Wellness & Anti-Aging News

The Top Anti-Aging Studies of 2011

2011 was a good year for anti-aging news.  Diverse studies published this year suggest that it’s possible to retain your mental powers, muscle mass, speed and physique as you age.  It’s also looking like coffee, chocolate and yes, even beer, (all in moderation, of course) can be a part of your anti-aging regime.

In the most encouraging studies of the year, scientists showed that exercise not only increases cognitive sharpness, but may even change brain cells at a molecular level – increasing the mitochondria (which produce energy) in the neurons. Multiple other researchers showed that any exercise – from intense training, to light jogging or even informal exercise like cooking, cleaning and gardening – leads to better memory, sharper problem solving skills, more youthful muscle mass and balance, and less shrinkage of hearts, brains and gonads.  Even fidgeting counts.  While it’s certainly not enough…

Holiday Wellness

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Finding the Motivation to Work Out

How many of you have started a new gym membership, went every other day the first couple weeks, then soon lost motivation and now you’re lucky to make it a few times a month. Finding your motivation is key to staying with an exercise plan, and making it a regular part of your anti-aging lifestyle. Certain simple lifestyle changes, techniques and mindsets can help to keep motivation steadily high.

Use a scale every day – Weigh yourself first thing every morning without heavy clothes, before breakfast, and after using the bathroom.  Studies have shown that people who weigh themselves regularly lose more weight and keep the pounds off more effectively than those who don’t. Being aware of your weight can put you more in tune with the factors that cause it to go up and down, to track your progress on a diet or…

Longevity – Will it Last?

Human Life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past 100 years, and the maximum human life span has also increased dramatically. Even more incredibly, centenarians are now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, increasing from only 3700 in 1940 to over 60,000 today. This is due largely to modern scientific and medical innovations, in addition to other changes in the way we live our life. Many diseases and environmental factors that used to cut our lives short are no longer as much of an issue. We have antibiotics for infection, sterilization, pasteurization, surgery, immunization, and countless other innovations that weren’t available in the recent past. If trends are any indication the human life span and life expectancy will continue to increase as our scientific and medical technology evolves. Science is divided on the question of whether it is possible to significantly increase…

The Unexpected Benefits of Exercise

As if being able to fit into your jeans from college isn’t enough of a reason, sufficient exercise can bring a wide variety of serious health benefits. Besides the obvious weight loss, improved muscle and cardiovascular function, as well as increased longevity, exercise brings with it a host of unexpected benefits. In general, those who exercise regularly are actually “biologically younger” than those who do not exercise regularly, therefore, they are at lower risk for age-related disease and physical decline.

A new study suggests a strong link between exercise and eye health. The study suggests that regular exercise can lower the risk of macular degeneration resulting from age by up to 70%. Physical activity reduces inflammation in the blood vessel walls the results from the disease.

Exercise can significantly increase how quickly you fall asleep,…

Don’t Stress Over Stress

Stress, in and of itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For our earliest ancestors, stress could have meant the difference between life and death in the face of a hungry saber-toothed tiger. Stress activates our body’s sympathetic nervous system, inducing the so called “fight-or-flight” response, causing our adrenal glands to release a flood of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline serves to temporarily increase heart rate, elevate blood pressure, and boost energy supplies. Cortisol increases blood glucose and delivers more of it to the brain. In small doses, this stress can be just the extra kick we need to perform well on a test, meet a difficult deadline, or perform in front of an audience. This is generally followed by a period of rest, when the body and adrenals have a chance to recover and return to equilibrium. When we stress our muscles, say…

The A,B,C’s (and E’s and K’s) of Vitamins for Skincare

Rejuvalife operates on the principle that radiant inner health is essential for outer beauty. Lifestyle, diet, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and stress management are crucial elements contributing to overall external looks. Even if someone has perfect bone structure and attractive facial features, if they have low energy, poor diet, are stressed out and sleep deprived, then these factors will show on their face, and their overall beauty with be diminished. Patients ask all the time what vitamins, nutrients, and minerals are best for their bodies. More recently, I have been getting a lot of questions about what can be taken to improve skin and therefore overall beauty. The answer is that many of the same vitamins and minerals that are good for our bodies are also good for…

Breast Cancer Prevention through Diet

In honor of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I want to encourage women to take an active role in living a prevention-oriented lifestyle through diet to reduce their cancer risk.

In 2007, the most recent statistics available, over 200,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 died from breast cancer. Over recent years, more and more attention has been given towards lifestyle and dietary factors contributing to breast cancer.  Of course, no food or supplement is sufficient to completely prevent or treat breast cancer, and women should receive regular mammograms and consult with their physician, and take other lifestyle measures to improve breast health.

However, certain foods and supplements have been linked to reduced risk of breast cancer. Here are some guidelines for a breast cancer prevention oriented diet and lifestyle.

Don’t Eat Meat! -…

Your coffee habit might be saving your life

“Can I please get a venti decaf, sugar-free hazelnut, non-fat, no foam, no whip, extra hot caramel macchiato with five pumps of sugar-free hazelnut syrup?” There’s no denying it. Coffee has become part of the American Culture and the American Diet.

Whether you’re a fan of our coffee culture or not, coffee is here to stay, supported by the fact that the average American drank 26 gallons of coffee in 2009. While this may sound like a lot, recent research has shown astonishing disease fighting and health improving properties of daily coffee consumption, especially in higher doses. People in the U.S. get the majority of their antioxidant intake from coffee. A typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than an average serving of blueberries. The properties of the special antioxidants and polyphenols found in coffee, along with the effects of the caffeine itself, may…

Listen to Dr. Berger on Blog Talk Radio

Dr. Berger discusses the use and benefits of fat-derived stem cells in fat transfer procedures, and the future implications of stem cells for cosmetic and anti-aging medicine.