Sprayable Sleep?

Hi ya! How's it going? Get a good night sleep last night? A lot of people don't. As soon as you fill your coffee mug and grab a virtual treat, I'll let you in on something new...Sprayable Sleep!

After their highly successful 2013 product Sprayable Energy, Silicon Valley startup Sprayable are back with a new product involving transdermal technology – ‘Sprayable Sleep’. It is the world’s first topical melatonin spray that helps you fall asleep naturally and wake up refreshed.

While melatonin pills have long since been used to treat sleep related disorders, the makers of Sprayable Sleep claim it has several benefits over the pills. Ben Yu, 22, and his partner Devan Soni, 35, say that the effectiveness of the hormone in the pill form could be lost to the digestive process, but this doesn’t happen with the spray.

“Sprayable gives you the exact level of melatonin you need (often 30 times less than you ingest with pills) and delivers it gradually over time – mimicking how your body naturally produces and uses melatonin,” the creators said. 

“Sprayable Sleep puts you in control of your sleep. Whether you’re traveling and have jet lag or are working the night shift, Sprayable will help you get sleep when you want so you’re refreshed and alert when you need it most.”

I seldom have trouble sleeping...though espresso after 3 pm will do it. 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Name Games

A splendid good day to you! Glad you could make it by. Got an interesting fraudulent name game for you in today's post. But first, coffee up and munch your way through a virtual, extremely lo-fat doughnut. That's my prescription for a 'caffo' day! And now...

Fourteen employees of a Framingham, Massachusetts, pharmacy were indicted in December for defrauding the federal government by filling bogus prescriptions (despite an owner's explicit instructions to staff that the fake customers' names "must resemble real names," with "no obviously false names" that might tip off law enforcement).

 

Among the names later found on the customer list of the New England Compounding Center were: Baby Jesus, Hugh Jass, L.L. Bean, Filet O'Fish, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Harry Potter, Coco Puff, Mary Lamb, all of the Baldwin brother actors, and a grouping of Bud Weiser, Richard Coors, Raymond Rollingrock and, of course, Samuel Adams. The indictments were part of an investigation of a 2012 meningitis outbreak in which 64 people died. [WBZ-TV (Boston), 12-17-2014] 

The story goes a lot deeper than that shown above. According to FBI news releases:

A 131-count criminal indictment was unsealed today in Boston in connection with the 2012 nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak, the Justice Department announced. Barry J. Cadden, owner and head pharmacist of New England Compounding Center (NECC) and NECC’s supervisory pharmacist Glenn A. Chin were charged with 25 acts of second-degree murder in Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
 
The outbreak was caused by contaminated vials of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) manufactured by NECC, located in Framingham, Massachusetts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 751 patients in 20 states were diagnosed with a fungal infection after receiving injections of NECC’s MPA. Of those 751 patients, the CDC reported that 64 patients in nine states died.

Twelve other individuals, all associated with NECC, including six other pharmacists, the director of operations, the national sales director, an unlicensed pharmacy technician, two of NECC’s owners, and one other individual were charged with additional crimes including racketeering, mail fraud, conspiracy, contempt, structuring, and violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. [http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fourteen-indicted-in-connection-with-new-england-compounding-center-and-nationwide-fungal-meningitis-outbreak]

Yikes! Great folks to have compounding and dispensing medicines, eh! Makes you shudder, doesn't it!

See ya, eh!

Bob

$300,000 Book That Self-Destructs in 24 Hours

Howdy! How're things with you today? Me? Fair to middling but thanks for asking. Coffee's on and Madge just brought a tray of virtual goodies from the oven so help yourself to one...and for anyone, such as my cousin Robin, in Farnborough, England who is celebrating a birthday today...you may have two! Now for the question of the day...

Have you ever read a book so engaging that you just couldn’t put it down, fearing that it might explode if you did? Well, bestselling author James Patterson decided to turn that fear into a reality with a self-destructing book that literally explodes 24 hours after it’s been opened.

The self-destructing book is actually a marketing scheme to promote Patterson’s newly released novel, Private Vegas. The unique book comes with a hefty price tag of $294,038, but includes a first-class ticket to an undisclosed location, two nights’ stay in a luxury hotel, 14-karat gold-plated binoculars and a five-course dinner with the author.

