‘SLOWING DOWN’ THE AGING PROCESS

As the ‘baby boomers’ grow older, they all want to feel and look their best!  Now many also want to 'slow-down' the aging process.  But the issue is not as 'cut and dry' as some of the popular papers might make it out to be.

At the turn of the last century, conquering infectious diseases WAS the focus of our attention.  Now the focus is on reversing or controlling heart disease, cancer and other ‘degenerative diseases’.  Anti-aging medicine must be considered with these other diseases in mind.  

Here are just a few studies that have recently been published that relate to the aging question:

• Gene study suggests vitamin E helps blocks Alzheimer's; Scientists have found genetic proof that vitamin E can help protect against Alzheimer’s disease, said an important study, published yesterday.  (Nutr’l NeuroSc., Feb, ‘5, 8;21-29)
• Low-Calorie Diet Slows Aging  (Proc. Nat’l Acad. Sc., Sept., 11, 2001, 98:10630-10635)
• Exercise May Slow Some Effects of Aging  (Jour. Sports Medicine & Phys. Fit., 2000;40:1-10)
• Too Little Sleep May Accelerate Aging  (Lancet, Oct. 23, 1999;354:1435-1439)
• Blueberries Reverse Certain Aging Char. (Jour. NeuroSc. Sept., ’99)
• Exercise Helps Fight Aging  (Behavioral Medicine 1999; 24:157-168)

Since 11,000 folks reach the age of 55 each day in America, more and more consumers are getting interested in staying healthy and aging more gracefully! 

There’s no question that Americans are living longer than ever: The average life expectancy for men is about 72, for women, about 78.

However, MOST of the increase is because of elimination of major killers of infants, (e.g., lower infant mortality), mostly at the turn of the 19th century, from better sanitation, not modern medicine.  In fact, while many Americans reach for a drug (legal or not) when they’re not feeling well, such drugs are not without their ‘costs’:  They kill well over 100,000 Americans each year, in addition to several million hospitalizations.   If you die early (by any means or cause), you can't live a long life, obviously!

Anti-Aging Medicine is BIG!

Since 11,000 folks reach the age of 55 each day in America, more and more consumers are getting interested in staying healthy and aging more gracefully! 

How the Body Ages

 The changes the underlie aging occur on the cellular level.  These are some of the changes that occur:

• Cells lose water
• Tissues get harder and less flexible
• Oxidative forces cause cells to die
• Arteries get less flexible and harder
• Cognitive faculties decline
• Organs lose efficiency
• The liver is able to detoxify poisons and various drugs less effectively
• The kidneys slow down and filter wastes less efficiently
• Digestive efficiency decreases and less nutrition gets absorbed
• And…your metabolism slows a little!

The major theories regarding aging include:

• Depressed growth hormone levels,
• Low blood levels of DHEA,
• Chronic dehydration at the cellular level
• Eating in excess of our biological needs!
• Excessive ‘free-radicals’ or depletion of beneficial anti-oxidants
• Deficiencies of oxygen in the body
• Excess acid buildup
• Excess accumulation of toxins, pesticides and other ‘wastes’ w/in the body
• Eating too much junk food
• Smoking
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Stress! 

One other issue that is critical in our discussion is the role of the immune system in ‘graceful’ aging! 

Immune System Health

We must keep our immune systems healthy if we want to live a long life!
If you die young due—at least in part—from a weak immune system, you CAN’T count as living a long life!  Too many people die young from pneumonia, cancer and other diseases that could have been prevented had their immune system been properly taken care of!

YES…the tools that one uses to ‘slow down’ the ‘aging process’ are very similar to the tools that are used to enhance the immune system!

Developing your own personal ‘longevity’ program—in other words, we eat to live a long, energetic and healthy life!

This may seem pedantic to mention, however, if you die young from years of NOT taking care of yourself properly, you CAN’T live a long life, right?  Therefore, discussing ‘anti-aging’ medicine is pointless to those who don’t generally ‘take care of themselves.  

Your own personal longevity program

 This is NOT for the faint of heart: If you want to continue eating junk food, eating large quantities of refined sugar and CHO’s, smoking, drinking (more than very moderate quantities of alcohol), skipping exercise, etc., you can’t at the same time, pursue an ‘anti-aging’ agenda. 

Why are so many folks struggling w/various concepts or  aspects of the Aging Process?

For one, there are many pressures to consume food of less than optimal quality!

