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In this episode, you will learn strategies for achieving Radical Longevity.
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About My Guest
My guest for this episode is Ann Louise Gittleman. Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS is a trend setting pioneer in the health and healing arena. She holds an MS in Nutrition Education from Columbia University, the title of Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) from the American College of Nutrition, and a PhD in Holistic Nutrition. The award-winning author of more than thirty-five books (including several New York Times bestsellers), Ann Louise has also served as the Chief Nutritionist of the Pediatric Clinic at Bellevue Hospital and is the former Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, CA. She is highly respected as an international leader in diet, nutrition and the environment. Her latest book is "RADICAL LONGEVITY - The Powerful Plan to Sharpen Your Brain, Strengthen Your Body, and Reverse the Symptoms of Aging".
Key Takeaways
- What factors are contributing to the health challenges people face today?
- While "Immunity is Everything", how does quercetin play a role?
- Why is melatonin the "Immune Warrior Hormone"?
- What tools can be helpful for heavy metal detoxification and to "Take On Toxic Overload"?
- What are some top glyphosate detoxification strategies?
- Do parasites still play a role nearly 30 years after the release of her book "Guess What Came to Dinner"?
- What strategies can be used to "Stop Advanced Glycation End Products"?
- What tools can be used to "Free Up Fascia for Youthful Movement"?
- What approaches can be used to "Activate Cellular Rejuvenation"?
- In "Minding Your Minerals", what is the role of copper and iron toxicity?
- Given the importance of "Optimizing the Gut-Brain Connection", what tools can be used?
- What is the "5 Day Radical Longevity Reset"?
- What can be done to support cognition and brain health?
- Why is low cholesterol not always a good thing?
- How can bones, muscles, and joints be supported?
- What leads to the best possible skin and hair?
- Are bioidentical hormones a good thing?
- What are the leading tools in regenerative medicine?
Connect With My Guest
Related Resources
Radical Longevity Book
UNIKEY Health
Interview Date
May 4, 2021
Transcript
Transcript Disclaimer: Transcripts are intended to provide optimized access to information contained in the podcast. They are not a full replacement for the discussion. Timestamps are provided to facilitate finding portions of the conversation. Errors and omissions may be present as the transcript is not created by someone familiar with the topics being discussed. Please Contact Me with any corrections.
[00:00:01.02] Welcome to BetterHealthGuy Blogcasts, empowering your better health. And now, here's Scott, your Better Health Guy.
[00:00:15.00] The content of this show is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or medical condition. Nothing in today's discussion is meant to serve as medical advice or as information to facilitate self-treatment. As always, please discuss any potential health-related decisions with your own personal medical authority.
[00:00:35.00] Scott: Hello everyone, and welcome to episode number 145 of the BetterHealthGuy Blogcasts series. Today's guest is Ann Louise Gittleman, and the topic of the show is Radical Longevity. Ann Louise Gittleman is a trendsetting pioneer in the health and healing arena.
She holds an MS in Nutrition Education from Columbia University, the title of Certified Nutrition Specialist from the American College of Nutrition, and a PhD in Holistic Nutrition. The award-winning author of more than 35 books, including several New York Times bestsellers, Anne Louise has also served as the Chief Nutritionist of the Pediatric Clinic at Bellevue Hospital, and is the former Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, California. She is highly respected as an international leader in diet nutrition and the environment. Her latest book is ”Radical Longevity, The Powerful Plan to Sharpen Your Brain, Strengthen Your Body, and Reverse the Symptoms of Aging”.
And now my interview with Anne Louise Gittleman.
None of us are getting younger, and how to optimize our health in the direction of Radical Longevity, the title of Ann Louise Gittleman's latest book is of interest to many of us.
One of the highlights in my work in the health arena was the opportunity to have dinner with her a few years ago, and I'm so excited to have you back for the third time today. Thanks so much for being here, Ann Louise.
[00:02:05.05] Ann Louise: Such a pleasure, and I hope you come for dinner again very soon.
[00:02:08.25] Scott: Me too. We live in a time where children will not live as long as their parents, the environment around us becomes more and more toxic. It often feels like living healthy can be a full-time job.
We think about things like heavy metals, chemicals, EMFs, mold exposure. You've been a leader in the health and wellness arena for many decades; what do you see as the top factors that are leading to an unhealthy society and increasing “dis-ease”?
[00:02:38.00] Ann Louise: Oh, that's a loaded question. Well, what I think is the real tip-off, is the real tipping point is the exposure to EMFs. I think that because it affects our immune system, it affects our DNA, it affects our ability to cope with stress by affecting the autonomic nervous system is probably the most toxic element that we've never encountered before.
So I would say because we've got so much in the environment that we need to protect ourselves on a daily basis, and that's where sleeping grounded and being grounded is very important, here's my grounding wristband. That's where shutting off all the electronics before you go to bed at night is very important.
Wearing some sort of protection is important. I've got my Shungite on even as we speak. And making sure that your house is as protected as possible. I truly think that that's really the tipping point of everything.
[00:03:26.17] Scott: Beautiful. And I have my foot on a grounding pad right now as well, so I know we're going to agree on lots of things in this conversation. Let's explore the 7 New Rules for Radical Longevity that you discuss in the book.
