REVIVING NOVEMBER

Let's get personal.

and

Nov 13, 2024

CONTENTS
·      What’s reviving us?
·      Personalized Medicine
·      Quote & Question
·      Badass Octogenarian Alert

What’s reviving us this month?

Birthdays! November is “birth” month in our house. The month Kelli was born and the month she gave birth to our daughter. Snuggling in a warm blanket of gratitude, we celebrate and give thanks for life. November is also when we all get health checkups—our daughter’s annual pediatrician visit and our quarterly blood test review.

Happy November Birthdays and “Birth” Days!

Getting Personal

For us, it has been informative and transformative to venture off the beaten health care path. Scary at times. Discovering never before known genetic issues that have manifested in nascent health issues is sobering. But also, empowering. If you know about it, you can do something about it.

We first stuck a toe in the world of “personalized, proactive, predictive, preventative” health care back in 2015. We had just done our first round of IVF egg retrieval. At the same time, we were developing a docuseries in the biohacking space for SPIKE TV (now Paramount). Not too long after, we discovered Craig Venter’s new research company Human Longevity had launched their Health Nucleus program.1 (Craig Venter2 is best known as the “gene mapper” who was one of the first two scientists who sequenced the entire human genome.) It was quickly dubbed, “the $25,000 physical”.3

Shockingly expensive, there was no way we could afford to do it ourselves, but we loved their concept. They were attempting to use both genotypic testing alongside phenotypic testing to get a broader picture of overall health. Specifically with the goal to predict and prevent disease before it is too late. We reached out to them and started working with their team, interviewing Craig and other doctors there for an unscripted series around their innovative work.

We did eventually get to go through their early days program when they offered a drastically discounted promotion in 2017. We went for it. We were, after all, getting ready to get pregnant at an old age. We wanted as close to an “all clear” on our health as we could get before committing to parenthood. The report back showed we did not have any pre-existing physical or genetic conditions and on a cellular level, we were “younger” than our chronological ages. Music to our ears! We were told, “whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.” So, we moved forward with having children.

A year ago, we were able to go through Human Longevity’s program again. This was their new and improved version. Made possible by another huge discount they offered. We discovered much more this time including some unsettling news due to a new type of CT scan they added. Thus, they did not catch as much as we once originally thought they had (technology is advancing every day) but fortunately this preventative medicine approach helped us dodge a silent bullet that certainly would have been fired down the road.

Some people are averse to “looking under the hood” when it comes to their health. When pitching our docuseries, that included having participants receiving very detailed scans and tests, we often would hear, “Oh, I’d rather not know.” For us, not only do we want to know, but we also need to know so we can take the best corrective steps to be around for our daughter for as long as possible. Of course, everyone must make their own decisions about what information is useful for them to know but, for us, knowledge is truly power as well as a fiduciary responsibility.

Personalized Medicine

Health care and medicine are all technically personal, right?! It is, after all, your body stepping on the scale, your blood they are drawing, your tummy they are tapping. You are the one popping the pill, receiving the injection, feeling the side effects. What does “personalized medicine” really mean then? We have come to discover that it simply means going deeper into your biology and genetics as well as receiving treatment specifically tailored to you. Instead of the standard generic blood markers, there are way more options to go deeper and to learn way more about the current state of your health and what you might be in store for from your genetics down the road.

Why won’t your general practitioner do the more complex exams, order the more accurate, informative blood tests, send you off for MRI scans and genetic testing then? Especially if you have a family history of a certain disease or health issue? Insurance. Insurance rarely covers it. The system is ass-backwards. You have to have symptoms of a specific disease or physiological condition BEFORE they will pay for any testing beyond the bare minimum. It is actually sick care, not health care. Not to mention, the average doctor in a typical practice going through the regular channels has approximately 20 minutes with each patient. They are doing their best but they have no time to go deep. It is an assembly line. You have to keep it moving. Thus, the rise of concierge medicine and concierge doctors.

