The Miracle of Overcoming Near-Death to Impact Millions – Hal Elrod #584
Do Men’s Beards Really Carry More Germs Than Dog Fur? Here’s What the Science Says
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- A new, small study out of Switzerland has found that men’s beards carry more germs than dog fur. And not the friendly microbes that keep your skin balanced.
- But that doesn’t mean you have to be clean-shaven to be healthy. Beards may carry good bacteria that keep your skin biome thriving.
- Ways to clean your beard and maintain a healthy skin biome: Wash with a gentle, natural cleanser, rub with MCT oil, and fix your gut.
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Hipsters, take note: A new, small study out of Switzerland has found that men’s beards carry more germs than dog fur.
And not the friendly microbes that keep your skin healthy.
Scientists sampled the hair of 18 men and 30 dogs of various breeds and discovered that they all had a “significantly higher bacterial load” compared to pooches. Seven of the men carried pathogenic strains that are considered dangerous to human health.
The study was meant to determine whether vets and doctors could use the same MRI machines on pets and people, without risk of contamination. But it turns out, pets were the cleaner ones.
Does this mean all dudes should be clean-shaven? Not necessarily. Another study from 2014 analyzed the skin of 408 male hospital workers to determine whether they harbored contagious, disease-causing bacteria.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24746610″] Their findings? Clean-shaven men were three times more likely to carry MRSA – antibiotic-resistant bacteria — and 10 percent more likely to host staphylococcus aureus, which can cause food poisoning, along with skin and respiratory infections, on their faces.
Your beard may also carry good bacteria that keeps your skin healthy. On the BBC show “Trust Me I’m a Doctor,” a microbiologist was able to grow over 100 different bacteria from swabs taken from beards, including microbes typically found in the gut.
What to do: Keep your skin biome healthy
Facial hair or not, what’s the best way to keep infectious pathogens at bay? Maintain a healthy skin biome. Just like your gut, your skin is home to thousands of bacteria – some good and some not-so-good.
Here’s how to clean your beard and keep your skin biome healthy, allowing the good guys to thrive and the bad guys to take a backseat.
– Use a natural cleanser: Mother Dirt shampoo, wash, or spray contains a type of bacteria called AOB that keeps your skin’s ecosystem in balance. Or use a gentle natural cleanser like Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash that won’t go nuclear on the good guys.
– Rub your beard with MCT oil: Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil is a type of saturated fatty acid loaded with all kinds of benefits, including being antimicrobial and antifungal.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27187452″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24328700″] Try Brain Octane oil, which is derived from 100% coconut oil and free of any unnecessary chemicals. Put a couple of drops of Brain Octane oil into your palm, rub your hands together, and smooth onto your beard.
– Fix your gut: The state of your gut affects just about everything, including your skin.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6048199/”] Focus on a variety of nourishing, anti-inflammatory foods for a thriving gut microbiome, and quit sugar. Discover more ways to heal your gut here.
Read next: Top Anti-Aging Biohacks for Better Skin
To Live Forever, Get Rid of Your Body’s Toxic Zombie Cells
- Usually, when your cells get old or damaged, they self-destruct, making way for shiny new cells. But there are some cells that refuse to die. These death-resistant cells, called “senescent cells,” build up in your organs and can lead to premature aging and disease.
- Senescent cells contribute to inflammation, aging, cancer, arthritis, cognitive decline, and more. Removing them can increase lifespan and improve your overall cellular function.
- The good news is that there are several ways you can clear out built-up senescent cells and turn back the clock on aging. Read on for the best anti-senescent supplements.
If you think back to high school biology, you may remember the term “apoptosis.” Apoptosis is when your old or damaged cells destroy themselves, to make room for shiny new cells. Apoptosis is essential for healthy aging; you want the freshest, best versions of your cells at all times to make sure your body’s running the best it possibly can.
