Strong and Vital No 3

No. 3 June/July 2024 - online only

5.00 US$, EURO, CHF

Viviana Kasam The BRAIN Behind the 1st MILAN LONGEVITY SUMMIT Ballet and Dance The Dictatorship of Perfection Age Discrimination on Stage Discussion between Experts HOW HEALTHY IS TRAINING IN GYMS REALLY?

Bigorexia When Muscle Mass is Never Enough

Childlessness Who Will Take Care of the Childless When They Become Frail?

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Index of contents

Editorial

4

The Brain Behind the First MILAN LONGEVITY SUMMIT 6

Viviana Kasam - page 6

The Health of People 60+

10

Ballet and Dance - Age Discrimination on Stage

12

Yvonne Keller - Pelvic Floor Strength-Training

14

Erich Iten - page 10

Dr med. Jürg Kuoni - Live Longer - Thanks to Prevention 16

Bigorexia - When Muscle Mass Is Never Enough

18

An Important Step in the Fitness and Health Sector

20

Childlessness

22

Jürgen Woldt - page 20

Competing into Old Age

24

The Discussion between Experts

26

Health Tribune LONGEVITY Congress 6.11.24 Locarno

28

About Us

30

US - Senior Games- page 24

10 Hectares HACIENDA to Be Sold in Spain

31

Ueli Schweizer - page 26

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Edi torial

What a Wonderful World Daydreaming and Sarcasm* Are Good for the Soul, Right? * applies to the rest of the editorial As citizens of the world we do indeed have it great: life expectancy has increased up to 120 years, 99 per cent of babies are born healthy and over 90 per cent of people die peacefully and healthy at home in old age in the presence of their families, which now span four generations. You learn to respect your fellow human beings at an early age, whether they are children, young people, adults or older people. Young people realise that, despite visible differences in terms of origin, intellect or social class, everyone has the right to find their place in society. Everyone has the opportunity to develop and practise their talent or even vocation, regardless of expectations placed on them. Every profession is worthy in itself; it is rather the treatment that is often given to employees that is degrading. Likewise, everyone is paid a decent salary that allows a life in dignity without having to rely on additional state assistance. Thanks to an appropriate lifestyle, people are getting less ill, exercise has become a normal part of life and a vegan diet is now a matter of course. The number of hospitals and clinics has steadily declined; these facilities mainly admit patients victims of accidents. The healthcare system is being directly financed by proportional wage deductions. Progress and adjustments in relations between women and men have finally made peaceful coexistence possi ble, so that the divorce rate has fallen. After decades of demographic winter, the birth rate has risen as childcare centres and other individual childcare services are provided by the state. Families are relieved and have more children. The retirement age has levelled off at 65, while flexible retirement offers the opportunity to work longer depen ding on personal needs, partly because the general health of the population has improved. The pension is exclu sively provided by the state and its amount allows everyone to live in dignity regardless of the type of profession performed during the working years.

How was it possible to improve the health of the population? The answer is obvious: exercise and strength training. Because this is how myokines are released, valuable messenger substances for the whole body that have a healing effect. In this respect, health insurance companies provide gyms free of charge for training, which keeps the costs for the healthcare system as low as possible. After all, serious training makes it possible to be "ALLDAY FIT" at every stage of life. The following quote tells everything: IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT, THAT CAN BE IMPOSED ON A THINKING PERSON, OF A HISTORICAL PROCESS, WHOSE INEVITABLE OUTCOME HE HAS LONG SINCE RECOGNISED WITH CLARITY . With this in mind, I wish the StarkVital60+ readership a wonderful summer 2024. Jean-Pierre Jean-Pierre Leonhard Schupp Born 1954, Biological age "54", Health expert, book author, 5th Dan Black Belt Karate/kick-boxing, Curriculum vitae and contact; info@strongandvital.com KNOWING AMONG THE IGNORANT TO HAVE TO WITNESS THE COURSE

STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

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Final Report MILAN LONGEVITY SUMMIT The Milan Longevity Summit 14-27 March 2024 orga nized by the Aeon Foundation and coordinated by Viviana Kasam from Brain Circle, reached a broad audience and succeeded in awakening public consciousness for longe vity in modern society. I TAL I A

The Summit exceeded all expectations: over 2 ’ 000 web pages and more than 700 press, radio, and television publications highlighting the event, and 4 ’ 000 hours of streaming views. The event brought together over 60 international leading scientists in the field, provided a comprehensive overview of the longevity sector and its economic and social impli cations with the aim of improving the population ’ s lifestyle and contributing to a healthy, active and efficient old age. Legislators, practitioners and the public had the opportu nity to discuss the current demographic shift and to learn Final report

about the realistic possibility of a longer life to be spent in good health. The Longevity Summit took place in different venues across the city. All conferences were open to the public and free. The legacy is a total of over 40 hours of recordings. Preparations for the second edition to take place in 2025 have already begun, demonstrating the orga nisers ’ long-term commitment. An innovative formula is planned with the participation of top scientists.