Rule #1: Immunity is Everything. #2: “Take on Toxic Overload”. #3: “Stop AGEs or Advanced Glycation End products”. #4: “Free Up Fascia for Youthful Movement”. #5: “Activate Cellular Rejuvenation”. #6: “Mind Your Minerals”, which I have here in my glass. #7: “Optimize the Gut-Brain Connection”. So let's jump into rule #1, “Immunity is Everything”. In the book, you talk about the importance of vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, quercetin, melatonin, sleep, and a nice soak.
Quercetin really is a remarkable nutrient commonly used by our listeners that are dealing with mast cell activation syndrome and histamine intolerance. What most people, including myself, didn't realize until the pandemic was how quercetin is also antiviral, how it can help act as a zinc ionophore to shuttle zinc into cells.
So given how key quercetin is, do you have a favorite way to get adequate amounts each day? Do you prefer food, supplements, liposomals? How do you get quercetin into your routine, and why do you think it's important?
[00:04:52.27] Ann Louise: I think it's important because it's such a potent antioxidant, very protective against all kinds of cancers as well. Particularly for males against prostate cancer, by the way. I make sure that I take a supplement on a daily basis. It's 500 milligrams three times a day, and I'm a big believer in onions.
I eat onions raw; I eat onions steamed; I eat onions sautéed; onions are a natural source of quercetin. So I say bring it on. It's exceedingly healthy, and I'm so glad we've discovered it and rediscovered it because of the pandemic.
[00:05:21.12] Scott: Beautiful. I've said for years that melatonin is my personal drug of choice. I've taken it for as long as I can remember; more and more are suggesting even higher doses of melatonin for detoxification as an antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancer. Why do you call melatonin the “immune warrior hormone”?
[00:05:43.14] Ann Louise: It's an “immune warrior hormone” because it protects glutathione, your body's best antioxidant. And it protects superoxide dismutase, a very important enzyme that's a free radical scavenger. So it is a protector element. And it's very important if you need to get good sleep if you want to protect against cancers.
And people are taking up to three milligrams per day, even more for all kinds of autoimmune issues. I'm seeing 10 milligrams, 20 milligrams in a time-release form. It works for some people; it doesn't work for others.
But I think it's important because it passes through the blood-brain barrier, and that's where so much disease and disaster occurs, particularly EMFs; it's a great EMF protector.
[00:06:22.29] Scott: If we were soaking in the good stuff as you refer to it in the book, what would we be soaking in, and do you find that people with mast cell activation and histamine issues can tolerate this good stuff?
[00:06:35.23] Ann Louise: I have both of them. I have the DAO genetic variant, to be honest with you. So I quite understand. So I still soak in two cups of apple cider vinegar maybe twice a week because it's so good for the potassium, and it gets into my aching joints, my muscles that I may be overusing. The stress it kind of is a stress reliever, stress buster.
So I'm a big believer in apple cider vinegar, soaks in salt and soda because it's a detoxifier for excess acidity and very good to prevent the body from really accumulating excess static electricity and too much ionizing radiation. So if I have to go to the dentist and get an x-ray, I'd pop into a bath of two cups of baking soda, two cups of salt.
If I'm going on a plane, the first thing I do is take a salt and soda bath because it really reduces any kind of jet lag. So that's kind of what I live on; I soak in the good stuff. And I used to soak in Clorox; I've given that up because it seems to be so unbelievable for so many people. But I used to use that for heavy metals; a cup a day keeps heavy metals away.
[00:07:37.01] Scott: Beautiful. I just had the opportunity this past weekend to soak in 1,200 pounds of Epsom salts, which is a wonderful experience. New rule #2 is “Take on Toxic Overload”, and detoxification is my personal favorite. What I really see is a top problem with health; the terrain we know is everything.
When it comes to heavy metals, do you think we need to be aggressive with metal detox? Or is this a daily lifelong detoxification strategy that we need to put in place, given we have ongoing exposures? What are your favorite heavy metal tools?
[00:08:11.27] Ann Louise: Taurine is a heavy metal tool because it's a very important amino acid that can chelate most heavy metals. I don't think you should be aggressive; I don't think the systems can handle that in this day and age. I've seen many people actually go to an early demise after getting their mercury fillings replaced.
So I'm not a big believer in that. I do think that you need to do something on a daily basis. I'm a big believer in doing something for the liver that may have a little extra taurine, maybe some artichoke, maybe some chlorophyll.
And maybe a little bit of extra charcoal as well. I think easy does it; the important thing is that you were able to excrete whatever is coming in. It's come in, come out, come in, come out, you really want to get rid of it, and that's the very best way to do it. Nothing extreme, it's much too toxic for most of us in this day and time.
[00:08:58.20] Scott: 100% agree with that, beautiful. You say that Fulvic and Humic acids can help with glyphosate toxicity; I've also read that apple cider vinegar is helpful, raw sauerkraut juice can be helpful. What are some of your favorite glyphosate detoxification strategies?
[00:09:13.25] Ann Louise: I'm back to the apple cider vinegar because I remember when my teacher that died at 106, at the age of 106 with all of her senses intact used to say the cell is like a battery, it holds an acid charge. And when you get older, you get more alkaline on a cell level, not the fluids of the body, but on a cell level.
