I trust this finds you well and consistently making gains toward improving your healthspan. I would like to share some recent developments in regenerative medicine that deserve some attention, and, I would like to share my opinion with you regarding efforts to optimize your healthspan.
The FDA has recently decided that many of the popular peptides (CJC-1295, Ipamorelin, BPC-157, AOD 9604, and Kisspeptin) and peptidomimetics (ibutamoren) are not safe for human use and has restricted their availability (read: made illegal except for officially recognized research purposes). Unfortunately, this will remove many useful tools we have had available to us to treat a multitude of ailments and injuries quite safely to date. I will keep you posted with any changes to regulation of as well as alternatives to these medical treatments.
Rapamycin
Meanwhile, a drug typically used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and some cancers, Rapamycin, is gaining more and more attention as a potentially powerful tool to increase healthspan through its ability to initiate autophagy and cellular regeneration by antagonizing mTORC1.
In plain speak, this means that proper use of rapamycin shows effectiveness in helping the cell “clean up the mess” and “recycle” certain valuable contents.
Analogous to a busy restaurant kitchen, in order to continue producing fresh, uncontaminated and properly cooked dishes, during autophagy, resources are temporarily shifted to emphasize cleaning the pots and pans, the countertops and even the splattering’s on the recipe book (cellular DNA) that, eg, make it hard to determine if the quantity referenced in the recipe is an “8” or a “3”.
This process also disposes of “spoiled” ingredients while “recycling” valuable, still fresh and useful ones. This process helps preserve the proper function of the cell so that it is still producing tasty dishes according to recipe instead of producing altered and/or contaminated dishes. This is important not only for the obvious reasons, but also because, to change analogies, just like an untuned vehicle can pollute the air around it, so can an “untuned” (aka “senescent”) cell contaminate and disrupt function of surrounding, otherwise healthy cells.
Good news!
EXERCISE… in sufficient quantity and intensity (different for each individual) can effectuate similar effects to rapamycin! So, while it appears that rapamycin, by antagonizing (turning off) mTORC1, will provide some additive effects to the ability of exercise to initiate autophagy, exercise can provide sufficient effects without having to negate some of the beneficial effects (like skeletal muscle growth and improved brain function) that mTORC1 can provide.
BOTTOM LINE: Keep up with your exercise routine as one of your greatest sources of health optimization!
Along these lines, many have been asking about supplementing with nicotinamide riboside (NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) as a source of NAD+ generation that, through different mechanisms of action (e.g., AMPK and SIRT1 and SIRT3 gene activation), effectuate the same desired results mentioned above, including autophagy.
The best source for generating NAD+? EXERCISE! So, most of you can save your money for other beneficial supplements while generating plenty of NAD+ with your daily exercise complement.
For those of you interested in either a more rigorous approach to improving your healthspan or who simply would like to enjoy more attention to details on a regular basis, RSM is now offering two new programs to facilitate both.
Concierge II:
For those interested in more frequent and comprehensive evaluation of their progress toward healthspan optimization and quick access to RSM services including communication with our providers, scheduling of appointments and facilitation of prescription and supplements refills as well as diagnostic procedures.
Concierge I:
For those interested in the most complete workup and evaluation of one’s current health, and development of a comprehensive treatment plan designed to optimize healthspan with one’s individual goals in mind along with consistent monitoring of progress and commensurate changes in action plan.
Included are diagnostic imaging and laboratory assays as part of annual screening for cardiovascular health, cancer, neurological disorders, and metabolic function (the four major causes of morbidity and mortality in Western culture) as well as estimates of biological (versus chronological) age and rate of aging. Comprehensive and specific interventional treatments and actionable plans for healthspan optimization are provided based upon results of serial testing and clinical observation of progress toward individual goals.
A word about informational sources on the internet, Instagram and Facebook (et al): I am sure it is apparent that many laypeople –including those with a lack of proper education and/or knowledge of human physiology, lack of clinical experience, and/or not remaining current with the latest research - have become “experts” in various aspects of life including medicine, health and wellness. Is social media where one should go for medical advice?... So, if you have ANY questions about ANYTHING health-related, please make use of me and our RSM medical providers via our patient portal and the “Medical Questions” tab, therein. This provision is included in Charm (our health records keeping system that includes your “Patient Portal”) to facilitate our communicating between scheduled visits and to avoid potential deviations from optimizing health and unnecessary gnashing of teeth over something just researched, overheard at the gym, or published as “the latest discovery” through the media.
Make Your Goals and Commitment to Healthspan Commensurate with the Plan
Tangentially, the medical community likes to try to wrap up everything and everyone into a nice neat little package that makes it easy to generalize, but this can be a big mistake – especially if you don’t fit into ‘the average”. Sure, it often makes some sense to start with the most likely or average scenario, but this is only a start and often an approach that must be altered greatly depending upon the individual. E.g., amphetamine (aka “speed”) is a stimulant drug that when given to most people makes them more alert and ready to finally clean out the garage – twice! But, for roughly 10% of the U.S. population, amphetamine can initiate a calming effect – even somnolence (sleepiness)!
And, as another example, one of the longest-lived (117 years old) healthy individuals, Emme Morano, ignored the dietary advice of medical doctors and laypeople alike, and eschewed the consumption of vegetables and flourished eating mainly (raw) eggs. Finally, there are plenty of documented centenarians (people that live healthily to 100 years or more) that enjoy more than the CDC’s recommended “maximum” glasses of wine with dinner that have outlived their doctors!
Bottom line:
Make use of your medical Team at RSM to help you PERSONALLY and SPECIFICALLY combine your goals with the appropriate plan for YOU to achieve them.
Many of you are, like me, avid bicyclists or otherwise regularly actively exercising, and can appreciate how much fun it can be to be part of an athletic team or train with a partner. To that end, I encourage everyone to jump on “GarminConnect” or “Strava” with me to share workouts of all kinds and participate in the comradery. Your workouts (that can include all forms of exercise) will only be shared privately with me and mine with you, but you can link up with as many friends as you like on these platforms. I am listed as “Rand McClain” in “Malibu” on either site and if you log on and click “Follow” we can keep up with one another in our exercise endeavors.
Lastly, I would like to introduce you to a company in which I have invested and am a partner, Taste and Bliss (www.tasteandbliss.com).
Our first product is a delicious and chewy Coconut Cashew NutBar that I (and others) believe puts other “healthy” bars from Quaker Oats or any other brands to shame. That’s not where we stop. We'll be adding new flavors to the line as well as drink mixes, chocolates & more.
By the way, one of the goals of Taste & Bliss, and one reason for my interest in developing these products, is to give you the same taste experience that a typical sugar-filled snack or drink would give you but without the negative effects. This is made possible by the all-natural allulose* based functional sweetener my partners developed called NouveauSweet™. It acts, looks and tastes like sucrose (table sugar). (*Allulose is a naturally occurring rare sugar that comes from brown sugar, maple syrup, wheat, figs & raisins.)
I would appreciate your giving these bars a try and providing any feedback you have! And, in appreciation, I’ve asked my partners to provide a $10 credit towards your first order.
At Checkout, simply enter code: RAND
Cheating Death
Cheating Death: The New Science of Living Longer and Better is available for those interested in learning about the most recent and often easily obtained tools for optimizing healthspan. The ‘best selling’ book, Cheating Death is, in part, a manual of “how to” as well as a window into surprisingly as yet relatively unknown treatments to extend life, optimize health and improve quality of life. Available in print, digital and audible formats everywhere books are sold.
Best in health,
Rand McClain, D.O.