An Expert’s Guide To Increasing Longevity

Scientific Officer of Swiss wellness retreat Chenot Palace Weggis, Dr George Gaitanos, tells C&TH why we should be thinking in health-span – not lifespan.

How Can We Boost Our Health-Span?

What does longevity mean to you? 

Longevity touches on many issues: topological, financial and societal. At Chenot, we focus on our health not in terms of disease but in terms of functionality and resilience. Health is our ability to adapt to life. You want to be functioning because inside you might be ageing fast but functionally you might be fantastic. Your quality of life is measured by your bodily functions and physical and cognitive performance.

What is your approach to longevity at Chenot? 

Chenot is a move away from traditional medicine into a whole new line of medicine which optimises your wellness. Mr Chenot introduced Traditional Chinese Medicine to balance the energy from an eastern medicine perspective. The energetic body creates a fantastic metabolic environment to reset the body. We use a lot of technology too. We recognise that the body’s functionality will be affected with the passing of time and your body is accumulating damage. Over the years, we’ve developed methods and moved with the science to reset the body’s programming in a way that you can move to a new level of functionality.

What everyday mistakes do people make which could affect their longevity? 

Not prioritising themselves. We are trying to educate our clients to create new habits because once you create new habits, you change your behaviour and move into a routine. The key to longevity is that everything can be reversed. We want our clients to go from consumers to becoming contributors to their own wellbeing.

Chenot Palace Weggis is beautifully set on the shores of Lake Lucerne. What outdoor activities in Switzerland are particularly good for longevity? 

There’s a lot of nature here. You can swim, trek, hike. There are amazing mountains so it’s easy to get outside. There are fantastic routes for cycling, too, and lots of roads have their own cycle lane. There are also great walking paths so there is no excuse. 

The Swiss are known for having one of the longest life expectancies. Why is this? 

Switzerland is a very well-organised nation. So, the element of stress is lower. The country has an excellent healthcare system too. People are also very, very active. They finish their day job and the next minute you see them on a bike, running or going trekking. This is great for building muscle, a very important longevity organ. Muscle has this fantastic autoregulatory effect. It also secretes hormones, molecules, cytokines and they connect to the rest of the organs, the muscles, brain and your whole body. That, coupled with the socioeconomic factors and balanced lifestyle, all work together to create a formula for sustained wellness.

Find out more at chenot.com