Unlock Longevity

The art of controlled breathing is a powerful tool in the quest to live a longer, healthier life. There is evidence that breath work can help us improve sleep, control physical and mental stress, boost our metabolism and fuel the immune system. Phil Simha is the resident breathing coach at Clinique La Prairie (CLP), the Swiss medical spa that specializes in treatments that nurture our longevity. An experienced free diving instructor and teacher of yoga and pranayama (the practice of breath regulation), Phil believes slower breathing can help us live better while nurturing our healthspan. I met Phil in his studio at CLP to learn more about his passion for improving peoples’ health; his love of life and the planet and the free spirit that propels his journey of discovery around the world.

Dr. Alka Patel is a London-based General Practitioner who believes that it is possible to live for well over a century, with targeted self-care and “compassionate lifestyle changes.” In this interview Dr. Patel shares her wisdom and enthusiasm for healthy aging interventions – some of which are based on her own struggles with stress and burnout.

What is the most important thing in your life?  

For most of us the answer is a no-brainer.  Our health and the wellbeing of our loved ones come first.  It is a philosophy that Simone Gibertoni carries with him every day, in his role running Clinique La Prairie (CLP) in Montreux, Switzerland.  The medical spa has been nurturing the longevity of its clients and patients for more than ninety years, with science-based interventions to extend healthspan.  

This podcast is produced in association with CLP, with whom this podcast shares a common goal of helping people live longer, better lives. 

LLAMA host Peter Bowes recently visited the clinic to learn more about its methods, and the mission of its CEO to promote healthy living opportunities around the world. 

How often have you heard an older person refer to themselves as being so many "years young?" What about those who blame a "senior moment" for the occasional memory lapse?  These are examples of what the writer Priscilla Long describes as "toxic ageism." Oftentimes, she argues, ageist attitudes are perpetuated by the very people who're thriving in old age, but for some reason, view being old as a state of mind or body to be disavowed. Priscilla is a prolific and award-winning author of science, poetry and creative nonfiction. At the age of 79, her latest work, Dancing with the Muse in Old Age, focuses on what she calls "creative engagement" and "purposeful lifestyle traits" as a road map for the aging process.  In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, the Seattle-based author argues that ageism "poisons creativity" and explains why society should stop thinking of older people as "decrepit".

Nate Wilkins is enjoying a remarkable journey through life.  The 68-year-old functional aging specialist is the co-founder of Ageless Workout, a Miami-based health, healing and wellness company that seeks to bridge the gap between fitness and medicine.  The goal is to help people of all ages achieve their maximum potential. It is based on a lifestyle that Nate and his partner, Shebah Carfagna, have adopted to create a "tribe mentality" to health and fitness.  In this interview Nate reflects on the highs - and lows - in his life - including a "brush with greatness" when he met Martin Luther King Jr. on the day he was baptized. He condemns ageist attitudes that depict older people as "decrepit" and enthuses about the joys of a full life, focused on movement, positivity and purpose.

In this podcast, Olga Donica, Head of Innovation and Simone Gibertoni, CEO of Clinique La Prairie, interview Pr. Patrizia D’Amelio, specialist in physiopathology and Associate Professor at the CHUV Lausanne on the role of mitochondria on healthy aging with a focus on muscle and brain.

Mitochondria are the engine of the cell and as such can produce the energy that we need, interact with different metabolic pathways, digest glucose & fatty acid and detoxify the organism. They are key to the survival and effectiveness of our cells, especially for tissue with high metabolic level such as brain and muscles.

Discover in this podcast interview how mitochondrial function affects the aging process and its importance for our brain and muscles.

It could all end in a heartbeat. Sometimes life itself, with its unpredictable path, can be the biggest motivator to change us for the better.

Take Alan Carpenter. He was a fit 66-year-old, enjoying a hike on the US Pacific Crest, when his life suddenly imploded.  A dramatic fall led to a stay in hospital and a long period of recuperation.  It also prompted him to reassess his state of health - not only physical, but his mental and emotional wellbeing. It led to years of research, analyzing lifestyle interventions and longevity hacks, in search of positive long-term habits.  He wrote a book about it; Choose Better, Live Better: Nine Healthy Choices that Nurture Body, Mind, and Spirit and in this LLAMA podcast interview Alan shares a graphic account of the moment everything changed and why he embarked on a quest to rejuvenate his life.

Do you want to live forever? Or do you prefer to focus on living for as long as possible while enjoying the best of health? 

Lifetime aspirations come in many forms and are often merged together - or confused - under the banner of human longevity. Some are more realistic than others. In his new book, The Price of Immortality: The Race to Live Forever, the British journalist, Peter Ward, teases apart the many interventions being touted as possible 'cures' for aging or tools to help us live on and on.  He explores the work of "tech visionaries, scam artists, pseudo scientists and religious fanatics."  

In this podcast interview, Peter offers a dispassionate view on what we are to believe and whether any of it should be taken seriously.

What if we could stop time and preserve the biological potential of our younger selves?

It is the goal of Forever Labs, a US company that stores stem cells for possible use in later life, to combat age-related disease and, perhaps, aging itself. The company collects and cryo-preserves stem cells so they can be used in future health treatments and therapies, should medical advances allow it. 

