What if everything you're doing to stay healthy—your diet, your supplements, your exercise routine—is only part of the story? What if the real question is whether your body is actually absorbing, using, and benefiting at the cellular level? In this powerful solo episode, Dr. Gillian Lockitch invites you to rethink how you measure wellness and healthy aging by introducing a biomarker that is both completely personal and scientifically valid: your antioxidant protection score. Drawing from her background as a physician and specialist medical biochemist, as well as a life-changing personal health scare, Dr. Lockitch explains the invisible but relentless process of oxidative stress—the cellular damage caused by free radicals that accumulates over time and contributes to aging and chronic disease. Through a vivid and emotional story of her sudden diagnosis of myopic macular degeneration, she brings home the reality that aging is not just about time passing, but about what is happening inside your body every single day. This episode goes beyond theory to illuminate the science of antioxidants as your body's essential defense system. You will learn how endogenous antioxidants produced within your cells work in partnership with dietary antioxidants like carotenoids, and why this balance is critical for protecting your brain, eyes, heart, skin, and overall vitality. Dr. Lockitch also explains why nutrient intake alone is not enough—what truly matters is bioavailability, absorption, and delivery to target tissues. Most importantly, this conversation introduces a breakthrough in personalized health: the ability to measure your antioxidant status quickly, non-invasively, and in real time. By tracking carotenoid levels in your skin, with the new Prysm io, you gain a window into your body's internal resilience against oxidative stress. This transforms your approach from guessing and hoping to knowing and acting. If you've ever wondered whether your healthy lifestyle is truly making a difference, this episode will shift your perspective. It is both a call to awareness and a message of empowerment: when you understand what is happening inside your body, you gain the ability to change it—and to take control of how you age, from the inside out. Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Welcome and introduction Dr. Gillian introduces the episode and poses the powerful question: do you know your antioxidant score? 01:10 – Why antioxidant protection matters Explores the gap between healthy habits and measurable protection against oxidative stress. 03:30 – A personal turning point Dr. Gillian shares her diagnosis of myopic macular degeneration and the urgent treatment that followed. 06:10 – Lessons from the AREDS study How targeted nutrients support eye health and why prevention is more powerful than treatment. 08:20 – Measuring what matters Introduction to antioxidant scanning and the surprising results from early testing. 10:30 – Understanding oxidative stress Clear explanation of free radicals, cellular damage, and environmental contributors. 13:00 – Internal vs dietary antioxidants How your body's own defense systems work alongside nutrients from food and supplements. 15:10 – The role of carotenoids in healthy aging How these plant compounds support the eyes, brain, heart, and skin. 17:00 – Introducing the Prysm iO device How this non-invasive technology measures antioxidant levels in seconds. 18:30 – From guessing to knowing Why tracking your antioxidant score empowers better aging decisions. 19:30 – Final thoughts and invitation Call to action to measure, monitor, and take control of your biological aging. Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch Download your Guide to Nature's Colouful Antioxidants Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch at askdrgill@gmail.com to request a zoom call to demo the Prysm io: Email Subject: Prysm Podcast Join the Growing Older Living Younger Facebook Community here Share the Growing Older Living Younger podcast link for anyone you care about and invite them to subscribe