Lady Doctor Makropulos - Vlasta

I'm a little afraid that MUDr. Monika Golková will be angry with me for this title. But just as the hero of Čapek’s drama, she is the embodiment of the fight against aging. Unlike her, she offers this charm to everyone because she is a specialist in so-called anti-aging medicine.


Dagmar Školoudová

So are you angry with this headline?

Not at all. Anti-Aging medicine also seeks to prolong active youth, although 300 years of life still remains a major challenge. Emily was better ☺ For now. 


I read your book Anti-Aging or how not to grow old, and there is a woman in the bathtub full of vegetables. It's you, is not it?

"Yes, it is me. I wanted to introduce by myself the first rule of our anti-aging ten, which is 'Fight your way to beauty by eating.' In fact, diet is its basis and also the basis of health. As the Greek philosophers Hippocrates and Pyké have already said: we can only preserve health when we eat what is good for our body. That's why I deal with my clients' diet thoroughly; I'm convinced that the equation holds that a healthy bowel equals a healthy brain. So I investigate and deal with intestinal inflammation, food intolerance, allergies, and genetic influences. A healthy bowel actually means good immunity and the ability to prevent diseases."

So if people just would eat the right things, would they win the battle? And probably a healthy environment would be necessary too.

"Look, for instance, at the animals living in the zoo. They live there up to half as long as in the wild because they have all-round care and good food with plenty of vitamins and minerals. The diet and environment in which we live really influences quality of life and life expectancy very considerably. If we care about ourselves properly, we can live longer than one hundred years. It is important to know how to do it."

And that's exactly what your medical field studies are for. If I'm not mistaken, are you the only certified anti-aging specialist in the Czech Republic?

"Yes, I can say that I discovered this branch for the Czech Republic. After graduating from the Medical Faculty, I passed an attestation in neurology and began to study anti-aging medicine at the University of Charleroi, Belgium. In the Czech Republic I then established the Association of Anti-Aging Medicine and the Anti-Aging Clinic A2C. I think I have been heading to this field for some time. I wanted to help people not to be sick, and anti-aging medicine occupies itself with how to prevent diseases. I hold the view that if you really want something and you follow your goal, you will certainly achieve it. And so was it with me."

 

 

By the way, how old are you? You look really good in the photo in that bath.

"Try to count it. ☺ After school, I was twenty-four, and I entered the neurological clinic in Prague in Thomayer Hospital in 1998."

What will affect the length of my life more - genetics or environment and habits?

"It's about half and half. If you have a bad genetics, you must try harder to live healthily. For example, if your bowels do not work properly, you must avoid certain foods to prevent inflammation in the small intestine and consequently pain, digestive problems and immunity disorders. If you do that, you will be healthy and well. However, if you mistreat your digestion with a bad diet, you will be ill. On the other hand, people with excellent genetic equipment can afford more. But in the end, their body can also revolt and it is useless to create problems."


Do we have an inside limit which we cannot get over even if we live completely prescriptively?

"We have one such limit, but we have not even reached it. Leonard Hayflick has discovered that life expectancy is influenced by biological clocks in cells that are programmed to a certain number of ticks. In the case of man, it is about fifty ticks, which corresponds to the expected life expectancy of about 120 years. Hayflick observed on cell cultures that when human cells reach fifty divisions, they begin to divide less frequently, creating more irregularities and errors, and then apoptosis - cell death - comes. This process has, until recently, been irreversible. Although Hayflick froze the cell culture after its twenty divisions, the result was the same. Cells remembered it after defrosting and divided then only thirty times. This upper limit for cell division is called “Hayflick’s limit” and varies according to the animal species. For example, the expected life of a dog is twenty years, the butterfly's life is only a few weeks, and fruit flies live only thirty-five days."

And the process doesn't seem irreversible anymore?

A joint study conducted by Harvard Medical School, the National Institute on Aging, and the University of New South Wales in Sydney has brought about very revolutionary discoveries. The communication inside the cell works especially between its core and the mitochondria. As soon as this communication slows down, we begin to grow old. By completing the molecule which is naturally found in the human body (scientists call it NAD), it became possible to restore the communication inside the cell in the body of an older mouse, which then showed signs of an animal many years younger its actual age.

