Recently I visited a friend, let’s call him Mark, as he was unpacking a brand new flat screen TV. He ripped off the box, threw away the instruction manual and set it on a flimsy table on his patio. It got wet and was exposed to direct sunlight and wind gusts all day, causing it to fall occasionally. A fortnight later he texted me, saying he was upset that his brand new TV stopped working. Mark was never the smartest tool in the shed but if he had read the operation manual, he would likely still be enjoying his TV.

It is my proposition that 90% of us humans treat our bodies like Mark’s TV because we are not curious about our individual instruction manuals for healthy living. To be sure, one manual does not fit every human model but the recommendations that follow can’t be far off. We must become active stewards of our health.

The foundation supporting these recommendations come from this doctor’s philosophy that the body is perfectly capable of a robust self defense from its immune system against bad bacteria and viruses. But one has to treat it correctly. It also comes from the philosophy that one must maintain and support the vascular integrity of all sized vessels, such that delivery of blood and oxygen is maximized to each of our cells. In other words; The Pursuit of Perfect Perfusion.

Disease begins at the cellular level when there is dysfunction of the tiny “power plants” all cells have (mitochondria). Too many cells get dysfunctional and the organ is affected. Too many organs get dysfunctional and our life span is shortened by chronic progressive disease. This doctor maintains, that the root of the problem is chronic unrelenting inflammation. All efforts made to reverse or reduce chronic inflammation will pay healthy dividends.

Here is my human “instruction manual” listing 15 ways to live in vitality well into your 90’s! Lifestyle Modifications;

1. Don’t start, and if you have, quit smoking yesterday.
2. Heavy alcohol consumption has no benefit. The sweet spot (depending on weight) is somewhere between 1-2 glasses over three days. (I recommend red wine because of the resveratrol, polyphenols and flavonoid content).
3. Intelligent exercise. Do what you can, but do something daily which takes you outside and makes you sweat and/or breathe deeply. Movement in the sunshine is essential. Riding, racquet sports or brisk beach walks are great. If there are painful joints find a pool and workout.
4. Don’t pressure your doctor to prescribe unnecessary antibiotics as there are useless against viruses. The damage done to the beneficial gut bacteria is tremendous when treating a viral infection. It’s ok to challenge him or her in asking which infection is being treated.
5. Seek out and give love and appreciation to family and friends. Those who live the longest in health have a network of social activity where they interact with loved ones daily. Immerse yourself in the currency of loving and caring and being loved and cared for.
6.           Meditate. Pray and be conscious within your divinity.
7.           Boost and stimulate your microvascular circulation with approved electromagnetic field exposure. A new device called, BEMER, achieves this. The smallest blood vessels are most susceptible to chronic inflammation thus decreasing oxygen and nutrient delivery.
8.           Sleep is a vital restorative function especially for the brain. The metabolic brain waste is dealt with during sleep and accumulation of this waste between neurons leads to dementia. Get at least six hours, more is better.
   Dietary Modifications
9.           Eat a mostly plant based diet as free from pesticides as possible. Colourful leafy vegetables and most fruit are fantastic. Limit animal protein consumption.
10.           Engage in deliberate calorie restriction. We as humans don’t need to eat nearly as much as we do. Try to eat and snack in a definitive time window of about 5 hours.
11.           Intermittent fasting is a healthy practice. Twice a week of perhaps 16-18 hours of fasting is one of the best gifts you can give your body. Putting your body under this stress is beneficial and releases growth hormone and stem cells when done properly.
12.           Throw away highly processed, high sugary foods which encourage chronic inflammation such as; vegetable cooking oils, cereals, cakes, white bread, sodas etc.
13.           Do not fear healthy fats (as in the ketogenic diet) and cholesterol. They have been wrongly identified as dietary culprits and this is not the case. Eggs are healthy along with extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and real butter. Margarine has little nutritional value.
14.           Add supplements to your diet. A list of my most favorite is;
    •            Resveratrol – anti-inflammatory
    •           CoQ10 – heart and overall mitochondrial health
    •           Vitamin D3/K2 – directs calcium from soft tissue to bone
    •           Magnesium
    •           Curcumin/Turmeric – anti-inflammatory
    •           Sulfurophane (broccoli sprout extract)– anti-cancer
    •           Omega3 fatty acid fish oils
15.           Coffee and Green tea are helpful because of the high polyphenols and flavinol content.

Written by Dr. Derek B. Thorpe
Dr. Thorpe is a nuclear medicine and functional medicine physician with post graduate degrees from Cornell School of Medicine and the University of Florida. He mentors clients through the ketogenic diet and treats pain and injury through optimisation of  blood flow.