​My grandmother, Martina, just turned 102 on Sunday, November 27th. 

I wanted to share this incredible event with you as she is an inspiration to us all.

She still lives alone in the same home she has lived in for the past 40 years plus in a small town in South Florida south of Lake Okeechobee.

She never learned how to drive so she has had to walk everywhere her entire life.

She insists on remaining independent and does her own cooking, laundry, dishes, house cleaning,sewing and enjoys reading.

I have learned and continue to learn so much from my Grandmother.

As a specialist in Longevity Medicine, I have made my own observations and wanted to share some of them with you.

My grandmothers favorite foods at 102:
her daily yogurt for breakfast, her daily chicken soup for dinner and her mini Milky Way bars, Hershey's kisses and ice cream sandwiches during the day for snacks.She loves ice cream.

My grandmother's favorite daily drink: a strong espresso or cafe con leche ( coffee with milk) in the morning. She used to make me a cafe con leche every morning for breakfast before I left for school. I would wake up extra early and go to her house just so that I could enjoy this treat every morning.

My grandmother's favorite nighttime drink: Chamomile Tea and a dose of Phillip's Milk of Magnesia ( she has taken this daily since age 30. Phillip's Milk of Magnesia was invented in 1873).

My grandmother's favorite supplements: Besides the Phillip's Milk of Magnesia, she only takes Omega 3 fish oil daily and Osteo Bi-Flex ( Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate) which she is sure has cured the Osteoarthritis she had for many years before.

My grandmother's favorite exercise: walking. She never learned how to drive so walking has always been her transportation and only form of exercise.

My grandmother's favorite pastime: going to church and the hair salon - each a few blocks from her home and reading magazines. 

My grandmother's hobby: sewing and reading. She made all of my clothes when I was growing up. It was a treat to pick a pattern and watch her turn it into my next new favorite outfit that no one else had.

My grandmother's strength of spirit: her faith in God.

These Are Some Pearls I Have Learned From My Grandmother over the years:

1.How you say something is just as important - perhaps more important -as what you say.

I have found this to be particularly true in the practice of medicine where I deliver both good and bad news every day. 

2. Learn to do things for yourself.

Never underestimate the value of having skills- especially survival skills. I have been focusing lately on acquiring more skills instead of more plastic.

3.Value yourself.

If you don't know how to love yourself, you can't expect anyone else to know how either.

4. Hope is the last thing you lose.

My grandmother has been through so many difficult experiences in her life- including surviving cancer- and yet never once lost hope. 

5.Live a spiritual life and you will have less fear of death.

This goes without saying.

6.Live your own life.

If you are living someone else's life,
it is never to late to reinvent yourself.

Become a better version of yourself.

7.You are exactly where you are meant to be.

Stay in the present moment and appreciate it.

8.If you don't need it, don't buy it.

This is especially important at this time of year
when everyone is trying to convince you that
there will be a crisis if you don't buy what they are selling.

9.Give confidence to others.

9/10th of education is encouragement.

10.Strive to live a simpler life.

Fewer things and more experiences is better
since experiences don't take up much room in your brain.

11.Spend your energy more carefully than you spend your money.

Avoid people and experiences that zap your energy -
especially at this time of year. 

12.Always act as if others were watching.

Having a moral compass is key. 

13.Think before you speak.

So much hurt and confusion could be avoided
by simply following this one.

14.What is rightly yours will come to you.

Have an abundance mindset instead of a poverty mindset.

15.Ask for nothing and give everything.

The world is a mirror- attract what you expect, reflect what you desire,
become what you respect, and mirror what you admire.

16.How you do anything is how you do everything.

It is not an accident that successful people are usually successful
in more than one area.

17.Know that not everything needs to be said.

Silence is golden.

18.The best beauty product is to be happy.

You can see in the photo that at 102 my grandmother
does not usually wear makeup but always wears a smile.

19.Let go of unrealistic expectations.

Your expectations determine your reality.

​Don't let unrealistic expectations hold you back.

20.Teach others how to treat you by the way you treat yourself.

Love Yourself.

21.Dedicate time to prayer and reflection daily.

A few moments of silence and gratitude daily are important.

22.Make your health a priority.

Health is your most important asset.

23.Let others do things their own way.

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

24.Show respect.

Seek respect and not attention- it lasts longer.

25. Experience the sacred in every moment.

Our time on Earth is sacred and we should celebrate every moment.

I try to incorporate these principles and many others that
I have learned from my grandmother into my daily life.

I hope these will serve to enlighten and enliven your life
and the lives of your loved ones.

