Maintaining his youth
Author touts vitamins, diet and exercise for health
"It's amazing how youthful he looks," said Fern Welch, of Incline Village. She recently invited Mathis to speak to the Incline Village Women's Club.
"It's unbelievable that he's 81," she said.Mathis said he works at staying young.
"People think you're supposed to look a certain way at a certain age," he said. "There's no such thing as a cure for everything. We'll all die. But there's no reason we can't all live well into our 100s."
Mathis, who also lives in Incline Village, lectures on anti-aging. He credits exercise, a healthy diet and a regimen of vitamins and other supplements for his youthful appearance.
Mathis has a self-published book, "Once I was Old, Now I am Young at 81," available at Borders Books, online at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble's Web site, or at Mathis' site at www.rogermathis.com.
Mathis said he has certificates in nutritional counseling and hypnotherapy.
He started studying nutritional medicine 35 years ago. He came out of World War II with a host of mental and physical problems, he said. Prescribed medications gave him more problems. So, he started researching nutrition and medicine. He worked as a pharmacy technician for 11 years to familiarize himself with traditional medicine, too.
He believes vitamin and mineral supplements could replace many prescription medications.
"Most people don't care about their health until they're sick," Mathis said. "By then, it's too late. We need to make sure our bodies are healthy before we get sick."
Mathis said if he had to narrow it down to just a few essentials, he recommends that people take vitamins A, B, C and E and selenium supplements.
"Of course, none of this is going to help without exercise," Mathis said. "Exercise is essential."
He used to run marathons. But he discovered that too much running can be harmful, too. Even at age 81, he runs two to four miles a day.
A healthy diet is essential, he said.
"But no one can eat as many fruits and vegetables as they need to," Mathis said.
"Vitamin C is something that has to be taken over a period of time," he said.
He said it helps the body's immune system more than any other mineral or vitamin, and he recommends taking 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily. He adds an additional 1,000 milligrams if he feels a cold or the flu coming on. He even credits vitamin C with reducing the chances of breast cancer.
"Cigarette smokers lose 500 milligrams of vitamin C every time they smoke, so smokers especially need vitamin C," Mathis said.
Mathis said the problem is that the pill - as with any supplement - shouldn't be in a small, hard pill, but in capsule form. That way, the body can break it down and absorb it.
Selenium, according to Mathis, can prevent heart disease. The antioxidant prevents free radicals from damaging cells and internal organs.
"There have been studies that show that taking selenium reduces the risk for heart attack by up to 70 percent," Mathis said.
He's also researched ginkgo quite a bit, and is sold on its abilities to promote blood flow throughout the body, giving people added energy and stamina.
He said it's also useful in maintaining the brain's ability to think, helping prevent dementia and other age-related maladies.
"You have to take at least 120 milligrams a day for it to be effective," Mathis said.
He also recommends staying away from aluminum - not drinking from aluminum cans - and staying away from gluten.
"Autopsies on Alzheimer's patients show that some have 60 percent more aluminum in their body than the average person," he said.
Gluten is found in many grains, especially wheat.
Mathis also massages himself for five to 10 minutes daily from head to toe to increase blood flow.
Welch said she started following Mathis' advice a month ago.
"My legs had been hurting a lot, and after a month they feel better," she said, noting that Mathis said vitamin E would reduce her leg pain.
"It's something you need to keep at and make a lifestyle," Welch said. "We have a whole drawer full of pills."
Mathis's book promotes the use of several vitamins and supplements such as aloe vera, magnesium, zinc, amino acids and others. He wrote about preventing the onset of cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and delaying the aging process.
Mathis also produces his own multivitamin supplement, Ad-Ditions, available in some Schnucks stores or online at www.upforlife.com/ad-ditions.html.
