The Power of Youth: How to Tune Our Mind and Body for a Long and Healthy Life

ANDREI FOMENKO
THE POWER 
OF YOUTH
HOW TO TUNE OUR MIND AND BODY  
FOR A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE
Moscow
2023

UDC 613.9
BBK 51.204.9
	
F76
Fomenko A. N.
F76	
	
The Power Of Youth. How To Tune Our Mind And Body For 
A Long And Healthy Life / Andrei Fomenko. — Moscow: Alpina PRO, 
2023. 
ISBN 978-5-206-00235-5
During the last couple of decades, science and medicine have taken a great step 
toward understanding what aging is. Technologies of cell reprogramming, tissue 
regeneration, genetic engineering, young blood transfusion, and many others are 
developing right before our very eyes. But it is not only the development of hightech that is crucial because even the less obvious things—from the placebo effect 
and the way of thinking to visualization and even ASMR—can help to defeat aging. 
Everything you need to know about how to live a long life without the painful agony 
of old age is right in your hands. This book contains the most relevant scientific reports on how to slow down age-related changes and stay young as long as possible.
Such a diverse view on the problem of aging—in terms of genetics, physiology, 
psychology, evolution, quantum mechanics, mathematics, etc.—distinguishes this 
book from many papers devoted to the prolongation of life and youth.
UDC 613.9
BBK 51.204.9
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights 
under copyright reserved above, no part of 
this publication may be reproduced, stored 
in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or 
transmitted, in any form, or by any means 
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, 
or otherwise) without the prior written permission 
of both the copyright owner and the above 
publisher of this book. For permissions contact: 
mylib@alpina.ru
	
© A. Fomenko, 2023 
© Alpina PRO LLC, 2023
ISBN 978-5-206-00235-5

C O N T E N T S
INTRODUCTION. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
CHAPTER 1. Aging And Youth . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
CHAPTER 2. Genetics. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35
CHAPTER 3. Epigenetics . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  43
CHAPTER 4. Body. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  52
CHAPTER 5. Brain and nervous system . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . .  61
CHAPTER 6. The Endocrine System . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  90
CHAPTER 7. Feelings And Emotions. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  119
CHAPTER 8. Immune System . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  132
CHAPTER 9. Metabolism. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  143
CHAPTER 10. Nutrition. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  157
CHAPTER 11. Microbiome. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  174
CHAPTER 12. Micronutrients. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  193
CHAPTER 13. Respiration. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  202
CHAPTER 14. Heart. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  218
CHAPTER 15. Skin. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  230
CHAPTER 16. Sex. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  237
CHAPTER 17. Hormesis And Hormetins. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . .  240
CHAPTER 18. Consciousness. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  244
CHAPTER 19. Subconsciousness . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  259
CHAPTER 20. Placebo. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  268

CHAPTER 21. Awareness, Responsibility, Morality . .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . .  277
CHAPTER 22. Autosuggestion, Power  Of Faith, And Willpower. . .  289
CHAPTER 23. Positive Thinking.
 .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  296
CHAPTER 24. Visualization . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  312
CHAPTER 25. 
Three Axes: You, Surrounding People,  
And The Environment. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . .  325
CHAPTER 26. Social Psychology. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  347
CHAPTER 27. Digital medicine . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  360
CHAPTER 28. Biophysics . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  383
CHAPTER 29. Science. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  397
CHAPTER 30. Complementary Medicine. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . .  406
CHAPTER 31. Medicines. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  428
CHAPTER 32. Color, Light, And Sounds. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . .  450
CHAPTER 33. ASMR . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  461
CHAPTER 34. Quantum world. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  465
CHAPTER 35. Mathematics. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  473
CHAPTER 36. Time . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  486
CHAPTER 37. Evolution . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  494
AFTERWORD. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  518
REFERENCES. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  521
APPENDIX. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  569

I N T R O D U C T I O N
IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE 100 YEARS? MANY WOULD ANSWER THAT IT’S GOOD ENOUGH TO REACH 
AT LEAST THE AGE OF 80, BUT TO LIVE A CENTURY IS RATHER AN EXCEPTION TO THE RULE AND 
A CHANCE THAT ONLY LUCKY ONES GET.
But what if it is far from that? There is a more optimistic scenario, 
which extrapolates: living to 100 or more and staying healthy and 
active is a real possibility for everyone.
It is almost everyone’s biggest dream to live a long life. But 
various age-related problems, manifested in the form of physical 
weakness, mental decline, developing diseases, and other 
pathological changes, can block the path to this dream. Usually, 
all the average person can do to avoid it is to start exercising, 
quit using harmful substances, change their diet to include more 
healthy products, and try to avoid contact with infections. This is 
certainly important. But is it enough?
There is a lot of information nowadays about different ways to 
delay aging and prolong life. Theories, reviews, perspectives, and 
research findings we receive from paper and digital sources are 
varied, not all of them congruent, but often contradictory. There 
are lots of opinions on whether fasting is good for the body, what 
diet is the most effective, how much exercise we need, whether 
we should take vitamin supplements, how much time we should 
spare to get a daytime sleep, etc. Search engines “answer” these 
and other questions with millions of links.
But what if it comes to the prolongation of life and youth? Some 
specialists would say that if you want to live a long life, you need to 
strictly follow the laws of a healthy lifestyle; others would say that 
it is necessary to take as many geroprotectors1 as possible; still, 
I N T R O D U C T I O N
5
1 G e r o p r o t e c t o r s  is the name given to a group of certain substances or 
therapeutic methods that help to increase longevity. Read more: Fomenko A. N., 
Proshkina E. N., Fedintsev A. Yu., Tsvetkov V. O., Shaposhnikov M. V., Moskalev 
A. A. “Potential geroprotectors.” — Ed. note.

