Blood Should Be Only Slightly Thicker Than Water

This is Dr. Casey Means, a physician, lecturer (mostly at Stanford), and CMO of a metabolic health company, Levels, as well as being Associate Editor of the International Journal of Diabetes Reversal and Prevention, where she serves alongside such names as Dr. Colin Campbell, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. William Li, Dr. Dean Ornish, and you get the idea: it’s a star-studded cast.

What does she want us to know?

The big blood problem:

❝We’re spending 3.8 trillion dollars a year on healthcare costs in the U.S., and the reality is that people are getting sicker, fatter, and more depressed.

Over 50% of Americans have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes; it’s insane, that number should be close to zero.❞

~ Dr. Casey Means

Indeed, pre-diabetes and especially type 2 diabetes should be very avoidable in any wealthy nation.

Unfortunately, the kind of diet that avoids it tends to rely on having at least 2/3 of the following:

• Money
• Time
• Knowledge

For example:

• if you have money and time, you can buy lots of fresh ingredients without undue worry, and take the time to carefully prep and cook them
• if you have money and knowledge you can have someone else shop and cook for you, or at least get meal kits delivered
• if you have time and knowledge, you can actually eat very healthily on a shoestring budget

If you have all three, then the world’s your oyster mushroom steak sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with garlic and cracked black pepper served on a bed of Swiss chard and lashed with Balsamic vinegar.

However, many Americans aren’t in the happy position of having at least 2/3, and a not-insignificant portion of the population don’t even have 1/3.

As an aside: there is a food scientist and chef who’s made it her mission to educate people about food that’s cheap, easy, and healthy:

Where Nutrition Meets Habits…

…but today is about Dr. Means, so, what does she suggest?

Know thyself thy blood sugars

Dr. Means argues (reasonably; this is well-backed up by general scientific consensus) that much of human disease stems from the diabetes and pre-diabetes that she mentioned above, and so we should focus on that most of all.

Our blood sugar levels being unhealthy will swiftly lead to other metabolic disorders:

Heart disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are perhaps first in line, but waiting in the wings are inflammation-mediated autoimmune disorders, and even dementia, because neuroinflammation is at least as bad as inflammation anywhere else, arguably worse, and our brain can only be as healthy as the blood that feeds it and takes things that shouldn’t be there away.

Indeed,

❝Alzheimer’s dementia is now being called type 3 diabetes because it’s so related to blood sugar❞

~ Dr. Casey Means

…which sounds like a bold claim, but it’s true, even if the name is not “official” yet, it’s well-established in professional circulation:

❝We conclude that the term “type 3 diabetes” accurately reflects the fact that AD represents a form of diabetes that selectively involves the brain and has molecular and biochemical features that overlap with both T1DM and T2DM❞

~ Dr. Suzanne M. de la Monte & Dr. Jack Wands

Read in full: Alzheimer’s Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes–Evidence Reviewed ← this is from the very respectable Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.

What to do about it

Dr. Means suggests we avoid the “glucose roller-coaster” that most Americans are on, meaning dramatic sugar spikes, or to put it in sciencese: high glycemic variability.

This leads to inflammation, oxidative stress, glycation (where sugar sticks to proteins and DNA), and metabolic dysfunction. Then there’s the flipside: reactive hypoglycemia, a result of a rapid drop in blood sugar after a spike, can cause anxiety, fatigue, weakness/trembling, brain fog, and of course cravings. And so the cycle repeats.

But it doesn’t have to!

By taking it upon ourselves to learn about what causes our blood sugars to rise suddenly or gently, we can manage our diet and other lifestyle factors accordingly.

And yes, it’s not just about diet, Dr. Means tells us. While added sugar and refined carbohydrates or indeed the main drivers of glycemic variability, our sleep, movement, stress management, and even toxin exposure play important parts too.

One way to do this, that Dr. Means recommends, is with a continuous glucose monitor:

Track Your Blood Sugars For Better Personalized Health

Another way is to just apply principles that work for almost everyone:

10 Ways To Balance Blood Sugars

Want to know more from Dr. Means?

