6 minute read
Fighting Time – Aviv
Fighting Time
Renowned physician Prof. Shai Efrati shares the secret to fighting time and defining a programme at Aviv Clinics that reverses the aging process
What do the first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine? As a physician and Director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric medicine and Head of Nephrology, the first 30 minutes of my day is usually spent assessing if there are any urgencies at the hospital. Soon a er that, I go to the gym for a 10km run before heading to the hospital. How do you define aging? In simple terms, aging is just growing older. From a biological perspective, aging is when body functions start to slow down, resulting in a decline in mental and physical performance. This is because the body becomes less e cient at utilizing oxygen and generating energy. The most obvious signs, and usually the first to be noticed, is a decline in physical abilities – things like lack of energy, weight gain, reduced stamina and issues with sleep. This is because our bodies lose muscle mass and power, we also gain more fat tissue; and lung capacity and cardiac function decreases, making it harder to keep fit. Even our nerve conduction decreases, making muscles less responsive. Although not immediately noticeable, we also start to see changes in cognitive performance like trouble recalling things, remembering words, sustaining attention, solving problems, and multitasking. Aging, with its related functional decline was thought to be an inevitable process. However, today, it is possible to target aging as a disease that can be treated. with a scientifically tested and proven unique Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) protocol – to activate the body’s self-regeneration processes. The 12-week programme begins with a comprehensive and in-depth assessment to evaluate individual biological function and create a complete health profile of the client. The results of these assessments are then used to develop a strategically tailored, client-specific treatment plan, which includes highly specialized HBOT sessions, combined with a unique cognitive programme, as well as physical training and nutritional coaching. Upon completion of the programme, the client will repeat the exact same medical assessment in order to measure and demonstrate the improvements accurately. Which factors escalate the aging process? There are many known factors that a ect the aging process like genetics, lifestyle, stress, diet, sleep and exercise. A key factor however, which is what we focus on at Aviv Clinics – is oxygen and energy generation at the brain, body tissues and cellular level. Several components are essential for our bodies to function optimally. Oxygen is one such vital component. Oxygen is breathed in and transported to vital tissues by red blood cells. It is delivered to our cells which use the oxygen to supply us with energy to carry out functions including memory, attention, information processing, coordination, exercise, and healing of damaged tissues. As we age, our bodies undergo changes that make the transportation of oxygen through the blood vessels less e ective. Our blood vessels become narrower; a process called atherosclerosis, which limits transportation of oxygen through our red blood cells. How do you approach age reversal? We noticed that a lot of the decline caused by the aging process can be attributed to oxygen delivery or the lack of it. Over time, our bodies become less e cient at channeling oxygen to organs and this deprives them of the supply of oxygen essential to keep them performing at their peak. This is why we start to notice our mind and body “slowing down” with age. Our latest clinical trial published in the peer-reviewed scientific medical journal Aging – proved for the first time in humans the beneficial e ects of our HBOT protocol in reversing aging at a cellular level. The treatment works to improve both the physical and mental decline associated with aging by using our scientifically tested Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatment protocol to tackle this lack of oxygen. How did you approach defining the medical This involves breathing 100% pure oxygen programme at Aviv Clinic? We’ve seen great in a pressure-controlled room, and fluctustrides and achievements in age-related ating oxygen levels at a certain interval to research and medicine. The average life increase the levels of oxygen in blood tissue expectancy is not what it used to be, say, and activate the body’s self-regeneration a century ago. Now, we are looking at how processes. We also discovered that while to extend ‘health-span’ – the period of life in the hyperbaric suite, your mind is able spent in good health, free from the chronic to do more things at once. This led to the diseases and disabilities of aging. development of our cognitive training pro-
At Aviv Clinics, we look at aging and the gramme, which is specifically designed for associated decline as a disease that can be those undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treattreated. Not only to slow down the decline ments. Used in combination with HBOT, it of the brain and the body, but to actually improves memory, focus, processing speed, reverse some aspects of it, such as improv- attention, executive function, and more. ing the brain functionality and physical per- During the treatment, the body returns to formance while increasing the health-span. regenerative levels similar to childhood, The Aviv Medical Program is a treatment – making the mind and body more receptive
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to therapy and training, and resulting in both physical and cognitive improvements. Do you define a bespoke service per client and does this adapt over time? Absolutely, no two people age in exactly the same way, and this is where our rigorous assessment comes into play. In order to meet each of our client individual needs, we start the programme with the most comprehensive assessments to evaluate each clients’ health picture. Not only does this provide a comprehensive report of physical and cognitive health, it also allows our team of expert physicians to develop a cognitive practice, fitness and nutrition plan that’s personalised and tailored. A client of Aviv is a client for life, we continue to monitor our clients long a er the Aviv Program has ended through the Aviv smart watch, and we continue to send periodic updates on a variety of health and wellness issues. Could you tell us about the Aviv HBOT suite? Our HBOT suites are custom-built by the world-leading provider of hyperbaric equipment, Fink Engineering, and are among the largest and most sophisticated worldwide. In fact, our clients say the HBOT suite experience is not unlike an airline business class cabin – it’s comfortable and sophisticated with it also being pressurized in the same way an aircra is. While in the suite, clients receive a tablet on which they carry out a series of mental exercises, as part of their personalized cognitive training programme. This is used to maximize the effects of our patented cognitive training programme, and give clients access to a wide variety of engaging content from the comfort of your seat. In terms of beauty inside out – what should quality water is essential in keeping the we be eating or avoiding to optimize results? body functioning properly. Everybody ages di erently, therefore nutri- This is ‘The Beauty Issue’ – what does beauty tional needs di er from person to person. mean to you? Beauty to me relates to mainThat’s why all our clients work with nutri- taining peak functioning of our body and tionists to develop a personal nutritional minds. Both our bodies and minds are incredplan. That being said, a low carbs & sugar ible machines that can perform an unbelievnutritional plan is usually recommended to able number of functions that we o en take for maintain healthy body function. granted in our everyday lives. Until one or more How important is hydration and the quality of them are compromised, we don’t even notice of water you drink to fighting the aging pro- them. To be able to maintain our physical and cess? Hydration is important for everyone mental functions at their most optimal, and to – both young and old. Drinking the re- reverse the aging process of both in order to do quired amount of water and of course good that, is what epitomises beauty for us.
