Category Archives: Longevity Medicine

"In your 50s, that's when you're really implementing some of those prevention techniques," says Spar, noting that the bulk of his patients seeking performance-based medicine fall into this age group. To stay proactive, he also recommends snagging a wearable health tracking device, if you can. That way, you can assess everything from your sleep to your stress to your blood sugar levels and make precise, personalized tweaks.

And if you are going to focus on one specific avenue, stress is a good place to start (long-term stress, after all, can affect your health in sinister ways). "At least figure out a way to know what stress feels like in your body," he says. "Get to know when you're stressed and what you could do to attenuate that. Try out different apps for meditation or breathwork, prayer, journaling. What can you be doing around your diet and supplements? Just try very consciously different things to tweak what your concerns might [be]."

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How To Boost Longevity In Your 20s, 30s, 40s & Beyond - mindbodygreen.com

I enjoy a good streaming service, be it Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime. Admittedly, one of my favorite places to log in, and the stream is from my bed. However, one thing Im not guilty of is falling asleep while catching up on the latest episode of Squid Game. In fact, it appears that I was protecting my longevity when doing this, as a new study has revealed that falling asleep in front of the TV could lead to an early death.

The study, published in Sleep, set out to find a link between late at night activities in older adults in the U.S. and its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. For the study, researchers from the Northwestern School of Medicine examined the impact of ambient light on the health and sleeping habits of 552 people between the ages of 63 and 84.

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The findings revealed that participants who slept under ambient light were more likely to experience hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and insulin resistance in the morning. In fact, 17.8% of the participants who slept with the TV on suffered from diabetes, compared to only 9.8% who didnt sleep with the TV on. Also, 40.7% of participants who slept under ambient light were obese, compared to the 26.7 who were also obese but slept in darkness.

For the team, the results of the study can be linked back to the fact that sleeping under ambient light affects glucose regulation, and insulin resistance has been associated with Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.

According to a previous study published in PLOS Medicine, extreme obesity can shorten your lifespan by 14 years. Additionally, research has also found that people with type 2 diabetes, on average, have a shorter life expectancy of about 10 years.

In addition to the aforementioned findings, the study also revealed that participants who fell asleep in ambient light were more likely to stay awake later and then sleep later the next day.

We know late sleepers tend to also have a higher risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, Lead researcher Phyllis Zee told CNN.The saying the early bird catches the worm is anything but a common expression. In fact, one 2018 study suggested that night owls have a 10% heightened risk of early mortality.

People should do their best to avoid or minimize the amount of light they are exposed to during sleep, Phyllis Zee, CNN

Its not just your TV habits that are a cause for concern at night, as any screen that emits blue light can affect your sleep health, which in turn can compromise your longevity. If youre worried about your devices affecting your sleep hygiene, then heres how you can safely use your tech at night.

Tech at night tips:

At 46 years old, Eva Longoria is truly the embodiment of health and wellness. As the years go by, the Desperate Housewives actress continues to prioritize her longevity. In fact, she recently shared two health habits that had changed in her 40s, and these two could be the key to why shes aging so well: eating well and sleeping well.

Kitahara, C. M., Flint, A. J., Berrington de Gonzalez, A., Bernstein, L., et al. (2014). Association between class III obesity (BMI of 40-59 kg/m2) and mortality: a pooled analysis of 20 prospective studies.PLoS medicine,11(7), e1001673. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001673

Kim, M., Vu, T. H., Maas, M. B., Braun, R. I., Wolf, M. S., Roenneberg, T., Daviglus, M. L., Reid, K. J., & Zee, P. C. (2022). Light at night in older age is associated with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.Sleep, zsac130. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsac130

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Falling Asleep With The TV On Is Affecting Your Longevity - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

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Busy Americans may not have time during the week to fit in the American Heart Associations recommended 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise. But new research from nearly 351,000 adults shows the benefits of exercising only on the weekends are comparable to those seen among more regular exercisers.

Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers explained how they assessed data from the National Health Interview Survey which took place between 1997 and 2013. Authors classified those who completed all their recommended weekly exercise in one or two sessions as weekend warriors and those who spread out sessions as regularly active.

