Longevity

Thinking You Are Healthy Doesn’t Mean You Are

Most of us are inundated with numbers every day.  From the mundane phone numbers, passwords, sports scores and spreadsheets to the more esoteric Wall Street derivatives and mortgage-backed securities, our society couldn’t function without numbers.  The specific numbers may vary from profession to profession but without exception, numbers are how we keep track.  But as important as any of those numbers may be, when is the last time one of them saved your life?  

 In medicine, knowing the right numbers can tell how healthy you really are; ranging from how well you are aging to your individual risk of developing diseases that could impact or shorten your life.  When it comes to your health, what you don’t know can really hurt you.  So, what are some of the key parameters to check?  Read the rest of this entry »

New Year, New You

New Year, New You on NBC

The start of a new year is the customary time to commit to both losing weight and gaining a new lease on life. Alternity Healthcare in West Hartford urges individuals to take advantage of this time renewal by getting to the heart of their health problems and identifying health risks. In order to make real changes in your life, you must first identify the root causes of your health problems.  At Alternity Healthcare, we take a different approach, performing tests and screenings that reveal your total health picture. Read the rest of this entry »

Feed Your Brain to Avoid Dementia

As an unprecedented number of Americans approach middle and old age, there is growing public concern about the loss of mental acuity that often is attributed to aging. Medical advances have dramatically increased the likelihood of surviving into the period of life that has been associated both with wisdom and mental decline. It is becoming more and more common to enter into the eighth and ninth decades of life in generally good physical health, increasing the probability that the body will outlive the mind.  Maintaining cognitive competency is crucial for personal independence and quality of life.  Factor in the growing evidence that how one lives in earlier stages of life, including our food choices, affects cognitive aging; we all should be paying a little more attention to what we feed our brains. Read the rest of this entry »

What Do Men Need? Testosterone!

More than fifty years ago the psychologist Abraham Maslow had a revolutionary impact on the field of psychology when he wrote about the Hierarchy of Needs.  His theory is often portrayed as a pyramid with the most basic fundamental needs in the broad base and the concept of self-actualization at the top.  According to Maslow the four most fundamental needs include physiological needs, safety, love & friendship and self esteem.  Critics of his theory have taken issue with Maslow’s rankings; believing he may have overlooked the most essential human need; to “feel alive”.  Perhaps nothing makes you feel more alive than feeling younger, healthier and more vital.  And nothing does all of that better for men than testosterone. Read the rest of this entry »

How Strong Is Your Heart?

Progress in our society has been measured in large part by events like the Industrial Revolution and the Information Age.  As a result, more of us are working with our brains instead of our bodies.  But that may not be such a good thing after all.  In our current global economy, we are dealing with more competition, unprecedented levels of stress and diminished physical activity.  America has become a nation of spectators.   Far too few are getting the exercise that lowers blood pressure, burns away body fat, strengthens muscle and bones, lowers cholesterol, improves mood and sleep, and protects against diabetes, dementia, several cancers, heart attacks and strokes.  But what exactly is the right kind of exercise? Read the rest of this entry »

Sugar: Villain in Disguise?

Mary Poppins may have recommended adding a spoonful of sugar to make some things a little more palatable, but Americans have taken that benign suggestion and run amok with it.  American consumption of added sugars has increased drastically over the last several decades.  While excessive sugar consumption is arguably the main reason for our epidemic of obesity and type-2 diabetes, the extra empty calories may just be the tip of the iceberg.  As researchers delve deeper into the fundamental causes of the diseases of Western lifestyles, they are starting to see links to sugar consumption; and the evidence implicating added sugars as a contributing factor in the development of heart disease, hypertension, and several common cancers is starting to look pretty good. Read the rest of this entry »

For Better Longevity, You Are What You Eat…And Do

So what does that say about most Americans?  An increasingly large segment of the US population is overweight or obese, and nearly as many admit to being couch potatoes. Convincing evidence shows that weight gain and obesity increases the risk of several different cancers, including colon, prostate and breast cancer. Studies continue to reveal a link between food consumption, exercise, lifestyle choices and health impact. And the latest research suggests eating fruits and vegetables, limiting alcohol intake and regular exercise just may lower your risk for cancer.  Read the rest of this entry »

Get Your Mojo Back

Remember how good you felt in your twenties?  You were full of energy, vigor and lust.  Your responsibilities were few and just having fun was fairly routine.  The world was your oyster.  You really had the mojo-thing going on.  But life can get in the way.  Career, family and the demands of our modern life can make you feel tired, overwhelmed, stressed-out, grumpy, and lethargic.  Once you’ve lost some of your mojo, it can be hard to muster the enthusiasm to get it back.  But that is precisely when you must fight the hardest.  One of the best ways to get back into a groove is to become more physically active. Read the rest of this entry »

How Long Do You Want To Live?

Many of us are fascinated by stories of unusual longevity.  It seems every television network has some variation of a segment celebrating birthdays at or around 100 years old.  Perhaps it is because those over the century mark are one of the fastest growing segments of the United States population.  So often, getting to triple digits, living longer, and being the oldest kid on the block seems to be our obsession.  We like thinking about how long we want to live, rather than how well we want to live.  Is there a way to do both – live well, and live long? Read the rest of this entry »

Is the FDA Negligent?

Over the last twenty years, Americans appetite for prescription drugs has exploded.  One need only to turn on the TV to see ad after ad  suggesting that there is a pill to satisfy any pain, discomfort or ailment that you may encounter.  The message seems to be: “No need to work hard at anything or modify the way you live because we have a pill for it; whatever it is”.  But with the FDA looking out for the public welfare, isn’t that a safe proposition?

Well, let’s look at the facts.  Last year over half a million Americans suffered adverse events due to prescription medications.[1]  Almost 100,000 people die yearly as a result of complications from pharmaceutical drugs.[2]  Read the rest of this entry »