Aging is nevertheless a four-dimensional process. There are many mutations and mitochondrial changes at the DNA level that can no longer be changed in the aging process. 

 

Do we know why someone is already suffering from a serious illness in young age, while another is as fit as a fiddle?

"If we knew that, we would be one step further. Unfortunately, disease at a young age is largely genetically influenced. But if we know of some genetic predisposition in advance, we can intervene and ameliorate, and even save the life of the individual. For example, this can be seen in the case of celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance. If we already detect it in childhood, we can overcome problems of stunted growth, digestive issues, inflammation and possible neurological problems. At the cost of a lifelong exclusion of gluten from the diet, but it is worth it."

By what shortens our life the most?

"There are a lot of such things and because we are all unique, one thing may harm one person more than another. Certainly, stress belongs among the dangerous factors. It is proven that under the influence of stress, our telomeres - the ends of our chromosomes that are important for the renewal of our cells and a long, healthy life - shorten. With high stress, we are at greater risk of getting a cerebral stroke or heart attack. Stress is a killer of brain cells and degrades our memory. Therefore, our clinic is very focused on brain neurotransmitters and stress tests. As a neurologist, I know that a brilliant brain is a prerequisite for a healthy body."

What is the easiest first step if I want to extend my life?

"Start to observe the anti-aging commandments. Visit www.a2c.com, take the official test of longevity for free and test your brain. You will learn what your life expectancy is, and whether your brain works well or needs to have added energy."

 

 

 

What can I do perhaps right now?

"Think about your diet. Reduce sugars and white flour. And even better: take a test of food intolerance - the best one is the ALCAT test which determines at the cellular level exactly which foods you should not eat. Diet is really incredibly important, and thanks to it you can rejuvenate yourself."

How many years did the oldest human being in the world ever live? Do we know what the magic was?

"Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years, attributed her longevity to port wine, consumption of olive oil and her sense of humor. Optimism and a good mood are common traits of centenarians, and this is something that is missing in the Czech Republic. Perhaps you may see at first sight the difference between a group of seniors from Germany or Italy and the seniors from our country. They are happy and enjoying life, something which we are not so good at. This is true for both work and leisure. A saleswoman in Austria communicates with you cheerfully and gives you the feeling that she is happy in her work and can provide you with services. In our country, people are often frowning and frequently give me the impression that I actually am bothering them. At the same time, our life in the Czech Republic is not bad at all."

Perhaps an anti-aging specialist would be a useful person in every hospital and should be employed by the insurance companies.

"In the future, anti-aging medicine should really be a part of regular preventative care. The research and utilization of stem cells is being developed, and scientists are working on the creation of artificial organs. But this will still take a while."

What exactly is the goal of your specialization, simply the extension of life?

"The goal was and is to achieve optimum health and psychological state and at the same time, longevity. The goal is that people, even in advanced age, are self-sufficient and able to enjoy life. Anti-aging is concerned with aging from many angles and viewpoints. There are approximately three hundred theories on aging, and each individual is unique. First of all, we try to test the state of the organism and then intervene where needed. This branch of medicine has existed since 1992 and has made great progress in recent years. We are able to solve hormonal problems and create hormonal treatment creams; we can test the ends of chromosomes which show our biological age; and we can recommend which foods are appropriate precisely for you."

Aren’t these hormones dangerous? You know in the same way as one cannot be sure about contraception or for instance substitution that they will not have adverse effects. 