Concierge Medicine

Concierge medicine4 is all the craze these days. Every doctor or healthcare facility is doing it or trying to figure out how to offer it. In a nutshell, it is a monthly or yearly membership fee (or paying extra) in exchange for more time with your doctor, more detailed testing and more focused attention. Human Longevity was ahead of its time. They had some legal issues between founders back in 2018 which slowed their progress. They stumbled coming out of the starting gate. Opening the door for copycat companies to sprout up like weeds around them over the last nine years. Which is a good thing! Options. There are so many options.

What’s out there?

There are a mind boggling number of possibilities out there. A brief visit to Instagram, when the algorithm has you in the health and wellness market, yields an endless onslaught of ads for every type of concierge health service, doctor, fitness advice, magical device, potion and supplement to “change your life” under the sun. It is relentless. And exactly why we do not go on there anymore. It is too much. But we do have to begin somewhere. The future of health care is arriving in bits and chunks, and we need to be paying attention so we can take advantage of it to the best of our ability.

Each month, we will try to share a few new options to explore and add to your research list. We are not endorsing one over another. We have no vested interest in any of them. They have no idea we are including them. This is just to scratch the surface and get you thinking outside the box. To see what is out there beyond the current system.

Please keep in mind, NONE of these will replace your current health care providers or doctors nor will they allow you to get rid of your health insurance. Which we once naively thought might be possible. Sadly, these are all “in addition to the basics” not a replacement for them. Hopefully, the industry will get there some day.

Kelli and Tim about to go through the Health Nucleus testing in 2017.

Deep Dive Options

This list is of a few companies that seem to be on the cutting edge of awareness and testing. They are not just for information; you establish a doctor/patient relationship. They are a deep dive into your health and you will be treated for any issues or conditions discovered. Pricing is ridiculously expensive (AKA out of reach for us mere mortals) but comprehensive.

Human Longevity - Only in California at this time. San Diego and Los Angeles. They occasionally offer a big annual discount but then the price goes back to their regular crazy rate at the end of the promotional year. Very comprehensive testing in one location. They own all the MRI machines, the scanners and the equipment so it is a one-stop-shop.
Rebel Health - This one is relatively new but we like what they are up to. East coast but seem to offer telehealth appointments. Seems a bit lower priced than Human Longevity.
Gladden Longevity - Dr. Jeffrey Gladden was who we quoted in the first newsletter. We love him. We have been listening to his podcast since 2018. He is in Dallas, TX and his program is beyond extensive but, alas, it is also beyond expensive. As someone who just turned 70 years old, he walks the talk. He is aspirational and on the cutting edge.
Fountain Life - This is an off shoot of one of the founders of Human Longevity, Peter Diamandis. He started his own version of Health Nucleus with another Human Longevity alum Robert Hariri along with self-help guru Tony Robbins. They are basically doing the same thing as Human Longevity but it appears to offer much more proactive, aggressive longevity treatments. These are things that are simply meant to revitalize and rejuvenate your biology.

Some of Fountain Life’s progressive treatments

Do-It-Yourself Options

We are very curious about the following two options. Relatively new on the scene. Much lower price points but the drawback is, you do not form a doctor/patient relationship and there is much more heavy lifting on your part. You’ll need a very open minded, progressive doctor to work with while using these services.

Early Medical - This one is from one of our favorites, Peter Attia. It is a very interesting offering but only for those who love a DIY approach to their health. For the self-starters, mavericks and biohackers out there. There is a one-time fee for the program of $2500. Feels a little like having to go back to school though. It starts with “Peter teaches you…” No blood tests are included in the price either. Which, unless you can get it covered by your insurance, blood tests can really add up. Seems like they are thinking you will go to your doctor to request all the tests they suggest. Although, they do offer a way for you to order the testing through them. But again, just information. No treatment if you discover anything.
Function Health - This is so new it is only in beta mode. From functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman. This one seems to be aiming to truly democratize the space. You can sign up to get on the wait list and pretty quickly they send you a “code” to sign up and join. They secured 53 million in Series A funding this past July and their goal is to take this advanced testing to scale. It is an exciting prospect. At $499 a year or $42 a month, it is drastically more affordable than the bigger concierge type spaces. Including the ones we currently work with. BUT the challenge is that they clearly state in their fine print, “this is NOT medical advice.” Which means, you are not forming a doctor/patient relationship. You are merely getting information from all of their blood and urine tests to then take to your doctor so you can actually get any necessary treatment if you need it. So, informative but tricky. They say they have an app as well that will make recommendations. Sounds a bit more like a fitness tracker but for your blood work instead of your workout routine or sleep. Beyond supplements, sleep and exercise, I am not sure what else they will recommend or suggest. If something is a major red flag or obvious danger to your health, will they alert you to go directly to the hospital?

