Wellness Information

Flourishing

  • Defined as a ”state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good,” inclusive of 5 domains: (1) happiness and life satisfaction, (2) physical and mental health, (3) meaning and purpose, (4) character and virtue, and (5) close social relationships (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017. 114. 8148-8156; JAMA. 2019. 321. 1667-1668; Ann Intern Med. 2023. 176. 1257-1258)

Foundational Principles of Wellness

  • Optimal nutrition/plentiful (safe/uncontaminated) water

  • Regular exercise - aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, stretching

  • Stress management/relaxation - meditation, mindfulness

  • Adequate sleep

  • Connection/relationships with others (Waldinger and Schulz. The Good Life. 2023)

  • Attitude of gratitude

  • Play/creativity

  • Time in nature

  • Spirituality

Nutrition/Water

  • Narrative summary: Educational Information tab of this website, narrative entitled ‘Diet - Optimum Nutrition’

  • Detailed information with scientific citations: www.drlevyhealthinfo.com Wellbeing tab, page entitled ‘Nutrition’

  • Books

    • Willett, Walter C. Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. 2001.

    • Brand-Miller, Jennie. The New Glucose Revolution. 2001.

    • Ray, Sumatra and Markell, Mariana (ed). Essentials of Nutrition in Medicine and Healthcare. 2023.

  • Avoid foods and beverages with additives that are “excitotoxins” such as MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, aspartame (NutraSweet®, diet soda).

  • Wash fruits and vegetables well, especially if not organic.

  • Green disc or zuperfresh packet for crisper drawers in refrigerator (absorbs/neutralizes ethylene gas which causes produce to over ripen)

  • Meat (including poultry) terminology/seals

    • Free range only means that the animals have ACCESS to the outdoors (it could be one small door to the outdoors in a large coop); it does not necessarily mean that the animals feed (graze) on grass as opposed to consuming soy and corn meal.

    • Natural means only no artificial ingredients or added color; it does not mean no antibiotics or no hormones.

    • Grass-fed does inherently mean no antibiotics.

    • Animal Welfare Approved seal means no antibiotics are used for growth promotion or disease prevention, but may be used to treat sick animals.

    • Certified Humane Raised & Handled seal also means no antibiotics are used for growth promotion or disease prevention, but this label does not require outdoor access.

    • No antibiotics means no antibiotics used at all, including no antibiotics for treatment.

  • Navigate here for report card of most and least pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables (Environmental Working Group Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen)

  • Community supported agriculture (WNY) - Porter Farms - 716-757-6823

  • Farmers & Artisans (Buffalo, NY)

  • Bottled water is ideally consumed from stainless steel bottles or glass bottles - stainless steel bottles can be purchased at www.GreenFeet.com or www.isabellacatalog.com

  • Avoid soft plastic water bottles as they may leach chemicals into the water inside them. Do not freeze soft plastic water bottles with water in them as this increases the release of dioxins from the plastic, and note that conversely exposure of these bottles to high heat can damage the plastic and lead to chemicals from the bottle leaching into the water.

  • Consider purchasing a shower head which accommodates a carbon block shower filter - the chlorine absorbed by the body during a 10 minute shower is approximately equivalent to the amount in 2 gallons of chlorinated water, and do not re-use single use bottles as repeated use is associated with shedding of microplastics from the bottles

  • Consider purchasing an attachment to the bath faucet which accommodates a carbon block filter

  • Consider purchasing a filter for the kitchen sink. For information on various types of water filters, navigate to https://www.drlevyhealthinfo.com/nutrition and scroll about 3/4 down this page to the section on Water.

  • Read the annual water report published by your utility (if utility serves >100,000 customers) and/or consider testing the home water supply (especially if using well water. For information on water testing options, navigate to www.drlevyhealthinfo.com/environmental-medicine and scroll about 7/8 down this page to the section on Water.

    Air/light

  • Books

    • Golos, Natalie. Success in the Clean Bedroom.

    • Rea, Bill. Your Home, Your Health, Your Wellbeing.

  • Vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter or water capture

  • Humidifier/dehumidifier to maintain humidity at 35% - 55%.

  • Plants

    • Spider plant removes carbon monoxide.

    • Boston ferns, chrysanthemums, striped Dracaena, rubber plants, and dwarf date palms remove formaldehyde (found in new carpets, acrylic paints, particle board).

    • Peace lily removes benzene (found in dry-cleaned clothing and oil-based paints).

    • Draceana removes trichlorethylene (released by photocopiers and printers).

    • Areca palm removes toluene (found in nail polish, perfume, permanent markers).

  • Dry-cleaning - avoid perchlorethylene, or air out clothes in garage after cleaning. Look here for alternatives

  • Avoid scented candles because they create more soot when burned (lead wicks now banned in this country).

  • Avoid permanent press sheets, clothing, and curtains, as well as pressed wood products - they may emit formaldehyde fumes.

  • Other sources of indoor pollution include gas appliances, air fresheners, aerosol sprays, moth crystals, stored paints and solvents, gardening chemicals and pesticides, bottles of perfume and household cleaning products, incense.

  • Consider obtaining a measurement of radon gas levels in the basement. 96 hour collection kits available at Home Depot; 90 day collection kits are sold online.

