A Short Guide to a Long Life

Earlier this week, I battled my instinctual aversion to attending extra lectures by going to a talk featuring Keck’s very own Dr. David B. Agus. I almost backed out even as I stood outside the doors of Mayer Auditorium, that bleak place that robs away 4 hours of my youth each day in the form of MS PowerPoint. All I could see through the glass were old men in suits milling about, and to me, this was the epitome of intimidating. Upon realizing how pathetic this all was, I promptly made my way into the auditorium to gather this story -

If you’re the type of person who makes an effort to keep up with news that might actually impact your life (which may be safe to assume given you’re on this blog ☺), you may have stumbled across Dr. Agus on public television, or you may have even read his international bestseller The End of Illness. For those who’ve never heard of him, Dr. Agus is a one of the world’s leading oncologists and biomedical researchers, renowned for his innovative and personalized approach to cancer treatment and health, in general. He published his second book, A Short Guide to a Long Life, a mere 2 weeks ago. If you prefer short books over long ones and think you might be interested in leading a longer life, I would highly recommend reading Dr. Agus’s latest book. However, it's essentially a summary of The End of Illness, which gives a more comprehensive, scientific view of how making specific lifestyle changes will benefit your health (I highlier recommend this one for those of you with more time). Below, I’ve summarized some of the guidelines Dr. Agus discussed during the talk that stood out to me/I was able to take reliable notes on:



1. Get naked
This might make you want to reconsider joining a Nevernude colony! This is Dr. Agus’s way of saying “Get to know yourself”. You’ve had your body your whole life, but how familiar are you with its landmarks? Familiarize yourself with where your fat tends to go when you’ve put on a few, get to know every mole. How else will you be able to detect abnormal and possibly malignant changes before it’s too late?

2. Keep a log
This is like #1 but for bodily aspects that cannot directly be seen. Keeping track of how you feel, both emotionally and physically, is pivotal in preventing severe illness. This is especially in relation to factors such as diet and activity. At what time did you go to bed/wake on those days you felt the most well-rested? How are your #2 sessions on the toilet, and when do they occur? What kinds of foods did you eat before that power workout at the gym? My former yoga instructor insisted that eating an apple before yoga practice would yield the best results. I was dubious of this but found it true for me in subsequent sessions. Though it may seem at first that such petty associations are far-fetched (not that some of them aren’t), it starts to make sense once you realize just how dynamic and intricately interconnected the systems of the human body are. While many of its mechanisms remain elusive, the body speaks to us through the language of sensation and emotion. We owe it to ourselves to listen and respond accordingly.

 3. Get a dog
Your pooch will introduce greater structure to your daily life, which is fantastic news for your circadian rhythm and lowering your risk for cancer. Not to mention your 4-legged pal will bring you oodles of joy.

4. Don’t wear high heels
Sometimes giving the illusion of length to your legs just isn’t worth increasing your risk of developing cancer. Pain may be gain in the fashion world, but the only thing you’re gaining health-wise is increased inflammation. Underlying this inflammation is a storm of chemical messengers that can inflict permanent injury on cells, even mutating some of them to become cancerous.

5. Don’t jump on “health” bandwagons 
Rather, approach trends with caution and do you your research before you start loading up on vitamins, supplements or trying Kim Kardashian’s latest diet tricks (although editing selfies is harmless enough). Much of the hype about vitamin supplementation simply isn’t supported by scientific research, and some are even entrepreneurial ploys to trick consumers into pouring millions into minerals, etc. that do nothing (or may even be harmful when taken in excess). Minerals such as calcium are important in many bodily processes such as bone growth and muscle contraction, but who knows what kind of havoc large quantities of free calcium might wreak, especially given that it acts as a primary regulator is so many signaling pathways? Dr. Agus noted that, although 74% of post-menopausal American women take supplemental vitamin D and calcium, there is currently no compelling evidence to support that this provides any additional health benefit.


If you found these health suggestions helpful, you can read about them again, along with 41 others not mentioned here, in A Short Guide to a Long Life. I hope this motivates you to make beneficial lifestyle changes or at least start questioning much of what has been trending as health “common knowledge” and do your own research. May you live long and prosper!