I want to live longer and better
Jack Grayson wants to live to be 113. Actually, the former head of the U.S. Price Commission under the late President Richard Nixon thinks he might be able to reach 150.
“I want to live longer so I can live forever,” says Dr. Grayson, who now runs the highly successful APQC, a private sector, non-profit organization to help American business, health and education sectors improve productivity and remain globally competitive.
How does the former FBI agent and farmer who taught at both Stanford and Harvard plan to live for a century and a half?
Dr. Grayson puts his faith in following a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and practicing preventative medicine based on data obtained by a genome scan so easy to use it comes in a kit sent by mail, and can be performed in the home.
The genome scan is conduced by deCODE Genetics. deCODE has been at the forefront of genetic research, having over the past decade analyzed the genomes of hundreds of thousands of people, more than any other research organization. And now through deCODEme, individuals can order a home scan that involves nothing more than swabbing the insides of your cheek with a stick, putting the sample in an envelope, and dropping it in the mail.
“By the time I get to 113 science will advance, and deCODE will give me more reports to help me so I can go on the next phase of my life, so I can get to 150,” says Dr. Grayson.Changing Habits
Can deCODE help us reach 150 years of age? Has this ground-breaking genetics company found the fountain of youth?
In a word: No.
The simple saliva test certainly enables scientists to scan for genetic markers linked to such killers as heart disease and Alzheimer’s, as well as minor irritants like lactose intolerance and bitter taste perception. However, no one at deCODE would ever make those claims. But by using deCODEme, the company’s genome scan, people like Dr. Grayson can take a peek at the genetic variations which have been associated with an average, higher or lower risk of common diseases. And after crunching the data, people like Dr. Grayson can then adjust their lifestyles to safeguard against the diseases they might be predisposed to.
“They sent me the kit. I got the swab and deCODE gave me my report. I was impressed. I didn’t expect such detail. I didn’t realize I had a high propensity towards obesity,” says the skinny, 84-year old Texan with a hint of irony. “I’m not obese, but I have for a long time been conscious about my nutrition,” he says, explaining why he needn’t worry about a rotund figure anytime soon.
Dr. Grayson notes, however, that after the genetic scan revealed he had a higher than normal propensity for type-2 diabetes, he now needs to watch his nutrition more carefully, and continue with his exercise regiment.
The genetic scan, Dr. Grayson says, is not only good for what it can portend towards future ailments, but also for how the scan can ease concerns.
“I learned some good things. I didn’t realize I had a low propensity for Alzheimer’s. That’s nice to know.”
Dr. Grayson is so impressed by deCODEme, that he ordered the kits for his family, and straight away the scan paid great dividends for one of Dr. Grayson’s sons.
The scan revealed that his son had a propensity towards Celiac, an autoimmune disease where the body is allergic to gluten. For years, Dr. Grayson’s son has suffered from a skin condition that has prompted him to see dermatologist after dermatologist and try ointment after ointment. After taking the scan, Dr. Grayson’s son took action.
“He looked and read the materials that accompanied his report, and dropped wheat from his diet and his skin cleared up.”
Prevention leads to freedom
“Few, if any, individual Americans have done more during the last 20 years to shape the country’s economic future for the better,” wrote the magazine Business Week, back in 1990.
And Dr. Grayson’s still at it. Through APQC, Dr. Grayson, who headed up the first-ever White House Conference on Productivity, consults with business, health care, and government to help these sectors re-structure and improve. Today, APQC has 80 employees, and works with leading commercial, government and non-profit organizations around the world.
One area where Dr. Grayson has always been in the forefront is health care. In the 1970s, back before health clubs were all the rage, he started a health facility within APQC. He says there were many naysayers who told him: “nobody wants to go to a gym, jump around and get all sweaty.”
“We started out and there weren’t enough people. But today there is a waiting list to join. And it’s an expensive health club. Today members bring their children, and they are flocking to this place. It’s now a movement.”
Dr. Grayson understood before most that staying healthy was the best means of preventive medicine, and one way to achieve health was by joining the health club.
Another way to stay healthy is the deCODEme service. And Dr. Grayson, with his Texas charm, can sum up very quickly the argument as to why one should swab their saliva onto a stick.
“Do you want to live longer and better?” he asks rhetorically.
Pretty simple stuff, Dr. Grayson believes. You find out where you might be vulnerable, and you take measures to fight against those vulnerabilities in order to prevent them from occurring. As the old adage goes: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
“At the center we tell people not to wait to fix something. American industry had to learn to do that. They were fixing the defects in their semiconductors and their cars instead of working on prevention, starting at the front end. We need to fix problems before they occur rather than waiting until the end.”“deCODE gives you this power to do something to better your life,” he says.
Of course, there are critics who suggest scans indicating the probability of catching certain inherited disease are not a good idea. If insurance companies got their hands on the results, some argue, these insurance companies might bounce clients out of coverage. They might decide to charge clients higher premiums.
The maverick businessman understands these fears but discounts them. Dr. Grayson stresses that an individual’s data is secured by deCODE. If results started leaking out to insurance companies, nobody would use the service. So security is self-regulating. And Dr. Grayson feels that one day clients will be sharing their information with insurance companies to save everyone money.
“Over time insurance companies will feel different about getting information because they can stress the preventative side of health. They can change their policies to allow more preventative techniques in order to save money and reduce the risk factors that they are insuring,” Dr. Grayson says.
In other words, spend a little money up front on scans that give us the information and data we need to make better life-style choices, which can only keep us healthier in the long run. But this type of prevention takes a change in attitude. And change is difficult.
“The only person that likes change is a wet baby,” he jokes.
That’s why at APQC, Dr. Grayson says, “the ultimate goal of both productivity and quality is freedom. Freedom from bigotry, poverty, arrogance, fear, abuse, and authoritarianism. Freedom to create, to think, to act, and freedom for each individual and organization to realize its potential.”
How does one achieve this freedom and realize their potential?
“Improvement is the heartbeat of this center. I want to live longer so I can do more of what I love doing. This is the way I live my life. I want to learn about myself and the environment and world around me.”
Dr. Grayson wanted to learn more about his health so he opted for the deCODEme service. And then he took that added steps to change his behaviors and improve his health. By making changes he feels he now has the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life, which in turn gives him the freedom to follow his bliss.
“I can go on to the next phase of my life so I can get to 150 years old. And if I can live until then I can be ready for phase three and four. And maybe, maybe, Mankind can live longer.”
Again, deCODE will not argue that by using a service that reveals genetic risk factors towards certain diseases a person will be able to live into their hundreds. But the 84-year old Dr. Grayson is rosy about his future.
“I don’t predict any time that my death is forthcoming.”