Over the past few years, we’ve been hearing more about the quest for immortality among Silicon Valley types in particular. Some are even so bold to predict that we’ll soon conquer death entirely.
Yet the dream of living forever has been around…well, seemingly forever.
In Greek mythology, we get the story of Eos, goddess of the dawn, who was completely infatuated with a young, smart, good-looking prince of Troy named Tithonius. He was more interested in music and art, but that didn’t stop Eos. She chased him everywhere!
She finally won him over by promising him eternal life. But when she asked Zeus to grant this, she made a critical error.
She forgot to ask for eternal youth.
After years of watching him shrivel and waste away, she closed him up in a chamber.
From there his voice pours out—it seems never to end—and he has no strength at all,
the kind he used to have in his limbs when they could still bend.
If living forever means something like that, who would want it?
Rather, the dream is of a long life in which we feel, look, and function at our best so we can really enjoy those years, the time we have with our loved ones, the pursuit of our interests and dreams.
For while aging is an inescapable fact of life, it doesn’t have to mean we’re fated to withering into helplessness, isolated from so much of what has made our lives meaningful.
In fact, we have excellent examples of what healthy aging can look like in Earth’s Blue Zones areas where we typically find the oldest and healthiest people. What’s their secret?
Healthy eating (plant- or protein-based) and routine physical activity are only a part of it. Consider the people of Nicoya, Costa Rica, for example:
Nicoyans ascribe to a “plan de vida”—a guiding life purpose—that they claim helps fulfill them both mentally and spiritually. Their plan de vida supports a positive outlook among elders and helps keep them active. They have strong faith communities and deep social networks. Nicoyan centenarians live with their families and are said to engage in frequent visits with neighbors. This focus on family and social ties bolsters their emotional well-being with support.
In addition, the Nicoyans’ lifestyle involves plenty of regular, low-intensity physical activity. Even centenarians seem to enjoy physical work, and chores are fundamental to daily life.
There’s even a Blue Zone right in our own backyard – in Loma Linda, to be exact, which is home to one of the largest concentrations of Seventh Day Adventists in the world, around 9000 people.
Adventists tend to live longer than their fellow Americans thanks to their plant-based diets, regular exercise, and abstention from tobacco and alcohol. As with other Blue Zone populations, there’s also a strong emphasis on faith, family, friends, and nature.
Notably, these are all among the keys to what Dr. Joe calls “Radiant Health” – a state of being “better than well,” living a vibrant, active, healthy, and meaningful life.
Call it longevity medicine or anti-aging medicine or regenerative medicine; the goal is the same: restore vitality and resilience – physical, mental, sexual, spiritual – that endures into your later years.
Our tools are many: bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), ozone, prolozone, chelation and other detoxification programs, IV drip therapy, the HCG diet and other weight loss options, sexual health support, customized nutritional programs, and so much more.
The key is to support your body’s own regenerative abilities, to address health all the way down to the cellular level.
In our holistic, integrative West LA clinic, there’s no one-size-fits-all medicine. Dr. Joe provides individualized care. He looks at your overall health history and current status, talks with you about your goals and challenges, and works with you to create a thoroughly customized longevity plan, tailored to your needs.
For while we all have much in common, we also each have experienced a completely unique life, with different influences and exposures and ways we’ve tried to address them in the past, different values and goals, different life circumstances that drive how we can approach treatment and support.
The things you can do on your own will take you far. We’re here to help you take the next steps after that, so you can live the long, vibrant life you wish for and deserve.
Beach image by Army Medicine, via Flickr