It does seem, doesn’t it, that no matter where we turn these days, there are news stories and advertisements, alike, promoting the stunning research on a plethora of exotic supplements, not to mention the cutting-edge health proclamations of coffee and red wine that, in one way or another, guarantee to decrease or eliminate all causes of mortality? It would almost seem, in fact, that a quest for immortality has replaced our search for longevity!

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 against taking supplements. Not only do I advocate them for my patients, but I listen to my own advice and take them as well. 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 enjoy 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 actually 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 another cup of coffee to your morning habit, another glass of red wine to your evening ritual, or an extra expenditure of your hard-earned cash on exotic herbs that promise to make you live forever, let’s rationally consider a couple of things.

For example, let us consider the human condition. We are dynamic, biological beings, free to vigorously participate in life. We have not been cooped up in a cage all our life, and we have not been bred to “unnaturally” incur the age-related afflictions that lab animals do, disease and debilitation that is then “eliminated” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some “amazing” supplement.

Moreover, our being dynamic and biological is another way of saying that we, humans, are not ” mechanistic automatons.” In other words, we aren’t all precisely alike. Due to the fact that our central integrative states are not exactly the same, internal provocation factors and external irritation influences affect us in different ways. For example, though smoking cigarettes is commonly harmful to most people, there are a few individuals who can smoke cigarettes and still achieve longevity without any related ill effects.

The outcomes upon which scientific research and testing are based upon the isolation of a particular variable. That is the method that gives scientific study its legitimacy. However, because tests related to human health issues occur through this very method, and are most often done on lab animals, when it comes to human beings, the effects are very likely to be quite different. In fact, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, what might benefit some of the people all of the time, most likely won’t work for all of the people all of the time (and sometimes won’t work at all!).

You make choices each day, some that are intentional and others that may be indifferent, that will affect your physical health, now and in the future. You decide what (and how much) you’ll eat and drink, and the amount of physical activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you can “sense” what is healthy for you, by the way your body responds, sometimes, perhaps too often, you may override the feedback. Clearly, when you don’t consciously make healthy choices, you jeopardize your health and longevity.

Then, a study comes along that hails the discovery of THE THING that has the efficacy to reverse all of the immoderate and unhealthy things you may have been doing to your body through unhealthy choices, and you, like many others, may be ready to take double and triples doses of whatever it is! This kind of “hope” is, unfortunately, a subtle illusion.

Your human body is an elegantly complex, homeostatic system. In other words, every operation is interdependent and sensitively balanced. When you choose an unhealthy lifestyle, your fastidiously-responsive system gets “off balance.” Sooner or later, the imbalances created by choosing unhealthily, result in diseases and a shortened lifespan.

As a chiropractor who supplements daily, I suggest that you supplement, too, if they help you to feel vigorously healthy. I agree, as well, that if it feels like the thing to do, an extra cup of coffee might actually be personally beneficial for you. And, if it truly feels healthy, have a little more red wine. Just keep in mind, however, that the only authentic way that you can prevent or reverse age-related health problems is by changing an unhealthy lifestyle. You won’t become healthier or live longer by waiting for the discovery of a “magic potion.”

Dr. Jamie Phillips, is a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She also teaches chiropractors in Chicago and across the country how to market their chiropractic practices online. She can be reached at (805) 985-9502

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