host posted on March 20, 2010 19:54
Although it is not new, the practice of anti-aging medicine is rising to the forefront as our population ages.
Unlike traditional medicine, anti-aging medicine is not about illness nor about suppressing symptoms of diseases with pharmaceudicals. Anti-aging medicine has a different focus; it's all about maintaining your optimal self or at least returning you to your optimal functioning self.
Anti-aging doctors, holistic doctors, and practioners are taking a fresh approach. They want their patients to be as healthy and vigorous as possible and they understand that the foundation of good health is built on 3 interrelated disciplines:
- diet and nutrition
- exercise and flexibility
- emotions and stress
Anti-aging's mantra for a healthy diet is "LESS is MORE". The body needs organic, fresh, balanced foods. The closer to nature the better. Avoid processed foods. Use variety in your meal plans, find a local farmers market and buy fresh produce.
Try eating smaller meals, more often..in fact, consider the
Knowing that the nutrient source in food is dwindling, consider finding a great multi-vitamin like Women Vitamins Complete, and supplementing your daily intake.
Anything containingg high fructose corn syrup should be avoided. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes and premature aging.
Totally give up any soda pop....your body needs water, and will benefit from daily tea drinking. There's nothing wrong with some coffee in the morning either, as long as it's not smothered in whipped cream and doctored with sugars.
Exercising is vital, and it doesn't take a lot to impact your health. Walking 30 minutes a day is a wonderful start.
If you’re looking for results -- both internally and externally -- you need to do a variety of workouts, including aerobic and strength training.
People involved in strength and endurance training have metabolically younger hearts, and interval training may actually provide MORE protection against heart attacks than long durational aerobic-type exercises. according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, (and by at least one metabolic measure, women benefit more from this sort of training than men.)
Regular physical activity can also increase production of neurons in the memory region, protect you from skin and bowel cancers and help combat mild depression.
Practicing yoga is also great for your body. New studies show people who practiced yoga recover from strokes faster....and as my yoga teacher says, "You are only as young as your body is flexible."
Emotions and stress are significant components in your health triumverate. That have been overlooked for a long time. Emotional stressors play significant roles in nearly every disease from heart diseases, to back pains, to arthritis, depression, and even cancer. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that 85% of all diseases have an emotional element involved. Mental and emotional reactions from events during your life are responsible for the physical, emotional, and spiritual person you are today.
Epigenetics believes that environmental factors such as stress and your diet influence the expression of your genes. It is the expression of your genes as they are influenced by all the factors, (emotional and physical), that determines when and how you age and whether or not you develop certain diseases. Your ability to handle stress, to keep optimistic, and to deal with circumstances alters the expression of your genes.
Studies prove that optimistic people live longer, 
that a genuine smile predicts a longer life expectancy, that heart surgery patients who have a support system of friends and family plus a solid spiritual practice have a lowered mortality rate of 1/7th of those who do not.
Meditating for just 10 minutes can lower your blood pressure and 30 minutes per day can boost your mood as much as antidepressants.
So, deal with your emotions, meditate, pray, exercise, laugh, eat wholesome foods, get moving, forgive, make amends, and ask for forgiveness....life IS good, make the most of what you have been given...live the life you are given with honest pleasure.