Final report

I TAL I A

All of the Summit’s conferences were open to the public through prior online reservation and live streamed and recorded. Simultaneous interpretation into English and Italian was provided for most of them. The legacy is a total of over 40 hours of recordings now available on YouTube. Views are steadily growing.

Goals Achieved Nine days of conferences, meetings, debates and special events shone a light on Milan as the center of the global discourse on healthy longevity. The Summit was attended by scientists, demographers, investors, startup entrepreneurs and mayors of some of the cities that are experimenting with new models of social organization, valorising Milan as a cutting-edge scientific center at an international level on the topics of healthy aging and life extension. The report highlights the remarkable communication impact the Summit had. It’s worth pointing out the long-term effect which the Summit is bound to have and which us already visible due to quality of its content and the active involvement of partners and stakeholders.

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STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

Viviana Kasam The Personality behind the Scenes 1st MILAN LONGEVITY SUMMIT 14-27 March 2024 Viviana Kasam worked for 30 years for the Italian leading newspaper Corriere della Sera , where she was the first journalist to cover internationally women’s condition, and Rai, Italy’s state broadcaster, and was among the founders of Canale5, wor king on the concept and participating in the start-up of Italy’s leading commercial channel. She organized institutional events for the Municipalities of Milan and Rome, for the President of the Italian Republic and the Prime minister’s office, as well as for theatres and festivals all over Italy. In 2008 she decided to give up profit activities and to devote herself full-time to non-profit initiatives, both in her field neuroscience and in music, specializing in works written in concentration camps, prisons and gulags, to promote through music a better mutual understanding and respect for religious, political and cul tural diversity. In 2010 she founded with Nobel prize laureate prof. Rita Levi Montalcini, and

presently chairs, the non-profit Associazione BrainCircleItalia www.braincircleitalia.it , created with the purpose of making the general public – and youth in particular – familiar with brain research, which is of fundamental importance for self-know ledge and for understanding and governing the future. In 2019, she founded BrainCircleLugano www.braincirclelugano.ch with a group of scientists and supporters in Ticino, based on the experience of BrainCircleItalia. BrainCircle has organized more than 100 events in Italy and abroad, in-presence and online, BrainForums, Brain&Cinema festivals, a series of lectures in theatres with the title “The Science and us”, and the exhibition “The Colour of Thought”, Brainbow photographs matched with modern art works, which was displayed in Milan and then travelled to Paris, Deauville, Lisbon. Since 2014 she has organized in Rome, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, the Institutional Concerts for the Holocaust Memorial Day, patronized by Prime Minister of Italy and the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), in order to bring awareness to the music composed in concentration camps. All the concerts were broadcast live by Rai, the national Italian Television, and received great praise from the media and the public. The 2020 concert was dedicated to the theme of exile www.memoriainscena.it . Between 2020 and 2023 she organized the itinerant Brainforum Emotions, www.emotionsbrainforum.org which took place in nine cities in Europe and brought together the leading women neuroscientists from the most prestigious Universi ties and research Centers in the world, with the purpose of giving visibility to women researchers and promoting emotional intelligence, which is necessary to face the challenges of the new Millennium, for both men and women. In 2023-2024 she created and organized the Milan Longevity Summit (14-27 March, 2024), the most important conference to ever have taken place in the world on the subject of on Longevity and Healthy Aging, involving 60 among the most bril liant scientists in the field worldwide and Institutions and Foundations from the US and Europe. Longevity was discussed from the point of you of cutting edge research, but also in its socio-economic, political and ethical implications. Viviana has won many awards, both for her activity in the press, radio and television, and was honoured with the title “Cava liere della Repubblica Italiana” for her work. She was awarded in 2023 a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Hebrew Univer sity of Jurusalem. She is President of the Lilah Foundation, Vice-President of the Fondazione Federica Spitzer in Lugano, to promote intercultural dialogue. From 2018 until 2023 She has been a member of the scientific committee of the Fondazione Prada and has been involved in the organization of HumanBrains, a series of international seminars with the most established scientific Institutions and neuroscientists around the world, and in the HumanBrains exhibition in Venice during the Biennale 2022. She has been sitting for ten years on the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. www.braincircleitalia.it , www.braincirclelugano.ch, www.emotionbrainforum.org , www.milanlongevitysummit.org About me «In my personal and work life I am motivated by ethical principles that I learned from my family: honesty, even if it is not convenient, commitment to others – not only economic, also in terms of time, love for culture and science, the drive for constant self-improvement. And the ambition to dream big, to aim for the moon, because there is always time to downsize one’s expectations, but if you aim downwards, you hit the ground. My main feature is curiosity, while the quality that I think is of utmost importance is discipline. However the most significant virtue is the ability to organization and teamwork, also in large-scale events. My personal and work commitment aims to improve the condition of women and minorities, spread brain and mind sciences, and emphasise their interaction with the body. My passions: my family, including pets, Jewish culture, and music.»

