He observed that when we build rockets we put over 10,000 sensors on them to understand the functioning of all parts of the spacecraft and to enable prediction of mechanical dysfunction and systems failure before it happens... Yet with human health, we adhere to an opposite paradigm. We wait for the human body to develop fulminant systems failure, which shows up as symptoms and meeting diagnostic thresholds for disease-specific biomarkers.
Liver Enzymes: aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) AST and ALT levels of 17 U/L or less. For GGT, lowest risk for men is less than 25 U/L and women from 14 to 20 U/L. Sources vary slightly, but these are good targets to aim for. Vitamin D 40 to 60 ng/mL Recommended real-time metrics to track: Glucose (continuous glucose monitor) Food (food journal or app) Sleep (quantity, quality, consistency) Activity (steps, number of active minutes per day and week with elevated heart rate) Resting heart rate and heart rate variability
Migraine, like my patient Sarah had, also correlates closely to poor metabolic health. In the ENT otology clinic, we often saw this condition and had limited success in treating it. Sufferers of this debilitating neurological disease — about 12 percent of people in the United States — tend to have higher insulin levels and insulin resistance. A comprehensive review of fifty-six research articles identified links between migraine and poor metabolic health, pointing out that “migraine sufferers tend to have impaired insulin sensitivity.” The review supports the “neuro-energetic” theory of migraine. Additionally, evidence suggests that micronutrient deficiencies in key mitochondrial cofactors may also be a contributing factor of migraine. Research has suggested that migraines could be treated by restoring levels of vitamins B and D, magnesium, CoQ10, alpha lipoic acid, and L-carnitine. Vitamin B12, for instance, is involved in the electron transport chain responsible for the final steps of ATP generation in the mitochondria, and studies have indicated that high doses of B12 can help prevent migraine. These micronutrients usually have fewer side effects than other drugs used to treat migraines, making them a promising option for relief, which can be obtained through a diet rich in these micronutrients, or supplementation. Having high markers of oxidative stress, a key Bad Energy feature, is associated with a significantly higher risk of migraine in women, with some studies suggesting that migraine attacks are a symptomatic response to increased levels of oxidative stress. Less painful and more common tension-type headaches are also linked to high variability (excess peaks and crashes) in blood sugar. Hearing Loss The same story of metabolic ignorance in the ENT department unfolded for auditory problems and hearing loss, one of the most common issues presented to our ENT clinic. We’d typically tell our patients that their auditory decline was inevitable, due to aging and