May we introduce?
Prof. Dr. med. Markus Stoffel is a resident specialist in internal medicine in Munich and at Tegernsee. He specializes in preventative medicine and is also involved as a medical consultant for several companies, including MoleQlar.
So we would like to take a look behind the scenes here and now and find out what a doctor, armed with a stethoscope and white coat, thinks about the current development of medicine, what role he plays in it as a doctor and what that means for us as patients :inside means. So take a moment on the fictitious examination table in Prof.'s doctor's office. Dr. Stoffel space and relax - the answers to the burning questions won't be long in coming!
MoleQlar:
Prof. Stoffel, you are a doctor with years of professional experience in a wide variety of areas of medicine. As a broadly trained and experienced internist with a specialist in nephrology, you have specialized primarily in preventive medicine. Health and illness affect every person. Nobody is exempt from this. Could you give us an insight into your thoughts about the importance of modern medicine? Have you noticed a change in your time as a working doctor?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
A few years have passed since my student days and the time I first started working... (laughs). The biochemical processes of our body and the ever-increasing findings fascinated me from an early age, as did genetics and epigenetics, which has been increasingly researched over the last decade.
When I say “modern medicine” I also think of the very positive technical developments, such as high-resolution ultrasound images and metabolism-related examinations with functional magnetic resonance or Magnetic resonance imaging.
The integration of complementary diagnostics and therapy into classic conventional medicine also plays a very important role. I am pleased to see that our patients are increasingly proactively addressing health issues and are interested in what new approaches and examination options are available, but also in possible side effects.
And last but not least the much-discussed and little-implemented digitization contributes to being able to communicate with each other much more easily and quickly; Even before Corona, we were offering online appointment bookings and video consultations, which are often used.
MoleQlar:
You yourself describe that the high everyday demands, be it on a professional or private level, represent an immense burden for people. Nowadays this social pressure is particularly noticeable and costs a lot of energy. There are also family histories of illnesses or other previous illnesses. What role does preventative medicine play in these social and health challenges? What part can we as humans contribute so that we can benefit from clients does not become patient ?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
It is very important to deal personally with the topic of health care:
What can I do today to avoid being sick tomorrow?
We all know that it is always better to prevent illnesses from developing in the first place than to suffer and have to treat them later.
But thinking and acting preventively requires personal responsibility and initiative.
This includes, above all, a balanced lifestyle: a healthy diet, lots of exercise and sufficient sleep ( !) play a very important role. And you first have to know what each individual topic is called. There is so much - an unmanageable amount - of information about it and the biggest challenge is certainly finding out the one that is correct or. continuing is.
But early and thorough health examinations should also be on the plan. This allows relevant predisposition factors for diseases to be identified and treated in a timely manner.
MoleQlar:
As is well known, prevention is a strategic concept in medicine. While curative medicine focuses on curing - but often only alleviating or delaying - diseases, preventive medicine refers to the prevention and detection of diseases. According to you, we should get to the bottom of the health causes as early as possible, before physical complaints and mental suffering force us to act? How do you as a doctor practice this type of preventive medicine?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
You are suggesting exactly the right thing!
The sooner we recognize deficits, the sooner we can compensate for them and thus actively counteract the development of illnesses.
Who doesn't want to be free from physical complaints and mental suffering?? In our practices, to determine your health status quo, we first carry out a very thorough anamnesis, i.e. an individually focused conversation, and then usually carry out an imaging examination and diagnosis. With a targeted blood test, we then look “one level deeper” than the “large blood count” that sounds so comprehensive – and also analyze minerals, vitamins and trace elements. If there are imbalances here, they can be corrected in good time before illnesses develop.
MoleQlar:
In modern medicine, specialists differentiate between lifespan and healthspan. While lifespan self-explanatory reflects the total number of years we live, healthspan is how many of those years we spend healthy, free and away from illness. This philosophy is subsumed under the term “Longevity” with the following goal: to extend the time that we live healthily. In your opinion, is there an important step in preventive medicine where the focus is not on treating the disease, but rather on maintaining and promoting health? What advice would you give your patients in this regard? ?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
In order to maintain health span as long as possible, it is important to know the risks associated with the most common diseases in our society - namely diseases of the cardiovascular system, the brain (dementia and Alzheimer's) and the development of cancer to be switched off if possible.
A conscious, healthy lifestyle and regular “Check-ups” can help achieve this goal.
Of course, every illness is determined by individual factors. In our practice, we therefore focus on measurable risks that can ideally be treated. Let me give you the example of the almost omnipresent stress - your stress hormones can be measured and it can be analyzed at which times of the day they are particularly pronounced. Through essential substances such as amino acids and e.g.b You can successfully counteract your stress through conscious breathing.
MoleQlar:
An epigenetic test like MoleQlar's epiAge test analyzes a person's biological age using a saliva sample. This epigenetic age can vary compared to the chronological age and thus allows conclusions to be drawn about a person's lifestyle. Can you imagine that such an epigenetic test will find a place in future preventive medicine? Have you already carried out such a test yourself or recommended it to your patients?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
Yes, I have already carried out this test myself and I can still remember how excitedly I was awaiting the result! I can reveal that I was very pleased that the methods I practiced also seem to have a positive effect on me...
I have already recommended the epiAge test to many of my patients who really appreciate how easy it is to perform and who have also been eagerly awaiting their results.
Some then contacted us based on the results to plan possible improvement measures.
On the one hand, we have the genetics that we inherit and which are, in principle, not changeable (comparable to the entire hard drive of a computer). On the other hand, there is epigenetics with the knowledge (analogous to the hard drive sector that is read) that we can positively influence our genes through our lifestyle.
The exciting thing about the epigenetic concept is that it involves biochemical changes (often in the form of so-called Methyl groups), which the “hard drive” (=genetics) allows to be read in different areas. This means that the activation or deactivation of genes is the relevant, epigenetically measurable factor.
Ideally, the targeted improvement of risks over a period of 1-2 years and thus a positive influence on biological age is possible.
MoleQlar:
As already mentioned, the biological age can be lower or possibly even higher than normal age. Different factors in lifestyle such as unhealthy food, no or Too little or the wrong amount of exercise, smoking, alcohol and negative stress can all contribute to this. In addition to these controllable risk factors, there are dozens of circumstances that are difficult to change and modify. What would you recommend to your patients if an epigenetic age test turns out to be much higher than the chronological age? Are there protective factors in return for the risk factors?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
This is detailed detective work that needs to be worked out. Of course, we are still far from being able to influence all of the risks that could potentially be improved.
But - and this is the good news - we do have many opportunities to live more consciously and healthily and as part of proactive health care we can help ourselves to increase our health span.
Protective factors are definitely a “healthy diet”, the right amount of exercise, restful, regenerative sleep, pulse-regulating breathing and the compensation of micronutrient deficiencies in the blood. I say this quite bluntly here, but I can give you a scientifically valid definition in each of these fields of action. Give recommendations for action.
MoleQlar:
Dr. Stoffel, we would like to thank you very much for the informative conversation and the exciting interview. We can all take a lot from this for our health and our lives! One last question at the end: Which MoleQlar product would you most like for personal use?
Prof. Dr. Stoffel:
Preferably a substance that influences the cell's mitochondrial energy production and enables us to make clinically and laboratory-comprehensible improvements to the "cell power plants". Disturbances in this central element of metabolism are not only common, but also have a strong influence on our longevity. They are currently moving more into focus due to topics such as “Long-COVID”. However, we have known these “Fatigue symptoms” for much longer.
Perhaps you too, dear reader, will write a little longevity wish list so that you can do something good for your health!