Participants were followed for a median of 10.4 years and within that time frame, 4,130 people died of cardiovascular disease and 6,034 from cancer.

Similar all-cause mortality hazard ratios were reported for weekend warriors and regular exercisers when compared with inactive participants. Cause-specific mortality hazard ratios were also similar between the two active groups.

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According to the authors, findings reinforce the importance of reaching the recommended levels of physical activity for health.

They continued, for people with fewer opportunities for daily or regular physical activity during their work week, these findings are important.

Exercise can help prevent onset of several non-communicable diseases in addition to combating obesity and weight gain. Currently, 42 percent of the United States population is obese and 9.2 percent are classified as severely obese.

The papers findings underscore the importance of meeting total exercise time thresholds each week, as opposed to how often one exercises or at what time of day.

The self-reported nature of questionnaires marks a limitation to this study, as participant bias may have impacted results. However, a large sample size and the long duration of the study bolsters the conclusions reliability.

Published on Jul. 07, 2022

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Exercising only on the weekend is still effective, study finds - The Hill

USA American Family Care Franchise Development is offering an urgent care franchising opportunity in the US. Their franchise opportunity provides a proven franchise model, streamlined medical processes, healthcare office operations, franchise operations support, a built-in support network, and pre-existing leadership in urgent care clinics. Franchisees require a $6,000-10,000 lease, utility, and security deposit, a minimum of $412,500 in construction, and a maximum of $10,000 in site selection through third-party real estate experts. The companys franchisees can provide services in urgent care, primary care, and occupational medicine. American Family Care Franchise Development streamlined medical processes to help franchisees set up their clinics easily by helping them navigate through federal aid state laws and regulations. The office operations and built-in support network use technologies and systems designed to simplify the process of medical billing and record-keeping. They provide support in administrative, operations, and management processes, among others to ensure their franchisees can offer on-demand services to their patients.

American Family Care Franchise Development LLC has a team of professionals in different fields that support franchisees through the establishment of their clinics. They have a long-standing brand in the provision of urgent care and a comprehensive range of medical services to over two million patients each year within their 225+ urgent care clinics. They combine business and organizational skills with a commitment to serving their community and building long-lasting relationships. The company representative had this to say about their franchise opportunity, Weve been in business since 1982, and our longevity is a reflection of the hard work we put into supporting franchisees and staying on top of industry changes. American Family Care aims to provide people with the best possible healthcare this is our goal. Every one of our franchises offers urgent care, primary care, and occupational medicine, so franchisees can leverage multiple revenue streams.

The support provided by American Family Care Franchise Development to its franchisees provides new businesses with the knowledge, skills, and guidance needed when setting up a new venture. The company helps franchisees save money and time by providing support for all legal requirements to set up their clinic. Franchisees also benefit from an existing positive company reputation in the healthcare industry. The company facilitates earnings from multiple niches for its franchisees by allowing them to provide urgent care, primary care, and occupational medicine simultaneously. Their staff is keen on helping franchisees thrive in urgent care and provide support in multiple dimensions like operations, administration, and management, among others.

American Family Care Franchise Development provides other services like consultations. Interested clients can discuss with the company staff different franchise opportunities before investing.

American Family Care Franchise Development is located at 3700 Cahaba Beach Rd, Birmingham, Alabama, 35242, US. For consultation and booking, contact their staff by calling 205-552-0562. Visit the company website for more information on their guided and supported urgent care franchise opportunity.

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Company NameAmerican Family Care Franchise DevelopmentContact NamePaige RobinsonPhone205-552-0562Address3700 Cahaba Beach RdCityBirminghamStateAlabamaPostal Code35242CountryUnited StatesWebsitehttps://afcfranchising.com/

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American Family Care Franchise Development Is Offering a Guided, Supported, Urgent Care Franchise Opportunity in the US - Digital Journal

The key to a long, happy retirement is not just having a flush portfolio or moving to a low-tax state with 300-plus days of sunshine. Its having the good health to enjoy your golden years.

And thats more than clich. Edward Jones surveyed 11,000 adults and found that 69% wanted to live to age 100. However, some didnt want such longevity if they were in terrible health (32%), if they became a burden on their families (29%), if they had serious cognitive loss (20%), and if they no longer had purpose in life (14%).

