Quantitative Medicine Quotes

“The preferred method is to find a facility that directly measures VO2Max. They are a bit rare, but some are not too pricey, maybe around $150. Usually EKG and blood pressure are simultaneously measured. The test is normally done on a treadmill. This measurement represents extreme conditions, and a medical consultation beforehand is recommended.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Unless otherwise advised by a doctor, this is all-out effort. The 20 to 30-second surge should be repeated 5 times, with perhaps a 10 or 15-second rest in between.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Adult onset diabetes will be reversed and cured. Alzheimer’s will be slowed, and in the early stages even partially reversed. Atherosclerosis will be halted, and slowly reversed. Cancer in principle will be slowed, but if a tumor has resulted, it must be treated. Future cancer risk and risk of recurrence of a treated cancer will both be reduced. Osteoporosis can be stopped and reversed. Loss of stature will, in some cases, reverse also. Osteoarthritis can be reversed in some cases. Aging will noticeably slow.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“The lipid group works somewhat differently. Triglycerides, as we just saw, move rather quickly. The HDL and LDL numbers depend on both diet and exercise, and take longer to change, perhaps six months, but possibly as little as three. The anabolic group is mainly responsive to exercise and should show a lot of improvement within six months.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Specifically, we need, in order, a reliable supply of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur, chlorine, magnesium, and in addition, a pinch of boron, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, silicon, tin, vanadium, and zinc. That makes 25 elements total.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“If supplementing, the Quantitative Medicine recommendation is to take 20,000 IU once a week, and remeasure quarterly. Daily pills appear to be rejected rather than being stored.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Vitamin D supplementation is recommended only if levels are low, say below 30 ng/ml, and measurements should be made first.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“The four most damaging situations are: High iron Sedentary lifestyle Adult onset diabetes High cortisol The first one, high iron, could be hereditary, could occur with the onset of menopause, or could occur as a result of various dietary choices. The excess iron is toxic to the cells, and, if untreated, will greatly accelerate aging. The blood marker for this is ferritin. The treatment is periodic bloodletting (therapeutic phlebotomy). The other three causes are quite”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“A person is already in trouble at 135.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“osteoporosis is determined by measuring bone mineral density using X-rays. A full-body scan in either an EBT or 256-slice CT machine normally measures the density of three vertebrae. For most people, 105 mg/cc is the fracture threshold, but this is not a firm line.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“At first this has little effect, but eventually, bone mineral density is down to around half, at 105 mg/cc. This is the fracture threshold.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“density peaks at about age 21 at around 200 mg/cc. These are strong bones.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“The training consisted of stationary bike riding at 90% of their maximum heart rate, specifically one minute of pedaling, one minute of rest, repeated 10 times. Painfully hard, but blissfully short. This program amounted to a grand total of 60 minutes of bike riding. Their bodies responded by lowering average glucose from 170 mg/dl to 143 mg/dl. Now this is an astonishing result, halfway to a cure. It is even more amazing given the short duration of the exercise program.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“place to start is about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“There are three glucose measurements that are usually considered. Two-hour glucose. This is meant to simulate the body’s response to a meal: 75 mg of straight glucose is administered intravenously, and the glucose level measured after 2 hours. Fasting glucose. This is blood glucose concentration after a 12 to 14-hour fast. Average glucose, also known as Hemoglobin A1C, or simply A1C, is a surrogate measurement, meaning that the percentage of blood hemoglobin that is “glycated” (has a sugar molecule attached to it) is measured. This is normally given as a percentage of total hemoglobin. Often an equivalent blood glucose concentration is presented. A 5% A1C means an average glucose level of 97 mg/dl, 6% means 126 mg/dl. Here are the levels that usually define AODM. Healthy Level “Normal” Upper Limit AODM Lower Limit Two-hour Glucose 120 mg/dl 140 mg/dl 200 mg/dl Fasting Glucose <80 mg/dl 110 mg/dl 125 mg/dl Average Glucose (A1C percentage) <100 mg/dl (5.1%) 125 mg/dl (5.9%) 140 mg/dl (6.5%) However, people with AODM can have glucose levels significantly higher. Above 250 is considered dangerous.