Easy and inexpensive ways to dramatically improve your health this year

Dear Daily Crux reader,

Each year during the holidays, Dr. David Eifrig publishes a list of his top 12 tips for dramatically improving your health – and life – in the coming year.

A former Goldman Sachs trader turned board-eligible eye surgeon, "Doc" is constantly scouring the medical literature for the latest research and news, and refines this list each year based on what he's discovered.

It's previously only been available to paid subscribers, but for the first time last year, Doc was generous enough to sit down with us and share his advice with Daily Crux readers. This year he agreed to share his updated list once again.

If you're looking for easy, inexpensive, and super-effective ways to get healthier and live better this New Year, be sure to read on.

Good investing,

Justin Brill
Managing Editor, The Daily Crux
www.thedailycrux.com
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The Daily Crux Sunday Interview
Easy and inexpensive ways to dramatically improve your health this year

The Daily Crux: Doc, we know you've been publishing your annual list of top 12 ways to improve your health for several years now. How did you get started doing this?

Dr. David Eifrig: What got me started writing about health initially was a request from my friend Porter Stansberry several years ago. He had asked me to write to his readers twice a month on some of the important health and medicine ideas I'd seen that weren't being talked about, or that people weren't being straightforward about.

And that eventually led me to write a list of top things I thought people should really pay attention to or focus on for better health. It was quite popular, so I decided I would update the list each year for subscribers.

Crux: Why is it important to update the list each year?

Eifrig: Well, it all starts with the medical literature. Because of my background and training in medicine and research, I really love reading things like New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, American Family Physician, and Medline. I read through a lot of journals, I do specific online searches on the latest topics, and even sometimes take research cues from old wives' tales and folk wisdom. I really try to get at the latest evidence-based proof about what works and what doesn't.

So I've been doing this list now for the past five or six years, and it's really stood the test of time for the most part. A few of the items have moved up or down, and one or two new ones have replaced others that have dropped out over time. For example, this year's number 12 has moved down a bit... So let's start with that.

Number 12 this year is fruit. I still believe fruit is a critical component of a healthy diet, but it was up as high as five or six a couple years back. It's moved down based on the evidence I've started to see this year in fruit juice.

If you drink fruit juices – especially when you're having other foods with proteins, fats, and a fair amount of carbohydrates – there's some evidence that the fructose, when highly concentrated like it is in juice, can lead to high triglycerides. These are types of inflammatory chemicals that are created and carried around in your blood vessels.

Now I'm not saying that eating lots of fruit or drinking fruit juice leads to heart attacks or blood disease or anything like that. What I am saying is I've seen some concern this year on the effects of consuming too much fruit juice. And it's possible this could apply to eating large amounts of fruit as well. So I moved fruit down to number 12.

Number 11 is one most people are probably aware of, but is critical to good health, especially this time of year. You notice a lot of people get sick this time of year with things like strep throat, colds, and flu. There's no doubt in my mind that a large part of this is because of Thanksgiving, the holidays, families getting together during breaks from school and such, and people sharing food and drink.

So number 11 is... simply don't do that. And by that I mean, don't share someone else's utensils and don't share someone else's glass. You can obviously eat a piece of food off someone else's plate, but don't feed each other with your utensils, and don't drink from the same cup.

This will prevent a lot of the spreading of infections. You often see where one kid in a family will get something like strep, and next thing you know, the whole family gets it. So just avoid that. It'll really help you stay healthier year-round, but especially during the holidays and wintertime. It's something that's helped me immensely.

Crux: On a similar note, you often hear that washing your hands is important to prevent illness as well. What do you think about the hand sanitizers that have become so popular these days?

Eifrig: We've written about that in Retirement Millionaire recently actually. It's really not necessary to use them, and there are chemicals in some of them that can actually be harmful.

Just washing with water and a little bit of soap gets rid of most of the things you need to worry about on your hands, and you don't have to do it that often. But certainly if you're in a social situation such as a party where you may be shaking hands and also eating, it makes sense to take extra precautions.

What I do is, if I'm shaking with my right hand, I'll be sure to eat food only with my left hand. So I use a different hand for eating foods. It may sound silly, but it's quite effective.

Crux: How about number 10?

Eifrig: Number 10 is clean air. This has moved up from 12 over the past couple years. More and more research is coming out about the negative effects of particles floating in the air we breathe.

So whether you're talking about the streets of London where diesel fumes in the '80s and '90s were everywhere, a smoke-filled bar, or just a dust-filled room... they can all impair your health. The particulates in the air are correlated to inflammatory processes in the lungs, in the blood vessels, and even cardiovascular disease.

I've had an air filter in my bedroom for years. It's really reduced any sort of seasonal allergies and stuffiness I used to get. I also try to keep my pillows clean. I'll run pillows through the dryer and toss them to shake out any kind of dust and stuff that's built up on there. I make sure to sweep the floor regularly and wash it with a wet mop... that kind of thing, just to keep the dust levels low.

I also take my shoes off at the door to keep particulate matter low in the house. That's been shown over and over again to reduce the amount of dirt and dust that gets into a house.

