| Introduction to Anti-aging
Medicine |
 |
 Advances
in technology and research has usher in a new era of medical information that
only a generation ago was unheard of . It is not too long ago when our exploration
of the human body is limited to the organ and its gross pathology. Today we
are able to travel to the inner sanctuary of the cell, well into the amino acid
structure of the DNA. The speed of such discovery means that the
many of our traditional understand on health issues need constant revision and
updating.
The concept of aging is one such issue. It has always been thought of as an
inevitable part of life. Our life expectancy is pre-destined and nothing can
be done to change it. Research shows us that this is simply not true anymore.
Those of us who have dedicated our lives to anti-aging medicine believe that
aging should be view more appropriately
as a collection of chronic degenerative diseases such as arthritis,
diabetes, and loss of memory. These can be deterred, reversed, or even cured.
We now know that aging and life
expectancy is approximately seventy percent determined by our lifestyle and
only thirty percent determined by our genetic makeup. It is the advance
of antibiotics and proper management of these lifestyle factors that is largely
responsible for the increase in life expectancy from 43 to 76 in just the past
century, as genetic therapy as an anti-aging modality is till years away.
The aging process starts in the early twenties and passes through a series of
sub-clinical phases within which our body does not feel anything "abnormal
". Cancer, thinning skin, decreasing muscle strength, and slowing gastro
intestinal motility commonly associated with aging takes an average of twenty
years or more to develop and become symptomatic. During this gradual and progressive
deterioration, there are no outward warning signs.
The fallacy that the absence
of outright detectable symptoms of aging and the failure of confirmation by
current laboratory test equates to a "normal " body must be dispelled.
Most current laboratory test are not sensitive enough to detect the cellular
changes occurring within. In addition, many blood tests measure the serum
which do not necessarily reflect the more important intracellular levels of
the same. Their results can be misleading.
As long as you have past your peak physical health around age twenty, the body
will start to naturally and progressively deteriorate in the absence of any
pro-active steps to arrest such sub-clinical disease state. What
is considered normal by current laboratory test should not be so considered
from an anti-aging perspective. Anti-aging physicians often redefines common
laboratory reference standards into two groups - standard for those who are
clinically sick with active disease, and for those who are in the sub-clinical
phases of the disease characteristic of the aging process.
Many people considered "normal"
by current testing standards is already well in the sub-clinical phase of many
degenerative disease, including hypertension, osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis,
and diabetes. Just because current tests are not sensitive enough to detect
the abnormality does not mean the absence of disease.
For example, one of the key factors in diagnosing diabetes is a fasting blood
sugar of 120 mg/dl or more. We know also that a fasting blood sugar between
100-120 is also sub-optimal and reflect the sub-clinical phase , or the commonly
called "pre-diabetic" condition. If nothing is done, diabetes will
follow. It is only a matter of time. Yet few knows how to treat this pre-diabetic
phase other than through dietary control. What natural and non-toxic alternatives
are available ? The knowledgeable anti-aging physician recognizes that the ideal
fasting blood sugar from an anti-aging perspective should be close to 90 mg/dl,
and that there are many tools to achieve that end without involving drugs. At
the same time, drugs will be used only as needed to bring about the desired
effect.
 The
body is not a light switch that can be turned on and off at will. It is a miraculous
machine that often advance signals to warn us of impending diseases. The anti-aging
specialist in constantly in tune with such signals, and helps each to interpret
what he or her body is trying to say before degenerative disease such as high
blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and osteoarthritis progress from their
sub-clinical state to full blown disease state.
It is indeed sad when we know
that simple and concrete steps exist today to deter, halt, and even reverse
such sub-clinical disease state. Millions are walking around today
thinking they are normal when in reality they are not. Ignorance is not bliss
when it comes to the body because the sooner you know, the earlier you can take
action and the more time is available. After the window of prevention closes
and opportunity lost, the pre-occupation is on symptomatic treatment. Those
who are not pro-active in deterring the aging process inevitably find themselves
stricken with degenerative disease in their middle age and then spent the rest
of their life catching up.
Aging is not inevitable once this concept of undetectable sub-clinical disease
state is understood . You can do something now, if you know how. Ideally, deterring
of the aging process should start in the early twenties . Research have shown,
however, that it is never too late. Treating aging as a disease that can be
arrested or slowed, anti-aging
physicians set down a treatment strategy to maximize the life span of each cell
of the body. When the cell lives longer, you will live longer.
The understanding of cellular function is therefore of paramount importance
to any anti-aging specialist and those who interested to live longer. All disease,
including aging, starts at the molecular and cellular level. Successful anti-aging
strategy and curing of disease must begin at this level. Treating symptoms like
giving anti-histamine to stop a running nose is a short term band-aid that only
buys us time in the absence of the understanding of the real cause and therefore
the real treatment. If we only know what at the cellular level causes the running
nose, doesn't s it make more sense to stop the cell from causing such symptoms?
In the absence of such knowledge, the best we can do is to simply constrict
the vessels to prevent the discharge. It's the second best. The quest for knowledge
to know why cells become dysfunctional is therefore an area of on going important
research.
