How Longevity Medicine Is Changing How We Live

POSTED by The Fine Line By Nicholas Bridges | Last updated Fri 04 Jan 2019

As futurist and researcher on aging Aubrey de Grey told us about living to 100 and beyond: “Aging is the one disease we’re all born with.” Though a magic anti-aging elixir eludes scientists, we spoke with three doctors who go beyond the prescription pad and pill popping to explore root causes, practicing a preventive approach incorporating alternative anti-aging treatments to keep patients feeling healthier longer.

We believe that their approach to longevity is the future of medicine. Get to know them here.

DR. PATRICIA DECKERT, MDVIP NETWORK, SAN DIEGO

Dr. Deckert began her private practice in 2001 with the goal of educating, guiding, and empowering people to maintain or restore their health.

Rather than just treating disease, she works to decrease the risk of future health problems and maximize wellness with cutting-edge research, the best of conventional medicine, and nutrition and lifestyle medicine.

“You have to consider the big picture. I always look at the patient and ask, where are they in the continuum of health, vigor, and vitality? And how do we move them to a greater level of wellness in the aging/anti-aging equation towards the vitality end of the continuum? Most of us are carrying around weak links.

But it takes time and sitting and listening to help people live their healthiest, because the most we learn about patients is from what they tell us, not just their medical file.

I think increasingly women, in particular, understand that a big first step to their wellness and longevity is finding a doctor who cares about them as a person and gives the time to consider new approaches and treatments.

I particularly look at stress and cortisol levels — big issues for women that can have an extreme impact on aging. And I put a lot of focus on gut issues, because the gut is so very important to overall wellness. The largest interface to the world is through our GI tract. We have more cells of flora in our gut than cells in our body. Having a gut analysis, looking at what organisms live there and what pathways need supporting, is something I believe all women (and men) should have done. It’s important, also, to look at genetic analysis and look at pathways supporting inflammation and detoxification, as both can create unhealthy aging issues.

Women also critically need support for their hypothalmic pituitary adrenal axis and where they’re at hormonally, which can do a number on how we feel and function. So we look at does a patient need more estrogen or are they poor estrogen detoxifiers? Traditional practice only checks TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) for thyroid function health, which is the poorest way. We need to look at all aspects of adrenal, thyroid, and cortisol function.

Most physicians today are not being taught to assess and treat that. You also have to step back and look at the whole body’s health and functioning, including our musculoskeletal system beyond chiropractic adjustments.
Muscle and tendon health and stretching is so important for women as we age.

There are exciting new treatments happening, and I’m always researching the latest alternative treatments and got excited about ozone, which has three oxygen atoms that all our tissues need to help activate the immune system and optimize the body’s use and intake of oxygen. I’m seeing highly beneficial results from ozone therapy injected for pain trigger points or piped into the ears in gas form to support tissue health for a variety of issues.

I got interested in salt therapy, too, for various respiratory issues, as I have allergies myself and sitting in a salt chamber is naturally therapeutic, like going to the ocean.

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I’m a big believer in supplements, which traditional medicine ignores. It’s overwhelming for a woman walking into a GMC or Whole Foods, so it’s important to find help knowing what you need and getting high-quality products. I have a supplement area in my office to support my holistic practice, that way I can talk them through what I think they need — including, many times for women, Botanical Extract. We have an endocannabinoid system (found to be important in regulating mood, physiology, and general well-being), and in my experience Botanical Extract is especially helpful for anxiety, sleep, and pain.

Right now I’m getting excited about the disease management and anti-aging possibilities of stem cells — and using not just our own or cord stem cells but CGF (concentrated growth factor), which contains stem cell materials but is not so expensive.

I believe alternative approaches are beneficial and necessary for living longer. I’m a primary care physician and prescribe meds, which are still important for disease and health management, but I’ve always believed that new and alternative modalities are vital to a long life.”

Learn more about Dr. Patricia Deckert at mdvip.com.