We live in a society which tells us that we are fine as long as we don't have a serious disease. And even if we do have a serious disease, if we can swallow a pill that prevents us from feeling too bad then we're also okay.

It's time to remove the blinders and confront what it really means to be healthy and how to keep that health into our 80s, 90s and even the century mark.

Do you have any elderly relatives who have a poor quality of life due to ill health? Then I think you can agree that's not the way to spend your "golden years".

Hi, my name is Dr Vikki Petersen and I'll be writing some articles on health for a Silicon Valley corporation this year. I've delivered many lectures and have had an opportunity to help hundreds of employees. My clinic, HealthNOW Medical Center, is a multi-disciplinary medical center consisting of Internal Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Chiropractic and Physical Therapy all under one roof. Our goal is to locate the underlying cause of the patient's problem rather than simply masking the symptom with the use of drugs. The doctors have been in practice for 20 years.

We have just begun a new year. But before we go forward let's take a moment and reflect on what 2007 taught us in the arena of health.

Last year a meticulously researched analysis was released which concluded that the leading cause of death in our country is not heart disease or cancer but conventional medicine. In 2005 alone, almost 800,000 Americans died from adverse reactions to prescription drugs, medication errors, infections incurred during hospital stays, unnecessary surgeries and other medical mistakes.

Data released this year shows that the $200 billion war on cancer, now in its 33^rd year, has been lost. Cancer will soon kill more people than heart disease.

The FDA, the agency charged with "protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security" of drugs, has obviously been less than vigilant as evidenced by a number of well-publicized failures over the past 12 months.

One was the recall of Vioxx, Merck's $10 billion arthritis drug, after it was shown to dramatically increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Were doctors like myself shocked at this news? No. Why? Because doctors who are more interested in treating the cause than the symptom know what drugs like Vioxx do to the body. These drugs inhibit your body's response to inflammation. Since heart disease is related to inflammation of the blood vessels, these drugs can and do spell trouble. They inhibit the enzymes that are part of the body's protective mechanism for the heart and blood vessels. There is a price to pay when you inhibit, stimulate or interfere with body functions. In the case of Vioxx the price for many people was heart attack, stroke and death. Pharmaceutical experts figure that about 30,000 people were killed by Vioxx. What has not been counted are the tens of thousands more who suffered a heart attack or stroke and were left as invalids.

Another was the backlash from its ill-conceived approval of the antidepressant Prozac for pediatric use. In October 2004, due to mounting scientific evidence and public outcry, the agency was forced to mandate that Prozac and similar antidepressants carry a "black box" warning (the most serious type of label warning) stating that these drugs increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and teenagers.

A large study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that aggressive use of Zocor, a cholesterol lowering drug, failed to lower risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiac death - plus it had an unacceptably high rate of adverse effects.

Also uncovered in 2005 was another practice of drug companies: withholding of negative study results. If a clinical trial shows that a drug doesn't work as planned, or that it causes unacceptable adverse effects, the pharmaceutical manufacturer simply shelves the study.

A recent example involved the antidepressant Paxil. A minimum of 5 studies on the use of this drug for children and adolescents have been conducted, and 4 of them showed that not only did it not work but also suggested increased risk of suicide. However, just on study - the only one that showed partially favorable results - was published. The Attorney General of New York sued that makers of Paxil for withholding the results of the negative studies, and legislation is under consideration to force drug companies to post the results of all studies in a public database.

My goal was not to depress you with drug disasters but rather to make the point that much of medicine in this country, in my opinion, is focused in the wrong direction. Sure drugs can help. If someone's blood pressure is very high you have to lower it and drugs can do that. But what I have a problem with is when doctors stop there. In other words when the drug lowers the blood pressure they now tell the patient that they're fine. They're not fine. The medication is just masking the symptom. Now it's time to get to work and find out Why the patient's blood pressure is elevated. In other words get to the root cause. Is that possible? You bet it is! We do it at my clinic all the time.

The human body is an amazing machine. And once you find out what exactly is causing it to malfunction it responds beautifully - and the cause of malfunction is never a deficiency of a drug. Our goal is to restore function to the organs and glands of the body. Because when the body's systems are functioning properly they are very able to handle problems themselves.

