In my research over the last year, I have come across more and more articles discussing the value and importance of prolonged and intermittent fasting as it relates to regenerative medicine.
While studies on intermittent fasting, or IF, as it’s known in shorthand, are published in scientific journals, the results and the benefits are steadily making their way into the mainstream.
I recently read an article in Longevity.Technology that compared prolonged fasting with IF that piqued my interest and I wanted to share some of the finer points with you.
ONE: How does fasting work?
In the simplest form, fasting works by activating a process called ketosis. Ketosis occurs when you haven’t eaten for an extended period of time and your body doesn't have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy. Instead, it burns fat and produces ketones, which it can use for fuel. This is called being in “ketosis”.
TWO: What is the difference between IF and prolonged fasting?
Prolonged fasting occurs when you choose to not eat for a long period of time; anywhere from 24 to 48 to 72 hours. You consume water and occasionally some nutrients during this time, but little to no calories. As you can imagine, this strategy of fasting is too difficult for many people to attempt or maintain.
Thankfully, practicing IF allows you to obtain many of the benefits of prolonged fasting with a much more manageable eating schedule. The sweet spots for these IF regiments is typically between 18 and 24 hours, which is why the 16-hour fast followed by an 8-hour eating window is so popular. Many who follow this schedule begin their fast at 8pm and don’t eat until the following day at 12pm.
During that eating window starting at 12pm, people practicing IF eat all of their meals for the day. You may feel like you can loosen up on your diet since you just fasted, but I would not recommend that. I’d still limit or ban sugars altogether and cut carbohydrates down to a bare minimum.
THREE: Does fasting affect longevity?
Whether you choose to try IF or prolonged fasting, both methods affect nutrient sensing pathways. One such pathway is called the AMPK pathway which helps drive glucose into the cells and thus decreases glucose levels. Stimulation of the AMPK pathway definitely is associated with longevity. At the same time, fasting also down-regulates the mTOR pathway.
FOUR: What are the other benefits of IF?
One very important aspect of intermittent fasting involves the process of autophagy. Just as important as the weight loss aspects of IF, autophagy has tremendous health benefits as well.
Autophagy plays a housekeeping role in removing improperly folded or aggregated proteins, clearing damaged organelles (intracellular structures), such as mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, both of which are important in energy production.
In addition to the elimination of intracellular aggregates and damaged organelles, autophagy promotes cellular senescence and cell surface antigen presentation, which protects against genome instability and prevents necrosis.
Taking things one step further, autophagy plays a key role in preventing diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, liver disease, autoimmune diseases and infections.
In conclusion, IF may provide a host of health benefits and for many people it is certainly worth practicing.
- Dr. P
This is the recent article that I found valuable:
https://longevity.technology/lifestyle/intermittent-vs-prolonged-fasting-which-is-better-for-weight-loss/
I am always on the lookout for new arrows we can place in our regenerative medicine and anti-aging quiver, and I’m thrilled to announce that The Institute now offers intravenous methylene blue (MB) treatment!
The reason this is such an important announcement is because MB may improve your overall health in a number of ways, from boosting ATP production and pumping up the health of our mitochondria, to its nootropic traits, including improved memory, learning and overall brain function.
Methylene blue can also be paired with several of our other treatments, including red light therapy, NAD+ and EBO2 procedures to enhance their effectiveness and potentially increase the benefits.
A Brief History of Methylene Blue
Methylene blue is a blue dye developed by scientists in the 19th century for the textile industry. In addition to being a brilliant blue dye for fabric, surprisingly, it was soon discovered to be useful in the scientific laboratory and in medicine.
Its most common use in medicine is for the treatment of methemoglobinemia. Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder in which too little oxygen is delivered to your cells. As you know, oxygen is carried through your bloodstream by hemoglobin, a protein that’s attached to your red blood cells. When functioning properly, hemoglobin releases oxygen to cells throughout your body.
However, there’s a specific type of hemoglobin known as methemoglobin that carries oxygen through your blood but doesn’t release it to the cells. If your body produces too much methemoglobin, it can begin to replace your normal hemoglobin.
The unfortunate result is that the cells become starved for oxygen, thus causing a patient to suffer from methemoglobinemia. Methylene blue is an FDA-approved medicine to treat methemoglobinemia, as well as a host of other ailments, and it has a long safety history and profile with the agency. It has been evaluated for decades and is safe to use to treat a variety of issues.
How Methylene Blue Works
Methylene blue acts on multiple cellular targets and mechanisms, but many of its potential beneficial effects are ascribed to be mitochondrial (remember that the mitochondria are the organelles in our bodies that produce ATP).
