Read
the latest on anti aging research.
What
is Aging?
Everything in
the universe is made up of matter. All matter has a
lifecycle. It's created, it develops, it reproduces,
it decreases in its functional capacity, it dies. In
biological terms relating to humans at the cellular level,
aging relates to the cumulative changes in an organism,
organ, tissue, or cell leading to a decrease in functional
capacity. In humans,
aging is associated with degenerative changes in the skin,
bones, heart, blood vessels, lungs, nerves, and other
organs and tissues.
Biologists
have advanced a variety of theories to explain aging, but
most of them agree that this process is largely determined
by genes. At the cellular level, an important
recent finding has been that the life spans of cells in
the human body are determined by strings of DNA (genetic
material) called telomeres, which are located at the ends
of the chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, the telomere
becomes shorter; the senescence and death of the cell is
triggered when the telomere is reduced to a certain
critical length.
There is
also a growing number of researchers that believe that
aging can be slowed and even reversed. Anti-Aging
refers to the delaying or lessening the effects of
aging. Anti-Aging is a new emerging medical field,
one that is filled with as much fact as fiction.
These longevity researchers believe that the body and
its cells are damaged by overuse and abuse. Toxins in the
diet and environment wear down the organs-liver, stomach,
kidneys, skin, and so on. Excess consumption of fat,
sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine; by the ultraviolet
rays of the sun; and by the many other physical and
emotional stresses to which we subject our bodies all
contribute to this wear and tear.
Those who
understand this theory believe nutritional supplements and
other treatments can help reverse the aging process by
stimulating the body's own ability to repair and maintain
its organs and cells.
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Taking
a Holistic Approach
Unlocking the secrets of living
longer requires looking at the entire body and all its
individual cells and functions, as an interlaced,
co-dependant, organism.
Everything relies on everything else to maintain proper
balance. You cannot simply treat the symptoms while
ignoring the problem. Your inner world is what
creates your outer world. It's what is happening
inside that dictates how you feel, how you look, and how
long you will live.
Kacper
M. Postawski in "How
to Free Yourself of ANY Disease, Stop Fatigue, And Create
Unstoppable Energy in Your Life"
explains
it best in this analogy: "Have
you ever been in New York, or have seen pictures of New
York on a Trash Strike? Trash piles up on every
road, the smell is disgusting, and what you’ll notice is
that there’s UGLY, giant RATS,
EVERYWHERE!
Allow me ask you a
question, at this point how smart would it be of you to
come to the city and say “Wow! Look at all this trash
these RATS brought! KILL THE RATS TO GET RID OF THE
TRASH!
”You’re right, it
probably wouldn’t be smart at all! But this is how
almost everyone approaches their health these days!
We’re all looking for
the Germs, the VIRUSES, the “rats” which are the cause
of disease and sickness. The reality of it is, the only
reason why those germs and viruses ever invade your body
is, because you created the trash necessary in your body
first, to allow the germs and viruses to live and
expand. In order to get rid of the rats, you must
clean the trash first. In order to be completely healthy,
vibrant and energetic you must clean the trash in your
body, and create an environment which can sustain
that!"
I am using the
term "holistic" meaning you must look at the
"whole picture". There are 10 fundamental
areas that you must address in order to obtain optimal
health and long life. The basics of these areas make
up the topics covered in this work. Within each
topic I'll also make reference to the things I personally
practice each day, and other references I feel are
particularly worthwhile.
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Free
Radicals
"Free radical" is a
term used to describe any molecule that differs from
conventional molecules such that it possesses a free
electron, a property that makes it react with other
molecules in highly volatile and destructive ways.
A free radical is an
unstable molecule that steals an electron from a stable
molecule in order to satisfy its need for repair. When
this free radical destabilizes the stable molecule it
creates another free radical in a vicious chain reaction
of cellular destruction. A single free radical can cause
damage to millions of other molecules in you body,
preventing your body from functioning properly. This
molecular destruction is continually occurring in your
body. Free radicals attack us from many different
environmental sources every day.
Everything we
eat, breathe and touch causes some type of oxidation or
free radical damage. Particularly abusive is
alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, smoked and barbecued
food, harmful chemicals and additives in the foods we eat,
sun bathing and pollutants in the air we breath. They
assault your cells, large enzyme complexes, and DNA. After
age 28, the major source of aging is the production of
free radicals. Just the process of aging increases
the amount of free radicals we produce. Scientists have
determined that very large amounts of free radicals
accumulated in your body, may significantly shorten your
life span.
To
find out more about Free Radicals click HERE
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Telomeres
and Chromosomes
All tissue in the human body is made up of cells.