Quote & Question of the Month

“We can’t control everything. And we don’t know what the future will bring. But there are good reasons for people of any age to keep going strong, to learn, to exercise, to keep on creating or to begin creating. There are good reasons for us to take care of ourselves as if we expect to really hit our stride at age 100.”

—Priscilla Long (from Dancing with the Muse in Old Age)

What are your good reasons for taking care of yourself?

Good reasons. Dare we up the ante to PURPOSE? The reason for which something (or someone) exits.5 That is what it is all about. What gets you out of bed in the morning? What prompts you to lace up your sneakers? What helps you make better choices? What drives you forward? It is worth contemplating, reviewing and reminding yourself of your purpose in life and all of the “good reasons” for taking care of yourself.

We’ll go first…

Kelli’s Response: My daughter! She is the reason I take better care of myself than I ever have before in my life. And I strive (and need) to do even better. I hope to be as high functioning as I am able for as long as I possibly can to take care of her until she can take care of herself and still be around for her well into her adult life. Beyond my daughter, I love my husband, and I want as much time with him as I can get. We are both still “becoming” who we are meant to be. I look forward to getting to know him even better (a bit surprising after 23 years). Thinking about our continued transformation and journey as partners in work and life invigorates me. Also, I want to keep creating! I want to be of service to my creative work, to you and to this community. I also find the future bright and exciting. I hope to see as much of it unfold as I can.

Tim’s Response: I’ve always been driven by my work for better or for worse. If I’m not creating, I feel like I’m dying. When I finish a show, I relax for about two days and then I’m like, “what’s next?”. I want there to be many, many more “what’s next?” projects over the next 50 years but the only way I’m going to be able to do them, and tell the stories I want to tell, is to take care of myself. I’ve got my diet and exercise pretty dialed in, but I need to sleep better (working on it). As I wrote about the “Badass Octogenarian Alert”, (I need to work out more) I want to have the physical capabilities to do all the things I’ve always done like skiing, sailing, swimming, biking, golfing and be able to do those activities with my daughter. I don’t want to be the dad that has to tell his kid, “Dada is too tired” or even worse, “Dada can’t do that anymore.” Crap, I’m late for the gym.

Badass Octogenarian Alert

“Eugene The Marine”6 is a horror movie currently in post-production and seeking distribution. It is about a former marine who fights to keep his life from unraveling as his son tries to force him out of his longtime family home and a series of gruesome murders begin targeting the people around him.

We loved this quote from the film’s star Scott Glenn7 (one of those actors you love—The Right Stuff, The Silence of the Lambs, Backdraft—but probably have no idea what his is name is) as told to Variety:

“The last five parts I’ve been offered, three of them I had a walker. Three of them, I was dying of Alzheimer’s. It’s almost predictable — you get sort of the apologetic way you’re offered these things: ‘He’s lost a step. He’s using a cane, but he’s still sharp.’ I’m thinking, ‘I’m 85, I still work out, hike mountains, do ridiculous amounts of pushups and kettlebell swings.’ What I see with ageism is just a conventional way of telling stories. It’s hard to tell whether you’re being overly sensitive or not about all this stuff.”8

Still of Scott Glenn in Eugene The Marine - via Variety (© Eugene the Marine LLC)

New aspirational goal: Be like Scott Glenn when we are 85 years old! But more importantly, he nails ageism in filmmaking. It is a conventional way of telling stories. We aim to break out of that convention here. And in our lives. Now, let’s go find some kettlebells to swing.

Let’s all head into the future like a badass Scott Glenn! (Scott Glenn photo in 2016 for the GQ article https://www.gq.com/story/actor-scott-glenn-76-year-old-badass)

Until next month, we wish you a Healthy, Happy Age!

With love and gratitude,

—Tim & Kelli