But the real mechanism of action concerns the ability of methylene blue to donate electrons. I realize my explanation below will get a bit technical, but it’s important to understand why and how MB is so potent and important to regenerative medicine.
First, if you recall your high school science classes, ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) is the body’s energy currency. ATP is produced in a number of ways: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain - where a majority is created. The production of ATP is called cellular respiration.
With methylene blue, we are especially interested in the electron transport chain. On this note, think of ATP like a rechargeable battery. When ATP loses a phosphate bond it gives up energy and becomes ADP. ADP is short for adenosine di-phosphate + phosphate. When a cell needs energy, the phosphate molecule is released and the energy that had been holding on to the phosphate molecule is now available to do work for that cell. This is how energy is given to the cells.
ATP and Methylene Blue
The real mechanism of action in regards to ATP concerns the ability of methylene blue to donate electrons. This happens when low-dose methylene blue stimulates mitochondrial respiration by donating electrons to the electron transport chain. This makes methylene blue unique among chemicals for several important reasons.
First and foremost, it has an auto oxidizing property that allows MB at low concentrations to form an equilibrium by cycling electrons (i.e., serving as both an electron donor and acceptor). This property permits the cycling of electrons from chemicals inside the mitochondrial matrix to electron transport proteins in mitochondria.
These transport proteins act as acceptors for electrons donated by methylene blue in mitochondria. The final acceptor of electrons in the respiratory chain is oxygen, which is obtained from oxyhemoglobin transported in the circulation.
Molecular oxygen is then reduced to water in a reaction catalyzed by the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome oxidase (Complex IV, cytochrome c oxidase which has the abbreviation Cyt c). Methylene blue enhances the function of cytochrome oxidase (complex IV), making it work faster and more efficiently. This leads to increased oxygen consumption and increased ATP production, especially in the most metabolically active cells like the nerve cells in memory regions of the brain.
Methylene Blue and the Brain
Methylene blue concentrates in tissues with the most mitochondria (e.g. the brain where it readily crosses the blood brain barrier, the heart, the liver, and kidneys). In this regard, methylene blue does a few different things.
First, MB is a blood-brain barrier-permeable antioxidant, which makes it extremely unique because many antioxidants never make it into the brain. Methylene blue, on the other hand, quickly crosses the blood-brain barrier. It also improves mitochondrial efficiency and respiration, acts as an antioxidant, and increases brain cell lifespan, resulting in improved memory and mood.
At low dosages, methylene blue is used to enhance mitochondrial function, increase cerebral blood flow, and acts as an antidepressant. Methylene blue’s uncanny ability to selectively target diseased tissues (especially aging in the brain) is related to the health of our mitochondria.
Because of this, methylene blue holds great potential to combat a variety of neurological conditions including stroke, traumatic brain injury, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Methylene blue also improves memory by increasing brain cell respiration, or how the brain cell utilizes oxygen. It increases ATP production to provide more cellular energy for better overall brain function including cognition, mood, and memory.
Methylene Blue: A Strong Brain Nootropic
If you haven’t heard of the word before, a ‘nootropic’ is a substance capable of enhancing brain or mental function. Nootropics can help you boost memory, learning and overall brain capability. Nootropics, often called “smart drugs,” are a class of substances that are studied for their ability to aid brain performance. They are sometimes called cognition enhancers or memory enhancing substances.
Prescription nootropics are medications that have stimulant effects. The Air Force dispenses a “go to” pill, used by pilots to stay sharp called Provigil. Provigil is already renowned for its ability to keep people awake. Lately, however, the drug is getting attention for doing more than that. It seems that a lot of people are taking Provigil to try to increase intelligence. Methylene blue fits in the same category.
Methylene blue’s high reward, low-risk profile makes it one of the most exciting supplements in the biohacking world. Case in point, a recent study of 26 healthy volunteers aged 22 – 62 participated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving MB.
The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of methylene blue on working memory and sustained attention. Study results showed that a single low-dose of MB resulted in an increase in short-term memory ability.
In this randomized study, low-dose MB increased functional MR imaging activity during sustained attention and short-term memory tasks and memory retrieval.
One Caution with Methylene Blue: Serotonin Syndrome
One drawback of methylene blue is that it can potentially cause serotonin syndrome.
This is a rare but potentially dangerous health condition caused by excess levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Methylene blue causes this because it inhibits an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO). By inhibiting MAO, methylene blue increases our body’s level of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine – three neurotransmitters that play essential roles in regulating mood.