So I'm back to taking two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and eight ounces of water three times a day to make my cells more acidic, a tad more acidic. The beneficial acid, and I believe it's also a chelator of glyphosate. The other thing that I'm prone to do is take some amino acids that contain glycine because that's a chelator of glyphosate.
Very important amino acid that's important for blood sugar regulation. So in doing this, you got to do this on a daily basis. I love the amino acids, Scott; I'm a big believer in perfect amino.
[00:09:59.25] Scott: Beautiful. Yes, if I remember from Dr. Stephanie Seneff, she talks about apple cider vinegar having Acetobacter, which actually can help break down glyphosate. And so that's an interesting tool that many of us don't think about.
I met you originally through your book “Guess What Came to Dinner” shortly after my own health challenges began in 1997. That book came out in 1993 if I remember correctly. So nearly 30 years later, what role do you think parasites play on our health and longevity? And what tools have emerged in this realm that can help us manage these inevitable parasitic exposures?
[00:10:36.11] Ann Louise: Diatomaceous earth everyone, diatomaceous earth, the varying food grade diatomaceous earth. You put a tablespoon in your smoothie every day, and it'll actually grind up some of those larger parasites. I'm seeing a lot of hookworms, a lot of tapeworms, a lot of pinworm in children that have ADD in and PANS and PANDAS.
I'm seeing a lot of, all kinds of things that were attributing to all kinds of neurological issues that are, in fact, a real problem with parasite toxicity. So they haven't gone away, they're not just a third world country issue, they're alive, and well in the united states, it's time to say “adios amoebas” and to do something daily.
And that's where a tablespoon of food-grade diatomaceous earth, and it's good for the skin, it's a high source of silica.
[00:11:16.26] Scott: I love that, “adios amoebas”. Your mentor Dr. Hazel Parcells taught you that parasites are the most immunosuppressive agent known to humans. I honestly think nearly every one of us has them and probably would be better off with regular parasite cleansing.
In the past ten years, many people talk about rope worm and whether it's a worm or a biofilm community. What are your current thoughts on ropeworms and some of the things that you've seen for treating them?
[00:11:47.06] Ann Louise: I think it's the biofilm. I personally think it's a biofilm issue. We've had them analyzed in labs that I work with, with certified parasitologists. I think it's a biofilm excretory element.
And to get rid of them, the best thing for biofilm would be a high enzyme product as well as Neem. I'm seeing the Neem is very helpful as well, as two tablespoons a day of black seed oil if you can tolerate it.
[00:12:12.28] Scott: Mold is a top health negator in my experience. You talk about the urine mycotoxin testing in the book. Have you found that a helpful tool with your own clients?
[00:12:22.13] Ann Louise: Many people will not; I find it helpful for people that actually take the test. But for people that don't take the test, I just use their symptomology to make a diagnosis and tell them that they probably have a susceptibility to mycotoxins.
Well, I can usually tell if they have symptoms of Lyme, we also treat mold, and it's a very difficult thing to treat. We've got to treat something that gets into the nasal cavities and something that gets into the system systemically. And that's a daily ongoing challenge.
[00:12:49.12] Scott: You talk about EMFs in the book; we talked about it earlier. You wrote an entire book on the topic called “Zapped”; sadly, that problem has only gotten worse since that time.
You talk about rosemary and propolis, both of which our friend Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt speaks about as well. You also talk about homeopathic cell salts; how might cell salts help those dealing with EMF sensitivity?
[00:13:12.25] Ann Louise: Any kind of radiation sucks up minerals. So any way that you can get your minerals is important. I notice you're drinking something there that I think has minerals. Am I not mistaken?
[00:13:21.09] Scott: I've got trace minerals in one and electrolytes in the other.
[00:13:24.23] Ann Louise: I do trace minerals on a daily basis. I do Cell Food on a daily basis, and cell salts will just get in the system a little bit more on an anatomic level. So those are the Schuessler cell salts that are 12 different cells, so it's very important for people that may be susceptible to radiation, including the five phosphate cell salts that are good for the nerves.
[00:13:45.12] Scott: Beautiful, I love those too. Under Mélange is one of the products that I've used that is a combination of all of those cell salts and can be really helpful. New rule #3 is “Stop AGEs or Advanced Glycation End products”.
These are cross-linked proteins that come from how we cook, primarily if something is fried or browned or grilled or charred. We get more of these glycation end products. I'd be interested in what are some of the things that you think we need to avoid, and as these build up in our body, they can cause systemic inflammation, oxidative stress.
You talk about them compromising our SIRT1 longevity molecules. So besides reducing our intake, which is critical, what else can we do to stop AGEs?
[00:14:28.22] Ann Louise: If you're going to be grilling, marinade before you grill. It'll stop ages about 88%. You do a marinade with a little bit of acid, perhaps a teeny bit of oil, and the two herbs that are the most important to stop advanced glycation end products are rosemary and thyme. So that's one thing that you can do.
Number two, do not use air fryers on a daily basis. The food that comes out from an air fryer is very high in advanced glycation end products. Anything that's high and dry, any cooking method that's high and dry rather than wet and moist and low heat, is really the thing that we want to avoid. So then that means that you've got to get cooking utensils that will really afford you the ability to stop ages in its tracks.