Each cell is then made of smaller components called
organelles. Organelles are the smallest units of a
cell that perform specific functions. Examples: the
nucleus contains genetic information, the ribosome
packages materials, and the mitochondria makes
energy. The nucleus contains structures called
chromosomes that are actually "packages" of all
the genetic information that is passed from parents to
their children. Thread-like structures in the
nucleus that carry genetic information. A normal human
body has 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 total chromosomes).
Twenty two pairs are called somatic, or "body"
chromosomes. The remaining 2 chromosomes are called
"sex" chromosomes and determine whether you are
a male or a female. The genetic information, or
"genes" are really just a series of base pairs
called Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C), and Thymine
(T). These base pairs make up our cellular alphabet and
create the sequences, or instructions needed to form our
bodies.
In order to
grow and age, our bodies must duplicate their cells. This
process is called mitosis. Mitosis is a
process that allows one "parent" cell to divide
into two new "daughter" cells. During mitosis,
cells make copies of their genetic material. Half of the
genetic material goes to each new daughter cell. To make
sure that information is successfully passed from one
generation to the next, each chromosome has a special
protective cap called a telomere located at the end of
it's "arms". This has been compared to the
hard ends of your shoelaces. If it were not for
telomeres, this would quickly result in the loss of useful
genetic information. Telomeres are bits of DNA on
the ends of our
chromosomes.
To
find out more about Telomeres and Chromosomes click HERE
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Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins
that facilitate chemical reactions in living
organisms. They are required for every single
chemical action that takes place in your body. All
of the minerals and vitamins you eat and all of the
hormones your body produces need enzymes in order to work
properly.
Dr. Howell, in
his book on enzyme nutrition, puts it quite clearly when
he says that "a person's
life span is directly related to the exhaustion of their
enzyme potential. And the use of food enzymes
decreases that rate of exhaustion, and thus, results in a
longer healthier, and more vital life."
To
find out more about Enzymes click HERE
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Immune
System
The immune system is the organ system that protects an
organism from outside biological influences. In
multicellular organisms, the immune system is an organ
system that acts as a defense against foreign pathogens
(such as viruses, bacteria, parasites), some poisons, as
well as suppressing cancer.
It is often divided
into the two sections of innate and adaptive
immunity. Innate immunity are continuously in
force to ward off noxious influences, and the adaptive
immunity responds to new influences by mounting an
immune response.
The
adaptive immune system, also called the acquired immune
system, ensures that most mammals that survive an initial
infection by a pathogen are generally immune to further
illness caused by that same pathogen. The adaptive immune
system is based on dedicated immune cells termed
leukocytes (white blood cells) that are produced by stem
cells in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus and/or
lymph nodes.
To
find out more about the Immune System click HERE
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Diet
Calorie restriction has been
studied extensively in regards to longevity. Caloric
restriction seems to slow down some of the destructive
processes that take place in cells and tissues with aging.
Scientists don't yet know exactly how or why it works, but
have developed several theories.
First of all,
caloric restriction seems to reduce damage from chemical
metabolic processes, particularly oxidative and glycation
damage, thought to be leading causes of cell aging and
death. This can also be combated with the use
of a high quality antioxidant.
On a larger
scale, caloric restriction slows the effects of aging on
the nervous system, the reproductive organs and the
production of hormones in some animals. It has been shown
to boost the immune system and delay the onset of certain
age-related cancers.
To
find out more about Diet click HERE
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Sleep
A recent study done by the
University
of
California
found that "People who sleep 8 hours or more have a
50% higher mortality (death) rate than people who sleep
less." Does this mean that sleeping
longer will create a higher chance of death and disease
for you?
No.
There's no solid proof for that, but there is a
connection between less sleep, your daily energy levels,
and the strength of your immune system.
It's
during deep sleep that your body undergoes major
physiological changes to repair your muscles, power up
your immune system and replenish your energy. There
is a difference between quantity, and quality. The
problem, and the challenge is that most people don't
understand sleep. They think sleep is a very basic thing
that happens to us every night. Because of this
misunderstanding, many people live today with very out of
balance sleeping systems that deprive you of your energy,
without even being aware of it.
To
find out more about Sleep click HERE
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Exercise
Probably the two fastest ways to improve your overall
health, feel better, and look younger is to get the right
nutrition and exercise. Unfortunately, these are the
2 areas that everyone wants to avoid.
