Advice from a Molecular Biologist

I am a fortunate woman. I’ve said it many times and I’ll probably keep saying it.

Today, I’m celebrating the good fortune of having a friend, one Craig Hordlow, who’s not only a molecular biologist, but one who specialize in the aging process. What a gift from the Universe to this woman of a certain age. Talk about a friend with benefits! How little I had known about the inner life of my body’s myriad cells. While I don’t come close to understanding the complexity of those tiny, living realms, I can appreciate the concepts Craig’s elucidated along the way to helping provide the enhanced TLC my body needs.  It’s not all diet and exercise!

Taking a Breather

One of the simplest things I’ve learned—or relearned—is the value of deep breathing. I’ve long used deep breathing as a means to stave off an incipient panic or anxiety attack. And once upon a time many moons ago I practiced Zen meditation, which begins with deep breathing. Yet deep breathing is valuable throughout the day. Been at your desk for a couple hours churning out reports? Take a breather! Lift your arms straight up above your head and inhale slowly from the diaphragm. Exhale very slowly—for 10 seconds. Repeat five or more times, several times a day. Talk about an instant boost!  In with all that life-giving oxygen, out with the stale carbon dioxide!

The OMG! of Moisturizers

In the course of my longish life I’ve tried all kinds of moisturizers from the horrendously expensive Lavelier brand to a modest off-the-shelf Oil of Olay cream, but I have never felt any moisturizer as luxurious as L’Orèal Collagen.

What does collagen do to your body? Collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity, or stretchiness. It’s in your bones, muscles, and blood, comprising three quarters of your skin and a third of the protein in your body. As you age, your existing collagen breaks down, and it gets harder for your body to produce more.

For more information about collagen, it’s production and uses in your body, take a look at:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen#food-sources.

But the benefits of moisturizing! This L’Orèal  product truly delivers. It reduces the chances of skin problems, can reduce the appearance of other blemishes, helps your skin stay young, and fights wrinkles. Then there’s that gorgeous glow right after you’ve creamed up!

Think moisturizer is only the final step of your morning toilette or evening ablutions? Think again. I now moisturize several times a day. It’s refreshing—and with this product, a sensual moment to relish, just like those deep breaths.

L’Orèal Collagen is available in drugstores and supermarkets as well as through Amazon.

I’m on Acid!

Hyaluronic acid, that is!  It’s another way to slow down the aging of skin, an ideal supplement to your moisturizing regimen. An over-the-counter supplement, it’s in the Vitamin section of your drugstore or supermarket.

Why am I taking my 100-mg hyaluronic capsules every morning and at bedtime? Among the benefits of taking hyaluronic acid are that it:

• Promotes healthier, more supple skin.
• Can speed wound healing.
• Relieves joint pain by keeping bones well lubricated.
• Soothes acid reflux symptoms.
• Relieves dry eye and discomfort.
• Preserves bone strength.
• Could prevent bladder pain.

Hyaluronic acid is an inexpensive and important addition to your daily supplements routine, right up there with Vitamin D, multivitamins, calcium, potassium, B12 complex….

Thanks, Craig, for another anti-aging boost!

My Jury is Still Out

While I’ve been using the L’Orèal  moisturizer and swallowing my daily capsules of hyaluronic acid, I adopted my teaspoon-a-day morning regimen of Liposomal NAD+ only three weeks ago, when Craig gave me a bottle as a gift.  As the packaging says, this is a brain supplement designed to boost energy. Or as the manufacturer describes it: “NAD+ is a key component of oxidation reduction (redox) processes helping in the movement of electrons both for energy production and for enzymes such as Sirtuins which help maintain DNA repair, cellular aging and metabolic health.

The energy-enhancement works—after five days I noticed a little more pep in my step. Definitely.

But because Liposomal NAD+ affects “metabolic health” it has had an impact on my digestive system—a very mild case of flatulence in the hour or so after I swallow my daily teaspoonful.

And I have a sneaking suspicious this supplement is responsible for, ahem, the increased intensity of my orgasms—from day five forward.

It’s not cheap and you may not find it in your local CVS or RiteAid, but it’s always available online from the manufacturer and Amazon. I’m sticking with it. If you give it a try, remember to keep it in the refrigerator upon opening.

Slicking Up for the Night

Astroglide Silicone is not for sex alone, although it does a much, much better job than Astroglide Gel, which gets gummy and is quick to rub off. The silicone version really puts the glide in Astroglide (which is light year’s ahead of K-Y Jelly).

The bottle was just sitting there on the nightstand. I picked it up, squeezed a bit in my hand, and idly began to rub the stuff into my legs, which always feel dry to me, even after lotioning. Sun exposure, chlorine in the pool water every day, and, yep, age will do that. And, since I’m particularly vain about my legs (it’s been said they’re beautiful), I thought the silicone can’t hurt. Craig agreed.

Here’s the scoop on silicone according to Healthline:

“Silicones are best known for their occlusive properties, which is a fancy way of saying that they form a barrier-like coating on the skin that’s resistant to both water and air. Zeichner likens it to a “breathable film.

“’Used medically, silicones have been proven to help heal wounds and improve scarring,’ says Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson, a board certified dermatologist and member of the Healthline advisory board. ‘They have long been used in burn units because they can uniquely heal and protect while allowing the wound to breathe.’

“Basically, their occlusive nature blocks lacerations from interacting with the outside.”

What Healthline doesn’t mention is how good it feels to apply it!  Every night before pulling up the covers, I give my legs their Astroglide Silicone rub!  Ahhh! A night-time ritual I wish I’d discovered sooner.

And it’s widely available in drug and grocery stores as well as online! A travel size is now in my travel toiletries kit. And, no, it doesn’t muck up your pristine sheets!

~~~

As the great wit Dorothy Parker once quipped: “Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.” But, thanks to a little help from a highly educated friend, I’m discovering new ways to keep wrinkle-wolf at bay. And enjoying reveling in my never-to-late my native vanity—a more fortunate virtue after all at my age!

Of a Kind

We are

the yin-yang

of vanity

We are

on the mandala

of beauty

We would be

by karma

timeless

What youthful fuckery is this?

~~~