cont.. page 8

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Final report

I TAL I A

Final report Speaker Over 100 world renowned international scientists and experts engaged in cutting edge research in the field of longevity. Final report Website Our engagement metric tells us that in the month of March 2024 alone, the Summit website recorded over 40,000 page views. Final report Newsletter 6 dedicated newsletters were sent out to an constantly updated mailing list of about 3,400 subscribers between February and March with a total opening of 7,389 and 834 clicks. Promotional Videos Thanks to the collaboration of our media partners, we were able to produce 15 promotional videos and play them on all channels. Streaming 4,628 total views for 1,309 unique viewers, with 2,663 total hours viewed and an average session time of 42 minutes. More than 4,000 reservations were made on this ticketing platform to secure a seat at the Summit’s conferences. Newsletter 6 dedicated newsletters were sent out to an constantly updated mailing list of about 3,400 subscribers between February and March with a total opening of 7,389 and 834 clicks. Web Pages Hundreds of thousands of pages – and still counting – talk about the Summit on the web. Nearly 3,000 videos. Final report Eventbrite Partner and Sponsor The Summit was made possible by a fruitful cooperation between several institutions, research organizations, foundations and sponsors who contributed in various ways to the realization of its events. Under the patronage of the City of Milan and with the contribution of the Lombardy Region.

I TAL I A

Final report Final report

I TAL I A

go to website

I TAL I A Newsletter 6 dedicated newsletters were sent out to an constantly updated mailing list of about 3,400 subscribers between February and March with a total opening of 7,389 and 834 clicks. Final report Newsletter 6 dedicated newsletters were sent out to an constantly updated mailing list of about 3,400 subscribers between February and March with a total opening of 7,389 and 834 clicks. Social network - Organic BrainCircleItalia has accounts/pages on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Linkedin. Although starting from relatively small follower bases (from about 3,300 on the two Fb pages to 160 on X), organic activity during March resulted in more than 60 posts with original content and about the same amount of shared content. This resulted in hundreds of shares and comments of appreciation leading to a substantial growth of the hashtag #milanlongevitysummit ranking (about 2,600 search results) during the Summit days, thus generating further dissemination of the content. It should be said that aside fro, the results obtained through the communication activities promoted by BrainCircle Italia, a remarkable multiplier effect was generated by the parallel activity carried out by co-organizers, partners and personalities involved. I TAL I A Eventbrite More than 4,000 reservations were made on this ticketing platform to secure a seat at the Summit’s conferences.

Tutte le conferenze si sono svolte in live streaming in contemporanea su YouTube,

go to the video go to the latest newsletter

go

Facebook - Ads 4 advertisements were made (March 5 to 22) Coverage: 55,923 Clicks on links: 407 Interactions: 296 Final report Final report

go

I TAL I A Facebook - Ads 4 advertisements were made (March 5 to 22) Coverage: 55,923 Clicks on links: 407 Interactions: 296 Tutte le conferenze si sono svolte in live streaming in contemporanea su YouTube, go to Google

Web Pages Hundreds of thousands of pages – and still counting – talk about the Summit on the web. Nearly 3,000 videos. Eventbrite More than 4,000 reservations were made on this ticketing platform to secure a seat at the Summit’s conferences. I TAL I A Final report Newsletter 6 dedicated newsletters were sent out to an constantly updated mailing list of about 3,400 subscribers between February and March with a total opening of 7,389 and 834 clicks. Web Pages Hundreds of thousands of pages – and still counting – talk about the Summit on the web. Nearly 3,000 videos. Eventbrite More than 4,000 reservations were made on this ticketing platform to secure a seat at the Summit’s conferences. I TAL I A

Spotify - Ads An audio clip was used to promote the Summit on Spotify, active from March 16 to 22, totaling a listening history of 362. Press Office CloseToMedia was the Summit’s Press Office. The press review at the link shows a selection of the 800 most relevant articles and provides data on Advertising ValueEquivalent (AVE) and Opportunities To See (OTS). Since TV and Radio features and interviews have not been reported by the monitoring service, the value of the review is to be considered higher than reported. Social network - Organic BrainCircleItalia has accounts/pages on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Linkedin. Although starting from relatively small follower bases (from about 3,300 on the two Fb pages to 160 on X), organic activity during March resulted in more than 60 posts with original Final report go to the latest newsletter Spotify - Ads An audio clip was used to promote the Summit on Spotify, active from March 16 to 22, totaling a listening history of 362. content and about the same amount of shared content. This resulted in hundreds of shares and comments of appreciation leading to a substantial growth of the hashtag #milanlongevitysummit ranking (about 2,600 search results) during the Summit days, thus generating further dissemination of the content.

