September is Healthy Aging Month

Here at The Vascular and Vein Center at Gulf Coast Surgeons, we believe men and women shouldn’t be anxious about growing older.

They shouldn’t have to go to doctors who merely gloss over their issues with medications and one-size-fits-all approaches. We have helped thousands of patients look and feel their best and experience optimal vitality, regardless of their age, and we can help you too! Using a functional medicine approach, the goal is to get to the root of what is causing the issue to effectively treat it using a personalized treatment plan. It’s crucial to take charge of your vitality as you age so that you can address existing problems and prevent others from developing or getting worse.

The Vascular and Vein Center at Gulfcoast Surgeons is one of the first and most respected vein clinics in Southwest Florida. We focus on diseases of the vascular system that can range from harmless but unattractive spider veins to dangerous conditions such as peripheral artery disease. Our caring and dedicated team will help you identify problems and offer the best treatment options for you. Our increased lifespan is a testament to the success of modern medicine. Aging is a privilege of our generation, and scientists are now turning their focus to aging healthily, so our later years can be enjoyed as much as our younger ones.

The aging process, how it can be slowed down or even rejuvenated, bewitches scientists worldwide. There is consensus that aging is associated with two things. Firstly, the progressive decline of numerous physiological processes, (our body’s ability to accurately regulate our temperature or heartrate) and secondly our risk of developing severe diseases like cancer or cardiovascular disease, increases as we get older.

Scientists have also distinguished between two types of age: our chronological age based on our birthdate, and our biological age, which measures the true age our cells, tissues and organs appear to be, based on biochemistry. Even though we can’t alter our chronological age, there are things we can do to manage our biological age.

Did you know…
– Life expectancy at birth in 1900: 47.3 years
– Life expectance at birth in 2018: 78.7 years
– Women typically live longer than men, around 8 years
– Google receives over 1 billion health questions every day
– By 2030, those aged 60+ are expected to make up more than 50% of consumer spending growth

Taking care of your mind, body and spirit have never been more important. The current approach to healthy aging is traditional. As we age, we are encouraged to take supplements to increase something we might be deficient in, thus reacting to the aging process. Are supplements enough to slow down or reverse the aging process? Probably not. We must address all the pillars of good health and the root issues behind what good health is.

Studies show that our body’s physical decline starts around 30 years of age, and scientists have also recently discovered the root causes of aging at the cellular level. Epigenetics – the study of how our behavior and environment can cause changes that affect the way our genes work – is also helping us understand the complexity of the aging process and the impact interventions, like nutritional supplements, have on aging.

The epigenetic changes that occur during aging means cells are more prone to age-related diseases and decline of physiological function. However, these changes are reversible, and can be modulated by factors including physiological stimuli, for example, the sense of touch which affects simple motor skills and hand grip strength and environmental factors such as diet, exercise, and alcohol consumption.

By harnessing this new scientific knowledge, we can age more healthily from an earlier starting point. This is a new blueprint for healthy aging, focused on proactivity and personalization that helps prevent aging and disease. According to current data, just 20% of people feel comfortable managing their own health. However, a shortage of healthcare professionals worldwide means we increasingly need to proactively manage our own health to help prevent disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted a need to take responsibility for our health, exploring the root causes of good health and applying long-term solutions and health innovations that improve quality-of-life. One of the things making this transition to proactive personal health management easier is the validation of consumer wellness products and services by experts who endorse the efficacy of a product. This has led to higher quality offerings from health and wellness companies, and consumer confidence in taking a product that – in lieu of a visit to the doctor – is endorsed by Health Care Provider.

As we become more empowered to take charge of our health, companies are responding by focusing more scientific resource into the development of personalized and proactive healthy aging solutions. In fact, results from a new survey of healthy aging experts show clear focus on these themes – the top three healthy aging trends experts see as having the most future potential are digital therapeutics, active aging, and biohacking.

Experts agree that partnerships – across the health and wellness industry, as well as between the individual and their healthcare provider – are key to optimizing this. The elixir of healthy aging is being worked on by different scientific teams worldwide who focus on various aspects of the aging journey. It’s only by partnering together and pooling our knowledge and resources that we can create healthy aging solutions or technologies that crack the aging code and rejuvenate our everyday health and wellness.

It’s also clear that while extending the human lifespan has a fascinating hold for scientists and technologists, longevity on its own is no longer the goal. As experts continue to work together, as our knowledge of the aging process deepens and technology becomes more and more powerful, we are becoming more cognizant of our healthspan verses our lifespan. This means retaining our health and quality-of-life for as long as possible, rather than living for a long time, but in poor health. The Vascular and Vein Center at Gulf Coast Surgeons is here to help you increase your healthspan. Schedule your first consultation today.

Call the Vascular & Vein Center at Gulfcoast Surgeons today at (239) 344-7061 to make an appointment with a vascular surgeon who specializes in arteries and veins.

Vascular & Vein Center
877-LEG-PAIN
gulfcoastsurgeons.com

Fort Myers
8010 Summerlin Lakes Dr., Ste. 100
Fort Myers, FL 33907

Cape Coral
1003 Del Prado Blvd., Ste. 303
Cape Coral, FL 33990

Bonita Springs
24301 Walden Center Dr., Ste. 102
Bonita Springs, FL 34134