253 Chronic Inflammation, Cancer and Aging: A Survivor Scientist's Story with Sam Shepherd
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Release Date: 02/13/2026
254 The Gut Microbiome-Inflammation Connection and Accelerated Aging with Martha Carlin
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
What if stubborn weight gain, brain fog, poor sleep, and chronic inflammation aren’t “just aging”—but signals from your gut that started decades earlier? Today’s conversation challenges the myth of inevitable decline and shows how understanding your microbiome can make your chronological age truly just a number. After 40, many people find that diets stop working, digestion becomes unpredictable, hormones feel out of control, and inflammation quietly creeps in. This episode explains why gut healing becomes harder with age, what’s actually changing...
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253 Chronic Inflammation, Cancer and Aging: A Survivor Scientist's Story with Sam Shepherd
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
What if chronic inflammation—not aging itself—is the real reason energy fades, disease risk rises, and resilience declines as the years go by? Today’s conversation challenges the idea that inflammation is just something that “comes with age.” Instead, we explore how targeted science, smart biology, and informed choices can dramatically reshape how you age. Chronic inflammation is the silent driver behind many of the diseases we associate with aging—cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune disorders, and even cancer. Yet most people...
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252 98% Diabetes Reversal? Can Behavioral Science Change the Way We Age? with John Oberg
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
What if the most powerful breakthroughs in reversing chronic disease had less to do with new drugs—and everything to do with understanding human behavior? Type 2 diabetes is widely treated as a lifelong, progressive condition. But what if that assumption is wrong? In today’s episode, we explore how reclaiming personal agency, supported by behavioral science and AI-driven personalization, can fundamentally reshape how you age—because age is just a number, but how you age is a choice. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases associated with aging, yet conventional...
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251 Microplastics and Biological Aging: Separating Evidence from Fear-based, Stress Inducing Headlines that Accelerate Aging: with Chris DeArmitt Ph.D.
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
In recent years, headlines warning about microplastics in fish, water, and even the human body have triggered widespread anxiety. While fear-based narratives grab attention, they also keep the nervous system in a chronic stress state—driving inflammation, impaired decision-making, and accelerated biological aging. The question is no longer just environmental, but deeply personal: what happens when alarming headlines age us faster than reality? For those committed to healthy longevity, constant environmental alarmism can quietly undermine well-being. Chronic stress is a known driver of...
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250 Rewrite Your Aging Story: Conscious Aging, Identity and Healthspan Extension with Wayne R. Lehrer
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Many people enter retirement feeling uncertain, disconnected, or afraid of becoming irrelevant. In this episode, author and conscious aging advocate Wayne Lehrer reframes later life as a powerful third act—one that can be consciously designed for purpose, vitality, and authentic happiness. You’ll learn how mindset, meaning, and daily practices shape not just how long you live, but how well you age. Wayne Lehrer is an author, sculptor, meditation teacher, and conscious aging advocate. A former World’s Fair and theme-park designer and IMAX filmmaker, he now leads international...
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249 Rewriting Fitness After 40. Hormones, Strength Training and Heathspan with Alicia Jones
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Women entering perimenopause and menopause are often told to “do more cardio,” “eat less,” and “push harder” to stay fit. Yet for many, these strategies lead to exhaustion, stalled progress, injuries, and declining confidence rather than improved health. As estrogen declines, muscle loss accelerates, recovery slows, and stress hormones become more influential on weight, sleep, and inflammation. Following outdated fitness rules during this phase can quietly accelerate biological aging and undermine long-term healthspan. Today's guest, Alicia Jones, combines kinesiology,...
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248 Dying on the Waitlist: Healthcare Delays, Epigenetic Wellness, and How Canadians Can Protect Their Healthspan with Ingrid Gahsner
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Canada’s healthcare system is under unprecedented strain, with thousands of people experiencing serious harm—or death—while waiting for diagnostic procedures, specialist care, or life-saving treatments. Despite public trust in the system, delays have become a hidden personal risk that most Canadians fail to plan for. As we age, delays in diagnosis and treatment don’t just affect outcomes—they accelerate physical decline, cognitive stress, emotional exhaustion, and financial vulnerability. Loss of access means loss of control, which directly undermines resilience, independence,...