  • Have chimneys checked regularly and ventilation in house assessed by an expert – more information here or 317-837-5362.

  • Consider full spectrum light bulbs

  • Replace incandescent bulbs with LED lights, which use 75% less energy (excellent summary information on “Lights” published in the January 2024 issue of Consumer Reports, pages 34-39).

Exercise

  • National Institute of Aging Go4Life strength-training videos on YouTube

  • Illustrated exercises at cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/growing_stronger.pdf

  • YMCA free videos for older adults at ymca360.org/on-demand/category/14

Electromagnetic Frequencies

  • Move the clock radio away from the bed at least 12 inches because the EMFs interfere with the release of melatonin in the brain.

  • Consider a Trifield® meter here to measure EMFs in the home or workplace. Consider wristwatches embedded with a unique electronic chip for EMF protection.

Supplements

  • NCCAM fact sheets and alerts and advisories available here.

  • KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN – vitamins, herbs, and essential oils do not have safety caps

Spirituality

  • Unity Prayer Line 1-800-669-7729

  • Temagami Vision Quest every summer in remote Canadian wilderness - Vision Quest c/o David and Cynthia Knudson; PO Box 478; St. Peters, PA 19470 (610-469-4661)

Medication Savings

  • Don't always use your health insurance, as some chains and big-box stores offer generics for as little as $10 for a 90 day supply, which may be less than the co-pay with insurance.

  • Seek a 90-day prescription for maintenance medications

  • If paying cash, always ask if the store can offer a better price (and independent pharmacies often have flexibility in this regard). Use the websites Blink Health or GoodRx to learn the "fair price" of a medication.

  • Note that prices are often higher at chain pharmacies than at big-box stores or independents

  • To see whether a drug maker offers discounts for an expensive medication check the web site of the manufacturer or go to medicare.gov/pharmaceutical-assistance-program

  • Note that on Consumer Reports surveys, Costco often offers the best price, and you don't need to be a member to use its pharmacy.

  • If you use an internet pharmacy, use only those which clearly display the VIPPS symbol, which indicates that it is a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site.

    • Check nabp.net to find accredited sites.

    • BEWARE that sites which refer to themselves as "Canadian" are often not Canadian, and may be selling counterfeit products.

  • www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org

Miscellaneous

Medical Identification Bracelet available here or 1-800-363-5985

Animal Nutrition - available here

Animal Welfare - beware of definition of free range (daily access to the outdoors),  strive to eat “grass-fed” beef and poultry

Educational material by diagnosis: available here and here

Gardening

  • Avoid fertilizers containing bone meal or blood meal (there is a possibility these could cause prion disease)

  • Organic plant food is preferable to synthetic fertilizers

Insect repellents for mosquitoes and ticks (Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. 8/26/19. 61. 129-132; Consumer Reports. July 2020. 24-25)

  • NOTE apply insect repellent AFTER applying sunscreen to minimize systemic absorption of the insect repellent.

  • DEET on exposed skin or over clothing, but not under clothing. Look for products with 15 - 30% DEET, as testing has shown that products with > 30% DEET are are only marginally more effective and are associated with increased risk.

  • Permethrin sprayed on clothing is effective for up to two weeks.

  • Repellents with 10 - 20% picaridin (Cutter Advanced ®) are effective (as a spray); higher concentrations typically provide longer lasting protection.

  • Repellents (as a spray) with 30% oil of lemon eucalyptus (Repel ®) are effective, based on Consumer Reports testing. Note though that there is not data on effectiveness of oil of lemon eucalyptus against ticks.

  • IR3535, a synthetic version of beta-alanine at concentrations of 10 - 20% is effective (but studies show that 7.5% is ineffective).

  • 2-undecanone is effective.

  • Citronella-oil based insect repellents provide short term relief against mosquitoes but are not effective against ticks.

  • Essential oils from clove, gerianol, catnip, and patchouli provide limited and variable protection against mosquitoes (Dr. Andrew Weil recommends products with gerianol, available as BugBand ®.

  • Consider thiamine (vitamin B1) 500 mg/day, based on anecdotes in Alaska.

Memory Care

Sunscreen (Consumer Reports. July 2020. 26-37 and July 2022. 44-52)

  • For maximum protection, applied 15-30 minutes prior to sun exposure, to allow for absorption, and re-applied every 2-3 hours.

  • SPF is a measure of how well sunscreen blocks UV-B rays; it does not tell how well sunscreen blocks UV-A rays.

  • SPF 15 filters about 93% of UV-B rays; SPF 30 filters about 97% of UV-B rays.

  • Look for a sunscreen that protects against UV-A and UV-B rays.

  • In 2020, all of the top-rated Consumer Reports sunscreens (from an effectiveness perspective) are chemical-based.

  • Sunscreen agents – chemical (i.e. protect by absorbing sunlight) or mineral (i.e. prevent penetration of skin by UV-A and UV-B).

Resources

  • Consumer Reports for information on environmentally friendly and economical products, as well as groups that accept broken products

  • Environmental Working Group

    • ‘Dirty Dozen’ foods most contaminated with pesticides here

    • Data on safety of thousands of skin care products

Page Updated December 24, 2023