• We eat too much food!  We drink soda and frequently in excessive quantities!
• We maintain a ‘sedentary’ lifestyle without much regular exercise
• We consume too many food additives, artificial dyes, preservatives and artificial sweeteners whose safety is questionable.  (See the article on aspartame and Splenda in this newsletter).
• In addition, we eat too much sugar, a definitive factor in aging!  Also, we are exposed to too many heavy metals like mercury, aluminum, (ok, a light metal), cadmium, lead, arsenic and more…

Another reason so many folks are not aging as gracefully as they otherwise could is the less than adequate insur-ance coverage for ‘natural medicine.’

Fluoride has been called by one author as The Aging Factor, since it promotes aging of the bones, skin, ligaments, tendons and other tissues. 
 
Modern medicine focuses on ‘treating disease’ whereas ‘alternative’ medicine  focuses on ‘building health’.  They’re too different animals!  If you’re sick, you may need to see a doctor, however, if you want to stay well and out of a doctor’s office, (as much as possible), you’ll need to learn more about preventative medicine.  Anti-aging medicine is quintessentially ‘preventative’ medicine!

Treating disease is NOT the same as building health

Here are some general points to slowing down the aging process: Manage stress better, learn how to eat right and learn how to detoxify (cleanse) your system!  Cleansing can be done with herbs, fresh raw foods, fresh, raw vegetable juices and/or fasting (for a reasonable period of time).  It is also important to consume plenty of filtered, fluoride-free water, consume anti-oxidant nutrients like C, E, CoQ10, Selenium, etc., receive adequate rest, and to practice some kind of stress management program.

In addition, when folks reach over 40 years of age, a master hormone known as ‘DHEA’ tends to go down.  This hormone may slow down the aging process.  Ideally, one should get a DHEA level blood test before consuming this supplement.  Typical dosage is from 5 to 50 milligrams. 

Excellent Nutrition

Excellent nutrition was discussed in the previous article on ‘it’s a lifestyle, not a diet’, so we’ll skip the subject in this article!  Just remember, that the quality of what you eat is intimately related to how quickly you’ll age!  Since sugar increases insulin production and insulin production encourages fat storage and depresses growth hormone production, refined sugar should be consumed very rarely, if at all.
 

Fluoride: A Significant ‘Aging Factor’!

The integrity of collagen is crucial in order to allow human s to ‘age gracefully!’  Unfortunately, numerous studies show that fluoride poisons collagen producing cells.  These would include osteoblasts (bone), chondroblasts (cartilage), fibroblasts (skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons), odontoblasts (dentin of teeth), and, amelioblasts (enamel of teeth).  We know it poisons these specialized cells because we can see the increased urinary production of amino acids unique to the collagen protein within the body.  Such amino acids as hydroxyl-proline and hydroxylysine are seen in the urine of individuals after the consumption of just a few milligrams of fluoride.  Thus, at ‘normal’ intake levels, fluoride is causing the disruption of collagen.  Not surprisingly, fluoride has been called by one author as ‘The Aging Factor,’ since it promotes aging of the bones, skin, ligaments, tendons, etc. 

The reason for its cause of collagen breakdown is uncertain, however, it may be due to the known disruption of hydrogen bonds by fluoride at low levels of intake.  It may also be due to an interference of essential enzymes, necessary for setting up the proper conditions for intact collagen.

During the aging process, cells lose their ability to know the difference between cells that SHOULD be mineralized and cells that SHOULD NOT be mineralized.  Studies show fluoride to cause tissues that should be mineralized to lose minerals and cells that should not be mineralized to gain minerals.  Aging ligaments, tendons, skin, and even the aorta, are tissues that, with aging, become increasingly calcified.  That this is ‘normal’ doesn’t make it healthy!  Indeed, with proper lifestyle (including a minimum fluoride exposure and intake), such dangerous calcification of soft tissues can be kept to a minimum.  Proof of these facts can be found in the worldwide literature on fluoride intoxication.  It is in this literature that with fluoride intoxication or excessive intake, larger amounts of imperfect or deformed collagen fibers may be formed.  In addition, the body’s ability to regulate collagen formation and mineralization is hindered.  [Yiamouyiannis, Fluoride, the Aging Factor, 1986, Chp 4, Breaking Down the Body’s Glue.] 

Summary

Laboratory rats and mice that are fed fifty percent of their normal rations live 30-50 percent longer!   This is the only area of research that is definitely proven to extend lifespan.   So if one is to ‘undereat’ what they’re really doing is not OVER-eating.  This  can ONLY be achieved through the habit of eating wholesome foods, free of pesticide residues, keeping ones diet primarily ALKALINE (that is rich in fruits and vegetables) and getting a good night’s sleep every day.

It’s also important to drink sufficient quantities of water, take your anti-oxidant nutrients, maintain a positive attitude about life and try to be as proactive as possible in all areas of your health and your life.  Two more things: Look both ways before crossing the street and do not tailgate!