The absence of a diagnosable disease does not mean the same thing as good health and does not guarantee dignified ageing.

• Rise above simply surviving. Take your health to the next level – feel optimised
• (Re)Gain physical & mental vitality at all ages
• Become incredibly resistant resistant to environmental insults
• Reduce your risk of all cause mortality & preventing long-term morbidity and suffering.

A personalised lifestyle intervention using the principles of Functional Medicine can drastically improve your overall experience of life. This service looks beyond treating disease states and opens up your life to new possibilities of living. Using the latest science-based evidence you can begin a journey towards making the most of your time here and reducing the chance of suffering multiple morbidities as you age. This program is both restorative and preventative, which means it is effective for all age-groups.

Here I aim to address far more than your initial health concerns – regardless of whether you are or are not currently diagnosed with a chronic illness. While some conditions can be treated and reversed, nothing is assured once health has begun to deteriorate. However, that does not mean your life has to continue descending at its current downward trajectory and pace.

Health is defined by the WHO as the “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Yet, the absence of disease and discomfort, whether by natural or pharmacological interventions, is not the same as living a fulfilled life well into old age. We should be aiming to get the most of our body’s and our time, with energy and clarity of mind. This is what we mean by positive vitality.

Illness is a barrier to functionally normally, but more often than not, we still function. We can, “get the job done, by any means necessary.” This badge of honour mentality usually means living a stressful life with poor sleep and even less movement, which end up causing debilitating issues later on in life, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, sarcopenia and cancer. And there is a difference between the minimal amount of energy required to maintain normal functionality in the body on a daily basis and that which is required for optimal functioning of vital organs. In essence, we are depleting our organ reserves and losing out on the excess energy required to live way beyond our survival needs.

Most of us do not realise that we are actually living in illness on a daily basis simply because they do not show up on laboratory tests. In most cases, the data comes back and all seems relatively well. But we do not feel well. Because we aren’t well.

Health as positive vitality and the promotion of organ reserve are intimately connected. In order to achieve positive vitality we have to take advantage of the body’s natural ability to have a kind of “back up” or “reserve” energy that can be used to fend off disease and infections.

What does this essentially mean? You can live most of your life doing the things you love. Your activity levels do not have to be drastically altered as you age. Time spent with loved ones does not have to be compromised by fatigue and the inability to interact and comprehend.

Yet, the decline of organ reserve is accelerated in most of us due to leading lives that are exposed to an excess of stress, toxins, sickness, social isolation, purposeless, UV radiation, poor nutrition, violence, insecurity, sedentary lifestyles and a lack of sleep, real food, adequate hydration, playfulness and kindness.

But before you think this only applies to the elderly, remember that the sooner you start the greater your ‘organ reserve’ – which is a key aspect of living with positive vitality. And before you start talking about “your genetics”, remember this fact: the risks of developing diseases are more vulnerable to the pressure of the environments and your lifestyle than to genetic influences (this topic is covered in the service regarding “Improve and Optimise Epigenetic Functionality) .