And that's where the stainless steel is probably good; something like the salon master that I've rediscovered would be very helpful for people. Where food can cook in its own juice at a very low heat, below 180 degrees, to preserve all the living elements of food.
We're cooking food to death. Any kind of food that's very high in ages would also include your bacon on a daily basis, a lot of the primary keto foods, as well as cheese and even butter. So animal foods inherently are high in ages; we want to avoid them and have more plant foods whenever we can.
[00:15:40.15] Scott: New rule #4 is “Free Up Fascia for Youthful Movement”. Fascia is a term that most people never really speak about or think about. It's the connective divider essentially between our muscles and our organs, it's rich in collagen, it plays a role in stiffening and arthritis as we get older.
You say that the body remembers trauma, whether that's physical or emotional, that we can have adhesions that are not seen on imaging studies. And that these adhesions may still be there but are not needed and yet are not dissolved by the body.
I recently dealt with some adhesions after a fall and adhesive capsulitis and found things like Gua Sha and shockwave therapy to be incredibly helpful. What are some of your favorite facial tools?
[00:16:27.23] Ann Louise: Any kind of myofascial release, I do better with hands-on. I've tried shockwave therapy; it was a little too much for my sensitive system. Strong mind, but very sensitive body. I'm also finding that cupping could be very helpful, and using a lot of hyaluronic acid topically and internally can really soften that connective tissue.
So these are internal scars that we're talking about, and you can't see them, but they have a tensile strength of about 2000 pounds. So if you think it's arthritis, you have to check and see that it's not repetitive movements, which can freeze the fascia, and to get them unfrozen, you've got to see somebody qualified an advanced release technique if it's a chiropractor.
Or some kind of Barnes technique where they specialize in myofascial release. It's very important as we get older, and we're texting, and we're using our neck, using our shoulders, using our brains a little too much, and we're in a very frozen position of being very over-amped.
So I think it's very important for people to get checked on a weekly basis by some kind of practitioner that specializes in bodywork.
[00:17:29.16] Scott: Beautiful. And I know you talk about things like Kettle and Fire bone broth and wheat germ oil as supportive tools for the fascia as well new rule number five is activate cellular rejuvenation; just hearing this one got me really excited.
I'm currently doing the IV phosphatidylcholine program, lipid restoration. I'm using Exercise With Oxygen Therapy to support my personal radical longevity. And you, more than anyone, have been a proponent of healthy omega-6 fats, which most people still think are bad and should be avoided. I do at least a tablespoon of hemp seed oil every day in my shake.
[00:18:06.06] Ann Louise: Good for you, hemp, hemp hurray, good for you.
[00:18:08.26] Scott: And that's based on your work and Dr. Patricia Kane's work. You've talked about seed oils like the hemp, like chia seed, like flax seed.
Do you use any fish oils in your programs? Or do you think we can get enough omega-3s from the seed oils? And are there some people that maybe can't convert that linoleic and alpha-linoleic to EPA and DHA?
[00:18:32.00] Ann Louise: No, I think that fish oil is still very important. At least one thousand to two thousand MGs daily, there's no question. But not at the expense of the omega 6s, we you need a four to one ratio in favor of the omega 6s.
So taking the hemp seed all gives you that perfect ratio four to one in favor of omega 6, so you're doing everything right; I'm also a big believer in using pine nut oil to really heal the gut and really heal the internal mucosa.
[00:18:55.11] Scott: What are some of the other tools beyond the fats that you find can activate cellular rejuvenation?
[00:19:02.28] Ann Louise: Redox signaling molecules that really signal cells to be healthy would be very helpful. Some of the new life wave patches that I now have on my back, I'm using the x39, I'm finding that very helpful as well for the phytotherapy. And some of the peptides that are now out are very helpful in terms of the regulatory proteins that go directly to the glands, the tissues, and the cells.
So there's all kinds of things depending upon the level of expertise that you have in the topic and the level of financial finances that you have at your availability. Some of these things are a little more expensive than others. I'm currently sleeping on Tesla BioHealing coils, by the way, so I'm very involved with really rejuvenating on a cellular level.
[00:19:48.10] Scott: All right. Next time I come over for dinner, I'm going to take a nap on your Tesla coils.
[00:19:52.28] Ann Louise: You're most welcome to.
[00:19:54.24] Scott: New rule #6 is “Mind Your Minerals”. We talked about the importance of minerals. It's been my opinion that minerals are honestly far more important than vitamins, which most people think of.
And part of the reason we become toxin bioaccumulators is from the mineral deficiency. I take minerals like zinc and magnesium, but also trace minerals, silica which can be helpful for aluminum detoxification. The mineral that I don't fully understand due to really conflicting information is copper, and I'm wondering from your perspective, is copper toxicity common?
I know our friend Dietrich Klinghardt suggests that it's not a very common issue in chronically ill patients. What's the best way to test? What is organic versus inorganic copper? And how do we get the right copper to promote health?
[00:20:44.24] Ann Louise: Well, the first thing we do is we eliminate the wrong copper, and I go into this in a great deal of detail in the book. The wrong copper is the divalent copper, which you get from copper water pipes, copper sulfate, or even the copper that's in many of your vitamins and minerals.
