Those of you with a backlog of Oprah episodes in your DVR might check March 24. This show featured Dr. Mehmet Oz explaining the technologies and strategies that could extend our lives maybe even to a century-and-a-half.

The heart surgeon explained the chemical release triggered by a calorie-restricted diet, which is also highlighted in the Good Morning America clip with Diane Sawyer below:

In the Oprah telecast, Dr. Oz introduced a 51-year-old attorney who’s practiced calorie restriction for more than seven years. In that time his bodyweight has dropped from 175 to 130 pounds (5-foot, 9-inches tall), and doctors tell him he has the body of a young athlete.

He estimates that he eats about 80 percent of his foods raw. The typical breakfast consists of three red apple peels mixed with two cups wild blueberries and two cups raspberries, along with about 2 ounces of walnuts. Lunch consists of a 3-pound bowl of salad, heavy on the kale, carrots, and leafy geens.

This man eats approximately 1,950 calories per day.

“It’s about getting the most nutritional bang per calorie,” he explained.

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Dr. Oz and Oprah.

A 60-year-old gentleman who eats about 1,900 calories per day says he has more energy than he had at age 20 and his eyesight hits the charts at 20/20.

The calorie-restriction strategy has been around for decades. I remember the prescribed calorie level being lower, however;  more like 1,300. The wife of the 60-year-old restricts her calories to a range of 1,600-1,700.

Dr. Oz theorizes that lower calories make the cells more efficient and reduces toxins. That may be another way of saying what I’ve always thought – digesting food is like mileage on a car.

“Calorie restriction is the number one way we know we can extend life expectancy,” Dr. Oz said, who cautioned against cutting calories without monitoring levels of iron, calcium and various nutrients.

The other ways of extending or improving life are less within our control, unless your handy at removing your stem cells and planting them into a cell-free pig’s heart. Yes, that’s right, physician/scientists can build replacement parts uniquely our own.

 Dr. Oz visited a tissue-regeneration lab at Wake Forest University and showed how a mold is created, then implanted with the patient’s blood and stem cells (adult stem cells, not embryonic) and after several weeks of incubation you have your own new organ.

Because they have your cells, these organs are readily accepted in your body, Dr. Oz said. Further, he pointed out, there are about 7,000 patients waiting for heart transplants and in the typical year only about 2,000 donations can be secured. Sounds like we need 5,000 pigs.

Less invasive stem-cell remedies are also available.  A man on the show had the tip of his finger sliced off several years ago, and within four weeks he re-grew it through the application of some type of cell dust (my term).

Dr. Oz also demonstrated hyperbaric oxygen therapy and an infra-red sauna. Hyperbaric oxygen is an enclosed chamber pressurized to force oxygen into cells, and can be useful in would healing, bone mending and maybe even helpful to stroke victims, Dr. Oz said. An infra-red sauna heats the body, increases heart rate and burns calories.

Hyperbaric oxygen chamber, similar to the one Dr. Oz demonstrated.

I’ve always believed that a high-intensity workout, characterized by labored breathing and a circulation tsunami, is a very healthful endeavor; like an internal rainforest. It obviously oxygenizes cells.

Our chances of living longer may soon improve not so much by going to the doctor but by going to the potty. That’s because Japan has developed a smart toilet that harvests urine for instant analysis. It’s currently sold only in Japan and analyses only sugar but Dr. Oz expects American ingenuity to capitalize soon.

The doctor also suggests taking resveratrol capsules – that’s the concentrated form of the red-wine ingredient that’s good for your heart.

No mention of acaia berry, surprisingly, which may be a subject for another time. Currnet news,however; the Center for Science in the Public interests warns against Internet scams concerning sales of acaia berry.