Join Our September Self-Care Series: How Are You Really?

It's mid-September 2020 and we're checking in on you. We've partnered with some of our favorite female thought-leaders on emotional health and well-being to bring you a series of IGTV videos designed to soothe, uplift and equip you for a season that's as balanced as possible.

 

Lalah Delia: Wednesday, September 23 Meet the author of for a chat on mental and emotional health and daily immunity upkeep with Flora Respir-essence, a potent traditional herbal remedy designed to support lung health and immunity. Learn more

Shiva Rose: Wednesday, September 30 Natural health and beauty thoughtleader, Shiva Rose is sharing on the connection between well-being and beauty, as well as a potent Manuka honey face mask using Flora's Manuka -- the best-in-class, 100% traceable Manuka honey available made in partnership with Te Arawa Māori tribe. Learn More

Claire Grieve: Wednesday, October 7 Yogi and holistic health coach, Claire Grieve will walk us through a detoxifying routine with yoga, stretching and cleansing daily with Flora's unique Floressence, a delicious liquid tea blend designed to support the body with a gentle, daily detox. Learn More

Kira West: Wednesday, October 14 Kira is all about fitness and self-empowerment. Join us for a chat on mental health and physical connection, including what it means to clock those weekly "sanity miles" and support peak energy and workout comfort with Omega Sport, Flora's 3-6-9 omega fatty acid oil with MCT, turmeric and vitamin D. Learn More

Join us every Wednesday at 3PM on Instagram for our series this month and get our exclusive offer on all the Flora products mentioned, plus 20% off your entire Flora purchase.

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9 Ways You Could Be Diminishing Your Own Collagen Production

Jill Levy has been working with Dr. Axe for five years to shape the team's message around psychology, holistic health and Integrative Nutrition. Jill takes a “non-diet” approach to health and really enjoys teaching others about mindful eating, intuitive eating and the benefits of eating real foods...

If you’ve done your research regarding the best collagen sources and their many benefits, you may already be supplementing with a Multi Collagen Protein powder in order to support the health of your joints, skin and gut.

The next step to take is to clean up your diet and lifestyle in order to maximize your body’s use of collagen, as well as its ability to produce more of its own.

What types of foods, sleep patterns and exercise habits can diminish collagen production? Find out below how you can make the most of a collagen-boosting diet and supplement routine, while limiting collagen diminishers that can wreak havoc on your collagen levels.

Why We Need Collagen

Collagen helps maintain the structure and function of almost every part of your body — including your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, skin and gastrointestinal tract.

Whether you’re an infant, young child, elderly adult, endurance athlete, pregnant woman, or simply a middle-aged adult, your body needs collagen.

Although it’s the most abundant protein found in the human body, many people are not consuming enough collagen from traditional sources such as bone broth.

And, in addition to consuming less-than-ideal amounts from their diets, diminished collagen is also an issue for many due to factors like age, an overall poor diet, overall health status and high amounts of stress.

Vital Role Collagen Plays for My Past Patients and Family

What makes collagen so special? Collagen contains amino acids, the “building blocks of proteins”, such as glycine, proline and arginine that aren’t abundant in typical protein sources, such as boneless chicken breasts and other lean meats.

You might already eat a protein-rich diet, or at least one that covers your basic protein needs, but still be lacking the collagen that could help optimize your nutrition.

Furthermore, if your diet lacks natural sources of collagen such as bone broth, you’ll also be missing out on beneficial cofactors (compounds that naturally occur within collagen-containing foods) that offer support for connective tissues throughout your body.

I make sure to emphasize quality proteins in my diet, and suggest to my past patients (when I ran my functional medicine clinic in Nashville from 2007 to 2014) that they do the same, because protein has many essential functions. Collagen and other forms of protein have many benefits in common, such as supporting growth of muscle mass and a healthy metabolism; however, collagen is unique in several key ways thanks to its amino acid profile.

Collagen-rich foods and supplements support overall health and wellbeing by...

+ Facilitating normal muscle repair and growth
+ Supporting healthy skin and skin elasticity
+ Supporting joint comfort and mobility
+ Helping gut health and gut lining integrity and much more

Collagen Diminishers to Remove From Your Life

Unfortunately, while aging is associated with diminishing collagen levels, there are also a number of lifestyle and dietary factors that can also contribute to loss of collagen at any age.

This in turn can contribute to overall low amino acid reserves and take a toll on the health of your cells, tissues and organs.

