Striving For a Healthy Long Life

[Manixguy@1994]

I might as well open up , a few of fellow members are aware I had a TAVR procedure February 28th . Last year a heart murmur was getting worse and my regular doctor is a vascular surgeon referred me to a Cardiologist. Another Echo revealed no change but was told my main valve should open t size of around a quarter and mine was the the size of the end of an eraser on a pencil . I had noticed some changes n my health and once in a while dizziness. I was told if I neglected this problem I had two years to live . So made big changes in my life since having procedure . I am very active and walking is a regimen. I avoid a lot of processed foods , low sugar and salt in diet . I am on only one med , baby aspirin. Do take a multi , C , D , and a supplement for achy joints . That’s it . My follow up revealed after Echo that valve is operating perfectly and opening and closing above normal measurements which is very good . I want to thank all the support that was given during this time . The Forum is really not just about knives , in many ways about all of us . Regards , Dan

[cabfrank]

Excellent news, keep it going!

[JRinFL]

Good news Dan!

[James Y]

I might as well open up , a few of fellow members are aware I had a TAVR procedure February 28th . Last year a heart murmur was getting worse and my regular doctor is a vascular surgeon referred me to a Cardiologist. Another Echo revealed no change but was told my main valve should open t size of around a quarter and mine was the the size of the end of an eraser on a pencil . I had noticed some changes n my health and once in a while dizziness. I was told if I neglected this problem I had two years to live . So made big changes in my life since having procedure . I am very active and walking is a regimen. I avoid a lot of processed foods , low sugar and salt in diet . I am on only one med , baby aspirin. Do take a multi , C , D , and a supplement for achy joints . That’s it . My follow up revealed after Echo that valve is operating perfectly and opening and closing above normal measurements which is very good . I want to thank all the support that was given during this time . The Forum is really not just about knives , in many ways about all of us . Regards , Dan

Thanks for the update, Dan! Glad that everything is turning out for the best!

Jim

[Manixguy@1994]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

[Naperville]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

[James Y]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

Happy 1-day early Birthday, Naperville! I'm turning 60 on Saturday.

My mom had a heart defect, I don't remember exactly what it was called. She was born with it. But she lived to be 93.

Jim

[Naperville]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

Happy 1-day early Birthday, Naperville! I'm turning 60 on Saturday.

My mom had a heart defect, I don't remember exactly what it was called. She was born with it. But she lived to be 93.

Jim

Thank you James!

It is wonderful to hear that your mother made it to 93. I can only hope. I just want to see and be part of our ever accelerating technological world.

Love chatting with you.

[Manixguy@1994]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

Everyone has a different outlook as far as health is concerned. If this is working for you who am I to judge your approach ? Do strongely believe that physical and mental health go hand in hand . I was on a roller coaster emotionally but family and friend support and spirituality I turned my feelings around . I let my condition go and went back to a promise I made to do good for someone daily , even if it was to make them smile . I found peace with myself and ready for the procedure and where it would take me . For we are weak and He is strong ! Dan

[Naperville]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

Happy 1-day early Birthday, Naperville! I'm turning 60 on Saturday.

My mom had a heart defect, I don't remember exactly what it was called. She was born with it. But she lived to be 93.

Jim

BIRTHDAY BOY!!!!!!



Happy Birthday James!

May you collect all the knives in just the right steels. And may you share that adventure with the girl of your dreams.

[Naperville]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

Everyone has a different outlook as far as health is concerned. If this is working for you who am I to judge your approach ? Do strongely believe that physical and mental health go hand in hand . I was on a roller coaster emotionally but family and friend support and spirituality I turned my feelings around . I let my condition go and went back to a promise I made to do good for someone daily , even if it was to make them smile . I found peace with myself and ready for the procedure and where it would take me . For we are weak and He is strong ! Dan

Keep going!

[cabfrank]

a promise I made to do good for someone daily , even if it was to make them smile

This is the way, Dan. So good. I try also.