Knowing the cause of cellular damage will lead us to the discovery of treatment,
either in the form of drugs or natural alternative means, to help the cell defend
and renew itself. The science of ortho-molecular medicine is dedicate to such
a cause. It was first advance by one of the great scientist of our times - the
late two times Nobel laureate Dr. Linus Pauling. In 1969 , he coined the word
"Orthomolecular" to denote the use of naturally occurring substances,
particularly nutrients, in maintaining health and treating disease. Orthomolecular
medicine is a nutritional therapy that advocates the use of a whole foods diet
supplemented with food additives to produce a state of optimum health. Vitamins,
minerals, and other food additives are recommended to prevent illness, extend
longevity of life, and treat mental, emotional, and physical illness. At that
time megadose niacin therapy for schizophrenia and dietary treatment of "hypoglycemia
were the major focus of the movement. Since then orthomolecular psychiatry and
medicine have emerged as a distinct and important specialty area in medical
practice.
Dr. Pauling died at age 93 and contributed the last 20 years of his life
to high doses of vitamin C which was universally rejected when first proposed.
Today, many physicians in anti-aging medical commonly use this approach.
It is also been proven useful therapeutically useful in cancer treatment. Terms
like free radical, anti-oxidants, oxidative damage, DNA, and mitochondria are
unheard of just a generation back, yet today they are common words widely accepted
and used by the medical and lay community alike.
In the early days of ortho-molecular medicine,
highly respected physicians who believe the concept that disease starts at the
cellular level and nutrition can be used to combat such cellular diseases were
laughed at and labeled as "quacks". Now they are called "visionaries
". How time have changed.
Anti-aging medicine incorporates many of the principals of ortho-molecular medicine
to retard aging and rejuvenate the body, in addition to the following discipline:
nutrition, biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, general medicine, immunology,
allergy, endocrinology, pharmacology, toxicology, neurology, gastroenterology,
nephrology, and physical medicine.
The following therapeutic modalities falls into the realm of the anti-aging
physician: hormonal replacement therapy, vitamins, minerals , amino acids, essential
fatty acids , fiber, enzymes, antibodies, antigens, cell therapy, chelation
therapy, hydrotherapy, thermal therapy, acupuncture, exercise, biofeedback ,
psychotherapy, and others. Drugs and medicine is used in conjunction with non
invasive and the least toxic modality to achieve optimal health.
Knowing what to do in detail
of each of the modalities is the key. Even if you belief that the
nutritional approach, you may not know the dosage, the frequency, and the contraindications,
if any of each nutrient. The same goes for other modalities.
One of the ways to begin our study into anti-aging medicine is to examine a
series of common "time tested " axiom and question its validity based on current
research.
Consider the following widely
accepted axioms:
Milk is good your body.
Osteoporosis can be prevented if you take high dose of calcium.
Taking high cholesterol food like eggs will increase your chances of heart attack.
The way to lower blood pressure is to take medicine and reduce salt intake.
The foundations upon which many
of the above statements are predicated upon have been proven wrong scientifically
in recent years, yet the public at large is unaware.
No, milk is not good for your body, and eating
eggs does not increase your chances of heart attack if you are in good health.
Furthermore, magnesium is the key to prevent osteoporosis, not calcium. Sugar
is worse than smoking, and the vast majority of developed world is over fed
with calorie but chronically under nutrition.
Consider the following facts:
Increase intakes of antioxidants could potentially prevent or postpone 50-70%
of cataracts. Do you know
the specific antioxidants for eye health and their dosage?
Two studies conducted at Harvard University showed that taking 100 IU per
day of vitamin E for more than two years reduced the risk of heart disease by
26 percent in a group of 45,000 men, and by 41 percent in a group of more than
85,000 women. Do you know
the kind of vitamin E you should take, the optimum dosage for anti-aging, and
the potential side effects?
Congratulations if you know the answer. Research has shown that the average
consumer who is knowledgeable on nutrition actually knows more than the average
physician. This may be startling to you but the fact
is that the average doctor receives less than 10 hours of nutritional training
in four years of medical school curriculum. This is indeed scary
but real. In fact, you may not realize but doctor's
and hospital errors are the third leading cause of death in America. The average
doctor's life expectancy is no longer that of the average person. Yet these
are professionals supposed to be armed with the latest know how.
The current generation of doctors are trained and focused on treating disease
when they are clinically active, not on treating disease when they are in the
sub-clinical phase during the aging process.
Few physicians are privileged to be in the forefront of an emerging and explosive
field such as anti-aging medicine. Even fewer are privileged to have the time
to seek the truth along the way.
Truth is the ultimate source of wisdom. To be true to ourselves, we must not
be afraid to say we are wrong when the facts are such, and to actively embrace
the new truth, one that is based on research and not subjective testimonials.
Not only are the public at large
years behind and lagging in this information, most are confused from conflicting
information on what the truth is.
Knowledge in anti-aging medicine is doubling every few years and the growth
is exponential.
Perhaps you will see, as we do, the current paradigm shift calls for us to first
unlearn what we know and relearn what we don't know.
Aging is defined as the collection
of degenerative diseases that is large influenced by lifestyle. Anti-aging medicine
incorporates the latest medical advances to deter the aging process and curing
of degenerative diseases at its root, resulting in longer life expectancy.
The anti-aging information presented
here are time tested and real. It does not work 100 percent, because 30 percent
of you is determined by your genes. It covers the 70 percent of you that you
can control.
Anti-aging Medicine is not about just living longer. It is about the opportunity
to live a full and happy life. You are giving yourself the ultimate
gift - the gift of time.
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