others would insist on continuous monitoring of health outcomes: 
measure physiological data and take regular tests. When it comes 
to our health, how not to get lost in the informational flow and 
ignore the unnecessary? What should we rely on?
Existing approaches to the problem of aging and prolongation 
of life are often flawed and rather one-sided. We should keep in 
mind that the problem is larger than it appears, so we need to 
consider it more broadly and consider many views. There are many 
ways to live a long life, and we will find out which of them are the 
most effective.
This book is a kind of “encyclopedia of aging”—it contains all 
the most important things you need to know about this process, 
as well as ways to prolong life and youth. Here you will find all the 
information about aging mechanisms, how to slow it down, how 
to prevent age-related diseases, and the lifestyle and mindset of 
long-livers.
After reading this book, you will gain the knowledge to acquire 
extra years of life, and you will learn how to apply them in practice, 
i.e., turn them into skills to control and even manage all physiological 
changes to achieve better health and longevity.
The knowledge gathered here comes from years of work on the 
VSH251 project. Its goal is not just to prolong life, but to preserve 
youth and stop aging with an experimental biological program.
There are a lot of long-living animals and plants in the world, 
from turtles and sharks that live hundreds of years to baobabs 
and sequoias that live thousands of years. Some do not age at 
all. The attention of biologists and gerontologists has been 
drawn to naked mole rats for decades: these small rodents live an 
unusually long time compared to their relatives, and at the same 
time practically do not age or get sick. Another phenomenon is 
the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii: it can live forever. At maturity or 
under adverse conditions, this animal can “go back to childhood”—
to the very first stage of the life cycle, which makes the jellyfish 
immortal.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
6
1 VSH25 is a project to prolong life and preserve health. Read more at vsh25.
net. — Ed. note.

Humans do not live that long compared to the recordbreakers of wildlife. Before the twentieth century, the average life 
expectancy was about 40 years. However, this figure was almost 
doubled, and now, according to official data, it is about 73 years 
old. This happened not only due to medical advances, but also 
because the consciousness of mankind is gradually shifting, and 
the idea of life prolongation is more and more actively embodied 
in life. In the XXI century, new futuristic projections suggest a life 
expectancy of 150 and even 200 years.
Science and medicine have taken a great step towards 
understanding mechanisms underlying longevity, and so many 
discoveries lie ahead! Future breakthroughs in rejuvenation, gene 
therapy, stem cells, regenerative medicine, and organ replacement 
will one day allow people not to age or have a finite lifespan.
Living as long as possible is a goal that humanity shall give 
top priority. At the same time, each needs to remain motivated to 
maintain their health and prolong life: to learn about new medical 
advances, to read more on these topics, including materials 
on various scientific areas—even those, not obvious ones, such 
as mathematics and physics. Because knowing such universal 
concepts as brain, body, consciousness, time, evolution, death, and 
immortality will help to look at the problem of life prolongation from 
a completely different angle and to think about other scenarios for 
human development.
It is important to prolong not only life but youth—even if a third 
of the people on the planet do it, the world will change for the 
better. It is not a fantasy or an elusive goal. There is no need for lots 
of energy-consuming efforts or expensive means. All you need is 
to realize the responsibility for yourself and your life, understand 
how to “turn on” the body’s defenses, and maintain the desire to 
live long, learning about new advances in the world of science and 
medicine.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
7

SCIENTISTS HAVE PROVED
1. 	 EXPECTATION OF LIFE PROLONGATION IS ALREADY PROLONGING LIFE.
2. 	 
OPTIMISTIC PEOPLE LIVE LONGER AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM PAIN. 
SADNESS AND DISSATISFACTION WITH LIFE CAN SHORTEN IT BY 13 YEARS (AS 
WELL AS SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES).
3.	 
MEANINGFUL EXISTENCE PROLONGS LIFE.
4. 	 
A SUBJECTIVE FEELING OF OUR AGE PROLONGS LIFE.
5. 	 
THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO PROVEN OR APPROVED ANTI-AGING DRUGS IN THE 
WORLD.
6. 	 
PLACEBO WORKS EVEN WHEN A PERSON KNOWS IT IS A PLACEBO.
7. 	 
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PLACEBO COMPARED TO MEDICATIONS IS INCREASING.
8. 	 
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PLACEBO IS INCREASING IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES.
9. 	 
MANY MEDICATIONS HAVE ALMOST THE SAME EFFECT AS A PLACEBO, BUT ALSO 
CREATE SIDE EFFECTS.
10.	
EXPECTATION TO FEEL BETTER AFFECTS THE SYMPTOMS OF A DISEASE.
11. 	

