January 2024: What you need to live healthier

Advancing into the ninth decade is no medical secret anymore, it's a few good genes and a lot of healthy habits.

According to the latest data, we spend almost four times as much on healthcare than we did in the year 2000. (Sorry, we aren't four times healthier, yet). About 85% of our health dollar is for chronic diseases such as heart disease, strokes, hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

These conditions are, to a large extent, involved in lifestyle habits, and therefore, largely subject to individual controls and self-discipline.

Obesity is officially a disease, meaning part of its root causes are beyond one's willpower and control. Health experts are now trained to recognize obesity as a condition that will probably require specific medical interventions.

TURNING THE CLOCK BACK ON AGING

New breakthroughs in controlling disease are coming fast. We are not so speedy in obtaining, or adapting good lifestyle habits. These are the habits that will overcome the genetic advantages that have ruled super-aging in the past.

There is a consensus from meta analysis studies that focus on super-agers, or people over 80 with good cognitive power. Blue Zone studies of global areas with a high degree of fully functional centenarians, has a mountain of information. Then, there are the Japanese, who have 15 of the 20 oldest people on the planet. The Japanese island of Okinawa is the gold standard for super-aging longevity. We need to pay attention to their lifestyle habits.

BETTER HEALTH THROUGH BONDING

Even though all o us may not have an abundance of longevity genes, more of us are going to make it through the eighth and ninth decades than ever before. What's really important here?

Of course, exercising, sleep, and eating well are a great help. The next major fundamental is social bonding. To bond is to be human.

Regardless of age or type of connection, the benefits of close human relationships is the stuff of great works of literatures, art, and music. This raises human awareness of the needs of others to its highest level. The development of interpersonal connections creates an atmosphere for human growth and fulfillment far exceeding any book, movie, video, pill, or elixir.

IKIGAI

Ikigai is a compound of two Japanese words: iki means alive and gai means worth, or benefit. Studies or Okinawans, wo are among the longest living humans on the planet, suggest that ikigai may be one of the reasons for their longevity. Okinawans are known for their close continuous relationships throughout life. Ikigai and moai, which is a close knit friend group, appear to be reasons for their extra long lives.

WHAT MORE CAN YOU DO?

Having super-aged members within your family is a proven aging boost, but even if you don't believe you have this advantage, the science of longevity is wide open with new developments to add to a growing body of proven healthy aging methods.

BRAVE NEW HEALTHCARE FOR 2024

Pharmaceuticals and other promising technologies are expected to make significant inroads against common diseases this year. Most of the new offerings still treat conditions. We don't see a magic pill yet that will provide a cure for most things, but it's coming.

Important to aging seniors are the three new Alzheimer's drugs. The first is Legembi, authorized for treatment in 2023. The second is donanemab, which is being held up for further testing. A third Alzheimer drug authorized for use is Aduhelm, however, the approximate $25,000 cost is not covered by Medicare, as is Legembi, and soon to be approved donanemab.

These drugs bind to beta-amyloid plaque and enable its removal from the brain. By removing some piaque, abnormal tau, the real culprit in dementia, is reduced.

Very few patients will qualify for the latest Medicare supported dementia drugs:

1.    First, they must show a very mild range of cognitive impairment.

2.    They must be in good overall health.

3.    They should be able to undergo and pass MRI and PET scan requirements.

Helping to combat the obesity and overweight epidemics, are GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

These new drugs are glucagon like peptides that can lower blood sugar levels, provide weight loss, and lower the risk of heart disease. This is a triple blockbuster!

GLP-1 drugs do require special injectable pens (self-administered). With almost 70% of all Americans being obese, or overweight, GLP-1 drugs will greatly reduce the potential for many more serious diseases.

OTHER SPECIAL MAGIC FOR 2024

Medical diagnosis is going to radically change with the advent of artificial intelligence (Al). Google's Med-PaLM 2 can provide doctors with up-to-date diagnosis that's over 86% reliable, thus backing up the doctors own judgement.

A special ultrasound helmet for patients with tremors and Parkinson's disease is on the market. This device, when paired with a MRI like guide, focuses beams of ultrasound (neuromodulation) into specific parts of the brain eliminating the tremors.

Other ultrasound helmet devices are on trial for things like Alzheimer's, Gehrigs disease (ALS), depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Crispr gene therapy is another new accepted technology to fix gene mutations that cause a host of diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, and sickle cell anemia.

Treating cancer patients is undergoing vast changes. The Galleri blood test uses Al to look for patterns in the blood. This test can identify over 50 different cancers.

Once cancer is detected, new mRNA drugs, like those used for Covid 19 vaccinations, can cure hard to detect cancers, eliminating expensive hospitalization.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Reversing the aging process through lifestyle changes is not easy. People who take responsibility for their own health stand the best chance of success.

Accepting a personal challenge to an improved lifestyle insures that this goal will be met. It's never too late to give it a try.

In memory of Barbara Jean Pfeifer 1932 - 2023