Michael Murray MD: The Longevity Matrix
One of the key biochemical findings that are linked to the severity of Covid 19 is the level of cellular glutathione. This substance is our essential inter-cellular antioxidant and has some really great functions in helping us fight against viruses, including some anti-viral activity. We can boost glutathione levels by having more antioxidants in our diet and through supplementation. Vitamin C boosts glutathione levels, as can all of these mineral antioxidants I’ve talked about; flavonoids and carotenes.
As far as a supplement goes, one that’s really received a lot of attention is N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a precursor to glutathione. Still, it also has some benefits on its own. One key benefit is that it’s been used in medicine for decades to thin out thick mucus. One of the things that predispose people to respiratory tract infections is their mucus’ decreased function because of some altered structural components. N-acetyl-L-cysteine is a mucal limbic. It helps break down thick mucus and clear micro-organisms from our respiratory tract more efficiently.
Boosting glutathione levels is not just associated with better immune function; it’s also associated with protection against every known chronic generative disease. So, if you want to live longer, you need to have high glutathione levels. Suppose you want to have a healthy brain function and avoid Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. In that case, you need to have higher brain glutathione levels. Suppose you want to continue to have the proper liver function to eliminate toxic compounds in our food, water, and air. In that case, you need higher levels of glutathione. If you want to have healthy heart function, you need higher levels of glutathione. These things are not just beneficial for our immune system and in promoting longevity; they also have systemic effects in other tissues and body systems.
As it relates to Covid 19, glutathione’s level appears to be one of the key determinants in the disease’s severity. The same thing is true of vitamin D, zinc, and melatonin. All of these compounds work together. And let’s take a really constructive approach in planning out their diet, our supplement program, and our lifestyle. It’s going to have significant effects not just on our immune system but also on every cell throughout our body. And that’s what I’ve tried to do in The Longevity Matrix; to help people realize that we are a system, and we really have to think about how we can best support our system. What are the components that can make our lives better? To me, it’s such a self-evident approach to life, and I’ve been trying to get people to see this way for my entire professional career.
Sandie Sedgbeer: Books like The Longevity Matrix are necessary because we’re not allowed to make claims on supplements. Every single authority out there is doing its best to ensure the public doesn’t know what’s good for them. So, the only way is for people like you to talk about it and to publish books.
Dr. Michael Murray: I talk about it all the time. What amazes me is how many times I’ve just mentioned something like, “You know there’s a compound in eggplant that works as well as a statin on cholesterol levels?” And people say, “Oh, really, that’s interesting.” Then I start talking about different things such as cabbage. “You know, Dr. Garnett Cheney in the ’50s at Stanford University showed that cabbage juice was an effective treatment of peptic ulcers.” It was one of the first clinically proven treatments of peptic ulcers. When I start talking about these different aspects of food, people will look at me quizzically and say, “It’s almost like nature has given us the tools that we need to heal. It’s in the food that we eat.” To me, that’s self-evident, but people haven’t quite figured that out.
So, what are some foods that we can really focus on? There was a recent study with garlic against this virus. You know garlic is well-known as a natural antibiotic, and onions have a similar compound and shallots. Then we start looking at the spices. Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom. They all have significant anti-viral effects and immune system effects. What about all the great herbs? All the mint family herbs have anti-viral bacterial compounds.
Sandie Sedgbeer: What about mushrooms?
Dr. Michael Murray: Mushrooms, exactly. It’s never-ending, right? So, there are actually many people who can support their immune system through better food choices. People just have to educate themselves. Sometimes, our medical community is biased against natural approaches. They’re not doing what they should be doing, making recommendations based on reasonable certainty versus absolute proof. I’ll give you an example. The New England Journal of Medicine said that the most significant discovery in the second half of the 20th Century was the link between folic acid deficiency and neural tube defects. That data existed for over 40 years. They knew that folic acid deficiency led to neural tube defects. They waited until there was so much evidence showing the link that obstetricians and others started recommending that all pregnant women, or women thinking about getting pregnant, should take a folic acid supplement. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of children were born with a birth defect that could have been prevented if their mothers simply took a safe dietary supplement.
Sandie Sedgbeer: Books like The Longevity Matrix are necessary because we’re not allowed to make claims on supplements. Every single authority out there is doing its best to ensure the public doesn’t know what’s good for them. So, the only way is for people like you to talk about it and to publish books.
Dr. Michael Murray: I talk about it all the time. What amazes me is how many times I’ve just mentioned something like, “You know there’s a compound in eggplant that works as well as a statin on cholesterol levels?” And people say, “Oh, really, that’s interesting.” Then I start talking about different things such as cabbage.
The Longevity Matrix – How to Live Better, Stronger, and Longer is available to order at www.thelongevitymatrix.com. You can find out more about Dr. Michael Murray at www.doctormurray.com
