What's New | Senior Safety

Is the RJ31X compatible with a hospital lifeline service?

Tue, 01 May 2007 13:32:47 -0400

If my mom's phone is off the hook will I be able to contact her?

"I am asking because my mom has lifeline but if she forgets to hang up the telephone and it is off-hook, her lifeline does not work and I am unable to contact her."

I would call the hospital lifeline technicians and see what they say.

I don't believe they will have a problem hooking you up with a system that will work with an RJ31X line seizure jack. However, even with a line seizure jack, if your mom's phone is off the hook...you won't be able to call her. Her system when pushed would still work.

This is how any medical alarm system would work when used in conjunction with an RJ31X jack.

First Alert Devices

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:33:37 -0400

Question asked: Are your First Alert Devices covered by Medicaid?

I was recently asked if First Alert medical alarm type devices are covered by Medicaid or Medicare?

I'm sorry to say that our government, at this time, does not see that preventive care such as a medical alert device saves them money.

So the answer is some Medicaid patients can receive reimbursement, while there is no reimbursement for medical alarms under Medicare.

Medical Alarm Systems are one way to help care for seniors.

Sat, 27 May 2006 13:46:43 -0400

Medical alarms help the senior and the caregivers.

What do you do with a loved one who refuses to leave their home?

How do you cope with your fears of mom or dad falling at home and not being able to get to the phone for help to dial 911?

That little medical alert button used to summon help for mom or dad...can save their lives.

Give yourself and your loved ones some piece of mind with a quality medical alarm system.

If you are confused, or need help...call the American Senior Safety Agency at (888) 473-2800.

We will help.

Medical Alert Issues with DSL,

Sat, 27 May 2006 13:15:14 -0400

Senior Safety's medical alarm works with DSL technology.

Until recently, medical alert systems had sporadic success with the new DSL technology.

The problem was mostly that the DSL providers worked from a variety of standards that caused medical alarm systems to be inconsistent on the voice-to-voice side of the alarm signal.

Our system has now been enhanced to work with DSL.

Should you have any questions about DSL, or anything about the medical alarm industry...call the American Senior Safety Agency at (888) 473-2800...we'll help set you on the right path.

Which medical alert system or company is the best?

Sat, 27 May 2006 13:03:41 -0400

American Senior Safety System proves to be the best medical alert system.

We found that there are a number of good medical alarm, or medical alert companies.

In our comparison, we also found numbers of companies that used good equipment; however, their practices, monitoring centers, or personel did not meet our standards.

As I have said before, your best defense is your gut impression. Are you being pushed, do they sound evasive, do they talk badly about other companies?

Be careful. If you have questions...call the American Senior Safety Agency at (888) 473-2800...we will do our best to answer your questions.

I will start posting, the variety of questions we answer everyday about how these first alert medical alarm life saving systems do and don't work.

How diet and activity each play a role in fat cell metabolism and help to determine whether you gain or loss weight.

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 22:03:02 -0500

The ratio of two enzymes, LPL and HSL, effect whether your store fat and gain weight or release fat and lose weight.

To a large extent the main factor that determines whether or not we store fat in our bodies are two key enzymes. Since most of the factors that regulate the activity of the enzymes are always present these enzymes are always active and are like lights with a dimmer switch that never go off. So it is the relative ratio of the two enzymes, which determines whether triglycerides are stored in our fat cells or released from the fat cells to be used for energy.

The two key enzymes responsible for fat storage and fat removal, respectively, are lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). Lipoprotein lipase is the enzyme located outside cells and responsible for removing triglycerides (TG – fat) from the blood and helping to move it into the cell for fat storage. Hormone-sensitive lipase on the other hand is located within the cell and is activated to release TG from the cells into the blood for utilization elsewhere.

Some of the key controllable factors that stimulate LPL are

1) a high fat diet,
2) saturated fats,
3) trans fats (found in hydrogenated oils),
4) the hormones insulin and cortisol, and
5) caloric restriction.

Other factors influence LPL, but these are the ones we cannot control through diet, exercise, or stress reduction.

The key controllable factor that regulates HSL is exercise or activity. Exercise, being a stress, causes release of epinephrine (adrenalin), and stimulates the release of TG from adipocytes to be used for fuel. However, unlike psychological stress, the physiological stress of exercise causes most of the fat to be taken up by skeletal muscles and used for energy production.

When a stressor is psychological in nature and the energy demands are low - much of the fat goes to the liver and is repackaged and released back into the blood stream only to be re-stored in fat cells or in unfortunate cases the artery walls leading to atherosclerosis (cardiovascular disease).

