This blog is written by our clinicians and aims to keep patients informed with up to date information on medical conditions.
Healthy Anti-ageing Strategies
Have you thought about how you would like to spend the last few decades of your life?
Until the arrival of Anti-ageing Medicine, the fate of the ageing was mysterious, uncertain, and often bleak. The future seemed to lie in the hands of unknown forces such as fate, God, environmental factors, and genetics.
When questioned, most people believe that few people escape old age without suffering a little, or a lot. They also agree that it is more the suffering, than the actual act of dying, which is so dismaying.
Also most people seem to favor quality of life over quantity, and few believe they could directly influence the length or quality of life as they age.
In fact we do have the ability to influence both the quality and quantity of our years.
Here’s how:
We can change our weakened genetic state by relying more heavily on proper diet, and a healthy lifestyle. So an emphasis on good nutrition and lifestyle will offset any weakened genetics.
The 60-year-old of today is not at all like the 60-year-old of yesterday.
The 60-year-old of today still has 10-15 years of work ahead of them.
They work full time, exercise, have teenagers at home, and ageing parents to worry about. Furthermore they appear youthful, desiring to take full advantage of their golden years, not at all like the 60 year old of the past.
In fact the average 65-year-old today has more mental, emotional, and physical demands then the 60-year-old man or woman of 30 years ago.
Ageing is defined as a decline in the rate of cellular building and an increase in the rate of cellular destruction. The onset of chronic disease is typically around 60 years of age. Since we know that life is busy and hectic for the average 60-year-old, how do we intend to maintain the same pace of life with all of its demands as body breakdown accelerates?
The answer lies in the five Principles Of Anti-Ageing Medicine listed below.
- Anti-ageing hormone replacement
- Anti-ageing nutritional supplements
- Anti-ageing precision exercise
- Anti-ageing diet
- Anti-ageing stress reduction
Correct hormone imbalances:
Hormone messengers rule the body.
At about 60 years of age hormonal decline accelerates, which triggers more catabolism (body breakdown) than anabolism (body building).
Tricking our body into holding steady at a plateau and not going into breakdown-mode requires hormone balance and restoration. There are a number of hormones that are involved for both men and women, an individualized approach needs to be taken for each person. Most anti-ageing regimens will incorporate hormone level monitoring to avoid disease and promote optimum health.
Common imbalances include:
- Testosterone deficiency
- Progesterone deficiency
- Estrogen hormones deficiency or excess
- Thyroid hormones deficiency
- DHEA deficiency
- Cortisol excess
- Insulin excess
Working with an experienced doctor to correct hormone imbalances is a crucial step towards successful ageing.
Take vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplements: Anti-Ageing Nutritional Supplements
Typically there is a gap between what our body needs and what food provides, especially if food choices are less than optimal.
After decades of nutritional depletion that gap only becomes greater and enhances cellular destruction. Nutritional supplements bridge that gap by providing the essential building blocks for healthy cell division and proper anti-oxidant status.
As we age, anti-oxidants specifically take on an essential role in maintaining cellular integrity. A doctor trained in anti-ageing medicine can evaluate laboratory blood testing for nutritional status and restore deficiencies based on your individual needs.
As we age, it is harder for our bodies to get all of the nutrients needed from a normal diet. To make matters worse, as our gut ages, it too becomes compromised, which can affect nutrient absorption. Probiotics can help ensure that nutrients get absorbed properly.
Antioxidants are crucial in fighting against the damage caused by the oxidative stress of free radicals. Oxidative damage correlates with the negative effects of ageing in each organ system. For instance, it’s not the amount of cholesterol you have that correlates to cardiovascular disease but the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
The following supplements specifically help counteracting the oxidative damage:
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC)
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
- Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ)
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ1O)
An experienced doctor will work with you to determine which supplements are best for you, and in which doses.
Exercise
Across the board, anti-ageing specialists promote the immediate benefits of exercise.
Regular physical exercise will:
- Retain and regain muscle mass
- Improve the supply of oxygen to mitochondria
- Reduce stress (lower cortisol)
- Improve balance and coordination, reducing the likelihood of falls
- Build stronger bones (if weight-bearing exercise)
- Boost human growth hormone (HGH) levels, naturally
- Improve the quality of sleep
- Help control blood sugar.
Evidence suggests that long endurance exercise, such as marathon running, is not the best way to prevent or reverse the effects of ageing. It causes muscle fatigue, with additional “wear and tear” on your body, and does not build muscle. I recommend short bursts of intense exercise for the best results, but it is important to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program to avoid injury. It also helps to work with a personal trainer when getting started to ensure proper form for maximum benefit.
Anti-ageing diet
Decreasing the speed of ageing requires excellent nutrition.
Food is gasoline and it provides nutrients to every body system, including brain, bones, skin, and heart. It is important to refill depleted nutrient gas tanks with nutrient dense foods that are devoid of chemicals, colorings, hormones, and pesticides. Food selections should rely heavily on plant based food such as vegetables, legumes, and fruits; and clean protein. It always amazes me to see older adults eating like teenagers; our bodies simply do not have the buffering capacity of youth to metabolize junk foods without paying the high price of disease.
Anti-ageing stress reduction
Stress has been shown to cause or contribute to nearly every disease. Stress reduction involves healthy coping mechanisms that allow us to balance the body and quiet the mind.
It involves:
- Recognizing what we have the power to change an accepting what we can’t
- Embracing change and releasing our expectations
- Feeling comfortable in our own skin
- Listening to our intuition
- Looking at our routine and making adaptations that are better for us
Anti-Ageing Medicine to the Rescue
If your goal is to have the best life possible and the quality of your life means more than the quantity of your years, then anti-ageing medicine is for you.
The body is a bit like a machine, it needs to be tuned up, oiled up, and gassed up in order to perform. However unlike a machine, your body has the amazing ability to self-correct and heals itself when given the proper building blocks.
By following the steps of Anti-Ageing Medicine, you provide those essential building blocks to keep your machine running at full throttle. By following these principles, you really can worry less about your health!
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