You may be cursed to live a lot longer than you bargained for. That is exactly what I told one of my patients. He was a retired college professor, divorced and living alone. He was a self-claimed liberal, a cynical, sarcastic professor with multiple medical problems including hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and pessimism – he always seemed focused on dying early. His routine visits to see me involved discussing how he was going to die early.
My responsibility was to rebalance his acupuncture meridians. While under my care, he had a car accident, and later, he was run over by a car. He required extensive multiple operations which he managed to survive and underwent a long rehabilitation. That he simply would not die amused him.
Prolonged suffering: the curse of living longer when you are ready to check out of this world. Eventually, he died at about age 81. He lived a lot longer than he expected but his later years were complicated with multiple medical problems.
Is there a new way of predicting longevity beyond chronological age? I attended the International College of Integrative Medicine (ICIM) Conference in August 2025 in Atlanta. The main topic was chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD is another major predictor of longevity beyond advancing age.
Speaker Dr. Darren Schmidt, DC, piqued my interest. He presented a new inexpensive test called Metabolic Vulnerability Index (MVX) Plus for predicting longevity better than VO2 Max, fitness, gender, age, heart disease diagnosis, kidney disease, smoking, race, hypertension, BMI, cholesterol, Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), and grip strength. This blood test is described by James D Otvos et al. in a 2023 article in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. It was patented in October 2024 and is now available via Labcorp.
It measures health, not disease based on six parameters: GlycA (glycosylated acute-phase proteins), small High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) particle number, citrate, valine, leucine and isoleucine, creating a Metabolic Vulnerability Index, Metabolic Malnutrition Index and Inflammation Vulnerability Index. These six combined measures plus the malnutrition and inflammation index predict mitochondrial dysfunction from toxins, infections, malnutrition, and inflammation. It has been tested on 30,000 patients over many years in both high risk and low risk groups. On a scale of 1 to 100, the lower the score, the better off you are.
There is a well-documented link between mortality and syndromes of intertwined malnutrition and inflammation in chronic disease including older aging patients, CKD, liver disease, congestive heart failure, COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, cachexia, sarcopenia, frailty, demineralization, metabolic acidosis and cancer. If this simple test can predict longevity, it can be an important proactive measurement and a part of preventive tests that can help modify your lifestyle and longevity in your favor. Dr. Darren Schmidt’s new book, Optimal Health, covers the MVX Plus test in depth and in clinical applications. Also, search for Dr. William Cromwell, MD on MVX.
From my clinical experience, among the most common denominators for overlooked chronic medical problems are hidden dental problems as a source of chronic infection/inflammation, and parasite/fungal infection contributing to malnutrition/toxins/inflammation. Both disrupt our meridian system.
The meridian system was first mapped out thousands of years ago. It is high time to combine the MVX Plus test and acupuncture meridian assessment (AMA), a new idea based on ancient intelligence, for preventive medicine and healthy longevity. If you can balance the meridians, your MVX score may improve, and you may live a lot longer than you may have bargained for – and with better quality of life. The MVX Plus test will be joining my AMA evaluation to guide and track the progress of my patients.
Special Announcement
My third book, Accidental Cure 3: AI vs. Ancient Intelligence, will be out soon. It includes my full Medical Acupuncture Series, new information on treatment strategies and therapies, and many new case studies. You will also find my favorite tag line on the cover: “It ain’t no accidental cure.”
Here’s a taste of the advance reviews: “Few physicians have bridged the worlds of conventional and complementary medicine as effectively, and boldly.” Helmut Retzek, Dr. med, Austria
“When I finally met Dr. Yu everything fell in place. He had developed what I was searching for: a diagnostic and therapeutic tool that helps uncover hidden causes.” Atel Hemat, Dr. med., Germany
“For any dentist who considers themselves to be ‘Biological’ or ‘Holistic’ in nature, incorporating energy assessments into daily care is a must!” Kelly Blodgett, DMD, NMD, Blodgett Dental Care
AMA Workshop at Medical Week in Baden-Baden
I will be giving a one-day workshop at Medical Week in Baden-Baden, Germany on October 30, 2025 with the morning session covering basic AMA and the afternoon focusing on using AMA for autoimmune diseases, cancer, parasites, and dental-related problems. Let other physicians know about my workshop who might be interested in acupuncture meridian assessment (AMA) and detecting parasites and cancer treatment. It takes more than ivermectin and fenbendazole to treat cancer.