In addition to supplementing with a high-quality multi collagen protein powder — ideally one that’s hydrolyzed and made from real food ingredients with zero weird chemicals, artificial ingredients, sweeteners or flavors — you can support the collagen your body is already making by avoiding these collagen diminishers:

1. Consuming a nutrient-poor diet with mostly processed foods

Some foods can help to bolster your body’s ability to absorb and utilize the collagen you get in your diet, while others have the opposite effect.

Inflammatory, highly processed foods can be damaging to collagen molecules since they can increase oxidative stress, thereby diminishing the quality of your connective tissues.

To bolster your collagen stores, foods to avoid include: those made with added sugar, processed meats, sugary drinks, white flour and refined carbs (like cereal, pasta, bread and baked goods) seed/vegetable oils, and trans fats.

2. Chronic stress

Chronic stress, whether from unhealthy relationships, an overwhelming schedule, financial problems or other worries, can increase inflammation, take a toll on immune system health, and deteriorate overall well-being.

Feeling stressed also makes it harder to stick to a healthy diet, to get enough sleep, and to practice self care in other ways, so it contributes to a vicious cycle.

3. Too little or too much exercise without enough recovery

Both a sedentary lifestyle and too much intense exercise without proper recovery can be inflammatory habits, contributing to hormonal issues, susceptibility to injuries, slow normal healing and affect a person’s outlook.

Striking a balance between two extremes is essential for boosting the immune system, maintaining physical wellness and taking care of your overall health.

4. Sleep deprivation

Adequate sleep is crucial for muscle recovery, cognitive function and for maintaining a healthy immune system.

Most adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep per night, yet because many of us are overwhelmed with daily responsibilities, getting this amount isn’t always as much of a priority as it should be.

5. Exposure to environmental pollutants and pesticides

Whether it’s exposure to fossil-fuels, hormones fed to cattle, or consumption of fertilizers and pesticides used to grow conventional crops, chemical exposure and pollution can stress our immune systems and increase inflammation.

While avoiding all pollutants isn’t always possible, doing your best to choose clean, organic foods and a healthy work and home environment is important for warding off free radical damage and chronic inflammation.

6. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption

One of the most important ways you can improve your health is by quitting smoking and limiting alcohol and drug consumption. Cigarettes and excessive alcohol intake increase oxidative stress and can put you at greater risk for a range of serious health consequences.

7. Malabsorption due to digestive issues and more

While a healthy diet should be a top priority, it’s only going to benefit your body to the extent that you can absorb and use the nutrients you consume.

Taking care of your gut health, whether from dietary changes and/or use of supplements, should be considered an essential step for optimizing overall health.

8. Too much UV light exposure

While some sunlight exposure is beneficial for providing you with essential vitamin D, too much can damage your skin and increase oxidative stress. Ideally aim to get out 10-20 minutes of sunlight exposure most days, and then take steps to minimize any damage by covering up or using sunblock.

9. Hormonal imbalances

Hormones including thyroid hormone, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol and adrenaline are affected by many lifestyle factors, such as your diet, level of stress, sleep patterns and exercise habits.

High levels of “stress hormones” and low levels of “sex hormones” can contribute to fatigue, muscle weakness, overall discomfort, digestive issues, a “down and out” perspective and more.

The best way to keep things in balance is to live an overall, holistically healthy lifestyle, such as by following the recommendations mentioned above.

Final Thoughts

+ No matter your age, gender or level of physical activity, collagen is necessary for keeping your body in tip top shape, since it helps form connective tissues like joints, skin and tendons.

+ The problem is that many people fail to include enough collagen-boosting foods in their diets, plus they experience collagen loss due to issues like stress, poor sleep, poor exercise recovery, and exposure to chemicals/pollutants.

+ Collagen supplements, such as collagen powders and easy-to-take capsules, are a convenient way to increase your collagen and protein intake. Your diet and lifestyle also play a significant role in boosting your body’s collagen.

+ To hold onto collagen as your age and to put this protein to good use, avoid collagen diminishers including an inflammatory diet, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, smoking, and too much UV light exposure.

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Recipe of the Year? The Banana Bread Smoothie

Apparently, when more of us spend more time in, we bake. All hail, 2020's food du jour: banana bread. It's comforting, easy and can be made quite healthfully (try this delish version). Celeb nutritionist Kelly LeVeque is paying homage to this year's ultimate comfort food and, well, we'll let the recipe speak for itself.

Smoothies are simply one of the most functional foods out there -- don't let yourself get bored with the same recipes, try something new when the seasons change. This one has Fall 2020 written all over it....