Another benefit of exercise is an enhanced glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. With continued training there is a chronic lowering of circulating insulin levels. The post entitled: the role of exercise in treating type II non-insulin dependent diabetes, goes into the mechanism behind the improved insulin sensitivity brought about by activity. A benefit of lower insulin levels is a reduction of insulin’s stimulatory effect on LPL. So exercise lowers the ratio of LPL to HSL by both lowering the activity of LPL and raising the activity of HSL.

Combining exercise with diet modifications of reduced total-fats, saturated-fats, trans fats, higher mono-unsaturated fats, omega-3 fats, and increased fiber creates an environment which is more efficient at removing fat than storing it – ultimately leading to fat loss and weight loss.

The role of exercise in treating type II non-insulin dependent diabetes.

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 06:56:46 -0500

By improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, exercise is a key player in the prevention and treatment of adult-onset diabetes.

The majority of the 7+ million people with diabetes in this country are non-insulin dependent diabetic (NIDDM). Over eighty percent of all NIDDM patients are obese. In addition, a growing number of Americans have fasting blood glucose levels which would classify them as border-line diabetic.

While insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) results from the inability of a person's pancreas to produce the hormone insulin, NIDDM is associated with elevated insulin levels, resistance to the hormone, and poor glucose tolerance.

It is still debatable in the scientific community which comes first- does the insulin resistance associated with NIDDM cause obesity, or does obesity result in insulin resistance and later the development of NIDDM. Whatever the case, both types of NIDDM are to a large degree preventable and treatable through diet and exercise.

Insulin's primary role is to lower blood glucose levels. The two major target tissues of insulin are skeletal muscle and adipose (fat) tissue. Whenever someone eats a meal containing carbohydrates that food is digested and converted into glucose. The rise in blood glucose causes the release of insulin from the pancreas and the resultant uptake of glucose into muscle and fat cells.

Along with diet, exercise plays a key role in NIDDM treatment and in determining one's sensitivity to insulin. Fat cells contain only one type of glucose transport protein (a glut-4 transporter) which respond to insulin and increase glucose transport into the fat cell whenever insulin levels go up. Unfortunately, most of the glucose that enters the fat cell are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat.

Muscle on the other hand has two different types of glucose transport proteins, one insulin regulatable (a glut-4 transporter) and one which is insulin independent (a glut-1 transporter). The glut-1 transporter functions in the basal state (between meals), whenever the muscle is active, and for a period of time after exercise. This increased glucose transport which is stimulated by activity and exercise - by the glut-1 transporter and independent of insulin - is what improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in individuals who exercise regularly.

Because glut-1 transporters exist in IDDM individuals and require no insulin to transport glucose into the muscle cells, IDDM patients who exercise require a lower insulin dose than sedentary ones.

So now you can begin to understand how your workouts are not only improving you blood glucose and lipid levels they are modifying the activity of your glut-1 transporters and improving your blood glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity.

An added benefit of improved insulin sensitivity, and lower basal and post-meal insulin levels, is that you'll not only have less glucose transported into your fat cells and less conversion into fat, but you will also have a lower activity of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase and less of a stimulus for TG storage in your fat cells. But that is another story for another post.

How we kicked High Triglyceride's (Hypertriglyceridemia's) butt

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 17:33:01 -0500

How long did it take Dr. Eric's prescription to kick High Triglyceride's butt?How did we do it?

It took three (3) weeks to drop my triglycerides from 500 to 150...and that's a fact.

For 1.5 years I was prescribed 10 mg. of Lipitor in an attempt to reduce my total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Once I began the diet and exercise guidelines of the program 3.5 months ago, the drug, assisted by my program, helped my total cholesterol to drop from above 220 to 126, LDL from over 200 to 100, but raised my triglycerides from 250 to 500.

Dr. Eric knew something was not right. He remembered that some of the Pritikin clients had the same problem. In their studies, Pritikin researchers eliminated foods till they found a culprit. Often when placed on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, it was the fructose (sugar) in fruit which elevated blood triglyceride levels. Apparently, in some individuals who have high blood cholesterol and high blood triglyceride levels, fructose goes preferentially to the liver where it is converted into triglycerides rather than carbohydrates. Go figure.

When I told my internist that DrEric wanted me to remove all fruit and fructose from my diet for 3 weeks and retest, he laughed. Sure enough, 3 weeks later my triglycerides dropped to 150.

What did the medical doctors think? They said, "Wow, looks like the Lipitor is finally doing the job." They thought that the removal of fructose from my diet had nothing to do with it. That was the beginning of the end for that doctor.