However, there are some cells that refuse to die. These death-resistant cells, aka “senescent cells,” refuse to self-destruct when they’re worn out. Instead they gradually accumulate in your organs as you get older, which can lead to premature aging and disease.
This article is going to cover cellular senescence, why it matters for anti-aging, and how you can get rid of youth-robbing senescent cells to keep your body running smoothly.
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What is cellular senescence?
Senescent cells are like zombies: they die, but they don’t disappear like normal cells do. Senescent cells no longer divide or function properly. They literally become dead weight in your organs, clogging up your system and triggering inflammation.
Over time, you build up more and more senescent cells, causing cumulative damage that drives aging. There are a few different kinds of senescent cells:
- Senescent immune cells make you age particularly quickly. When you get a cut or infection, your immune cells rush to the scene and start dividing so there are plenty of them to help you heal quickly. When your body is running properly, your immune cells die off as soon as the damage heals. But senescent cells stick around, inhibiting your immune system’s ability to respond to future threats. Researchers think that cellular senescence in immune cells is a major reason why older people often have weak immune systems.
- Senescent connective tissue contributes to arthritis and joint inflammation. In fact, injecting senescent cells into your knees can actually cause arthritis, and removing them gets rid of arthritis.
- Senescent mitochondria are perhaps the worst type of senescence. Your mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells — they provide all the energy that runs your body. Senescent cells like to accumulate in dysfunctional mitochondria, driving further dysfunction and shutting off your body’s power supply. The result is senescence-associated mitochondrial dysfunction (SAMD), a major driver of aging.
How senescent cells impact aging
There are a few different reasons you age. Oxidative stress is a big one — it creates inflammation that damages your cells and increases your risk of most major diseases, particularly age-related ones.
Cellular senescence seems to be another cause of aging. As senescent cells build up in your cells, they secrete pro-inflammatory proteins that sabotage your healthy cells, cause widespread damage, compromise your immune system, decrease your energy production, and even increase cancer risk.
Researchers who controlled for all known causes of inflammation in aging found that you still get more unexplained inflammation as you age. The leading theory is that cellular senescence is the culprit.
And considering recent research found that killing off senescent cells in mice extended their lifespan and restored organ function, senescent cells seem like a particularly attractive target for slowing down aging and improving your performance.
How to stop senescent cells and slow down aging
The good news is there are several natural and pharmaceutical compounds you can use to kill senescent cells and turn back the clock on aging. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Metformin is a prescription diabetes medication that’s become popular in the anti-aging community, even in people without type II diabetes. That’s because metformin has powerful positive effects on aging and age-related disease. Metformin fights cancer and increases lifespan in both rodents and human cells by reducing senescence. I’ve been taking metformin for about five years, as have most of the people I know in the anti-aging community. The one thing to note is that metformin depletes vitamin B12, so you’ll want to either cycle on and off of metformin or double down on a quality methyl B12 supplement. You’ll need a prescription for metformin.
- Fisetin is a natural polyphenol found in seaweed and strawberries. Fisetin destroys senescent cells and increases lifespan by 10% in rodents, and there’s currently a clinical trial going on to see if that benefit extends to humans. Even if it doesn’t, fisetin is a powerful antioxidant that protects your brain from stress and it’s worth taking. You can read more about the benefits of fisetin here.
- Piperlongumine is an extract of long pepper root, a member of the pepper family native to India. Piperlongumine kills senescent cells and may extend lifespan. Research on piperlongumine is still in its early stages, but you can find supplements online and experiment yourself. You’ll often find piperlongumine by its traditional name, pippali.
No one knows if you’re better off taking senescent removers early on in life — say, starting in your twenties. If I could go back to 25, I would take anti-senescent agents every six months, and start taking them every quarter once I hit my mid-thirties. This is still a fairly new area of anti-aging research, but if you’re young, it seems like a good idea to keep senescent cells from accumulating in your organs. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about aging, it’s that it’s much easier (and cheaper) to prevent it than to reverse it.