Eventbrite

go

More than 4,000 reservations were made on this ticketing platform to secure a seat at the Summit’s conferences.

Web Pages Hundreds of thousands of pages – and still counting – talk about the Summit on the web. Nearly 3,000 videos.

Web Pages Hundreds of thousands of pages – and still counting – talk about the Summit on the web. Nearly 3,000 videos.

go to Google It should be said that aside fro, the results obtained through the communication activities promoted by BrainCircle Italia, a remarkable multiplier effect was generated by the parallel activity carried out by co-organizers, partners and personalities involved.

See you in 2025 2nd MILAN LONGEVITY SUMMIT

go to press review

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STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

STAY YOUNG AND FIT WITH PRECOR STRENGTH EQUIPMENT

Learn More

Life time

The Health of People 60+

expensive medication. In reality, however, it is just a business as usual. In addition, expe riments are carried out on people that violate the bans issued by the World Health Organi sation (WHO), such as implants for total cell control, digital cell production, cell manipu lation - just think of TESLA. In essence, it is really about money and power. What is the driving force behind this type of consumption? Precisely those seniors who are in poor health or very sick, media-driven and already in need of care. This category of people are the target group (victims) of the longevity business of the coming years, whereby those who actively practise muscle training luckily do not fall into this group. The efforts to include as many people as pos sible in strength training, in addition to the 15 per cent who are already active, unfortu nately remain a cry in the desert. Your own health must be nurtured every day throughout your life. The origin of physical health lies in every newly born, young body cell. However, 60+ people are apparently not prepared to give up bad habits, crav ings, consumerism and affluent behaviour in favour of personal health. In any case, the honesty and uncompro mising nature of the Strong & Vital magazine is to be praised.

It is really the case that people aged 60+ should be trained as soon as possible with the help of gyms and physiotherapists so that they can enjoy their old age indepen dently at home without the need for care. However, probably 80 per cent of the over 60s who have never done strength training consume medication. This includes non prescription drugs, which account for 70 per cent of pharmaceutical sales. So any one who starts muscle training at the age of 60+ and takes medication is already ill, has developed a drug dependency or is even on the way to needing care. In these cases, it is unfortunately difficult or practically impos sible to integrate muscle training into every day life. From this point of view, the earlier you start getting adults and young people aged 16 and over to train their muscles, the better. It is absolutely essential. I would say it is even more urgent today than when the strength training trend began in the 1980s. The fact that LONGEVITY is represented at FIBO, the event for fitness and wellness that takes place every year in Cologne (Ger many), should come as no surprise. After all, the ideal of a long life or even the dream of immortality has existed since time immemo rial. Healthcare expenditure in our countries re lates to current widespread diseases and does not actually serve the health of the population. These costs are based on the promise that every illness can be cured immediately or even prevented by taking

Erich Iten (1956)

Editor’s note

These words by Erich Iten are very wise and only understandable for people who know about «myokines», i.e. intensive muscle training.

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STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

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Ballet and Dance The Dictatorship of Perfection Age Discrimination on Stage Plié, battement, relevé, arabesque, attitude, pirouette... Hours of barre exer cises, then free exercises, diagonals, strengthening exercises on the floor and finally stretching. Every day, the same programme is repeated according to a strict logic that requires permanent complete muscle tension, full concentra tion and absolute precision. The classical dancers we admire in theatres have always trained since childhood, dedicating unconditionally a large part of their time to this very demanding physical art form. When talent is expressed and passion awakens, the time is ripe to intensify training, which always requires sacrifice and consistency - ballet knows no compromise. New friendships are made and at the same time competition arises between dancers, which can lead to open warfare. Hand in hand with the increase in physical commitment, pain and discomfort can occur due to overexertion, which are often treated without interrupting training and thus drag on over time. The Dreaded Time of Transition For these reasons in particular, a career in ballet, like any professional sport with its physical demands, is often limited in time. In fact, most ballet careers end in the mid-30s. The age limit for a prima ballerina at the Paris Opera is 42.5 years! That, at least, is an internal rule that so precisely defines the end of the activity. Why 42.5? In order to promote the alleged equality between men and women, the retirement age was set as the average of the two, because previously it was 45 for men and 40 for women. Officially, however, there are no predetermined age limits in other ballet com panies, even in other countries. At least on paper. In Italy, for example, the retirement age for professional dancers is 47 (for both genders), which does not necessarily mean that this age marks the end of their career, but rather that dancers are entitled to an old-age pension from this point onwards, as their work is considered physically strenuous. According to some statistics, at international level the average end of a career for ballet dancers is 29 years while the point of no return for modern dancers is set a little later, at around 40 years. For ballet dancers, it is clear from their debut that they will (have to) retire from the stage early - in their mid-thirties or around the age of 40 at the latest, regardless of their artistic level - and then embark on a second career. This is exactly what is expected of them, as it is generally assumed that this is the time when the body gets tired and a new, fresh generation has to replace the 30-year-olds in good time. Even the media usually spreads the common negative narrative that ballet dancers have a short professional life expectancy. For many of those affected, this attitude has to do with social narrow-mindedness. The outside world has the impression that dancers can only present them selves as professionals up to a certain age, like in football or basketball. After that, there are still many alternatives, for example switching to a new role such as ballet teacher or choreographer, or taking up a new degree programme. In the same way, many actually use their existing knowledge of working with the body and end up in the health professions, where they become therapists. «If you do this job, you push your body to the limit.» Roberto Bolle (49, Italy)

