IT NEVER CEASES to amaze me when the patient I see sitting in front of me looks a picture of health and yet the reality could not be further from the truth.
For example, a triathlete in his 30’s who appears to be in the best physical health; incredibly fit, hugely mindful of what he eats and appearing to be in his prime. However, he ended up in Intensive Care with Covid-19 fighting for his life.
A barrister recently asked to be tested out of curiosity. In his early 50’s, he exercised regularly and had recently passed a BUPA executive medical with flying colours. Our heart rate variability (HRV) testing showed he was at risk of an imminent cardiac event.
Another surprising example was one of the contributors of this website – very fit, knowledgeable, and mindful of his diet and lifestyle choices. However, once again, the testing showed the reality was very different.
On closer examination our triathlete had been over-training for a long time. His body simply had not been able to recover properly and his functional reserves were very low, thus making his health very vulnerable.
The barrister was going through a horrible divorce and his emotions were putting him at risk of a heart attack, and he had absolutely no idea.
And lastly, the major contributor of this website, who was so committed to the service he was providing, took his eye off the work:play ratios and the stresses this placed on his body.
In all these examples I tested people’s Heart Rate Variability and saw the true picture of the stresses and strains on the organism. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is an accurate, non-invasive measure of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) – how it reacts and responds to everything: exercise, recovery, diet, sleep and stress levels. HRV looks closely at the exact changes in time between successive heartbeats (also called inter-beat intervals or RR intervals). Generally, the greater the variability between heart beats, the healthier the individual. I also look at variability in the voltage trace of the heart beats.
Getting tested every 2-3 months gives a highly accurate view of the health of the body – to provide proper feedback on the best way to support an individual’s health.
Medicine has always been about the management of sickness and disease. The current situation with Covid-19 has shown that people who were living their lives with chronic conditions such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiac and respiratory disease, have suddenly found themselves critically ill in Intensive Care, and sadly many have died way too early.
The pursuit of optimal health should never be an afterthought or an optional add-on to our lifestyles. Our health truly is the most valuable thing we have – without it all our material wealth, success and the lifestyle and businesses we spent years or decades building up – can be stripped away in just a few short days.
The medicine of the future will be focussed on the ways of achieving and maintaining life-long good health. It is up to us to accept responsibility for our health and play the lead role in ensuring we are in the very best physical and emotionally robust condition possible. It is only in this way that we will be able to face and overcome future health challenges.
Lilias Ahmeira
Founder of Mitochondrial Rescue
Email Lilias@mitochondrialrescue.com for further information on the Heart Rate Variability test.
