Healthy Aging – A 21st Century Possibility
We are the “older” generation. We love our life and we want to hang around for a lot
more of it. So we ask ourselves what can we do to engage in healthy aging.
When we were young we heard what are called “old wives tales” about health and
food…We rolled our eyes and looked at our mothers as if they were aliens…Now we
are learning that our mothers were correct. Maybe they knew what Hippocrates
said:
“Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.”
“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.”
Or maybe they read Maimonides:
“Let nothing which can be treated by diet be treated by other means.”
Or maybe they knew this Chinese proverb:
“He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician.”
Whatever knowledge they had – those old wives – our parents and grandparents –
they seemed to know a lot about nutrition.
My mother was adverse to seeing a physician unless absolutely necessary –
something I took note of as she lived to 95. She believed in eating well and letting
one’s body take care of itself. She fed us well and grew most of the vegetables we
ate. But – and it’s a big BUT…. the soil was in better shape when I was a kid…. and
that was in NYC!
Today we have depleted the soil and no matter how organic our food – it is missing
what it used to have way back when – and what is missing are many essential
nutrients. The environment is more toxic than it was, food is more processed, and
it is usually picked before it is ripe and very often cooked to death.
If the soil and environment have worsened, is there anything we can do to grow
older better? Yes – we can supplement our diets with glyconutritional products.
“Glyconutritional products will play a leading role in the 21st century’s emerging
wellness industry. The driving determinant will be the growing realization that
optimal cell-to-cell communication is one of the most critical functions of the life
process and is fundamental to immune system health. “
And if our cells do a better job of talking to one another, who knows what they can
start talking about! So listen to your body now – it talks to you and tells you what it
needs – and it can do a lot more communicating if given the appropriate equipment.
I’m a skier so let me use a ski analogy. Skiing can be tiring and it’s even more so
with older bodies and older equipment. When I first skied we had leather boots with
laces and very heavy long skis with heavy bindings. But I was a lot younger then –
in my 20’s and I hardly noticed how tiring it was – it was too much fun. As I aged –
into my 50’s – I began to think there had to be a solution to all the work skiers
knees do and I fell in love with what were called shaped skis or parabolic skis. I was
the first I know to buy a pair and it made all the difference to my body. The skis do
the work! I’m into a newer shorter pair these days and will continue to monitor
newer models of skis as it makes more sense to let the equipment do the bulk of
the hard work.
At the same time I learned of the new ski equipment, I also came across new inner
body equipment – glyconutrients. For sports fans, think of glyconutrients as the
nutritional version of shaped skis, lightweight bikes or titanium softball bats. It’s all
about that new equipment helping us do what we do better and to doing it as we
age.
The ingredients in glyconutrients are not “new” – they have been around probably
forever and used to be found in our daily food – but no more. The ingredients have
been re-discovered and combined into products; products that protect and nourish
our cells and regulate our organs and organ systems.
Way back when we were in school the up-to-date science of the time was adequate
for then but it was missing a lot of information we now know about. I know from my
own field of Developmental Psychology that advances in technology lead to
advances in developmental knowledge. The same is true of all sciences, including
glycobiology. In this new field, over 20,000 articles have been written in a few short
years. Why so many and why so fast? “This breakthrough discovery exposed the
missing link that has the scientific community, health researchers, and
pharmaceutical companies scrambling to get up to speed on this incredible science.
“
Science and medicine have long tried to break the code by which the cells of the
body communicate with one another in order for its complex functions to occur.
Just as biochemistry is the chemistry of life, this mysterious code is the language of
life. For years, scientists focused on proteins as the primary communication
molecules. Early in this century however, a theoretical mathematician at the
Weisman Institute calculated the number of molecular configurations possible with
protein molecules and the number of known chemical command signals needed to
run the body. She concluded that there were not enough protein configurations
possible to supply all the messages. Another code was required -a sugar code.
Of the 200 monosaccharides [sugars] that occur naturally in plants, eight are known
to be components used in cell-to-cell communication. These eight sugars are
glucose, fucose, mannose, galactose, xylose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-
acetylgalactosamine and N-acetylneuraminic acid. Only two of these, glucose and
galactose, are commonly found in the foods we eat. The others need to be put into
our bodies in the form of nutritional supplements.
Glyconutritional products will play a leading role in the 21st century’s wellness
industry. The driving determinant will be the growing realization that optimal cell-
to-cell communication is one of the most critical functions of the life process and is
fundamental to immune system health. And it is what will allow us to be healthier
as we age.
Lynn Dorman has a Ph.D. in Psychology and is a published author in the field of
Developmental Psychology. She also teaches Lifespan Development where she goes
into more detail on health aging – an interest that has grown as she has aged!
Aside from teaching and writing, she skis, plays squash, kayaks and bikes. All with
no aches or pains. After a lifetime on the East Coast, she moved West where she
can enjoy more of her favorite activities all year long.