Does the body require good food, nutrients and exercise to function optimally? Yes. And speaking of nutrients, here's some good news:

The role of nutritional supplements in disease prevention and treatment is also coming into greater prominence. In September 2005, Rep. Dan Burton held an oversight hearing of the House subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness on "Dietary Supplements: Nature's Answer to Cost Preventive Medicine." Unveiled was a study conducted by a market research firm, the Lewin Group, which suggested that nutritional supplement use could reduce healthcare costs by $15 billion over the next 5 years.

Below is a simple yes/no test. Take it and see what kind of shape you're in.

1. Do you have any consistent pain in your body? This would include neck, back, arms, legs, hands or feet.
2. Are you fatigued?
3. Do you have any sleep problems?
4. Do you suffer from allergies?
5. Do you get headaches?
6. Do you or anyone in your family have any of the following: heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes or obesity.
7. Do you have any digestive problems such as bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea or reflux?
8. Does stress cause you to have a physical response? In other words, when you are under stress is it accompanied by any other symptoms?
9. Do you have any symptoms of hormonal imbalance? This would include PMS, cramps, migraines, heavy bleeding, irregular periods, libido issues, menopausal problems or prostate problems.
10. Do you suffer from anxiety, depression or irritability?
11. Do you crave sweets?
12. Do you need caffeine?
13. Are you on a regular medication to handle a physical or emotional problem?
14. Do you take pain relievers?
15. Do you exercise less than 3x/week?
16. Do you feel that your health and body function could be better than it is?
17. Do you usually skip meals?
18. Do you have symptoms of low blood sugar?
19. Are you overweight in your own estimation?
20. When you're not working do you sometimes feel quite exhausted?

Add up your Yes answers.

Is pain one of the symptoms bothering you? If you've ever been in a significant amount of pain you know how draining it is to your body. It's very important to get to the root cause of any pain as simply masking it with medications is only a temporary solution.

Find a doctor who specializes in diagnosing cause of symptoms. The solution is available. If a doctor tells you the only solution is pain medication, find another practitioner.

The digestive tract is #2 in importance behind the brain and nervous system. The brain "runs the show" so it ranks highest, but the digestive tract (often called the second brain) is the system which turns food into fuel which is then delivered to every cell in the body.

When fuel delivery is poor due to stressors such as maldigestion, malabsorption, hidden food allergies or infection; cells don't function optimally and many symptoms can develop.

It's interesting to note that the symptoms of hidden food allergies are not only digestive in nature.

Some people take in, in a normal day, more calories than they need. They can lose some weight simply by reducing their intake of calories. On the other hand, once body fat exceeds 25% in a man and 30% in a woman, the important factor shifts from how many calories you take in to how you body's metabolism manages the calories you consume. That is why some people can consume fewer calories than they need and remain overweight.

One of the most significant recent advances made in the study of nutrition is the understanding that the body adjusts to changes in caloric intake. This means that if you restrict your calories, your body will readjust its metabolism so you can survive on fewer calories. That's why many people go on an unbalanced diet, lose five or ten pounds, and then their bodies readjust to a lowered caloric intake. Their weight stabilizes; they "plateau," in dieters' lingo. They reduce their calories again, perhaps lose another three or four pounds, and plateau again. They get discouraged, they discontinue calorie restriction, and they gain the weight back.

I call this the "concentration camp syndrome". People who were put in concentration camps during World War II were given minimum nutrients, only water and a small amount of food. While they lost fat and muscle because of starvation, many of them survived for a long period of time because their bodies readjusted to their caloric needs.

That's why calorie restriction diets don't work - and that's why you should avoid them.

Some example of the amounts of each type of food you need each day, according to gender. You should eat 4 to 5 small meals a day.

If you are a larger than average person, or you exercise a great deal and have a significant amount of muscle mass, your protein requirements are higher. Basically, non-exercising individuals need about ¾ of a gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. Lean body mass is nothing more than your weight when all the fat has been subtracted.

