” NYT, 15 April 2025. 

[2] Rowing legend Stan Pocock dies at 91 | The Seattle Times 

[3] F3 Nation: Fitness, Fellowship, Faith 

Just Asking.

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            Was Joe Biden being treated for cancer during his term in office?  One possible effect of chemotherapy for cancer is commonly called “chemo brain.”  The Mayo Clinic lists cognitive effects, physical complications, and risk factures for “chemo brain.” [1] 

“Symptoms of chemo brain linked to memory may include:

  • Trouble recalling what you’ve said to others.
  • Trouble recalling what you’ve seen, such as images or lists of words.
  • Trouble recalling what’s happened recently, called short-term memory issues.

Symptoms of chemo brain linked to thinking may include:

  • Trouble finding the right words.
  • Trouble learning new skills.
  • Trouble doing more than one thing at a time.
  • Mental fog.
  • Short attention span.
  • Taking longer than usual to do routine tasks.

“Physical complications of chemotherapy include: 

  • Low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin needed to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues, called anemia.
  • Weakness and tiredness.”

“Factors that may increase the risk of chemo brain and memory changes in people with cancer include:

  • Older age.”

There appears to be a degree of overlap in the symptoms of “chemo brain” and the “cognitive decline” attributed to President Biden from early in his term.[2]  It has been remarked that Joe Biden had not received the PSA test since 2014.  This struck some observers as odd.  On the one hand, doctors don’t recommend the PSA for men over 70.  On the other hand, Biden was a candidate for the presidency and then the President of the United States.[3]  Spokesmen for Biden have denied that he had been diagnosed with cancer before May 2025.[4]  That would be powerfully persuasive had not other spokespeople previously declared that Biden was mentally and physically fit to be President when he obviously was not.[5] 

Whatever the cause of Joe Biden’s cognitive problems, Americans are entitled to ask: who was running the show, and for how long, and in which areas of government?    

[1] Chemo brain – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic 

[2] For a catalogue of Biden’s public mis-steps, see: Age and health concerns about Joe Biden – Wikipedia For a recording of the full interview of Biden by Special Counsel Robert Hur, see: Marc Caputo, “Exclusive: Listen to the full Biden-Hur special counsel interview” Axios (May 17, 2025).  For a bunch of “now it can be told” stuff, see: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again (2025). 

[3] “C’mon man.”    

[4] See the very helpful article by Tyler Pager “Biden Did Not Get Prostate Diagnosis Before Last Week,” NYT, 20 May 2025. 

[5] Andrew Restuccia, Annie Linskey, Emily Glazer, Rebecca Ballhaus, Erich Schwartzel, “How Biden’s Inner Circle Worked to Keep Signs of Aging Under Wraps”, WSJ, 8 July 2024, elicited a lot of push-back from Democrats high and low.