There are several
reasons why exercise is vital to living a long and healthy
life:
- You look younger
- You have more
strength and energy
- You maintain
greater bone density
- You speed up
metabolism
- Increased
circulation throughout the entire body
- Increased lung
function
- Production of
endorphins which drive away stress and depression
- And probably the
most important, increased lymphatic function
In mammals
including humans, the lymphatic vessels (or lymphatics)
are a network of thin tubes that branch, like blood
vessels, into tissues throughout the body. Lymphatic
vessels carry lymph, a colorless, watery fluid originating
from interstitial fluid (fluid in the tissues). The
lymphatic system transports infection-fighting cells
called lymphocytes, and is involved in the removal of
foreign matter and cell debris by phagocytes, a process in
which these cells ingest and kill offending cells by
cellular digestion, and is part of the body's immune
system. It also transports fats from the small intestine
to the blood.
To
find out more about Exercise click HERE
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Water
Water is the solvent in our bodies, and as such, it
regulates all the functions of our bodies, including the
action of all the solids dissolved in the water.
Every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the
efficient flow of water. These are a just a few of
the function that water regulates in our bodies:
- The movement of
blood
- The transport of
nutrients into our cells
- The movement of
waste out of our cells
- The flow of lymph
fluid
- The movement of
nerve impulses through our nerves
- The movement of
hormones throughout our bodies
- The functioning
of our brains
Over time as we
become increasingly dehydrated, our thirst mechanism
gradually fails, which leads to even more
dehydration. Symptoms of chronic dehydration include
allergies, asthma, chronic pains, constipation, acidosis,
dry skin, and the shrinking of internal organs and
thinning of skin associated with aging. The latest
studies show that:
- 75% of Americans,
and most of the world population, are chronically
dehydrated.
- In 37% of
Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is
often mistaken for hunger.
- Even MILD
dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as
3%.
- One glass of
water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100%
of dieters.
- Lack of water is
the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary
research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day
could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to
80% of sufferers.
- A mere 2%
drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty
focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
To
find out more about Water click HERE
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Growth
Hormones (HGH)
Hormones are tiny chemical messengers that help our body
do different tasks. Hormones are made up of amino acids.
Hormones are produced by the endocrine glands and then
sent all over the body to stimulate certain activities.
For example, Insulin is a well known hormone that helps
our body digest food. Our growth, digestion, reproduction
and sexual functions are all triggered by hormones.
It is believed
that the decrease of human growth hormone in adults plays
an important role in the effects of aging.
What is Human Growth
Hormone?
Human Growth Hormone
(HGH or hGH) is the most abundant hormone produced by the
pituitary gland (pituitary is one of the endocrine
glands). The pituitary gland is located in the center of
the brain. HGH is also a very complex hormone. It is
made up of 191 amino acids - making it fairly large for a
hormone. In fact, it is the largest protein created by the
Pituitary gland.
Growth
Hormone is known to be critical for tissue repair, muscle
growth, healing, brain function, physical and mental
health, bone strength, energy and metabolism. In short, it
is very important to just about every aspect of our
life!
To
find out more about HGH click HERE
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Mind
& Meditation
Nothing ages a person faster than chronic stress.
Everyday we are subjected to stresses that the human body
was not designed to handle. The stress can be
physical, environmental, chemical or imaginary. The human
brain is hard wired with automatic responses to protect
the body from harm. This section addresses
mainly the mind and emotional states, and how it
affects longevity.
When we are under
stress our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands, and is often
called the "stress hormone" because its levels
rise following physical and emotional stress. Abnormal
blood cortisol levels can result in metabolic disturbances
and in severe cases may lead to life-threatening
illnesses.
The hormone
cortisol is produced in the adrenal cortex in response to
adrenal cortical stimulating hormone (ACTH) produced in
the pituitary gland. Cortisol plays an important role in
regulating blood sugar, energy production, inflammation,
the immune system and
healing.
To
find out more about Mind & Meditation click HERE
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Putting
It All Together
The human body is quite
amazing. If given the proper environment it has the
ability to heal itself from virtually any type of illness,
and should last upwards of 120 years. Cells living
in a petri dish in a laboratory, given proper hydration
and enzymes will continue to live indefinitely.
"Everything in
Moderation" is the key. There is no need to be
fanatical about all 10 areas discussed here. Even
small improvements in these areas will result in a
healthier, longer life. There are many varying
opinions about what creates long life. You must look
at everything as a whole. You must pay particular
attention to what is going into your body; nutrition,
toxins, water, mental & environmental stresses
etc. Long life is about eliminating or avoiding the
things that are not natural that and are poisoning our
systems. And only allowing those things that will
benefit us to become part of our lifestyle.
It would be
practically impossible to do everything right all the
time. Nor would we want to. Life is meant to
be enjoyed. Live it to its fullest, take care of
yourself and you will remain healthy and disease free.
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