Dr. med. Andreas Bernhardt
Growing old healthily? Live long? Here is a guide to how we can achieve this ambitious goal and what role lifestyle and bioidentical hormones play in this.
Today, it is no longer uncommon for us to reach the age of over 80. But the older we get, the more often we fall ill. Not only from typical old-age diseases such as dementia or diabetes, but primarily from cardiovascular problems. According to experts, the maximum biological lifespan of a person is around 120 years. This can only be achieved if we can slow down the diseases of old age in good time. Trends such as anti-ageing, better ageing and longevity are intended to counteract this. They share a similar goal and yet are not the same. Here are the differences:
Anti Aging
The literal translation of age prevention is aimed at maintaining a high quality of life in old age for as long as possible and delaying the biological ageing process in order to extend life expectancy. Often Better Aging used as a marketing term in the food industry, the beauty industry and also in medicine.
Better Aging
Instead of not ageing, we should resolve to age better. Mindset makes the difference. Better and healthy ageing is the process of optimizing opportunities for physical, social and mental health. It is therefore embedded in a large environmental field of the human individual.
Longevity - Longevity
Today, we want to live healthily into old age and also extend our lifespan. As part of preventive medicine, more and more researchers are investigating ways of preventing illness and thus prolonging life. The aim is no longer to age healthily, but to live as long and as healthily as possible.
The consequences of the natural ageing process can be tackled and mitigated with special measures. If you maintain your physical and mental fitness into old age, you will make a difference in Things Longevity is already doing a lot of things right. Nevertheless, it will not be enough. In addition to exercise and mental training, more approaches are needed to join in the orchestra of ageing.
What can I do myself?
You have to internalize a lot of things in order to reach your destination. This is not easy. The entire lifestyle often needs to be restructured. Because every single piece of the puzzle contributes to success. Here are the five most important strategies that each and every one of us can implement:
- Nutrition: Healthy lifestyle with a Mediterranean-keto-oriented diet and intermittent fasting according to the 16:8 method.
- Movement: It is important to find the right sport depending on your basic physical condition. The focus is on joint-friendly and cardioactive exercise. Professional advice is important here.
- Social life: Relationships must be cultivated to avoid loneliness. Isolation can promote mental illness.
- Relaxation: Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises can reduce stress and improve quality of life.
- Mental training: Learning languages, reading a lot and taking part in discussion groups.
The imbalance of hormones and its effects
Non-specific symptoms occur at a very early stage. As a rule, the perimenopause begins from the age of 41 or 42. The premenopause then sets in at around the age of 50. The hormone decline, on the other hand, starts at around the age of 37. Recognizing this early and taking countermeasures is very important because each hormone has its own effect. Progesterone in particular, which is the first of the sex hormones to gradually decline, is of central importance. As we get older, chronic diseases such as diabetes, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases and cancer occur more frequently, which can also be attributed to hormone imbalances.
The earlier you start to take hormone imbalances seriously and act accordingly, the less likely it is that these typical illnesses will occur in the first place. Modern medicine is still symptom-oriented. Prevention with a close look at hormones, on the other hand, is a revolutionary idea. Although bioidentical hormones are not a panacea, they can achieve a great deal if they are administered in a way that is adapted to individual physical conditions.
What does bioidentical hormone therapy mean?
Humanidentical or bioidentical hormones are hormones that are completely identical to human hormones in terms of their molecular structure. They are exactly the same as those produced by our body itself.
Bioidentical hormones are extracted from the yam root and are given the structure of our own hormones in the laboratory. This means that they fit exactly onto the cell receptor that is created for our own hormones and trigger the same effects in the cells.
Is bioidentical hormone therapy safe?
The Bioidentical hormone therapy (BHT) Due to their body-like structures, they do not have the side effects that make synthetic hormone therapy so unpopular. This eliminates the increased risks of thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, heart attacks and strokes, weight gain, dementia and much more. When properly indicated and used BHT is a hormone treatment without side effects. Possible problems can only arise in the event of an overdose. This is counteracted with regular, accompanying blood tests. In addition, the focus should be on individual formulations in order to provide the body with the best possible care in every life situation.
Conclusion: Longevity is therefore not just a goal, but a life concept that requires many changes and measures that have a positive impact on our health and quality of life. By making conscious decisions about how we live, what we eat, how we relax, what social contacts we maintain and how we seek health advice, we can influence our well-being and ultimately our lifespan.
About Dr. med. Andreas Bernhardt:
Dr. Bernhardt is a specialist in general internal medicine with international training in endocrinology and better aging. He is a member of the Swiss Anti-Aging Society (SSAAMP) and the renowned Endocrine Society (Washington, D.C.). His focus is on bioidentical hormone therapy as part of a holistic longevity concept. As an expert on the German-speaking platform wechselweise.net he is committed to raising awareness in the DACH region about hormonal changes in men and women during the menopause - with the aim of promoting health and quality of life in the long term.