The promotional video for this one-of-a-kind book is really quite hilarious. “Welcome to an experience that will blow your mind,” its protagonist says. “Hopefully not literally.” 

It describes the feeling of reading the book as ‘the most thrilling experience money can buy, created by James Patterson’. Although it doesn’t clarify exactly how the book will explode once the time is up, the experience will involve a bomb squad for safety purposes.

It would be just my luck to get to the page before the last and the phone would ring! Boom! Not that I have any intention of paying James Patterson $294,038 for the book. I do like his works though. He does know how to churn them out, I must say. Almost as quickly as I can pass... never mind. I'll wait for a less volatile edition to come out!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Source: odditycentral.com

Sun-like star with orbiting planets

From outer space to cyberspace... hey! hey! Good to see you. All well in your space? I see you've got your mug ready so fill it up with some perky coffee and snag a planet-sized apple dutchie, why don't'cha? Speaking of planet-sized...

A Sun-like star with orbiting planets, dating back to the dawn of the Galaxy, has been discovered by an international team of astronomers.

At 11.2 billion years old, it is the oldest star with Earth-sized planets ever found and proves that such planets have formed throughout the history of the Universe.

The discovery, announced on 28 January (AEDT) in the Astrophysical Journal, used observations made by NASA's Kepler satellite. The scientific collaboration was led by the University of Birmingham and contributed to by the University of Sydney.

The star, named Kepler-444, hosts five planets smaller than Earth, with sizes varying between those of Mercury and Venus.

"We've never seen anything like this -- it is such an old star and the large number of small planets make it very special," said Dr Daniel Huber from the University's School of Physics and an author on the paper.

"It is extraordinary that such an ancient system of terrestrial-sized planets formed when the universe was just starting out, at a fifth its current age. Kepler-444 is two and a half times older than our solar system, which is only a youthful 4.5 billion years old.

"This tells us that planets this size have formed for most of the history of the universe and we are much better placed to understand exactly when this began happening."

Dr Tiago Campante, the research leader from the University of Birmingham said, "We now know that Earth-sized planets have formed throughout most of the Universe's 13.8-billion-year history, which could provide scope for the existence of ancient life in the Galaxy."

"It was clear early on that we had discovered something very unusual because we had five planets orbiting a very bright star -- one of the brightest Kepler has observed. It is fantastic that we can use asteroseismology to date the star and determine just how old it is.

"In the case of Kepler-444 the planets orbit their parent star in less than 10 days, at less than one-tenth the Earth's distance from the Sun. Their closeness to their host star means they are uninhabitable because of the lack of liquid water and high levels of radiation. 

Nevertheless, discoveries like Kepler-444 provide important clues on whether a planet that is more truly comparable to Earth may exist. "We're another step closer towards finding the astronomers' holy grail -- an Earth-sized planet with a one year orbit around a star similar to our Sun."

Keep at it, guys! We're not ready to leave the Earth yet but one of these days in the far distant future, the day will come...

See ya, eh!

Bob

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150127111418.htm

In This Small Alaskan Town Everyone Lives under the Same Roof

Hey there! Thanks for clicking by. Got the coffeepot on and the virtual treats sitting waiting for you so help yourself. Now I've never been to Alaska but I can understand isolated towns and when the wind is blowing and it is snowing like crazy and the temperature would freeze the nuts off of a jeep, it makes sense to stay together, doesn't it? Maybe that's why...

Most of the 200-odd residents of the Alaskan town of Whittier all live in the same 14-story condominium – Begich Towers – located on the edge of town. 

The former Army barracks is often described as a ‘vertical town’ with walls so thin that keeping secrets is simply out of the question.

Apart from residential apartments, the one-of-a-kind settlement also houses a police station, a health clinic, a convenience store, a laundromat, and a church in the basement. 

It really is inconceivable how missionaries, bartenders, city council members, policemen, and even drug dealers can co-exist in the same building, share the same facilities, and ride in the same elevator.

As eccentric as this living arrangement sounds, it really does seem to work out for the residents of Whittier, mainly because of its size and the weather conditions. 