A note from Kelly: For anyone who loves a slice of warm banana bread, but is searching for a healthy alternative, this is it! The nuttiness of this smoothie compliments the banana making it perfect for breakfast, bridge snack or even a healthy dessert.

The Banana Bread Smoothie

1 Serving Vanilla Be Well By Kelly Protein Powder
2 tbsp walnut butter or Wild Friends be well blend.
2 tbsp flax seed
1/2 small banana
1/2 cup frozen cauliflower rice
1-2 cups unsweetened nut milk
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts (to top)

Directions
+ Place ingredients in high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Top and enjoy!

Need more smoothie recipes? Knock yourself out. 

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Do I Have Leaky Gut Syndrome? 14 Signs You May Need To Address

GUT HEALTH IS THE GATEWAY to next-level wellness, and Donna Gates has made a name for herself – and helped millions – with this philosophy. As the founder of the Body Ecology empire – and proven expert on how to best care for our “inner ecosystem” – we trust Donna and the holistic lifestyle she stands for.

One modern health issue that's key to address for so many is 'leaky gut syndrome'. So, what is it, do you have it, and how should you address it? Donna is unpacking everything you need to know below...

How to Tell if You Have Leaky Gut Syndrome:
Signs, Symptoms + Treatment

The term 'leaky gut syndrome' is often used to describe a condition that occurs when the lining of the intestines becomes inflamed (or “wounded”) and porous - some even say, permeable.

If you were to rub poison ivy on your arm, your external skin would soon become inflamed and irritated. The internal skin of your intestines can indeed become quite inflamed and irritated as well. 

While adults who have an inflamed or wounded gut may experience discomfort and health issues, a “leaky,” permeable gut is a good thing early in life. All babies are born with a permeable gut lining so that they can fully benefit from the nourishment of their mother’s colostrum.

What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

The inner ecosystem of your digestive tract is a rich community. It is bustling with bacteria and yeast. These bacteria and yeast do more than help digest food and manufacture nutrients. The bugs in your gut also interact with your immune system, the chemicals in your brain, and your hormones.

When functioning properly, the gut mucosal layer protects the interior of the body from large food particles, other large molecules, and opportunistic microorganisms like bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

This activates the immune system. Messenger chemicals, called cytokines, tell the rest of the body to respond. In the same way that motorists respond to an ambulance rushing down a street, sirens sounding and lights flashing, the immune system sends out biochemical “sirens”, and this alerts the rest of the body.

Usually, the response involves inflammation, which dilates vessels and creates blood flow while also recruiting white blood cells to fight off the foreign invaders.

So when your gut lining is permeable and inflamed, bacteria, toxins and food can leak through your gut wall into the blood causing a systemic issue. Your body must then deal with these foreign invaders, and react to them by creating antibodies against the food, leading to food allergies, fatigue, aching and other symptoms of ill health.

Signs + Symptoms of Leaky Gut

It’s important to note that if you have a few of these symptoms, or even have alot of them, that doesn’t necessarily mean YOU have leaky gut.  I am a big proponent of being informed, not scaring those into running to their nearest functional medicine doctor to get tested ASAP.  There are some people that aren’t affected by symptoms as much (goes back to the Principle of Uniqueness and/or our genetic makeup) so wouldn’t even think they had it.  Yet, you should be particularly aware of these signs in the event you have an autoimmune disease, candida, unexplained symptoms or chronic illness.    

Fatigue/lethargy/drowsiness/”drained”

Poor memory

Feeling “spacey” or “unreal”

Inability to concentrate or make decisions

Numbness, burning or tingling

Insomnia/trouble sleeping

Muscle aches, weakness or paralysis

Pain and/or swelling in joints

Abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea

Bloating, belching or gas

Anxiety/panic attacks 

Irritability or jitteriness

Incoordination

Frequent mood swings

Headaches

Dizziness/loss of balance

Food sensitivity or intolerance

Carrying extra weight 

Weakened immune system

What Factors Contribute to Leaky Gut?

A permeable gut is not caused by one single factor. There are many reasons why you might be suffering from an inflamed and leaking gut. Perhaps you were not “inoculated” with a vibrant inner ecosystem at birth to protect you throughout your life.

Or maybe you weren’t breastfed as a child and the beneficial microflora weren’t fed the sugars found in breast milk that allowed them to grow and form a civilization of beneficial microflora inside you to protect your gut lining. Even if you did develop a healthy inner ecosystem at birth, years of stress and the Standard American Diet could have depleted your microflora.