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Modifying diet to bring insulin down. This essentially means cutting glucose intake—sugar and starch. Make sure to eat a variety of natural animal and vegetable product. Reducing cortisol. More than any other measurement, cortisol is predictive of cancer. Meditation, contemplation, prayer, yoga, and Taijiquan activities reduce cortisol.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“person with a PSA of 1 that went to 2 in six months probably needs treatment. On the other hand, a person with a PSA of 4 that hasn’t changed much in a decade may have prostate cancer, but it is stable, and no immediate treatment is needed.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“There are some drugs, niacin in particular, that also raise HDL, but raising HDL this way increases mortality, an unexpected and, of course, very undesirable result, so it seems it has to be exercise. It doesn’t take a lot of additional exercise to raise HLD 10 mg/dl.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Reducing average cortisol to a safe level, say under 15 µg/dl, is very important. Unfortunately, there is no convenient way to measure average cortisol, so fasting levels are used. Cortisol is a very fast-acting hormone, and any minor stress prior to a blood draw, such as an argument over billing, could run it up. So unless you are in a normal relaxed state, the measurement should be taken with a grain of salt, or ideally, taken again. Ten minutes a day of some sort of meditation or other spiritual discipline appears to work wonders, and the wonders worked are primarily stress and cortisol reduction and their consequences.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Here are the odds of five-year survival for several common cancers: Cancer Type Odds If Localized If Spread to Lymph Nodes Odds If Metastatic Chance of Getting It Chance of Dying From It Malignant Melanoma 90% 10% 2.5% 0.5% Squamous Cell Skin Cancer ~100% 10% 7.5% 0.01% Bladder Cancer 88% 55% 15% 2.5% 0.6% Breast Cancer ~100% 72% 22% 12% 3% Prostate Cancer ~100% ~100% 28% 15% 2.6% Colorectal Cancer 92% 65% 11% 4.6% 1.9% Esophageal Cancer 40% 21% 4% 0.9% 0.7% Lung Cancer 31% 15% 2% 6.8% 5.8% Pancreatic Cancer 14% 7% 1% 1.5% 1.35% Liver Cancer 28% 7% 2% Leukemia Varies Varies Varies 1.4% 0.8%”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Liver Cancer. AFP, normally present only in pregnancy, could indicate liver or pancreatic cancer. AFP can be measured by a blood test.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA),”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Overall HDL level is controlled by the hypothalamus, and if the exercise is concentric and explosive, the HDL level will be increased, along with numerous other healing and repair functions.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Exercise should have these attributes to be effective: Varying the heart rate up to its (safe) maximum and back. Explosive, a sudden burst of activity. Concentric, meaning muscle should be shortening.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Reversing Atherosclerosis - Exercise, HDL, and HDL2b The other side of the equation consists of increasing the amount of HDL and maximizing the percentage of “mature” cholesterol, also called HDL2b.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Likewise, a high level of C-reactive protein could be the result of atherosclerosis or due to other factors.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“The best non-invasive measurement is the cardiac calcium scoring done in a full-body scan. This measures the amount of calcified material, which in turn gives an accurate assessment of the underlying atherosclerotic load. A measurement of the calcified area is computed. It is known as the Agatston score. A score of 0 means no calcium, and therefore a light atherosclerotic load. A typical 60-year-old man or 70-year-old woman might have a score of 30, which is not a particularly high value, though it could be quite a lot higher. In the absence of exercise and dietary control, the Agatston score will double every two or three years, indicating significant buildup. The score is soon into the hundreds and can go on up into the thousands.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Pattern A and B are called lipid subfractions. Unfortunately, this test isn’t standardized and there are three competing methods: Ion Mobility (IM), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Vertical Auto Profile (VAP). We prefer them in that order. They don’t yield identical results, but are close.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Getting triglycerides below 75 will almost always increase the size of the LDL particles to Pattern A, and thus”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease

“Predominance of the larger size is called Pattern A. The necessary triglyceride reduction needed to achieve this pattern varies, but the threshold tends to be somewhere near 100 mg/dl.”
― Mike Nichols, Quantitative Medicine: Using Targeted Exercise and Diet to Reverse Aging and Chronic Disease