How to Live Forever*
Before we get to “How to Live Forever,” I just wanted to address the whole “what happened to 2023?” thing.
As I was poking around the website, making some changes and updates, I glanced at the blog and saw that the last post was made in 2022. WTF? How was that even possible? I wrote like crazy in 2023! Heck, I published a book in 2023, and am on track to release another one in 2024! But I guess I’m not as slick as some people when it comes to spreading out my content over various channels. What do they call it? Repurposing content? I guess I was mostly focused on delivering the goods to my e-mail list, which is where I do my best work. It’s the closest digital thing to letter-writing, and that is where my heart is.
Anyway, I will aspire to pay more attention to my blog. 😬
OK, so, back to the How to Live Forever* topic. It’s kind of a jab at the big longevity movement. I’m nervous that my eyes will get stuck in the looking up position because of how hard they roll back whenever I see another article about how this guy or that woman lived to such-and-such remarkable old age and this is how they did it! They had a glass or wine a day! Or, they didn’t touch a drop! They rode their bike until the day they died! Or they had a pet that kept them young. Or they followed an ancient diet of rich in seaweed and fresh fish! Or they had a little garlic and olive oil every day! Or, or… you get the idea. 30 years ago, while I was in chiropractic school, it was all about aspiring to live like the Hunza people. Nowadays, it’s about getting your DNA analyzed and desperately seeking out a personalized magical elixir of youth.
Incidentally, the answers tend to be the same no matter how you cut it. You want to be healthy? Keep the inflammation down (mostly through diet), drink clean water, maintain healthy social relationships, have a strong immune system, get enough rest, move your body. You know the drill!
But what’s the real secret to a long life?
I can’t remember where I first read it, but the phrase that sticks with me is, “choose your parents wisely.”
In other words, longevity is mostly due to winning the genetic lottery.
I know it’s only a sample size of about 10, but when I look to my own family and observe how long they live, I note that it’s not particularly long! My people tend to die in their 70s or early 80s. I guess we are very average like that. The two exceptions are my Gramma Blanche, who made it to 93, and my great-grandma McCaughey, who made it to around 95 (although I consider her really to have only made it to around 82 since she spent the last 12 or so years of her life in a nursing home thanks to Alzheimer’s disease). Gramma Blanche was pretty sharp and funny until just a couple of weeks from the end. So, what was her secret? Well, if we’re talking diet and exercise, I guess we’d have to say that the secret was to pick at snack foods throughout the day and slowly sip down a pot black coffee while you’re at it. And to spend most of your time sitting on the couch watching TV. Exercise? Yeah, no. My “healthiest” grandparent - the one who swam every day and took great pride in keeping fit - died before any of the other grandparents, at 73! (It was cancer - likely from his time as a submarine captain.)
Is this post getting you down? It’s not supposed to. 😬🤷🏻♂️ Like many of my cranky posts, it’s supposed to help you relax. 😅
Because here’s the thing. If you chase that “longevity” carrot, you can lose a ton of time, money, and - worst of all - precious life itself chasing something that may ultimately come down to dumb genetic luck.
So, then, how do you really live forever*?
Well, first things first. I recommend that you focus on living in the present. What is it that you’d like for your life right now, in the present? Is it greater ease of movement? So that you can achieve your dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail? Or maybe you would just love to get a better night’s sleep, so that you can feel rested and more focused in your day-to-day life. Maybe you want to overcome your agoraphobia so that you could get out of your house and meet some new friends or go on a date. Or maybe you’d love it if you could get your stomach to settle down so that you could enjoy your favorite foods again?
If you focus on the present, then it’s much easier to take specific actions for specific outcomes. It becomes more likely that you’ll achieve some tangible wins, and you can continue to move towards the life - present tense! - that you want to live.
As for living forever… well… on the one hand, there’s no such thing, right? Looking at that human life bell curve, I reckon most of us will be goners before we hit 80. 😬🤷🏻 But on the other hand… I suppose we can get esoteric about it. In my first book, The Issues are in the Tissues, I mention a little mushroom trip where I saw my ancestors riding a little roller coaster car through my bloodstream! I thought, “Oh! Is that how you live forever?!” (A few years after that, a strange reading from a psychic implied that that’s not too far from the truth…) Or, perhaps you live “forever” by having a big impact on other people and being remembered by them. My friend Dean passed away about four years ago at the age of 47, but I feel his presence and encouragement every day, as I look at his picture hanging on the wall above my desk. I know that he lives on inside of so many people that he inspired and touched. Which comes right back to the idea that to live forever*, it’s best to focus on living your best today.
And that is ultimately why I do what I do in my practice.
Whether we “fix the curve” in your neck or get your lab numbers looking so good that your MD takes you off of some of those meds is besides the point. The point is always to do what it takes right now to get you closer to the life that you want to live right here and now in the present.
And in my experience, the most powerful ingredient in that health plan is not a magic pill, powder, or gadget, but to find a way to harness the power of your body’s own innate intelligence.
And how, pray tell, do we do that? Well, in the words of some annoying kid from 2nd grade, “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” 😁 Make an appointment.
And that is all I have to say about that!
-DK
*terms and conditions apply