Longevity Best Practices
By Geoff D’Arcy, Lic. Ac., D.O.M.
These longevity and vitality best practices are synthesized, with some overlap, from experiential and scientific research.
Blue Zones, this study of five areas of the world, which have proven greater health longevity, most have 10 times the number of centenarians that the US. This great longevity is based upon hundreds of years of their culture’s best practices.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies on happiness and longevity. The project has followed 724 men (including JFK) since they were teenagers in 1938. (Approximately 60 men, now in their 90s,) the longest-running study on happiness.
Dr. Holt-Lunstad at Brigham and Young University, Studied tens of thousands of middle-aged people, in a series of studies, over 7 years. How often they visited Doctor, studying their diet exercise, alcohol, etc. all were studied, she is focused on the long-term health effects of social connection and her research is focused on the long-term health effects of social connection. According to a 2010 review of 148 studies has found strong evidence that having more, and better relationships is associated with better health.
Susan Pinker developmental psychologistWhat reduces your chance of dying the most?
Weak ties, (Developed by Dr Jillian Sandstrom))
Strong ties (Friends close, Loved ones closer, Blue Zones + Harvard)
Quit Smoking
Quit Drinking
Flu Vaccine
Cardio Rehab (if you’ve had an event)
Exercise (Move Naturally Blue Zone)
Lean vs Overweight (Plant slant, 80% rule, Blue Zone)
Hypertension (Stress Relief, Down shift BZ, DASH Diet)
Clean Air
Gillian Sandstrom PhD. Most of her research is on weak ties. one study, it was found that participants who engaged in a social interaction with a barista, by smiling, making eye contact and having a brief conversation (thus treating them like a weak social tie), experienced greater feelings of well-being and belonging than those whose interaction was limited to an efficient, but impersonal, commercial transaction.
Longevity Best Practices
Relational Health
Physical Health
Mental Health
Relational Health BP’s
“We need to prioritize our social relationships like our life depends on it, because it does."
Dr. Holt-Lunstad
Weak ties, is a fascination predictor of longevity that’s quite surprising… more than strong ties. Casual daily interactions turn out to be “one of the strongest predictors of how long you’ll live,” far greater than diet, exercise. Social integration means how much you interact with people as you move through your day, including weak bonds. Do you talk to the guy who every day makes you your coffee? Do you talk to the postman? Do you talk to the woman who walks by your house every day with her dog. Along with close supportive relationships, casual daily interactions turn out to be “one of the strongest predictors of how long you’ll live,” far greater than diet, exercise and other factors we assume are more important.
Strong ties. (Dr. Holt-Lunstad at BYU ) (Harvard) Loved ones first, close supportive relationships with family and close personal friends, gives us a conscious and unconscious support network. Right tribe, (blue zone) creating and nourishing social circles that support healthy behaviors
Faith/civic based community, (blue zone)
Why Nourish Relational Health Best Practices?
Three in five Americans (61%) classify as lonely, loneliness damages our health equivalent to 15 cigarettes a day. Social isolation, common to leaving the camaraderie of the workplace, to sudden unprepared retirement, can exceed the health risks associated with obesity, inactivity, excessive drinking, air pollution and smoking over 15 cigarettes a day.
58% of Americans are considered lonely (CIGNA 2020).
Loneliness increases your risk of early death by 26%. (Holt-Lunstad, 2015 & 2010) yet poor social interaction were the top predictors of death.
The heightened risk of mortality from loneliness in the same category as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and being an alcoholic.
Social isolation was associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia
Social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.1
Social isolation was associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia.1
Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) were associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.1
Loneliness was associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Loneliness among heart failure patients was associated with a nearly 4 times increased risk of death, 68% increased risk of hospitalization, and 57% increased risk of emergency department visits.
Mental Health BP’s
Life Purpose. The Okinawans call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan-de-vida;” for both, it translates to why I wake up in the morning. Nourish and refine yours.
Stress Balance. Develop a daily stress-relieving practice that works for you and make it a routine. Cultivate the ‘Rest and Relax’ response, to strengthen the Parasympathetic Nervous System. The PSNS switches-on healing and detoxification, balances and calms stress responses. Stress is a major factor involved in 70-90% of all doctor office visits.
Relational Skills. Simply put, great relationships are built on trust. The Harvard study identifies Eight emotionally intelligent actions you can take that will help you cultivate stronger, deeper trust--leading to more meaningful relationships.
1. Communicate
2. Be authentic
3. Be helpful
4. Be honest
5. Be dependable
6. Show appreciation
7. Show empathy
8. Apologize
Physical Health BP’s
Sleep, Sharper Brain and Mood Boost, Healthier Heart, Better Athletic Achievement and Quicker Recovery, Maintains Weight, Stabilize blood sugar and Blood Pressure. Increased immunity. (Just one night of 4 hours sleep lowers the immune system by 75%)
Diet.
a. 80% Full Rule saying… "Hara hatchi bu," the 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra, before meals.
b. Plant Slant (Biome) (China Study, Okinawan Program, Mediterranean Diet, Blue Zones) While most people in the Blue Zones areas only consume small amounts of meat on rare occasions, all of them eat a rich array of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are packed with disease-fighting nutrients. The plant fiber becomes nutrients for healthy gut.
c. Wine at Five. Limit your daily intake to one glass for women and two glasses for men.
Exercise, move naturally, such as gardening, yard work, walking to work are how the Blue Zones exercise, although in our culture joining a gym may really help. Want to feel better, have more energy and even add years to your life? Just exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise.
Sleep can be considered the foundation of the pillars of health
References and Resources
Relational Health BP’s: These are synthesized with some overlap, from the research of the Blue Zones, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, Dr. Holt-Lunstad at Brigham and Young University, Susan Pinker developmental psychologist and Gillian Sandstrom PhD.
Stress: Progressive Relaxation is based upon the work of Herbert Benson MD, founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. He was a professor of mind/body medicine at Harvard Medical School and director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI) at MGH.
Loneliness in America CIGNA study
https://newsroom.cigna.com/loneliness-in-america
https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html Those who had retired were 40 percent more likely to have had a heart attack or stroke than those who were still working. The increased risk was the highest during the first year after retirement and leveled off after that.
Susan Pinker, Developmental Psychologist, On Living Longer TED Talk
Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad describes the vital importance of social relationships for lasting health. TED Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/julianne_holt_lunstad_is_social_disconnection_comparable_to_smoking
PODCAST
Jillian Sandstrom Weak Ties https://gilliansandstrom.com/talking2strangers_research/
https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/relationships-2-0-the-power-of-tiny-interactions/
Jillian Sandstrom Weak Ties research addresses this apparent contradiction by focusing on the micro level, examining how seemingly insignificant social interactions and everyday behaviors can influence and improve well-being.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24769739/
https://www.fastcompany.com/90668296/america-needs-a-chief-friendship-officer One in five Americans has no close social connections, a double digit increases from 2013. Fifteen percent of men have no close friendships at all, a fivefold increase since 1990.
Social Support. A meta-study covering more than 300,000 participants across all ages reveals that adults get a 50 percent boost in longevity if they have a solid social network https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/relationships-boost-survival/
USA 31% Lonely of our population reporting some level of loneliness. Loneliness stats by country https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222815/loneliness-among-adults-by-country/#:~:text=Feeling%20of%20loneliness%20among%20adults%202021%2C%20by%20country&text=Accordin g%20to%20a%20global%20survey,often%2C%20always%2C%20or%20sometimes
Research from Brigham Young University shows that loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity. https://news.byu.edu/news/prescription-living-longer-spend-less-time-alone