Like me, you may be wondering whether or not our human search for longevity has suddenly been displaced by a mission to find immortality. No doubt, you’ve been reading a lot lately about the miraculous heart benefits of red wine (resveratrol), the extraordinary memory retention benefits of coffee (caffeine), and the countless benefits of a multitude of exotic supplements that, in one way or another, “guarantee” to reduce or prevent every known cause of mortality.

To start with, let me make it unquestionably clear that I solidly believe that certain~particular things that we ingest can be beneficial to our health. So, I’m definitely not opposed to taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but take them myself. 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 notion 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 genuinely reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s disease goes, I believe that if that were commonly true, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.

However, before taking ill-considered action, and indiscriminately adding more coffee to your morning grind, an extra glass of red wine to your evening meal, or an extra outlay of your hard-earned cash on exotic herbs that promise to make you live forever, let’s rationally think about a couple of things.

For instance, let us think about the fact that we, humans, are dynamic, biological beings, free to uniquely interact with life. We have not been detained in a cage, and none of us has been “propagated” to artificially develop the age-related debilitation and disease that lab animals are bred to do, conditions that are then “reversed” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic herb.

Fundamentally, we are far more than the sum total of our parts. We are dynamic and biological, not “mechanical, conscienceless devices.” We are biologically individual, i.e., we react in a unique variety of 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.

Scientific studies isolate certain variables in order to achieve particular outcomes. That’s scientific inquiry! But, because the results occur through such isolation, and due to the fact that they are generally done on animals, when it comes to translating such results to humans, it can be said that what may work for some of the people all of the time, won’t work for all of the people all of the time, and sometimes won’t work at all (to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln!).

Each day you make deliberate decisions about what you’ll eat and how much activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you know what “feels” nutritious for your individual system by the way your body responds, not all the choices you make may be beneficial for your health and longevity. In fact, perhaps few of the choices you’ve been making lately are actually healthy ones.

Then you, like many others, may enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon of the latest report that announces that researchers have uncovered THE VERY THING that has the potency to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things you have been doing to your body on a routine basis! Talk about wishful 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.

If supplements help you to feel more energetic and healthy, then as a chiropractor who takes them as well, I say great, take them! If it feels like the thing to do, drink that additional cup of coffee as well. And, have a little more red wine if it honestly feels beneficial. But, keep in mind that the only legitimate way for anyone to avert or reverse age-related health problems is by choosing a consistently healthy lifestyle. You won’t get healthier by chance. There is no “lucky charm” when it comes to health and longevity.

Jamie Phillips, DC, a Ventura Chiropractor, has been in private chiropractic practice for 24 years. She is also a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She can be reached at (805) 985-9502

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