And I leave you with this quote:

" We don't receive wisdom;
we must discover it for ourselves after a journey
that no one can take for us or spare us."
- Marcel Proust  (French novelist born 1871)

Wishing you and yours all the best in health and happiness,

Ana Casas M.D.
Board Certified, Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine

​There are many concerning trends happening in medicine.

I wanted to discuss one very important one today regarding passive health.

This is the idea that health just happens naturally without any effort.

PASSIVE HEALTH IS A MYTH.

Think about the word "passive". 

Webster`s defines the word passive as "inactive."

Achieving health takes planning and effort.

Health is the combination of knowledge, strategy and execution.

The words we use to describe our experiences become the experience. 

One of the most powerful determinants of our life is the words we use and what we say to our self.

If we are in pursuit of passive anything, what do you think the message is to our brain? 

How can I do nothing and get a bunch? 

How can I be inactive and get healthy? 

How can I do the least and get the most?

There is no such thing as passive health.

Passive health turns into disease eventually.

The goal should be active health- actively working to learn and implement the recommendations that best serve our health before we have symptoms and evidence of disease.

With the concept of passive health,the thought relayed to your brain is that by doing nothing towards achieving health, I can have what I want and feel great without working for it.

So most people spend their time looking for something that doesn`t exist, and therefore, wind up with nothing.

Success in any endeavor requires you to be active and engaged. 

Nothing you want is attained by being passive, including health.

The seductive siren`s song of "passive" health is one of the reasons so few people have the health and well being they want. 

Rethink your goal and how you can achieve it. 

Become educated.

Do not depend on the powers that be to provide this for you.

Learn how to be your own healer and care for yourself.


"In 20 years you will be more disappointed by what you didn't do than by what you did." Mark Twain

​My dear friend Tracy Anderson- the brilliant creator of the Tracy Anderson Method of exercise- recently interviewed me for her Rockstars of Health Blog.

I wanted to share this important life changing and life saving information with you.

In this candid interview, I shared with her all of the latest:

*how hormones are messengers and how they can send either the right message or the wrong message and what you can do about it

* the secret to taking off those last few pounds- what happens as we get older- and prevents you from having your best body composition

*how certain substances cause hormone imbalance- you will be surprised by some of these

* how I treat hormonal acne in women who are not of childbearing age- with a simple and inexpensive supplement

*My biggest beauty secrets for skin health- what really works - what you can take and what to apply for younger looking skin

*My best recommendations for preventing, detecting and treating early- the two biggest takers of life- Heart Disease and Cancer

*the secret to increasing nitric oxide for better blood flow that results in heart health and romantic health

*My secret for preparing highly nutritious, nutrient dense foods in just minutes

and SO much more.

I hope you enjoy reading this interview and that it brings you and your loved ones health and happiness.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance in helping you to live
the long- healthy and happy- life that you deserve!

​This is a link to the interview:

tracyanderson.com/rockstars-health-issue-no-4/

Ana Casas M.D. Board Certified, Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine

​

​For the past two years, I have been so blessed to be able to offer my patients the most cutting edge advances in Cancer research by offering them:

a blood test that can pick up any cancer as early as 2 million cells= the size of the head of a pin 

which identifies the source of the cancer cells with 99.9% accuracy

AND

a cure for early cancer- a targeted, non-toxic oral antidote that has been scientifically proven to cure cancer 94% of the time when it is detected this early.

This blood test and this treatment are the work of a husband and wife team from Purdue Cancer Research Center- Dr. James Morre and his wife, Dr. Dorothy Morre- both PhDs in Medicinal Chemistry- whose research I have been following and with whom I have been working closely for the benefit of my patients.

The simple blood test that they developed has just recently been scientifically proven to detect cancer 4-10 YEARS before any clinical symptoms occur or before it can be found on any diagnostic test.

This is an incredible breakthrough.

This means one thing:

With early enough detection using this simple blood test and early treatment using the non-toxic oral antidote that they have developed- NO ONE should die of this disease. PERIOD.

This simple blood test can be used:

*to screen for cancer

*after treatment for cancer has been completed (testing should be done one month after the final treatment)

*to monitor for recurrence of cancer


This husband and wife team of geniuses developed this test over the course of 20 years of research

BUT they did not want to make it commercially available until they had discovered a non-toxic, oral cure for cancer - 

which they did and which I offer to my patients- 

and which has been scientifically proven to be as effective as chemotherapy without ANY toxic side effects.


Cancer
Cancer is the second most common cause of disease-related deaths in the United States. 

There is a clear need to better understand, diagnose, and treat cancer.