The essential fats are the sources of some very important hormone messengers called eicosanoids (these include prostaglandins and leukotrines, among others). These hormones are made by our cells. They go out of the cell, see what's up and then return to the cell to modulate things based on the information they've collected. They're the hormones that control other hormones. They also control, among many other things, inflammation and circulation. These two processes are centrally involved in all chronic diseases. Eicosanoids can be inhibited by too much trans fat or stress. Barry Sears, a researcher and author, states that how well your brain functions depends on how well you control your eicosanoids. That in turn depends on your fat intake and on stabilizing your insulin level through diet. Sears proposes a new disease paradigm: failure of cells to communicate on the "biological internet: cell to cell".

Omega -3s demonstrate an astonishing range of good works through eicosanoids: They reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries, increase levels of HDL (good cholesterol), drastically reduce levels of triglycerides, keep our cell membranes fluid for optimum functioning, prevent blood platelets from sticking together to form blood clots, lower blood pressure, and inhibit erratic heartbeat. They may improve ADD symptoms and they deal with mood disorders - depression, bipolar disease. They protect against stroke, can eliminate osteoporosis, encourage weight loss, keep the joints lubricated and functioning well, and protect memory and brain function. The anti-inflammatory properties are especially important for arthritics and asthmatics. The list of benefits is almost endless.

Long-chain omega-3s come in 2 forms: EPA and DHA. Both have their source in marine algae and in fish, who eat the algae. DHA is the more neurologically active, EPA the more involved with heart function, but we need both, and the 2 forms are mixed in fatty fish.

The neurological significance of omega-3s can hardly be overestimated. Omega-3s are one of the few substances than can cross the blood-brain barrier. The brain is close to 70% fat and although it's in every cell in the body, most of the omega-3 is concentrated in the brain and the retina. To promote optimal brain function and visual acuity, you need a steady supply of omega-3s. Omega-3s have a profound role to play in Alzheimer's, dementia, memory loss, mood disorders and a healthy nervous system.

Unfortunately, we've had a 100-fold increase in omega-6, omega-3s antagonist in the last 100 years. This has enormous implications for heart disease and for depression. Low levels of DHA can cause depression and research has shown 50% improvement in just 12 weeks of omega-3 treatment.

Omega-3 won't cure Alzheimer's which is an inflammatory disease, but it definitely minimizes some of the symptoms. In the famous Framingham study, people with lower levels of omega-3 had 67% greater chance of developing Alzheimer's. People with the most omega-6 had a staggering 250% increased risk for Alzheimer's. Omega-3 improves production of both key neurotransmitters: serotonin and dopamine. Low serotonin leads to depression; low levels of dopamine are characteristic of Parkinson's disease.

Omega-3s are woefully lacking in the American diet because we don't eat enough fatty fish and leafy greens.

The other essential fat, omega-6, works in a seesaw relationship with omega-3. Omega-6 fats are most easily found in the bad highly processed vegetable oils and most of our processed foods. The omega-6s do exactly the opposite of their omega-3 cousins: the hormone messengers they create cause inflammation, decrease circulation, encourage blood clotting and too much omega-6 (in the form of linoleic acid) is known to encourage cancer. We still need the 6s (for such activities as blood clotting of wounds) but they must be kept in a beneficial ratio, ideally 1:1. The current American ratio varies from 20:1 to 50:1 so the bad guys are winning.

At the turn of the 19^th century we ate more fish, especially oysters, than we do now. Almost everyone took a spoonful of cod liver oil every day. Using bad fats contributed to the deficit and consuming 250% more sugar, which interferes with the enzymes which allow us to utilize whatever omega-3 we do consume, also contributed to the decline.

To increase your intake of omega-3 and decrease that of omega-6 you should stop using trans fats and vegetable oils (this doesn't include olive oil - that's a fruit). You'll get more than enough omega-6s from the food you eat.

To increase your omega-3s you could eat at least 2 fatty fish meals (mackerel, herring, bluefish, salmon, anchovies, snapper, bass, trout, and swordfish - these are fatty fish that thrive in cold waters and , except for most of the salmon and trout on the market, they're wild fish.) per week or eat 4 omega-3 enriched eggs. Also eat plenty of leafy greens.