Stress alone kills microflora and is a major cause of inflammation in your gut. Alcohol, wine and coffee contribute to gut inflammation.  Contributing factors can also include:

Mental, emotional, or physical stress

Stress hormones, hormone imbalance

Continued use of NSAIDs, antibiotics or steroids

Exposure to chemical toxins

Candida overgrowth

Gut infection

Foods that irritate the lining of the digestive tract (ex. gluten)

Environmental triggers 

Genetics (the FUT2 gene)  

How Do You Get Rid of Leaky Gut?

Because gut bacteria have such a close relationship with your immune system and intestinal cells, the inner ecosystem is your target when healing a leaky gut. Your gut wall is more than a barrier. It’s the pathway that your gut bacteria and immune system use to hold conversation. 

Often, several variables need to be considered while going through the process of healing a leaky gut in the event you have several issues going on at once.  Regardless of where you are, here are two of my most highly suggested ways to try to strengthen your gut wall and soothe your immune system by supporting healthy communities of good gut bacteria:

Eat Probiotic Foods.Probiotic foods are foods that have been inoculated with good bacteria and then allowed to ferment. During the fermentation process, good bacteria consume the sugars in food and form robust communities.

When you eat probiotic foods like cultured vegetables and kefir, you escort these robust communities of probiotics into your colon, where they do the most good.

For those with SIBO, if cultured vegetables don’t work for you initially, try young coconut kefir instead - it provides a wonderful source of easily assimilated nutrients and is full of beneficial bacteria that aid digestion and build immunity. Usually cultured vegetables are a good first probiotic to add back in to a diet if made with a culture starter.  

Bifidobacteria is one of the best probiotic bacteria to use to target leaky gut (and candida), which has been shown to help balance the immune system and control the expression of pro-inflammatory messages (repairing leaky gut and protecting against Candida overgrowth).

As babies, most of us have an inner ecosystem teaming with bifidobacteria—especially if we are breastfed. But as we age, the numbers of bifidobacteria decline. 

Studies show that bifidobacteria produce special fats that feed intestinal cells. These fats, called short-chain fatty acids, also team up with the immune system and get rid of inflammation. 

And here’s where genetics can come in to play too.  The FUT2 gene controls how much bifidobacteria you carry in your digestive tract.  It decides whether or not the body will show blood type tags in bodily secretions (like saliva, gastric juice, and breast milk) and in the lining of the gut. Everyone has a blood type, but not all of us communicate our blood type in saliva and in the mucus lining the gut.

These secretions (and whether or not they contain tags for our blood type) influence the kind of bacteria that grow in the gut.

Roughly 20% of people carry a variation of the FUT2 gene that does not allow the body to reveal its blood type in secretions and in the lining of the gut. This 20%, called non-secretors, is also unable to house a robust community of bifidobacteria.  This may leave those vulnerable to autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, Candidiasis, or even B12 deficiency. 

Eat Prebiotic Foods. Prebiotic foods nourish healthy communities of gut bacteria. These are high-fiber foods that aren’t readily broken down by enzymes—but they are broken down in the colon by your gut bacteria and can survive the harsh environment of your intestine. 

As healthy gut bacteria consume fiber-rich foods, they produce short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids promote a healthy intestinal lining and give the right amount of stimulation to the immune system. Overall, their impact is anti-inflammatory.

Examples of prebiotic foods include:

Dandelion greens, asparagus

Onions, garlic

Green tea 

Grain-like seeds, such as quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and millet

Prebiotic dietary fiber in powder form with chicory root also acts as food for the good bacteria, and is great for when you’re on the go and want to throw into an anti-inflammatory smoothie or drink.

Digestive Enzymes.  Many times, leaky gut and candida go hand in hand.  One usually isn’t there without the other.   And depending on how long the candida overgrowth has been around for, it may need a powerful force to get rid of it since it’s so resistant.  Full spectrum enzymes that contain cellulase and hemicellulase are key enzymes that may break down the cell wall of Candida and destroy its protective biofilm, thus preventing digestive overload and Candida overgrowth in the gut.

Always remember, when healing leaky gut, do your best to avoid gluten, dairy, sugar (incl. carb like flours) and processed and refined foods.  Think about calming the inflammation.  Also, steer clear of conventionally raised animal products that contain traces of antibiotics.

Remember, ratios matter too. You can optimize your digestion (and avoid bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine) by following certain principles of food combining.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs.

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9 Ways To Make A Small Home More Functional + Spacious

We live in houses large and small, but how use the space we've got has never felt more crucial. If you're refreshing the space you're spending more time in than ever before or are looking for clever solutions to keep your living-working-schooling spaces as functional and uplifted as possible, we've got several ideas for you from a designer who knows the challenge well.

