This past weekend I traversed about 360 miles in and around South Florida on networking events and it was, at points, a jaw-dropping experience. Cue to a vaginal rejuvenation demonstration broadcasted in front of the entire lecture hall I was in (yea, wow), followed up by a video on the ommaya reservoir. This ancestral-sounding name actually refers to an intraventricular catheter system wherein a surgeon drills a hole through the scalp and brain to aspirate cerebrospinal fluid or deliver drugs. In this case the orthopedic surgeon on the stage was delivering cerebrospinal fluid to the hippocampus. The patient’s hippocampus grew 48% over two years, and improved their cognitive function. Or how about the sample nootropic product I was given by the 58 year old naturopath who played a memory game with me during Jim Kwik’s speech? I can’t say I felt any effects but one pill isn’t enough to change my baseline.

Speaking of Kwik. Jim Kwik is the IT speaker on brain and memory at the moment. As a young child he had a traumatic brain injury and a learning disability plus anxiety, all of which has since been reversed. His motto today is, “All behavior is belief driven.”  And Kwik hysterically mentioned it is incumbent on us that #NoBrainLeftBehind becomes our mantra.

Unfortunately, a test of the Kwik method rendered me skeptical on the state of my brain. HOWEVER, in the vein of killing ANTS (automatic negative thoughts), one of his key suggestions, I have already implemented some of his improvement strategies, and they are working. To see his program, check this out.

Among the thought leaders I collected a variety of data on the state of our country’s health affairs. Warning, they are sobering.

-1 in 9 kids have ADHD

-18% of adults have anxiety

-15 million adults have depression and 70 million adults have sleep conditions

-Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes is up ~300%

However there is some good news, especially for us millennials. Those born between 1980-2000 make up the largest generation ever with 85 million people. Our collective purchasing power is about 200 billion US Dollars. This gave me some degree of confidence given that anti-aging and preventative medicine are driving healthcare costs down. Technology like genetic tests used to range in the thousands, today a 23andMe ancestry test is $99.00. Brain assessment tests and neurofeedback treatments are even starting to be added to major insurance formularies. Diet and lifestyle resources are coming into the employee benefit plans of major US employers as well. The idea is to stay healthy so the highest costs of healthcare (ambulatory care, hospitalizations, prescription drugs) can be avoided. ß at its most primal.

One of the best parts of my work is that I get to meet and discuss with experts in the field. The passion and commitment is exponential in these forums. This is a field of iconoclasts and rebels who don’t subscribe to the pervasive industrial western lifestyle. Their longevity escape velocity, per the transhumanists, are MUCH faster than mine. And I never know in what way I will be inspired.  We don’t HAVE to get sick, we don’t HAVE to wrinkle like a raisin in the sun, and perhaps we don’t even have to die. Better put, being out in the community reminds why it would be so nice to live indefinitely.