The town is rather inaccessible – you can only get there by sea, or take a long, one-lane tunnel through the mountains, which only runs one way at any given time. At night, the tunnel is closed completely.

Wouldn't be surprised to hear there was even some hanky-panky going on there, eh? Though with a church in the basement, maybe not...

See ya, eh!

Bob

Source: http://www.odditycentral.com/

5 Fun Ways to Help Your Brain!

Hi ya! How's it going? Keeping the ol' brain active? That's good. I've got some fun ways to do that but first things first. Fill your mug with some arabica bean juice and grab a virtual doughnut, muffin or pastry to munch on while I rattle on about your brain...

Scientists used to think neural networks were hardwired early in life, and that we couldn’t change the way our brains worked. With the help of improved technology in brain scanning, this theory was thrown out. Researchers now see our brains as being more akin to the muscles in our body — we can build and improve them, or we can ignore and weaken them.

Actively using the brain keeps it strong and healthy. But when you aren’t in the mood for intense and challenging thinking exercises, here are five fun — and less demanding — ways to aid in the building process. Click through for a chance to win two books that will help boost your brainpower.

Drink Wine!
Norwegian researchers found that women who drank a moderate amount of wine –at least four times during the week– scored better on cognitive tests than women who drank less wine. The study included over 5,000 participants who were questioned over the course of seven years.
Wine may not have been the only factor that contributed to the higher scores. 

The researchers noted “A positive effect of wine…could also be due to co-founders such as socio-economic status and more favorable dietary and other lifestyle habits.” However, the initial finding is worthy of further exploration–especially considering the health benefits that have been associated with moderate alcohol consumption in previous studies.

As Natural News reports, “Most of the 68 studies conducted over the past decade that relate to alcohol’s potential health benefits show some relationship between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and a reduced risk of brain abnormalities like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” In addition, red wine is filled with antioxidants that can fight free-radical damage that accompanies aging.

Of course, the key is moderation, and there are plenty of reasons to avoid alcohol, if you already do so. However, if drinking a little wine helps you wind down, you may not need to feel guilty about it.

Exercise.

In addition to boosting endorphins and making you happier, working out may make you smarter. Physical exercise promotes neurogenesis — a process that builds networks in your brain. Exercise can strengthen “executive” cognition — or help the brain to plan, reason and perform other higher-order functions. There is also evidence that exercising may protect against Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and spinal cord injury.

Get intimate! 

If going to the gym or hiking outside doesn’t get you excited, fear not. Staying in bed and having sex can produce some of the same effects. According to a study by Leuner, Glasper, and Gould, published on PLoS ONE, sexual activity also promotes neurogenesis — and, as an added benefit reduces stress and anxiety! Naughty! Naughty!

Eat Guacamole! (or other Healthy Fats)

Our brains are made up of 60 percent fat, so it makes sense that nourishing the body with essential fatty acids supports brain health. This Natural Solutions article on IQ-Boosting foods explains that Omega-3s help neurons in the brain communicate with one another, which may positively affect our ability to learn and memorize. Good sources of brain-boosting Omega 3s include cold-water fish, avocados, walnuts, flax seeds, and olive oil.

Play Games.
Playing games, such as Sudoku, exercises a part of the brain associated with memory. Sudoku, a number-placement puzzle, relies on logic, guesswork, and our ability to remember patterns. “To crack Sudoku our brains use a unique set of neural pathways known as associative memory– which enables us to discover a pattern from a partial clue,” says ABC Science reporter Judy Skatssoon, referencing research done by Professor John Hopfield of Princeton University.

Source:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-fun-ways-to-help-your-brain-giveaway.html#ixzz3PMRtqYlP

So there! Drink wine! Have sex! Exercise...well the first two anyway. Just remember not to engage in any of the above while driving!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Warsaw’s Keret House – World’s Narrowest Home Is Just 1.2 Meters Wide

Hi there! Thanks for clicking by today. Got a tiny story for you today... but first, I can tell by the look on your face that a nice robust mug of coffee and a virtual treat would go down well so help yourself! Now, let me wedge a little story in here...
  