Best friends and business partners Aly Morford and Leigh Lincoln are the co-founders of Pure Salt Interiors. Aly has transformed a small bungalow into a spacious and functional family home we love and we asked the duo to share a few tips with the rest of us to help us achieve more of the same...

"When we purchased our home in 2019 we only had three kids and didn’t mind the charm of a bungalow with a cute guest house in the back where my mother-in-law would live. In fact it seemed perfect. When we looked at it for the first time, I was uber pregnant with my third child and full of emotion but I just knew I had to have this house and immediately developed a vision for what it could be. As they say, the house had great bones, but was in need of some serious updates both on the interiors and the exteriors.

Over the past year I’ve reimagined every room and surface of our sweet bungalow adding a 'Pure Salt' touch to the entire home.

The home is now exactly as I had dreamt it would be. Cozy, calm, and the backdrop for a very full and joyful family life that now includes three kids under the age of 9 and Bailee, our 10 year old black lab. My favorite thing about this property is that it demonstrates that you don’t have to have a huge estate to make a big design impact. Anything is possible if you apply the tips we share below for creating a functional, joyful and family friendly home.” -- Aly Morford

Tip # 1

When working with a smaller footprint (square footage and lot size) MAXIMIZE every inch of usable real estate both indoors and outdoors.

Small doesn't have to mean small in impact or wow factor.

Tip # 2

Create a space that evokes the right feeling - in my case I wanted a space that exudes calm.

I used some of the key Pure Salt tenants to achieve this in our charming bungalow. I chose a neutral palette, I minimized clutter, and I brought nature in through a beautiful mix of live house plants and trees (the horticulturist in me can’t live without them!). We believe plants add such a layer of life and warmth and help detoxify the air and are shown to improve the quality of our lives.

Tip # 3

Pay attention to lighting - it’s one of the most important elements of a Pure Salt Home. We believe in layers of light and suggest overhead, ambient, and task lighting when possible. Lighting helps set and/or create a mood.

For outdoor spaces, add bistro lights to the yard and oversized woven pendants to a dining area for a punch of personality. Dim the lights, light a candle, and cue the music -- now you’ve got the recipe for a great environment -- whether entertaining or relaxing.

Tip # 4

Create little escapes in your home that are reminiscent of a favorite boutique hotel.

How many times have you experienced a moment of magic while on vacation and filed it away in your mind as something you must do at home? Now’s the time, create little escapes where possible that create a feeling of pure bliss.

I was able to accomplish this in a few places but my absolute favorite is in the front yard under the pomegranate tree. I’ve got our beautiful Zulu Daybed, perfect for an afternoon nap or reading a book and at night I’ve got lanterns and string lights that make this a romantic destination to share a glass of wine with my husband.

Tip # 4

Simplify and Amplify.

We all tend to have things that are passed down such as antiques or family heirlooms which we love to incorporate into our homes -- but we recommend selecting a few to really amplify the ones that have great character. This allows you to really see the piece and appreciate it in your day to day life. I’d say this also goes for the architecture of an old home, simplify things that may feel dated, and amplify the parts that really speak to the home’s history and character.

Tip # 5

Don’t neglect the landscaping.

Take a critical look at the landscaping to see if it feels right for the type of environment you are trying to create.  Many times overgrowth is taking over key real estate and creating visual clutter. Clean it up, pare it back, and create visual calm in your outdoor spaces. In California, we spend our time equally between the interior and exterior of our home so we want both to inspire and function well.

In our home, the landscaping was overgrown and too dominant for such a charming bungalow. By trimming it back and putting in fresh lawn in the front and backyard we got so much more usable space for our family. Given that we live in Southern California, our weather allows us to truly embody a year-round indoor/outdoor lifestyle, so why not use all of the space we have for our family of five?

Tip #6

Choose the right size and scale for the space.

Many people often assume that because a home is small you have to pick small furnishings. That’s not always the case. In our home, we actually chose full size pieces in our living room to maximize seating and fill it with fewer and larger pieces to create that visual calm we crave. Nearly everyone comments on how much bigger the space feels with this set up!

In our guest house, we were told we couldn’t put a kitchen in as it was just too small -- not true, we simply had to choose apartment-sized appliances and we were able to achieve our goal of a functional kitchen in the guest house. The right scale is everything!

Tip # 7

Make choices that are more timeless than trendy.

