Back Packs

I (Marilyn Miller von Foerster) was recently contacted by the Oregon School Boards Association regarding the work being done by a chiropractor in North Carolina, Dr. Winn Sams, bringing the backpack problem to the awareness of legislators around the country. Dr. Sams and I have been in contact. Like me, she is a concerned mother…

Genetic Plasticity

GENETIC PLASTICITY C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. We have known for many decades that the brain is very adaptable or “plastic”, with ability to develop new neurons and connections. During the past decade it has become equally clear that our genes are remarkably adaptable, with many ways to turn them on or off. The field…

A pig with the sun shining through its ears.

How to Convert a Pig’s Ear into a Silk Purse?

How do you convert a person with low personal responsibility into a conscientious star? No one knows. Indeed, I know of no research related to this existential issue. Conscientiousness has been studied mainly as part of the 5 personality traits (NEO) Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism Conscientiousness Openness to new experiences In general, less than 50% of individuals…

Woman sitting on the floor, leaning against her unmade bed and crying.

Mood, Food and Behavior

With 40% of Americans clinically depressed and another 40% having subclinical depressive miasma, how much is the result of crummy nutrition? Is it possible that the majority of it is because 80% of the food eaten is just plain junk? I believe it is because of the relationship between mood, food and behavior. Forty-five percent…

The Good Old Days

Oh, for the good old days, when smoking was the number one cause of premature death and the overweight were just 33%. Even then at its peak, only about 45% of adults smoked. Now overweight and obese individuals represent the #1 cause of premature death! Assuming at least half the smokers are also overweight or…

The Future

Several inquiries this week have made it important to dispel concerns about why we are downsizing the store. The May Big Bang shutdown made me aware of the problems of size. As you know, it took us over 2 months to be back online. Part of that re-organization meant creating less “stuff” to manage and…

Man jogging on a road in the countryside.

How Conscientious Are You?

As I have emphasized for over 20 years, conscientiousness is the single greatest factor in health and longevity. Sadly, only 3% of Americans are conscientious at the basic level. That is, only 3% have taken basic personal responsibility for these 4 habits: Do not smoke Have a BMI of 18-24 Eat 5 or more servings…

Telomere Rejuvenation

Telomere Rejuvenation 2013 My e-news Monday led to many questions about the 54 to 78 GHz. Here are 3 earlier messages on this subject! RejuvaMatrix ™—A Fundamental Key to Health and Longevity Just in case you have not noticed, my e-newsletter is titled Youthful Aging. Actually, longevity is not nearly as important as HEALTH. My…

Medicine Today

MEDICINE TODAY: Have we improved in the last 200 years? C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. In 1972 I reviewed the original operative notes, X-Rays and original history and physical exam on over 100 failed back surgery patients and concluded that 80% should never have had surgery, 10% really did have rupture discs and in 10%…

People of various ages participating in a bootcamp training session.

Youthful Aging

There are so many factors that influence health and aging that it is really a genie in the bottle guess as to which ultimately determines how long and how well you live. However, there are numerous scientific studies that show significant influences: Genetics. Scores of genetic predispositions are possible. Perhaps the good news is that…