WE CAN “TURN ON” THE NECESSARY GENES AND “TURN OFF” THE UNNECESSARY 
ONES.
12.	
95% OF DISEASES CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE PERSON.
13. 	

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES HELP US FEEL HAPPY AND HEALTHY.
14. 	

THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF SOCIAL TIES AFFECT LIFE SPAN.
15.	
CONCENTRATION OF ATTENTION IS AN IMPORTANT SKILL TO ACHIEVE ANY GOAL, 
INCLUDING PROLONGATION OF LIFE AND YOUTH.
16.	
HABITS AFFECT OUR LIVES AND OUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONDITION.
17.	
MOST THINGS WE DO UNCONSCIOUSLY. THEREFORE, THE FORMATION OF USEFUL 
HABITS AFFECTS 90% OF OUR ACTIONS AND LEADS TO A QUALITATIVE CHANGE IN 
ALL LIFE.
18.	
PASSION FOR ART HELPS PROLONG LIFE BY 30%.
19. 	

CONSCIENTIOUS PEOPLE LIVE LONGER SINCE THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS 
BETTER (DUE TO LOW LEVELS OF B-CELL STIMULATORY FACTOR 2).
20.	
THE THOMAS THEOREM SAYS: “IF MEN DEFINE SITUATIONS AS REAL, THEY ARE 
REAL IN THEIR CONSEQUENCES.”

CHAPTER 1
A G I N G  A N D  Y O U T H
THE DREAM OF A LONG LIFE IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT RESOLVING THE AGING PROBLEM—MEMORY 
IMPAIRMENT (OR COMPLETE MEMORY LOSS), WORSENING FRAILTY, NEED FOR CONTINUOUS CARE, 
A BUNCH OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES, HUGE NUMBER OF MEDICATIONS TO SUPPORT A FADING 
BODY, ETC.
Such prospects do not please anybody. At the same time, we 
can look at aging from essentially different points of view. You 
can resign yourself, and take age-related decline and diseases 
as an inevitability and part of human destiny. However, there is 
another point of view. Just look at people who live longer than 
others having a healthy, strong body, a clear mind, and a zest for 
life. We might wonder how they do it. To find the answer, it is very 
important to get onto aging, and scientific views about the nature 
of this phenomenon. And then to learn about studies revealing 
mechanisms of preserving youth and increasing longevity.
WHAT BODY CHANGES ARE CAUSED DUE TO AGING?
As a person grows older, their appearance, health, and the function 
of most organs change. The set of these metamorphoses, which 
manifest both externally and internally, is called aging. Here are 
some signs characteristic of aging.
	
•
Hearing impairment: children can hear high-frequency sounds 
(above 20 Hz)—this ability is usually lost by the end of adolescence. After age 75, more than half of older adults hearing gets 
worse so much that it prevents normal communication.
	
•
Vision problems: after the age of 35, the tone of the ciliary 
muscle, responsible for accommodation1 (change in the 
C H A P T E R  1    A G I N G  A N D  Y O U T H
9
1 A c c o m m o d a t i o n  o f  t h e  e y e  is its ability to focus on objects at 
different distances by changing the refractive properties of the lens. — Ed. note.

curvature of the lens) decreases. As a result, farsightedness 
(presbyopia) develops and progresses after the age of 40— 
a deterioration in the ability to see near objects. In addition, over 
the years, the risk of cataracts (clouding of the lens) increases.
	
•
Change in skin tone: due to lower production of hyaluronic 
acid, collagen, and elastin fibers over the years, the skin loses 
elasticity, which leads to wrinkles.
	
•
Over the years, the function of cells producing melanin, the substance that determines hair color, suffers, and graying comes 
with this process. In addition, as we age, our hair begins to fall 
out more actively, and the risk of alopecia (hair loss) increases.
	
•
As we age, we lose muscle mass and strength, and muscle’s 
ability to regenerate deteriorates.
	
•
After the age of 25, fertility (ability to conceive) in women 
starts to decline. At the age of 44 to 55 years, (there can be deviations in either direction) menopause occurs, and loss of the 
ability to childbirth. Men’s sexual function also deteriorates 
over the years, increases the risk of erectile dysfunction, and 
decreases the fecundating ability.
	
•
Cognitive function often deteriorates over the years: learning 
and memory deficit, the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s 
and Parkinson’s disease, increases.
	
•
There is a higher risk for several diseases: osteoporosis (brittleness of the bones), osteoarthrosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular 
disease, cancer, immune deficiency, etc.
In addition to symptoms of aging, changes at the cellular and 
molecular levels develop with age, and it has an impact on our 
bodies. Scientists from the Department of Biochemistry and 
Molecular Biology at the University of Oviedo (Spain) state that 
aging is based on the following biological processes [1].
C H A P T E R  1    A G I N G  A N D  Y O U T H
	
•
Accumulation of mutations in cells (genomic instability), which 
increases the risk of developing diseases and malignant tumors.
1 0