what matters highlights basic tenets of medicine and epigenetic psychiatry as practiced by Dr. Stangler: 8 billion of us; one of you.
what matters is about understanding and leveraging the interplay between emotional and physical health. In order to employ epigenetic interventions which are the basis of health and longevity, psychological health is necessary. And to realize your best psychological health requires that you be fully known.
Flourishing and thriving are expansive propositions which borrow from the physical, biological, psychological and social sciences, as well as philosophy and the arts. Empathy, connection and the power of listening are hallmarks of a transformative experience with a psychiatrist.
With respect to the articles below, you may notice that many do not specifically use the term epigenetics. Nonetheless, you will quickly appreciate the breadth of ways we impact the expression of our genes.
Embrace epigenetics as an actionable framework for living a healthier, more meaningful life. And please enjoy.
The following passage is the first known comprehensive epigenetic prescription. It was written by Aulus Cornelius Celsus, one of the greatest Roman medical writers, author of an encyclopaedia dealing with agriculture, the military, art, rhetoric, philosophy, law, and medicine. Only the medical portion has survived. De medicina is considered one of the finest medical classics.
Would that we all abided today by this two thousand year old directive about how to live a good life . . .
“Live in rooms full of light. Avoid heavy food. Be moderate in drinking of wine. Take massage, baths, exercise and gymnastics. Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water. Change surroundings and take long journeys. Strictly avoid frightening ideas. Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements. Listen to music.”
Andrew Huberman and Costello
Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. The Huberman Lab has made critical contributions to our understanding of neural regeneration, neuroplasticity and brain states of stress, fear and optimal performance as well as major discoveries in the study of vision.
Dr. Huberman became a popular sensation with his recent creation of the Huberman Lab Podcast, a weekly discussion of science and science-based tools for everyday life. He translates science into comprehensible, meaningful and actionable terms in a manner that is generous, smart, humorous and an absolute pleasure for his vast public audience.
I had the supreme honor and pleasure of interviewing Dr. Huberman for the Aspen Brain Institute.
The one-minute clip below is pure delight. Dr. Huberman speaks about his beloved dog, Costello, and quickly demonstrates the warmth and humanity which resonate so intensely with his many followers. The subsequent one hour segment offers a clear exposition of tools for operating at high performance. Many of these are powerful epigenetic interventions, albeit not necessarily named as such. Dr. Huberman is a treasure. Enjoy and engage with him further on the Huberman Lab Podcast.
Silencing the Noise Around DNA Methylation-Based Biological Age Clocks
Dr. Varun Dwaraka of TruDiagnostic authors an open letter to the scientific community, longevity clinicians and informed consumers. He deconstructs the generic commercial space of epigenetic testing, explaining the differences, constructive uses and limitations of each. This kind of critique allows consumers to make informed decisions when vetting these products and choosing amongst many options. he notes that developing a critical lens fosters improvement in the field can. As Dr. Draraka implores: “Let’s lift all boats.” read the article
Please enjoy several of my articles on Genomics and Epigenetics
Genomics and Epigenetics: New Tools for Promoting Family Legacy &Simple
I Donated My DNA to Help Stop the Coronavirus Medium, OneZero
What Does Madonna Know About Her Genes That You Don’t? Horizons Family Office & Investor Magazine
COVID-19: Is ’60’ the New ’70’? The Ageist
Genes: On the Agenda for Cutting Edge Families Tharawat Magazine
Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing: Not So Little White Lies The Ageist
AI and Genomics: The Future is Today Genome Advisory
“For great health, we must escape the health care matrix.”
This is the conclusion of a McKinsey Health Institute report on systemic dysfunction of the U.S. health care system. Nonetheless, an optimistic aspirational conclusion: “The blueprint to achieve a lifetime of great health is increasingly clear and within our control. But unlocking it requires challenging the orthodoxies currently guiding individuals and institutions.” The 23 drivers of health we must adopt are effectively epigenetic interventions. Perhaps for the first time in history, most of us have meaningful agency over our health for most of our lives, regardless of our genetics. read excerpted report
Legacy. We get to choose.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar chose when he auctioned an array of memorabilia including 4 of 6 National Basketball Association (NBA) championship rings for charity, raising c $3 million.
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar explained: “When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple: Sell it all . . .Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future. That’s a history that has no price.”
That is also legacy creation; that is a champion; that is a hyperagent of change who is transforming the world.
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean –
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down –
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Mary Oliver – 1992
“is this, baby, what you were born to feel, and do, and be?”
“No medicine cures what happiness cannot.”
“Time spent with cats is never wasted”