Upstream Medicine: The first steps in longevity with Dr Helen Messier
Upstream Medicine: The first steps in longevity
At the annual SingularityU South Africa Summit, Dr Helen Messier advocated for advanced diagnostic tools and technologies combined with a focus on upstream, preventative medicine to prevent chronic diseases to achieve optimal health and longevity.
In a thought-provoking virtual presentation, Dr Helen Messier, Chief Medical and Science Officer at Fountain Life, outlined her bold vision for the future of longevity and preventative healthcare – one that focuses on early detection and addressing the root causes of chronic disease rather than the symptoms.
Dr Messier challenged the 1 500 attendees at the annual SingularityU South Africa Summit, taking pace at the Sandton Convention Centre in collaboration with Old Mutual, to assess their own health.
"Are you really healthy?"
she asked.
"Do you know what's going on inside your body?"
The point was clear – most people lack awareness of their internal physiological state until symptoms appear. This, Dr Messier argued, is a major flaw in the current global healthcare system.
"If you wait for symptoms to appear, you're only going to catch and treat about 30% of people with disease,"
she explained. Instead, she advocated for a proactive, "upstream" preventative approach to medicine that detects imbalances and dysfunction long before overt disease sets in.
This "disease continuum" model shows how clinical imbalances can progress from optimal wellness to dysfunction, and eventually to full-blown chronic illness if left unchecked. To combat this epidemic of preventable chronic disease, Dr Messier emphasised the need for more advanced diagnostic tools, such as multimodal testing that leverages the latest technologies, from AI-powered CT scans to biomarker panels. By detecting issues like vascular inflammation and plaque buildup before they cause symptoms, this approach can identify risks and intervene long before a heart attack or stroke occurs.
Dr Messier cited that 70% of heart attack victims have no prior symptoms. But detecting problems is only half the battle. She stressed the importance of addressing the root causes driving chronic disease, such as inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and mitochondrial health, rather than simply managing symptoms.
She emphasised that a healthy gut microbiome is essential for overall wellbeing, as it is connected to every other system in the body. When the gut microbiome is out of balance this may cause leaky gut and inflammation that leads to a host of chronic health issues. She also emphasised the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene, noting emerging research that suggests a possible link between the mouth microbiome and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and certain types of cancer.
In closing, Dr Messier championed the ultimate "miracle drug" for preventing chronic diseases.
“It reduces appetite, prevents chronic disease, helps our brain and mood, prevents Alzheimer’s, cancer, high blood pressure, heart attacks and diabetes. It's great for libido, helps our brain and telomere. It's a potent drug that improves the quality and duration of our life, and it’s available to everyone – and that medication is movement and exercise.”
She urged summit attendees that by making exercise a regular part of their lifestyle, they can proactively support their body's natural healing processes and disease-prevention mechanisms, laying a strong foundation for lifelong wellness and longevity.