Sleep Need & Sleep Age: Find Out Yours – Dan Gartenberg, Ph.D. #583
The Real Causes of Restless Legs Syndrome – and How to Treat it Naturally
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- Restless legs syndrome (or RLS) is marked by the overwhelming urge to move your legs, especially when sitting or lying down.
- Over 90 percent of people with RLS say it affects their sleep.
- It’s not entirely clear what causes RLS, but genes do play a role. Iron deficiency in the brain, lack of sleep, and dopamine shortage may also be to blame.
- Doctors often prescribe drugs like alpha-2-delta ligands and benzodiazepines, but they can have unpleasant side effects like dizziness and drowsiness.
- Restless leg natural remedies include supplements to increase dopamine, boosting iron stores, doing yoga, and healing your gut.
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You may know the feeling. You’re relaxing on the couch, watching some Netflix, and suddenly you get the overwhelming urge to move your legs. You may even feel some pain or a prickling sensation. Moving your legs around helps some, but once you stop, the urge starts up again. Or perhaps you experience it while you’re lying in bed, making it difficult to sleep. The phenomenon is known as restless legs syndrome (RLS), and it affects one in ten Americans, making it one the most common sleep disorders.[ref url=”http://sleepdisorders.sleepfoundation.org/chapter-7-sleep-related-movement-disorders/restless-leg-syndrome/prevalence/”]
Doctors often prescribe drugs like alpha-2-delta ligands and benzodiazepines[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24363103″] to treat RLS, but they can carry unpleasant side effects like dizziness and drowsiness.
With certain behavior changes and supplements, you can go a long way to easing your symptoms. Read on for the best restless legs syndrome natural remedies.
What is restless legs syndrome?
Restless legs syndrome, or RLS, is considered a sleep disorder.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11898486″] According to the National Sleep Foundation, 94 percent of people say RLS messes with their sleep. Scientists also label it a neurological sensory disorder, since the cause of RLS is likely rooted in the brain (more on that below).
Restless legs syndrome symptoms
A doctor can’t do a test to find out if you have restless legs syndrome. Instead, he or she will question you about your symptoms. People with the condition typically describe the following:
- The irresistible urge to move their legs
- Pain, achiness, tingling, itchiness or a pins-and-needles sensation in the legs
- Symptoms tend to get worse in the late afternoon and evening
- Moving the legs relieves some symptoms, but once they stop moving, the sensations return
Restless legs syndrome causes
It’s not entirely clear what causes restless legs syndrome. There’s growing evidence that genes play a role, especially when the condition starts at a young age.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653903/”] In a study of identical and non-identical twins, genetics were a factor in 54 percent of the cases.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15607009″] Scientists also point to low iron levels in the brain as another major cause[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21398376″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17566122″].
Other possible causes include:
- Dopamine shortage in the brain[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10102408″]
- Lack of sleep
- Dysfunction in the basal ganglia (a part of the brain connected to movement)
- Lactic acid build up in the muscles
- Electrolyte imbalance, particularly a potassium or magnesium deficiency
Restless legs syndrome natural remedies
Increase your dopamine levels
One of the most commonly prescribed drugs for RLS are dopamine-related medications, like pramipexole and ropinirole, that increase levels of dopamine — a neurotransmitter — in the brain.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23859128″] But the side effects of these types of medications aren’t pretty, and may include vomiting, nausea, and hallucinations. The good news is, you can increase your dopamine levels naturally, with the help of certain supplements and foods. Get a daily dose of L-tyrosine, an amino acid that helps your body make dopamine. Supplement with 500-2000 mg a day, or eat foods rich in tyrosine such as avocados, pastured eggs, and grass-fed beef. You can also boost your dopamine with mucuna pruriens, an herbal supplement that contains large amounts of L-dopa, a precursor to dopamine.