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247 Carnivore vs Whole Foods: An N-of-1 Experiment on Epigenetics, Nutrition and Healthspan with Dr. Andres Ayesta
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Extreme diets dominate social media, but what actually happens inside your body when you follow them? In this episode, registered dietitian Andres Ayesta shares the results of a 60-day self-experiment comparing a carnivore diet with a whole-foods, minimally processed approach. Using lab testing, DEXA scans, and behavioral science, he reveals what truly changes—and what doesn’t—when it comes to weight, body composition, energy, and long-term health as we age. Andres Ayesta is a registered dietitian, sports nutritionist, and founder of Planos Nutrition. With...
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246 Stress, Burnout and Biological Aging. Simple Habits to Reclaim Energy and Longevity with Erica Jones
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Chronic stress and burnout are often worn as a badge of honor, yet they can be powerful accelerators of biological aging. In this conversation, wellness entrepreneur and educator Erica Jones explains how persistent stress can disrupt sleep, increase inflammation, and influence mitochondrial function, hormones, and even gene expression through epigenetic pathways. Together, with the host, Dr. Gillian Lockitch, we focus on sustainable strategies that busy, high-capacity people can actually maintain - starting with the “unsexy basics” of hydration and sleep, plus boundaries that protect your...
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245 How Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Aging and Affect Health with Wendy B. Correa
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Early life trauma can leave lasting imprints on the brain, body, and emotional health well into later life, but healing is possible at any age. In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with memoirist and wellness practitioner, Wendy Correa about adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, and the profound healing power of self-awareness and creative expression. Wendy shares how writing her memoir, My Pretty Baby, became both a personal reckoning and a path to liberation. This conversation explores how movement, mindfulness,...
info_outlineWhat if chronic inflammation—not aging itself—is the real reason energy fades, disease risk rises, and resilience declines as the years go by? Today’s conversation challenges the idea that inflammation is just something that “comes with age.” Instead, we explore how targeted science, smart biology, and informed choices can dramatically reshape how you age. Chronic inflammation is the silent driver behind many of the diseases we associate with aging—cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune disorders, and even cancer. Yet most people don’t understand why inflammation persists, how it accelerates biological aging, or what actually works to control it at the cellular level.
Samuel Shepherd is an award-winning physicist, inventor, and biomedical innovator with multiple patents in applied health science. After surviving a rare and aggressive bone-marrow cancer, Sam redirected his scientific expertise toward understanding inflammation at its molecular roots. He is the inventor behind ValAsta, the only patented glycosidic form of astaxanthin designed to improve cellular uptake and therapeutic impact.
In this episode, you’ll learn why inflammation is a root cause of aging, how bioavailability determines whether supplements help or fail, what makes targeted antioxidants fundamentally different and practical steps to reduce inflammatory load and promote healthspan extension.
Episode TimelIne
00:00 — Welcome & Episode Framing
Why chronic inflammation sits at the root of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegeneration, cancer, and autoimmunity
03:20 — Introducing Samuel Shepherd & the Oxidative Stress Problem
Sam’s scientific background and focus on cellular-level antioxidant interventions
05:00 — A Personal Turning Point: Polycythemia Vera
A rare bone-marrow cancer diagnosis and the limitations of conventional treatment
07:40 — Cancer Resistance in Nature
Why some species rarely develop cancer and how this led to astaxanthin research
10:30 — From Algae Stress to Astaxanthin Production
How Haematococcus pluvialis produces powerful antioxidants under stress
14:10 — How Inflammation Really Works
Reactive oxygen species, antioxidant balance, and why some antioxidants backfire
17:30 — Bioavailability Breakthroughs
Why molecular structure and glycosidic attachment determine effectiveness
23:30 — Aging, Micronutrients & Enzyme Decline
The role of minerals and antioxidant enzymes as we age
29:50 — Practical Steps for Reducing Inflammation as we age
Testing, targeted supplementation, and proactive longevity strategies
Connect with Dr. Shepherd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@
Website: www.ValAsta.net
Gift for Listeners:
Title: 10% Off ValAsta – Take Control of Your Health
URL: https://www.valasta.net
Promo Code: PODCASTS-VALASTA
Connect with Dr. Lockitch
Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch at askdrgill@gmail.com to request a phone conversation or zoom call
Share the Growing Older Living Younger podcast link for anyone you care about and invite them to subscribe to the podcast