PLAYING THE LONG GAME

You don’t have to be a billionaire to embark on a longevity training trip of your own, says Dipal Acharya

Who wants to live forever? Perhaps not forever, but a longer, healthier life at the very least? Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ll probably be familiar with the rising popularity of longevity training — and its high-profile, high-net-worth acolytes. But what is it? Combining cutting-edge research and science, and harnessing powerful analytics that look at everything from your genetics to biomarkers, it is creating a new standard for health and wellbeing. It’s biohacking 2.0.

If you aren’t a billionaire to fund the tests, there are specialist units around the world that can knit together the data for you. One of the market leaders is undoubtedly the Lanserhof group, praised for its holistic approach to health starting with the gut. With outposts in Austria’s Tyrol, Germany’s Sylt and a dedicated clinic here in Mayfair, the aim is to look at personalised data rather than a ‘standard range’ and focus on prevention and early diagnostics.

The functional medicine unit is insightful, headed up by Dr Nikita Grover in the capital and a godsend for those who can’t reach its Continental counterparts: ‘We are unique in the way we utilise functional medicine to identify changes in an individual’s biology that might indicate the presence or risk of illness.’ While it offers conventional medical specialists and services to support lifestyle change, Lanserhof is proud to be known for its fasting programme, ‘which taps into the body’s innate healing and longevity mechanisms,’ says Dr Grover. ‘What we offer is a safe environment for introducing and facilitating this potentially challenging process.’

SHA Wellness Clinic, which has recently added a new base in Mexico’s Riviera Maya as a sister to its Spanish original, has quietly become a leader in the longevity space, too. The latest addition is an advanced cellular regeneration therapy — the first clinic in the world to do so. It’s groundbreaking because it is currently the only physical treatment in the market that recharges sleepy cells (a result of disease, exhaustion, disease and other degenerative processes) with cold plasma to raise their voltage. The process is painless, there’s virtually no downtime and it’s recommended for those suffering from extreme exhaustion to menopausal women.

Another major player is Six Senses. This May, its annual seven-day wellness summit in Ibiza, the Young Forever Retreat, returns with a renewed focus on longevity, spearheaded by chief medical officer for the group, Dr Mark Hyman. The idea that underpins it all is that wellbeing isn’t just about lifespan but health span and integrates medical and spiritual practices (the location itself is transcendental, above shimmering Xarraca Bay). Hyman says: ‘It’s not just about adding years to our lives. By integrating cutting-edge strategies and personalised guidance, we empower individuals to live with vitality.’

It seems that the popularity of these retreats will only grow further: meals cooked, beds made and more time to devote to a deeper learning about yourself. (lhtac.com; shawellness.com; sixsenses.com)