This ulianin at 89 has grown older, maybe weaker but not necessarily sicker. I have gone through the long pandemic unaffected by covid-19 and its less severe variants. The only one that affected me was COPD, which was the result of my heavy smoking from the Marlboro days until 1989 when I decided to quit. I am sorry to notice that most of my school chums are, in military parlance, either MIA or KIA. Emails that I faithfully kept sending them were simply left unread or untouched. In short, I suspect that depression and boredom have overtaken the MIA and grief has invaded the KIA minds. The good news is, some of us are living longer — and with advances in health care, older adults are living healthier, more fulfilling lives than previous generations. So what's the secret to embracing our next chapter, and to even look forward to it? I have two open secrets, which jointly can result in hoped for productive longevity: 1.0 GROUNDING/ EARTHING As an Earthing practitioner, instead of walking barefoot on the ground, I regularly connect myself to my Grounding mat on my bed by placing one or both feet on the mat as I slept at night. This morning, I woke up and found that my Grounding mat had accidentally been disconnected from the ground wire source. Quickly, I reconnected my device, placed one foot on the mat and checked my oxygen saturation level and pulse rate on my pulse oximeter. Looking at the oximeter readings, I noted that the numbers were changing: my pulse rate was going down from a high of 90 to under 80 and my SpO2 was going up, from 92% to 96%. I checked my blood pressure monitor, which read 135/80 and the pulse rate was also 78. The BP later normalized to 121/65. So, here is how to explain the effect of Earthing on blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen saturation level. Grounding helps you naturally reduce pain, inflammation and stress while improving your mood, sleep and overall well-being. The earth's surface has a virtually unlimited supply of mobile electrons that gives the ground a natural negative electric charge. When you touch your body to the ground, it dissipates static electricity and extraneous environmental electrical charges that are built up on you from all electronic gadgets around us. At the same time, you receive a charge of energy in the form of free electrons and your body synchronizes with the natural frequencies of the earth. You can instal Earthing products as extension cords that connect you to the ground outside. Better blood flow Another major documented benefit of Earthing is better blood flow. In a 2013 study, the zeta potential of 10 healthy subjects increased by an average of about 270% within two hours of Earthing. Zeta potential relates to the strength of the negative charge on the surface of red blood cells, a factor that maintains spacing of the cells in the bloodstream. The greater the charge the greater the potential of the cells to repel each other (less clumping), the lower the viscosity of the blood, and the smother the flow. The increase measured in this study implies a natural blood thinning effect. The researchers concluded that Earthing “reduces blood viscosity and clumping” and “appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.” Before Grounding, blood flow would be slow and viscous; with platelets clumped together. When grounded, the blood platelets disperse and flow easily throughout the body. This is how humans should naturally live, in harmony and in tune with the pulse of all creation – following the beat of the Creator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A31fEvuZfBk -o0o- 2.0 VIRGIN COCONUT OIL Here are the top 10 evidence-based health benefits of virgin coconut oil. A. VCO Contains Fatty Acids With Potent Medicinal Properties Coconut oil is high in healthy saturated fats that have different effects than most other fats in your diet. These fats can boost fat burning and provide your body and brain with quick energy. They also raise the good HDL cholesterol in your blood, which is linked to reduced heart disease risk. Most fats in the diet are called long-chain triglycerides, but the fats in virgin coconut oil are known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). What this means is that the fatty acids are shorter than most other fats. When you eat these types of fats, they go straight to the liver, where they are used as a quick source of energy or turned into ketones. Ketones can have powerful benefits for the brain, and are being studied as treatment for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. B. Populations That Eat a Lot of Virgin Coconut Oil Are Healthy Coconut is an exotic food in the Western world, primarily consumed by health conscious people. However, in some parts of the world, coconut (loaded with coconut oil) is a dietary staple that people have thrived on for many generations. The best example of such a population is the Tokelauans, which live in the South Pacific. They used to eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts. When studied, they were found to be in excellent health, with very low rates of heart disease. Another example of a population that ate a lot of coconut and remained in excellent health is the Kitavans. C. Virgin Coconut Oil Can Increase Fat Burning Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in the world. While some people think obesity is only a matter of calories, others (myself included) believe that the sources of those