It's hard to imagine a person with an ideal body weight or ideal body-fat percentage who doesn't exercise. The main purpose of exercise is not weight loss, it's overall health improvement. Remember that oxygen is the fuel of the body, and the heart pumps oxygen to all your organs. The more oxygen your heart can pump, the more efficiently your organs perform. And exercise strengthens your heart. Exercise improves eyesight, sexual performance, kidney and liver function - and most importantly, it preserves your cardiovascular system so you can stay healthy into your later decades. It builds stronger, healthier bones. Osteoporosis does not become a problem for people who exercise regularly.

While exercise does help maintain ideal body fat, it also shifts the way your metabolic system works. Exercise improves the function of the thyroid glands because it increases oxygenation. Exercise allows muscle mass to be maintained while fat stores are used as energy.

Ideal body health cannot be achieved without exercise.

You know what your chronological age is, but what is your physiological age?

It's the physiological age which really matters because if you take good care of your body and exercise your physiological age can be less than your chronological age.

Take the following self-tests and see how you do:

Upper body strength: Perform as many push-ups as you can in one minute. Men should have only their hands and toes touching the floor; women can use the "modified" position with their hands and knees touching the floor. The average score for women in their twenties is 26, in their thirties is 21, in their forties is 15, in their fifties is 13 and over sixty is 8. The average score for men in their twenties is 33, in their thirties is 27, in their forties is 21, in their fifties is 15 and over sixty is 15.

Abdominal Strength: Perform as many sit-ups as you can in one minute, keeping your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides and palms down with fingers extended. Curl up only until your shoulder blades lift off the floor, and let you fingers slide forward along the floor about three inches. An "intermediate" range for women in their twenties is 25 to 45, in their thirties is 20 to 40, in their forties is 18 to 35, in their fifties is 12 to 30 and over sixty is 11 to 25. The intermediate range for men in their twenties is 30 to 50, in their thirties is 22 to 45, in their forties is 21 to 40, in their fifties is 18 to 35, and over sixty is 15 to 30.

Flexibility: to gauge the flexibility of your lower back and hamstrings, tape a yardstick to the floor, then place a foot-long strip of tape perpendicular to the yardstick at the 15-inch mark. Take off your shoes and sit on the floor with your legs straight, straddling the yardstick with the "0" end closest to your groin and your heels on the piece of tape at the 15-inch mark. Place one hand on top of the other and lean forward slowly with your legs straight, reaching as far forward along the yardstick as you can without bending your knees. Your score is the point at which your fingertips touch the yardstick at maximum reach.

The average score for a woman in her twenties is 20", in her thirties is 19", in her forties is 18", in her fifties is 17.9" and over 60 is 16.4". the average score for a man in his twenties is 17.5", in his thirties is 16.5", in his forties is 15.3", in his fifties is 14.5" and over sixty is 13.5".

Aerobic Fitness: timing how long it takes you to walk one mile, and your heart rate response to that effort, is a good indication of your cardiovascular endurance. Scoring is rather complicated, since age, gender and heart rate all must be considered. To receive a free copy of the test with complete scoring, call 1-800-ROCKPORT and ask for the Rockport Fitness Walking Test.

If you're unhappy with you scores, regular exercise can help improve them. And be aware that becoming fit is more important than ever with age, since active people can maintain a high level of function much later in life than those who are sedentary.

Research shows that a physically active person has about a 20-year advantage over a sedentary person in terms of function. The Cooper Institute's studies show that the treadmill time of a 65-year-old active person is about the same as that of a sedentary 45-year-old.

The liver has to have the nutrients necessary to detoxify. Excess free radicals are a source of aging. Discuss importance of anti-oxidants.

Free radicals are oxygen molecular that have lost an electron in interactions with other molecules. As a result, these molecules are extremely unstable and highly reactive. In their quest to "heal" themselves, free radicals steal electrons from other, healthy molecules, creating more free radicals in the process, damaging cell components.

Free radicals have been shown to be responsible for the initiation of many diseases, including heart disease and cancer, the 2 main killers of Americans.

The last thing a free radical wants to meet as it is going about its destructive business inside the body is an antioxidant. Antioxidants nutrients, which include selenium, beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and alpha lipoic acid to name a few, are compounds which help protect us against free-radical damage. These antioxidants are known to be effective against cancer, heart disease and other degenerative diseases. Antioxidants are also thought to slow down the aging process.

