I’d heard of “lifespan” before. Most of us have. But I hadn’t heard the term “healthspan” before. While lifespan is how long you live, healthspan is how long you live well. I learned this term in reading the book Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia. The book was a birthday present from my friend, Marty, and although it’s not a Pulitzer, I’ve taken a little time to read through some of it.
As I’ve mentioned recently, I’ve just turned 60, but matters of health have been more apparent to me over the past 5 years or so leading up to this milestone. Things have changed. Recovery takes a bit longer now for me. I lack what little flexibility I had. And some of this goes to what Attia talks about in his book. I’m only a couple of chapters into it, but I can see exactly what he’s saying. Our medical system is too focused on treating disease after it happens rather than taking steps to prevent disease before it hits us. You can see it in our healthcare system. Insurance doesn’t have a code for doctors to prescribe preventative measures. Get cancer and go through the treatments, sure; but educate your patients on diet and exercise, and their coverage gives them nothing.
I’ll be sure to plug through this book as time goes on. It’s important, and just based on the first few chapters, I’m ready to recommend it. It makes too much sense.
In the meantime, I’ve got to start developing better strategies to improve my healthspan.
I listened to a sample of the audio book. The narrator is well chosen.
Glad you liked it. Attia seems to shed a unique perspect on all manner of things related to living. He is not afraid to bear his soul and what a twisted soul it has been at times, but then aren’t we all twisted at some time in the way we see things. Watching an old episode of the series, “House,” Doctor House is in recovery from addiction to pain killers and is being defiant with his therapist about opening up and talking about life experiences he’s had. One of the most revealing lines I’ve ever heard in any production comes next, from the character portraying the counselor, “are we not all just the sum of the things that have happened to us?” I had personally been reflecting on my own journey from being at death’s door with heart failure, blocked coronary arteries, type 2 diabetes, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, debilitating arthritis, and near blindness to finding “the cure” for all these comorbidities. I was stricken at how my decisions had been the factor leading to me nearly eating myself to death. Then it occurred to me the decisions reflect the manner in which we choose to respond to all the things that happen to us. Why, because we are at the tiniest, miniscule component nothing more than organisms responding to stimuli. We seek homeostasis through chemical processes that are constantly going on without us even thinking about it. And in elevating this understanding my life has been saved. I have chosen to respond to things in a manner that will not knowingly bring harm to my existence. Learning what those things are is driving me to study like a mad man. Like a tormented soul. It is from that perspective I found a connection with Attia.