Too much of one or more of these neurotransmitters can lead to symptoms like rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, sweating, shivering/shaking, nausea and vomiting, confusion and disorientation, agitation, and anxiety.
This is why you should avoid methylene blue when taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), or other MAOIs.
Do not take this medicine with any of the following medications:
bupropion
certain medicines for depression or anxiety
clomipramine
doxepin
duloxetine
fluoxetine
MAOIs like Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate
milnacipran
mirtazapine
rasagiline
selegiline
St. John's wort
trazodone
tryptophan
The Exciting Ways The Institute will Utilize Methylene Blue
As we’ve covered, methylene blue has the potential to be a game changer in regenerative and anti-aging medicine. We will certainly offer it as a stand-alone procedure, but the powerful benefits come when we partner it with other modalities.
One such modality is the use of methylene blue and the red-light sauna room, where MB will be able to increase its effectiveness due to its photosensitivity.
Another exciting protocol is the utilization of MB and intravenous NAD+. This will provide a significant one-two punch for general well being and especially brain health.
Also, we look forward to combining methylene blue and our EBO2 technique, taking this potent treatment to the next level.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
The sky is truly the limit with methylene blue!
- Dr. P
For more information on methylene blue or to book your treatment, click here.
I have long been fascinated with the seemingly unlimited power of our mitochondria. You probably remember from your high school biology class that mitochondria are the “powerhouses of your cells”. Their number one function is to turn the calories you consume throughout the day into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the gasoline that fuels your cells, which in turn, gives your body the energy it needs to thrive.
As if that wasn’t enough, according to a new article I recently read in The Guardian, ATP production may be just the tip of the iceberg of what mitochondria are capable of.
According to researchers at Cambridge University’s MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, our mitochondria may play a vital role in helping to solve many of the important diseases of our time, including Parkinson’s disease and even long Covid.
When it comes to Parkinson’s, researchers believe that people suffering with this disease may have a problem with mitochondrial autophagy, meaning they are not able to replace the damaged mitochondria.
Fortunately, we have a number of methods to increase mitochondrial health, such as NAD+ treatments and EBO2.
Interestingly enough, these treatments, at least anecdotally, seem to help patients with long Covid symptoms as well.
I found this to be a very informative article and I wanted to share it with you all. – JP
Here is the piece if you’d like to read further:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/26/can-our-mitochondria-help-to-beat-long-covid
[Click to learn more about NAD+ and EBO2 treatments.]
We all know that one lucky person who naturally pops out of bed with a smile on their face. They’re fine with five hours of sleep. They have energy. They’re ready to attack the day every day.
Unfortunately, that’s not us. And it’s likely not you either. You like your sleep. Your bed is comfortable. Your sheets are warm. You want to stay there as long as possible, right? We don’t blame you.
But the reality is that we all have to get up and get going. What if, instead of dreading it, you looked forward to it? What if you flipped the script?
No more sleepwalking through your morning or downing unhealthy amounts of coffee. Nope. What if you finally had a plan to feel great every day?
Now you do. We’ve put together a simple three-step routine that you can follow to nurture your mind, body and spirit the minute you get out of bed.
Say goodbye to slow mornings forever:
STEP ONE: Hydration
Here’s a fact: most people wake up slightly dehydrated. Here’s another fact: most people don’t do anything about it, which compounds the problem. Rather than drink liquids that will hydrate and balance your body, too often people turn to a juice that’s high in fructose or a coffee with cream and unhealthy sugar.
Here’s a better option:
Pour yourself a twelve ounce glass of water
Squeeze in the juice from half of a fresh lemon
Then add a quarter teaspoon of sea salt or Himalayan salt
Drink
The water hydrates you while the lemon juice provides vitamin C, aids in digestion, boosts immune function and may help regulate your weight. The salt is filled with electrolytes and minerals, while also replenishing your sodium levels for muscle function. Within a few minutes that sluggish feeling will begin to fade away.
STEP TWO: Morning Meditation - 5-Minutes to Declutter Your Brain
The moment you wake up your brain is bombarded with thoughts, feelings, anxiety, to-do lists, mental notes and more. Your mind races to things you forgot the day before, stuff about your family, stuff for work... It’s a deluge you feel like you can’t control and before you know it, you’re overwhelmed and your head hasn’t left the pillow.
Rather than letting your brain run wild, after you drink your lemon water with salt, set a timer on your phone for five minutes and put it on one side of a room.