In this LLAMA podcast interview Steven Clausnitzer, who founded the company in 2015, explains his vision that illnesses occurring in the years to come, could be treated, or even prevented, through the use of stem cells put into storage - or banked - during healthier times.

We are what we eat.  So goes the saying.  But to what extent does the food on our plate determine the quality of our health now and for the rest of our lives?  

Marie Ruggles is a clinical nutritionist and the author of Optimize Your Immune System:  Create Health and Resilience with a Kitchen Pharmacy.  In this LLAMA podcast interview we explore what it means to use the kitchen pantry to promote robust health. From whole foods to superfoods, supplements to sunlight, Marie shares natural wellness strategies and practical options for vibrant longevity.

The pursuit of beauty has long been inexorably linked with radiant health.  But to what extent do modern-day, beauty-related practices enhance our well-being, or even our longevity?  Nadine Artemis has always been fascinated by the intersecting worlds of beauty, essential oils and a desire to live a long healthy life.  She specializes in aromachology, the study of odors and the way they influence human behavior, Based in Ontario, Canada the creator of  the health and beauty shop, Living Libations, is also a prolific writer on topics ranging from organic beauty products to holistic dental care. 

In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Nadine discusses her philosophy, her relatively simple approach to personal care and her desire to educate people about what she calls renegade beauty. She also explains why she believes that "every health decision really is a beauty decision, and every beauty decision must be a health decision."

There is a plethora of science-backed information about how to optimize our health and wellbeing. The challenge, for most of us, is how to filter it and then apply the latest knowledge and innovations to our own lives.  

There is undoubtedly a future in personalized medicine and the use of artificial intelligence, to guide our lifestyle decisions. InsideTracker is a health platform that curates peer-reviewed science and combines it with cutting edge technology, to provide insights for its users.  The goal is to make it easier to reach informed decisions about how best to live our lives.  

Gil Blander, Phd., an MIT researcher in nutrition and aging, founded InsideTracker in 2009.  In this LLAMA podcast interview, he explains its mission to provide actionable, evidence-backed recommendations to improve health and wellness.

Aging with finesse sounds infinitely more desirable than the humdrum process of simply getting older.  The language we use in describing the aging process is all important. Perhaps even more important is having a plan, as we age. Even though we "don't feel that old" there is an inevitability about the passing years - despite the latest science-backed interventions that may help us slow down the process.  

Clinical psychologist, Dr. Mary Flett, has spent much of her career analyzing the way we value ourselves as we grow older, how we connect with others as we age, and the skills we need to navigate the process with grace. There are, she says, five "pillars of aging," which include creating a legacy of values, staying engaged, adaptation, spirituality, and emotional economics. 

In this LLAMA podcast interview Dr. Flett, who is based in Sonoma, California, discusses the complex, nuanced journey that is aging, and challenges media-driven notions about human longevity.

Longevity science has been moving at breakneck speed in recent years, reinforcing the view of some innovators that we are on the cusp of a 200-year lifespan. Whether it be longevity in a pill, artificial organs or gene therapy to cure diseases, recent breakthroughs suggest many of us already have the tools needed to live much longer and better. Sergey Young is a longevity investor and visionary with a mission to extend healthy lifespans of at least a billion people. He founded the Longevity Vision Fund to accelerate life extension through technological innovations and recently published his book, The Science and Technology of Growing Young. In this LLAMA podcast interview, Sergey explores his passion for the emerging science and explains why he believes that optimizing healthspan – extending our healthy years – is within the reach everyone. Sergey seeks, with pragmatism, to energize the aging process, celebrating what he calls the “the near horizon of longevity innovations.”

To maintain mental and physical vitality, the status of the most basic building blocks of our bodies is all important. There has been an explosion in research relating to cellular health and the measures we can take to nurture their wellbeing. Greg Macpherson is a biotechnologist, pharmacist and the author of Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging: Turning Our Cells Into Little Pharmaceutical Factories. But how does that way of thinking apply to our everyday lives? In this interview with Peter Bowes, Greg explains the significance of recent scientific breakthroughs and why he believes it is realistic for more of us to contemplate life as a centenarian in the coming decades.

Deep understanding of immune responses and their biological interpretations can provide new areas to live better and longer. In this 12th episode of our Longevity talks, Dr. Brian Hashemi, doctor and chairman of Novigenix, a biotechnologies company that has developed a sophisticated technology for profiling immune cells, explains “There is an immense potential to leverage insights from the immune system information to improve treatment, health outcomes and longevity”. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Real-time information about how our bodies respond to food and exercise is transforming preventative healthcare. Wearable technology provides immediate feedback during a workout and can collate and interpret complex data based on our food choices. One of the deepest dives into the inner workings of our metabolism is achieved through continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Carlee Hayes is the lead dietician at NutriSense, a metabolic health company that uses the latest technology to help its clients optimize their wellbeing through a better understanding of their bodies. In this LLAMA podcast interview, with Peter Bowes, Carlee explains the science behind continuous glucose monitoring and why it provides a valuable insight into our state of health.

