PERFORMANCE NUTRITION COUNSELING

by Konstantin Monastyrsky

I provide personalized performance nutrition and longevity counseling for senior executives, professionals, top-level government officials, professional athletes, and accomplished individuals in the creative arts (musicians, singers, dancers, actors, writers).

Demanding occupations are commonly associated with stress-related insomnia, depression, migraine, chronic fatigue, digestive and eating disorders, hypertension, heart disease, and other functional pathologies.

These conditions impact performance, derail growth, and are often the reason behind a career-busting burn-out, nervous breakdowns, workplace conflicts, drug and alcohol addiction, reckless behavior, car accidents, and marital problems.

To cope, savvy individuals rely on physicians, nutritionists, and private trainers attuned to the specific needs of VIP clients. The outcome of their efforts have been highlighted recently by the health problems of these public and notable individuals:

— Bill Clinton, former President of the United States. Rapidly became a declining shadow of his former self despite (not from) the quadruple coronary bypass in 2004.

— Tim Russert, NBC's political commentator. Dead at 57. His sudden cardiac arrest revealed the futility and harm of conventional heart disease “prevention.”

— Oprah Winfrey, media megastar and one of the world's wealthiest self-made female entrepreneurs. Ms. Winfrey's perennial weight and health ups-and-downs are directly related to (amazingly) malnutrition, which disproportionately affects African-Americans regardless of status and income. I describe the causes here.

— Britney Spears, pop sensation and teen idol. Her sudden and very public unraveling was an outcome of postpartum depression, childbirth-related weight gain, and subsequent crash dieting. If anything, it illustrates the appalling failure of the very best Hollywood doctors and handlers.

These are just four of the most striking examples. All along, a cascade of equally tragic stories about the suffering of lesser celebrities surfaces daily in all kinds of media, even though historically, the well-to-do were well-off in all other aspects of their lives, and particularly — health-wise.

The fault lines of the vaulted VIP health care

There are numerous reasons why wealth and wellness no longer run on parallel tracks. In my opinion, the most influential among them are the following: (1) concierge medicine; (2) preventive health screening; (3) excessive exercise; (4) longevity treatments and (5) malnutrition or overnutrition.

While there isn't anything inherently wrong with specialized health care for those who require and can afford it, here is what VIP health care delivers in actual practice:

Concierge medicine

According to numerous epidemiological data, wealth and unlimited access to health care inversely impact health and longevity. “Doctors to the rich” are known for the most aggressive treatments, intended to deliver instant gratification, justify their extravagant fees, and please their fickle patients.

Some (not all) of these physicians commonly overprescribe preventive medicines with well-known side-effects, such as statins, blood thinners, acid reducers, pain killers, antidepressants, sleeping aids, hypertensive medicines, sugar pills, diuretics, and others.

Once combined, these medicines have devastating cumulative side effects, including disrupted digestion, weight gain, heart disease, strokes, kidney and liver failure, bone disease and tooth loss, fatigue, impotence, irritability, depression, insomnia, dizziness, syncope, falls, memory loss, dementia, and, inevitably, premature and precipitous aging.

Preventive health screening

VIP patients are routinely recommended annual screening, which may include traditional or virtual colonoscopy, full body scans, and non-invasive cardiovascular radiology (CT angiograms). These inherently risky and disruptive procedures are highly oncogenic (tumor-causing) due to prep and excessive radiation, stressful because of the high rate of false positives, potentially lethal from blood clotting and internal bleeding, and marginally effective for cancer and heart disease prevention.

The whole premise for these procedures is based on profit-driven fear-mongering, misrepresentation of risks, and the promotion of dubious benefits. Interestingly, Katie Couric and Oprah Winfrey are the top two 'cheerleaders' for, respectively, colonoscopies and CT angiograms. I wonder what their cumulative radiation exposure is going to do for their health and longevity.

