As you may know if you have been with me for a while, my main areas of expertise are relatively few.
They include Omega 3’s, Telomeres, Stem Cells, Nutrition and Exercise. I suppose I could claim a “minor” in [eafl id=”2395″ name=”The Immortality Edge” text=”Sleep Meditation and the like.”]
I have been at it a while and I have to tell you it’s a mixed blessing.
I am always reminded of the famous Schopenhauer quote about the truth paraphrased here: “ The truth is first ridiculed and vilified, then violently opposed, then accepted as self-evident.”
So along with the new bevy of non-medical bio hackers, I am laughing a bit at the numerous articles and blogs that are coming out suggesting that aging may in fact be a disease.
LOL is all I can say- never heard that before did we?
But the good part is that if that concept is beginning to take root we can expect more research and “cures” of some kind to be in the works. After all who would work on something that is an impossible chore?!
As we wait I want to re-introduce for the 50th time the concept of “buying runway”.
Using the airplane analogy and aging, the more runway you have, the longer you can continue your take off. The longer you are around and at least initially, healthy, the more likely you are to be there when the next big breakthrough comes along.
Someone once asked me if they did all the things I recommended in the book “The Immortality Edge” some 8 years ago, how much longer could they hypothetically expect to live.
Now I stress the hypothetical aspect of this lest the FTC and FDA accuse me of making claims about something that is not actually recognized by them as a disease (it’s funny how the people who make the rules can bend them to suit their agendas!).
Anyway, the best-case scenario is about a decade- 10 year more with a decent chance at health.
Now only you can decide if this hypothetical answer is worth the time, money and discipline it takes to live (another DR Dave original) “The Anti-Aging Life Style”.
Here is where I usually launch into the “You need to take Your Fish Oil” pitch, but I want to you remind you that the book I wrote has 6 other chapters devoted to life style changes, not just supplements as one Amazon reviewer suggested.
Simply put, diet and exercise rank high, but we don’t know and haven’t really studied their effects on healthy adults all that much except to say they are “good”. What diet and how much exercise remains very much in the bias of the person writing the article.
Them that does likes, so runner say its running, cross county skiers says its skiing, interval trainers (HIIT) say its intervals and everyone else from Yoga to Zumba jumps on board claiming by default to be good for you.
Power lifters need not apply. Although there are studies on power and longevity. Until there is a power lifter researcher who publishes we are stuck with running, cycling and skiing. Interesting how all science geeks tend to be aerobes if anything!
Sleep is critical for all the reasons I have written to you about, and lectured about worldwide.
But controlling inflammation is still the fastest most accepted way to influence the biology of aging.
I do it with 4 to 6 grams of fish oil and my aptly named multi-vite, Young Life Daily.
In my opinion the above will get you some runway while I work on the rest of it.
I will be talking to you about telomeres, stem cells, mitochondria and lots of other age-related things but start with what I just told you and buy some runway!!!!
Hey, did you hear, “Aging might actually be a disease!”
Yours as always,
Dr Dave