At Pure Salt we believe timeless is the way to go, but if there is a trendy piece that you just can’t live without, we like to bring them in as accent pieces or some unique decor. The foundational pieces of the home (like a couch and coffee table) tend to be your biggest investments, so we always suggest going with more of a timeless look so that it can shift with ever changing trends as well as your personal taste that will evolve over time.

Tip # 8

Design your outdoor spaces just like they were an indoor space - meaning choose furnishings, lighting and decorative accessories that are complete and evoke a feeling. In Aly’s case, a feeling of calm.

One of our favorite things to do as a family is to dine outside and the reason is, we have a beautiful dedicated space to do just that. When I was envisioning this space, I had to see past all the overgrown landscaping and envision a cozy little nook where our family could gather. I wanted it to be simple, yet well appointed and I accomplished that with the woven Mila pendants that hang over the dining table. We have made so many memories here as a family and all it took was a dedicated space and a little TLC.

Tip # 9

Think about functionality and space-saving design.

We pride ourselves on designing functional spaces for families. Especially now in the times we are living through we need our homes to be very versatile. By thinking of these two key principles, a kitchen dining area can easily function as a remote school as well. Although not ideal, it is totally possible!

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How To Live To 150: The 3 Horizons of Longevity Tech with Sergey Young

Sergey Young plans to live to the age of 200. And he's not the first. Wellness is buzzing with the kinds of bio-hacks and breakthroughs that have health researchers like Sergey and the likes of Bulletproof's Dave Asprey planning on a longer lifespan than many of us ever dreamed.  

As a longevity investor, meaning he invests in the kind of technologies designed to extend the quality and quantity of our lives, Sergey is on the cutting edge of many fascinating and, frankly, mind-boggling medical technologies.

We asked Sergey to talk to us about the top tech in each of the three longevity "horizons", which he breaks down below. His mission? To help one billion people extend their healthy lifespans by making longevity affordable and accessible. The Longevity Vision Fund is his personal passion project, built to fund and accelerate life extension breakthroughs and to make them affordable and accessible to all. Sergey is one of few investors in the category globally and some of his investments might surprise you...

The 3 Horizons of Longevity

The three horizons of longevity provide a 'map' of breakthrough longevity innovations that Sergey and team use as a model:

Horizon 1 – technology already available that has the potential to expand our lifespans to 100 years.

Horizon 2 – technology available over the next 5-10 years with the potential to expand our lifespans to 150 years.

Horizon 3 – technology available over the next 10-20 years with the potential to expand our lifespans to 200 years.

Horizon 1

AI-based early diagnostics and disease detection
 Studies of autopsies suggest doctors misdiagnose fatal illnesses around 20% of the time,
including diagnoses that were simply delayed.

 Artificial Intelligence is helping doctors make earlier and more accurate diagnoses. Early
diagnostics are crucial, as they can mean recovery rates of over 90% from certain types of
cancer.

 AI is also helping doctors to save time during diagnostics, which can enable more patients to
be seen. For example, it takes just 4 seconds to analyze a patient’s heart function on a cardiac MRI scan using AI, while a human doctor without AI requires 13 minutes on average.

 Freenome, a Longevity Vision Fund portfolio company, is working on early non-invasive
diagnostics of colon cancer using blood tests. It has demonstrated 100% sensitivity (the
ability to correctly classify an individual as ′diseased′) for colorectal cancer testing using its
multiomics platform, whereas the current standard test (fecal immunochemical test) only
achieved 67% sensitivity.

 Doctors using Google’s AI tool LYNA are better at detecting advanced breast cancer (99%
accuracy) than human doctors alone (as low as 38% accuracy) – even when looking for
extremely small metastases human pathologists might miss.

Wearables
 About 60% of consumers agree that wearables put them in control of their health and lead to
healthier lifestyles.

 Growing adoption of wearables at relatively accessible prices and advanced functions
resulted in the development of a whole new area of preventive healthcare.

 AppleWatch can save lives by monitoring your heart health via an ECG or calling an
ambulance if it registers a hard fall.

 FitBit can help manage stress by tracking your HRV (heart rate variability) and reminding
you to take a break and walk around every hour

 Amazon’s new health & wellness band HaloBand can help control your weight by
measuring your body fat percentage using a 3D body scan, which is considered ‘a better
indicator of health than weight or BMI alone’

Telemedicine
 Telemedicine allows caring for patients remotely via video conference tools. It is helping to
bridge the gap between people and doctors across different geographies and income levels,
and facilitates access to healthcare for people who are symptomatic or disabled.