"We don't talk about universal hormones in the form of powders that are all the same. The point here is that each person is different and these hormones are individually-prepared mixtures. When people with hormonal problems come to me, they bring a list of complaints and troubles with them, such as disturbances in concentration, great tiredness, tearfulness, drooping features in the face and skin on the arms. An interview and blood, hair and DNA sampling follows. Screening, in which the Endocrinological Institute cooperates, will detect problems one already has, and those that might appear in the future. Sometimes it is enough to apply vitamins or to modify the diet. When hormonal treatment is needed, we unusually apply a cream. The hormones in the cream usually have an absolutely identical structure as body-identical ones, so adverse effects are minimal. This treatment is gentler than classical hormonal treatment which is given on a flat basis. Classical treatment works for one person perfectly, but not for another person. That's why some doctors don't recommend it. In addition, active substances are released from the cream gradually, in contrast to injections that have a massive intake level, although this level gradually drops below the normal values. The cream also doesn't pass through the digestive tract as is the case with tablets, so there's no need to worry about liver damage."

 

What does such a cream look like?

"It has no special appearance; it is not colored or perfumed, unless you want it to be. Once a day, you apply it to a hairless place, perhaps on the inside part of your thigh."

And what will it do for me?

"During one to three months, a firmer face, a greater appetite for life, faster reaction times, and a better memory."

When I'm 46 years old, which hormone will I probably be missing the most?

"A decline in hormone production begins at the age of about twenty-five years. A good example is human growth hormone. From the age of twenty years, its concentration in the body decreases by 14 percent every ten years. The decline accelerates with stress, shortened sleep, and eating too much food before bedtime. A person loses assertiveness and his/her anxiety, emotional lability, and feelings of isolation increase."

It seems I may be getting a bit ahead of myself.

"You see... ...it can be caused by the growth hormone because it regulates the relation between muscle and fat, among other things. In addition, from the age of 50 the amount of the sexual hormone estrogen in women diminishes. The body resolves this by trying to have enough hormone-active tissue, which is, among other things, fat."

So if you give me human growth hormone and estrogen, I’ll begin to lose weight?

If we compare the hormones that you obviously lack, it can also be seen on your body and figure. Of course, assuming you will not be overeating.

 

 

What actually orders the body to age - the brain?

"Aging does not require an order; it is a process that takes place at the level of every cell in our body. It is related to the communications inside the cell and to the ability to pass on the correct information for continuous restoration. Every cell is in fact constantly dividing and restoring itself. If the information is wrong, the aging process begins. Fortunately there are mechanisms which repair the incorrect information. But if this system fails, changes begin to appear that cannot be easily repaired anymore."

I have heard that you are able to find out how old the organs in my body are.

"I am able to do it utilizing various instruments and the lab. Functional tests will evaluate the biological age of individual organs, and from laboratory blood tests, I examine the oxidative stress and the length of the telomeres. These are the ends of the chromosomes which are namely important for the stability of genetic information during the cell-division process. By measuring their length, I can ascertain the real biological age, and so we can prevent accelerated aging which may lead to heart disease, diabetes, infertility, or cancer."

What do you do if I only have an old lung or digestive system?

"If one of your organs is significantly older than the others, it threatens your health. If this is the lungs, I focus on the allergens that can cause the problem and advise how to care for the lungs. The digestive system is also extremely important. It can rejuvenate because stem regeneration cells are constantly formed in the intestines. I recommend an individual diet, anti-inflammatory measures and regenerative substances for the treatment of the intestines."


At what age should one begin to fight against aging?

 

"We start to age at the age of about twenty-five. It is certainly good to take care of oneself at the age of about thirty years. The sooner we start, the more we can do for ourselves."

That's probably how the film stars do this.

 

"Definitely yes. Many of the tests used are from the U.S.A., California and Hollywood, where it is a duty to be young, healthy and beautiful. So the ALCAT test is undergone by Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, and Suzanne Somers, known from the “Step by Step” series, who will not hear a bad word against bio-identical hormones."

And what do you do for yourself?

 

"I try to eat according my test of food intolerance; I also protect my intestines and supplement important vitamins and micronutrients such as curcumin for a healthy brain and isoflavones to promote hormonal activity. I keep my brain and body active. I watch my telomeres and hormones; I care for the skin of my face and body. I exercise regularly and sleep well."

Anti-aging commandments by MUDr. Monika Golková

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A preview of the article in the magazine Vlasta here