Is Chronological Age Still a Sentence One Cannot Escape? The usual ideas about ballet leave older and experienced dancers in the lurch. But they would still certainly be able to exhibit on stage, as many exam ples today show. Many performers are fighting to stay in the scene, they feel that they still have a lot to offer, both on a purely technical level as well as in terms of artistic expression. Maturity offers numerous aspects, not only in psychological terms, which should not be underestimated, such as extreme body control, precision and expressive ness. Over the years, many have deve loped a better understanding of their physical instrument and know exactly how to use their strength and where their limits lie. It is precision work. Phy siotherapists, masseurs, chiropractors and even orthopaedists are always on hand to meet the special needs of older dancers.

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STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

Building the Future There are some incredible dancers who are still performing at 60 and beyond. Proof that culturally determined timelines and stereotypes are arbitrary. In particular, dancers in their 40s who have passed the expected ‘transition point’ in their last decade can serve as a bridge between what is predic ted and what is really possible. «Right now, in my forties, I am at the height of my powers.» Sonia Rodriguez (Canada) When the ballet career really comes to an end, the most difficult matter is to rethink your own identity, because bal let was your everything and suddenly it disappears from your life, as many professional athletes can also testify. Depression lurks when there is a void from one day to the next. There is a lot of mourning. In comparison, contem porary dance is freer and less demanding and can be a realistic alternative for a certain period of time. «It’s difficult to find the fine line between challenging my body and avoiding excessive demands.» Wendy Perron (USA) What Does it Mean to Be a Senior in a Youth-Orientated World? «I am now an older dancer. The maths is stark. 30 years into my profession, I am less than two decades from 70. Surprisingly, it›s easier - not harder - to dance in this older body. I am fortunate it works well. Yes, there is pain, but there always was pain. I have to be judicious with my energy, can no longer throw myself around carelessly as I did in my 20s. I pay closer attention to the specifics of what I am doing. I know better how my body works, am kinder to its idiosyncrasies. Inhibitions evaporate. Dancing is more about «how» and less about «wow».› There is plea sure. I am just hitting my stride. The body ’ s best-before date has been extended - and dance extends with it.» Sara Porter, dancer and choreographer (Canada). Danse Transition, Reshaping the Future Is a Career Change Unavoidable? Whether reorientation is really required, one can cite the example of the non-profit organisation Danse Transition based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its members can help, al though they do not seem to focus on a change of attitude in this environment, but rather stick to the idea of leaving the stage early, around mid-30s, and only in exceptional cases over the age of 45.

Among other things, the association offers individual coaching and organises meetings for dancers who are in transition to a new career. In fact it is important to know that there is life after that experience. Danse Transition helps to successfully overcome the hurdle of professional reorientation. Famous Trailblazers London’s Royal Academy of Dance remembers that the Bri tish ballerina Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991) retired from the scene on her 60th birthday in 1979, almost 45 years after her debut. She was regarded as the greatest ballerina of all time, whose impeccable technique and compelling stage presence were as legendary as her longevity and work ethic. Age never fazed her, on the contrary, the Brit helped to break the age barrier - at least in her case. The Russian-Latvian Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948) was a real superstar. But when ballet began to take its toll on his body, he switched to modern dance to save his career. At the age of 65, he was still dancing, although he adapted his repertoire - from an excellent jumper he became a dramatic performer. The Italian Carla Fracci (1936-2021) is also considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. She danced for the last time at La Scala in Milan at the age of 64. «Ballet is a mysterious profession, representing an unpredictable world.» Carla Fracci (Italy) Rebellion against a discriminatory system When the National Ballet of Canada tried to justify its firing of principal Kimberly Glasco for non-artistic reasons in the late 1990s, it claimed she was too old at 38 and past her best-before date. The ballerina eventually sued for wrongful dismissal, which was reportedly settled out of court for 1.6 million dollars. The courts gave her the right to return to the National Ballet after establishing that age had not withered her but, on the contrary, had made her stronger. A resounding precedent. «From what I am noticing internationally, we are in the midst of a new wave of appreciation for older dancers. At the moment several superstars of dance are crashing the age barrier.» Wendy Perron (USA) The struggle of older dancers 40+ to stay in their profession longer reflects a legitimate desire to maintain or reclaim their dignity in a society that is ageing along with them.

STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

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Pelvic Floor

How to Properly Integrate the Pelvic Floor into Strength Training

We all know that strength training is necessary for building and maintaining our muscles. So it makes sense to consciously and correctly integrate the pelvic floor muscles into strength training. On the one hand, to maintain a healthy pelvic floor and on the other hand, thanks to its integration, the entire strength training programme becomes more efficient. Among human beings who walk upright, the pelvic floor is under greater pressure from gravity than among our four-legged friends simply because of its position. Their pelvic floor instead, points back wards and is therefore relieved. This is one of many reasons why the pelvic floor should be actively involved in every training session for us «bipeds». The pelvic floor vibrates in parallel with the di aphragm during breathing. For inhalation, the di aphragm and the pelvic floor lower and for exha lation, the diaphragm rises back up into the chest cavity and the pelvic floor is lifted into the pelvic cavity. This marvellous up and down movement of these two muscle planes also moves the organs in between. This revitalises and promotes their opti mal function. During strength training, the exerciser breathes in a concentric manner (the actively working mus

cles contract). This causes the pelvic floor to rise as you exhale. If we consciously activate it at the same time (closing the body orifices) and consciously strengthen the contraction, the pelvic floor is trained at the same time. In addition, as soon as the pelvic floor tenses, the deep stabilising core muscles also become more toned. This means that before I move the weight, I am already contracting the pelvic floor, so the core muscles are in a pre-tensed state. Together with a strong exhalation, this makes it easier to move or lift the weight. The leg axis should also be taken into account. X-legs reduce the tone of the pelvic floor. Correct leg axis or even slightly externally rotated legs help the pelvic floor to maintain a strong tone. Special attention should be paid to the leg axes during peak loads (jumping, cough ing, lifting heavy weights, jogging). Correct posture is also important during strength exer cises. The spine should be stretched lengthways. As soon as the rib cage sinks, the pelvic floor is strained and cannot work properly, breathing is impeded and stabilisation of the spine is negatively affected. In summary, the following can be said about pelvic floor integration in strength training: 1. During strength training on machines, as the weight bar moves upwards the pelvic floor is the first to be activated and exhale consciously. The same applies to free exercises on the concentric path. 2. During static strength exercises (e.g. planks), the pelvic floor remains tensed throughout the exercise. «Retighten» the pelvic floor tension as you exhale. 3. During short and intensive jumping, bouncing and swinging exercises (sprinting, skipping ropes, tram poline) the pelvic floor remains tense. This is not possible with longer strains with impact (e.g. jog ging). This requires fit core muscles, good posture and a healthy pelvic floor!

Yvonne Keller

Born 1965

Curriculum vitae and contact see:

www.strongandvital.com

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STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

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Live Longer Thanks to Prevention?

What is the return on investment for cancer screening? Intuitively, we all assume that an early diagnosed cancer should have a significantly better treatment success. Should. No matter in which organ the cancer begins to grow, there are slowly and rapidly growing crabs, to a certain extent turtles and hares. The turtles grow so slowly that they will probably never cause prob lems to their wearer, he dies healthy at an advanced age or from another disease. He only gets problems if this cancer is found during a preventive screening, because no preventive test can reliably predict how quickly this cancer will grow. The result: a «therapy», i.e. scalpel, radiation or chemotherapy or a combina tion thereof. Whatever, in any case, a disaster for the quality of life of a healthy person, who has become a cancer patient by chance. Then there are very fast-growing cancers, which are diagnosed because they develop symptoms. In most cases, they have already formed offshoots - metasta ses - at this stage. The «therapy» becomes a despe rate act with little chance of success. But which onco logist (cancer specialist) will tell his patient: «We can make a therapy attempt, but without any guarantee of success. Maybe we can extend life a little, but maybe we can shorten it.» The highest ambition seems to be to give the patient hope, although most of the time he has no illusions. Between the turtles and hares there is a third group of tumours (cancers), the growth rate of which is some where between the two. This means that they can be found by a cancer screening, and it is not predictable whether the patient can be cured by therapy or whe ther the early diagnosis prolongs life with cancer, but not life itself. Typical examples: the most common cancer in women, breast cancer, and the most common cancer in men, prostate cancer. There are excellent studies on the purpose of screening for these types of cancer.

