Learning From Mice Aging seems inevitable, but thoughts of reversing it propel great excitement. A group at Mayo Clinic has recently discovered that if a tiny group of cells, called senescent cells, are genetically manipulated to self-destruct, much of aging disappears – in mice. What the Study Showed The mice were a specially bred group […]
Is sugar poison? (5/5/11)
Villain or Hero? We like our villains simple and singular, whether in politics or food. Our brains crave order, but seeing issues as part of larger systems is too complicated, too effortful and time consuming to seem worth it. Besides, it makes for lousy copy. Better to choose a villain. Recently, patients have been coming […]
Cut your light at night (3/9/11)
Light is a Drug If reading this at night, you might want to dim the lights. Q: What is the drug everyone is sensitive to? A: Light. (Some, but not all blind people are exceptions – more below) Q:What does it do? A: Change body clocks; in the daytime improve mood and create vitamin D; […]
Life is fast; so is cancer (1/18/11)
Living in the Fast Lane Smokers can’t give up cigarettes easily. What they may not realize is how fast cigarettes can get them – and the rest of us. Leonard Bernstein’s West Side gang member Jets sang “from your first cigarette to your last dying day.” Cigarettes are less heroic these days. They produce more […]
Regeneration and cancer (10/3/10)
Regeneration and Cancer Regeneration is what rebuilds your body and keeps you healthy. The process is vast, fast, and deeply influenced by what you do. How fast? You whole gut lining is gone in a day or two. The pumping cells in your heart are essentially replaced in a few days. The cells that make […]