[aicolainen]

While I encourage your focus and effort to live healthy, I somewhat question your methods.
I'm no expert in health, that's for sure, but It's not like I don't care about living my best life.
I believe many of the epidemics of lifestyle related illnesses we've been seeing for the last decades are related to how different our physical and sensory stimuli as well as our nutrition is compared to what hundreds of thousand years of evolution prepared us for.
Among the traits that got us here is the human proclivity for reductionism. We like to break every problem down to simple answers, but nature is complex and the real answers are often more nuanced.
I know that living in a city, working in an office and getting most food from a supermarket leaves me with a handicap from the get go. To compensate for this I spend as much time outside as I possibly can when I'm not at work. Moving my body, getting natural sunlight, nature sounds and looking at real objects at varied distances. I try to avoid processed food altogether and only buy food that come in its original form. I know that a lot of my food comes from modern, industrialized agriculture and farming so even if I make everything from scratch, it's lacking in nutrients compared to what our ancestors had access to. I hunt, fish and gather from nature as much as I can, and grow some veggies in my garden. Mostly because I like it, but also to compensate somewhat for the artificially produced food that make up most of what I eat.
Basically I try to live as naturally as I can, despite my hyper modern circumstances. I try to get my nutrients from a varied diet of real food, and only supplement where I believe my food and habits fall short. E.g. fish oil and or D-vit supplements in the winter months and more or less K2 throughout the year. I make some fermented food, but hardly enough to secure a steady supply of K2.
I also believe strongly in some form of fasting. The abundance of food made available by modern tech is absurd in the history of mankind. Being hungry and eating intermittently as one is able to find food is the normal in nature.

I should also add that I'm not a fanatic. I care about health, but I take every expert, authority and opinion with a grain of salt. I make very conscious decisions when I make my own food, but I will never ask for any special treatment and always eat whatever is being served when others are kind enough to make my food for me, be it in restaurants or at friends/family.

Again I'm no expert, but I strongly doubt that health can be reduced to pills and jabs. That's not to say supplements aren't some times useful to fight illness or compensate for some of the modern problems we have invented, I would just try natural first.
Also, by throwing so many molecules at the problem at once, it's really hard to know what is having a benefit and what's possibly counter productive. With your health record and age I totally understand the urge for fast results, but these things are important to know. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, remember.

[James Y]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your kind words . Dan

Dan,

You will be fine! They have these technologies down very well by now.

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and I do not think anyone knew until I tried to join the USMC in 86. I signed up for a 6yr stint, and they denied me entry into the Corps Bootcamp due to a heart murmur.

I had my family Dr check it out and after several tests they found the abnormality. I stayed with it all these many years and had open heart surgery to replace the valve and perform a 3-way bypass in late 2017. At 63(tomorrow), I feel excellent but I'm 35 to 40lbs overweight and have already lost 35lbs.

I'm embarking on this path of supplements and exercise to make sure that I live to the fullest extent possible.

Happy 1-day early Birthday, Naperville! I'm turning 60 on Saturday.

My mom had a heart defect, I don't remember exactly what it was called. She was born with it. But she lived to be 93.

Jim

BIRTHDAY BOY!!!!!!



Happy Birthday James!

May you collect all the knives in just the right steels. And may you share that adventure with the girl of your dreams.

Thank you, Naperville. And Happy Birthday today for you!! Best of life and excellent health and happiness for you!!

Jim

[Naperville]

While I encourage your focus and effort to live healthy, I somewhat question your methods.

I'm no expert in health, that's for sure, but It's not like I don't care about living my best life.

I believe many of the epidemics of lifestyle related illnesses we've been seeing for the last decades are related to how different our physical and sensory stimuli as well as our nutrition is compared to what hundreds of thousand years of evolution prepared us for.

Among the traits that got us here is the human proclivity for reductionism. We like to break every problem down to simple answers, but nature is complex and the real answers are often more nuanced.

I know that living in a city, working in an office and getting most food from a supermarket leaves me with a handicap from the get go. To compensate for this I spend as much time outside as I possibly can when I'm not at work. Moving my body, getting natural sunlight, nature sounds and looking at real objects at varied distances. I try to avoid processed food altogether and only buy food that come in its original form. I know that a lot of my food comes from modern, industrialized agriculture and farming so even if I make everything from scratch, it's lacking in nutrients compared to what our ancestors had access to. I hunt, fish and gather from nature as much as I can, and grow some veggies in my garden. Mostly because I like it, but also to compensate somewhat for the artificially produced food that make up most of what I eat.

Basically I try to live as naturally as I can, despite my hyper modern circumstances. I try to get my nutrients from a varied diet of real food, and only supplement where I believe my food and habits fall short. E.g. fish oil and or D-vit supplements in the winter months and more or less K2 throughout the year. I make some fermented food, but hardly enough to secure a steady supply of K2.

I also believe strongly in some form of fasting. The abundance of food made available by modern tech is absurd in the history of mankind. Being hungry and eating intermittently as one is able to find food is the normal in nature.

I should also add that I'm not a fanatic. I care about health, but I take every expert, authority and opinion with a grain of salt. I make very conscious decisions when I make my own food, but I will never ask for any special treatment and always eat whatever is being served when others are kind enough to make my food for me, be it in restaurants or at friends/family.

