What Causes Rapid Aging?

May 23, 2022

Elizabeth Boham, a Medical Director at The UltraWellness Center, discusses aging in a refreshing way. She emphasizes the difference between lifespan and healthspan, encouraging a focus on vibrant living rather than just longevity. The conversation touches on the effects of inflammation on aging and how lifestyle changes can combat chronic diseases. Boham also shares insights on nurturing a strong immune system and highlights the importance of functional medicine in preventing age-related issues.

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INSIGHT

Lifespan vs. Healthspan

Modern medicine excels at extending lifespan, but often at the cost of healthspan.
We live longer but spend more time sick and disabled, highlighting a critical gap in healthcare.

INSIGHT

Chronic Disease and Aging

Chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and dementia are often preventable.
These diseases typically manifest gradually, with a slow decline starting around age 45.

ADVICE

Focus on Healthspan

Prioritize healthspan throughout life, focusing on the period between 65 and 80.
Aim to minimize the time spent sick and disabled in old age, not just maximize lifespan.

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This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and Pendulum.

Aging shouldn’t be something we dread; it should be something we celebrate. Yet, as a society, we are sicker than ever. We are so fixated on keeping people alive longer, but what about keeping people healthier? This is the difference between healthspan and life span. Your life span is how long you live. Your healthspan is how long you live a healthy, vibrant life.

I’ve learned so much about this topic over the last few years that my team at The UltraWellness Center and I got together to make a docu-series about the Functional Medicine approach to longevity. Over the next few weeks, I’m excited to share this series with you here. In this episode, we dive into an overview of the seven systems of Functional Medicine and how you can optimize these systems to improve your healthspan.

To get all of my longevity tips, sign up for my weekly Longevity newsletter at drhyman.com/longevity.

In this series, I am joined by my colleagues at The UltraWellness Center: Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD, Medical Director and Physician; Todd LePine, MD, Physician; and George Papanicolaou, DO, Physician.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and Pendulum.

Rupa Health is a place where Functional Medicine practitioners can access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, and Great Plains. You can check out a free, live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com.

InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. Right now they’re offering my community 20% off at insidetracker.com/drhyman.

Pendulum is the first company to figure out how to harness the amazing benefits of Akkermansia in a probiotic capsule. To receive 20% off your first purchase of Pendulum’s Akkermansia probiotic supplement, go to Pendulumlife.com and use code MARK20.

Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

The difference between life span and healthspan (6:05 / 2:57)
The science of creating health (10:54 / 7:44)
The unified theory of aging (14:06 / 10:51)
What role does genetics play in aging? (16:19 / 13:00)
This determines 90 percent of our health status (18:19 / 15:08)
Our body’s seven basic systems (19:01 / 15:22)
When inflammation leads to rapid aging (24:03 / 19:45)
What are zombie cells? (27:44 / 23:12)