Since that time, continued dietary changes along with exercise have lowered my cholesterol to 126, lowered LDL's to 100, and lowered triglycerides to 150...the MD's, reluctantly, gave me permission to remove the Lipitor. They appear to know very little about nutrition's role in disease progression and physiology, and even care less about it. Sometimes they are fools. Even when presented with the changes in my blood work they still didn't believe it...they believe in increasing the toxic drugs that continue to make your liver very unhappy.

Now I have a 140 total cholesterol, a 150 triglyceride, and a 89 LDL...without any medication. And the numbers continue to drop. I expect cholesterol to head toward 125, LDL to lower to 60, and triglycerides to lower to below 100. My liver and I are very happy now. Stay tuned.

All this accomplished by reducing fruit and fructose and increasing mono-unsaturated and omega-3 fats in my diet combined with increased levels of mild activity. Next I'll tell you what Dr. Eric prescribed to lower my total cholesterol...increasing fiber and lowering saturated fats rule.

Amazing! You can learn more about this program at Jeff's Health Club.

Update - Jeff's Health Club results in amazing improvements in functional capacity and biological age.

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 12:30:29 -0500

Between Oct. 6, 2005 and Jan. 16, 2006 not only did Jeff remove five prescription meds and diseases but he also reduced his BA by 13.6 years.

In the fourteen weeks between the first measurements of Jeff's functional capacity on October 6, 2005 at Occidental College and the second measurements at Jeff's Health Club workshop on January 16 & 17, 2006 Jeff improved his functional capacity to the point where his calculated biological age (BA) reduced 13.6 years.

When we tested Jeff the first time in October we measured 18 different physiological parameters from five main categories: body composition measures, disease markers, aerobic conditioning measures, strength measures, and flexibility measures. We ran many of the same test from each category in January and when we selected 15 of the identical tests his average biological age went from 62.8 years to 49.2 years. This is an amazing result that came about through his dedicated efforts and adherence to the program.

Not only did he reduce is BA, he got off of five prescription medications and eliminated his prior disease markers for hypercholesterolemia (high total- &LDL-cholesterol and low HDL-cholesterol), hypertriglyceridemia (high blood triglycerides or fats), hypertension (high blood pressure), NIDDM (non-insulin dependent diabetes), metabolic syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Like I said - amazing results for an amazing man. You can follow more on the program and Jeff's Health Club on the forum within the web site.

Scientific research proves the program works.

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 11:04:04 -0500

The modified regression diet and exercise removes most disease markers and improves well being - studies prove it.

What amazes me most about Jeff's story is not the changes which have occurred but rather that more physicians and individuals in the medical community don't use diet, exercise, and lifestyle modification to treat most of today's degenerative diseases.

Yes, there is a place for medicine and pharmacological treatment. Don't get me wrong. I am definitely not anti-medicine. I am, however, for using diet & exercise as a preventative or curative treatment for diseases which are brought on by poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle.

Research has proven that poor dietary habits results in poor health. That a sedentary lifestyle results in faster deterioration in all systems of the body than due to aging alone.

Research, much of it initiated by Nathan Pritikin and the Pritikin Longevity Center, continued on through Dean Ornish and his work with regression of atherosclerosis, and others has proven that a healthy diet, activity, and stress reduction all work to improve health and remove disease.

In Jeff's Health Club we are simply integrating the scientific research into a usable program to eliminate many degenerative diseases and improve well-being. And, yes, lose weight in the process.

Scientific research proves the program works.

Jeff, you are an inspiration and a shining example of what the program can achieve. I am extremely happy for you and for the accomplishments you've made in your life. I look forward to continued collaboration, success, and health!

Why is there a Jeff's Health Club?

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 10:49:26 -0500

Jeff's Health Club was formed to remove disease and promote health and happiness.

Because I learned that you can remove high blood pressure, diabetes type II, high sugar, high cholesterol, high LDL, high triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome usually in less than three (3) months using what is known as a "modified regression diet". One pleasant side effect of removing all these disease markers is that you lose weight too. Woo Hoo!

Really!

