Longevity, Jing, Dr. Mao, and Munger's Models

This is another quote from Dr. Mao Shing Ni's book "Secrets of Longevity." It concerns one of the key concepts in Chinese Medicine, jing. The topic of jing is a Chinese Medicine mental model that, in part, echoes the Munger model of "inverting" or avoiding what you don't want to get what you want.

Ancient Formula Strengthens Your Essence
According to Chinese longevity philosophy, jing, or essence is the basic substance of life. Innate essence is inherited from parentage and can be refined through practices such as tai chi, qigong, and meditation, while a second kind of jing acquired during your life can be replenished through diet, nutrition and longevity herbs. A formula for enduring youth passed down in our family medical tradition contains such essence-building herbs as Chinese wild yam, ligustri fruit, schizandra berry, sesame seed, eucommia bark, he shou wu root and cistanches root. Studies of all these plants confirm their positive effects on the hormonal, immune and metabolic systems.

What he doesn't mention are the things that can harm your jing, childbirth without sufficient rest, drugs, excessive alcohol, illness. So avoiding these are over half the battle against aging. The crucial aspect of jing is that it can be supported throughout life with wise and balanced living, but once destroyed is extremely difficult to replace. This fits nicely with the Munger model, that in avoiding destructive habits or avoiding "where you are going to die so you don't go there" is a key concept in Chinese Medicine.
The formula I recommend for longevity and an overall health tonic is Astra Essence from Health Concerns. The "Astra" in "Astra Essence" is for astragalus an herb that nourishes the lung function and, indeed, can keep you from getting ill, especially with respiratory illnesses, colds, flu etc... It has been studied in conjunction with telomeres and has been shown to decrease cellular aging also.
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Monday Morning Philosophizing: Charlie Munger

This may seem off the topic of medicine, but I think if you stay with me, you'll see the relevance. Over the weekend I was reading a book about and by Charlie Munger[i], a famous and successful investor and partner of Warren Buffett. I was interested in the various "mental models"he's derived from multiple disciplines (mathematics, physics, psychology, engineering) and wanted to read more about them.
One quip that he uses over and over again is the quote from an old "rustic" who says "I wish I knew where I was going to die, and then I'd never go there." Which is funny, of course, but it echoes the great algebraist Jacobi, who said "Invert, always invert." Munger's point in investing and in life, is that in avoiding what is negative, you are much more likely to be successful. Avoid losing, spend less than you make, and save.

So what does this have to do with acupuncture and alternative medicine? I realized that the "First Do No Harm" part of acupuncture and alternative medicine, though hardly a ringing call to action is an important part of the mission. In keeping people off medications whenever possible is not a small thing. Some studies show that the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs kill some 140,000 people in the U.S. a year and cost the country over $136 billion annually. As always, it's hard to prove a negative, but the wisdom of billionaires, Chinese ancients, genius mathematicians, and "rustics" concur that by avoiding the negative, you're much more likely to flourish. Once back pain, IBS, or migraines occur if the standard was to use acupuncture first who knows how much medication, cost and work would be saved. I've discussed these issues frequently in this blog, for eg here, here, and here.

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[i] “Poor Charlie’s Almanac: Wit and Wisdom of Charlie Munger” Kaufman 2006

Medicare Expert Testifies and Decries Waste

This describes the testimony of an Obama official in charge of Medicare, and he targets the bureaucracy, but it makes a very interesting read. He clearly is totally apolitical and just trying to improve Medicare, but gets attacked by Republicans, of course. I won't try to comment on the whole article, of you're interested the link is here. But this is the money quote at the end of the article. (For info on my practice, please click here.)

Dr. Berwick said most of the criticism by Republicans, who warn of a government takeover of health care, was “purely political, a world of sound bites.” In the interview, he lashed out at Republicans who depict him as an advocate of rationing health care.

In 2009, he told a biotechnology journal, “The decision is not whether or not we will ration care — the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.”

Dr. Berwick said Republicans had “completed distorted” his meaning. “My point,” he said, “is that someone, like your health insurance company, is going to limit what you can get. That’s the way it’s set up. The government, unlike many private health insurance plans, is working in the daylight. That’s a strength.”

Word.

Longevity: Live Long Without Arthritis

I've been meaning to incorporate some of my reading into the blog for awhile, so here's my first attempt. This is from a book called "Secrets of Longevity" by Dr. Mao Shin Ni.

More than 40 million Americans, one out of six, have some form of arthritis- but you don't have to be one of them. Recent studies show that osteoarthritis is not an inevitable part of the aging process. Here's your program: maintain an ideal wight; get regular low-impact exercise; eat a diet rick in antioxidants such as viatamins C, A, and E; get some sun for vitamin D; eat lots of enzyme-rick foods containing bromelain, like papaya and pineapples; take supplements such as glucosamine and chrondroitin that support joing and cartilage health. and use the herbs ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon, all of wihich can help reduce inflammation and increase circulation. Additionally, some people may find it helful to avoid foods from the night shade family , which contain a plant alkaloid called solanine. These include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers.

I don't necessarily endorse all of these suggestions (I was planning on making "escalivada" for dinner with roasted potatoes...) I haven't been convinced by the studies on glucosamine and chontroitin. I was at a conference where a rheumatologist quipped, "Eating glucosamine and chondroitin for your joints is like eating brains to get smart." But studies don't always tell the full story.
I would also add that Meir Schneider, a movement specialist in San Francisco says that where there is flexibility, there is no arthritis, submitted for your consideration.
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Most Hospitalizations in Elders due to Four Drugs

In the "First Do No Harm" file we have this article outlining the dangers inherent in certain medications. All of these meds have been around a long time, and all are "tried and true." Is it maybe time to review their safety or risk benefit ratio? I would take issue with them lumping aspiring with other anti-platelet medications, but that's just my hunch, not based on data. Information on my practice here.

Four Drugs Cause Most Hospitalizations in Older Adults
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Blood thinners and diabetes drugs cause most emergency hospital visits for drug reactions among people over 65 in the United States, a new study shows.

Just four medications or medication groups — used alone or together — were responsible for two-thirds of emergency hospitalizations among older Americans, according to the report. At the top of the list was warfarin, also known as Coumadin, a blood thinner. It accounted for 33 percent of emergency hospital visits. Insulin injections were next on the list, accounting for 14 percent of emergency visits.

Aspirin, clopidogrel and other antiplatelet drugs that help prevent blood clotting were involved in 13 percent of emergency visits. And just behind them were diabetes drugs taken by mouth, called oral hypoglycemic agents, which were implicated in 11 percent of hospitalizations.

All these drugs are commonly prescribed to older adults, and they can be hard to use correctly. One problem they share is a narrow therapeutic index, meaning the line between an effective dose and a hazardous one is thin. The sheer extent to which they are involved in hospitalizations among older people, though, was not expected, said Dr. Dan Budnitz, an author of the study and director of the Medication Safety Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...