You might like her book:

Good Energy – by Dr. Casey Means

…which goes into this in far more detail than we have room to today.

Enjoy!

Taking Rest Seriously (More Than Just Sleep)

This is Dr. Matthew Edlund. He has 44 years experience as a psychiatrist, and is also a sleep specialist. He has a holistic view of health, which is reflected in his practice; he advocates for “a more complete health: physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being”.

What does he want us to know?

Sleep, yes

Sleep cannot do all things for us in terms of rest, but it can do a lot, and it is critical. It is, in short, a necessary-but-not-sufficient condition for being well-rested.

See also: Why You Probably Need More Sleep

Rest actively

Rest is generally thought of as a passive activity, if you’ll pardon the oxymoron. Popular thinking is that it’s not something defined by what we do, so much what we stop doing.

In contrast, Dr. Edlund argues that to take rest seriously, we need do restful things.

Rest is as important as eating, and we wouldn’t want for that to “just happen”, would we?

Dr. Edlund advocates for restful activities such as going to the garden (or a nearby park) to relax. He also suggests we not underestimate the power of sex as an actively restful activity—this one is generally safer in the privacy of one’s home, though!

Rest physically

This is about actively relaxing our body—yoga is a great option here, practised in a way that is not physically taxing, but is physically rejuvenating; gentle stretches are key. Without such things, our body will keep tension, and that is not restful.

For the absolute most restful yogic practice? Check out:

Non-Sleep Deep Rest: A Neurobiologist’s Take

this is about yoga nidra!

Rest mentally

The flipside of the above is that we do need to rest our mind also. When we try to rest from a mental activity by taking on a different mental activity that uses the same faculties of the brain, it is not restful.

Writer’s example: as a writer, I could not rest from my writing by writing recreationally, or even by reading. An accountant, however, could absolutely rest from accounting by picking up a good book, should they feel so inclined.

Rest socially

While we all have our preferences when it comes to how much or how little social interaction we like in our lives, humans are fundamentally social creatures, and it is hardwired into us by evolution to function at our best in a community.

This doesn’t mean you have to go out partying every night, but it does mean you should take care to spend at least a little time with friends, even if just once or twice per week, and yes, even if it’s just a videocall (in person is best, but not everyone lives close by!)

If your social life is feeling a little thin on the ground these days, that’s a very common thing—not only as we get older, but also as many social institutions took a dive in functionality on account of the pandemic, and many are still floundering. Nevertheless, there are more options than you probably realize; yes, even for the naturally reclusive:

How To Beat Loneliness & Isolation

Rest spiritually

Be we religious or not, there are scientifically well-evidenced benefits to religious practices—some are because of the social aspect, and follow on from what we talked about just above. Other benefits come from activities such as prayer or meditation (which means that having some kind of faith, while beneficial, is not actually a requirement for spiritual rest—comparable practices without faith are fine too).

We discussed the overlapping practices of prayer and meditation, here:

The Science Of Mantra Meditation

Rest at home

Obviously, most people sleep at home. But…

Busy family homes can sometimes need a bit of conscious effort to create a restful environment, even if just for a while. A family dinner together is one great way to achieve this, and also ties in with the social element we mentioned before!

A different challenge faced by a lot of older people without live-in families, on the other hand, is the feeling of too much opportunity for rest—and then a feeling of shame for taking it. The view is commonly held that, for example, taking an afternoon nap is a sign of weakness.

On the contrary: taking an afternoon nap can be a good source of strength! Check out:

How To Nap Like A Pro (No More “Sleep Hangovers”!)

Rest at work

Our readership has a lot of retirees, but we know that’s not the case for everyone. How then, to rest while at work? Ideally we have breaks, of course, but most workplaces do not exactly have an amusement arcade in the break room. Nevertheless, there are some quick resets that can be done easily, anywhere, and (almost) any time:

Meditation Games: Meditation That You’ll Actually Enjoy

Want to know more?

You might also like:

How To Rest More Efficiently (Yes, Really)

Take care!