Crux: Good tip. Number nine?

Eifrig: Number nine is a reader favorite for obvious reasons... It's moderate consumption of wine.

There's a famous book I often mention called The French Paradox, that's worth reading for anyone who has an interest in wine and health. There's no doubt wine drinkers have lower rates of death from all causes, but no one's sure exactly why.

The health benefits range from cardiovascular protection to improved moods. Some of the benefits come from laughter that comes when you sip a glass or two of wine. So I encourage people to have a little bit of wine, three or four ounces a day, regularly. I do.

Next up at number eight is music – any kind of music, really.

One of the things that I really enjoy if I'm trying to read or study is the beat of Baroque music. It's well known – and well studied – to improve memory and retention, and I certainly love listening to Baroque when I'm trying to concentrate.

I have a separate set of things I listen to that are softer and quieter when I'm trying to write. But I also have upbeat things I listen to when I'm driving down the street with the top down in my car.

So I just encourage you to enjoy music. It's a celebratory thing really – it's a celebration of life listening to music. And the health benefits can be tremendous.

Crux: Number seven?

Eifrig: Number seven is another tip that has moved up over the years as more research comes out. It's the drug aspirin. Aspirin is really one of the most under-estimated and poorly understood drugs there is.

Some people say if you tried to get aspirin approved by the FDA today it wouldn't get through. It's anti-inflammatory, it affects platelets, it has some anti-clotting effects, and it's even recently been shown to reduce rates of some cancers. There are many more things we don't know about it yet.

Originally, the natural form came from willow bark, and it's been used in old medicine for thousands of years. People would soak willow bark and make teas from it to treat pain. So it's a chemical that's been around a long, long time in human history.

I take a single aspirin once a week, just because the effects last for a while with aspirin, but there are plenty of people whose doctors might recommend taking one baby aspirin a day.

The medical establishment in my opinion exaggerates the riskiness of aspirin. The risk of bleeding from it is actually relatively minimal. So I encourage people to consider that if it makes sense for them.

Crux: Number six?

Eifrig: Number six has to do with smell. Our sense of smell is truly one of the most spectacular things there is. It triggers visual memories, auditory memories, taste memories, experiences we had as kids.

When you smell things like cinnamon, onions, nutmeg, gasoline fumes, it's just incredibly powerful stuff. It's a true stimulant to the brain. It can reduce stress and boost your mood and energy levels. So I encourage you to take advantage of that.

There are some fun studies that have been done on flowers and how flowers affect mood and impressions of people – how well they're liked if they have flowers on a lapel or if they have flowers on their desk. Just the smell of flowers is spectacular.

Essential oils are great too. You can get oils of rose, lavender, and several others. I encourage everyone to take a little time to find their favorite smells and sprinkle them around on your bed sheets, on the carpet, in your bathroom, or wherever you really want to enjoy a pleasant experience.

Crux: What's number five?

Eifrig: Number five is sunlight, and this one's been getting a lot of attention lately.

As most people probably know, the skin, when exposed to sun, triggers the production of Vitamin D, which is an important chemical for maintaining health in the body. It has effects on a wide range of things besides bone health – everything from cancer, to depression, to kidney function, even multiple sclerosis.

So I encourage you to get some sun on your body every day. Certainly during the winter months, it's really important in the Northern hemisphere for people to do that. And you really don't need to worry too much at all about sunscreen, especially in the winter. Even in the heat of summer, so long as you avoid getting burned from long exposures to the direct burning rays of the sun in the middle of the day there's no need to worry.

On a side note, many chemicals in sunscreen have turned out to be strong carcinogens and are probably more harmful to you than the sun will ever be... so that's something to think about as well. You need to be aware of what you're putting on you and your children's skin.

Crux: That's a great point. Number four?

Eifrig: Number four is meditation, and this one has become more and more important for me over the years.

It's a simple thing to do, but paradoxically it can also be a difficult thing to do in our busy, modern world. It's essentially just sitting quietly and relaxing.

I tend to find a moment when I wake up in the morning. I'll sit up in bed, pile some pillows up against the wall, sit quietly for 10 to 15 minutes, and truly just relax my mind.

You can say single syllable words to elicit the physiologic response of meditation. Meditation is actually deeper than the deepest sleep and it triggers brainwaves that help improve memory and health. Chemicals are produced that lower blood pressure, and regular meditation even increases V02 max, which is something that normally requires exercise to improve. Yet here's a simple thing you can do, sitting in bed or sitting in a chair 12-15 minutes a day.

I really think it's important. The other fact is it's dirt cheap. You don't need special training, you don't need special equipment. You don't even need shoes or athletic clothes. You just can sit there in your pajamas and quietly meditate.

Crux: Number three?

Eifrig: Number three is massage. I try to get a massage twice a month. When you do anything physical, your muscle tissues can get bruised or torn or injured. Massage tends to break up some of that material and move poisons and toxins out of tissues into the lymphatic system, which is then drained and cleared from your body.

