We have come to understand that aging has many contributors, but only a few key central themes and processes that drive the aging process. We call these central themes and processes Levers. When these Levers are pulled with the proper sequencing, timing, intensity, and duration, it can create a launch pad or trampoline effect that is capable of producing a much larger than expected result. It has the ability to massively overshadow the results that can occur by pulling a single lever or even multiple levers. Understanding that the Gladden Circle of Longevity has 16 central levers, it is essential to pull them with the proper frequency, intensity, duration and sequence to achieve the optimal synergistic effect that catapults us towards the answers to our questions.

We find that these central themes and processes of aging are not well understood or addressed in other approaches. For example, we find that “Executive Physicals” are just an extension of a reactive health care system to which we refer as “sick care.” In an executive physical, “sick care” testing is applied to ostensibly healthy or mildly unhealthy people and if “disease” or the beginnings of disease are not found the person is declared to be “well.” The ultimate question and goal of an executive physical is focused on moving the person toward “wellness.” In this approach wellness is tacitly defined as the absence of any identifiable disease. The “Executive Physical” approach also tacitly embraces the assumption that aging is “normal.” “What do you expect- you are just getting older!” If you are told this, understand that these kinds of statements underscore that aging has been normalized. Normalizing aging is easily identified when everything is referenced to your chronological age and decline is expected and accepted. “Hey, but you’re good for your age!”

We find many Health Optimization clinics and health optimization products are focused on leveraging a “functional or integrative medicine” approach. “Functional or integrative medicine” in many ways is another form of “sick care.” The questions being asked are "sick care" questions, “What is wrong?" and “How do we get you well?” Functional or integrative medicine then leverages more novel approaches to testing, diagnosing, and treating a person back to their “best normal self.” For the most part, aging is also accepted in functional and integrative medicine since the question being asked and the goal is to make people “great for their age.”

Then there are the Longevity clinics. We have found the goals and questions here to be “How do we make you look young again?” or “How do we make you feel young again?” Typically, a treatment or procedure has been learned or even discovered by a practitioner or clinic and they are now devoted to utilizing that technique or procedure for each client to make them look younger or feel younger. In some cases, i.e. experimental stem cell procedures, the treatment or procedure may be sniffing around the fringes of the central themes and processes of aging but they are typically not addressing even two or three of the central themes and processes of aging that would enable a person to make “100 the New 30” or to “Live Well Past 120.” They are certainly not orchestrating the activation of the entire Circle of Longevity’s Levers.

We are structured around the Circles of Longevity, Health, and Human Performance and dedicated to identifying and making actionable all the significant elements and processes that significantly contribute to the aging process. By understanding all of the significant elements, and then addressing them in the proper sequence and timing, with the proper weighting according each client’s unique makeup of aging risks, youthful assets, and life circumstances, we feel unexpected and exceptional results and experiences youthfulness can be achieved. We have also come to understand that we are all a Mosaic of Ages. We have a Brain Age, a Heart Age, a Blood Vessel Age, a Bone Age, etc. Some of these ages of the mosaic are functional ages, some are anatomic, and some are molecular or biochemical. It is important for a client to identify what their current mosaic looks like and then be able to prescribe actions that enable them to make progress.