Aurora Life: On the frontier of longevity and wellness

Entering the Aurora Life Wellness & Longevity clinic is like stepping into a serene sanctuary, with its inviting atmosphere, calm aesthetic and attentive staff. However, it is much more than a standalone boutique or resort spa; Aurora Life is medical longevity clinic that is on the frontier of changes in the medical field.

Launched on 26 Feb. and with a focus on “the science of living younger” and “medicine before disease,” Aurora Life offers a myriad of solutions that are aimed at longevity – not just prolonging lives but also enabling quality of life. The clinic is also partnered with Total Health Ltd., a preventative medical group with multi-specialist physicians, imaging, lab, pharmacy and dental care under one roof.

Founder Karan Dave said that Aurora Life’s approach is innovative because of an evolution that is already taking place within medicine.

“We are going through a phase of a paradigm shift between medicine 2.0 and 3.0,” he said. “And that’s where we are trying to be – on the frontier in that race.”

When describing the approach at the clinic, he added, “We tend to look at it more from a cellular pathway and not necessarily look at the biochemistry. The focus is more on diagnostics – literally going back to the high school level of biology, where you look at electrons and mitochondria … because that is what longevity is all about.”

Four pillars of health care

Aurora Life focuses on four pillars of health care in particular: age management, disease prevention, metabolic efficiency, and cognitive vitality. Different treatment options are available for each including combinations of detailed genetic and epigenetic diagnostics with therapies such as MeRT neuromodulation, therapeutic plasma exchange, ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen.

Regarding cognitive vitality, Dave said, “Unlike other non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease or cancer, where the symptoms start to surface very early on, dementia starts to surface beyond 60. So, you don’t even know you have it unless you test for it or you have a genetic predisposition. The key is that the earlier you pick it up, the better your chances are to mitigate it or avert it as much as possible.”

He explained that the treatment “basically does an ECG of your brain – to track which part is underactive, which is hyperactive, and almost gives you a heat map. When that assessment is done, this machine applies that intervention – it releases the electrical stimulation based off the threshold of your scalp. It’s about a 30-35-minute session. You need to follow that for four to eight weeks.”

He also said it can on a therapeutic basis have a profound impact on sleep and on overall cognitive vitality.

A desire to help others

Dave shared that his own health issue inspired him to open the clinic. While on a vacation in Mexico with his family, Dave felt an “unusual heaviness” in his chest when working out, which persisted over the holiday. Once back in Cayman, he underwent tests and discovered that his left anterior descending artery – the one cardiologists call the “widowmaker” – was 95% blocked. Dave was only 37 years old and in great shape. Under Health City’s care, he underwent a coronary angioplasty performed through the wrist. He also later learned the underlying cause was familial hypercholesterolemia, which is an inherited condition in which the liver produces far more cholesterol than normal.

Dave said, “In spite of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle, I didn’t have access to advanced longevity diagnostics. With genetic and advanced lipid testing, my risk could have been flagged years earlier, and I believe the event could have been averted. I listened to my symptoms and got treated. For many people, the first sign of a blockage like mine is a heart attack.”

Dave created Aurora Life to give others access to longevity diagnostics.

He was also influenced by his mentors and partners including Gene Thompson, a driving force behind Health City Cayman Islands, and the legislation that made medical tourism possible in the Cayman Islands. Thompson passed away on 21 Feb. 2023 at age 59 of multiple myeloma, an aggressive type of blood cancer.

Dave said, “With earlier detection and today’s options, there could have been a possibility of extending Gene’s life. Those simply weren’t accessible to him then.”

Dave himself is a healthcare professional with over 15 years of experience.  He worked very closely with Dr. Devi Shetty in his Narayana Health hospitals and was a director at Health City Cayman Islands. Before creating Auora Health, Dave founded Total Health in 2020.

The clinical leaders on staff include Dr. Rajnish Kumar, who is the medical director at Total Health and leads qEEG brain mapping and MeRT. Dr. Timmy Foster is a naturopathic doctor specialising in peptides and hormone optimisation.

Dave said Aurora Health is supported by Total Health. “Do we have all the answers? No, and anyone who says they do isn’t practicing serious medicine. What we have is data, rapidly advancing science and the responsibility to apply it carefully.”

An opportunity for Cayman

Just as Cayman is well positioned for medical tourism, it has the opportunity to tap into longevity and wellness market due to the country’s proximity, the stability of the country, privacy and discretion, world-class hospitality and because the medical tourism foundations are already in place, Dave said.

He pointed out that there is a global health-span problem. Noncommunicable diseases cause 74% of deaths worldwide and heart disease remains the leading cause; dementia-associated deaths have tripled since 2000; and in the Americas, noncommunicable diseases account for 80% of all deaths and one-third of those are preventable, he said. Being overweight and obesity affect 62.5% of the population, which is the highest rate of any world region according to the PAHO.

In addition to these health issues, Dave believes that Cayman can tap into the US global wellness market. Leading longevity programmes outside of Cayman cost US$7,500 to US$21,500 per year for US memberships and much higher for Swiss and Austrian residential programmes.

“Clients who already trust Cayman with their capital can now trust it with their health,” Dave said. “Finance made Cayman rich. Tourism made it famous. Longevity can make it healthier, and it is the one industry that can never by offshored. The jurisdiction that builds trust in it first will own it.”