Issue #81: Your Body Has Memory
Good morning. It’s Thursday, December 8th. It's easy to be racing through December as we get closer to the holidays. Make sure to "slow down" and to not lose control of your day. That's one of the things I talked about as a guest on The Human Restoration Project Podcast. Take a listen for more insights and my journey to Thrive25 - I hope you enjoy the conversation! CLICK HERE
“Hope, purpose and determination are not merely mental states. They have electrochemical connections that affect the immune system.”
From the Lab: Memory Cells
Take Action: Get Cold to Avoid a Cold
Speed Read: You're Hurting My Ears
Thursday Night In: Epigenetic Chili
Moment of Fun: Samba Style
The percent of our DNA that comes from a virus. Endogenization occurs when a virus integrates into a chromosome of a host’s reproductive cells and is passed to the next generation. (Nature)
From the Lab
Yesterday (Issue #80) we covered what to do when you’re starting to feel the flu taking over.
Today we’re all about how to make your body a place ready to fight before you even feel that scratchy throat.
Experience is the best education.
Sometimes no matter what advice you give someone, they need to go through it themselves - even if it means falling down a few times along the way.
Your immune system is the exact same - the most potent tool for preventing an infection is if we already had it in the past. We have 100 billion cells that just sit around remembering the fights with previous invaders (Memory Cells).
If they get a whiff of an antigen from the past they go right in and take ‘em down - no waiting around 3-5 days for the two-step authentication from the Innate Immune System to the Adaptive Immune System.
We have 13 trillion (yes, trillion) antibodies in a single drop of blood - with all the memories of what you’ve fought over your lifetime.
Modern science has developed vaccines so that we don’t have to go through the problems of experiencing a disease first hand to get the benefit of these memory cells.*
We’re not going to cover vaccines in detail here - but whether you put in a weak (but alive) version of the pathogen, a dead version of the pathogen, or the mRNA vaccine for COVID that gets our own cells to produce the viral antigens - they all create memory cells without the pain of the actual disease.*
So you might ask - why can we get a disease more than once?
Our memory cells degrade over time - this is one reason why we’re more susceptible to disease in old age (we forgot). That’s why we gotta stay healthy to support the health of our memory (not just in our brain - but our immune system).
Viruses/Bacteria mutate - we’ve seen this with COVID. The structure changes constantly and our antibodies don’t recognize the new antigen (also why the flu vaccine is different every year).
*Vaccines aren’t an exact science. The way to recreate a safe form of a virus to create antibodies is very challenging. Most of the time they work great, but nothing will ever be 100%.
Take Action
Most of what we cover in this newsletter each day doubles as the best way not to get real sick:
Get 7+ hrs of sleep - with the right lighting for deep sleep (Issue #11)
Eat real food - limit sugar, seed oils, and non-organic meat (full of antibiotics) (Issues #45-49)
Exercise - can we say this enough times??
Manage Stress - try to take a “pause” to avoid chronically high cortisol levels (Issue #19)
Some other potential hacks:
Cold Therapy - seems like there’s some real science for immunity (just ask Wim Hof)
Some supplements - may (I repeat MAY) help - try taking Cod Liver Oil or Bone Broth
Stay positive - the mind is truly powerful (remember placebo effect - Issue #16)
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Duration, Not Just Volume: 1.35B teens and young adults may be at risk for hearing loss. I’ve heard this before, but in my day, we didn’t have an iPad and headphones on at school all day - Steve Jobs wasn’t even at Apple. But he did return and came back with a vengeance - he, and his competitors, created device after device now ubiquitous in our lives that give us so many opportunities to plug in. Shorten the duration, turn it down and/or consider noise-canceling headphones. (Health.com)
Glucose in My Urine, What Does That Mean?: If your kidneys are overwhelmed with carbs, the glucose may go into your pee instead of your bloodstream. This may indicate an issue - diabetes, UTI, etc. So be sure to get this test as part of your lab panel. (Levels)
Born to Run 2: In 2009, Chris McDougall sparked a running revolution that had everyone (including Nike and Adidas) thinking minimalist. Now, the bestselling author has teamed up with coach Eric Orton to offer a practical path to rejuvenate any runner. (Outside)
Thursday Night In
Made this delicious winter dish over the weekend. It's incredibly healthy (why Dr. Kara Fitzgerald calls it "Epigenetic Chili"), yet was a hit for the whole fam (plus 2 days of leftovers)!*
Younger You
*Make sure you are good with tomatoes & peppers and soak the beans to get rid of any potential digestion issues.
Moment of Fun
Brazil’s samba style was on full display against the Republic of Korea on Monday. After a sweet sequence that ended in a goal, Tottenham’s Richarlison was even able to get his coach, Tite, to join the celebration. There’s something special about seeing the unbridled joy from these men dancing.
To share in the feeling, check out the highlights (in Spanish - the best way to enjoy). The World Cup concludes with the final on 12/18 and if I get to see Brazil play 3 more times, I won’t be disappointed! 🕺
Thanks for joining us today!
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We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.