I am a curious person constantly learning, often leading me down rabbit holes.  If you have ever spent an hour looking into something and it feels like 5 minutes, welcome to my world.  A book on my bedstand is "Outlive" by Dr. Peter Attia, and it looks at different ways to extend the vitality of the years you have on the earth.  The book has so much great information, so I want to share some of my thoughts and ideas along with other random topics I have been reading.

Outlive is a roadmap for living a long, healthy life.  The information provided by Dr. Attia is not only practical but achievable for many looking to extend their years.  He addresses cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease with actionable plans to reduce their risk.  The book has so much information that it sometimes feels like a textbook, but the stories he weaves into the different topics make it a lovely read.  One of the most important takeaways is the importance of sleep and how it affects your brain.  The book is a must-read if you want more information on longevity and vitality. 

I am currently in the car traveling back home from the Thanksgiving weekend.  One of my colleagues, who writes a weekly email on life coaching, referenced a Thanksgiving dinner with 16 family members and friends.  He started the prayer time by saying three things he was thankful for and asking others to join.  After 2 hours of thanks, they finally got around to eating the cold turkey and fixings.  This is a classic example of a good thing that went bad. 

Why do I mention the never-ending thanks story?  Pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream is my weakness; frankly, I overindulged this last weekend.  I have no regrets because the pie was amazing, even though it was made with Libby pumpkin pie filling (if one of my favorite aunts reads this, she will know what I'm talking about).  I could let this good thing end up being something negative, but beating myself up is not productive, so I choose to acknowledge my choices, try to be better in the future, and move on.

The same concept can flow over into other areas of our lives.  Some areas that come to mind include exercise, work, or social media.  Forgiving ourselves for weaknesses and moving on from them is a healthy response.  We are imperfect and will never be, but we can strive to improve our lives.  Use these opportunities to learn more about ourselves and develop more productive habits.

Dave Asprey, a "health hacker" who has several books, talks about the consumption of fried food, i.e., French fries, and its effect on inflammation.  Due to the nature of oils used (typically vegetable and other seed oils) in the cooking process, these oils are highly inflammatory, creating inflammation lasting up to 2 days.  He then goes into the amount of inflammation that occurs from smoking a cigarette, which is about 4-6 hours.

Let's unpack that thought process.  When looking at the effect of inflammation on our bodies, smoking a single cigarette is less of a health risk than eating a serving of French fries.  The statement from the outside screams, "That's not true," but if we think about what happens metabolically in our bodies, it makes complete sense. 

Potatoes and tomatoes are our #1 and #2 consumed vegetables in the US, pointing directly at the consumption of French fries lathered in ketchup.  If you are eating fast food every other day and your routine is to have French fries with your burger, you may be in constant inflammation.  His solution to eating deep-fried foods was to bake them and then put healthy organic butter on top of them, adding flavor and being way less inflammatory than the deep-fried version.

A frequent topic of my articles is how inflammation can cause many of our health issues.  Living with inflammation may be the norm in the case of a regular fried food or fast-food eater, and one may never know what it feels like not to have inflammation.  This type of inflammation is often referred to as silent inflammation.  The problem with silent inflammation is that it slowly eats away at your body, and you usually don't realize it because it feels normal.  Testing to see if you have inflammation and treating it are the solution.

A recent study found that getting recommended amounts of activity, 2.5 – 5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise or 1.25 – 2.5 hours of vigorous activity, significantly lowered the risk for 7 of the 15 cancer types studied: colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, multiple myeloma, liver, and on-Hodgkin lymphoma.  Getting more exercise hours was associated with an even more significant risk reduction for some cancer types.  The risk reduction was 6-18%, depending on the type of cancer.  It's hard to fathom that 15 minutes five times a week could make that much of a difference. 

I hope these tidbits of information are thought-provoking and will inspire change where needed.  Baby steps are the start of greater change, and not starting shouldn't be an option.

If you need help with ideas on how to change the current direction of your health, stop by or call the pharmacy (701-483-4858).  We can talk about alternative options that will address your concerns from a different angle.  Please visit my website at www.irsfeldpharmacy.com to find this and other archived articles in the blog section. 

Until next time, be vigilant about your health!