On the other side, find a comfortable place on the floor to sit cross legged in a traditional meditation pose.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Meditation can take years to master, but for your beginner purposes, focus on a single word that you can repeat over and over. If you’re anxious, repeat “relax.” If you’re tired, repeat “energy” and so on.
Try your best to keep all outside thoughts from ruining your mantra. In the beginning, the five minutes will feel like hours. Eventually, it’ll feel like a matter of seconds. Either way, it often takes only five minutes to clear your mind for the day.
STEP THREE: Harness the Cold
With your body hydrated and your mind clear, it’s time to wake up and seize the day. Nothing is quicker and more effective at jolting your body and brain into a ready-state than a cold plunge or cold shower.
We know. It sounds crazy. But quite often, crazy works. In this case, it works very well.
Cold showers have long been studied for their health benefits, which may include increased blood circulation, improved neurological response and a surge of adrenaline that accompanies a feeling of happiness and alertness.
Start out with a 30-second cold shower on the first day. Then add thirty seconds every day after that and build to two or three minutes.
A 3-minute cold shower will do wonders for your energy level, your mood and your mindset.
If you haven’t heard of self-proclaimed biohacker Ben Greenfield just wait. The man is into everything. In no short order he is a former collegiate tennis, water polo and volleyball player, bodybuilder, 13-time Ironman triathlete and professional obstacle course racer. Oh yeah, he’s also written 17 books, including the bestsellers Endure, Fit Soul, Beyond Training, Boundless and more.
Greenfield also has over 300k followers on Instagram and is a coach, speaker, trainer and advisor to some of the highest power people and fitness brands in the world.
The reason we’re highlighting Ben is for his adherence to functional health and fitness. His approach to optimizing the human body blends the newest anti-aging science, longevity studies, mental tactics, psychological tuning and spiritual guidance.
He’s even spoken as the keynote speaker at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the Academy of Regenerative Practices.
Since we’re wrapping up our “Strongest You Ever” month, here are 4 important anti-aging benefits of building muscle by Greenfield from one of his newest posts, titled, “The Best Workouts, Biohacks & Supplements For Muscle Gain, Muscle Recovery, Muscle Maintenance & More!
4 Anti-Aging Benefits of Building Muscle from Ben Greenfield:
Bigger muscles aren’t necessarily better. You want lean, wiry, explosive muscles capable of exerting enormous amounts of force relative to their size.
You can achieve this type of muscle with as little as two strength workouts per week, one super-slow lifting workout, and one explosive 7-minute bodyweight workout.
Weightlifting and load-bearing workouts not only build muscle, but also improve insulin resistance and fat metabolism, and reduce the effects of aging on mitochondria and your telomeres.
You can build muscle and strength with just bodyweight workouts.
For more information on Ben Greenfield, visit: www.bengreenfieldlife.com
Did you know that you can gain muscle when rehabbing by lifting light weights with a tourniquet around your muscle?
We know what you’re thinking: Tourniquet training?
Yes, you read that right.
An exciting form of advanced physical therapy called Blood Flow Restriction Therapy (BFR) has proven to be especially useful after a regenerative cell procedure to strengthen the muscles around an affected joint.
The way it works is quite simple: after partially restricting blood flow using a series of well-calibrated, inflatable Velcro bands (tourniquets), patients perform muscle contractions to increase the size, strength and endurance of healing muscles.
It’s like lifting weights, but with tight cuffs on your arms or legs.
Here’s what you need to know:
BFR training can be performed 2-3 times a week for three works OR 1-2 times a day for less than three week
A good ratio for upper body and lower body is 40% arms to 50% legs (or even 50/50)
BFR is best used with four reps per set, in the following sequence: 30-15-15-15
Maximum wear time for the cuffs is 20 minutes
The ideal loads will be 20% to 50% of a patient’s one rep maximum lift
Repetitions should be slow, up to two full seconds for each positive and negative movement
Rest should be anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds between sets
Click here for Dr. Purita’s extended blog post on the science behind BFR training.
Did you know? Every single person produces testosterone. Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays a very important role throughout the body. It is mainly produced in the testes in men, while in women, it’s produced in small amounts by the adrenal glands, ovaries, skin and fat cells. Each individual has an optimal balance of various sex hormones that promote overall health and wellbeing. For adult men and women, optimal testosterone levels are important to maintain everything from muscle mass and mood to a healthy sex drive. While supplementing or undergoing testosterone replacement therapy is a decision individuals should make by consulting with their primary care physician, here are six safe ways both males and females can raise their testosterone levels naturally.