So if you can delete that from your life and your lifestyle, you're on the way to a good healthy life. There's a lot of copper imbalance because people don't get enough zinc number one. So copper can become, I wouldn't say toxic, but dysregulated to some degree. And I think that if you're eating a copper-rich diet which would have foods like your chocolate, which would have foods like avocado, nuts, and seeds, you're on the road to a good, healthy regimen.
It's just the inorganic that may have something to do with the buildup of copper that goes in the brain, the buildup of copper as well as iron that may be leading to the neurofibrillary plaques that leads to Alzheimer's.
[00:21:37.05] Scott: Is there any supplemental copper that you would consider taking that's not going to lead to that toxic copper problem?
[00:21:44.15] Ann Louise: Yes, an Ancestral product that contains the liver, which is a high source of natural copper. So it's food-based copper, that's what you want.
[00:21:51.29] Scott: The other debate in medicine is iron, and so many people are taking iron, and yet you talk in the book about ways to dump iron. So how do we test for iron, and why might we want to dump iron? And how might we go about doing that?
[00:22:06.19] Ann Louise: We might want to dump it because we start to accumulate as we get older unless you're still menstruating. I'm not, and I don't think you ever were. Were you Scott?
[00:22:13.21] Scott: No.
[00:22:14.22] Ann Louise: All right. So men don't, and so they start accumulating iron at twice the amount of women at the age of 40. So you want to take a ferritin test which is a stored iron test, and if it's above a certain level that I mentioned in the book, then you have to start giving blood, or you have to start reducing your iron by eating iron blocking food supplements and herbs and spices.
I go into that in a great deal of detail. So taking an iron or a ferritin test is exceedingly important, and then dumping your cast iron, pots, and pans which is a readily available source of iron, which may not be good for most people.
[00:22:49.03] Scott: And I love how you bring into that conversation in the book the quercetin that we just talked about, the curcumin which can help people with Lyme and mold and so on from an inflammation perspective.
So a lot of these tools that you talk about are really, they check a lot of boxes which I certainly appreciate. The final new rule #7 is “Optimize the Gut-Brain Connection”, where you talk about the microbiome.
You talk about stored emotions, and how the microbiome produces neuro chemicals that impact our emotions, our mental state, how our microbiome is responsible for 80 percent of our immune system. What are some of the tools that you use to optimize the gut-brain connection?
[00:23:28.26] Ann Louise: I use a daily source of food probiotics. So I take a little bit of miso that I put in a salad dressing to get the probiotics that are naturally found in a fermented, non-GMO soy product. That's what I do. I take a lot of sauerkraut as well. And I do have that DAO variant, so I have to be very careful with fermented foods.
But I can tolerate that as well as the apple cider vinegar, and a lot of whey that I believe is very healthy as a prebiotic, and jicama is my favorite prebiotic/probiotic feeding veggie.
[00:24:02.07] Scott: You also in the book make the connection to some of the mental, emotional contributors to the gut-brain connection, things like using Bach flowers, having a community that supports you, things like that can also be really important in optimizing the gut-brain connection, right?
[00:24:18.21] Ann Louise: Yes, human touch and connectivity, and having friends, whether they're virtual or friends in real life, is so very important to longevity. It's one of the traits of the superagers that I found when I did all my interviews.
[00:24:31.03] Scott: In the book, which is really more of a longevity encyclopedia. You talk about a 5-Day Radical Longevity Reset. Wondering if you can give us an overview of what one does during this five-day reset.
[00:24:45.14] Ann Louise: One does not eat food that is cooked or that is raw; one eats food that may have a little juice in it, maybe made into a soup. So we're using food that is virtually AGEless, it's an AGEless cooking diet that actually can give your liver a vacation. We have a special drink in the morning, very high in polyphenols.
We have a special longevity soups that you take and a few snacks. So it's basically giving your whole body a reset, and it's a very high source of, as I say, the polyphenols, which are very deficient and very important for feeding the microbiome.
[00:25:19.15] Scott: You give us recipes in the book for the Live Longer Cocktail, the Longevity Blaster. Which sounds a lot like my daily power shake with things like high-quality protein and fat and collagen. And then you have the Cranberry Elixir.
Tell us a little about what each of these does to support radical longevity, and do we need to be concerned at all with the potential natural sugar content in cranberry juice?
[00:25:44.02] Ann Louise: No, because it's diluted. So you're getting just a steady stream of nutrients that can balance the blood sugar, and there's studies that show that cranberry is very high in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, and so it's a very high source of the bioflavonoids that also fall into the polyphenol family.
It opens up phase 1 and phase 2 of the liver. So I give you a little elixir that has some herbs and spices, very healing for the blood sugar as well, very anti-inflammatory. We have that on a daily basis, and my Blaster has the coffee, is the basic, I'd say, the basic foundation of the entire drink.
And that's important because it's so helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease, it slashes the risk of stroke, and it's also important for the liver. And the liver is your real longevity organ that I focus on in the entire book.
[00:26:33.02] Scott: You certainly have more than enough fans, but speaking about the benefits of coffee, I'm sure you just gained a few more from this conversation.
[00:26:41.08] Ann Louise: Well, I've never been a coffee drinker; I'm going to tell you the truth, Scott until I read all the research. And so I'm using Purity decaf coffee, it's a mold-free coffee that I discovered.
