Restoring Vitality and Health

By Alan S. Weiss, MD

Much of my medicine is devoted to people in their 40's- 60's who just don't feel well and are looking for some way to restore their health and vitality.

While generally not seriously ill many patients they complain of fatigue, poor sleep, achiness, loss of motivation, and other issues that they think are inevitable at their age. That's not true vitality and aliveness are possible at almost any age.

The approach is rather simple. Your current state of health is simply the result of the interface of your genetic makeup and your lifestyle, meaning your diet, amount of exercise, sleep, stress, toxicity, and other factors. And while you cannot alter someone's genetics, altering lifestyle factors can absolutely alter how genes function and express themselves.

When people (more often women) enter their 40's their sleep patterns begin to deteriorate. Without adequate deep sleep the body cannot heal and restore itself, and chronic fatigue, aches and discomfort ensue.

Digestive function The gut produces 85% of the body's neurotransmitters and the bacterial content of the gut is intimately connected to our health. Often patients will have chronic issues such as heartburn, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. We have to look at chronic infections, malabsorption, and inflammation and fix these. Chronic bacterial and yeast overgrowth are frequent real problems that when treated have significant positive effects.

Then I address hormonal function. Some think that hormones decline with age. A more empowering view is that we age as our hormones decline. Addressing thyroid and adrenal issues, as well as testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormone levels as appropriate can make an enormous difference in restoring health and vitality.

Diet and exercise; eating in a way that promotes health and well being requires realizing that what I call the “nutritional environment” does not have our best interests in mind just look at rising rates of diabetes and obesity. To be well you must fix all nutritional deficiencies.

And finally regular exercise is indispensable. If you want your body to work you have to take care of your body. This includes maintaining strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health.

While this may sound complex it really is not, and there is nothing better than feeling alive and well.