In addition to prevention there is also a need for Curative Prevention™- which is catching it early enough- when it is the size of the head of a pin- to treat it effectively without any toxic side effects. 

This is what I am able to offer my patients now.

Early detection through a simple blood test coupled with early intervention with an oral, non-toxic treatment- offers a new paradigm in cancer management.

Cancer may be viewed as a treatable, chronic disease to reduce the overall incidence of acute, most often incurable, late-stage disease.

You don't want to find out you have cancer in the late stages when it becomes a battle for life and death.

The key is to prevent and to early detect and treat if it is present.

Bringing the Breakthroughs to You
 
This research and breakthrough in early cancer detection and early cancer treatment using the approach of curative prevention is sure to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine for this outstanding husband and wife team who have dedicated their lives to wiping cancer off the face of the Earth.

I will continue to follow their research and work closely with them in bringing their breakthroughs to my patients.

If you are interested in learning more or in having this simple blood test done, please reply to this e-mail and I would be happy to provide you with more information.

P.S.: You will NOT find this blood test available through your regular doctor as I am guessing it will be another 20 years before this test is widely used by insurance based medical providers-

if it is ever widely used- 

as it could completely shut down the $158 BILLION DOLLAR A YEAR (projected for 2020) cost of diagnosing and treating CANCER- the way it is currently being done .

History tends to repeat itself and if you recall:

Penicillin was discovered February 14, 1929 and it was not until the 1940s- which began the era of antibiotics -when this was recognized as one of the greatest advances in therapeutic medicine. 

It took more than 20 LONG YEARS for penicillin to become mainstream and countless number of people died waiting for this cure to reach them.

My great grandfather was one of them.

Wishing you and those you love - health, happiness and many blessings,

Ana Casas M.D.
Board Certified, Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine

Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkley, have discovered that chronic stress can damage the structure and function of your brain- affecting memory and the ability to learn.

Chronic stress and specifically, high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, create long-lasting brain changes that can begin as early as childhood.

This might explain why young people who are exposed to chronic stress early in life- divorce, problems at home, multiple moves, death of a parent, financial instability, problems at school- are prone to mental problems such as anxiety and mood disorders later in life, as well as learning difficulties.

This new study reconfirms the importance of maintaining healthy brain structure and connectivity throughout your entire life by reducing chronic stress.

I will share some very important and easy ways that you can reduce chronic stress and achieve a healthier brain.

In a series of revolutionary experiments, Daniela Kaufer, UC Berkeley associate professor of integrative biology, and her colleagues, discovered that chronic stress and elevated levels of cortisol can generate more overproduction of myelin-producing cells and fewer neurons (brain cells) than normal. 

This restructures the brain in a bad way and makes you more likely to experience anxiety, mood swings, depression and it affects your memory and ability to learn.

Chronic stress has the ability to flip a switch in stem cells that turns them into a type of cell that inhibits connections to the prefrontal cortex, which would improve learning and memory, but lays down durable scaffolding linked to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This basically hard wires the alarm system in your body so that it goes off for almost any reason and stays on.

THE GOOD NEWS:

No matter what happened to you in childhood and has happened to you as an adult- we have all been exposed to stressful conditions and situations-you do have the power to rewire your brain and improve your memory and ability to learn as well as decrease anxiety, depression and mood swings.

The power of neuroplasticity makes it possible to change brain structure and function throughout your entire life.

As long as you are breathing, you have a chance to rewire your brain and create a better one.

You can consciously make daily choices of mindset and behavior that will improve the structure and connectivity of your brain.

THREE WAYS TO REWIRE YOUR BRAIN TO BEAT CHRONIC STRESS:

1. Regular daily physical exercise

2. Mindfulness Meditation- prayer, reflection, quiet time alone

3. Having structure (a routine) in all of your daily life activities

STRUCTURE makes it easier for your brain to work and decreases stress.

THIS IS A PEARL:

One uses the least amount of energy in dealing with a structured life.

Having a routine that you follow daily takes the unnecessary chronic stress out of life and makes it more predictable.

The brain likes predictable and hates unpredictable situations.

Having operating systems in place for every area of your life- house cleaning- the brain loves order, having a place for everything and everything in its place, food preparation- preparing meals in advance or knowing where you will have access to good, healthy fuel, daily exercise, daily reflection time, reading and replying to e-mail, returning phone calls,catching up with friends and family- is key to reducing stress. 

Showing up for yourself every day and making the time to exercise and meditate (reflect, pray, listen to soothing music alone,sit quietly alone, walk quietly alone) are both two ways you can easily reduce the chronic stress in your life and hard wire your brain to be stress proof instead of stress prone.

