Limitless Monday – Health Span vs Life Span

Limitless Monday – Health span vs Life span

 

 

 

I am at the age when certain body parts are beginning to buckle under the stress of constant use. In my case it’s the knees, one knee in particular. It doesn’t slow me down too much because when it gets to the point that I can’t walk I simply take a week or two off from Jiu-Jitsu and continue with my gym workouts avoiding the affected knee. This happens every three or four months, typically after an intense Jiu-Jitsu class. The most recent forced rest was a few weeks ago when my knee was in so much pain I needed to borrow a cane for a couple of days.

 

 

A few years ago, I attended a boxing camp in the Catskills, New York. I met a fellow boxer who was in his sixties and ripped. As we jogged in the fresh mountain air he began to tell me about how only a few months before he was unable to walk, let alone run. His knee had finally packed up after years of jogging. He tried stem cell surgery. It took 6 months for his knee to heal at which point he was performing at a level he could only dream of a few years before, including boxing my socks off.

 

 

During my research, I discovered that the life expectancy in the US is 79 years old. What’s disturbing is that the average person lives disease and disability free only until age 63. That’s 16 years living in discomfort before your final goodbye. The latter is called health span. Health span refers to the length of time a person lives in good health, free from chronic disease, disability, and significant physical or cognitive decline.

 

 

There are effective ways to increase your health span. The one I focus on in this blog is exercise. This is a proven way to increase your life and health span. However, even exercise can take a toll on certain parts of the body. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise. The weak and pathetic among us use this as an excuse to avoid exercise. There does appear to be a solution for those of us whose bodies have been worn down by a grueling exercise regime.

 

 

When I had my first knee operation, my surgeon told me to lay off running. I ignored him. That led to a second knee operation and then a third. While I no longer run, I replaced that hobby with the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu. I still believe my running and skiing days are far from over.

 

 

My dream of getting back to my younger self is kept alive by the constant medical longevity breakthroughs. The most relevant one in this article being stem cell surgery.

 

 

What is the definition of stem cells and stem cell surgery?

 

 

Stem cells are special cells that can renew themselves and develop into many different cell types, acting as the body’s natural repair system. Stem cell surgery (or therapy) involves collecting these cells from the patient or a donor, processing them, and injecting them into damaged areas, such as joints or tendons, to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

 

 

At present, U.S. regulations do not allow stem cell injections into the joints. Patients therefore have to travel overseas to benefit from such treatments. Joe Rogan, the popular podcaster, who has put his body through the wringer more than most, travelled to Panama and Tijuana, Mexico for stem cell surgery on both his shoulder and knee. At a cost of between $6,000 and $10,000 for a single procedure, it’s costly, however, amazing results have been reported. The technology is only going to improve. I’ll wait a little longer before I embark on this journey myself. I am hopeful, however, when that time comes, I’ll be kicking ass like a 29 year old again, or so I keep telling myself.

 

 

In the meantime, I don’t sit back and wait for that fateful procedure. I am still training 6 days a week. For there is no good having full use of your joints and being a fat lump of lard. This will only put additional stress on your rejuvenated joints as you waddle down the street. The need for exercise and healthy eating never ends.

 

 

Happy Monday!

 

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