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The Longevity Matrix THE LONGEVITY MATRIX HOW TO LIVE BETTER, STRONGER, AND LONGER MICHAEL T. MURRAY, N.D. NEW YORK LONDON • NASHVILLE • MELBOURNE • VANCOUVER The Longevity Matrix How to Live Better, Stronger, and Longer © 2021 Michael T. Murray, N.D. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com ISBN 9781631951374 paperback ISBN 9781631951381 eBook Library of Congress Control Number: 2020936312 Cover Design by: Megan Dillon [email protected] Interior Design by: Chris Treccani www.3dogcreative.net Morgan James is a proud partner of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg. Partners in building since 2006. Get involved today! Visit MorganJamesPublishing.com/giving-back TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface: A New Approach to Anti-aging and Longevity Chapter 1: Priming for Success Chapter 2: Keys to Anti-Aging and a Longer Life Chapter 3: Health Begins with the Digestive System Chapter 4: Detoxifying from a Toxic World Chapter 5: Tuning Up Your Metabolism Chapter 6: Enhancing the Immune System Chapter 7: The “Heart” of Extending Life Chapter 8: Breaking Free from Stress and Depression Chapter 9: Boosting and Protecting Your Brain Chapter 10: Strengthening Bones, Joints, and Muscles Chapter 11: Keys to Healthier Hair, Skin, and Nails Chapter 12: Advanced Superfood and Supplement Recommendations About the Author PREFACE: A New Approach to Anti- aging and Longevity My purpose in writing this book is to share a strategy to help you achieve an extreme level of wellness and vitality. You see, it is not enough to live longer. The desire should be to live better and stronger with a tremendous amount of health, energy, fulfillment, and joy. If you focus on accomplishing these goals, living longer will naturally take care of itself. In naming this book, I chose a descriptive title. To understand the meaning of a Longevity Matrix, let me give the formal definition of a matrix in biology. It refers to a set of conditions that provides a system in which something grows or develops. In this context, the “Longevity Matrix” refers to creating the best set of conditions to develop longevity. If that happens, not only will it lead to a longer life, but it also allows the systems within body and mind to function at the highest possible capacity. The systems within us are composed of very complex interconnectedness. Everyone knows the answer to “What determines the strength of a chain?” is the weakest link. The same concept applies with a systems approach to our body and health, they are just much more complex than a simple chain. Every system in the body affects the other. So, the strength of our health is ultimately determined by the weakest body system. What I offer in this book is a step-by-step approach to improve the function of each body system and if there is a weak link, I am going to help you make it as strong as possible. You might be thinking, who is Dr. Michael Murray and why should I allow him to guide me? Well, I am someone who has created a life full of incredible health, vitality, and meaning. I am someone who has walked his talk and sowed the benefits from applying what I detail in this book. I want to share what I have learned in a way that will allow you to feel a higher degree of wellness in your life no matter what circumstances you currently find yourself. And, why do I want to share and help YOU? Because I love the feeling of making a difference in a person’s life and I want to make difference in yours. As for my credentials, I am a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine—a N.D. licensed as a primary care physician in the States of Arizona and Washington. I graduated from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA, in 1985. What is naturopathic medicine? It is a system of medicine that is all about the art and science of harnessing the power of nature to prevent and treat illness in order to achieve the highest level of health possible. My particular areas of focus are the use of diet and natural products such as dietary supplements and herbal extracts to promote health and healing. I also take advantage of the discoveries in the new field of positive psychology and my lifestyle is impeccable in its focus on health and personal growth. When people refer to me as an expert in “alternative” medicine, I really don’t like that label. What is so alternative about using food as medicine? Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” And, how is a helping people develop a positive attitude and live a health promoting lifestyle considered alternative as well? What is considered “mainstream” or “alternative” today may trade places in the future or be entirely displaced by advances in our understanding of what really impacts health. One thing that I want to make clear here is that I am very pragmatic in my approach, it supersedes any philosophical dogma. I am a proponent of what I like to refer to as rational medicine. I am certainly not against rational aspects of modern medicine. It can make a true life-or-death difference when it is needed. As far as improving our general level of health, however, I believe that modern medicine is often completely irrational. There is simply no drug or pill that can take the place of diet, lifestyle, and attitude. Modern medicine is clearing failing us in moving patients to a higher level of wellness. It is obvious if we look at the general health of the population as a whole in the United States and most other “developed” countries. Do the current medical treatments of such things as depression, digestive disturbances, poor sleep quality really help in the long run? And, what about the treatments of most chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and diabetes? Often, in the long run, current drug treatments in these conditions and others end up causing more side effects and harm than benefits. Here