Longevity Medicine?

What Is Longevity Medicine?

"Longevity Medicine encompasses several interconnected approaches that work to promote optimal aging".

It is not exactly a new branch of medicine as in pediatrics, internal medicine, OB/GYN, ophthalmology, etc., at least not yet, but is gaining interest both in the medical field and from among those of a certain age.  Namely, the seniors among us, me included. The quote below explains it best:

"As modern medicine evolves, a new and exciting frontier is taking shape—Longevity Medicine. Unlike traditional healthcare models focused primarily on disease management, longevity medicine aims to extend both lifespan and healthspan—the number of years a person lives in good health, free from chronic disease and disability. This emerging specialty blends cutting-edge science with personalized care to slow biological aging, restore cellular health, and extend one’s quality of life".

From the time of the pharaohs, and perhaps even much earlier, humanity grappled with ways to living longer.  Actually, in the case of the pharaohs, it was about crossing the threshold from one physical existence into another. What was puzzling, of course, was the idea of mummification. If the belief was about continuing into the afterlife of a non-physical soul, why preserve the old body devoid of internal organs and fluids? Then what? A skeptic might  ask. I included this merely as an aside with a trifle connection to what modern longevity is all about.

What is worth noting is that early on in the history of our species twenty years was an average lifespan.  By the time of the pharaohs up to the Roman empire, to be thirty to forty years old was likely terminal. 

Today we are at a place and time where the average lifespan has more than doubled from where it was many centuries ago. It is deemed a natural progression brought on by better healthcare, nutrition and environment. In developed countries, that is, but even in so-called third world nations lifespan has gone up a lot better than what was during the Roman Empire's model of modern life during that era. 

This can lead us to conclude that perhaps  generations from now people could be looking at a lifespan of 150 years?  We can't know what outlook and attitude those accorded that kind of opportunity - to live for that long -  because we can't know what life is going to be like one or two centuries into the future. That is assuming, of course, that humanity will somehow manage itself into a couple or more centuries into the future.  If humans get to that point we can only imagine what it would be like for anyone to be alive and see his or her great, great grandchildren. Imagine being alive for three generations of offspring past one's 75th birthday! 

Recently, a research doctor named Peter Attia who specializes in longevity medicine was featured on "60 Minutes".  "Attia’s philosophy centers on prevention, precision, and personalized health management. His mission is not merely to extend life expectancy, but to enhance the quality of those extra years". 

Apparently, according to Attia,  seventy years of age (+/- ten) is generally considered that point  when things begin to break down physiologically.  In other words if our body were an engine, parts would begin to wear out. Now, while an engine can be overhauled with new parts, only so much is attainable with human physiology.  And just like engines, human bodies are subject to normal wear and tear, abuse, varying responses to stresses or the occasional good fortune of the "luck of the draw" among centenarians. 

There is really not much new to learn  more than what we know already beyond the baselines of genetics, nutrition, environment, sociocultural influences, physical activities including regular exercise, and advances in both preventive and maintenance medicine (including physiological interventions, such as surgeries and skeletal replacements, i.e. knee, hips, etc.) and organ transplants.

Meanwhile, researchers and medical scientists have come up with the Longevity Pyramid.  If you can't read the fine print, they are from the bottom up: Diagnostics; Lifestyle interventions and non-physical aspects; Dietary supplements; Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions; Experimental strategies.

Like I said, there is little that we don't already know, given what little or plenty of reading we've done or what more we can learn in the future.  Meanwhile, those of us of a certain age may not only  learn or benefit from today's advances in medicine but also from a "holistic approach that focuses on treating and preventing disease by addressing many aspects of a person's life, including mental, physical, spiritual, and social health". 

The latter is perhaps something we really need to focus on. I would like to think that it is an option we may need to give more thoughts into.  More on this at the bottom.

It can be daunting according to  Bill Bryson, an international best selling author, who wrote   in, "A Brief History of Nearly Everything": 

"It is a curious feature of our existence that we come from a planet that is very good at promoting life but even better at extinguishing it".

We can extract multiple meanings from that statement - from mass extinction of species to man's proclivity to make war and exact violence against each other that accounts for a large number of extinguished lives. And there are natural calamities too that do the same thing. We can also look at it from that perspective or from the limits imposed by nature or the Creator on our lifespan, for lack of a better way to express it. Setting all of these aside there is actually one thing that is worth thinking about.

You see, all things being equal, if we can for a minute assume that that is possible, doctors, clinicians and psychologists tell us that the power of positive thinking may indeed  have a far greater influence on the quality of life at whatever point, wherever and whenever we are along the way in our life's journey.  However, positive thinking is that catch-all phrase that is both easy and hard to define. Not only that but such a state of mind will vary from person to person.

Let's think about this for a minute. First, speaking of think, the greatest miracle in our existence is that of our ability of self awareness despite this one little fact - that every part of our body, singly and on their own, down to the single atom that makes up our entire physiology, such as our skin, liver, kidney, heart, including even the three pound mass that is encased inside our skull, every bone, etc. - is completely unaware of who we are. Yet, we have this thing called consciousness  that knows and think about who we are and where we are, yet it defies explanation.

Let's add another minute to think.  There again, we think but do we know how we just simply do it? Rene Descartes famously said, "I think therefore I am", perhaps one of the simpler yet intriguing explanations about being self aware. hence proving one's existence to oneself but clearly not defined as something that can be physically investigated.  Yes, surgeons during brain surgery can stimulate parts of the brain to trigger the body to respond but science is still unable to say exactly what consciousness is. 

This leads us back to thinking that leads to the question, "What is positive thinking"? 

I started writing this before Thanksgiving but did not quite finish it in time. It would have been most appropriate, really, had I finished it for the message that I wanted to convey.

I believe that to be grateful for not just one thing but for everything we can think of that is good prepares us to cultivate the plot upon which we maintain, nourish and grow positive thinking.  Expressions of gratitude, vocally spoken to ourselves, to our loved ones and friends, and most of all in our prayers to God, for  all the good things we have, not for what we wish to have, is the best way to draw or invite positive thoughts into our minds.

Perhaps it is not so much our quest for long life but how well we live it and recognizing that the price of the ticket for living longer is to grow old. We, each one of us, were handed an open ticket at the beginning of our journey with options to switch rails along the way, as often as we like, and that the final price for the ticket is not due till the end of our journey, wherever and whenever that may be.  Recognizing the ups and downs along the way is part of life's journey but it is by focusing on the "ups" for the most part that will make us grateful and it is by expressing our gratitude that invites positive thoughts. 

If positive thoughts are indeed part of longevity medicine, then gratitude is the best antidote to negative thoughts. There is no greater opportunity for gratitude than the coming holidays. If there is one thing to remember, gratitude and "speaking it loud" and shared with others will amount to heavy discounts on the final ticket price.  Let's all travel well with this longevity medicine.

P.S. I mentioned earlier about not finishing this before Thanksgiving. It was because I took my wife to the ER on Wednesday, then she was transferred to the Medical Center where we spent Thanksgiving Day. Thankfully, we were back home on Friday. And there was so much to be thankful for. We are  grateful for modern medicine, the doctors, nurses, hospital staff and the prayers and well wishes of loved ones and friends.  The entire experience is for another musing perhaps.