 Coronavirus has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine by helping to reduce the spread
of the virus and protect medical staff. Hospitals are quickly adopting telehealth to treat
quarantined patients. At the onset of the pandemic, The White House even lifted Medicare
telemedicine restrictions, allowing more providers to accept Medicare payments for virtual
visits.

 Teladoc Health, now used by more than 40% of Fortune 500 employers, is becoming a
crucial feature in corporate health & wellness programs at companies such as Accenture.

 Microsoft Teams enables telemedicine by providing secure collaboration solutions via
chat, voice, and video between medical professionals in a single hub that supports key
compliance requirements (in addition to remote appointments with patients).

Personalized supplements
 Health supplements can now be customized according to your dietary needs, beliefs, and
preferences with the help of companies offering 3D-printing technology, online
subscriptions, and online quizzes to tailor the pills you take.

 Not only can the nutritional content of pills be personalized, but so can the time when each
component is released. For example, people who skip breakfast as part of their intermittent
fasting routine and go to bed early can design a capsule that delivers some caffeine and
essential nutrients in the morning, and a blend of relaxing and sleep-promoting herbs in the
early evening.

 Multiply Labs uses 3D-printing technology to personalize not only the nutritional content
of the pills, but also the time when each component is released.

 The time-release factor is achieved by 3D-printing a capsule with separate compartments of
varying thickness. For example, a compartment with a thin wall might release the product
within 30 minutes, while another thicker compartment in the same capsule, but is capable of
containing the supplement for at least two hours.

 Nourish3d is another 3D supplement-printing company, which provides customizable
vegan, sugar-free, made-to-order “stacks” (that look and taste like fruit gummies) on a
flexible subscription basis and with delivery to home and work addresses.

 Bioniq starts you off with a comprehensive blood assessment that not only assesses your
nutritional requirements to build your personalized daily vitamin formula. Monthly
blood tests allow to modify nutritional content of your pack to satisfy your body’s changing
needs.

Horizon 2

AI in drug discovery
 The development of a new drug is estimated at $2.6B. A lot of that money is effectively
wasted, as it is spent on the 9 out of 10 candidate therapies that fail somewhere between
phase I trials and regulatory approval.

 Artificial intelligence is transforming drug discovery, making the search for new
pharmaceuticals quicker, cheaper and more effective.

 Insilico Medicine, a Longevity Vision Fund portfolio company specializing in AI-based
drug discovery, is capable of designing, synthesizing and identifying a new drug target in just 46 days – in comparison to 2-3 years typically required using big pharma’s standard
approach without the support of this technology.

 Insilico Medicine also demonstrated its ability to identify thousands of new molecules
targeting the key coronavirus protein in just 4 days, which could serve as potential
medications.

 Schrodinger is another drug discovery company that is helping to advance COVID-19 drug
discovery efforts. In has partnered with Google Cloud, which is giving Schrödinger access
to its powerful computing capacity to accelerate discovery for its commercial partners and its
internal pipeline.

Gene therapy and editing
 Gene therapies alter an organism’s DNA by allowing therapeutic genetic material to be
added, altered or removed. Given the abundance of diseases where improper functioning of
genes plays an important role, gene therapy is a game changer and has already proved to be
lifesaving.

 Novartis is one of the companies pioneering gene therapy space. Its Zolgensma is one of the
first gene therapies to be approved and is the first and only gene therapy for children with
spinal muscular atrophy. Zolgensma was approved in 2019 and is already helping to save
lives.

 4DMT (another Longevity Vision Fund portfolio company) is a gene therapy company
developing next-generation gene therapies, more safe and effective. It is using ‘directed
evolution’ technology – a method, which mimics the process of natural selection towards a
certain goal, without waiting for random variations to occur over thousands of generations.

Cell therapies
 Cell therapy is a treatment where viable cells are injected or implanted into the patient’s
body to achieve a therapeutic effect – for example, by transplanting immune cells capable of
fighting cancer cells or grafting stem cells to regenerate diseased tissues.

 Approved therapies include Kymriah (by Novartis) and Yescarta (by Gilead), which help
treat hematologic cancers in children.

 Sigilon Therapeutics (a Longevity Vision Fund portfolio company) develops an
encapsulated cell therapy platform based on a new class of therapeutics.

 It can produce a wide range of proteins to treat serious chronic disorders in a durable,
controllable, and safe way without generating immune rejection or fibrosis.

Horizon 3

Replaceable body parts
 The need for human organs far outpaces their availability, with more than 20 people dying
each day awaiting a transplant. There are over 110,000 people on waiting lists in the U.S
alone.

