It does seem, doesn’t it, that it doesn’t matter where we turn these days, there are news stories and advertisements, alike, promoting the stupendous studies on a plethora of natural supplements, not to mention the cutting-edge health claims of coffee and red wine that, indubitably, promise to reduce or eliminate all causes of mortality? It would almost seem, in fact, that a quest for immortality has replaced our search for longevity!

To begin with, let me make it super clear that I unwaveringly believe that certain~particular things that we put into our bodies can be beneficial to our health. Therefore, I’m definitely not against taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but I listen to my own advice and take them as well. Secondly, if confession is good for the soul, and red wine is good for the heart, then I’d like to take this opportunity to help both by stating for the record that I appreciate drinking a glass of red wine. The suggestion that it might have heart-healthy properties, well, that’s like icing on the cake, so to speak. And, lastly, as far as caffeine’s ability to actually reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s disease goes, I believe that if that were generally true, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.

Let’s take a deep breath and reflect on a couple of facts, however, before deciding to add more caffeine to your morning grind, increase the red wine you may drink in the evening, or before you consider mortgaging the house in order to pay for high-priced minerals and herbs that promise to extend your life indefinitely.

Let us think about the fact, for instance, that we have not been locked up in a cage all of our life, and not one of us has been induced, by unnatural means, to acquire the age-related diseases that lab animals do, enfeeblement that is then “reversed” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic mineral or plant. We are dynamic, biological beings, free to fully engage with life.

Fundamentally, we are far more than the sum total of our parts. We are dynamic and biological, not “mechanical, conscienceless devices.” We are organically individual, i.e., we react in a uniquely individual ways to internal irritation factors and external environmental influences. Case in point, though smoking cigarettes is commonly unhealthy, there are a few people who are able to smoke, so it seems, and live to a ripe old age without any apparently-related problems.

The outcomes upon which scientific research and testing are rely upon the isolation of a particular variable. That is the method that gives scientific inquiry its legitimacy. However, because tests related to human health issues occur through this very method, and are most often done on lab animals, when it comes to human beings, the effects are very likely to be quite different. In fact, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, what might benefit some of the people all of the time, most likely won’t work for all of the people all of the time (and sometimes won’t work at all!).

Everyday you make considerable choices that affect both your health and longevity. Decisions such as what you’ll eat and how much exercise and rest you’ll get will either be good for you, or not so good. Obviously, your unhealthy choices are not beneficial for your long-term health. And, even though you know, by the way your individual body responds to certain things, you may often ignore these important health messages.

Then, a report comes out asserting that researchers have finally found the “missing link” between we, humans, and immortality, that they’ve uncovered, in fact, THE THING that has the amazing power to reverse all of the overindulgent and unhealthy things you may have been doing to your body on a daily basis, and you, like many others, may want to jump on the bandwagon. Talk about “magical” thinking!

The human body is an exquisitely involved, homeostatic system. That is to say, every function is interdependent and sensitively balanced. This meticulous system becomes “off balance” when you consistently make unhealthy choices. Over time, the imbalances produce diseases and speed up the aging process.

As a chiropractor, I advise that you supplement if you need it. Pour that added cup of coffee if it feels right. And, have a little more red wine if it genuinely feels beneficial for your individual system. But all the while remember, the only truly reliable way that we, humans, can avoid or reverse age-related health issues is by changing our unhealthy lifestyle. Good health has nothing do with luck. And, there is no “magic potion” when it comes to health and longevity.

Jamie Phillips, DC, a Ventura Chiropractor, has been a practicing chiropractor for 24 years. She is also a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic internet marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She can be reached at (805) 882-1956.

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