Mineral deficiencies can have a crippling impact on our everyday health and vitality, as well long term implications for healthspan. The food we eat and the environments we live in, play a critical role in maintaining a delicate balance of chemicals that sustain life. But even the most ideal-sounding diet can fall short of providing an essential mix of minerals. Barton Scott discovered the hard way, through ill health, that he suffered from chronic deficiencies that were severely impacting his quality of life. Myriad dietary interventions failed to resolve his issues and prompted Barton to apply his knowledge, as a chemical engineer and nutritionist, to resolving the problem. The solution, he discovered, revolved around the body's ability to absorb mineral particles. It led to him creating Upgraded Formulas, a US company that applies nanotechnology to minerals and assesses which components we need through a hair test. In this podcast interview with Peter Bowes, Barton explains the background to his company and why he believes that regular testing for heavy metal toxicity and mineral deficiencies is essential to support a healthier, happier, more productive life.

In this podcast episode, we welcome Professor Bogdan Draganski to decode brain health and speak about neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve, cognitive assessment, brain simulation and more. Professor Draganski is a consultant in Neurology at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences of the University Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Director of the neuroimaging laboratory LREN.

Making exercise a daily routine, from childhood, could be the key to preventing or slowing down some of the diseases of old age. Multiple studies have demonstrated the efficacy of physical activity, in improving cognitive health, throughout the human lifespan. Jenny Etnier is a professor of sport and exercise psychology in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina. Working with children and older adults she is an advocate for exercise to nurture the mind and stimulate a healthy brain. In this LLAMA podcast episode, with Peter Bowes, Dr. Etnier explains the lifetime benefits of physical education in schools; the meaning of mental toughness; and the reason why we should all enjoy a few minutes of "pure joy" every day.

We are all used to feeling younger than our years and occasionally older than our birth date would suggest. In effect, we have two ages-chronological and biological. Chronological age simply states the number of years that we have been alive, whereas biological age is a measure of how well our bodies are performing, in relation to the rest of the population. So how is it determined? LLAMA host Peter Bowes delved into the science with Elysium Health, which has developed Index, a DNA test that tracks how fast we have been aging, based on our epigenome, which regulates the way genes work. In this episode, Peter meets Dr. Morgan Levine, an assistant professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine and an advisor to Elysium Health. They discuss the background to Index, its use of epigenetic clocks to put a number to our biological age, as well as the test's accuracy and implications for healthy living.

Some of the world's healthiest people spend little or no time pondering their propensity to live a long life. They just do it. Their lifestyles are a model for longevity. There is much we can learn from these vibrant populations, in countries such as Italy, India, Japan, and (even) parts of the United States. In this episode of the LLAMA podcast with Peter Bowes, filmmaker Daniel Kennedy discusses his quest to better understand global food and ancient healing traditions. Daniel's documentary series, Healthy Long Life, is an exploratory journey around the globe and considers the discrepancy between lifespan and healthspan; he asks why, for many people, the final years of life are spent in sickness and pain and shares observations about spirituality, mealtime traditions and chronic diseases.

The science of aging is so infinitely fascinating that Dr. Sandra Kaufmann decided to immerse herself in the field, as a hobby. A pediatric anesthesiologist from Florida, Dr. Kaufmann, is also an athlete who manages to fit swimming, running and rock climbing around her busy hospital schedule. Determined to enjoy physical activity for as long as possible, she decided to carry out an extensive review of the scientific literature, to better understand our bodies as we grow old. She focussed on the mechanisms of aging at a cellular level and set out to sort fact from fiction when it comes to the substances or interventions that might help us age more slowly. The result is, The Kaufmann Protocol: Why We Age and How to Stop It, a book in which she sets out seven key tenets to maintaining optimum health. In this LLAMA podcast conversation, with Peter Bowes, Dr Kaufmann explains everything from the importance of mitochondrial health and the maintenance of metabolic pathways, to her live and let live attitude towards eating a donut a day.

Clinique La Prairie is teaming up with the LLAMA podcast to discuss the big issues surrounding human longevity. In this episode, Peter Bowes is joined by C.E.O. Simone Gibertoni and Medical Director, Dr. Adrian Heini. In a wide-ranging conversation, they cover the clinic's history, scientific developments, including epigenetic screening, and the future of wellbeing as a priority in the post-Covid world.

What is youth capital ? How is our lifestyle affecting our biological age? What is epigenetic age? In this talk, we welcome Semira Gonseth and Sébastien Nusslé, founders of Genknowme, an innovative Swiss company offering a breakthrough epigenetics DNA reading by measuring the reversible impacts of behavior on genes.

What is exactly the circadian rhythms? Do they affect body function and health? Can we use the properties of circadian biology to enhance health ? Is there a link between immunity and circadian rhythms ? Today, we welcome Professor Christoph Scheiermann, to look into a part of this extraordinary science linking health and well-being.

We are pleased to soon enter 2021 with new inspirations, including a new series of “Unlock Longevity” talks, which aim at exploring subjects linked to health and wellness sciences of today and tomorrow with accomplished specialists. The first conversation welcomes guest speaker Guenael Boucher, to know more about “What happens when you meditate?”