After death due to cardiovascular diseases, those resulting from cancer are in second place. The diffe rence is small. The number of lost years of life (due to death before the statistical life expectancy) is high, but is unlikely to differ significantly. Why, by the way? After all, we allow ourselves super expensive healthcare systems that have built up a complex prevention apparatus for cardiovascu lar diseases and cancer prevention. Regular check ups and treatment of risk factors (of course medici nal, what else?) such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or high blood sugar levels devour huge sums of money. Moreover, there are all the additional screenings such as stress and long-term electrocar diograms, echocardiograms, cardiac catheterization tests and so on... It is hard to believe that the number of car diovascular diseases does not make a noti ceable drop in this close-knit prevention offer. In other words, why life expectancy does not rise. However, we are looking in vain for the downward kink, but we find a kink: that of the health costs upwards. Health insurance companies have the task of exami ning the cost-effectiveness of medical interventions. They also do this by repeatedly put individual doctors in a bad light to the public, perhaps here and there even rightly. However, these alibi exercises have no effect on the total costs: A cost-benefit analysis for the entire prevention apparatus would be necessary.

Dr med. Jürg Kuoni

Born 1945

Curriculum vitae and contact see : strongandvital.com

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Breast cancer: When introducing a program for early detection of breast cancer, the current narrative pro mises: «It may be expected that the early detection program can reduce breast cancer mortality (...) by 15 to 20 percent». A villain who would not support this program! Up to 20 out of a hundred women can be spared death from cancer! What is the reality? According to a Cochrane Review (the gold standard of medical studies), out of a thousand women who participate in a screening pro gram, four die of breast cancer, five out of the non participating thousand. In absolute terms, therefore, as a result of the early detection program mortality is reduced by one woman in a thousand compared to the lack of screening, that is exactly one per thousand. Of course, you can put it another way: 4 are 20 per cent less than 5, and suddenly we have a relative 20 percent reduction in breast cancer deaths! This is the fraud that can be traced through the entire medical literature: instead of the absolute risk reduction (in our example 1 per mille), the relative risk reduction (in our example 20 percent) is used, and the result is not worth the candle. A huge success. But what the program then forgets to promise: How many of the thousands of women who participate in a screening program are startled by a false-positive result? And will further tests be necessary until the suspicion of breast cancer can be eliminated? No less than a hundred! So 10 percent of women are initially alarmed by a precautionary program until the suspi cion turns out to be invalid through further tests. Up to five out of a thousand women are even treated as «cancer patients» due to a misdiagnosis. With steel, blasting or chemo or a combination thereof.

rapy has become better, possibly less misdiagnosis is made thanks to artificial intelligence.

However, I am still waiting for proof that the benefits of breast cancer screening are greater than the damage. Prostate cancer screening is not different, according to the large ERSPC study, which was first published in 2009 in the New England Journal of Medicine and its continuation in 2014 in The Lancet . The prevention machine continues at full speed.

It could not keep its promise to spare unneces sary suffering and give us more healthy years of life. Quite the opposite.

During the thirteen years of regular screening, the mortality rate of prostate cancer was reduced by 1.28 per mille. Many of these thousands of regularly tested men had to undergo additional invasive test until the cancer diagnosis could be confirmed or (much more frequently) rejected. In addition, more men died in the screening group than in the comparison group without screening. A catastrophe that is sold as a success story. Primum non nocere or «The supreme principle of medical action is not to cause harm» is the best Hippocratic tradition and was formerly part of the Hip pocratic oath that physicians had to lay down. Every doctor certainly knows this sentence, he usually only forgets that it is also valid for his actions. The prevention machine continues at full speed. It could not keep its promise to spare unnecessary suffering and give us more healthy years of life.

The figures are alarming, dating back to 2013, and have not changed much to date. Certainly, the the

STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

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Bigorexia When Muscle Mass is Never Enough

In the age of social media, the perfect body is omni present. Comparisons between oneself and those depicted, even in retouched photos, are spontane ous. The feeling that one’s own body is inadequate and does not have the right proportions can be opp ressive and create a certain amount of pressure to conform to the ideal image. If you are convinced that your body is too thin and not muscular enough compared to the ideal parameters, you simply go online to find tips on how to achieve a certain physique, what diet to follow and how to exercise. Bigorexia (muscle dysmorphia) is the obsessive mental disorder involving the desire to achieve an increasingly muscular body. The fixation can become a haunting thought that dominates the daily structure and leads to behaviours that are difficult to control. The pursuit of the coveted physique breaks habits, forcing itself into the centre of daily tasks. Skipping a workout means dealing with your conscience, because feelings of guilt are overwhelming. Affected individuals are trapped in a downward spiral from which they are unable to escape. This disorder is becoming increasingly common and mainly affects men. This uncontrollable behaviour is also known as the Adonis complex after the god from Greek mythology who was regarded as the ideal of male beauty. Excessive Training The main problem with bigorexia is the compulsive urge to exercise excessively, pushing the body far beyond its natural limits and displaying great will power in the process. In men, this obsession leads to extreme and exhausting strength training with increasing weights in order to pursue an unrealistic increment in muscle mass. The desire to look bigger and stronger causes men to disregard safe weightlif ting rules in order to achieve the coveted look. Those affected acquire a deep knowledge of nutrition and follow strict diets, often involving calorie counting,