Boost iron levels
One of the most well-studied causes of RLS is low iron. Even people with RLS who don’t have anemia and have iron stores in the normal range can benefit from iron supplements. That’s because it’s possible for your brain to be deficient in iron, even when your blood tests show iron levels as normal. RLS patients have shown decreased iron in the substantia nigra, a part of the brain where cells that make dopamine live.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28057495″]
Two studies gave patients 325 mg of ferrous sulfate (a type of iron supplement), twice a day on an empty stomach[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19230757″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10686463″]. One found that iron supplements made little difference to RLS symptoms, while the other found that they did. Ferrous sulfate can cause stomach upsets[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4336293/”], so choose carbonyl iron, which is less likely to cause gut issues.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3947745″]
If iron pills don’t work, numerous studies also show that giving patients iron intravenously helped improve RLS symptoms in both the short- and the long-term.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27823710″]
You can also load up on iron-rich foods, like grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, leafy greens, and beef liver. Animal-based iron is more easily absorbed than plant-based iron, from foods like beans and lentils. Vitamin C also boosts absorption of iron, so add vegetables like broccoli and Brussels Sprouts to your meals.
Take magnesium
Most people are deficient in magnesium, and studies link a magnesium deficiency to RLS.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8363978″]
“Magnesium blocks calcium and if magnesium is deficient, nerves can overreact and trigger muscle contractions,” says Patti Kim, ND, a Los Angeles-based naturopath and acupuncturist. She recommends magnesium glycinate or magnesium malate for her patients. Learn how to choose the best magnesium supplement for your body here.
“Also epsom salt baths help your body absorb magnesium, as well as detox, relax muscles, and calm the nervous system,” she adds.
Increase potassium
Potassium works synergistically with magnesium. Look for powdered potassium citrate or bicarbonate. Start with 100-200 milligrams at bedtime, and work your way up to 400 mg. Be careful not to mega-dose — too much potassium can cause dangerous heart rhythm problems. You can also eat potassium-rich foods, including wild-caught salmon, spinach, leafy beet tops, and avocado.
Do yoga
Research shows that yoga can ease symptoms of RLS. In one study, women with moderate to severe RLS saw a significant reduction in symptoms after 8 weeks of Iyengar yoga, a gentle form of the exercise.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270319″] Participants also slept better, their mood improved, and their levels of perceived stress were lower. Bear in mind this was a small pilot study, and more rigorous research is needed. But yoga’s calming effects are well-documented,[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22502620″] so it’s not a bad idea to start practicing. Get started with this yoga nidra routine that will make you feel like you got a full night’s sleep.
Fix your gut
Restless legs syndrome can also be a consequence of an iffy gut. Studies show a connection between RLS and gut disorders like irritable bowel disease (IBD) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29610943″] These conditions cause inflammation, which may lead to iron deficiency, and then RLS. They can also trigger autoimmune changes, which causes antibodies to attack peripheral nerves — the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord. Focus on healing your gut with a high fat, low carb diet, and consider supplementing with probiotics.
Learn more about all the ways to fix your gut here.
Improve your sleep
The urge to move your legs can get in the way of your sleep, and a lack of sleep can make RLS symptoms worse. It’s a vicious cycle, so it helps to take a multi-pronged approach. Treat the RLS, and also work on improving your sleep. Start by creating the ideal sleep environment — make sure your bedroom is pitch black and the room cool. Shut down electronics two hours before bed, and fill up on the right fats at dinner. Get more sleep hacks here, or try the Bulletproof 30-Day Sleep Challenge to get started.
Take methyl B12 and methyl folate
Some studies suggest a vitamin B12 and folate deficiency may cause RLS.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29610943″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17604457″] Both folate — an essential B vitamin — and B12 are required for proper brain function, and a deficiency in one usually means a deficiency in the other. Take 5 mg of methylcobalamim (a form of B12) or hydroxocobalamim, and 800 mcg of methyl folate (not folic acid, a synthetic form of folate found in multivitamins).
Radical Regeneration: Neurosurgery Meets Energy Medicine – Marcella Madera, M.D. #582