[00:26:51.19] Scott: Which is also great by the way for coffee enemas, the Purity coffee for those people.
[00:26:55.29] Ann Louise: The only kind to use up your rear end is going to be the Purity coffee, whichever way you're going to take it, absolutely.
[00:27:03.21] Scott: You have so many delicious recipes in the book which make me long to have dinner at your house again. For people that aren't big on cooking, are there any prepared meals or companies that deliver food that get your stamp of approval?
[00:27:18.04] Ann Louise: I'm sure there are many out there. I don't know of them, that's why you have to come back to my house. And anybody else's in the Coeur d'Alene area is welcome to give us a little email, little call, and you can come and have a delicious meal, but with chef Teresa.
[00:27:30.01] Scott: Oh, she's amazing. Let's talk about some of the targeted strategies that you share in the book. You talk about Alzheimer's and cognitive decline, supporting the brain. I recently added benfotiamine into my protocol for brain and nerve support. Why do you love this fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 for the brain?
[00:27:50.15] Ann Louise: Because it's very protective against phase 3 Alzheimer's or type 3 Alzheimer's, which is actually diabetes, type 3 diabetes, it may be considered Alzheimer's. So I like the benfotiamine very much; 300 milligrams a day can help keep Alzheimer's away.
But my favorite of all of them, because I think it has jaw-dropping research and results is actually lithium. So if you do nothing else after listening to this interview, go get some lithium, learn to love lithium.
Twenty milligrams seems to be the soft spot in this micronutrient that can actually reverse some of those tangles and some of the plaque that is so characteristic of Alzheimer's. And I tell you that because there's good research to support everything I'm saying.
[00:28:30.24] Scott: And for listeners, we're talking here about lithium orotate, not lithium carbonate, that is a pharmaceutical.
So we're talking about lithium orotate.
I love that you mentioned DNRS in the book, the dynamic neural retraining system. I've done that program; I benefited from it. Why does limbic system retraining and neuroplasticity get your attention in supporting the brain?
[00:28:53.07] Ann Louise: Because we know that whatever's going on in the brain is not necessarily a death knulled, so to speak. It's not going to be a fatal diagnosis; you can actually regenerate and re-pattern the brain for healthy living and healthy regeneration. And that's true for the liver as well; they're both very plasticized organs, in which case you can regenerate, reset, and re-pattern.
[00:29:17.06] Scott: In the heart section, you talk about cholesterol. People still seem to be working harder than ever to lower their cholesterol at all costs. I've seen people on statin drugs with a cholesterol of 124.
Personally, I would prefer 224 than 124, and in the book, you say that optimal is 180 to 240, which I love. What are your thoughts on why cholesterol is important for health, why it's still villainized? And if there is a bad side relative to oxidized cholesterol, how do we address that?
[00:29:51.02] Ann Louise: So cholesterol is a very important substance for the body, it's the precursor to hormones, especially stress hormones. So I don't pay attention to total cholesterol. But there are some people that run a high LPA, in which case we want the cholesterol to be big and bulky, not small and hard. So those little small pieces of cholesterol need to be dealt with.
You can use a little bit of niacin to do that; 300 milligrams per day will help get LPA away. You can use a little bit of natto to kind of break it up, or even a little bit of fish oil in that respect. So there's some people that have a genetic predisposition to heart disease, in which case we have to use the bigger guns. So I don't think it's one size fits all, quite frankly, but it's cholesterol, just like the good fats, need not never be demonized again.
[00:30:34.06] Scott: Now we're on to bones, muscles, and joints. Having personally had osteopenia many years ago when I had Lyme disease, this is an area of great interest to me. People often say take calcium, and yet calcium not deposited in bone can lead to calcification, which can be a contributor to death.
So how do we safely support our bones while avoiding calcification of our bodies? And what are some of the bone enhancers we should know about?
[00:31:00.09] Ann Louise: So the bone enhancers we should know about is definitely K2, which will deliver the calcium where it needs to be, not where it doesn't need to be. So it doesn't stockpile in the tissues and in the arteries, that's number one.
Number two, I'm a big believer in boron, which I think is an estrogenetic type of vitamin that's very important, along with vitamin D or hormone D more specifically. Big believer in manganese, nobody talks about manganese, but I do, very important for the joints and the discs. And I'm in love with silica lately, so a little bit of silica.
And, of course, a ratio of 2:1 in favor of magnesium to calcium. I like calcium hydroxyapatite, that's what I take to prevent osteoporosis. And I do bone-building exercises on a daily or every other day basis. I'm big on jumping; I'm big on riding; I'm big on hiking. I'm big on doing my stretching with Pilates; I've rediscovered Pilates at this age. I'm 72 years young.
[00:31:54.13] Scott: Beautiful. Everyone wants to look as good as possible; skin and hair are common things people think about in terms of aging and longevity; for skin, more fats like GLA from black currant seed oil, collagen respecting the sun, amino acids.
You mentioned hydration, detoxification, astaxanthin for UV protection, and so many other tricks are covered in the book. Talk to us about one of your favorites topical broccoli seed oil, and how do people find topical broccoli seed oil?
