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Is Curcumin the “Fountain of Youth” Ponce de León was Seeking?

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Curcumin is the active yellow ingredient in the spice turmeric which has many proven benefits. The biochemical name for curcumin is index finger length and almost unpronounceable! It has been confirmed to lessen the process of aging. Interesting NO? A number of aging-related diseases including arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and the dreaded DEMENTIA are among the diseases avoided. I am uncertain why, but turmeric is an Asian spice that is a staple additive in some of the places with the longest-lived people on Earth! Especially, Japan the captain of longevity (#1 out of the 201 countries) and especially Okinawa which houses the longest-lived seniors in Japan!!

Curcumin’s mode of action is not precisely known but one modus is certain: it reduces inflammation ─ big time. Inflammation is a major player in aging and ushering in aging’s diseases. It is in the class of chemicals termed polyphenols which includes resveratrol which is the health-promoting substance in red wine. Importantly, curcumin in prediabetes prevents progression to diabetes and its potential problems.1

Remembrance of the GREATEST surgeon ever…Dr. Michael DeBakey

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In July there were various articles about the 10th-year remembrance of the GREATEST surgeon ever to draw a breath─ Dr. Michael E. DeBakey. He was my boss at the GREATEST place in the world for cardiac surgery─ the Baylor College of Medicine. As we age friends tend to call us by first names. No one I knew of called Dr. DeBakey, Michael. He was thought to be almost deified.

Dr. DeBakey was all business, almost without a sense of humor. When I was hired in 1983, I was invited to breakfast in San Francisco with Dr. DeBakey and E. Stanly Crawford; they were two of the three most honored surgeons in the world. Dr. DeBakey could put into a sentence what it would take the rest of us a paragraph to communicate.

The Immediate Health Benefits of Practicing a Religion

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Religion offers a prodigious prearrangement for a better afterlife to some, but does it offer benefits to individuals now which exceeds the efforts of practicing their religion? Securing a mansion in the afterlife is highly desirable but how about right now? In a very large study, over 20,000 subjects, life satisfaction, character strengths, and orientation to happiness were stronger in those who actively practiced a religion.1 Furthermore, believing and having religious affiliations offered no benefit without practicing the religion actively.

Practicing a religion does not have to be limited to attending religious services. Daily private prayer has been shown to produce significant health benefits.2 Further, religious activity was shown to provide the most benefit if started before the onset of health problems.3