Module 3
Understanding Our Adversaries – Part I
During the last two modules, we have been gathering information and learning how to conceptualize the different aspects of health and longevity. In the first part of Module 3, we will start putting that information to use in creating a personalized “Risk Narrative,” a framework we will use to manage this information. This will guide you to understand the challenges you are most likely to face both now and in the decades ahead. While this can take a lot of work, building out your Longevity Risk Assessment™ is one of the most important things you can do as you think about your longevity journey. In the second part of Module 3, we will learn about our first two horsemen: cardiovascular disease and cancer. We will also briefly cover an often underappreciated “fifth horseman,” accidental death. By the end of the module, you will learn about these risks to your longevity and begin to think about how they may impact your life.
Learning Objectives
- What are the Death Bars™, and why do we think they should be on the wall of every physician’s office?
- How do the Death Bars help you develop a strong intuition for the types of diseases you’ll need to avoid in order to live a long and healthy life?
- Why do we refer to Accidental Death as an honorary fifth horseman?
- What are the five sources of data that form our strategic scaffolding?
- What is the Longevity Risk Assessment (LRA), and what role will it play in your journey?
- How much do we know about Cardiovascular Disease and its causes, prevention, and treatment? How can you best manage the risks associated with this horseman?
- How much do we know about Cancer and its causes, prevention, and treatment? How can you best manage the risks associated with this horseman?
Topic 1 /
How We Die: Understanding our Adversaries
We can’t tell you how you will die, but we can tell you how most people die. This is, pretty much by definition, a fairly morbid topic. But we believe that by diving deep into this, you will develop a strong intuition for the types of things you’ll need to avoid in order to live a long and healthy life. The insights from this lesson will backstop most of our further discussion on identifying your icebergs. Spend some time here. If you can understand this, you’ll have come a long way in your journey to understanding how to be successful in squaring the longevity curve and maximizing your healthspan and lifespan.
Additional Resources
Topic 2 /
How We Die: Accidental Death
As we alluded briefly in the last video, accidental death could be called the fifth horseman. Accidental death as a source of morbidity and mortality is often underappreciated. Here we explain the major drivers of accidental death and how these causes vary by age group. Car accidents, accidental overdoses, and falls cause a significant number of deaths each year and collectively account for virtually all “accidental” deaths. Hence, avoiding these is just as important as avoiding the other horsemen.
Topic 3 /
A Deeper Dive on Our Strategy
Now that you have a rigorous understanding of your primary adversaries, the obvious follow-up is, ‘what am I supposed to do with this information?’ Here we address that question head-on and map out what will come next. We also provide an overview of the different types of evidence from which we will draw.
Topic 4 /
The Longevity Risk Assessment™
Recall that your objective for this program is not only to learn about longevity but also to personalize that learning so that you can apply this knowledge toward achieving your own longevity goals. In this lesson, we introduce one of the most powerful tools we’ll be using towards this end: a tool that will help you refine a personalized understanding of your icebergs. Welcome to your risk dashboard!
Topic 5 /
Case Study: Peter's LRA
The best way to understand the application of this tool is to see it in use. Here Peter reviews his own LRA.
Topic 6 /
Begin to Build Your Longevity Risk Assessment™
As you progress through this module, you should be well-positioned to begin to fill in your own Longevity Risk Assessment. This is an iterative process that will be done throughout every module of Early and something you’ll want to continue to update in the years and decades to come. You’ll need to augment your learnings here with input from your healthcare team (more on that in the next module).
For now, our goal is to begin to further refine your story: Where are your icebergs?
Topic 7 /
The First Horseman: Cardiovascular Disease
To effectively go to battle with the horsemen, you need a baseline understanding of how the disease processes work. These will be fairly technical discussions, but we have intentionally kept them at a level that will be understandable by any committed viewer. The knowledge you gain in these videos will be central to many of the tactics we apply in the second half of the program. As we’ve said throughout, only by understanding your adversaries can you develop a response that isn’t subject to the ever-changing whims of the tactic-obsessed. Here we start with the first of the Four Horseman of Longevity™: cardiovascular disease.
Additional Resources
Topic 8 /
Cardiovascular Disease: Prevention and Treatment
Now that we understand the biology of cardiovascular disease, let’s pivot to a conversation about where the rubber hits the road: prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic disease. Atherosclerotic disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. Full stop. This is true in the US, and this is true globally. The good news is that there are several things you can do to minimize your chances of cardiovascular disease, whatever your age or medical history.
Additional Resources
Topic 9 /
A Patient Conversation: Cardiovascular Disease
Now that we understand the biology of cardiovascular disease, let’s pivot to a conversation about where the rubber hits the road: prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic disease. Atherosclerotic disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. Full stop. This is true in the US, and this is true globally. The good news is that there are several things you can do to minimize your chances of cardiovascular disease, whatever your age or medical history.
Topic 10 /
The Second Horseman: Cancer
Similar to cardiovascular disease, we will begin our discussion on the second of the Four Horsemen of Longevity™ – cancer – by looking at the biology of this disease. What is cancer? Only by understanding this complicated and insidious group of diseases can you begin to get a handle on how you will manage the risks associated with this horseman. Pay particular attention to how this story differs from that of cardiovascular disease.
Additional Resources
Topic 11 /
Cancer: Prevention and Treatment
Now that we understand the biology of the disease, let’s pivot to a conversation around the topic we actually care about: prevention and treatment of cancer. Cancer is terrifying and will affect everyone, whether yourself or a loved one, at some point in their life. You can’t eliminate the risk of cancer entirely. There are, however, several things you can do to improve your odds of not getting cancer or your chances of diagnosing cancer early in the disease process, thereby improving your outcomes.
Additional Resources
Topic 12 /
A Patient Conversation: Cancer
As we did with cardiovascular disease, we will now bring the lecture material to life via a conversation with a patient who has a pronounced family history of cancer. In this video, you will learn how we approach cancer risk when we talk with patients.
Topic 13 /
Update your LRA
Update your LRA with information you’ve learned from this module. Remember, your LRA is a living document that you will continually update as you learn more.
FAQs
Confused by something in the video? Want to ask a follow up question? Submit your questions to faq@earlymedical.com and we’ll do our best to post answers to the most frequently asked questions.