Wedged into the narrow space between two buildings in Warsaw, Poland, the Keret House is considered the narrowest home in the world. At just 36 inches across at its narrowest point and 48 inches at its widest, the house is barely large enough for one person to move around.

The unique living space is the brainchild of Israeli writer and film maker Etgar Keret. The gap between the two buildings was discovered almost six years ago, by Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny. He realized that it was just enough room to fit a house, so he decided to go ahead and build one.

 
Coming up with a design for the tiny available space was tough, but the real challenges were ownership issues, building regulations and financing. Luckily, he managed to raise 70,000 euros (over $80,000) for the project and began the construction in collaboration with the Polish Art Foundation.

I'd so small that if you wanted to change your mind, you'd have to go outside!

It's so small that when you put your key in the door, you break the back window!

It's so small that when you drop a Kleenex tissue you have wall to wall carpet!

It's so small that the welcome mat only says 'Wel'!

It's so small, the front and back doors are the same door!

It's so small that when you order a large pizza, you have to eat it outdoors!

 

It's so small that when you eat in the kitchen, your elbows are in the living room!

Enough of this tomfoolery...Tom, cut that out!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Only in Japan – The LED-Illuminated Upskirt Skirt

Hi there! It's Saturday so cyberspace should be chock-a-block, eh! But you seem to have navigated your way through it all and spiralled down safely to the CWB cafe. Glad you're here. Coffee's awaiting' and so are the VTs so help yourself! Here's a story for all fashionistas... and anyone else who appreciates the female form (ahem!).

Japanese designer Kiyoyuki Amano has combined fashion and technology to create futuristic short skirts that illuminate the wearer’s thighs. Aptly named ‘Hikaru Skirt’, which means ‘Shining Skirt’, the garment comes equipped with LED lights and the miniature gyro sensors on the inside. So the skirt lights up, and the color and pattern of the light changes every time the wearer moves.

Amano said that he first placed light bulbs inside a skirt on a whim, and that’s when he noticed that it created a pleasant illumination of the thighs. So he worked on the design some more and soon created a whole line of LED-illuminated minis. The Hikaru skirts, he said, are meant to bridge the gap between everyday fashion and cosplay.

You never know what these crazy Japanese designers will come up with next, do you? Keep on lighting up our lives, guys!

See ya, eh!

Bob

The Greek State That Forbids Both Human and Animal Females

Γεια σας...(Yahsas!) Hello! Great to see you today! Only 150 days until summer! Heard a weatherperson say on TV this morning, "It's -9C but actually it's quite comfortable." Yeah right. Okay...granted it is better than the -30C we woke up to a week or two ago but my tropical body craves heat! Had dinner this week with a couple of teachers we just met. They returned in October from 4-6 years in Thailand (she 4 years, he 6). We commiserated over all the things we missed about living in The Kingdom of Thailand. And now on to Greece or actually the Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain.

Mount Athos, formally known as Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain, is located on the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki. The monastic traditions of the mountain date back to 800 A.D. and the Byzantine era. Today, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, and 2,000 monks from Greece and other eastern orthodox countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia. These monks live an ascetic life, isolated from the rest of the world.

Although technically part of the European Union, the Holy Mountain is largely self-governed. This prohibits the free movement of people and goods in its territory, unless formal permission has been granted. 

As a result, a number of traditions at Mount Athos might seem odd to people outside. The keeping of Byzantine time, for instance, means that their day begins at sunset. But perhaps their most bizarre practice is the centuries-old ban on women entering the sacred peninsula.

For over 1,000 years, women have been forbidden from setting foot on the mountain. In fact, females of other species such as cows, dogs and goats aren’t permitted either. Only birds and insects are exempted from the rule – scanning the skies and grounds for female body parts would surely be too absurd, even by Mount Athos standards.

Dedication, focus and faith without any distractions. No 75" Smart TVs. No Super Bowl. No...you name it! 

I'll bet you they don't have any elevators either...

See ya, eh!