Again I'm no expert, but I strongly doubt that health can be reduced to pills and jabs. That's not to say supplements aren't some times useful to fight illness or compensate for some of the modern problems we have invented, I would just try natural first.

Also, by throwing so many molecules at the problem at once, it's really hard to know what is having a benefit and what's possibly counter productive. With your health record and age I totally understand the urge for fast results, but these things are important to know. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, remember.

My methods... I'm gung ho and passionate about all that I do. I'm like a light switch and if something interests me, I waste little time, and move like a Saturn Rocket to get to the target. The Internet is an open book and I hit the search engines hard to get the basics down, then jump in.

I agree with you that the evolution regarding what we eat is not keeping up with the evolution of our DNA and internal organs. Things have changed rapidly over the last 70 years in the USA, probably globally for many where they have access to processed foods and sugary drinks. In no particular order: diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease are the #1, #2 and #3 problems for the entire planet! I weighed 235lbs in 2016, I lost 35lbs in 2022, and I plan to lose another 35lbs in 2023. I got the message.

We have not started a garden here yet, but there are 3 to 5 crops that I'd like to get in the ground. This week in the zone that I live in is the time to move indoor plants outdoors for the growing season. The issue has been the cold and money. I spent all of my cash on supplements. It will take me a while to recoup/rebuild.

I agree that not everything is simple. I just jumped in.

[aicolainen]

We have not started a garden here yet, but there are 3 to 5 crops that I'd like to get in the ground. This week in the zone that I live in is the time to move indoor plants outdoors for the growing season. The issue has been the cold...
8< ----

You're way ahead.
Yesterdays view from my kitchen window:


..nothing is going in the ground anytime soon

[Naperville]

We have not started a garden here yet, but there are 3 to 5 crops that I'd like to get in the ground. This week in the zone that I live in is the time to move indoor plants outdoors for the growing season. The issue has been the cold...
8< ----

You're way ahead.
Yesterdays view from my kitchen window:


..nothing is going in the ground anytime soon

I like the peacefulness of the photo. Nice area you are living in there.

[Naperville]

Two major write-ups on Rapamycin

May 1st, 2023
Wall Street Journal, "Can a Kidney Transplant Drug Keep You From Aging?"
https://www.wsj.com/articles/rapamycin- ... y-a27575f4

May 4th, 2023
Nature Magazine, "Targeting the biology of aging with mTOR inhibitors"
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-023-00416-y

[Naperville]

It took me more than a year because I had to lose some weight but I went out and walked just under 2 miles. The spinal stenosis did not rear it's ugly head, at all. Completely pain FREE. I'll be walking every other day and stretch this out to around a 3 to 5 mile walk by mid Summer.

In fact at the midway point I wondered, and then just started to walk back and felt even better than I did the 1st half of the walk.

Now, for you younger guys, I used to be an athlete. That's over. I played hockey, raced sailboats, motorcycles, martial arts, and even worked in construction for a decade. I have been on hundred mile bicycle rides, and trained with a local bicycle racing club for more than 2 years. Rides in the morning started at 6AM and lasted for 25+ miles, then I would often ride up to my gf home 50 miles away 2x a week.

But a bit over a year ago I went out for what would have been my 4th walk of the yr and ended up having to get X-rays that led to a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. I'm hoping that I can keep walking and drop another 35lbs.

I'd like to hit 170lbs by the end of Summer.

[James Y]

It took me more than a year because I had to lose some weight but I went out and walked just under 2 miles. The spinal stenosis did not rear it's ugly head, at all. Completely pain FREE. I'll be walking every other day and stretch this out to around a 3 to 5 mile walk by mid Summer.

In fact at the midway point I wondered, and then just started to walk back and felt even better than I did the 1st half of the walk.

Now, for you younger guys, I used to be an athlete. That's over. I played hockey, raced sailboats, motorcycles, martial arts, and even worked in construction for a decade. I have been on hundred mile bicycle rides, and trained with a local bicycle racing club for more than 2 years. Rides in the morning started at 6AM and lasted for 25+ miles, then I would often ride up to my gf home 50 miles away 2x a week.

But a bit over a year ago I went out for what would have been my 4th walk of the yr and ended up having to get X-rays that led to a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. I'm hoping that I can keep walking and drop another 35lbs.

I'd like to hit 170lbs by the end of Summer.

Sounds great, Naperville! Glad you're starting to feel better. Keep it up! I would try to avoid doing too much too soon. But do whatever you can do that makes you feel better. You'll build up to your goal, and you will succeed.

Jim