Excessive exercise

Private trainers — overwhelmingly fit, healthy, and relatively young individuals — promote and foster strenuous exercise routines completely unsuitable for the majority of their middle-aged clients. These exercises provide dubious cardiovascular advantage vis-à-vis brisk walking or elliptical, may cause heart enlargement (cardiomyopathy, the common cause of usually lethal, sudden cardiac arrest), contribute to stress and fatigue, irreparably damage joints, and may become a source of chronic pain. In fact, the avoidance of strenuous physical activity and related risks and traumas was the foundation for health and longevity throughout human evolution.

Please note: I highly recommend physical activity for as long as it’s age-appropriate and relatively free of risks. But before advising clients to exercise regularly, I first work with them on reducing excess weight, restoring joint health, eliminating the rigidity of connective tissues and muscles, stabilizing blood sugar, improving tissue metabolism, normalizing blood function, and increasing cardiovascular capacity — all of the factors essential for efficient and trauma-free exercise.

Longevity treatments

Excessive supplementation, hormone replacement therapies, nutrient-specific diets, and intense exercise — a hallmark of longevity treatment, popularized by experts in sports medicine — were developed for and around professional athletes, and, later oversold to overstressed and poorly trained middle-aged adults.

Without doubt, these approaches may deliver dramatic short-term results but they rapidly unravel with increased cancer rates, sudden organ failure, debilitating traumas, and chronic pain.

Proper longevity treatment requires the completely opposite approach — adequate rest, recovery-specific and low-density diets, gradual low impact training, reduced physical and mental stress, and age- and health-specific supplementation.

Malnutrition or overnutrition

The concept of age-related functional nutrition is practically non-existent in today’s nutritional circles. As a result, the majority of people are either malnourished or over-nourished with 'branded' diets, as detailed on this page.

The tragic outcomes of malnutrition and/or overnutrition are self-evident: diabetes, obesity, bone and joints disorders, tooth loss, infertility, birth defects, atherosclerosis, heart disease, cancers, mental disorders, organ failure, drug dependence, and premature aging and death.

VIP clients are affected by diet crazes even more than “ordinary” people, because they have the financial and logistical means to meticulously follow the wrong diets for extended stretches of time.

For a while, all of these factors may have a minor impact among middle-aged clients who are still relatively well. They, however, become cumulative and counterproductive beyond middle age, as was/is the case with the already mentioned Mr. Clinton, late Mr. Russert, and Ms. Winfrey.

So how do you safely undo the damage, restore health, and refine your performance, nutrition, and longevity strategies in a way that is appropriate for your age, health, and lifestyle?

This is where I come in…

Reversing the damage, moving forward

My work is analytical and advisory. I invest considerable amounts of time into interviewing, learning, observing, and researching client lifestyles and backgrounds. This investigation includes not just nutrition, but also health habits, behavioral traits, emotional triggers, exercise routines, sleep patterns, medications’ side effects, and other relevant facts.

Based on this study, I develop individual plans for performance and longevity nutrition, behavioral modification, rehabilitation from chronic ailments, and avoidance of medical risks.

I remain in constant touch with my clients, and periodically review their progress, refine their plans, adjust these plans to different circumstances and life style changes, and respond to other performance-related needs and questions.

When necessary, I consult or engage with medical doctors and other specialists who are experts in integrative and rehabilitative medicine, sports physiology, pain management, behavior modification, and other fields as appropriate.

The twelve stages of recovery and rejuvenation

Internal organs aren’t easily impressed by wealth, status, or even Konstantin Monastyrsky. It takes time to eliminate food and prescription drug addictions, rejuvenate the endocrine system, restore and rebuild tissues and internal organs, strengthen the bones and joints, and unwire undesirable, unconditional responses.

I do my work in gradual, deliberate stages. Here is what a compliant client can expect from this on-going restoration and rejuvenation:

Stage 1. Attainment of optimal digestive health, including the elimination of lifestyle medications, such as acid reducers, excess fiber, and laxatives.