Many people assume that their chances of a long, healthy life is largely out of their hands, controlled by the genes they inherited. Its not that simple.

While scientists previously believed that genetics accounted for roughly 25% of lifespan, new research has put that number under 10%. Genetics still matters. Whether or not you dodge a particular affliction may be determined by your genes. And for extremely long-lived peoplethose who live beyond perhaps age 105genes are still thought to pay a huge role.

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Barrons brings retirement planning and advice to you in a weekly wrap-up of our articles about preparing for life after work.

For most of us, however, whether we get 75 or 85 or 95 healthy years is affected more by lifestyle choices than by genes. Getting regular exercise and enough sleep, eating nutritious, healthy foods, staying resilient and connected with other humansthese are the habits that produce continuing good health, long lifespans and enjoyable, productive retirements. They will also lower your healthcare costs and reduce your odds of developing dementiatwo of the biggest worries for retirees.

Genetics are the gun and lifestyle pulls the trigger, says Dr. David Fein, medical director of the Princeton Longevity Center in New Jersey.

Barrons recently talked to longevity experts, geriatric doctors, and read the latest research to come up with some concrete steps for improving your odds of a long, healthy life. Some of it is age-old advice. But research has also upended some of the conventional wisdom in recent years. For example, doctors used to think that moderate alcohol consumption was good for you; new research shows otherwise.

Here are six things you can do to improve your chances for having the good health to enjoy your retirement.

Exercise isnt a particularly efficient way of losing weight. But it is great at just about everything else when it comes to improving your health.

Want to lower your blood pressure or your blood sugar levels? Want to sleep better? Want to improve your brain function and memory? Want to lift your spirits? All these things are important for our health, and over recent years, theres been much research showing how exercise helps in all.

Exercise doesnt necessarily mean going to the gym. Brisk daily walks around the neighborhood will give you similar benefits. Nor does exercise all have to be done in one continuous session. Little five- or 10-minute bursts of activity throughout the day could be even better for you than a single session.

Its very hard to make up for 47 hours of being sedentary with one hour of intensive exercise, says Dr. Fein. Chairs kill more people than anything else.

Especially as you get older, be sure to include resistance training or other weight-bearing exercises to strengthen your bones and retain muscle mass. Biking or swimming are great for your cardiovascular system but they wont protect you from osteoporosis. If youre not lifting weights, try a few minutes of jumping ropes to build stronger bones.

Can there be too much of a good thing when it comes to exercise? Some research has found that extreme exercise actually hurts your health. An in-depth study in 2018 found otherwise. It studied 122,000 patients and measured their fitness not on how much they said they exercised, but how they performed on a treadmill test. It found the extremely fit had the lowest mortality levels.

But the debate over how much exercise is too much is beside the point. The big difference in health isnt between those in good shape and those in extremely good shape. Its between those who exercise and those who dont.

All sorts of good things happen as you sleep. Cells renew themselves. Your body produces hormones, which helps restore the body and reset many of its functions. Not getting enough sleep hurts your immune function. Scientists have found that people who dont sleep enough are more likely to eventually develop dementia.

How much sleep is enough sleep? The rough rule is between six to eight hours a night for adults. But different people may have different patterns and still get enough sleep. Some people may wake up in the middle of the night, be up for an hour or two, and go back to sleep for a few more hours. Others may take a nap in the middle of the day.

What is the best pattern for you? We dont know, says Daniel Belsky, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, who says there hasnt been much high-quality research on the subject. What pattern is optimal for a person may depend on the life they lead.

Dr. Belsky says there has been good research on shift workers who work at night while others are sleeping, and they pay a health priceparticularly if their sleep times keep changing.

Other Americans have trouble sleeping, no matter what time it is. If that applies to you, doctors advise you to improve your sleep hygiene. Go to bed at the same time each night. Make sure your bedroom is dark and at a comfortable temperature. And dont keep checking your smartphone throughout the night.

For years, many doctors advised their patients that moderate drinking, particularly red wine, was good for them. After all, research had shown that moderate drinkers lived longer than both heavy drinkers and nondrinkers.

