Join Dr. Jeffrey Gladden in this interesting conversation with Mark Young Jr., With a resumé steeped in business startups and entrepreneurial ventures, Mark Young joined the Zona Health team in 2016 with a single purpose: to make the Zona Plus a household name. To say that Young’s background is diverse would be an understatement, but “one consistent thread ties it all together,” he would say, “and that is a passion for education … delivering practical solutions in a way that invites people in.” And at Zona Health, education is the key to engagement. As the episode progresses, they talk about how Zona Plus increases nitric oxide, what isometric exercises have to do with longevity and blood pressure, and nitric oxide’s influence on metabolic and cardiovascular function.    Dr. Gladden welcomes Mark Young Jr. to the show. (2:20)  Mark shares how he took a leadership position in Zona and mentions Dr. Gladden's love for biohacking. (4:10)  Mark mentions what Dr. Wiley noticed while studying to know more about fighter pilots' reactions to high speeds. (6:49)  Mark elaborates on how Dr. Wiley made the connection that isometrics improves cardiovascular health and specifically lowers blood pressure in that respect. (8:30)  Mark tells how Zona calibrates to your current maximum voluntary contraction. (10:51)  Dr. Gladden poses the question: Is there a problem if one squeezes the device harder than usual? (11:58)  Dr. Gladden talks about how they measure grip metrics. (14:03)  Mark notes that using Zona is just like doing a plank: everyone finds it easy at first, but it begins to look/feel difficult after a few minutes if they have not been doing it regularly. (16:00)  Mark clarifies that there are signals on the Zona screen to help keep you in a particular range because it's too hard for anybody to stay at exactly the same pressure for two minutes. (18:35)  Mark points out that nitric oxide flow reduces blood pressure by opening the cardiovascular system and that nitric oxide typically stays in the body for approximately six hours before it starts diminishing. (20:06)  Mark highlights that an equal balance of sodium and potassium must exist in every cell at all times. (22:07)  Dr. Gladden mentions how arteriosclerosis actually has to do with an increase in senescent cells inside the arterial wall, leading to that excess thickening, and then it's also complicated and stiffening by the destruction of something called the glycocalyx. (24:05)  Dr. Gladden adds how over time, there is increased oxidative stress on the arterial wall. (26:00)  Mark makes the statement that potassium is your longevity doctor. (28:00)  Mark points out that using the Zona Plus, they have noticed that the higher the blood pressure, the better the drop. They also noticed approximately a 15% drop in systolic and up to a 10% drop in diastolic. (30:30)  Mark adds that Zona increases blood flow, which obviously can reverse erectile dysfunction or eliminate that symptom. (32:39)  Mark tells us how he uses nitric boost pre-workout to improve blood flow and energy. (34:24)  Marke shares how he used Zona to deal with a blood pressure issue he had. (36:27)  Dr. Gladden cautions that those with high blood pressure who want to try out the Zona should not stop taking their medication suddenly. (38:50)  Mark advices monitoring your blood pressure frequently, so it does not become too low. (41:00)  Mark explains how using Zona is a way to make your body do what your body was made to do. (44:19)  Mark describes how we only have a sick care system instead of a health care system. (47:30)  Dr. Gladden brings up how tragic it is when the sexual function is sacrificed or feels the need to be sacrificed for the sake of another health problem. (51:15)      Visit our website, www.gladdenlongevitypodcast.com, for more information on this episode and other episodes as well.  Follow us on social media!  Instagram: @gladdenlongevity / @jeffgladden_md  Twitter: @gladdenlongevit / @jeffgladde