Stage 2. Reversal of pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome) and type 2 diabetes. Elimination of medicines and/or reduction of therapeutic insulin to safe levels.

Stage 3. Sustained weight loss to normal weight (assuming you are moderately overweight), stable weight thereafter. Normal weight and moderate nutrition are the core of health and longevity.

Stage 4. Normalization of elevated blood pressure related to primary hypertension (represents 95% of all cases, reversible with lifestyle changes). Elimination of hypertension-related medication, and associated risks (elevated blood sugar, elevated triglycerides. blood clots, ischemic stroke, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy) and their common side-effects (fatigue, impotence, depression, indigestion, constipation, etc.).

Stage 5. Reversal of atherosclerosis, prevention of heart attacks, stroke, cardiomyopathy, and congestive heart failure. Normalization of cholesterol and triglycerides levels (the reduction of atherogenesis), and gradual elimination of side-effects prone medicines, such as statins and aspirin.

Stage 6. Moderation of negative responses to stress and other emotional triggers (family members, business associates, adversities, etc). Since emotional responses, particularly negative, strongly influence the endocrine and vascular systems, their moderation is the foundation of cardiovascular health and longevity.

Stage 7. Elimination of medical risks related to lifestyle medicines for GERD, hypertension, insomnia, migraine, chronic pain, and others. This is essential for the proactive prevention of heart disease, cancer, and degenerative disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, which are commonly associated with the long-term use of these medicines.

Stage 8. Abatement of depression, anxieties, attention deficit, and other mental/emotional disorders related to stress and aging. These conditions are commonly contributed by overmedication, digestive disorders, anemia, and a broad deficiency of common macro- and micronutrients.

Stage 9. Improved sleep, increased energy, better concentration, sharper memory, and sustained stamina throughout the day.

Stage 10. Improved appearance, better mood, sexual satisfaction, positive outlook. Women close to menopause will not experience the full brunt of its traumatic side effects, avoid a sudden and precipitous decline in health and appearance.

Stage 11. Prevention and/or partial-reversal of age-onset idiopathic osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and periodontal disease. If you start this program while your teeth are still intact, you may expect to retain all of them for the rest of your natural life. Similarly, if your joints are still healthy and you aren’t engaged in high-impact athletics, this program will spare you from fractures and artificial joints.

Stage 12. Adaptation to international travel, stressful events, and other life-management issues.

In combination, all of the above strategies lead to sustained health and improved quality of life, enhanced performance, and an enjoyable longevity. Depending on a client’s age, health, and degree of compliance with my recommendations, it takes between six to twelve months to attain the majority of these objectives.

If, for example, Mr. Clinton was my client, he would have benefited, not suffered from his bypass surgery. If Mr. Russert was my client, he would very likely still be alive. If Ms. Winfrey was my client, she would enjoy robust health and normal weight. If Ms. Spears was my client, she would still dominate the charts and retain the custody of her two children.

Will you, too, become as good as new? Well, I am quite good at what I do, but not yet a Mephistopheles. That said, if you continue to follow my guidance, after attaining all of the above goals, you'll literally freeze in time, and with each passing year will look at your declining contemporaries with sorrow and amazement.

How is it possible, what’s the secret?

In general terms, the core reasons behind good health and longevity are well-documented. These include: climate, place of residence, good parenting, a happy childhood, level of education, enjoyable work, financial well-being, a stable marriage, healthy children, charitable character, plenty of friends, an enjoyable hobby, moderate physical activity, adequate rest, functional nutrition, and some others.

In turn, I rely on my expertise to help you leverage what you already have, to eliminate what may be harming you, and to avoid medical risks by staying healthy — your lifetime risk of dying from medical errors is five to six times higher than the risk of getting killed in a car accident.

As you can see, there are, really, no secrets — just good luck, old fashioned expertise, hard work, and strong ethics. Besides praying for good luck to come your way, that’s why you’ll be paying me.