Limit Stress
High stress levels are often equated with low levels of testosterone. When your body is pumping out cortisol on a regular basis to combat your elevated stress levels, the rest of your body suffers. From depression to lack of libido, to not having the energy to exercise, a high stress life needs to be tamed to help you get a handle on your testosterone levels.
Supplement with Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a plant from the nightshade family and has been used in traditional Indian medicine for centuries. Like most herbal substances, the purported benefits are a mix between anecdotes, word-of-mouth, scientific studies and marketing. In the case of ashwagandha, a handful of studies appear to show a link between supplementation and a potential boost in fertility and men and an increase in testosterone levels.
However, to be clear, these studies have not come to any hard conclusion either way, and since Ashwagandha quality and dosage isn’t standardized, be sure to talk with your physician before supplementation.
If you begin supplementation, get your T levels checked for a baseline and then follow-up with tests after several months to track if there is a difference.
Get Sun & Vitamin D
You’ve heard about the many benefits of Vitamin D before and according to the Mayo Clinic, Vitamin D has “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties that support immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity.”
But did you also know that Vitamin D may help increase testosterone levels in men and potentially women? A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism of 200 people concluded that vitamin D supplementation might increase testosterone levels in certain men undergoing a weight loss program.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/
Lifting Weights
This one is a no-brainer. Regular exercise is a cornerstone to any anti-aging and strength plan, but when it specifically comes to testosterone, high-level, heavy strength training will naturally raise testosterone in your body.
The exercise itself increases testosterone in the short-term and lifting or cardio on regular basis will increase your baseline in the long term.
Improve Your Sleep
A lack of quality, deep sleep is a surefire way to lower your testosterone levels. Lucky for you, it doesn’t take long for a healthy sleep habit to begin paying dividends in the testosterone department. According to a 2015 study in the journal Clinical Endocrinology, once you begin getting deep sleep and removing your sleep debt, your normal testosterone levels will return. We’ve outlined how to improve your sleep here.
When it comes to muscle-building meals, adding clean foods high in protein is key. On the flip side, avoiding processed foods and pseudo-protein foods is equally important.
What’s a pseudo-protein?
A pseudo-protein is a food that would be high in protein and considered healthy if it wasn’t lathered in carbs and sugar or fried in inflammatory oils. Think of things like any sweet-tasting buffalo wings or a fried chicken sandwich or lean ground beef covered in cheese and sour cream for a taco. We recommend saving these foods for special occasions, and being mindful to choose lower inflammatory foods a majority of the time.
In order to maximize your healthy protein per meal, stick with high-quality foods that have one ingredient. These are our top four power protein foods for muscle:
Salmon
Wild-caught salmon is one of nature’s true superfoods. A simple 4oz serving contains a host of healthy nutrients, including:
24g of protein
0g carbohydrates
0g sugar
6.7g of healthy fats
Omega-3 fatty acids
healthy doses of niacin, selenium and phosphorus
only 165 calories
Filet Mignon
Filet mignon isn’t just for fancy steakhouses anymore. With services like Butcher Box and others willing to deliver grass-fed, free range meat straight to your house, you can enjoy the taste and the protein benefits of a nice filet in your own kitchen. A serving of filet contains:
22g of protein
0g carbohydrates
0g sugar
source of iron, B-12 & zinc
creatine
only 227 calories
Quinoa
Quinoa is an ancient grain that is a terrific source of plant protein. It works perfectly as a side dish to any seafood or meat, but it can also be used as a base for everything from vegetable stir fry to breakfast with blueberries and honey.
Just one cup of quinoa contains:
8g of protein
39g of healthy carbohydrates
5g of healthy fiber
1g of sugar
only 222 calories
All-Natural Pumpkin Seeds
Far too many people only eat pumpkin seeds around Halloween after carving their pumpkins. And worse, some people throw them away! Let this be a lesson to all of you. The simple pumpkin seed is loaded with nutrients, as well as a hefty dose of protein.
One quarter cup of pumpkin seeds contains:
8g of protein
0g trans fat
0g sugar
6g carbohydrates
187 calories
According to the Mayo Clinic, men and women lose between 3% and 8% of their muscle mass per decade after age 30 in a process called sarcopenia. Without a proper exercise and diet to counteract this decline, most people will experience a drastic reduction in function, overall strength and muscle mass that compounds year after year. When muscle mass declines, body fat percentage typically rises and with that, a host of other problems, including weaker bones, joints stiffness and even shrinking height.
