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Can life expectancy be increased?
Medical advances might not be the only reason for longer life expectancy
People rely too much on medical advances to live a long and happy life. If that were the case, life expectancy in the US would be among the highest in the world. But it isn’t.
Life expectancy in the USA is shorter than many other countries, despite the USA’s advanced medical system. In Japan, for example, a country renowned for its people’s healthy lifestyles and choices, life expectancy was a staggering 82.6 years as of 2010.
Iceland, Australia and Singapore were found in the 81-plus range, while Spain, Sweden, Macau, France, Canada, Italy, UK, New Zealand and Norway all came in over 80. With 21 more nations yet ahead, the US ranked 37th on a worldwide scale.
Medical advances don’t mean you shouldn’t take care of yourself
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle out of one’s own drive and motivation might be the best way to increase life expectancy. This fact is starkly visible in people who have undergone invasive heart surgery and then were not given (or refused to take) a medically proven stabilization vest to prevent severe complications as a result of the operation.
Cardiac surgery is a modern miracle. According to the Max Planck institute, open heart surgery saves the lives of over half a million Americans a year. Unfortunately, for those who are obese or develop a severe cough after the surgery, life-threatening complications can develop. The irony is both terrible and tragic—surviving open heart surgery only to pass away from a cough that was strong enough to remove the wiring that puts the chest back together when this was entirely preventable. The risks of this occurring could be reduced by 50% by a person simply deciding of their own volition to wear a medically proven support vest for a few months after the surgery.
Sanitary conditions and good genes also seem to outweigh medical advances in terms of resulting longevity. While improvements in public health and modern medicine do enhance general life expectancy, they are not “silver bullets.”
Put your life expectancy in your own hands
The COVID pandemic gave us a stark example of how personal choices can affect life expectancy. Those with stronger immune systems due to a life of healthy living fared best. And those who took actions on their own to wash their hands regularly, wear masks, social distance and sanitize their areas were less likely to catch the virus. Although medical advances provided the knowledge necessary, it was individual actions that ultimately led to healthier people.
Regardless of expected lifespans and scientific explanations, your personal actions are a force to be reckoned with. You can monitor the quality of your physical existence just as much, because you are the master of your own discipline.
Learn more about how the Posthorax support vest helps save lives after open heart surgery.