How to become my client?

I accept and work personally with a limited number of clients in the United States only. I interview clients at their place of work and/or residence. This interview and research, depending on the client's goals and objectives, may take up to two full days, and may include (if the client wishes) family members, support staff, and healthcare providers (doctors, trainers, nutritionists, etc.).

Past the initial interview, research, and face-to-face counseling — which may also take up to two full days, and may include your support staff and healthcare providers — we stay in touch via e-mail, phone, teleconferencing, or arrange for additional face-to-face follow-ups as needed.

Please note that my work isn’t possible and/or effective when a prospective client wishes to delegate his/her health concerns to proxies due to time constraints. This is as effective as having your assistant take a dental check-up on your behalf.

Certain lifestyle changes may involve immediate family and/or domestic staff. For this reason spouses, partners, parents, guardians, adult children, butlers, private chefs, etc. are welcomed and encouraged (with the client’s explicit consent) to participate in relevant parts of the counseling process.

Working with medical professionals involved in the client’s care is often challenging for the same reasons that hot oil and cold water refuse to mix. That said, if your private physician is open-minded, it's possible. In general, most VIP doctors are quite flexible, and I welcome and encourage their participation.

To arrange a preliminary, no-obligations interview, you may contact me here. Please provide basic details about yourself (your first and last name, age, occupation, location), briefly describe your health concerns and performance objectives, and indicate contact information (i.e. phone, best time to contact, etc.). I’ll get back to you promptly to arrange a mutually convenient time for a brief discussion of your goals.

I have no interest in profiting from and/or publicizing the personal details or performance protocols of high-profile clients. When so desired, I'll sign relevant confidentiality agreements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Konstantin, what are the costs of your services?

The costs are comparable to an ongoing relationship with a senior partner at a corporate law firm. It’s expensive, but still a tiny fraction of what a ruined career, extended illness, or premature death may cost you and your family.

There is a fixed non-refundable fee for initial research and counseling. Additional counseling fees are deducted from a retainer. Travel, lodging, and related expenses are billed in advance of their occurrence or deducted from the retainer. There are no monthly recurring charges. You may cancel my services at any time, and receive a refund on your remaining retainer.

Q. Do you get involved in treating chronic conditions, such as hypertension or irritable bowel syndrome?

My recommendations deliver excellent and lasting results for most functional conditions, such as above. Once you are in remission (or stable), your doctor will be more than happy to reduce or eliminate your medication and even take credit for your recovery. I absolutely don't mind.

Q. Do I have to take supplements?

If your body lacks calcium, or iron, or folic acid, or vitamin B-12, or any other essential micronutrient, you can't quickly replenish it from food alone, unless you are willing to consume large quantities of fresh fruits, vegetables, and processed foods, such as bread, pasta, rice, orange juice, and milk, that are fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals.

Unfortunately, most processed foods also contain fillers, preservatives, artificial flavors, coloring agents, and common digestive allergens and irritants, such as gluten, casein, lactose, pectin, sorbitol, monosodium glutamate, and numerous others.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly organic, are mostly free of additives and contaminants, but contain plentiful carbohydrates — sugars, starches, and fiber. In order to obtain the recommended daily allowance of minerals and vitamins from fruits and vegetables, you must ingest significantly more carbohydrates than your body can utilize for energy. This excess energy becomes body fat. On top of that, there are common digestive problems related to soluble and insoluble fibers, contamination with pesticides and herbicides, and the high allergenicity of many tropical fruits.

To avoid these performance-breaking traps and perils — common digestive disorders, food allergies, and weight gain from excess food — I recommend taking professional-grade supplements, particularly during weight loss and recovery periods, and for performance-related considerations.

Supplements are particularly important past middle-age because aging diminishes the rate of nutrient(s) assimilation and speeds up their losses. To attain similar benefits from food alone vis-à-vis your teenage years, you must either eat more and more food (and gain weight), or eat the same and supplement the deficit.

