Dr. Barber, CEO of Cenegenics South Carolina, an age management institute based in Charleston, says “With John McCain, who if elected would serve as the oldest president ever in office, and Barack Obama, one of the youngest candidates to run, the issue of health and aging is front and center in this election.”
She offers this advice to the next Commander in Chief to avoid accelerated aging:
Balance Your Hormones
“Hormone levels are something traditional doctors typically do not monitor, yet if they are less than optimal, it can have dramatic impacts on your mental, emotional and physical health,” says Dr. Barber. “Obama, for example, has a family history of prostate cancer. The lower your testosterone levels, the more aggressive prostate cancer can be, which is a good reason he should have his hormones checked.”
She also notes that McCain’s verbal gaffes, which have been attributed to age, could also be due to unbalanced hormone levels. “A common effect of unbalanced hormone levels can be poor memory and recall,” explains Dr. Barber. “Just because he is 71 doesn’t mean he has to be forgetful or in poor health.”
Find Time for Romance
“One of the key indicators of good health is regular sex,” says Dr. Barber. “We can deduce a lot just from the answer to the question ‘How is your sex life?” She recommends both candidates make time in their busy schedule for physical interaction with their spouses, which she notes has both physical, and, of course, emotional benefits.
Drink Half Your Weight in Water
“It sounds like a lot, but these men probably should drink half their body weight in ounces of water a day,” says Dr. Barber. And with our Commander in Chief spending significant time on Air Force One, it’s even more important to remain hydrated. Dr. Barber notes that for every hour of flying time, a person should drink eight ounces of water.
Get Sweaty
“Thirty minutes of exercise a day will give them extra energy and boost their immune systems,” says Dr. Barber. “Whether you’re a busy executive, like many of my patients, or President of the United States, energy is an absolute must just to complete everything that needs to get done in a day.”
She points out that the current president is a great example of someone who has aged well, thanks in part to physical fitness. “President Bush has always made time for exercise and relaxation, two key contributors to health and vitality,” she says. “And it shows. He’s in great shape and has not aged so dramatically over his eight years in office.”
Unfortunately, says Dr. Barber, Bush is not typical. Many presidents, such as Bill Clinton who had heart bypass surgery several years ago, experience a decline in health while in office. “Bill Clinton was a walking disaster with an expanding waistline and poor eating habits,” she says. “An ounce of prevention, the philosophy we maintain at Cenegenics, could likely have stopped such serious heart problems.”
Says Dr. Barber, “I just hope that whoever wins in November will enjoy the same level of health and vitality that our patients experience through Cenegenics. By making these simple changes in their lives, I hope this will chart a healthy course for their future, and thus our country’s.”
About Cenegenics
Cenegenics South Carolina is a Charleston-based medical institute that helps patients manage the aging process through a customized regimen of exercise, nutrition and hormone optimization to improve their quality of life and feel healthy and years younger than their age. Headed by CEO Mickey Barber, MD, a board-certified anesthesiologist and former assistant professor at Tulane University, Cenegenics South Carolina is one of only five Cenegenics centers in the country. For more information, call 843-724-7272 or visit www.cenegenics-
