Aging and Disease: Healthcare Perspective.
I have brought up Peter Attia in the past, a like minded physician who is focused on telling the world the importance of disease prevention in improving healthcare across the planet. He remains a prominent voice in the realm of health and longevity said, "There's probably nothing more disjointed in health care than the gulf between the world of aging and the world of disease." But what did he mean by this? Let's dive deeper into this fascinating perspective.
The Dichotomy
At first glance, aging and disease might seem intimately connected. After all, as we grow older, the risk of acquiring various diseases increases. But from a health care perspective, these are two separate realms. Here's why:
Perception: Aging is often seen as a natural, inevitable process. We celebrate birthdays and mark them as milestones, but we often overlook the biological implications of aging. Disease, on the other hand, is viewed as an anomaly, something that shouldn't be there and needs immediate attention.
Research: The vast majority of medical research focuses on specific diseases — how to prevent them, treat them, and ideally, cure them. Aging research, while gaining traction, is often a separate field, exploring the fundamental processes that govern our body's decline over time.
Treatment Approach: When you visit a doctor, the focus is predominantly on symptoms and diseases. The interventions are typically disease-specific. On the other hand, age-specific recommendations, such as lifestyle changes, are more generic and often secondary.
The Implications
1. Missed Opportunities: By separating the world of aging from the world of disease, we may miss the bigger picture. If we address the root causes of aging, we might preemptively tackle multiple diseases at once. Think of it as addressing the foundation of a building rather than just fixing individual cracks.
2. Reactive vs. Proactive Care: Our current medical system is mostly reactive. We wait for diseases to manifest and then react to them. A more integrated view, where aging and disease are interconnected, would allow for a proactive approach, preventing or delaying the onset of many diseases.
3. Economic Costs: Treating diseases is costly. It consumes vast resources, from research funds to medical bills. Addressing aging directly might be a more cost-effective way of ensuring a healthier population in the long run.
Bridging the Gap
While the dichotomy exists, there's a growing movement to bridge this gap:
Geriatrics and Longevity Science: The field of geriatrics, which focuses on health care for elderly people, often emphasizes a holistic approach, looking at the overall health and well-being of patients. Moreover, longevity science, a newer field, is making strides in understanding the biology of aging and how to intervene in it.
Lifestyle Interventions: There's a growing realization that lifestyle factors — such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management — play a pivotal role in both aging and disease. By addressing these, we're essentially blurring the lines between the two realms.
Public Awareness: Educating the public about the intricacies of aging can help shift the narrative. If people understand that their daily choices can influence both how they age and their disease risk, we can bring about a more holistic approach to health.
In conclusion, while the worlds of aging and disease have traditionally been disjointed, there's a significant advantage in viewing them as interconnected. Such a perspective might revolutionize our approach to health care, shifting from a disease-centric model to one that prioritizes holistic well-being and longevity. With our first love and initial training in Emergency Medicine, we totally understand the need for reactive medicine, but what we also realize that a preventative approach is absolutely necessary and will ultimately have a deeper impact for overall improvement! Jason & Rita...aka Dr. De Leon and Dr. Gillespie.