But new research has changed the conventional wisdom on the subject.

It finds the reason moderate drinkers had better health wasnt the alcohol; it is believed to stem from favorable lifestyle, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors.

Drinking increases your risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancers. The risks appear minimal for light drinkers but increase with higher drinking levels.

Bottom line: Nobody should start drinking because they think its good for their health, says geriatrician Alicia Ines Arbaje, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Alcohol is directly toxic to the body. There is no amount that is beneficial.

Obesity is tied to a multitude of illnesses, including higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and many cancers. Obese people have been hit harder by the Covid-19 pandemic.

But it doesnt necessarily follow that going on a strict diet to shave off some pounds is good for you. Losing weight isnt that hard. But keeping weight off is quite hard, and yo-yoing up and down doesnt do your body any good.

Whats more, all fat isnt created equal. The subcutaneous fat that sits on our hips may be unsightly, but it doesnt appear to have big effects on our health. The nasty stuff is the visceral fat that surrounds our organs. It changes the hormones produced by the body, and is linked to diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and Alzheimers disease.

The only way of knowing for sure how much visceral fat you have is some sort of body scan, which is expensive and not recommended by most health experts for the general population.

People with bigger waists or apple-shaped bodies tend to have more visceral fat. But even there it gets tricky since different ethnic groups, notably people of Asian heritage, have a tendency to carry more visceral fat.

Morgan Levine is an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine who studies aging and wrote the book True Age. Instead of focusing on your weight, she says people should exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. The good news is that exercise does reduce visceral fat.

Weight is such a bad proxy or measure for what is contributing to health, Dr. Levine says. Its so much more complex than how heavy you are.

Further complicating things, while weight loss may be desirable for the general population, it often isnt for seniors because it can cause loss of muscle and can contribute to osteoporosis. Geriatrician Deborah Kado, who has done extensive research on bone health and is co-director of the Stanford Longevity Center in California, doesnt usually advise her older patients to lose weight.

I tell them its insurance if you go into the hospital, she says. There is a lot of data that indicates that weight loss, whether intentional or unintentional, has been associated with adverse health outcomes rather than health benefits.

Nutrition is one of the trickier areas to research. Its hard to know exactly what research subjects actually eat. And it can take years for health effects to emerge. Nonetheless, scientists are seeing eating patterns that contribute to longevity.

A study found that even 60-year-olds could add an average eight or nine years to their lives by abandoning a Western diet. The biggest gains came from eating more legumes, whole grains and nuts, and eating less red meat and processed meat. Eating more fish was also a plus. The effects of eggs, poultry and oil were less clear. If it sounds a lot like the Mediterranean diet, it is. But its emphasis on vegetables, legumes and whole grains also bears similarities to how people eat in other parts of the world known for longevity.

Americans eat too much protein, says Yales Dr. Levine. She says protein contributes to overly high levels of the human growth hormone, which is linked to certain cancers and appears to increase aging.

But once again, the recommendation changes when it comes to seniors. Older people dont process protein as well, and need more of it in their diet to maintain muscle mass, research has found.

Live long enough, and bad things are likely to happen to you or the people around you. How you deal with them is key. People who have a positive mind-set on things they cant control tend to have much better outcomes, says Dr. Kado, the Stanford geriatrician. She says it is almost the most important factor in how her patients fare.

People are social creatures. And we tend to be more resilient when we have strong social connections. This can come through our family, our friends, our church, or even our retirement community. There has been research showing that maintaining social connections is good for brain health. So go for a walk with a friend and eat an apple afterward.

When it comes to longevity, these are all steps in the right direction. Saving for that longer life, and retirement, is another story.

Write to retirement@barrons.com

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Here's How to Maximize Your Healthy Years in Retirement. Eat Right and Exercise. - Barron's

Infertility is a medical condition affecting a growing number of couples worldwide. The good news is that in many cases it can be successfully treated. In this #WellnessWednesday session Gisle Wertheim Aymes discussed infertility with specialistDr. Tebogo Deo.

Dr. Deo is a Reproductive Medicine Sub-specialist, and Fertility Gynaecologist. She trained at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. She also holds a B.Sc. from Rhodes University and MBCHB from MEDUNSA. Dr. Deo is currently completing her MA in Pastoral Studies.

