9 Ways (and Places to Visit) to Help Extend Your Life
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Last fall, Singapore’s National University Health System launched the world’s first public longevity clinic at the nation’s Alexandra Hospital. The initiative, open to patients from 35 to 75 years old, is part of the Asian nation’s efforts to focus on preventive care as its population rapidly ages.
According to the World Health Organization, the world’s population of people 60 and older will double to 2.1 billion by 2050. Thus, it makes sense why longevity treatments and regenerative clinics are popping up exponentially across the globe. These transformative health care establishments empower their clientele by providing bespoke services, including extensive medical, fitness, nutritional, and cognitive assessments to help them uncover their body’s untapped potential. Who wouldn’t want to look and feel—physically, mentally, and spiritually—at least a decade younger?
But specialized longevity optimization programs are costly and often only afforded to the wealthy. Programs can charge $1,000 for a basic medical assessment and up to $100,000 for a premium year-long plan. Most of these “anti-aging” centers provide a comprehensive baseline screening that targets multiple aging systems. A multidisciplinary team of physicians, exercise physiologists, diet coaches, and psychotherapists examines a patient’s metrics, lifestyle, and medical history by analyzing advanced blood work, genetics, cardiopulmonary health, hormones, and nutrition, which can reveal how much an individual’s body is aging, so that they can develop an individualized health plan tailored to each patient. From PRP to stem cell therapy to hormone therapy, they use everything in their biohacking battalion to conquer the visible and invisible signs of aging.
Hudson Life
Location: New York, New York
Founder Jonathann Kuo’s West Village “human optimization center” operates as a functional medicine and biohacking hub for those who are tired of living with aches and pains and want to be at the forefront of innovative biological and technical advancements in treatments. His longevity clinic uses peptides to build collagen and maximize physiology benefits. Kuo’s latest endeavor is a vampire-like transfusion in which he removes your blood plasma and exchanges it with a more youthful option. He also injects patients in the neck with a nerve block to help them manage stress and not have to go on antidepressants.
SHA Wellness Clinic
Location: Alicante, Spain and Isla Mujeres, Mexico
With SHA’s integrative approach, including natural therapies, Asian medicine, and cutting-edge technology, guests can bolster their mental and physical well-being while slowing down their biological clock in a restorative coastal setting at its flagship in southern Spain or its Riviera Maya counterpart, which just opened at the end of last month. The clinic’s exclusive Advanced Cell Regeneration Therapy helps strengthen the immune and nervous system and optimize the body’s bioenergetic process. Using negative ion plasma, the revolutionary treatment transmits active electrons to the patient’s cell in the form of microcurrents to counteract oxidative stress and cellular degeneration. “Oxidative stress is responsible for aging and is also the cause of many known diseases,” says Vincente Mera, MD, head of Internal and Well-Aging Medicine at the clinic. “It produces free radicals—incomplete, unpaired electrons—which harm cells and DNA.”
Hooke
Location: London, United Kingdom
Nestled in the heart of Mayfair, a ritzy London district, this transformative health care establishment combines extensive blood work with whole genome sequencing and polygenic risk scoring, in addition to expert analysis, to build a data-driven portrait of each client, which is then used to calculate their “Hooke BioScore”—a measure of their performance based on biochemical and functional markers that correlate strongly with longevity against their age cohort. A detailed report pinpointing areas in need of improvement is then generated. “[Hooke] focuses on screening and early detection, followed by proactive health optimization,” explains the company’s CEO, Kate Woolhouse. “Most illnesses are treatable if diagnosed early, and early diagnosis allows for minimal interventions. We’re able to monitor changes and spot trends in these key markers before symptoms appear.”
RoseBar at Six Senses
Location: Ibiza, Spain
While it’s only open during Europe’s prime resort season, from April to October, the RoseBar marries science with mind, body, and spirit at the Balearic hotspot. With its state-of-the-art equipment and remedies, from a hyperbaric chamber and a slew of biohacking tools to more spiritual aids like shamanic healing and somatic therapy, the longevity club offers extensive diagnostic testing and personalized programs to help you transform your healthspan. Aside from the comprehensive, multi-day therapies, the wellness destination also offers yoga, meditation, breathwork, cacao ceremonies, and more.
Lanserhof Sylt
Location: Sylt, Germany
Set between the picturesque dunes off the Wadden Sea, Lanserhof’s latest German outpost specializes in highly individualized treatments that combine holistic measures such as nutritional supplements, cryotherapy, detox, intravenous infusions and meditation with genetic testing and a comprehensive head-to-toe medical exams using 3D scanners, plus intensive bloodwork and metabolic tests. A 24-hour heart rate variability measurement is offered to monitor your sleep health. Even your oral state is given special attention. A salivary test is conducted to detect gum inflammation, which can be a signifier of a gut microbiome imbalance.
Pritikin Longevity Center
Location: Miami, Florida
An OG in the wellness and longevity space in the U.S., Pritikin takes a much more low-key approach to helping their clients than the newer biohacking-focused centers. Its program emphasizes a whole-food, plant-based diet, regular physical activity, stress management, and behavioral modification techniques rather than newfangled biological approaches with unproven track records. Through these tried-and-true interventions, it aims to optimize metabolic health, reduce inflammation, and promote overall well-being to help its patrons achieve a sustainable path to their aging goals.
