Figures in Aging: Healthspan and Lifespan

While we have a longer lifespan than most of the people from hundreds of years ago, are we also about to live a longer life with good health? Does longevity always mean a longer "healthier" life?

How Long You are Living

Lifespan is the total number of how a person lives from birth to death. It is influenced by multiple factors including but not limited to access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and genetics. With today's medical and technological advances, people live longer lives, especially those living in developed countries.

In the US, there has been a decline in life expectancy as compared to the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. From 79 years of life expectancy in 2019, it fell to 76 in 2021. While it is attributed to the deaths from COVID-19, there was also a commentary on the priorities in healthcare. The USA has a strong "sick care system," but falls short in disease prevention and healthy lifestyle promotion.

The Years Living in Good Health

Healthspan is about the quality of years a person lives. These are the years when diseases and disabilities do not hinder a person from living their life. Chronic diseases, poor lifestyle choices, environmental health factors, and mental health decline negatively impact the health span. According to WHO, by the age of 60, most people will start experiencing hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back pain and osteoarthritis, pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, and dementia.

Data shows that a person's health span is about 11 to 15 years shorter than their lifespan while in other literature, the gap is estimated to be around 9 years. How do we bridge the gap between lifespan and health span? Is it even important to focus on increasing a person's health span?

A longer lifespan is dependent on a lot of factors. Let's focus on the variables that can be controlled: building healthy habits. If you are now in your 20s or 30s without any alarming health concerns, this is the best time to start making smart choices when it comes to your lifestyle and health, helping you prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart problems, and stroke. If you are diagnosed with one of the said chronic conditions, it's not too late to start sticking to healthy habits. Taking proactive steps regardless of your current health status and age can boost both your health span and lifespan. Here are some of the factors that can improve your health for a longer life:

Food Therapy: Diet is one of the most important but also one of the most overlooked aspects of healthy life. Eat foods that are nutrient-dense and filling. Food recommendations are highly individualized based on your current health status, conditions, etc.
Stress management: Mindfulness techniques, breathing exercises, and activities you like to do to destress can improve your mental health.
Staying active: To delay losing muscle mass, keep the bones strong, and have a healthy cardiovascular system, regular physical activities are recommended.
Keeping healthy social bonds: Connecting with the people you love and value is linked to having healthier lives according to studies. Join group and community activities that you enjoy.
Getting early treatment: If you are starting to experience some pain, feeling a little too stressed and overwhelmed in life, or having some gut issues here and there, it's best to have them checked and treated early. Consider getting a traditional Chinese medicine consult and getting acupuncture treatments! It's a holistic and non-invasive approach to health.

The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine is one of, if not the most comprehensive traditional medicine. It has a detailed and clear understanding of human aging and how to deal with age-related conditions. With the help of TCM, prolonging lifespan through healthy aging can be more accessible. TCM together with other traditional practices, collectively known as Traditional East Asian medicine, focuses on treating the body holistically, promoting overall wellness rather than simply addressing symptoms. This means you get to extend the time of your life when you feel energetic, mobile, and independent.

Acupuncture is utilized both for preventing and treating many age-related and chronic conditions. This ancient practice regulates the Qi, promoting natural healing. Sleep, stress, and immune functions greatly contribute to a person's health. Having regular acupuncture treatments can improve the basic functions of the body, positively affecting overall health.

In addition to acupuncture, a well-tailored herbal therapy can support vitality and longevity. Herbs like ginseng are known to provide many health benefits from addressing fatigue and lowering blood sugar, to boosting the immune system. Cupping, tuina, and gua sha are great for improving blood and fluid circulation. These reduce inflammation, helping the body to recover fast.

Traditional East Asian medicine together with modern medicine can bridge the gap between lifespan and health span. Integration of these practices and taking proactive steps can help promote healthy aging.

To recap, here are the key points of this blog:

Lifespan is different from healthspan
Proactive steps are necessary to live a long and healthy life
By focusing on maintaining healthy habits, you get to prolong your health span which in the long run, could also lengthen your lifespan
Traditional East Asian medicine can help improve both the healthspan and lifespan

NYC Acupuncture + Wellness offers traditional Chinese medicine and alternative modern medicine treatments, a perfect balance for maintaining optimal health and vitality. Take proactive steps to live the life you want by booking an appointment with us.

Reference:

Cong, W., & Chen, K. (2019). Traditional Chinese medicine and aging: Integration and collaboration promotes healthy aging. Aging medicine (Milton (N.S.W)), 2(3), 139–141. https://doi.org/10.1002/agm2.12077

Dattani, S., Rodés-Guirao, L., Ritchie, H., Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2023, December 28). Life expectancy. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy#:~:text=In%201900%2C%20the%20average%20life,data%20on%20life%20expectancy%20worldwide.

Shmerling, R. H. (2022, October 20). Why life expectancy in the US is falling. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-life-expectancy-in-the-us-is-falling-202210202835

World Health Organization. (2022, October 1). Ageing and health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health