Free radicals are entirely natural - they're a byproduct of normal bodily processes like energy production, detoxification and immune defense - but they're also extremely treacherous. Because every time free radicals seek to stabilize themselves, they damage healthy cells. Worse, free radicals aren't just manufactured by our own bodies. They're also unleashed by external factors, including sunlight, cigarette smoke, drinking alcohol and eating fried foods. Also environmental chemicals such as solvents, formaldehyde, pesticides, air pollutants will also increase an individuals' free radical "load".

In our skin, collagen, a protein, is one of the substances that gives our skin its youthful suppleness and tautness, is especially susceptible to damage from free radicals. Because collagen stays in our skin for years, free radicals attack it mercilessly. This sustained attack leads to a chemical changes called cross-linking - causing our skin to become stiff and inflexible, a condition which makes skin look "old".

Anti-oxidants for the skin can do a lot to repair the free-radical damage which sun and age has caused.

Fruits and vegetables which are brightly or deeply colored are high in anti-oxidants. These include: blueberries, cantaloupe, raspberries, dark leafy greens, pineapple, spinach, avocado, bell peppers, tomatoes, and orange-colored squash.

This is a simple, painless test which actually measures toxicity level in cells, health of cells (ability to hold an electrical charge), hydration level, body fat %, etc.

The BIA (bio-impedence analysis) machine can give one an idea of how toxic one's cells are.

Functional liver test is able to measure if your body is ingesting sufficient anti-oxidants to handle the free radical load.

Research has revealed that the organ systems in our bodies are designed to last 120 yrs. Then why do we turn 60 and our health starts to deteriorate? Because of a process known as catabolism. Catabolism is a pro-aging phenomena driven by our adrenal glands where they dictate the deterioration of our organ systems in order to keep the body going during times of stress.

Sounds a little scary doesn't it?

vs Anabolism.

Blood sugar - importance of keeping it stable. Hidden food allergies, hidden infections.

Sleep - the importance of good restorative sleep and relationship to aging and disease when the "battery" doesn't get recharged and NK cells aren't released.

Hormones - now that we're living longer we have to keep our levels of hormones at a functional zone to prevent premature aging.

Hormones decline w/ age and it's these hormones that can keep us young, both looking young and feeling young (good libido, good lean/fat ratio, etc.). So we need to support the areas of the body which are designed to make these hormones. And if those glands are not functioning as their supposed to, we need to find out why.

It's great to say that taking testosterone increases sex drive, decreases body fat, etc. - but what about the many women who do take it and instead of feeling sexier just get downright aggressive. And they don't lose body fat but they do start growing a beard!!

What I'm trying to say is that there is a very delicate balance to be achieved and it's extremely difficult.

Better to let the body decide how much of a given hormone it wants to make by giving it all the raw materials to do so. Give it all the tools to make the hormones and let the body decide how much to make.

Melatonin - Melatonin is a very important hormone produced in the pineal gland of the brain. Melatonin helps maintain the secretion of growth hormone which is released when the body is in deep stages of sleep. Growth hormone declines with aging and maintaining growth hormone at more youthful levels has been associated with anti-aging effect. Sleep studies show that for maximum growth hormone release, which in turn helps keep the adrenal, thyroid and other glands functioning normally, the brain must go through at least 4 uninterrupted rapid-eye-movement (REM) or dream-state sleep cycles. Melatonin, being the "master hormone" also helps control the release of many other hormones throughout the brain and body. Hormones for mood (serotonin), thinking and memory (dopamine), and energy (adrenal-stimulating hormones from the brain) are all stimulated by the regular nightly release of melatonin. Melatonin has also been implicated in decreasing the risk of cancers due to its powerful antioxidant effect. Melatonin has also been shown by numerous studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's as well as slowing down the aging process. As a powerful antioxidant it also help protect brain cells from free radical damage, thus slowing brain aging and reducing the risk of cancer.

Because melatonin is secreted from the pineal gland several hours after the onset of darkness, shifting the release of melatonin by staying up late of changing time zones frequently will cause a tremendous disruption of this delicate hormonal cascade. This can be a reason why people feel exhausted and tired all the time. Regular deep sleep is critical for restoration of the body and the mind.

