In the first half of the show, Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw, two of the world's leading independent experts in anti-aging research and brain biochemistry, discussed life extension and health supplements. Shaw, who appeared in just the first segment, noted that many supplements have medicinal value. "It turns out there are foods and components in foods, and nutrients, and other things found in our diet that are able to intervene and actually prevent or treat various diseases," she said.
Pearson shared a number of recommendations and observations:
- Taking Fish Oil supplements can reduce the occurrence of sudden death heart attacks by 40-80%.
- A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, mixed with water (taken at meals) can help with weight reduction.
- People can reduce body fat by eating foods that raise your blood sugar less than other foods. For instance, sweet potatoes raise blood sugar much less than regular potatoes. The book The New Glucose Revolution lists the glycemic index values of various foods.
- A supplement of Tryptophan and co-factors can calm a person down and act like "natural Prozac."
- Choline and Vitamin B5 taken together (in a product such as Memory Upgrade) can improve memory and focus.
- Cocoa powder (unsweetened, non-Dutch) can help reduce heart attacks. It can be sweetened with the natural sugar alternative Erythritol.
- People can research supplements by typing in keywords at the National Library of Medicine.
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In the latter half of the program, thanatologist and grief expert David Kessler, who worked with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, talked about what happens when we die. Through his work with the dying and his interviews with eyewitnesses, he reported a number of common patterns of deathbed experiences:
- Those about to die often have a deathbed vision of their mother coming for them. "Interestingly enough...the person that is there when we take our first breath, it might make sense that they would be there when we take our last," he commented.
- The dying often report a "crowd" in the room, composed of various deceased relatives. What if when we die, our ancestors gather around, just as people do at a birth?, Kessler pondered.
- In many deathbed encounters, the dying reach upward just before the moment of death, as though they see something above them.