calories are important too. It is a fact that different foods affect our bodies and hormones in different ways. In this regard, a calorie is not a calorie. The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in virgin coconut oil can increase how many calories you burn compared to the same amount of calories from longer chain fats (4). One study found that 15-30 grams of MCTs per day increased 24 hour energy expenditure by 5%, totalling about 120 calories per day. D. VCO Can Kill Harmful Microorganisms The 12-carbon lauric acid makes up about 50% of the fatty acids in virgin coconut oil. When lauric acid is digested, it also forms a substance called monolaurin. Both lauric acid and monolaurin can kill harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi. For example, these substances have been shown to help kill the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (a very dangerous pathogen) and the yeast Candida albicans, a common source of yeast infections in humans. E. VCO Can Reduce Your Hunger, Helping You Eat Less One interesting feature of the fatty acids in coconut oil is that they can reduce your hunger. This may be related to the way the fats are metabolized, because ketones can have an appetite reducing effect. In one study, varying amounts of medium and long chain triglycerides were fed to 6 healthy men. The men eating the most MCTs ate 256 fewer calories per day, on average. Another study in 14 healthy men discovered that those who ate the most MCTs at breakfast ate fewer calories at lunch. These studies were small and only done for short periods of time. If this effect were to persist over the long term, it could help lead to reduced body weight over a period of several years. F. The Fatty Acids in VCO May Reduce Seizures A so-called ketogenic (very low carb, very high fat) diet is currently being studied to treat various disorders. The best known therapeutic application of this diet is treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children. This diet involves eating very few carbohydrates and large amounts of fat, leading to greatly increased concentrations of ketones in the blood. For some reason, the diet dramatically reduces the rate of seizures in epileptic children, even those who haven't had success with multiple different types of drugs. Because the fatty acids in virgin coconut oil get shipped to the liver and turned into ketones, they are often used in epileptic patients to induce ketosis while allowing for a bit more carbs in the diet. G. VCO Can Raise The Good HDL Cholesterol Virgin coconut oil contains natural saturated fats that increase the good HDL cholesterol in your body. They may also help turn the bad LDL cholesterol into a less harmful form. By increasing HDL, many experts believe that coconut oil could be good for heart health compared to many other fats. In one study in 40 women, coconut oil reduced total and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL compared to soybean oil. Another study in 116 patients showed that a dietary program that included virgin coconut oil raised levels of the good HDL cholesterol. H. Coconut Oil Can Protect Your Skin, Hair and Dental Health Virgin coconut oil has many uses that have nothing to do with eating it. Many people are using it for cosmetic purposes and to improve the health and appearance of their skin and hair. Studies on individuals with dry skin show that VCO can improve the moisture content of the skin. It can also reduce symptoms of eczema. It can also be protective against hair damage and one study shows effectiveness as a weak sunscreen, blocking about 20% of the sun's ultraviolet rays. Another application is using it like mouthwash in a process called oil pulling, which can kill some of the harmful bacteria in the mouth, improve dental health and reduce bad breath. I. The Fatty Acids in VCO Can Boost Brain Function in Alzheimer's Patients Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia worldwide and occurs primarily in elderly individuals. In Alzheimer's patients, there appears to be a reduced ability to use glucose for energy in certain parts of the brain. Researchers have speculated that ketones can provide an alternative energy source for these malfunctioning brain cells and reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. J. Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Harmful Abdominal Fat Given that virgin coconut oil can reduce appetite and increase fat burning, it makes sense that it can also help you lose weight. Coconut oil appears to be especially effective at reducing belly fat, which lodges in the abdominal cavity and around organs. This is the most dangerous fat of all and is highly associated with many chronic Western diseases. Waist circumference is easily measured and is a great marker for the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity. In a study of 40 women with abdominal obesity, supplementing with 30 mL (2 tablespoons) of VCO per day led to a significant reduction in both BMI and waist circumference over a period of 12 weeks. Another study in 20 obese males noted a reduction in waist circumference of 1.1 inches (2.86 cm) after 4 weeks of 30 mL (2 tablespoons) of virgin coconut oil per day. VCO is still high in calories, so you shouldn’t add a ton of it to your diet. But replacing some of your other cooking fats with virgin coconut oil could have a small weight loss benefit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceR52Zbsf2Y