exclusive consumption of low-fat foods and high pro tein intake. These individuals constantly check their own appearance in the mirror to realise that their body is not massive and strong enough. The Dangers In order to increase muscle mass as quickly as pos sible, people with bigorexia may also take over-the counter or illegal drugs, such as anabolic steroids, which cause side effects (reduction in testicular size and infertility), drugs that reduce body fat (appetite suppressants or fat burners), dietary supplements (proteins) in excessive doses or performance-enhan cing drugs (e.g. creatine). This form of body dysmorphic disorder, also called reverse anorexia, does indeed present certain simi larities with anorexia, whereby a person fixates on a supposed flaw in his own appearance - which, inci dentally, others do not even notice, as this gap only exists in the imagination of those affected, who are overly concerned with their look. Researchers believe that muscle dysmorphia’s incidence is rising, partly due to the recent cultural emphasis on muscular male bodies. In some extreme cases it can even lead to suicide.

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Risk Factors From a psychological point of view, the risk factors for bigorexia include low self-esteem, insecurity, the pursuit of recognition, perfectionism, competition between men, the belief that a very muscular body is more appealing to women, the practice of bodybuilding, social media activity where one posts photos or videos of his body to get likes and positive comments. The Portrayal of Men Already in antiquity, the representation of masculinity in images and sculptures exalted athletic appearance, with exaggerated proportions compared to the usual parameters of the male population, just think of the Greek Discobolus of Myron or Michelangelo’s David. These symbols of an extraordinarily athletic physique can impress the male imagination and sensibility. Men in the Media and Films Statistics show that in recent decades the presence of naked male bodies in magazines, advertising campaigns and films has increased significantly, while the proportion of naked female bodies has remained stable. Male models and actors today show well-trained bodies of war riors, which in fact are often a prerequisite for a successful career in the fashion world or in the film business. Changing Gender Roles Finally, the emancipation of women has prevailed, women have more weight in Western society, roles have been redistributed, gender dif ferences are fading, there are somehow no longer purely male or female roles. The traditional male figure has also been downgraded, which destabilises many young men. Hence the search for a lost, supposed masculinity, at least in appearance, to differentiate themselves from women. While little girls orientate themselves towards the sexily shaped Barbie doll when playing, boys have Superman or Spiderman as a ref erence, who have a muscular physique. Is There a Way Out? The first step is to consciously recognise that something is wrong, that there is a disorder, possibly through observations by relatives or friends. If you cannot break free from this vicious circle, you should consult a psychotherapist.

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STRONG and VITAL No. 3 - 2024

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Fit and Healthy

An Important Step in the Fitness and Health Sector

Maybe you have heard of the book series or seen the film: Conversations with God. There life, human existence, the universe are considered very inte resting, inspiring and transformative. And I thought straight away: Many aspects can also be applied to the fitness and health sector. It has long been known that we also have a relation with the con nective tissue of our body to the space of creation, that is, to God. We know today that the connective

I always say pictorially, is a letter from God to man. For more than 30 years I have been researching the connection between nature, movement and state of mind; initially without the knowledge of the myokines, because this research came much later. Many leisure facilities already involve nature today by setting up plants or wallpapering with forests. But it is a bit more complicated, because in order to achieve an effect, different movements must

tissue is in constant exchange with the creation space. It uses its own language, which you can understand under certain circumstances. And not only understand, but also use - for yourself as an active athlete or owner of a fitness facility, for example. The latest research has been able to make the exchange that takes place between the body and the surrounding world visi ble via the messenger substan ces that the muscle connective tissue secretes. But the whole context goes further and is not easy to explain. Here is the Messengers in the Connective Tissue

be combined with very different images of nature in order to bring the inherent aspects of life into vibration. Talking About Muscle and Nature Here are a few examples: back stretchers send information on the aspects of rest and peace. However, you cannot perceive these via a forest landscape, here you need a water picture, so that the messenger substances are transformed into a language that reaches you. For the leg extension you need a fire picture to get

attempt made to outline it comprehensibly in the most important parts. For example, if you activate the large chest muscle on the butterfly machine, a very specific area of information is stimulated at the same time, including, for example, the aspects of courage and drive. But how can you perceive and understand this? A Letter to God: Nature To understand and feel this information, which is part of the connection to the creation space, you need nature to move the pectoral muscle. Nature,

Jürgen Woldt Born 1948 Curriculum vitae and contact see www.strongandvital.com

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