Baby boomers seek out integrative medicine to live longer and healthier lives

Photo Cred: Kraken Images/Unsplash

By Linda Childers

According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65 and older will reach 98 million by 2060 and many are embracing integrative medicine to help them be healthier, live longer, and thrive. 

Researchers from the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation in Ann Arbor released their latest National Poll on Healthy Aging in August 2022, showing that 66 percent of respondents aged 50 to 80 reported using at least one integrative medicine strategy to prevent or treat a health concern. In addition, 21 percent had an interest in trying integrative medicine. Massage therapy, chiropractic care, meditation and mindfulness, yoga, and acupuncture, were the most common modalities used.

“Most clients come to me with concerns about longevity, and a decline in their cognitive, physical, mental, and sexual performance,” said Kien Vuu, MD, a concierge performance and longevity physician, assistant professor of Health Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, founder of VuuMD Performance and Longevity, and author of “Thrive State: Your Blueprint for Optimal Health, Longevity, and Peak Performance.”

“Many feel as if they have lost the edge of their youth, and are worried about weight gain, metabolic disorders, and declining performance,” he said.

Vuu said his approach to treating clients combines conventional, lifestyle, anti-aging, and regenerative medicine, mixed in with ancient healing modalities.

“I address the five main pillars of health including physical (sleep, nutrition, and movement), mental, emotional, social, and spiritual as these all affect our total health, biochemistry, and performance,” Vuu said. “I find this multipronged approach very effective and have seen clients who have been able to safely discontinue medications, lose inflammatory visceral fat, and biologically age backwards.”

Since popular integrative medicine practices including massage, acupuncture, energy medicine, reiki, hypnosis, qigong, tai chi, homeopathy, and Ayurveda, are generally safe, low impact, and address mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health, Vuu said they work well with older clients.

Baby boomers get proactive about their health

According to Nicole Marcione, PhD, NBC-HWC, a body-brain longevity advisor, board-certified health coach, gerontologist, biokinesiologist, Pilates instructor, and founder of Integrative Aging in Los Angeles, baby boomers are becoming their own health advocates and not waiting until they get sick to start taking care of themselves.

“They know the benefits of integrative medicine can help them get ahead of the game and delay onset of disease and premature aging, leading to not only a longer lifespan, but a longer health span,” Marcione said. “I tell my clients that want to age gracefully that only 20 percent of aging is based on genetics and 80 percent is lifestyle choices. Aging is inevitable, aging poorly is not.”

Many of the older women Marcione has treated have reported sleep, bloating, and anxiety as their top concerns.

“These three things are typically interrelated and can usually be addressed and mitigated by improving stress resilience, finding out what their food intolerances are, creating morning and evening rituals, and bringing more pleasure into their daily lives,” she said.

Marcione works with each of her clients on a one-to-one basis and gives them a “longevity and pleasure roadmap” based upon their bio-individuality, their background/risk factors, desires, family history, and past traumas. She said emotional healing has a huge impact on health and longevity.

Since maintaining cognitive function is also a concern for many baby boomers, Marcione emphasizes brain health in her practice.

“Women have a higher risk of developing dementia than men do, much of this has to do with menopause and the loss of crucial brain hormones like estrogen,” she said. “I tell my clients the best things for their brain are also the best things for their body. Daily exercise has a huge impact on brain health and neuroplasticity and sleep and stress are also big factors when it comes to brain health. “

Marcione said she advises her clients to find an exercise they love, do it five times per week, and to sleep seven to nine hours each night. She also helps them to develop tools to manage stress including yoga, meditation, breathwork, taking a walk, and being in nature.

“This work isn’t just for baby boomers but as one gets older, they start to reflect upon health and the limited time we all have on this planet,” she said. “I typically work with clients for three months, which gives us enough time to see lasting changes in their biology, physiology, outlook, and mindset.”

Chris Shelton, a qigong master with Morning Crane Healing Arts Center in San Jose, California, said his practice is based on the principles that the leading cause of death and disease is stress and negative emotions.

Since both qigong and tai chi help lower blood pressure, reduce stress and fatigue, alleviate chronic pain, and improve immune function, Shelton said these practices work to address many of his older clients’ common health concerns. In addition, since these practices are low impact, they put minimal stress on joints.

“Through the application of specific techniques, targeting specific internal organs and acupoints, I help clients clear stress, blocked emotions, trauma,” Shelton said. “Integrative approaches including qigong slow down the aging process.”

For integrative medicine practitioners seeking to expand their practice to meet the demands of America’s aging population, Vuu recommends implementing modalities that are complementary to your existing practice or that resonates with you personally.

“For example, breathwork has been a very valuable tool I use in my own life, and this is something I believe in and enjoy incorporating into my practice,” he said.