Bob

How to make Bulletproof Coffee

High-dee-hi-dee-ho! I'm ready for a coffee and a chocolate dough...nut (or a cheese biscuit maybe). How about you? You've heard of a 'brain freeze', right? Well, get ready for a 'braintaze' (a new word I just coined). There he goes, adding words to our already overly burgeoning English language!  A shot of this coffee is like having your brain energized is what I`m getting at, eh! Could this be what the EverReady bunny is on, I wonder?

The premise of Bulletproof Coffee is to get a good dose of healthy fats from unsalted butter and also from the added MCT oil. Some people speculate butter may be a superfood. The jury is still out on whether butter is better than margarine. Two camps - two opinions. But give this coffee a try at least once.

What is MCT oil?

MCT simply stands for medium chain triglycerides, as opposed to long chain triglycerides (LCT), which are found in most foods. MCT is comprised of primarily caprylic and capric fatty acids, and is a light-yellow, odorless, translucent liquid at room temperature. MCT oil occurs naturally in coconut oil and other foods. Supplementation with MCT oil began as a fat source to help treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, obesity, and fat malabsorption. It has also been used to add calories to infant, and certain other formulas. Recently, athletes, bodybuilders, and diet gurus have jumped on the MCT bandwagon, embracing its fat burning and energy sustaining powers. 
 
Here's how to make this famous bulletproof coffee. 

Ingredients: 
8 ounces strong coffee, 
1-2 tbs unsalted butter, 
1-3 tsp MCT oil

1. Brew some premium coffee. You can use a pour-over method, french press, french drip, or a regular coffeemaker. Just make your coffee how you like it.


2. Blend the MCT oil, butter, and coffee in a food processor. Some people use a blender but watch you don't explode bulletproof coffee all over your kitchen. A food processor or immersion blender works better. 

You can pick up some MCT oil online at Amazon or likely your local health food store will have it.

  3. Enjoy. You really only need one cup. Two cups may put you on a wired caffeine high. I don`t recommend it after 12 noon. It can mess with your sleep!

See ya, eh!

Bob

PS: Butter in your coffee sound strange? The Tibetans have been drinking tea with yak butter for centuries.

Student Turns Her Exam Notes into a Unique Recreation of Van Gogh’s Starry Night

Well hello there! You're looking good today. You must have had a good starry night's sleep, what? Bet you're ready for a resoundingly refreshing mug of coffee and a virtual treat...? Why not! And speaking of starry nights...

Anthropology sophomore Van Truong recently combined art and biology in an effort to ace her final exam in December. While most of her college mates used lists and flashcards to memorize stuff, Van used a whiteboard to write out all her notes in the form of ‘Starry Night’, Van Gogh’s famous masterpiece.

“I knew I had to study for this exam, and I knew I’d be writing on this whiteboard for hours,” she said. “So I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I did it in a form where people didn’t know how to feel about it?’”

So when she got to Smathers Library on the University of Florida’s Gainesville campus, she started to write down all her notes with the words forming a replica of Van Gogh’s iconic painting. Three hours later, the masterpiece was complete.

Very creative. I am not sure if it helped but let's hope it did. Any method that helps people to remember things is a good one. 

A good what?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Meet the Moranbong Band – North Korea’s Version of Spice Girls

Hey music lover! How are you doing? Glad you could make it by today and partake of a refreshing coffee and a virtual treat. Fill your mug, wrestle a giant muffin onto your plate and come on over here to the VIP table so I can tell you about a not-so-new music group I doubt you have ever heard of. 

Believe it or not, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, is actually a big fan of K-pop music. In fact, he’s so passionate about it that he hand-picked every member of the girl group ‘Moranbong Band’ – his country’s answer to the Spice Girls.

As a result of Kim Jong-un’s endorsement, the band has been playing sell-out gigs across the country. Their first concert was so popular that the streets of Pyongyang were apparently deserted during the broadcast. Often dressed in conservatively sexy attire – with skirts cut well above the knee and hair clipped short – the Moranbong girls have received good reviews from local critics as well.

Although the band has been around for a few years, they appeared to have fallen out of favor in late 2013. But after a six-month hiatus, they were back to performing in April 2014 to rave reviews from Korean media, thus reclaiming their status as queens of North Korea’s pop scene, and the darlings of primetime TV. Their comeback concert featured ‘colorful numbers’ such as ‘O My Motherland Full of Hope’, ‘Our Father’, and ‘We Think of the Marshall Day and Night’.