So, if you are close to or past 40, it's either the supplements, or get ready to 'face the music' with age-onset degenerative conditions, such as wrinkles, hair loss, impotence, tooth loss, osteoporosis, arthritis, hearing and eyesight problems, memory loss, and so on, and on, and on.

Q. Konstantin, but what if it doesn't work?

The actual results will depend on your age, prior health history, and compliance. If the conditions behind your health problems are functional and you are compliant, invariably they will go away.

If the conditions are organic (i.e. irreversible) — they aren't likely to go away, but there is always a good chance of making them less severe, or working around them, and making sure that they will not get worse.

After the initial interview and investigation I will be able to tell you with a higher degree of certainty whether “it” will work or not.

Q. Please, give me some practical examples of what exactly performance nutrition is?

Performance nutrition is a spin-off from my groundbreaking research in forensic nutrition. Here are two of the most striking examples that highlight the absurdity of the dominant mindset:

— Most people think of food as a direct source of energy. In reality, food is a performance ‘downer.’ Ask yourself: Why am I feeling sluggish after having a hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner?

— The diminutive, almost anorexic-looking Maasai — the members of an indigenous East African semi-nomadic tribe — invariably dominate the world’s top marathons, even though they don't cram carbohydrates before the run, and they don't gulp energy drinks along the route. Ask yourself: How come they still manage to outrun and outlast top American and European runners twice their size and with ten times the appetite?

Let's get now into more familiar territory and the practical realm. Here is what performance nutrition can do for you in real life:

• If you are a head of state, you won’t embarrass your country by throwing up on the lap of your counterpart, as George H. W. Bush once did in Japan.

• If you are a chief negotiator in a multi-billion dollar deal, you’ll outlast, outsmart, and outwit your younger colleagues and counterparts because your mind will not go sluggish for a single moment.

• If you are an opera diva, your mouth won’t dry out in the middle of an aria, bad breath will not offend your partner, and you won’t come down with a cold, fatigue, or dyspepsia following a transatlantic flight.

• If you are a world-famous pianist, you mind, hands, and stamina won’t ruin your performing career as they did for, respectively, Glen Gould, Vladimir Horowitz and Van Cliburn.

• If you are a Mick Jagger-wannabe, your face won't look like a creased candy wrapper, and you won't limp-jump around the stage on artificial hip joints.

• If you are a supermodel, you won’t be throwing tantrums in hotels, clubs, and airports as Naomi Campbell often does. Sure, she isn't the nicest person around, but that kind of unrestrained irritability is a sign of chronic fatigue, depression, and hyperinsulinemia, all caused by wrong diet.

• If you are a prominent actor, your career and reputation will not go down the drain from drug addiction, as Robert Downey Jr.’s has.

• If you need to negotiate an oil deal in Moscow, you’ll survive endless 'statutory' rounds of vodka, and wake up hangover-free the morning after.

• If you are a frequent public presenter, you won't experience stage fright and memory-freeze as soon as you hit the stage. This physiological phenomenon is much better controlled through diet than through cognitive training.

• If you are a famous medical writer, you won't die obese and disgraced as the late Dr. Atkins did.

• If you are a movie star, your thighs will not make it into the supermarket tabloids under the “Guess who's rumpled ass this is?” rubric.

These examples are representative of what performance nutrition can do for anyone’s career, health, quality of life, and longevity. I can go on and on. And if you start analyzing your own issues and wishes, you could probably go on and on too.

Q. How long have you been counseling clients?

I've been counseling clients since 2000. Some of them fit the description at the beginning of this page, and are very happy with their results. I touch on some of these successes here. I started offering highly-structured and extended counseling as described on this page since early 2008.

Q. Can I get references from your existing clients?

Yes, it can be arranged following the introductory interview.

Q. I have a question not answered here...

You may contact me here.