The increase in life expectancy from the point of view of a gynecologist
The general trend towards an increase in life expectancy still exists
About bad spermatozoa, recommendations for pregnant women and for those who want to conceive, as well as about 100-year-old people and childbirth at the age of 40, "The newspaper.En" says Gerard Salama.
Brief biographyGynecologist surgeon, President of the International Association for Medical Research in the Field of Aging.
In 1973 he graduated from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Paris V (Paris Descartes University). For a long time he worked as a researcher at the National Institute of Health and Medicine Research. He specialized in infertility and menopause problems. Currently, he is a leading European doctor in the field of anti–aging and hormone replacement therapy. President of the International Association for Medical Research in the Field of Aging. Knight of the Legion of Honor. In Russia, he works at the RHANA clinic.
– In July, a study of 91 sperm taken from one man was published in the journal Cell, and it was found that each sperm carries about 30 mutations other than the somatic cell. Are you familiar with this work? How can the results of this study be applied in the future to ensure the birth of healthy children?
– Similar studies began three or four years ago. Recently, even young people have been suffering from problems related to the quality of sperm. Usually we can talk about the norm in the presence of half of healthy spermatozoa, but now there are often cases when sperm contains only 10% of healthy spermatozoa. If an unhealthy sperm enters a woman's egg, then fertilization either does not occur, or it ends in a miscarriage. We know the reasons for this: first of all, these are pesticides.
It is not easy to solve this problem, because it concerns almost all agricultural products. There are attempts to solve the problem with the help of bio-nutrition (that is, agricultural products of a special ecological standard, free of pesticides, nitrates, growth hormones, dyes, preservatives, flavors and other chemical additives), but this is not a panacea. In the event that a couple experienced problems with conception, doctors first of all looked for the cause in the female body. Now we immediately begin to investigate the man and the quality of his sperm.
– In your interviews, you pay attention to the fact that now, on average, the average duration increases by two months every year. Do you think this is a positive change or not? What tasks does this pose for medicine?
– This is neither good nor bad, it is a statement of fact. For example, there are now 15 thousand inhabitants in France whose age exceeds 100 years. In 40 years, there will be 150,000 Frenchmen over the age of 100. Of course, we need to think about how to organize a society in a different way, in which there are more and more elderly people, how to keep people in good physical shape for as long as possible. Now people are retiring later and later: in France it is 65 years old, in Germany it is 67. At 65, a European is very active. In Russia, of course, everything is somewhat different, but the general trend of increasing life expectancy still exists.
– Does the increase in the average life expectancy of people on Earth mean that they will give birth to children at an older age than they are now?
– Now many people get married, get married at the age of over forty. And it is becoming more and more common when a woman wants to have a child at 42-43 years old. But as a maximum, we are now talking about a possible fertile age of 45 years, having a child at 60 is extremely dangerous. And even the most modern medicine will not help here.
– As one of the best specialists in the world on the issues of childbearing at an elderly age, tell me, how true is the statement that the older the future parents, the more likely the birth of an unhealthy child is?
– Here we can talk about possible harm to a woman and a child. As for the unborn child, I must say that we have practically nullified the danger: we conduct detailed studies, ultrasound, tests, and if something goes wrong, a chromosomal anomaly is detected, we immediately carry out surgical intervention. Of course, after the age of 41, the number of such fetal abnormalities increases to 10% and is also getting higher every year. For a woman after 40 years of age, the main problems with conception are problems of ovulation and eggs, but we check this by conducting detailed tests. Of course, older women often have other side diseases that can negatively affect both conception and the course of pregnancy. These can be a wide variety of age-related ailments: from fibroids (uterine tumors) to high blood pressure.
– Together with the Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier, you are engaged in the study of oxidative stress. In humans, oxidative stress is one of the important components of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and diabetes, and is also one of the components of the aging process. Tell us more about these studies.
– The aging process of cells is associated with metabolic processes in cells, and oxidative stress leads to cell death – they begin to die slowly. To speed up metabolism, antioxidants are needed – a fact about which nothing was known even some 10 years ago. Imagine, say, two women aged 70, one of them may look much better than the other. What is the basis of this fact? The aging process, which is precisely related to the balance of antioxidants. Many chronic diseases are also associated with oxidative stress – degenerative diseases, diabetes, osteochondrosis, aesthetic problems, heart diseases. Now we need detailed and accurate research on the amount and balance of the necessary antioxidants.
We started by testing five actioxidants, now there are eighteen of them. We are developing methods for the use of antioxidants, and our research already clearly shows that traditional treatment together with the use of antioxidants gives a better effect than without them. And, of course, this is a disease prevention: if you have a good balance of antioxidants, then you are less likely to get sick.
– By the way, your colleague Luc Montagnier and his colleagues posted preprints on the website in December 2010 Arxiv.org the article "DNA waves and water", in which they reported on the discovery of the ability of a DNA molecule to send weak electromagnetic signals that create "fingerprints" of this DNA on water at a distance. Using these "fingerprints", the enzymes could reproduce the original DNA molecule. These works have received a mixed assessment in the scientific community. What do you know about the current state of these works? What do you think about these works?
– All theories can be good today and bad tomorrow and, conversely, may not be recognized in our time and be accepted only in the future. The harbinger of the current works of Luc Montagnier 25 years ago was Jacques Benveniste, some of whose experiments showed that there is memory in water. Everyone said then that he was crazy.