The Exercise That Reduces or Reverses the Effects of Aging
One of the easiest and most convenient forms of exercise is walking. Different studies have shown that walking for thirty minutes, three times a week, has a host of beneficial side effects. Reduction of blood pressure, a reduction in anxiety levels, retaining bone mass and weight management are a few of the rewards we reap from walking.
New studies show that walking can also reduce the risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Starting in our forties and fifties, people who stay active by getting up and walking are at less risk for developing these conditions. These studies have shown that walking may even reverse the mental aging process, which allows senior citizens to continue to be mentally alert at a later age.
The latest study from the University of Colorado at Boulder has shown that leisurely walking has the same weight loss effects as walking at a normal rate. Slower walking also reduces the risk of injury. It can be done anywhere at anytime. Slower walking however does not necessarily improve cardiovascular fitness so an aerobic activity such as bicycling or working on ellipticals, two to three times a week, is suggested for maximum effect.
These new studies have basically shown us that it is easier than ever to find ways to stay fit. Taking our dogs for a walk can be one of the healthiest activities we have for both ourselves and our pets. Taking our children for a walk with us can be a bonding experience that benefits our mental as well as physical health. Parking further away at the mall for a marathon afternoon of window shopping with friends can be great fun. These are all activities that can be easily incorporated into our lives. Using our creativity, we can find little ways every day to have fun while becoming fit. So, let’s get outside and stroll our way to a better life.
Constance Weygandt is a balance mentor who specializes in finding answers for those individuals who are seeking an alternative to conventional weight management. For more information or to sign up for Constance’s newsletter, visit her website at http://www.balancedwellnessonline.com
Sunburn Skin Cancer and Aging of the Skin
The experience of sunburn can be a very efficient (i.e. painful) reminder to heed adequate protection on future occasions. However more importantly, it should be a reminder of the long-term effects of sun exposure on our bodies and health – which can include aging of the skin and skin cancer.
In order to more fully understand these consequences, let’s take a look at exactly what sunburn is, its symptoms and its effect on the body.
Sunburn results when the amount of exposure to the sun, or other ultraviolet light source (e.g. tanning lamps and welding arcs etc.), exceeds the ability of the body’s protective pigment, melanin, to protect the skin. Melanin content varies greatly, but in general darker skinned people have more melanin than lighter skinned. (Although fairer skinned people are generally more prone to getting sunburn than darker skinned people, this certainly does not exclude the latter from risk.)
Sunburn destroys cells in the outer layer of the skin, damaging tiny blood vessels underneath. Burns deeper into the skin’s layers also damage elastic fibers in the skin, which over time and with repeated sun overexposure, can result in the appearance of yellowish, wrinkled skin.
The damage to skin cells from UV exposure (either sunlight or tanning lamps etc.) can also include damage to their DNA. It’s this repeated DNA damage, which can lead to a cell becoming cancerous. With the incidence of skin cancer rising dangerously in many parts of the world, and with its ability to develop and establish itself in the body ‘long’ before external signs are detected, — paying attention to this aspect of sun exposure and sunburn should certainly not be ignored if we are serious about preserving our health.
Now while it may be easier to ignore the effects of sunburn occurring at a cellular level, ignoring the external symptoms of sunburn in the days immediately following such exposure is entirely another matter.
While sunburn is usually not immediately obvious, skin discoloration (ranging from slightly pink to severely red or even purplish) will initially appear from 1 – 24 hours after exposure. Although pain is usually worst 6 – 48 hours afterward, the burn can continue to develop for 24 – 72 hours after the incident. Where there is skin peeling, this generally occurs 3 – 8 days after the burn occurs.
While minor sunburns typically cause nothing more than warm/hot skin, slight redness, and tenderness to the affected area, — in more serious cases, extreme redness, swelling and blistering can occur. These blisters filled with fluid may itch and eventually break. This can then cause peeling of the skin, exposing an even tenderer layer of skin underneath.
Severe sunburn can cause very red, blistered skin but can also be accompanied by fever, chills, nausea (in some cases vomiting), and dehydration. In instances of extreme sunburn where the pain is debilitating, medical treatment may be required.
While the immediate effects of sunburn can certainly be painful and cause discomfort, the real deterrent to UV overexposure should be the potential damage to your long-term health – including the risk of premature aging of the skin along with skin cancer.
Don’t let sunburn and sun overexposure kill your chances of enjoying youthful skin, and a healthy body. Remember, the easiest way to treat sunburn will always be to avoid it in the first place!
Angela Perin is author of the comprehensive new guide “Your Personal Guide to Tanning” – covering everything from your skin, uv light & sun-tanning, to sunburn, skin cancer, sunburn, sun protection and sunless tanning. Discover Safe Tan – The Ultimate Experience in Natural Sunless Tanning and download your free copy of this guide including bonus homemade recipes for sunburn relief, sunscreen and exfoliation!