Before Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D. and renowned author of "Fuel Up" started me on my path to healthy, and very happy, eating; I had all of the disease markers above. At one time or another, before medication, my triglycerides were at 1200, my sugar at 300, my weight at 275 lbs, my cholesterol was above 220, my LDL above 200. My blood pressure lived up around 145/90 with a resting heart rate around 85-90. I was in good shape

Medical doctors (MD's) had me taking Norvasc, Avapro, and Toprol XL for high blood pressure, Coronary Artery Disease, and to protect my kidneys. They had me on Lipitor for my high cholesterol and high LDL's. Glyburide was given to control my Diabetes Type II and high sugar. High doses of Vitamin E, D, C, and Folic Acid were also prescribed. Let's not forget fish oil. For my Polymyalsia Rheumatica (PMR), I was put on Prednisone 30-40 mg for 3.5 years. Then after changing doctors, they discovered that I did not have PMR; I had Rheumatoid Arthritis. We dropped the wrongly prescribed toxic Prednisone for yet another toxic drug called Methotrexate (this sweet little drug in larger dosage is used for chemotherapy). All of these drugs are toxic and have a multitude of side effects.

By the way, after medication; my sugar was at 140, my blood pressure at 140/80, my weight at 270 lbs, my cholesterol at 160, my LDL at 170 (I need to double check this value), and to top it off, my triglycerides were at 500.

As you might imagine, my weeks were filled with doctors' visits, procedures and tests; Internists, Rheumatologists, Cardiologists, angiograms, echo cardiograms, cardiograms, stress tests, MRI's, and blood work. While taking all of these medications I developed Bells Palsy and severe depression. I considered moving out of my lovely beachfront home because I had difficulty walking down the steps of my loft bedroom. I also walked with a shuffle step many times due to pain.

I stayed on this merry-go-round for five and a half years (5.5 years) until I was 57. When I told the various doctors that I would like to treat these diseases with diet and exercise, I received resounding chuckles and laughs; along with, "Don't be ridiculous".

Call me Mr. Ridiculous. I now have no diabetes, no high blood pressure, no arthritis, no high cholesterol, no high LDL, no high triglyceride, no heart disease, no shuffle step, no depression, and most of all, NO prescribed medications.

Now, without medication, my waking sugar is 77-95, my blood pressure is 121/77 (or less), my total cholesterol is 140, my LDL is 89, my triglyceride is 150. All of these markers are still steadily moving lower. Oh yeah, my weight today is 234.0 and dropping rapidly.

I must admit, these changes did take 3.5 months (not years) of good eating and mild exercise.

Thanks Dr. Eric, and thank you Nathan Pritikin for your original ground breaking research on the regression of disease.

By the way, the Pritikin Longevity Center funded Dr. Eric's Ph.D and much of his early research at UCLA.

Now there is Jeff's Health Club.

FDA advisory panel receives a failing grade with recommendation on Orlistat (Xenical).

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 15:40:47 -0500

Release of Xenical to over-the-counter status sends wrong message to the public - use drugs rather than taking personal responsibility.

This past Monday, January 23rd 2006, a joint advisory committee of the FDA voted 11-3 to change the status of Orlistat from a prescription weight loss drug to an over-the-counter (OTC) medication. If approved by the FDA (which is highly likely and generally the case when recommended to by their advisory panels) it will send a terrible message to the public in general and to the adults of the future - our kids.

With the change GlaxoSmithKleine and the FDA are supporting the use of a pill (in this case a fat blocking drug) rather than recommending taking personal responsibility for one's health by making wise dietary choices and increasing one's activity level.

The advisory boards' primary arguments for its reclassification to OTC status are greater weight loss on Orlistat compared to placebo groups and that over a ten-year period of release as a prescription drug no cases of severe medical side effects have been reported.

An important reason to stop its re-classification to OTC status and keep it a prescription medication is that in the studies on Orlistat's effectiveness, virtually all those who used the drug and lost weight regained the weight once the drug was discontinued. Without regulation and physician supervised release it is unknown whether future over-the-counter users will modify their diet and exercise along with taking the drug.

There is also the question as to whether side effects take a longer time to develop. Although eating saturated fat has been linked to a host of diseases including heart disease, cancer and diabetes it takes much longer than ten years of a high saturated fat intake for any of these diseases to progress to a life-threatening level.

Also unknown is if the new drug, which will be released under the name Alli (pronounced "Ally") and at half the dose of the prescription medication, is as effective. No long-term studies have been completed. As with all over-the-counter medications - there are questions of compliance to the manufacturer's warnings and recommendations. The possibility for abuse is obviously much greater.

It is unfortunate that the pharmaceutical, medical, and governmental agencies that profess to be watching over the health and well being of the American population don't take a stronger lead. While these groups get up on their "soap box" and preach for healthy eating, lifestyle modification, and restraint in drug use (both recreational and unnecessary drug use), they undermine that message with support of drug use and re-classifications like this which take the focus away from most American's diet and activity choices and places it on a quick fix approach. With this announcement they are basically sending a message which says "take this drug to lose weight ... don't change your eating habits, don't exercise, It's not what you eat. Its what you take to block what you eat."