[00:32:28.14] Ann Louise: It is the new it oil, just the way omega-7 was the it oil years ago. And we talked about sea buckthorn oil, so it's a new it oil. It should be all over your face and body and hands, and it should be used as a bath oil. Go to CS-health.com, CS-health.com.
They have the best topical broccoli seed oil, best topical bath oil, best internal products because sulforaphane very important phase two detoxification for the liver is also very important as an internal skin protector. It's kind of like a sunscreen that you can use internally, and that's what I use.
And it also helps to prevent estrogen overload or estrogen dominance. So this is very high in natural retinol, high in hyaluronic acid, and linoleic acid which is so important for the skin. And it's also good because it's non-greasy; it absorbs right away, so there's no grease. It's much better than a silicone-based oil or serum that's now on the market.
It's my best oil, you'll see it as an ingredient, broccoli seed oil very high in the sulforaphane, which is so healing. You'll see it in Estee Lauder I think now carries products within Lancôme, so it's made it to the big brands. That's how important this oil is.
[00:33:38.27] Scott: Now we should not forget the hair. You talk about the need for good stomach acid for thyroid support, protein, iron, zinc. B vitamins like biotin, the always important omega fats. Cysteine, bone broth, MSM, silica, DHT blockers which interestingly include pumpkin seed oil. And so I'm seeing a trend looking at those things. And then, coming back to the copper and iron discussion, how do those contribute to hair loss?
[00:34:11.26] Ann Louise: Excessive amounts of copper, when not balanced with zinc, will exhibit itself in hair loss and some kinds of alopecia, to be honest with you, so that's very important to monitor. I monitor zinc and calcium and silica and lithium and vitamins as well with a topical analysis which is called Oligoscan.
So if your listeners can get somebody in their area to do an Oligoscan, it is the best intracellular analysis of minerals and toxic metals that I've seen on the planet. In five minutes, you get a readout; it is so darn accurate. I myself, who have been so careful with my diet, was very deficient in zinc, and this is right around the time of the height of the pandemic.
So, of course, I started taking 100 milligrams of zinc per day, and my gosh, my energy soared. So you never know what you don't know unless you test, and this to me is non-invasive, simplistic, easy to repeat, and available hopefully in some of the big cities.
[00:35:05.22] Scott: Yes. And with the Oligoscan, what's interesting to me is how many people show high aluminum. And so, coming back to your conversation about silica, which I also have in this glass with some minerals. That can be one of the things that's really helpful for aluminum detoxification as well.
[00:35:22.11] Ann Louise: Yes. You know the work of Dr. Christopher Axley, Mr. Aluminum in the UK. So he drinks silica water, but if you get some Fiji water, it's a natural high source of silica.
[00:35:33.04] Scott: Beautiful. You discuss sex and hormones; where do you stand on the benefits versus risks of bioidentical hormone replacement? Personally, I've seen progesterone work magic for people with sleep issues and mood issues. Talk to us about hormone replacement therapy.
[00:35:49.26] Ann Louise: So whether it's natural or whether it's synthetic, you have to get tested because it changes. So as long as you're monitored, I'm in favor of it. It can be a little expensive, so you have to be willing to put your hand in your pocket.
I personally live on bio-identical hormones; I use the vaginal hormones in the body. I think it's called Bi-Est where you've got a little bit of estriol, estrone, and it's made a huge difference in my life. So we have those people that have tissue dryness, particularly women I'm talking about in that regard; I think it can be lifesaving.
Progesterone, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for progesterone. I have a topical progesterone cream that I develop for myself and then for my clients. And sometimes, I take a progesterone kind of trophy that I can melt in my mouth because I need high progesterone. Not just for the reproductive system that's dwindling, but for my brain.
[00:36:36.17] Scott: What tools in the regenerative medicine realm like stem cells or NAD or PRP? What things in that realm get you the most excited?
[00:36:48.03] Ann Louise: Stem cells get me the most excited. I just had one in my TMJ joint because I had a very disastrous fall, maybe 10, about 12 years ago at this point, and I'm regenerating my left TMJ, and I think it's working.
So it's the stem cells that really excite me, the PRP as well for spinal issues. I've used it on my hair it's regrown certain hair areas where I've lost hair because of real stress after going through my disastrous concussion many years ago.
So I think there's a great deal to look forward to; there really is. And now the Tesla BioHealing units, which has made a huge difference in my life. I'm very excited about scalar wave energy and being able to assess it.
[00:37:27.16] Scott: I'm going to have to learn more about that, and then I know you mentioned the X39 patch, that also is intended to help support stem cells, correct?
[00:37:36.28] Ann Louise: Yes, I have one on four. It release four thousand stem cells, four thousand genes. Here we go, here's my little patch. So you'll see that I actually walk my walk and talk my talk. If I write about something, I do it, and so does my family.
[00:37:51.17] Scott: I can attest to that. I've been to her house, and definitely does all of the things that she talks about here. I love the summary tables in the back of the book where for each rule or strategy, you have the nutritional support, the supplements, the lifestyle, and other favorite tools.
This book really is the bomb and definitely won't be a bomb. I am so excited about this book; you and I talked about this one a couple of years ago, and I was really looking forward to it, and it definitely did not disappoint.
You are an ambassador to Unikey health, which makes many of the products that are based on your teachings. What three Unikyey health products could Ann Louise Gittleman not live without?