Montagnier thinks we should go back to these experiments and test them. We must not forget that this is a theory, we can say that this is fiction, or we can assume that it is true: there is no evidence here yet. Montagnier believes that this is a good theory, many disagree with him. But, for example, now even some scientists say that there is bad energy, and there is good. Moreover, we are talking about electromagnetic radiation, electricity and those objects that we encounter on a daily basis – for example, a mobile phone. So, studies were conducted on people living under high-voltage voltage lines, and it turned out that their percentage of cancers is 50% higher than that of ordinary people. It is because of this impact that we are now encountering completely new types of cancer, for example, lymphatic cancer, which was practically not observed 30 years ago.
– How dangerous or harmless is taking hormonal drugs? For example, many women for various reasons (from fear of a negative impact on their health to fear of seriously gaining weight) they do not use hormonal contraceptives. Are they doing the right thing?
– Hormonal treatment is used, firstly, as a means of preventing pregnancy (contraceptive) and, secondly, during menopause. Hormonal agents have been used as contraceptives for more than 40 years, and we are getting lighter and more natural remedies (estrogens). In Europe and the USA, they are used very often, unless, of course, there are contraindications, such as concomitant diseases, cancers in relatives, smoking or high blood pressure. In the case of menopause, the situation is somewhat different. Thirty years ago in Europe, the use of hormonal drugs during menopause was considered almost a panacea. However, 15 years ago, the reverse trend began: there were many studies on the dangers of such drugs, and women completely abandoned their use.
However, as it often happens, in the middle. I believe that here we are talking about the ratio of risk and benefit from hormone therapy. If the benefit exceeds the potential small risk, then the drug should be prescribed, and, on the contrary, if the expected risk is higher than the benefit of taking it, then it is worth abandoning its use. The benefits of taking drugs are both in the effect on the bone system, and in the prevention of osteochondrosis, and in the so-called anti-age effect – externally, a woman taking drugs looks better. With modern treatment, the risks, although small, are primarily in heart diseases, such as stroke, as well as the possibility of breast cancer. First of all, special blood tests and mammography are carried out. Of course, if you or your closest relatives had similar diseases, then the doctor will not prescribe hormone therapy. If the decision is positive, then it is also necessary to comply with the conditions for accepting funds. First of all, the drug is prescribed in small doses – it is necessary to establish the exact proportions with the help of analysis. In addition, natural estrogen and progesterone are used and only together. The method of using these funds is also important. Now they are not used in the form of traditional tablets, but in the form of creams and special "brands" that are glued to the skin, that is, hormone therapy is carried out through the skin. Another important condition is that hormone therapy should not last more than 10 years. Of course, we must take into account that each case is individual, as well as the fact that a woman who finished taking medications 15 years ago can now return to it in new conditions.
In Russia, as I have noticed, there are many prejudices regarding the use of hormonal drugs. When I first came to Russia, almost everyone refused to use hormones. Women, and the doctors themselves say: no, hormones are harmful, you can get better from them and so on. No, it's not dangerous if you don't smoke, visit a doctor every year and take special blood tests. Now in Moscow, more and more patients are turning to us for advice about taking hormonal drugs, but until now in Russia doctors often disown hormone therapy without serious reason. Doctors need to learn how to approach these problems correctly. For 5 years of my practice in Russia, I have not had a single case that she hurt someone or that the patient was dissatisfied. There is a risk, but it is extremely small. There is another important point: hormone therapy requires mandatory monitoring by a doctor every six months or a year, so you can notice and prevent or cure diseases at an early stage, such as cancer, which could go unnoticed if this regular examination did not take place.
– Are there any general recommendations for quickly conceiving a healthy child? How can future parents properly prepare for the conception of a child? Is it necessary to give up bad habits, if so, how long before the expected conception – for the expectant mother and for the future dad? What are your recommendations for a pregnant woman? Are air travel harmful? What are the consequences of alcohol consumption or smoking? How to determine which medications the expectant mother can take? Who makes the decision about this – a gynecologist leading a pregnancy, or a doctor of the appropriate profile (ENT, urologist, etc.)? What is more harmful for the expectant mother – to drink a glass of wine or a half-liter bottle of Coca-Cola?
– Before conception, expectant parents should lead a healthier lifestyle, monitor nutrition, reduce alcohol and cigarette consumption. You should not drink more than one glass of wine a day, although in the case of Russia, it may be worth advising you to completely give up alcohol. Three months before the intended conception and during pregnancy, folic acid should be used. This is necessary to prevent possible deformities of the fetus, especially what is called a "harelip".
As for the period of pregnancy, a woman needs to completely give up alcohol and cigarettes. Coca-Cola is harmful in terms of its high sugar content, and also because it contains gas, which means salts that are harmful to a pregnant woman. But alcohol is strictly contraindicated. I want to note that if the future dad smokes in her presence, it can harm the unborn child.
As for the common misconception about the harm of air travel for women, this is not true. If there are no special contraindications or the threat of miscarriage, it is not harmful for pregnant women to fly. However, in the middle and late stages of pregnancy during flights, it is worth wearing special compression stockings to prevent varicose veins. As for taking medications, especially antibiotics, a woman needs to consult both her doctor and a gynecologist. Now there are special lines of medicines that are prescribed to a pregnant woman.
– Why did you start your practice in Russia? How would you assess the development of healthcare in Russia? What could you say about the level of development of medicine and medical science in Russia?
– I have been here for 5 years, I have always loved and love Russia very much. You can call me a travel doctor: I like to travel to different countries, expand my geography, study different medical cases. This is a kind of challenge for me – I myself have a lot to learn, and, I hope, there is an opportunity to change the views of both specialists and patients in the field of hormone therapy methods. Highly professional doctors work in Russia, the level of medicine is quite high, the number of well-equipped clinics is growing. However, the healthcare system is somewhat excessively closed from outside influence, there are prejudices in many modern areas being developed in the West in Russia, including hormone therapy
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru13.08.2012