How well are you aging?

Imagine if you could change the underlying rate at which you age, so that you could enjoy not just a longer life, but a healthier one. Imagine if you could delay the onset of age-related chronic diseases and reduce the likelihood of living out your days in a nursing home.

It can be done.

The first step to changing the underlying rate of aging is knowing how well the body is aging. For the first time in Canada, the underlying biology of aging can be measured, based on research by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, that won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2009.

Blackburn’s research determined that telomeres are the body’s molecular clock and shorten with age. Critically short telomeres are associated with more than 80 per cent of all age-related chronic illnesses including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and cancer. Telomeres are impacted by stress, illness, and poor lifestyle choices. With this knowledge and new technology in hand, the shortening of telomeres can be slowed down and even reversed through lifestyle changes.

The Next Generation Exam (NGE) at Deerfields Clinic is a good case study example of how telomeres can be measured, and subsequent programs to halt or reverse their shortening can be offered. Highly specialized, it requires a specialist in Age Management Medicine with training in the Biomarkers component to administer.

Sophisticated medical instruments and laboratory tests are used to measure the biomarkers that tell precisely the age of heart, lungs, brain, skin, immune system, and telomeres. In addition cardiovascular risk, physical fitness, and stress resilience are measured, all key and proven factors to aging well.

To do this, an extensive blood test and highly qualified labs and tests are employed to measure everything from immune system, telomeres, and hormones, an important aspect of aging. The levels and balance of hormones begins to decline one to three per cent each year after the age of 30. Often, the effects of hormone imbalance are not noticeable until we reach our late 40s or 50s.

The hallmark of hormonal balancing in the age management medicine literature is to restore hormone levels to approximately 75 per cent of what they were at age 30. Optimization of hormone levels is done under constant physician monitoring. Blood tests are performed every three months to ensure optimum health.

Following the exam, the physician presents the results and recommendations designed to improve quality of life, better vitality, and extended health span. The client can opt for a Vitality and Longevity Program, which monitors and measures results on an ongoing basis, with quarterly blood tests and consultations with the doctor. To enable client success, physician consultation is available via phone, virtually, email, or in person, as well as other services such as custom prescriptions, coaching, a supplement program, and a second opinion service, as required.

Aging is inevitable, aging well is afterall, a choice.

ELEMENTS OF THE NEXT GENERATION EXAM

• Comprehensive health questionnaire
• PhysioAge systems biomarker testing and report
• CIMT cardiovascular risk assessment
• Standardized fitness test including VO2 Max (anaerobic threshold) and GXT (ECG stress test)
• Heart rate variability (HRV) testing and training using the HeartMath emWave2 device
• History and physical examination by a physician
• Vitality and longevity program recommendations that include:
  • Telomerase preservation and activation
  • Metabolic and hormonal balancing
  • Nutrition, fitness, and stress reduction recommendations