Your thymus gland

Scientific American recently published new research indicating that the health of our thymus glands may be linked to whether we develop cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, or other life-shortening diseases. As remarked by one researcher, it’s an “important puzzle piece” for understanding long-term health.

The thymus gland sits inside your chest next to your heart and lungs. It’s most active before and during puberty, at which time it’s largely responsible for developing T cells, a critical type of white blood cell that helps fight infections. Because it shrinks and is replaced with fat tissue as we age, its role in adults has been overlooked for years.

In their research, scientists found “enormous variation” in the health of the thymus among the 27,000 people whose CT scans and other medical records they studied. In some, the gland stayed active until a very old age; in others it declined rapidly at a younger age. In other words, people with a healthy, active thymus tended to live longer than others. Unfortunately, the article didn’t explain what constitutes a “healthy” or “active” thymus or how to make it that way.

I remembered reading something about the thymus gland in a book called Your Body Doesn’t Lie, by John Diamond, MD, published in 1979 [!]. I found it on my bookshelf! Doctor Diamond calls the thymus gland the “master controller that directs the life-giving and healing energies of the body,” and that it’s the “first organ of the body to be affected by stress.” His advice for stimulating the thymus gland is to gently tap or pound the center of your chest for 15-30 seconds using your fingertips or soft fist. Do this three or four times a day. Also, he recommends smiling a lot, reading poetry, and listening to “revitalizing” music.

I know. It sounds goofy. It’s the best I could do.

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My new book

My new book, The End is Nigh: An Insider's Guide to Old Age is available on Amazon.

Supplements (again)

Over half of American adults take supplements. Some take prodigious amounts. This can be a bad idea. One paper in The New England Journal of Medicine estimated that supplements are responsible for 23,000 emergency room visits a year, often because of liver damage.

A few supplements have their place. Women who are trying to have a baby benefit from folic acid. People who have been shown to be deficient in vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega-3s may also benefit from these supplements. This may be particularly true for old people who are not getting enough sunlight and/or their diets are lacking in such foods as fatty fish, plant oils, or certain seeds and nuts.

As to boosting longevity, no large clinical trials have shown that supplements extend human life span.

The supplements market has been described as having a “wild west” nature. Unlike medicines, supplements do not require FDA approval before they can be sold. Also, what’s on the bottle’s label might not match what’s inside the pill. One study of supplements found that, for the majority, the amount of the ingredient shown on the label differed from the actual amount—in some instances by as much as 100 percent.

Some supplements have been found to include lead, arsenic and mercury. Researchers at the University of Michigan estimated that 15 million American adults take a supplement, such as turmeric or red yeast rice, that could potentially cause liver toxicity.

 I’ve taken supplements in the past. I don’t anymore.

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Allergy advice—too late

I don’t have seasonal allergies (knock on wood), but many of those around me do. They’ve started suffering from itchy, watery eyes and other symptoms. A recent article in The New York Times offers advice that centers on taking action prior to allergy seasons. But, as far as I can tell, the first allergy season has already started—at least here in California and in Arizona. Anyhow, maybe this advice, which comes from allergists, could be helpful next year.

First, you must figure out your personal allergy season when your symptoms are most intense: tree pollen from late winter to spring; grass pollen from late spring through summer; and weed pollen from late summer through fall. This helps you determine when your medications might be most effective. Internet sites such as Pollen.com might help to find allergy forecasts.

After you’ve determined your season, the experts say to start taking your medication—such as Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra—about two to four weeks before your pollen season begins. This helps to block the histamines in your body from triggering itching, sneezing, and congestion.

To prevent pollen from wafting into your home, keep your windows closed starting a week or two before allergy season. Maybe even clean or replace filters on your air conditioner or air purifier and keep outdoor clothing and shoes away from areas where you spend a lot of time.

The docs also suggest using your inhaler before you go outside and keeping your skin moisturized to create a protective barrier.

Good luck!

For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.