RESEARCHERS studied autopsy findings on 24 brains, five of them called “SuperAgers,” those who are 80 and over. I refer to them as “TeenAged” individuals whose cognitive ability, alertness, attitude, behavior, posture, and movements are almost similar to people 20 or more years younger than they are. Findings in this study revealed the brains of “SuperAgers” had larger neurons, the “information messenger” of the brain that transmit electrical impulses and chemical signs between various areas of the brain and between the brain and the rest of the nervous system and the body. The larger neurons in the entorhinal cortex (ERC) appear to help preserve memory capacity among “SuperAgers.” Memory capacity usually decreases with age, with about 40 percent of people aged 65 and older having age-associated memory impairment, and about one percent of them progress into dementia each year. The study also found that “SuperAgers” lacked neurons with “tau tangles” that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s Disease. “SuperAgers” have been described as the “professional athletes of cognition” since they are rare people who continue to have sharp memories well into old age.
Nasal vaccines
“No-needle” mucosal vaccination is now being developed, to be delivered nasally or orally (also transdermal, with a micro needle). Since the virus enters the nose and mouth, the hope is that the nasal/oral versions would halt the virus at those entry points and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the body. At least “a dozen nasal vaccine candidates are being studied and are at their phase III clinical trials.” The ones for COVID-19 are still far off from being available in the United States. China has approved an inhaled COVID-19 vaccine as a booster about five weeks ago. India is following suit with its own version of an intranasal vaccine for emergency use. Whether the mucosal versions of the COVID-19 vaccines will be efficacious and how long lasting the protective immunity they will confer are still being confirmed.
‘Memory capacity usually decreases with age, with about 40 percent of people aged 65 and older having age-associated memory impairment, and about one percent of them progress into dementia each year.’
Protect your DNA
We are healthy when our DNA is healthy. Protecting our DNA from childhood to adulthood is existentially vital. Any damage to the DNA caused by self-abuse (alcohol excess, smoking, illicit drugs, unhealthy diet, too much stress, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, lack of rest, etc.), exposure to harmful chemicals, too much sun, and bodily injuries, will lead to disease of our system, resulting in illnesses. As I have stated in my book, Let’s Stop “Killing” our Children (view at philipSchua.com), protecting the DNA starts in the womb (maternal healthy behavior during pregnancy) and in the crib, when dieting should start, not in high school, if we are to prevent damages to the child’s DNA. The strategy to a healthy life and longevity, unlike the lengthy global search of Ponce de Leon for the Fountain of Youth, is actually here with us, all along. It is called living a healthy lifestyle. The execution of living a healthy lifestyle is the challenge, because it takes a lot of personal sacrifices and strict discipline to achieve its great rewards.
Vaping worse?
Jumping from the pan to the fire could well be the case of those who stopped smoking and started vaping (e-cigarettes). Vaping, like smoking tobacco, is self-induced slow suicide. Why some people have to take in hazardous substances into their body is mind-boggling. Almost half a million die each year from tobacco-related illnesses in the United States. Second-hand smoke kills more than 41,000 people in the United States alone. Vaping use is catapulting to a serious high. They are advertised as a safer option to cigarettes. Does it mean it would destroy the body more slowly, killing more softly? Those vaping have 40 percent more likely to have bronchitis symptoms, with lingering cough, phlegm, congestion, etc., and 53 percent shortness of breath. Vaping is more toxic in close quarters. Those near a person vaping could also be exposed to second-hand vaping. Let’s stop being masochistic and cease hurting our body.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com
