Look, Feel, Live, Younger, Longer

I came across this notion a few months ago. What if we didn't have to accept getting older meant more aches, pains, health issues, soreness, stiffness? What if we could actually "age younger"?

At first I thought this was crazy talk. How could someone possible age younger, when we've been taught that as we age everything well... just doesn't work as great as it once did. Our immune systems aren't as nimble so we are at risk for contracting more illnesses. Our bones stop storing calcium as efficiently so we can break our bone more easily. Or so I thought. (After all this is what I taught folks in my Environmental Public Health trainings).

A few years back I went to a fundraiser for our local hospital that was raising funds for a new cancer center in our town. I left completely shocked at the number of young, I mean 20s and 30s, women who were all either seeking treatment or were cancer survivors. I just couldn't believe my eyes as woman after woman stood up and shared their stories at such young ages. This all cemented the idea in my head that aging meant less vitality, less energy, more disease, and that is just how the world works.

But of course there was that little voice inside of me yelling, "Anything's possible!!" So I stored that "aging younger" in the back of my brain and went on with life. Well it just so happens that my current course work for my #HolisticNutritionist certification is educating me on Functional Medicine. That little voice is jumping for joy! And its not so little anymore. Its more of a shout!

You see our healthcare system today is based on one central flaw for today's health threat. A flaw that I have had my finger on for years now, but didn't know where to move forward for a solution. Let me share what I've learned so far!

The healthcare system in our country has been structured, reimbursed, and operates brilliantly efficient to diagnose, treat, and cure acute diseases and illnesses. Diseases and illnesses that have one specific cause and require one specific drug to eliminate. This model has helped us extend our life span by decades and eliminated the worry that our ancestors had from dying from one of these awful diseases. For that I am forever thankful, and wholly believe we need to keep this model going to address these things as they come up.

The Disconnect:

The typical experience with our standard, acute-care/allopathic, model is the patient presents with several complaints. Since this model separates each body system into its basic parts, a specialist in each system treats only the issue in their system. Typically determining that their issue is the main issue and the rest of the issues the patient has are just secondary and they can do nothing about them. The number of meds adds up as the body systems affected get more and more. As the meds increase, so do the side effects, and then up goes the meds again. A vicious cycle.

The patient doesn't get better. At best some of the symptoms are eliminated, but the root cause is not addressed. So the symptoms go deeper and deeper until at some point they do become an acute illness. But at that point, you have decreased your life quality and potentially your life span.

What we see today is squarely in the Environmental Public Health realm. Where our environment, behaviors, lifestyles, and diet are continuously sending messages to our cells and ultimately our genes. These messages control how our genes express themselves. Turning some on, while turning others off. We need a healthcare model that addresses these complex root causes of disease.

The largest threat to our health and well-being today... chronic disease. Disease that has many causes across many body systems and doesn't have just one cure-all-fix-all solution. Disease that cuts across all the body systems. It may start in one, but then has an affect on others. We need a systems based approach that is less centered around "diagnosis" and one size fits all solutions based on the "average" person. (FYI There is no "average" in humans.) We are all unique. Solving complex health problems doesn't come from naming it. But from identifying the root physiological disturbances that have changed our system's functioning...ie "disease."

We need tailored healthcare that works to identify the imbalances in our system and work to not only eliminate them, but boost our organ reserve to the highest possible. This is where patient centered, science-based Functional Medicine is quickly picking up the slack. With tailored, genetically appropriate, personalized programs the practitioner can identify the imbalances and have remarkable results with their patients.

In this approach the patient is wholly involved in telling their whole story, creating a whole picture for the Functional Medicine Practitioner to analyse and come up with a regimen. A regimen that could include an array of solutions including: food, supplements, exercise, lifestyle and behavior therapies, and environmental modifications as ways to bring balance to the entire human. :)

Functional Medicine-Look, Feel, Live, Younger, Longer