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In the news, there is a lot of talk about how our lifespan is now on the decline and that the generation born today are predicted to have a shorter lifespan than the preceding generations. We are certainly not spending less, in fact we spend more on medical care than any other country! There is a lot of speculation as to why this is…..including the incidence of obesity and the dependency on opiates, the explosion of chronic diseases. Our healthcare spending is increasing yet our life expectancy is decreasing. This trend begs the question, what does our healthspan mean to us?
I think this is a sad and important reflection of our society’s health. Bet let’s reflect on the quality of health during life which I have heard called: Healthspan. Healthspan is not just being alive but being ALIVE AND WELL. A really smart patient said to me last week “Doc, I really do not want to live longer if I don’t recognize my family or I am too sick to do the things I love”. I love my patients and learn from them all the time! This comment really resonated with me. What can we do to improve the quality of our health as we age? What is the difference between the 55 year old on the floor playing lego or on the soccer field with their grandkids and the 60 year old who wants to- but is too tired or in too much pain to get up from a chair?
In functional medicine, we look for imbalances that contribute not just to chronic disease diagnoses but also the quality and enjoyment of life itself. By improving these imbalances and bringing the body back to whole, we are in effect helping the body help itself. We simply give the body what it needs. Sometimes this means a dietary change, identifying a deficiency of a mineral or nutrient, sometimes it means working on hormone balance or gut health. Sometimes it means helping the body get rid of accumulated toxins, or treating a underlying infection. It is going to be different for everyone, that is why I practice personalized medicine.
When we talk about healthspan we must shift our thinking from disease management to disease reversal. The medical system is designed for managing disease. Which is great for acute emergency medical issues. Everything from the payment system (doctor’s get paid when you are sick- right??), to the volume of patients seen, to the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, everything pushes toward disease management rather than reversal. When we shift our thinking to asking the question “WHY?” is this medical issue happening, we start working on reversal rather than just managing the problem.
I often hear well, this is common sense, why does not everyone do this or practice this way. I have given this question a lot of thought. I believe it is time and a lack of recognition of the return on investment. When we invest our time, our effort and our money, we often want to see a clear-cut return on that investment. I would argue that the return on investment is seen in our healthspan which is hard to quantify sometimes. What is the value of your Healthspan? Is it worth eating the extra servings of veggies? Is it worth going to bed an extra hour early to get in your 7 hours? Is it worth investing in some advanced lab work to analyze your personal data? Is it worth taking the time every morning going for a brisk walk?
I took this photo of a slide at the recent annual Institute of Functional Medicine conference and it explains perfectly why health care costs have risen exponentially over the last few decades- and how functional medicine can help. Initially, disease management is cheap on time and money (sometimes). A 15 minute doctor visit and a prescription is all that is needed for some chronic diseases at the start, but then what is the endpoint? Is that visit, is that prescription improving health longterm? If we follow the trajectory out, that same chronic problem over time accrues more and more resources financial and otherwise. We have lost sight of what gives us the biggest return on investment. We are so good at disease management, we have forgotten we must promote and value health for it to flourish.
At Sparkle Health where we ask the question WHY? And give you the tools to prevent and reverse chronic medical conditions. Spend time with a doctor who will get to know you and pay attention to the biological clues and imbalances that will help you determine what interventions, if invested in, are likely to help your Healthspan.
