Humankind for thousands of years has been on a mission to attain immortality, taking the quest quite seriously for millennia until science caught up to mythology. As medicine advanced and we learned more about our health and the fragility of the human species, increasing our life expectancy had to be good enough for all but the most sheltered societies.
Immortality from a spiritual and pious perspective is in essence the belief in a soul, the spirit, rebirth and life everlasting in some form outside of one’s human, earthly existence. Immortality has been the stuff of philosophers and theologians and in particular from the last quarter of the twentieth century, science and medicine research has been targeting this principle in its research. The addition of science into the immortality hunt has spawned a push for longevity and human life extension that is unsurpassed in our history. Everything from advanced medical practices such as stem cell research to nanotechnology, personal human integrated hardware and software and cryogenics have excited life extension proponents to no end.
Nevertheless, human fragility can be witnessed at anytime by simply walking through the doors of a nursing home anywhere in the world and seeing the process of aging nearing its completion. Elders with greying and falling hair, limited mobility, sagging and creased skin and one can see for them self the ravages of aging and the advancement of growth. It is this growth that is partially targeted by science, the process of cell division slowing and the malfunction of our systems and organs that result from this cellular deterioration.
The process of growing old is not in itself a disease but rather a reduction in the capability of the body and its systems to adjust to situations and its surroundings. Studies abound on anti aging and methods of restoration and therapies for longevity. Most are to some extent successful though not one can make claim to owning the hard evidence that proves it can actually turn the process of aging around entirely. What follows is an outline of some of these findings:
Anti Aging Therapy
• Normal human development is assisted by the human growth hormone [HGH] that declines as we attain physical maturity. When human growth hormone is deficient or nonexistent in adolescents the result is a stunting of their growth and physique. As an anti aging therapy, smaller doses of HGH would be administered to carry on the growth and development and turn around the advance of aging.
• Melatonin is also a hormone created to induce sleep. Some proponents of the anti aging community are suggesting that certain quantities of this substance will aid in reversing the process of aging.
• DHEA [dehydroepiandrosterone] is yet another hormone that is the most prevalent in the human body. It is vital for the production of the gender specific hormones estrogen and testosterone. As these to sex hormones in adults begin to diminish, it has been speculated that it is the onset of the aging process in men and women. This becomes more pervasive in women after menopause often requiring a hormone replacement solution known as HRT or hormone replacement therapy. This in itself is an anti aging practice since it replenishes female hormones keeping at bay at least the process of aging. HRT is also available as a remedy for men who are short of testosterone.
• Antioxidants are found in vegetables and fruits in abundance as well as in many supplements available on the market these days. These are consumed to fight the ravages of free radicals in our systems that advance the destruction of our cells. Antioxidants are the protagonists in the battle against free radical damage and are an important part of our overall health and physical maintenance.
• There are many in the anti aging and longevity communities who endorse the use of natural and herbal therapies as a solution to aging. Many tradition health practitioners and some western medical physicians will prescribe natural products like Ginseng, coral calcium, Echinacea amongst other natural health remedies as curatives for the process of aging. Many swear by their ability to slow or enhance youth in some patients.
Precautions
Some of the anti aging therapies available have been noted above and many use these religiously to fight back against time. Each of these though only takes aim at one facet of the process of aging. The treatments for aging need to find the solution from a holistic perspective rather than from a singular approach.
The use of anti aging therapies has resulted in problems such as overdoses and utilizing certain supplements on patients that caused harmful health consequences rather than the desired positive results. Natural anti aging solutions are innately perceived as being benign when in fact they can be extremely dangerous when taken by neophytes or the inexperienced without supervision.
Consideration must be given to natural curatives and their affect on the human body. Tobacco, cocaine, opium are all derivatives of plant species and have a role in medicine for the most part. However, they can be harmful to a person when taken without proper knowledge or regulation. Caution must be taken when any treatment is administered or consumed for anti aging or longevity purposes.
In years gone by our ancestors lived much longer than we can expect to. There are fundamental reasons why we are not living as long as humans once did and many are environmental. We are bombarded daily with outside toxins like pollutants, pesticides; growth enhancing farming techniques in crops and livestock, even the radiation from the sun has become more harmful due to carbon emissions reducing our protective ozone. Our food is preserved, processed and refined and fast foods are killing us and causing diseases like never in our history.
As mentioned earlier, as of yet there are no actual proven longevity techniques that aging humans can utilize at this time. That is not to say there is nothing we can do but submit to our aging fate. One thing science and medical researchers all agree on is there are some things we can do as a population to improve our odds at growing old and maintaining a healthy mind and body.
Hedge your bets with the following longevity and anti aging solutions that ARE proven to keep you healthy and youthful:
• Eat a healthy diet – consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic and avoid those foods that the media and medical experts are advising against, such as fatty food, fast foods, food with high caloric counts. Moderate your alcohol consumption and be careful of drinking soda pop and heavily caffeinated beverages. Exercise some discipline with your diet, your life depends on it.
• Maintain your ideal weight – or as close as you can come to it. Investigate fasting as a means of maintaining weight and also as an effective anti aging technique. Excessive weight fluctuation is not healthy so avoid yoyo dieting and focus on maintaining healthy eating habits while eating only as much as you require to remain fit and healthy, do not over indulge.
• Get regular exercise – since physical activity is critical for independent living as you grow older and mobility is the key. Exercising also aids in maintaining your body weight and is a sure fire way of avoiding “middle age spread” and the potential for contracting type 2 diabetes. Only thirty minutes of physical activity each day will provide the necessary fitness to maintain health into old age. When you exercise you also release natural HGH into your body.
• Get regular medical examinations – by treating any health problems early you can avoid illness and disease from becoming chronic or worse. Invite your physician to become a part of your quest for youth and utilize their knowledge – ask their advice frequently about things you can do to improve your odds of survival.
• Get prompt medical attention – when you become ill or are hurt in any way, get medical help quickly. Allowing a problem to go unchecked will lead to other more serious health issues or complications. Increasing one’s longevity means giving one’s self every opportunity to grow old and delaying medical attention is counterproductive to that end.
• Avoid polluted areas – since these environmentally unfriendly locations are toxic to your health you need to make every effort to steer clear of them. Our bodies are under enormous stress from toxins and environmental hazards each minute of the day and doing what we can to make lessen our exposure will keep us alive longer.
• Our mental health is critical – to healthy aging and increased longevity. Stress is a main contributor to ill health because it reduces our immunity levels opening the door to viruses and diseases with the potential to shorten our lives. Stress is also a contributing factor to a breakdown of our mental health. Depression must be treated at all costs due to its all consuming ability to shift our focus inward and take us into emotional depths that require medical and or psychological assistance to extract ourselves from.
We need to maintain our social ties and become more outgoing. Research has shown that centenarians and senior elders worldwide have a commonality in their social networks, be it religious congregations or familial ties, staying close to others is vital to longevity. Keeping a positive mental attitude is also an important part of remaining youthful and maintaining mental stability.
• Keep your mind alert – this can be done in a number of ways, reading and comprehending what you just read, play cards with friends, converse often with others and keep current on what is happening in your area and around the world. Learn how to use a computer and the Internet since it has shown to be an effective tool at keeping the elderly connected to the world around them and also keeps their brain alert and aware.
Immortality might be off the table for many of us above a particular age, though our great grandchildren may well have the opportunity to live into perpetuity. For the rest of us we need to be happy with living a prolonged life and being as healthy as we can be so we can thoroughly enjoy any additional time we have been granted.
Thu, Apr 29, 2010
Anti Aging, Health And Aging, Immortality, Longevity