WE CAN TEST NINE DIFFERENT FACTORS OF AGING TO CREATE AN INDIVIDUAL PLAN
Time is in the mind – Harper’s Bazaar
For centuries, humanity has searched for the key to eternal youth, and it has never been closer than it is today. An entire branch of medicine is devoted to slowing the aging process. What are the latest developments in anti-aging?
The population is aging. That is a fairly undeniable fact, backed by figures that speak for themselves. Today, one person in ten is over sixty. Experts predict that humanity will continue to age rapidly, however: by 2050, they expect that figure to be one in five.
Anti-aging medicine is a relatively new specialty. Its primary focus is on achieving the best possible state of health while also slowing the aging process itself. It rejuvenates the body from the inside and the outside, and addresses various nuances that conventional medicine does not deal with. Within it, the seemingly incompatible worlds of Eastern and Western medicine come together without conflict. Do not expect any quackery. Everything is supported by the latest research and facts.
“The body begins to age at just twenty-five. Anti-aging medicine is primarily about prevention. It is intended for everyone who values their health, energy, and vitality and wants to preserve them into old age. To feel well when we are older, we need to start working toward that goal while we are young,” says Dr. Monika Golková, explaining the field’s central message. She adds: “At the same time, it is never too late to start taking care of yourself. Although we cannot reverse the damage and degenerative changes that have already occurred, health can be improved even in advanced age.”
A wave of new discoveries
Mention anti-aging, and most people think of anti-wrinkle creams, a visit to a beauty salon, or perhaps a plastic surgeon. Anti-aging medicine, however, is a comprehensive approach to prevention that embraces revolutionary medical methods, from identifying food intolerances and allergies, through testing hormones and brain neurotransmitters, to the latest developments in genetics and the measurement of telomere length. “It draws on our body’s own regenerative potential, and test results enable doctors to devise treatment tailored to each individual. When you are healthy, you are full of energy and look good. Although anti-wrinkle creams may improve your appearance, they certainly will not protect you from disease,” explains Dr. Monika Golková, the leading advocate of this approach in the Czech Republic, describing the difference between cosmetics and true anti-aging. It was she who opened Prague’s first certified anti-aging clinic, and her studies abroad enable her to keep bringing the latest discoveries and methods to the Czech Republic.
“Anti-aging medicine is the fastest-growing medical specialty, and there is a whole range of new developments. Today, for example, we can measure the biological age of organs by examining the ends of chromosomes—that is, the length of telomeres. We can also support the production of telomerase, the enzyme that protects these ends. We can examine brain neurotransmitters in great detail and have a positive effect on stress, anxiety, or depression. Based on comprehensive hormone analyses, we formulate therapeutic bioidentical hormone creams tailored to the individual.”
Genetics has also seen major advances. Thanks to the latest discoveries, we can investigate not only serious genetic diseases but also, for example, use a talent sensor. This analyzes a child’s genetically determined talents and helps parents focus on developing these innate abilities. “Or we use an epigenetic sensor, which focuses on a gene’s regulation rather than its structure. This shows us what kind of lifestyle will allow us to avoid the onset of a particular disease by regulating our own genes. We can test the risks of depression and burnout syndrome and take preventive action before a disease develops. And, of course, we can test nine different factors of aging in order to create an individual skin serum that acts precisely where we are most vulnerable. For one person, wrinkles are the major problem; for another, it is loose skin, and so on,” the doctor adds.
Anti-aging medicine focuses primarily on prevention. Its aim is to prevent illness rather than to treat people who are already ill. Even so, the chief physician of A2C Clinic also has to help patients who are already unwell: “Of course, people who are ill come to our clinic too—people who have tried everywhere else and have not found help. In those cases, we need to carry out a thorough examination and address the cause of the illness. Anti-aging also encompasses regenerative medicine, which draws on the potential of adult stem cells and the body’s ability to regenerate itself.” All medical examinations, not just those aimed at combating aging, are very costly. Because they are usually covered by health insurance, however, we rarely see the actual prices. Anti-aging medicine is in a different position. It is roughly ten to fifteen years ahead of conventional medicine. The tests it uses are available mainly abroad, and it will be some time before health insurance covers them.
THE SECRETS OF OUR BRAIN
Our body is one great mystery. Yet the greatest secrets lie in the brain. It is the brain that uses pain to alert us to problems occurring anywhere in the body. Thanks to the brain, we sleep, eat, speak, and feel happy...
Behind all this are neurotransmitters, substances produced in the nervous system. From there, they are released into the bloodstream and subsequently throughout the body. Figuratively speaking, they are the servants of the controlling cells in the central nervous system: they receive nerve impulses from them and deliver them to the cells being controlled in muscles, glands, and other tissues.
These controlled cells then direct not only our organs but also our mind. Among the best-known neurotransmitters is dopamine, which is a source of energy for the brain. Serotonin provides feelings of happiness and a good mood, while GABA induces a calming effect in the body. A substance called acetylcholine is responsible for the proper functioning of memory. There are other neurotransmitters, too. When they are out of balance in the body—whether levels are too low or too high—problems arise. Most are known collectively as psychosomatic disorders. The most common include abdominal pain, headaches, exhaustion, mood disturbances, and a loss of the ability to concentrate. “Neurotransmitter imbalances are also associated with mental burnout, fatigue syndrome, and the onset of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or Alzheimer’s disease,” explains Monika Golková, chief physician of A2C Anti-Aging Clinic.
Neurotransmitter levels are determined through laboratory analysis of blood or urine, and treatment can be started on the basis of the results. Once levels have been restored and stabilized within the normal range, the brain becomes active again. “In a loose sense, the process could be compared to restarting a computer,” the doctor concludes.
When we think about it... would it not be better to visit a doctor while we still feel well, but already know what risks may lie ahead? Anti-aging medicine gives us a chance to identify a problem long before it develops.