 LyGenesis (a Longevity Vision Fund portfolio company) aims to disrupt transplantation
markets by using patients’ own lymph nodes as bioreactors to grow ‘mini-organs’ that
support or replace diseased originals – without the risk of immune rejection.

 LyGenesis is currently focusing on liver tissue regeneration but aims to expand into other
fields in the future. Its technology was proven safe and effective in animal studies.

 EGenesis is a biotech company that uses gene editing to make transplantation of organs from
pigs into humans safe and effective. Currently the company is focusing on gene editing life-
saving kidney transplants for humans.

Avatars
 Researchers in Tokyo, led by inventor Susumu Tachi, have developed a prototype
“telexistence” humanoid robot that can be controlled by a user wearing a virtual reality head-
mounted display and haptic (kinaesthetic) feedback gloves.

 The user can see and feel what the robot senses (including tactile and thermal sensations, as
well as a realistic audio-visual representation), also allowing him or her to make changes to
the robot’s environment.

 Telexistence – the company led by Dr Tachi that developed this technology – describes this
technology as a concept of “using a remote robot… to release humans from space-time
constraints”.

 Meltin is another company that develops Cyborg Technology. Its unique bio-signal
processing algorithm allows for highly accurate real-time analyses of human movements.

 For example, it can process 12 types of complex movements and is able to distinguish
between direct (e.g. bending fingers), adjacent (e.g. twisting the wrist) and composite
muscle movements (e.g. “bending fingers while twisting the wrist”) – allowing intuitive and
highly accurate control of cyborgs in a way that requires no special training.

Brain-AI integration
 University of Delaware scientists have recently discovered a ground-breaking bio-synthetic
material that they claim can be used to merge artificial intelligence with the human brain
and to solve the issue of scarring, which is the case if ‘traditional’ materials like gold,
silicon and steel are implanted (which damages the signal).

 Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, aims to place high-speed computing systems inside
human brains so we can control computers and smartphones using our thoughts.

 The company developed a chip containing an array of up to 96 small polymer threads that
can be implanted into the brain via robot and a 2mm incision. Neuralink has already
implanted chips in rats, with the goal to test the brain-machine interface in humans within
two years.

 Once implanted, the chip would connect wirelessly to other devices. In the words of Musk,
the chip is “basically Bluetooth to your phone”.

The post How To Live To 150: The 3 Horizons of Longevity Tech with Sergey Young appeared first on The Chalkboard.

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Hoops + Booties: 5 Fall Accessory Launches We’re Wearing At Home

It's Fashion Week in New york, I'm reminded, as I write to you in a silk scrunchie, sweats and ridiculously good new Uggs (below).

Fashion looks different this year, but we're excited about a few of the sustainable details, like workable accessories that make a whole lot of sense at home. Here are a few new launches we're swooning for...

Cuyana launches Jewelry | This is the jewelry line we didn't know we needed. We've long been fans of female-founded Cuyana and their fewer, better philosophy. Their leather goods are perfection (proof) and their knits and elevated basics are everything we need, so it makes sense the brand would finally expand their vibe into a collection of ultra-wearable 14k gold plated recycled brass pieces, many of them adaptable with pearl and gold plated embellishments that can be stacked and unstacked. Wear them unembellished at home and charmed up when you're ready to go out. Shop Now

Ugg's new Classic Ultra Mini boot | UGG's have been back in style for a hot minute, though we're not sure they ever trended out with the California crowd who trades comfort for very little. While UGG's have a pop star-esque reputation, don't forget that they're actually incredibly sustainable. The brand's giant fuzzy sandals are definitely a look right now, but we're big fans of the classic boots, including their newest version, the ultra minis -- an instant hit. The ultimate cozy boot for home, quick errands and even the beach this year. Shop Now

 

Starling Birth Flower Charms | Did you know that, along with an astrological sign, you have a 'birth flower'? We adore this translation of the botanical tradition in the form of 12 super-special pendant necklaces adorned with one bloom and one white diamond. The perfect gift to keep us feeling grounded and looking incredible -- for yourself or a loved one. Shop Now

Janessa Leone Calvin Hat | A good hat is timeless and functional. Consider it a practical addition to your sun protection routine. Janessa Leone's new packable hat collection is designed to easily scrunch into an overnight bag without damage -- a quality every woman whose worn their 'vacation hat' on a long flight can appreciate. If, like so many of us, you're taking more long walks at home, a good hat is an essential. Shop Now

The post Hoops + Booties: 5 Fall Accessory Launches We’re Wearing At Home appeared first on The Chalkboard.

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