Your brain is constantly undergoing changes.

You are either hardwiring a brain that is resistant to stress by adding structure, exercise and meditation OR you are hardwiring a brain that is prone to stress- that causes anxiety, depression, mood swings, memory problems or learning difficulties.

I challenge you to spend as much time engaging in activities that lower your stress as you do in activities that increase your stress on a daily basis.

Just accepting this one challenge may be all you need to restructure your brain and become stress proof.

What 100 Looks Like

 














I often wonder, " How will being 100 years old look and feel?" 

I have dedicated my life to preventive medicine and yet it does not escape me that my maternal grandmother, Martina, had none of the advantages that come with the knowledge that I have today.

Yet, she is turned 100 years old on Thanksgiving Day while still living completely alone and independently in the same home she has lived in for the last 40 years. Her memory is good, she does all of her own cleaning and cooking. She lives her faith and she has the health that we all aspire to have at age 100.

As you may know, I am fascinated by longevity medicine and everything that 
helps us to live longer and better lives. 

It is my passion.

I asked my grandmother some questions and made my own observations of what has helped her to reach 100 in such an enviable state of health. I hope you enjoy!


What 100 Looks Like
 
According to my grandmother, if you want to live a long, happy life- you have to master the art of being "happy for no good reason".

This is a skill that she has perfected and has served her well thoughout her life.

She is the "happiest" person that I know.

By anyone's measure, she has not had an easy life. She has had many unhappy things happen to her in her long life- including having to leave her country 50 years ago due to Communism and starting completely over in the United States.

She had to leave all of her material possession behind, learn a new language and work harder than she had ever had to work in her life in NYC's Fashion Garment District as a couture sample dress seamstress.

These are the 10 things to which my grandmother, Martina, attributes her long, healthy and
 "happy for no reason" life:

1. FAITH: 

My grandmother has a strong sense of faith and is thankful every day for the long life that God
has given her.

She has always turned her problems over to God and had faith that everything would work 
out the way that it was meant to be.

My grandmother prays every night as if her life depended on it. According to her, it does.

2. GIVE THANKS: My grandmother tells me she has always given thanks- for the good things
and the bad things that have happened to her.

She has always looked for the silver lining in the bad things- including having kidney cancer
diagnosed at age 90- for which she had to have one kidney removed.

The type of cancer that she had was due to all of her aniline dye exposure throughout her life. 
Aniline dyes were used to dye fabric and as a seamstress- she had a great deal of exposure.

She refused chemotherapy because as she told her doctor, " I don't need it." 
She felt she had dodged the deadly bullet and she had.

3. LOOK FOR THE LESSON AND THE GIFT IN EVERYTHING:

This is a hard one but she has managed to do this throughout her life.

Instead of blaming others or making excuses, find the lesson and the blessing
in everything that happens. 

Everything- every single thing- happens for a reason.

4.PRACTICE FORGIVENESS:

My grandmother says it is best to let go of your anger and bad feelings towards other
people so that you can free your heart. 

She has never harbored any anger about having to start completely over in mid
life but has instead viewed it as an adventure. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.

5. FEED YOUR BODY HEALTHY FOOD: 

My grandmother's diet has always been very simple, healthy, farm to table food.

She has never enjoyed dining out at restaurants and prefers to cook her own meals
so that she can be sure she knows what she is eating.

She says she has never been on a diet instead always choosing to eat the same healthy foods she likes- yogurt, rice, beans, yuca (root vegetable),sweet potato, bananas, oranges, apples, plantains, avocados, tomatoes, chicken and the occasional piece of chocolate (milky way is her favorite).

6. FEED YOUR BRAIN HAPPY THOUGHTS:

My grandmother is the ultimate optimist.

I don't recall ever having heard her say a discouraging word. 

Don't get me wrong- she has strong opinions about everything- it is just she gives it all a positive spin instead of a negative one.

She has always encouraged me to surround myself with positive, happy people and positive,
happy thoughts.

7. MOVE YOUR BODY:

My grandmother's preferred form of exercise is walking.

She has never had a driver's license or driven a car.

She has always lived in a walking city and still does so - in a small walking town in South Florida south of Lake Okeechobee- called Clewiston- America's Sweetest Town.

She walks everywhere- to the post office, to the hair salon, to her church- which is conveniently located next to her home, to the drugstore, to the bank- all within less than a mile from her home.

This lifestyle has also helped to keep her independent.

Too often, as a person gets older they lose their independence when they can no longer drive safely and are forced to rely on others for everything.

She has always kept this in mind and chosen not to live in a city in which she could not walk to every place that she needed to go.