[00:38:35.25] Ann Louise: I can't live without the Adrenal Formula because I have very low blood pressure. The Adrenal Formula keeps me going, that's number one. The Bile Builder keeps all my enzymes intact and keeps all my hormones recirculated.
Bile Builder number two, and then number three would be the Vitality C that they now offer I take 12 to 20 grams a day to kind of detoxify on a daily basis, and it really is good for the elimination. And good for my skin, I don't do a lot of collagen myself, but I use the precursor to collagen, which is vitamin C, proline, and lysine.
[00:39:10.07] Scott: And I love the Bile Builder as well, that's one of the areas when we talk about detoxification that I think people don't think enough about.
That if we're concentrating toxins in the bile, but that bile is not, then getting to the gallbladder, getting to the small intestine, meeting up with binders like charcoal, for example.
That whole detoxification process is impaired, and supporting the gallbladder, the liver, the bile flow actually really has a major effect on our detoxification capacity.
[00:39:40.23] Ann Louise: People don't realize it's kind of like, it's a detox method of the liver and you have to support it. And when you do that, you're much more regular; any kind of constipation goes away.
Sometimes the ear ringing disappears because the gallbladder meridian is connected to the ear. It's amazing all the other side effects you get just by using this kind of natural digestive fluid.
[00:40:03.22] Scott: Yes, I love that. And you also are one that's known to say “Bitters are Better”, also from a perspective of supporting bile, right? And supporting the digestion and addressing constipation, and supporting detoxification. So I would say you've been a leader in the bile and bitters realm for many years.
[00:40:24.25] Ann Louise: Bile is brilliant, bile is beautiful, and bile is very deficient, particularly because there's so many toxins. It's also the repository of all the heavy metals. So you talked about copper earlier; sometimes too much copper can get dumped in the bile, and then it kind of clogs up the bile ducts.
And it's a favorite area also for parasites, which is why you have to get the parasite program that we talk about. So everything connects to one another, I connect the dots, and they're all interrelated. And when you get the book, you'll see that.
[00:40:51.23] Scott: One of the other maybe misconceptions that I hear from people is, I don't have a gallbladder, so I don't need to be worried about bile.
My understanding is that tools like your bile builder product would still be helpful in those people as well, that there is still bile that needs to concentrate toxins. And that rather than getting stored in the gallbladder, it's still kind of dribbling out. But can you comment about the need for bile support in people that do not have a gallbladder?
[00:41:22.09] Ann Louise: You need to get bile replacements. When you get your thyroid out, you need to get thyroid replacement. And when there's lack of hormones, you get the hormone replacement therapies. The same thing with the bile and the gallbladder.
So the bile salts that are in the bile builder will be very helpful for digestion, assimilation. As well as the absorption of your fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, and K.
[00:41:43.19] Scott: The last question that I have is the same for every guest, and that is what are some of the key things that you do on a daily basis in support of your own health? Probably a tough one for you because we've touched on a number of them. But what are the things that you think are most critical?
[00:42:00.05] Ann Louise: I practice gratitude every morning. I think of all the people in my life, like you, Scott, that I'm so grateful for. I think of how aging is a privilege that's denied to so many people. So I have a sacred duty to take care of my body, mind, and spirit.
I think that I do as much as I can dietarily and probably should be exercising a little bit more, now that you're mentioning it. I mean, I'm very good at taking the vitamins, the pills, the food it's just moving myself a little bit more than I need to do.
So today I have a Pilates instruction that I must go to it later this afternoon. So it's like putting myself first, and making sure that self-care is non-negotiable is really what's important.
[00:42:53.11] Scott: The other thing I would say is that for decades now, you've been living in your purpose and your passion. You've been helping so many people, and I think that that has a very positive effect on your own health. Being that you give so much to other people, and also receive from that as well.
[00:43:12.06] Ann Louise: Yes. So I'm very grateful.
[00:43:15.27] Scott: You are a force of nature, 37 books now under your belt. I personally can't imagine the commitment that it took to do one of your amazing books, let alone 37. You have been a mentor of mine since I first picked up the guess what came to dinner book in 1997 or eight. I just really appreciate all that you do, the difference that you make.
I'm so excited for this book, and I really urge people to check it out. This is just a small little tip of the iceberg of what is in Ann Louise's new book ”Radical Longevity, The Powerful Plan to Sharpen Your Brain, Strengthen Your Body, and Reverse the Symptoms of Aging”. Thanks so much for being here today.
[00:44:00.10] Ann Louise: You're a doll.
[00:43:53.08] To learn more about today's guest, visit AnnLouise.com. That's AnnLouise.com, AnnLouise.com.
[00:44:10.02] Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you're enjoying the show, please leave a positive rating or review as doing so will help the show reach a broader audience. To follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or MeWe, you can find me there as better health guy.
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[00:44:44.24] Thanks for listening to this BetterHealthGuy Blogcast with Scott, your better health guy. To check out additional shows and learn more about Scott's personal journey to better health, please visit BetterHealthGuy.com.
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Disclaimer
The content of this show is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or medical condition. Nothing in today's discussion is meant to serve as medical advice or as information to facilitate self-treatment. As always, please discuss any potential health-related decisions with your own personal medical authority.
