We often think that arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, and degenerative joint issues are an inevitable result of aging—but this is far from the truth. Good metabolic health can have significant positive effects on bones, muscles, and joints, and can improve longevity. Conversely, poor metabolic health accelerates the degeneration of joints and tissues for many reasons, like the impact of high uric acid levels, lipid or cholesterol deposits, chronic inflammation, and poor blood flow to tissues. Surgeon Dr. Howard Luks and Levels Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Casey Means discuss musculoskeletal health, how it is related to longevity, how it’s linked to metabolic health, and how to decrease your risks for musculoskeletal pain, degenerative joint issues, and surgery.
Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.
Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations about metabolic health and how the Levels startup team builds a wellness movement from the ground up in the health and wellness tech industry.

? What Dr. Howard Luks & Dr. Casey Means discuss: 
(05:14) - Dr. Casey Means’ personal experience with an orthopedic injury
(12:09) - The link between joint and metabolic health
(18:19) - Maintaining activity may help improve musculoskeletal health despite osteoarthritic pain
(27:53) - Cartilage cells, tendinopathy, and how metabolic health is linked to our tendon health, like with tennis elbow or shoulder pain
(37:04) - The importance of blood flow and cellular repair
(46:58) - The importance of being your best medical advocate in modern medicine
(50:09) - How Dr. Luks started learning about metabolic health and wrote his book, Longevity Simplified
(1:02:49) - The simple pillars of longevity
(1:24:56) - Why you don't need to be concerned about osteoarthritis
(1:32:00) - Trust your body by boosting its regenerative capabilities

⁠Transcripts & Show notes⁠

? Helpful links:
Order "Longevity…Simplified" by Dr. Howard Luks: ⁠https://www.howardluksmd.com/book/
Watch the conversation: ⁠https://youtu.be/XbjORE6D8UA⁠
Become a Levels member: https://levels.link/wnl
Learn about metabolic health: ⁠https://levelshealth.com/blog⁠
Find us on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1
? CONNECT:
Connect with us on Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/levels⁠ 
Connect with us on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/levels⁠ 
Connect with us on LinkedIn: ⁠https://linkedin.com/company/levels-health⁠ 
Connect with us on TikTok: ⁠https://tiktok.com/@levelshealth⁠ 
Connect with Dr. Howard Luks on Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/hjluks1⁠ 
Connect with Dr. Howard Luks on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/hjluks⁠ 
Connect with Dr. Howard Luks on LinkedIn: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/howardluksmd⁠ 
Connect with Dr. Casey Means on Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/DrCaseysKitchen⁠ 
Connect with Dr. Casey Means on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/DrCaseysKitchen⁠ 
Connect with Dr. Casey Means on LinkedIn: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/casey-means-md⁠