She has always valued her independence greatly and made the connection early on that if you don't move it, you lose it.

8. DO GOOD:

There is a saying in Spanish, " Haz el bien y no mires a quien." Which means-
"do good and do not look at who".

My grandmother has spent a lifetime doing good and this has brought her a great deal of happiness.

She says it is especially important to do good when no one else knows about it.

9. FIND YOUR PASSION:

According to my grandmother, we are all here on this Earth for a reason.

She believes your passion will lead you to your purpose and a long, healthy, happy life.

She never envisioned herself moving to NYC at age 50 and sewing couture but instead of being bitter about the long hours and the unexpected circumstances that had led her to be forced to leave her country, she embraced the opportunity to do so.

My grandmother helped me find my passion and my purpose of becoming a doctor at a very early age and I am so grateful.

10. SEE THE WORLD AS A HAPPY PLACE.

My grandmother strongly believes that you will reap what you sow.

It is important to feel a sense of love and connection to other human beings and appreciate the people in your life. 

Have a support system that helps you live your best life. 

Believe that everyone is going out of their way to help you and go out of your way to help everyone.

I hope this has inspired you and that you too will live to be 100 ( and beyond) while looking and feeling healthy and happy.

Wishing you and yours all the best, 
Ana Casas M.D.

As we enter the Winter season, it is more important than ever to have a strong immune system
to keep you healthy.

This is one of the most important goals of an Age Management Medicine program
and living a long and healthy life.

Our immune system is our body's army.

In this newsletter, I will cover the 7 Immune System Boosters that you can use to make
sure your army stays strong.

1. Give Sleep Priority:

Not getting enough sleep increases the hormone cortisol- your stress hormone- 
and destroys your immune system.

Make it a priority to get 7-9 hours of restful sleep nightly.

Another hormone- melatonin- is made during sleep and it helps to restore 
your immune system by keeping cortisol levels low.

This is the reason you feel so much better after a good night of sleep.

Make sure you sleep in cave like conditions: 

DARK (use dark curtains, eye pillows), 

QUIET (use ear plugs, a sound conditioner like the one made by Dohm), 

COOL ( between 65-72 F)- not too cold and not too hot.

2. Avoid smoking and smokers (second hand smoke). 

Smoke- of any kind- undermines your army's ability to fight and raises the risk
of getting bronchitis, the flu and pneumonia in everyone, and middle ear infections in kids.

3.Drink less alcohol. 

Too much alcohol lowers the immune system and increases vulnerability to lung infections.

Too much alcohol deprives the body of valuable immune-boosting nutrients such
as Vitamin A and the B Vitamins and can make white cells - your body's defense
against illness and disease - less able to kill germs. 

Damage to the immune system increases with the level of alcohol consumed.

4. Check your Vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is a very important hormone ( yes, it is a hormone and not just a vitamin)
for keeping your army strong. 

Have your Vitamin D level checked and keep it between 50-80 ng/dL by taking
the appropriate amount of Vitamin D supplement ( usually between 2,000 IU- 5,000 IU daily
to keep it in good range- but check your level).

5. Zinc.

Zinc promotes resistance to infections, particularly as we age, a time when
the immune system slows down. 

Zinc has been shown to:

increase the activity of natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell that destroys
tumor cells and cells infected with certain organisms)

and to boost the production of antibodies (proteins produced by the immune system
that recognize and help to fight infection) in response to infection.

I usually recommend Zinc as Opti Zinc -zinc monomethionine 30mg daily and Copper
(as copper sebacate) 300 mcg daily. 

It is important to replenish copper when taking zinc at a higher dose on a daily basis.

6.Decrease stress.

All types of stress- that lead you to being overloaded, wound up, tense, 
short tempered and worried- increase the hormone cortisol.

Cortisol- the stress hormone- when kept elevated all the time- destroys your army.

Think of the hormone cortisol as your alarm system and when it is high- your alarm is blaring.

Make time to lose yourself in a relaxing activity- during which you breath easily 
and leave all of your troubles behind.

Massage, yoga, guided meditation, music, your favorite hobby- can all help. 

Make sure to exercise- or move in a purposeful way- daily.

7.Eat a nutrient dense diet.

Avoid junk food, fast food, convenience food, processed foods, chemicals,
additives, preservatives, anything that has a label that a child would not be able to understand.

Your army- like any good fighting force- marches on its stomach.

Don't feed it the way you would feed your enemy.

I hope these 7 Immune System Boosters help you to stay healthy and happy 
through this Winter and into the New Year.

Wishing you and yours all the best, 
Ana Casas M.D.