is what I believe with 100% congruency: Rather than relying on drugs as biological band-aids to suppress symptoms, it makes more sense to use diet, lifestyle, attitude, and natural products to address the underlying core issues, the root causes of our illnesses. To me that is a rational approach and simply just good medicine. My interest in, and commitment to, natural medicine is the result of deep personal experience. Years ago, when I was a freshman at the University of Oregon, I underwent a four-hour knee operation to repair damage from a long-standing injury. The orthopedic surgeon told me that I’d be lucky if I walked without a limp. When the cast was removed three months later, I did everything I could to rehabilitate my knee. I wanted to have a full and physically active life, and that meant taking part in basketball games, racquet sports, and jogging. But after a year and a half I was still unable to put any significant stress on my knee. At the suggestion of my father, I went to see Ralph Weiss, N.D., a doctor of natural medicine. I was skeptical. I knew that Dr. Weiss had helped a lot of people, including members of my family, but I had been treated by one of the top knee specialists in the world. What could Dr. Weiss do that conventional medicine couldn’t? I soon learned. In our first meeting, Dr. Weiss expressed concern not just about my knee but also about my diet and lifestyle. He explained things in terms I could understand. He spoke with confidence and wonder about the body’s tremendous ability to heal itself. All we had to do, he said, was remove the obstacles that were preventing my knee from healing properly. His technique was to use electro-acupuncture and some unique physical therapy machines. As soon as the treatment began, I could literally feel my leg come alive again. Within minutes it was almost as strong as my healthy leg. That evening, I played basketball again—without pain—for the first time in years. It was a life-changing experience—a miracle actually for me. As a result, I changed my major from history (I had planned to go on to law school) to pre-med and soon fulfilled the entrance requirements to attend what is now Bastyr University to pursue a degree in naturopathic medicine. What inspired me was the deep inner desire to learn as much as I could about how to make ME healthy so I could then help others. It is the classic example of reaching for your own oxygen mask in an emergency situation on an airplane before assisting others. I have walked the talk of health and wellness my entire adult life and it shows in the way that I feel and look. I am not bragging; I am simply stressing the points because I want to have confidence in my words to you. There is so much that I want to share in this book, but it is a process. So, let me first stress that there are several themes, or threads, running through this book. Here are some of the main ideas you will encounter in the chapters ahead. • The health of the body depends on the health of each individual cell. These very complex living factories connect to form tissues and organs. In order for a cell to function at its peak, it requires oxygen and a steady stream of compounds. The cell will use these as energy, building blocks to build cell structures, agents to assist in assembling other cell molecules, or in order for the cell to protect itself from damage. Some of these compounds are nutrients like fats, amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), vitamins, and minerals, some are plant-derived chemicals, and some are compounds supplied by other cells of the body. In addition to basic cell function, cells use the steady stream of compounds to support their constant remodeling, healing, and the ability for the cell to reproduce itself. • The body strives to be healthy. Health is our natural state. Your body tells you when something is wrong and takes steps to correct the problem. To give a simple example, if you are dehydrated, your body causes you to feel thirsty. By listening to the body, we can sense when we have fallen out of balance. We can also pay attention to the alarms our body sends us that something is out of balance. We call these alarms symptoms! It is important to understand what the symptom is telling us. We don’t get a headache because we lack aspirin. A deficiency of Prozac or Wellbutrin is not what causes us to be depressed. And, joint pain is not the result of our body screaming to feed us ibuprofen. One of my primary goals in this book is to provide you with information and guidance to get you on to a program that will get to the root cause of your symptoms instead of using drugs. • Each human being is biologically unique. We all share the same basic structure. But our genes and how they are expressed make us unlike anyone else who has ever lived. We each have our own biological needs and our own responses to the world around us. What works for one person may not work for another. That is exactly why this book has so many questionnaires that can help you pinpoint your personal needs and take the personalized steps to living better, stronger, and longer. CAUTION Although this book discusses numerous health conditions and offers ideas for preventing or managing them, it is not intended as a substitute for appropriate medical care. Please keep the following in mind as you read: • Do not self-diagnose. Proper medical care is critical to good health. If you have symptoms that suggest an illness described in this book, please consult a physician, preferably a naturopathic doctor (N.D.), holistic medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.), chiropractor, or other natural health care specialist. • If you are currently taking a prescription medication, you absolutely must work with your doctor before discontinuing any drug or altering any drug regimen. Make your physician aware of all the nutritional supplements or herbal products you are currently taking.