Wow! They sound like awesome songs, eh! Hope for their sake that they never come up with a song the big guy doesn't like such as the theme song from The Interview, eh. Wouldn't be the first band that has fallen out of favour and faced his fatal wrath.

I'll let you know when the band schedules it's first International tour, okay?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Source: odditycentral.com

Spidey Sense Gets Real

Come into my web, why don't'cha? Help yourself to a steaming mug of arabica joy juice and a virtual muffin, doughnut or pastry. A question for you...Do you like spiders? Me? I hate the little beasts to the point of a mild case of arachnophobia. But anyway...here's a new spin on 'the little black dress'. Maybe black widow spider dress?

Among the breakthroughs demonstrated by the computer chip company Intel's RealSense system is a cocktail dress from Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht that not only senses the wearer's "mood," but also acts to repel (or encourage) strangers who might approach the wearer. 

Sensors (including small LED monitors) measure respiration and 11 other profiles, and if the wearer is "stressed," artistic spider-leg epaulets extend menacingly from the shoulder to suggest that "intruders" keep their distance (in which case the dress resembles something from the movie "Aliens") 

-- or, if the wearer feels relaxed, the legs wave invitingly.

 

The experimental "spider dress" was showcased at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. [Daily Mail (London), 1-7-2015] 

Not my cup of tea. Nifty gift for someone, though, eh?

I'll stick with the WW Web, thank you very much!

See ya, eh!

Bob

At This Chinese Restaurant Good-Looking People Eat for Free

Hey, good looking! Great to see you. How you doing? Got time for a mugga and a VT? Of course you do. No cost either. No sirree. It's on the house! Now there is a restaurant in China that does the same thing... sort of.

Who needs money when you have a pretty face, right? At Jeju Island, a Korean eatery in Zhengzhou city, China, people are allowed to dine at no charge if they happen to be among the five most beautiful patrons of the day. Hanging outside the establishment last Saturday was a bold sign that states: “Free Meal for Goodlooking”.

If you think the practice is bizarre, wait till you hear who the judges are – a panel of local plastic surgeons! 

All those hoping to earn a free meal are taken to a ‘beauty identification area’, where they are photographed. The doctors then evaluate the potential diners on the quality of their faces, eyes, noses, and mouths.

Yeah...and no doubt the testees get a free consultation about how their faces could be improved with a little surgery on both their faces and wallets! Then they get their free meal.

Wonder if they get follow-up phone calls at dinner time ever after? Discounts? Two for one offers? Bring your mother-in-law! Bring your friends. With six you get eggroll!

See ya, eh!

Bob

See ya, eh. 

Source: odditycentral.com

Selenium and Anti-Aging

Hi there. Glad you found time to click by today. Got another email from Dr. Al that I want to share with you as soon as you fill your coffee mug and hoist a virtual megamuffin onto your plate. Okay, here we go...

Dear Bob,

I always had an idea that deep down, living longer isn’t what people want.

As long as they’re mobile and independent, and still have a sharp mind, most people accept that nature has given us a pretty good lifespan.

And that’s what my patients often tell me. They want a better quality of life, not more years.

That’s why I have always been about anti-aging. Extending life is a noble goal. But I want to help you live better now. And I’m very grateful to be living in a time when technology allows me to help you achieve that goal.

Because the fact is, you have an advantage over everyone who’s come before you. And that is, don’t have to let aging interfere with how you want to live.

All of the people at my clinic who have been on a protocol that maintains their telomeres have had incredible health-enhancing experiences. Their eyesight, their hair, their bodies... people tell me they simply feel better.

Telomeres are the basic clocks that tell your body how old your cells are. And everything that happens from the time you are born is dependent on how old the telomere tells your body to act.

And there’s so much new science coming out every day on how maintaining your telomere length keeps you younger for longer.

I was reminded of this while I was doing research for the presentation I gave a few weeks ago at the A4M Annual World Conference on Anti-Aging in Las Vegas. I came across some studies on an ant-aging nutrient I’ve had my eye on. Yet it’s been completely overlooked as a telomere protector.

