We communicate regularly with our doctors. This letter updates our testing protocols based on the latest science and clinical practices.
Dr. Doctor Powell,
We look forward to seeing you. As we take stock of the past year and how we are progressing from a health/wellness perspective, much has changed.
First, we can’t thank you enough for helping us with the sunlamp/vitamin D and bone marker testing. Now we have an easy way to maintain Vitamin D status at the levels we choose. Let’s set a testing schedule to make sure our D level remains in a healthy range. We have also found a way to get enough calcium in our mostly vegan diet. Right now we aim for less than the RDA – 500 mg/day.
Since we last saw you, studies we’ve been involved with and other research has shifted the emphasis from cell signaling to the ultimate sign of aging: the integrity of tissues. We now know that calorie restriction, the CR Way, very likely preserves adult stem cells and activates them when needed. Telomere length is also more likely to be maintained.
This knowledge helps us focus more on how best to maintain these structures. For example, we know that intense exercise does not lengthen lifespan. In fact, it may shorten it, in part by using up the stem cell population. So while we still want to maintain strength and increase bone density with challenging exercises, we do not think it’s wise to exercise so intensely that alkaline phosphatase stays at the highest end or above the reference ranges. So we are slightly reducing exercise intensity and frequency.
We also know that transforming growth factor beta makes adult stem cells quiescent and that TGF beta can be reduced by lowering glucose levels. So we are trying to keep glucose very low for long periods of time each day. Meanwhile, we look for a lab that can measure TGF beta directly. We would also like to measure telomere length and stem cell number and activity if possible. When we meet, we will have proposals about how best to do that. Some of these testing procedures have just become available.
Some aspects of the new focus on DNA integrity are a resounding confirmation of CR Way biomarkers. As you know, we have emphasized slowing cell proliferation and testing it with IGF1 as a classic indicator of anabolic status and IGFBP1 as an indicator of glucagon activation. These two markers are now part of a scientific study we are involved with.
We very much appreciate if you could order additional tests for both of us including CBC, metabolic panel, thyroid markers, especially T3, VAP and PSA for Paul.
Thank you and looking forward to seeing you,
Paul & Meredith
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