Healthy Longevity Clinic
Location: Boca Raton, Florida and Prague, Czech
Based in Prague and Boca Raton, the HLC is on a mission to revolutionize how we think about aging. Its clinic represents a global consortium of distinguished medical practitioners, researchers, and specialists who focus on longevity. As a subsidiary of the LongevityTech.fund, which boasts connections with over 40 biotech companies that specialize in developing cutting-edge diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches to help people live longer, patrons of HLC receive first-hand access to these exceptional resources, in addition to participation in the company’s human clinical trials on the effects of therapeutic plasma exchange or mitochondrial multiplication in the skin.
Clinique La Prairie
Location: Clarens, Switzerland
Situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, this Swiss institution is a favorite of the European jet set. Think effective, high-tech medical treatments buffeted between spa treatments, uber-luxe accommodations, and a limo service. Individuals flock to the Montreux clinic’s premium Revitalisation Wellness Program, which targets the body’s brain, heart, skin, circadian rhythm, metabolism, immunity, and microbiome using innovative techniques to tackle aging. Its synergistic approach, incorporating physical, medical, nutritional, and psychological aids, helps reduce inflammation, which is the leading cause of mitochondrial dysfunction and DNA instability.
The Well
Location: Peréz Zeledón, Costa Rica
This remote wellness escape, a favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow, is located in Hacienda AltaGracia and next to the Nicoya Peninsula, one of the world’s five blue zones, where people live exceptionally long lives. The retreat focuses on restorative, longevity-boosting practices to replenish the soul and mind. Before the long haul, attendees meet with a health coach for a consultation to help curate their journey. They can opt for maderoterapia, a holistic massage utilizing wooden tools to balance energy, detox the body, and improve the flow of the lymphatic system; a craniosacral treatment, i.e. a gentle, non-invasive method to relieve pain and emotional stress by circulating cerebrospinal fluid through light touch; private, mindful movement sessions; and immersive outdoor experiences that help them feel renewed.
Though not all longevity clinics are created equal. “[They] can vary greatly in the approach they take,” says John Beard, PhD, director of the International Longevity Center at Columbia University. “Some centers place great emphasis on helping people understand their health and mental state while guiding them to healthier behaviors. Others offer multiple analyses for biomarkers for which we don’t yet really understand the implications, and suggest [controversial biohacking] treatments for which there is, as yet, little clear evidence [of benefits].”
Yet, these pumped-up regenerative centers don’t just tackle the physical body. At the SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain and Mexico, they offer brain photobiomodulation (PBM) treatment, a cutting-edge therapeutic technique that uses near-infrared light to stimulate cellular function in the brain. The non-invasive method helps improve cognitive function, mood, and overall brain health.
“When it comes to longevity, quality of life matters a lot more than quantity,” says Ruslan Medzhitov, PhD, professor of immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine. “It should not just be about adding years to life, but about adding life to years,” agrees Petr Sramek, CEO of the Healthy Longevity Clinic and managing partner at LongevityTech.fund. In that sense, most of these gerontology experts reasoned, being healthy and happy in your later years and being able to enjoy it is what really counts. Since longevity centers are costly, they also shared nine simple tips to help maximize your life, below.
Eat a Healthy Diet
“Try to eat plant-based, unprocessed foods and very little meat whenever possible,” says Jan Stritzke, MD, the medical director of Lanserhof Sylt. Focus on fruits, vegetables, grains, lentils, and nuts; they’re rich in fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.
Limit Your Sugar Intake
Inflammaging is a chronic condition in which our body experiences low-grade inflammation as we age. “Sugar triggers inflammation in your body,” says Frank Lipman, MD, author of the The New Rules of Aging Well and chief medical officer for The Well. “All the diseases that we fear—diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease—are made worse by a high-sugar diet, so reducing your [consumption] is important.”
Get Screened Regularly
“The earlier diseases like colon, skin cancer, or heart disease are detected, the sooner they can be treated,” Stritzke says.
Move Your Body
Aerobic exercise is good for keeping your heart pumping and the blood flowing. But strength training is equally important as it helps with your mobility and balance as you get older, notes John Rowe, MD, a professor of health policy and aging at Columbia University and author of Successful Aging.
Manage Your Stress
“Chronic stress can contribute to various health issues,” says Jamie Costello, vice president of fitness at Pritikin Longevity Center. “Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga, can help improve emotional well-being and enhance cognitive function. Taking time for self-reflection and being present in the moment contributes to a healthier and more fulfilling life.”
Go to Extremes
Lipman recommends experiencing temperature extremes, like going from a hot sauna to a cold plunge to jumpstart your body’s autophagy mechanism, a process in which cells clean themselves out. “As we get older, our cellular recycling system slows down, so by going from hot to cold, we shock it back to power,” Lipman claims.
Catch Some Zzzzs
A good night’s rest of seven to eight hours is essential for overall health and longevity. “Sleep is vital for physical and mental recovery and key physiological processes, including maintaining cognitive function by clearing plaque build-up in the brain,” explains Kate Woolhouse, CEO of Hooke London. Prioritize a consistent schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time daily—even on the weekends; it’s crucial to regulating your body’s internal clock and improving the quality of your sleep. An Oura Ring can also help you monitor your sleep quality, Lipman suggests.
Avoid Toxins
“Don’t smoke or do drugs, limit your alcohol consumption, and avoid environmental contaminants, such as polluted air and tainted water, as much as you can,” advises Vicente Mera, MD, head of Internal and Well-Aging Medicine at the SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain and Mexico.
Cultivate Social Connections
A lack of companionship or social interactions can shorten your life. “Research suggests that social connections contribute to emotional well-being and may positively impact longevity,” Costello says. Volunteering is one way to interact with others after you’ve retired, suggests Rowe. “It’s good for your soul and your brain.”
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