By: Victor M. Sternberg, D.M.D. 

July 24, 2024 

I have written earlier regarding the medication Rapamycin which is currently being evaluated for disease and longevity. As I mentioned, I have been taking this medication for three months now and will hopefully be writing blogs for the next twenty-five years. Dr. Attia, who wrote the book Outlive, also has a podcast. Just Google Dr. Peter Attia and the name is The Drive. He has articles about every aspect of healthcare, emotional, physical and intellectual. 

Interestingly enough, a doctor at the University of Washington has been granted FDA approval to see Rapamycin’s effect on periodontal disease. There is some evidence from transplant patients who receive Rapamycin seem to have an improvement in their oral health. I will keep you informed. 

The dog study, which has been going on for a number of years now, in which 500 dogs were participating with 50% getting Rapamycin and the other 50% getting a placebo, should hopefully soon reveal evidence regarding the positive effect on mammals such as us. 

Regarding the twin study, ironically, I have a patient who has an identical twin living in Germany. My patient, who has been with me for nearly four decades, came in with severe periodontal disease. She has been extremely compliant, and over the years has had periodontal treatment and has retained her teeth. 

Her identical twin sister in Germany did not seek periodontal care and is without any teeth. We are now looking at two individuals with an identical genome receiving a totally different approach to dental issues. 

I like to share with individuals about genetics in the following fashion. Genetics sets the table of your life, but your behavior serves the meal. 

This is true in many aspects of our health, our mental and physical health. 

Finally, I am in the process of finishing a long blog on the dumbing down of America and the failure of American education. I will follow this blog with a complete longer version of my findings. It doesn’t represent my opinions. I have it documented factually. This issue has undermined our political and social institutions.

Along those lines, let me share two short examples of this serious educational flaw in our society. I recently read a book called We’re Losing Our Minds: Rethinking American Higher Education. Let me just give you a quote from it to give you an indication of what’s happening even at our university level, let alone our secondary education. “Our colleges and universities are failing to deliver true higher learning. Our college graduates are not prepared to think critically, creatively speak and write cogently and clearly solve problems, comprehend complex issues and take responsibility and accountability and take the perspective of others in their opinions.” 

The authors of this book are extremely well credentialed who have observed the decline at the level of what was to be higher education. 

Let me share a recent article on the advanced placement tests that students are taking in high school as they prepare for college. 

Grade Inflation Sends AP Test Scores Soaring 

College Board appears to be bowing to pressure to reduce failure rates 

A “recalibration” of scores on the AP tests taken by hundreds of thousands of high school students means that this year, the share of students receiving top scores on some of the most commonly taken tests has roughly doubled. 

In AP United States Government and Politics, 24.1 percent of the 329,132 students who took the test in 2023 earned a 4 or a 5, the top two scores on the test, which is graded on a 1 to 5 scale. In 2024, that share soared to 49 percent. 

In AP United States History, 25.4 percent of the 467,975 students who took the test in 2023 earned a 4 or a 5. In 2024, that share soared to 46 percent. 

The College Board has dramatically changed the grading system on the AP tests so fewer students are failing and more are earning top scores. Source: The College Board Student Score Distributions, 2021–2024 

Are the high school AP history and government teachers in 2024 twice as good as the teachers in 2023? Are the students twice as smart or twice as hardworking? 

Not exactly. The College Board, which administers the tests and charges fees for taking them, says it is “recalibrating” the test scores to match the reality of the grading in the college courses for which the “Advanced Placement” tests can sometimes earn students credit.

High school students who received the higher scores this week were pleased, but not all of them understand that the 4 or 5 scores they got aren’t equal to those earned in previous years, but rather have been devalued. 

The bottom line is that the students are not receiving a higher level of education in the subjects they’re being tested on, but rather the scores are being recalibrated to match their inflated high school grades. Essentially by lowering the bar in order to match the inflation of grades given to our high school students. This represents another indication of why we are where we are as a

nation politically and socially and ethically. 

Having had a long history of being involved with various different venues educationally, as well as teaching for a number of years, I have my own experiences that reinforce these few points. I’ve also had the privilege of coming in contact with numerous educators from the United States and abroad. Without exception, they have shared that we have truly dumbed down our educational system to the point where instead of having citizens who are well informed and have a historical basis for their decisions and their opinions, we have the inverse. 

TO BE CONTINUED 

As always, I appreciate your feedback. 

Yours truly, 

Victor M. Sternberg, D.M.D. 

By Westchester Center for Periodontal & Implant Excellence

December 29, 2023