Our Approach to Slowing Aging and Increasing Longevity
At Patients Medical, we use a multi-layered approach to slowing the processes of aging to increase your longevity.
Aging and Longevity Guide:
First, we develop a comprehensive knowledge base about your physical health. During a one or two hour interview, our physicians will ask about your current state of health, helping to separate issues that are related to natural and premature aging. As part of this, a physical exam is usually recommended, including laboratory analysis of blood, urine, and stool samples. Any previously diagnosed medical conditions will be considered and additional diagnostic testing may be performed in our state of the art facilities. Electrocardiograms (EKG), exercise tolerance assessments, and heart stress tests may be advised if you are at risk for heart disease. Depending on your age, mammograms, bone density scans, prostate exams, colonoscopies, and ultrasounds will be recommended where appropriate. All of these physical evaluations will help paint a complete portrait of your current physical age and help steer our treatments toward slowing the aging processes you are undergoing.
As your physicians complete the analysis of all the medical tests, they can begin to outline a personalized anti-aging program for you. The results of your blood, urine, and stool tests will help identify physiological imbalances that might be impacting the quality of your health. High blood cholesterol, for example, can put undue pressure on the cardiovascular system, causing the heart muscles to age prematurely. By identifying this particular risk, we can increase the longevity of your heart and your life.
Depending on your case, a detoxification program may also be recommended. By reducing the toxin levels in your body, damage to your cells and stress on your cell repair systems can be minimized and ultimately slow the aging process. Carefully regimented dietary restrictions may be suggested to cleanse the body of ingested toxins it may be harboring. Chelation therapy to specifically reduce levels of mercury, lead, and arsenic is also available. We also have licensed practitioners available to guide you through an Ayurvedic detoxification program.
The path toward greater longevity requires a steadfast commitment to healthier habits beyond these specific treatments. It sounds simple, but keeping active, eating a diverse diet rich in antioxidants, and getting plenty of sleep are some of the most natural, effective anti-aging measures that one can take. As with all of our therapies, we can help devise a plan centered on achievable goals for your health that mesh well with your lifestyle and personality.
Nutritional Supplements
We have a variety of nutriceuticals and phytonutrients available to enhance your anti-aging therapy. These nutritional supplements are all natural and based on thousands of years of traditional herbal medicine. Your physician will work with you to incorporate these into your diet to encourage better overall health and strengthen your immunity to prevent disease. If you are under another physician’s care for medical treatments, you should be sure to communicate with both your doctors before incorporating these new therapies, as some of these supplements are still undergoing FDA evaluation and may also have interactions with other medications you are taking.
In cases where blood sugar imbalance may be a factor, we recommend MetaGlycemX. This nutraceutical is specially formulated with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that will help rebalance your insulin for healthier blood sugar and optimal metabolism. Using the natural protective qualities of cinnamon and green tea, as well as alpha-lipoic acid, this supplement can help protect your insulin-secreting pancreatic cells and support better insulin sensitivity and activity.
For additional nutritional support, we offer UltraInflamX, a balanced medical food containing healthy proteins and carbohydrates, fortified by a mix of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. This particular formula is often prescribed for patients suffering from inflammatory diseases, but it is also extremely useful in anti-aging therapies due to its potent antioxidant activity. By helping to limit the damage done to DNA by free radicals, UltraInflamX can help slow aging at the cellular level by reducing the strain on the DNA repair machinery and keeping our cells healthier longer.
Resveratrol: A Life Extension Supplement?
Resveratrol is an exciting recent discovery in the study of aging and longevity. Resveratrol is a chemical naturally made in plants that helps protect them from bacterial and fungal infections. Researchers have found that in some studies, resveratrol can extend the lives of yeast, fruit flies, worms, and certain fish, to varying degrees depending on the organism and the dosage given. Experimental study has also revealed that resveratrol can increase the longevity of obese mice, making it a promising therapy for extending the lives of mammals, as well, including humans.
Scientists are also investigating possible uses for resveratrol in enhancing physical endurance, preventing cancers, and slowing the progress of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. How exactly resveratrol works is not known, but some preliminary studies suggest that it might mimic the effects of calorie restriction diets. These strict nutritional regimens are believed to enhance memory, improve body chemistry, and promote physiological balance, as long as essential nutrient levels are also maintained. One of the cellular effects of calorie restriction is activation of a set of genes that appear to increase longevity in yeast cells by as much as 70%. These genes are normally kept silent, but when awakened, they produce proteins called sirtuins which help regulate a number of functions related to DNA repair, metabolism, inflammation, and even insulin sensitivity.
Recent data suggests that resveratrol might more directly turn on these genes, bypassing the need for extreme caloric restriction, which can be difficult to balance safely in some patients. Needless to say, this new supplement is the subject of intense interest to scientists seeking a better understanding how our cells age. Pharmaceutical companies are also investing research in resveratrol, given its amazing therapeutic potential.
For your anti-aging therapy, we currently prescribe natural resveratrol derived from Japanese knotwood. We also recommend increasing the intake of foods that have naturally high resveratrol levels, including grapes, blueberries, wine, and peanuts. Nutritional supplements featuring grape skin, grape seed, and red wine extracts might also be incorporated into your longevity diet.
Next Steps:
While you may find this medical information useful, as the next step we strongly recommend that you make an appointment to see one of our physicians to ensure that your health issues are properly addressed.
To schedule an appointment with our physicians, please call our patient coordinator at 1-347-269-4748, send the form below or an email to: info@patientsmedical.com. We are currently accepting new patients and look forward to being of assistance.
We are located at: Patients Medical PC, 800 Second Avenue, Suite 900 (Between 42nd & 43rd Street), Manhattan, New York, NY 10017.
Appointment Request
* Denotes a required field
|
|
Date of Publication: 07/21/2009
Article Last Updated: 08/24/2009