The number one way to stave off these aging effects as long as you can is to start a strength training program and to support it with a diet full of healthy proteins and muscle building supplements. Here are 3 muscle-building supplements you should consider taking today.
Plant Protein Powder
While whey protein powder is often considered the gold standard of protein supplements, it is derived from the cheese-making process and is considered a dairy product. Dairy contains lactose and for many people that leads to bloating, irritation and stomach problems. With that in mind, we recommend a high quality plant-protein-based powder. Protein supplementation is important because it can help you build muscle, produce enzymes and hormones, repair muscle tissue and can act as a meal replacement to curb overeating.
Plant-based protein powders are made from a wide variety of vegan sources: peas, pumpkins, sunflower seeds, quinoa, chia, flax seeds and many more.
What you want to look for in a plant-based protein powder is a mix that is low carb (under 1 gram per serving), around 100 calories per serving and at least 20 grams of protein per scoop.
Creatine
You’ve likely heard about athletes from the high school to the professional level supplementing with Creatine – and for good reason. Creatine is the energy supplier to your muscles and is vital to your muscles’ performance and strength. And there are at least four potential benefits to taking Creatine:
1) Increases energy during workouts which may improve performance
2) May aid in recovery after high-level exercise routines
3) Allows athletes to train with heavier weights
4) May increase in the building of muscle mass after workouts
There are a number of ways you can ingest Creatine. You can consume it as part of your diet, as Creatine is present in lean meats, seafood and even milk if you choose to drink it. Your body can also make it naturally in your kidneys and liver, before it is distributed to the rest of your body.
The final way that you can ingest Creatine is through supplementation. Most Creatine supplements are in the form of Creatine monohydrate. An average supplement will offer 1 teaspoon per serving of 5mg of Creatine. There are no carbohydrates, fats or protein involved.
Some Creatine supplements will include BCAA (branched chain amino acids) or glutamine and other supplements, but for staving off muscle loss, basic Creatine should be fine. You can drink it with plain water or mix a scoop into your favorite healthy drink or smoothie.
*Provider Tip: While supplementing with creatine, you should always make sure to drink plenty of water to avoid side effects, which could include muscle discomfort, diarrhea, weight gain, hypertension, liver and kidney problems as well as dizziness. Some individuals taking creatine may experience weight gain due to water retention. It is recommended that you should only take dietary supplements or herbs under the supervision of a healthcare provider to make sure a supplement is safe for you.
Urolithin-A
A supplement that you may not have heard of, but that has shown some promise in extending muscle endurance in aging adults is Urolithin-A. UA is a natural gut microbiome-derived food metabolite, that works to improve mitochondrial health and bolster skeleton strength.
One specific study in the Journal of American Medicine showed that, “1,000mg of urolithin A had a significant improvement in muscle endurance (number of muscle contractions until fatigue) for both hand and leg skeletal muscles compared with those who used placebo.”
Urolithin-A is often sold in simple capsule form and can be taken with other vitamins with food.
Chronic pain can be debilitating. Perhaps it’s a creaky knee that keeps you from a morning jog. Or maybe that achy shoulder is causing you to miss your normal tennis game. Or worse. What if the back pain you’re experiencing is keeping you from picking up your kids or grandkids?
Arthritis can wreak havoc on your day-to-day life and make you feel weaker and older. This can be both physically and mentally taxing, leading to reduced quality of life and even depression.
Fortunately, there are cutting-edge, minimally invasive and proprietary cell-based treatments that have been shown to help patients in reducing or eliminating chronic pain all over the body. And these treatments are relatively simple.
The most comprehensive orthopedic treatment available is MaxxStem™.
MaxxStem™ combines Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatments, adipose tissue for cushioning, and regenerative cells from bone marrow, along with the patient’s own growth factors activated by photobiomodulation. This super potent combination is then injected into your aching joint for a maximum healing effect.
If this sounds complicated, it’s not. Here’ how it works:
As part of a cell-based treatment, regenerative cells can be collected from bone marrow, fat tissue, and blood with minimal discomfort. These cells can then be processed in a state of the art laboratory utilizing the latest technology. Finally, after processing, the regenerative cells can be injected where they are needed – such as an inflamed hip or knee joint.
Over time, the cells can potentially repair and regenerate the damaged tissues, resulting in relief of pain and improvement in mobility and function, AKA, getting you back to feeling like ‘you’.
If this sounds like it can help you, we recommend reaching out to us to schedule a consultation at 561-368-1880 or
[email protected]