For instance, I read a little-known study from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. Researchers there were looking into why the mineral selenium seems to keep cells youthful and functional for longer.

They took liver cells and divided them into three groups. One group got no supplementation, but the other two got infusions of selenium.

After 3 weeks, the cells that were the most youthful and healthy were the ones that had gotten selenium.

But what interested me the most was that after 4 weeks, these cells’ telomeres were significantly longer than normal.

Giving the cells selenium didn’t just “turn on” the gene that produces telomerase (the enzyme that rebuilds the telomere). Telomerase in these cells skyrocketed!¹

As I did more research, I discovered that getting more selenium also stops telomere loss. It even improves telomere function.²

This effect on telomeres might be why people who get the least selenium age much faster than people who get more.³

Selenium is such an all-round anti-aging powerhouse that it’s one of the minerals I mention first when I tell my patients about my new Nutritional Pyramid.

• We need a lot of each nutrient that makes up the bottom of the pyramid, which I call primal nutrition. This gives us a solid nutritional base so we can avoid modern diseases like cancer.

• I call the second level of my nutrition pyramid ortho-nutrition. This is where you replace the minerals and nutrients we’re depleted of in the modern world.

• The third level helps you get nutrition beyond what is simply normal. I call this ultra-nutrition.

• The top of my Nutritional Pyramid is telo-nutrition. It includes all the nutrients you can use to maintain and lengthen telomeres.

Selenium helps you fulfill all four levels.

Selenium used to be something we got fairly easily from our food. But you can’t get the amount of selenium that we would have gotten in primordial times.

If you were foraging, you could have eaten a few Brazil nuts every day and gotten all the selenium you needed. You might have even gotten enough through vegetables and plants, which took up plenty of minerals in ancient times.

Today, vegetables are somewhat void of minerals. In fact, you’d have to eat 10 servings of spinach to get the same level of minerals from just one serving about 50 years ago.⁴

That makes selenium something important for both primal and ortho-nutrition.

Also, even though selenium is a powerful antioxidant itself, it also helps your body make an even stronger antioxidant, glutathione. This super-antioxidant effect of selenium makes it ideal for ultra-nutrition.

And, as I just showed you, selenium also protects and lengthens telomeres.

So here you have an anti-aging superstar mineral that can keep your body acting much younger… yet almost no one gets enough of it.

Processing and cooking both deplete the selenium in food. So for most of my patients I recommend getting it from fresh, freeze-dried, or aged garlic. Garlic has a bioactive form of selenium. Start with one capsule or one clove and slowly increase to three capsules or cloves after each meal.

You can also eat Brazil nuts every day. Each has around 100 micrograms of selenium. But while 100 mcg is fine for primal and ortho-nutrition, it’s a good idea to eat a bunch of Brazil nuts to get enough selenium for telomerase activation.

A good multi-nutrient supplement will give you at least 200 micrograms of selenium, enough for telomerase activation. The problem is, the government’s recommendation is only 55 mcg. So only my and a very few other multi-nutrient formulas will give you enough; a full 200mcg of bioactive selenium.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1. Liu Q, Wang H, Hu D, Ding C, Xiao H, Xu H, Shu B, Xu S. "Effects of sodium selenite on telomerase activity and telomere length." Sheng Wu Hua Xue Yu Sheng Wu Wu Li Xue Bao (Shanghai). 2003;35(12):1117-22.
2. Ferguson L, Karunasinghe N, Zhu S, Wang A. "Selenium and its' role in the maintenance of genomic stability." Mutat Res. 2012;733(1-2):100-10.
3. Mocchegiani E, et. al. "Micronutrient-gene interactions related to inflammatory/immune response and antioxidant activity in ageing and inflammation. A systematic review." Mech Ageing Dev. 2014;136-137:29-49.
4. Heinrich, Elmer. “The Root of All Disease.” TRC press, 2000. 84 pages.

As soon as you wash down the last of your muffin, get out there and buy some of those selenium-rich fruits. I want to keep you around, enjoying life and reading my blog as long as I can.

See ya, eh!

Bob