So that's one of the important aspects of massage... It's great for both muscular repair and relaxation. It's almost like meditation in a way. By physically relaxing and breathing, it's almost a meditative state as well.

Also, I use essential oils of lavender and orange in the massage oil, which are very relaxing smells to me.

Massage also benefits the immune system. Just the act of being touched has health benefits that go beyond toxins being removed from the body. It's almost spiritual to have another human place their hands on you. It can have amazing health benefits if you've never done it.

And of course, if the expense is an issue, you can always share massages or even hand or foot rubs with a partner.

Crux: All right, on to number two.

Eifrig: Number two is movement. This has always been in the top five for me, and it's really just as simple as it sounds.

To me, life really is exemplified by being able to move, in many cases, not all. And if you can move, it's important to move. And expressing that, whether it's walking every day or playing squash, or cycling, or horseback riding... golfing... anything you can do to get moving, is one of the most important and wonderful things you can do.

By the way, you can do two on the list at one time by being in the sun while you're moving.

Moderate exercise, especially weight bearing exercise, also provides pain relief, because of the chemicals that are released. After just 30 minutes or so of walking you get endorphins that remove pain from your body for hours. It can be almost narcotic-like pain relief.

Movement also provides benefits to your mood, which can greatly improve the quality of your sleep. Just get out and try to do something every day, even for a little bit, and you'll feel the health benefits within weeks, if not days or hours. And again, most of these activities are absolutely free.

Crux: What's number one?

Eifrig: Number one is sleep. This has been my top choice for several years running. There's no doubt in my mind that the average person's sleep habits are less than ideal, and I encourage everyone – especially anyone who has problems with their health – to focus immediately on what they're doing with their sleep.

When you start thinking about improving your sleep, it starts with creating a restful place to sleep. That includes not having electromagnetic things in your room like alarm clocks, stereos, and televisions. It includes having dark shades so there's no light from the streetlight outside, and turning off the nightlight on the side of the wall. Some older folks need a little bit of nightlight, but I encourage you to have it as dark as you possibly can. The idea is to make your bedroom a sanctuary, a quiet place where you can go to get away and rest.

I recommend getting seven to eight hours of sleep. I think closer to eight has been shown to be beneficial for most people. Some people I know claim they can only sleep six hours, six-and-a-half hours. But in fact, if they were allowed to sleep – if they didn't have to wake up and didn't have their alarm clocks going off in the morning to get them up – many of them would sleep longer. Even those who do wake up naturally would likely find that after half an hour or an hour, they could fall back to sleep, and sleep for another five or six hours. That's how sleep deprived they are.

But one good thing is it turns out you can make up for sleep loss. So let's say you have a couple nights in a row where you only get six or five-and-a-half hours. You can make it up on the third or fourth night, even as long as a couple weeks after. You can make up for that sleep.

So that's something I try to do now. A couple times a month I just turn everything off on a Saturday morning. I might get up, I might have a little breakfast and walk around a little bit, but then I'll go back and lie down in bed and see if I do get sleepy again. If I do, that's my body's way of saying I'm short of sleep, and I'll go ahead and sleep a little longer.

Sleep is just so vitally important. Besides the obvious physical and mental benefits of being well rested, it also helps keep your immune system strong. I think it really helps you avoid colds. There's also great evidence for helping to prevent cardiovascular disease. So sleep is right up there, number one.

Crux: How about naps? Are they a legitimate substitute if someone isn't getting enough sleep at night?

Eifrig: Yes, they are, because you're getting some of the same brainwave patterns that exist in sleep. Unless you're really sleep deprived, you're not going to get the rapid eye movement or REM sleep you get at night – which is important for immune system function – but you are still getting many of the benefits.

So, yeah, if you only sleep five hours a night but you can nap for an hour or two during the course of the day, great, that gets you up closer to seven, and that's much better.

Crux: If someone's reading this and they don't currently feel healthy, or they don't do a lot of these things and would like to begin, how do you recommend they go about incorporating these tips? Trying to implement several new habits at once can be overwhelming and can often lead to failure. Any suggestions?

Eifrig: That's a great question. I would focus on sleeping and movement to start. Tackle those first because they'll pay the biggest and most immediate dividends.

First and foremost, you want to fix your sleep pattern. Sleep hygiene, fix the place, the room, the space you're in. Get a comfortable pillow. Even the most expensive pillow at a Target or a Wal-Mart is only about $20, and there are a ton of choices for less than that. You're on your pillow for a third of your life, so find yourself a comfortable one. Go find the most comfortable mattress you can afford, too.

Then start walking. Make sure you get up and try to walk every day. Start with 10 minutes, go to 15 minutes, go to 20 minutes, go to 30 minutes, every single day. I think it's better to walk after a meal than before, but it's OK if you can only do it before.

It can take up to 21 days to develop a new habit, so stick to those until you're comfortable. Once you've got those under your belt, you can begin to try the others. Feel free to start with the ones that make the most sense to you. This is about enjoying life as well as improving your health.

Crux: Sounds good, Doc. Thanks for talking with us.

Eifrig: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.


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