Melatonin does decrease w/ age and by age 60, melatonin levels are half of what they were at age 20. With this decline, growth hormone, serotonin, dopamine and adrenal hormones decline, and a person actually ages more rapidly than they did the previous year. The aging process accelerates year by year so that one ages faster from age 65 to70 than they did from 45 to 50.

DHEA - is one of the most abundant hormones in the body. DHEA is a precursor of both estrogen and testosterone. It also has direct effects on cells throughout the body, particularly on muscle and the brain. Levels of DHEA also decline with age and in women drop quite dramatically after menopause. DHEA works in concert with the other main adrenal hormone, cortisol and their ratios are very important when maintaining optimal health and reducing the effects of stress on the body. 6:1 ratio of cortisol : DHEA.

Importance of bio-identical hormones - synthetic progesterone can cause a pregnant woman to miscarry while the bio-identical progesterone is actually used to prevent a woman from miscarrying. Similarly synthetic progesterone has been shown to increase insulin resistance thereby increasing the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and possibly cancer. But it's bio-identical partner shows none of these risks. And bio-identical progesterone has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

This is a list of recommendations to help slow the aging process and reduce the risk of chronic degenerative disease in both men and women.

1. A full-spectrum pharmaceutical-grade vitamin, mineral and antioxidant program taken a least 2x/day.
2. Essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oils and flax seeds.
3. Fiber - 40 to 50 grams per day. You'll get this if you're eating 3 or 4 cooked vegetables a day, a big salad combined w/ raw vegetables.
4. Hormone replacement when indicated. These hormones need to be bioidentical and monitored for proper levels.
5. A low-glycemic healthy balanced diet consisting of 3 meals and 2 snacks.
6. At least 10 glasses of pure water per day.
7. Aerobic exercise, strengthening and stretching at least 3 - 4 times per week.
8. Abstinence from smoking, excessive alcohol, caffeine, excessive sugar, aspartame, MSG, and all other toxic substances as much as possible.
9. 8 hours of sleep nightly.
10. Identification and elimination of any hidden food allergies.
11. Identification and elimination of any hidden infections.
12. Comprehensive blood and urine analysis to detect any disease state or borderline abnormalities.
13. Functional lab tests which more sensitively evaluate the function of your most vital organs and glands. This would include adrenal, liver, digestive, and cardiac function.
14. A Longevity Profile blood test composed of the following:
    • Lipid Peroxides -measure oxidative stress which is implicated in all degenerative disease and #1 cause of heart disease. Measurement of lipid peroxide levels plays a significant role in evaluating cell damage caused by oxidative stress and determining an individual's specific need for antioxidants supplementation. Supplying correct antioxidant support is important because excessive levels can cause fatigue and muscle weakness, which can result in inadequate levels of uncontrolled free radicals.

    • Anti-Oxidized LDL - assesses cardiovascular risk and is a reflection of the oxidation process and the potential development of autoimmune, cardiovascular disease. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein is believed to play a critical role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis.

    • DNA adducts-reflects the molecular effects of exposure to toxic chemicals and their bioaccumulation throughout life. This measures how much damage your DNA has suffered from toxins.

    • DNA repair enzyme -evaluates your body's ability to repair DNA damage and prevent gene mutation.

    • Glutathione -how much is present dictates how able your body is to defend against free radicals.

    • Natural Kill (NK) Cell Activity - provides an assessment of immune function and is influenced by a variety of conditions including stress; chemical exposure; infections; chronic fatigue syndrome; immune deficiencies; and cancer. One of the major mechanisms by which the immune system responds to foreign or abnormal cells is to damage or destroy them. This measures the strength of your natural killer cells to destroy cancer cells, cells infected with viruses or other microorganisms, including bacteria, parasites and fungi.

    • Summary: The individual tests that comprise this profile were selected to measure the physiological process involved in aging and all degenerative diseases. Each test identifies a particular risk and/or functional aspect relative to cell death, gene mutation and immune defense, thereby providing for the early detection and prevention of degenerative diseases, as well as core data for designing quality life-extension programs.