Ask Doc Lots of folks are terrified of AI.
Just take a look at some recent headlines...
- AI anxiety: The workers who fear losing their jobs to artificial intelligence
- AI experts warn of looming catastrophes
- AI data collection use a key question for EU privacy regulators
Folks are worried about losing their jobs to AI or about AI invading their privacy. And artists fear AI will steal their artwork.
There's also a concern that the latest AI technology allows just about anyone to create convincing "deepfakes" featuring false footage of realistic faces or voices. Just look at the recent news of a fake ad of Tom Hanks promoting dental insurance.
Some people even worry about a total AI takeover.
I'm not so pessimistic about AI technology...
Companies can use different open-source versions of AI to improve their products and services. Doctors can use AI to diagnose patients more quickly and efficiently. It can even help them devise treatment plans (and even do back-office work like determining a patient's insurance eligibility). The technology has the ability to sift through millions of data points in a way a human never could.
What I am skeptical of is investing in AI.
Even if you're not an investor, you've probably heard of the dot-com bubble. In the late '90s, investors piled into dot-com stocks with minimal fundamental data backing up sky-high valuations. By 2001, investors in those companies lost a lot of money.
I believe the same to be true with AI companies. While there are some that could make you a lot of money, too many of them will turn out to be duds.
If you've been wondering about the future of AI, how AI can make you a better investor, and how to find the right kind of AI company to invest in, don't miss investing legend Louis Navellier's AI master class.
Louis has been a pioneer of artificial intelligence and was one of the first to bring machine learning to the investing world in the late '70s. He has an astoundingly successful track record with hundreds of picks that have doubled or more. He has managed a billion-dollar fund and even rang the opening bell on Wall Street.
And last night, Louis used next-generation AI to unveil a completely new type of investment. It's a way to potentially triple your portfolio over the next 12 months.
If you haven't watched it yet, catch up on the whole class – for free – here.
Now, let's dig into some questions... As always, keep sending your comments, questions, and topic suggestions to [email protected]. My team and I really do read every e-mail.
Q: A friend recently recommended I use manuka honey. I know you have some types you don't like. Is this a good honey? Thanks, Doc. – R.N.
A: Manuka honey is an excellent choice. For those unfamiliar with this variety, it comes from the white or pink flowers of manuka plants native to Australia and New Zealand. These flowers bloom for about two months out of the whole year, making this a tough honey to harvest. That's why manuka typically costs more than other honey varieties, and not all supermarkets carry it.
This stuff is an antimicrobial powerhouse. And it's why manuka honey is the main source of medical-grade honey used in wound care and healing. This amazing substance...
- Improves the gut microbiota by boosting growth of some probiotics
- Boosts antibiotic performance against some nasty bugs like MRSA as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (which was in the news earlier this year for contaminating eyedrops that caused eye infections in at least 80 people, even killing four)
- Keeps cancer cells from proliferating
- Fights inflammation
Compared with other types of honey, manuka is chock-full of methylglyoxal ("MGO"). This compound has antibacterial properties since it messes with the structure of bacteria. In other words, it keeps the bacteria from forming the parts they need to move around and attach to surfaces. And scientists are learning that other beneficial compounds in manuka work to boost MGO's effectiveness.
But non-manuka honey isn't without its benefits. It also has antimicrobial powers, but they're a little bit different from manuka's MGO...
Other types of honey rely on bee-derived peptides (like proteins, but smaller) and loads of hydrogen peroxide for germ-killing ability. A molecule called glucose oxidase helps turn glucose into hydrogen peroxide and gluconic acid (which makes honey acidic, preventing pathogen growth). Hydrogen peroxide can react with oxygen and other molecules to produce free radicals that can destroy bacterial cell walls and break DNA (which leads to mutations that bacteria can't survive).
Like any other honey, manuka is around 80% sugar. If you recall from your grade-school science classes, water tends to flow from a diluted substance to a more concentrated substance to even things out. Since honey is super packed with sugar molecules, it can even draw water out past the cell walls of bacteria, which dehydrates and kills them.
At the same time, all that sugar means drenching your foods and drinks in honey can quickly turn into a calorie bomb. Diabetics will want to be careful since too much of any type of honey can spike blood-sugar levels. So I recommend enjoying honey in moderation while using it in place of table sugar.
If you feel like splurging on manuka, a jar with a high UMF (or "Unique Manuka Factor") rating is one way to start. It's part of a strict grading and authentication system from the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Assocation in New Zealand. (And for wound care, CVS carries some highly rated manuka wound gels and dressings.)
But when you're on a budget, raw, unprocessed honey from your local beekeeper is still a great choice. The important thing is to avoid pasteurized honey... which is processed at high temperatures to look smoother, destroying most of its nutritional components.
I go for a monofloral (from one kind of flower) raw honey. Studies have shown some types of monofloral honey have loads of antioxidants that are great for your ticker. I covered this in the July issue of Retirement Millionaire. If you're a subscriber, check it out here. Otherwise, you can give my long-running publication a try for just $49 by clicking here.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: Here's how we predict solar eclipses.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
October 13, 2023