Vitamin Schmitamin

Two days ago, while cleaning out my car, I rediscovered my copy of Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever, authored by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman. I mentioned this book in a previous post. As I sat in the backseat of my car, predictably distracted from cleaning, and flipped through the book, some of the themes sort of struck me yet again. This book, as well as every other book by Kurzweil, has been widely critiqued by doctors and scientists. There are a couple of notable controversies; for instance, Kurzweil states repeatedly that by drinking large amounts of alkaline water, one can flush toxins out of the body, yet keep sufficient reserves of specific alkaline based enzymes to counteract harmful acidic buildup. With a basic knowledge of chemistry and/or some simple research, it is easy to see that the alkaline water theory is perhaps not the strongest theory out there in the land of nutrition. In any case, I think this particular book does lend itself well to my living well journey...it may not be for everyone, but for me, read with a clear, thoughtful position, it appears to fit in well.


One thing I really like about the plan is its focus on patient specific vitamins. I've always been interested in supplements, and the Transcend plan really was able to highlight the thing about supplements that I've liked but never been able to articulate well until now--that they're customizable. Much of the book is spent detailing effects of specific supplements on certain afflictions. Fantastic! And with a little extra research, although there is a lot of conflicting advice,  it's fairly easy to figure out what to take. For instance, some things I specifically wanted to concentrate on involved managing glucose levels, heart health, nervous system strength, and to a lesser extent , eye and bone health (that's not a lot, is it?). Check out my initial decision on what to take here. I've altered it a bit since then; I've increased Vitamin D a bit, and recently added St. John's Wort. I guess that's the thing I like the most about it though...you can do the research, and you can find out what's right for you, and you can adjust if need be...without making a doctor appointment! Not that I have anything against doctors, and before starting any new regimen you should definitely talk to your doctor, but I also believe strongly that people should take responsibility for their own health, and understand their health. This is something I've always been able to dictate to others better than practicing myself, but I'm working on it. I think in the next couple weeks I'll be rereading the book, and outlining some living well guidelines for myself.  And of course, letting the Internet know about the new plan!