Better to prevent than to cure

It’s an old saying, certainly, but how true. If health had its 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, they would undoubtedly be the following:

• Atherosclerosis
• Metabolic dysfunctions: from hyperinsulinemia to metabolic syndrome, passing through hepatic steatosis to type 2 diabetes.
• Cancers
• Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s dementia.
  80% of non-smokers will succumb to a consequence of these large categories.

Smokers add chronic pulmonary diseases and a drastic acceleration of everything I just listed to the tally.

Our weapons of choice

Appropriate screening based on personal and family history will allow us to intervene aggressively and swiftly to slow down and sometimes completely reverse the progress of a chronic disease.

Then, to battle our Horsemen, we have several tools and strategies: the optimization of sleep, physical exercise, adapted nutrition, stress management, supplements, and pharmacotherapy.

The importance of an individualized approach

If we want to make a marked change in a person’s health trajectory, we must completely adapt our approach for each one. Strategies will be very different depending on your long term goals and your current risk factors and diseases.

What do you want to optimize? What do you want to be able to do at 70-80 years old? Travel independently? Go bike touring? Do an Ironman (worth the read)? Play with your grandchildren and be able to pick them up in your arms?

Each of these activities requires specific abilities in terms of strength, mobility, coordination and cardiovascular capacity. Some of these activities are trivial when we’re in our thirties or forties, but we must decrease our rate of functional decline substantially to be able to do them in our old age.

An adapted method

In my practice at QuatuorMD, I rely on the latest scientific and technological advances in performance and longevity, to offer a personalized approach in achieving your goals.

The Performance and Healthspan program is aimed at people of all ages and all physical conditions, from elite athletes to sedentary people struggling with overweight, wanting to maximize their potential and promote a healthspan.

About the author:

Julien Martel is a doctor passionate about longevity, working diligently to help others not only live longer, but especially in health. A triathlete, he participates in competitions ranging from sprint distances to 70.3, living proof that he practices what he preaches. His main goal is to prevent people from ending up where he spent 13 years of his career: the emergency room.