Infertility is a medical condition that requires an accurate diagnosis and the right treatment. Its defined as failure to establish a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse; or due to an impairment of a persons capacity to reproduce, either as an individual or with his/her partner.2 If the woman is older than 35, she and her partner should seek an evaluation if they have not been able to conceive after six months.3

Its estimated that globally, infertility affects 812 % of women who are 2044 years of age.1 Physiological causes in men account for 2030 % of cases of infertility and physiological causes in women for 2035 %, 2540 % of cases are due to issues in both partners. In 1020 % of cases, no cause was found.1

Infertility does not mean you cant fall pregnant or have a baby. Rather, you require medical assistance to do so, as infertility is a medical condition that can be treated.

In recent years, the number of couples seeking treatment for infertility has dramatically increased. This is due to many factors including the postponement of childbearing in women. It is a medical fact that a womans fertility begins to decline in her 20s and significantly deteriorates after age 35. The chance of conception for a woman older than 43 is very low. As increasing numbers of women postpone starting families until after 35, many require reproductive assistance.

Dr. Deo stressed, Its not necessarily just a mans issue or a womans issue, it is a couple issue. We need both of them together to understand this.

All of the steps during ovulation and fertilization need to happen correctly in order to get pregnant. Dr. Deo says that sometimes, issues that cause infertility in couples are present at birth, and sometimes they develop later in life. This can affect one or both partners.

Causes of male infertility may include abnormal sperm production or function. It can also be a result of problems with the delivery of sperm and overexposure to certain environmental factors. These include cigarette smoking, anabolic steroid use, marijuana, alcohol, and certain medications. Cancer can also impact fertility.3

Causes of female infertility may include ovulation disorders. Uterine or cervical abnormalities, fallopian tube damage or blockage and endometriosis. In addition, early menopause, pelvic adhesions (bands of scar tissue from pelvic infection, appendicitis, endometriosis, abdominal or pelvic surgery) can also cause infertility. Cancer is a factor.3

Tubes may be blocked as a result of diseases like TB, chlamydia and endometriosis .Fibroids can also be a cause, particularly those close to the tubes. They may cause infertility.

Dr.Deo explained that carrying excess weight can also influence the condition. And yes, if you are more than 40, you may find that your ovarian reserve, meaning the number of eggs that you have, are diminished. And as a result of that, you may not be able to fall pregnant. Men who are overweight may not be able to produce a lot of sperm. This is due to their male hormone being converted into the female hormone by the fat cells. Thats why they develop man boobs and this usually results in poor sperm production.

The long-term inability to conceive a child can evoke real feelings of loss and devastation in both partners. Infertility often creates one of the most distressing life crises a couple will experience together. Coping with the multitude of medical decisions and the uncertainties that infertility brings can create emotional upheaval for most couples.

We work with counsellors, like social workers, as well as psychologists. This is very stressful, and I think maybe thats one of the reasons why Im also doing my pastoral studies, because it can be spiritually draining. Wehave to have a holistic approach to the partners. We are very upfront with the information, especially the financial toll that it can take on the person and the emotional toll.

Fortunately, newer and more successful techniques for infertility treatment are developed continuously. Many people delay fertility treatment because they fear the costs associated with in vitro fertilisation (IVF). IVF is where sperm and egg are placed together in a lab until they form an embryo which is then implanted into your uterus.

However, there are a number of treatment options other than IVF that can improve the chance of conceiving. A specialist will recommend the treatment based on the cause of your fertility issues, your age, and your preferences. Some women may have to have surgery to fix a uterine condition, such as endometriosis, fibroids, or blocked fallopian tubes.

Dr. Tebogo Deo

Theres only one way to know for certain what the exact cause of a couples fertility challenges is, and that is an initial consultation with a fertility specialist. With advances in medical science infertility can be addressed. Couples must empower themselves with knowledge about the options that are available. Importantly, they should continue with their journey towards parenthood.

The video interview contains the full dialogue of this interview, and you can watch it below.

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Infertility is a medical condition and there are several ways to treat infertility - Longevity LIVE