Is that the correct message our physicians and regulators should be sending?

Jeff's Health Club Inaugural Seminar

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 18:07:42 -0500

Jeff's Health Club had 15 new members attend it's first seminar.

Eric Sternlicht, Ph.D. guided Jeff's Health Club in it's first 3 day seminar. It seems that everyone had a great time.

Mark Weizer said, "This is a life altering experience."

From all the magic in the air, I would say that statement was true for all who attended.

We were tested for our Bioligical Functional Ages. Most were shocked at just how old they are compared to their chronological age.

For the record, I became 49 years old, down from my chronilogical age of 58. Woo Hoo!

We were lectured on exercise, nutrition, fat cell metabolism, and many myths were dispelled by Dr. Eric.

Morning to night we all enjoyed great food cooked by Ellen Sacks. Chelsea did a great shopping for all the goodies.

Leeann Carey of Planet yoga fame attended and stretched our aching bodies with her restorative yoga powers.

It was just a wonderful experience. Check it out at Jeff's Health Club.

Are you allergic to exercise?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 12:01:38 -0500

Exercise-induced allergies, while uncommon, are a real phenomenon.

This past semester one of my students asked why she itched whenever she began to exercise. Years ago a good friend claimed she would itch if she pushed herself above a certain exercise intensity and stated that she would only workout so hard and not any more.

These two individuals are among a small group of people who exhibit allergic reactions to physical exercise. Their symptoms are similar to those a person would exhibit to a mild food allergy. Seldom are the symptoms severe enough to warrant medical attention. Although innocuous, they are none-the-less annoying. If, however, you suffer from exercise-induced anaphylaxis, ceasing exercise is a must.

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis differs from a mild allergy. Symptoms begin with tingling sensations and itching, a systemic allergic reaction progresses to include hives, asthma symptoms, swelling of the mouth and throat area, difficulty breathing, vomiting, cramping, a drop in blood pressure, and loss of consciousness. While these symptoms are serious and potentially life threatening they are generally not deadly.

Most exercise-induced anaphylaxis is associated with recent food intake either prior to or during exercise. Apparently, the food destabilizes the immune system and exercise triggers the overall response. Often exercising prior to eating can solve the problem. Over-the-counter antihistamines can be used to reduce the response. A last resort is the use of self-injectable epinephrine as is used with bee-sting or sever food allergic reactions.

As more and more followers of the Fountain of Youth Project become active and involved in exercise it is inevitable that some of our readers will experience the milder type of symptoms and wonder whether to continue on with their exercise program. The answer is yes. The immune systems in individuals with exercise-induced allergies are erroneously sensing that a harmless substance (in this case exercise) is dangerous. As long as the symptoms aren't severe there is no danger in continuing with your exercise. In fact, typically there is a threshold intensity below which you can exercise and the symptoms won't occur.

Support for Fountain of Youth Project in U.S. News & World Report article.

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 11:34:34 -0500

Amanda Spake's article entitled "Stop Dieting" echoes much of the philosophy of Jeff's program.

If your waiting in a checkout line this week pick up the latest issue of U.S. News & World Report, January 16, 2006, and read Amanda Spake's four page report in the Health & Medicine column of the magazine.

Spake reviews the scientific literature, and interviews top scientists, debunking the myths of dieting for weight loss. The message of the article is in support of a healthy diet, fill with unprocessed foods, low-fat choices, and fruits & vegetables combined with exercise. The take home message: exercise and eat for health rather than diet for weight loss.

The article covers topics from studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which looked at obesity and mortality - finding that overweight but not obese individuals actually live longer than normal weight individuals; disease - finding that diet and exercise lowers disease risk as much as weight loss; and comparisons of diets (including the Atkins, Ornish, Zone, and Weight Watchers) - finding little difference in weight loss between diets.

There is coverage and analysis of the Women's Health Initiative study which supports previous research that found most diets don't work for long term weight loss; and interviews from researchers professing the virtues of activity and the root cause of obesity in our society coming as much from inactivity as from large portion sizes.

While not all the answers are given the article is a clear and concise read and will get you thinking about whether you want to eat for health or for weight loss. Eating for health may not be as attractive or profitable as dieting since it is not a quick fix nor profitable for the $30+ billion a year weight loss industry but it will enhance your life and reduce the likelihood of degenerative disease.

For more, check out pages 61 to 66 of the magazine, along with future posts within the FOYP.