BEAT THE CLOCK
SEARCHING FOR A sip of that elusive elixir of life, the fountain of youth, has become a global obsession which crosses all social demographics. No longer reserved solely for the rich and famous, undergoing the slice of the knife, a paralysing injection of Botox, or a sandblast of the skin with dermabrasion, is accessible to most. And the number of ways to try turning back the years becomes more numerous and popular, the older and more vain we become.
At Cenegenics, Hong Kong's first professional age management centre, vanity may well be the initial motivation for most patients to visit. However, their focus is soon changed to that of ultimate health. A branch of the US-based Cenegenics Medical Institute, the corporate centre on Ice House Street is headed by neurosurgeon Dr Robert Ho. His centre offers would-be Peter Pans a scientific approach to health, which turns back the clock most importantly on the inside, with, in theory, corresponding visual results on the outside.
Patients start by undergoing a series of tests collectively called MedBACE. These tests attempt to discover a patient's true biological, as opposed to chronological, age as well as reveal exactly where they are headed in terms of longevity and potential for disease. The results of these tests and the consequential action taken can, Cenegenics claims, quite literally change a patient's fate.
'Cenegenics is all about trying to discover and measure the biomarkers of ageing, and letting you know where you stand at this moment,' says Ho. 'Age management can catch everything before it gets there, for example in people about to become diabetic.'
By 40, many people feel the consequences of a natural decline in essential hormones, the lack of which adversely affects energy and vitality, muscle and bone mass, skin health and memory. According to Cenegenics, there is no need to stand by and watch while these symptoms develop. Following the MedBACE tests, the centre tailor-makes a treatment programme which emphasises the correct nutrition, nutritional supplements and exercise, and may additionally include the core concept of hormonal modulation.
The thought of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) scares off most potential patients, but it need not be so, says Ho. 'In your 40s and 50s, your memory is not half as sharp as in your 20s. Your mental vitality decreases and we know this performance decline is related to hormones. The human growth hormone [hGH] is known to have beneficial effects on the brain.'
Hormones such as DHEA, melatonin, hGH, testosterone and estradiol, when they are given to patients in bio-identical form to naturally occurring hormones, all have positive effects and replenish energy as naturally as through eating. Should any side effects arise, for example joint discomfort or swollen feet, both of which are very occasionally associated with hGH, or acne which may result from the consumption of testosterone, a lower dose or pause in treatment can solve the problem.
Billy Yung, a company executive, has been on the Cenegenics programme intermittently for about two years, and takes the male hGH, testosterone and several neutraceuticals (supplements). He looks healthy, energetic and wrinkle-free. In his early 30s, at a guess, he enjoys my reaction of disbelief when he tells me his chronological age is 51. 'I had to stop though as I started getting pimples,' he says. Turning back the clock to near teen age can evidently have its downfalls.
But it's not just the hGH that is responsible for Yung's well-being, Ho says. 'On our programmes, patients don't all opt to go on hormones. We don't try to push anyone into it, we give them the pros and the cons and let them decide.'
A major part of the Cenegenics concept is to encourage patients to take responsibility for their health by eating, drinking and exercising right. According to Ho, that means a low-carb, low-sugar, low-fat diet with plenty of exercise and even a daily glass of anti-oxidant rich red wine. Yung is following the diet successfully, and is even down to just three small portions of rice, which used to be a staple of his diet, a week. He also takes advantage of Cenegenics' retail line with low-carb breads and pastas, and low-sugar chocolate.
It's never too late to start, advises Ho, and neither is it ever too young. 'When you buy a new car, you start maintenance at the beginning, you don't wait 10 years. It is the same process with human beings,' he says.
'Most people don't recognise everything starts with preventative maintenance. People tend to take things for granted when they are young, when their hormones are sky-high and everything is at its peak. You can get away with a lot more things then.
'But, eventually, it all starts catching up with you.'
Neglecting to maintain a healthy lifestyle gradually increases your biological age and thereby decreasing your longevity. 'Longevity is disease prevention,' Ho says. 'People don't really die of old age these days, but from disease. So if you remain disease-free, your lifespan will improve. But that's only half the equation.
'We want you to have quality [of life] and vitality to go with it. We want you to be able to do things you were able to do when you were younger in terms of sports, and sexual and mental function.'
Dr David Leonardi, Cenegenics Las Vegas director for more than six years, was recently in Hong Kong giving a talk at a low-carb, low-fat dinner. Usually people only consult a doctor when they feel ill but doctors should be focusing not on 'treating, but teaching', he says. 'We are victims of our own lifestyle and environment, but there is a lot we can do before we even get sick. Through technology we can use biomarkers to identify disease decades before symptoms appear, and we have the technology to alter the disease process before it strikes.'
Critics say that dabbling with HRT is too much like playing God, but many people would surely not be able to resist the lure of looking and feeling 10 or 20 years younger. And with in-depth nutrition and exercise counselling, supplement advice and ongoing encouragement, the team at Cenegenics become personal trainers for every aspect of your health.
'A huge part of this,' says Ho, 'is educating people to try to stay healthy. If we aren't walking towards staying health, we are probably walking towards disease'.
