There is nothing you can do to stop it at the present time – aging will have its way with you no matter what. Currently, the best you can expect to do for aging is delay the inevitable and stay as healthy as possible, perhaps taking advantage of clinical research as new anti aging techniques become available. Medical science is discovering stunning breakthroughs frequently that will eventually lead to extended life spans and a greater quality of life. Until then we simply do what we can.
Our population is becoming top heavy with greybeards and that is a good thing because it is many of these same people who are championing the search for age reversal and anti aging techniques for the rest of us. Medical researchers are doing their part to advance the field of anti aging. They have made some amazing strides in just the last few years that bode well for the future. Improving the quality of life as we age, is a priority for many researchers and has led to many effective treatments for age related illnesses.
Improved Brain Functionality – Thwarting Dementia
Information garnered by the Alzheimer’s Association shows by age sixty five, twenty percent of that age group will already be living with some type of placid cognitive dysfunction and one out of eight seniors will succumb to dementia at some point. Medical researchers at one time thought the brain consisted of a set amount of nerve connectors that stop working as we get older, thus reducing brain function. The latest information appears to lean in a different direction.
Clinical researchers now think that giving the brain a modest workout can develop new circuitry, sustaining valuable brain utility. This theory is referred to as neuroplasticity. Studies have indicated that not simply exercising the grey matter but working it out in some novel and exciting methods is the goal. Seniors are encouraged to engage in reading and mind puzzles etc, though when these are done often and the individual begins to excel at them, they lose their stimulating nature and might not be sufficient to create new circuitry. Current data says the brain requires a constant challenge to be effectual.
Proof of this new wave is the huge industry developing around the model of exercising one’s brain to keep it sharp and focused. There are numerous companies that sell games to stimulate the brain, focusing on hand – eye coordination, memory stimulation, auditory function and the ability to multi task. The best games are the ones that adjust to the user’s capability and provide a new ongoing challenge. Trials using these competitive brain challenges showed that one hour per day for an eight week period enhanced brain capacity in users over their non using control group.
Preserving Muscle Capability And Joint Mobility
An interesting part of growing old is that muscles that atrophy are not simply physically unattractive and a strength issue, they are also a concern from a medical perspective. Muscles are responsible for building up the force that actually forces the circulation of blood, lymph fluids and neural signals that are a physical requirement for your body, these must happen. Muscle maintenance needs to be a critical addition to any anti aging routine, though the training needs to be suited to age, and specifically safe for the joints.
When muscles are tight and inflexible, it generates tension and this is hard on the joints. Stretching exercises and yoga techniques are a great way for aging people to stay flexible. When muscle tissue is observed under a microscope, 80 year old muscle that is regularly exercised appears identical to that of eighteen year olds. As you age, you can do something about muscle atrophy, it is not an aging certainty that atrophy comes with advancing years.
Walking has been referred to as the near perfect exercise. Research has now shown that taking several shorter walks through the course of the day is more beneficial than going for one long walk since the former promotes better cardiovascular and metabolic health. Additionally, walking outside, on an indoor track or simply trekking through the mall is a healthier method than utilizing a treadmill or those cardio machines that are advertised. The reason for this is the machines tend to produce an unnatural striding gait that will cause joint pain and damage.
More Youthful Skin
Keeping skin looking young is something that beauty manufacturers pretty much have covered. Never have there been so many choices available for keeping your skin younger looking and healthy. Products are available to work your skin from the inside and outside. Having great skin comes from a combination of eradicating the free radicals that wreak their havoc through the use of antioxidants and by raising the oxygen and blood flow of the skin.
Currently, research released by the Journal of European Nutrition claims that antioxidants located in Cocoa can be particularly useful. The study showed that consuming three hundred twenty nine mgs of cocoa per day would double the blood flow and oxygen to the skin. Cocoa supplements are available in bite sized chews and shakes.
Dermatologists suggest topical solutions since the active elements are immediately effectual on the skin. Skin care shoppers will soon be able to purchase topical applications that have omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics engineered to uphold the correct microbial equilibrium on the surface of the skin. One more skin care initiative available soon will act immediately on the enzymes that cause age related skin problems and also aim for the gene groups that control the aging process! The product description claims to literally re-set the gene to a condition of youthful action.
Anti Aging Health Supplementation
The most novel concept in health supplements is to enhance the body’s own capability to generate antioxidants instead of ingesting only antioxidant supplements that are from single origins. Numerous nutrients from whole food supplies are now being suggested, these include sulforaphane from broccoli, curcumin found in turmeric, anthocyanins from berries, licorice and shallots, herbs like milk thistle and ashwaghanda.
As well as antioxidants from food stocks, supplement manufacturers are also selling a variety of merchandise engineered to augment natural, internal antioxidant growth. Resveratrol is also popular and is located in the skin of various fruits including red grapes, berries and dark beans. Resveratrol stimulates the genes known as sirtuins and these are innately tied to age progression. The NIA or National Institute of Aging has stated that resveratrol enhanced balance and motor coordination as well as cardiac, skeletal and vision health when supplied to laboratory mice. Human trials using resveratrol are continuing.
As mentioned the process of our minds and body’s aging is the price we pay for living a long life. Nevertheless, clinical research is ongoing and continues to amaze by discovering new means to combat the most difficult, uncomfortable and adverse consequences of growing older. Those of us who are getting older find solace in exercise regimens, healthy diets and anti aging supplements that empower us to thwart the process of aging.
All fine and good claims Dr. Andrew Weil, health guru, but he also recommends that we merge these practical anti aging efforts with a healthy dose of optimism and well being as we age. As we get older we have the advantage of experience and wisdom that only comes with logging the time. How great it will be to grow older while we have the advantage of great health and mobility to continue to experience all that life has to offer in the autumn years of life. There is much to look forward to in this life if we are in control of our bodies and our minds. As we age, regardless of what point we begin, we must do the things medical experts exhort us to do to remain vibrant.
Wed, Jan 27, 2010
Anti Aging, Bioscience, Health And Aging, Longevity