As you know this website is about anti aging. And one of the things we will discuss here is anti aging medicine. But what exactly does that mean?
Definition of anti aging medicine
Wikipedia describes it as follows: Anti aging medine, also known as life extension, experimental gerontology and biomedical georntology, refers to attempts to slow down or reverse the processes of aging to extend both the maximum and average lifespan.
However, many also describe it as an extension of preventative health care. 90% of all illness is caused by degenerative processes of aging. You can delay this process through early detection (eg. testing your chloresterol levels), and proper intervention (eg. balancing your hormones, eating the proper food or taking the right supplements). The focus is on prevention of disease and not treating disease.
Anti aging medicine can include the following:
Medical research
Currently there is a lot of research happening in the area of tissue rejuvenation. This could be achieved through stem cells, molecular repair or organ replacement.
Nutrition and Diet
Nutrition plays a major part in anti aging medicine as many believe that nutrition is the key to living longer. Currently there are 2 different kind of diets that are recommended. The Paleolithic diet and Caloric restriction.
Nutrition also plays a major part in the prevention of certain diseases.
Supplements
Many in the field of antiaging believe that additional antioxidant supplements like vitamin C, vitamin E, lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine can prolong life through the fight of free radicals. Another supplement resveratrol received a lot of publicty lately, as it has proven to extend the life in mice. Many believe that this supplement can considerably extend life expectancy and I recently attended a lecture where this supplement was hailed by the lecturer as the new penicillan. Many tests with this supplement are currently under way.
Skincare
Although skincare products will not extend your lifespan they can help makie you look a lot younger. The new trend is cosmoceuticals; anti aging skincare products with a lot of research behind them.
Cosmetic treatments and surgery
New treatments like laser peels, botox, fluid facelifts and plastic surgery all help to make you look younger. This is an ever growing industry.
Hormone treatments and hormone replacement therapy
Hormone therapy is widely used in anti aging medicine as a way to keep the hormone balance optimal. Human growth hormone can be used and bio identical hormone replacement.
Why is anti aging medicine so controversial?
Anti Aging medicine is still a controversial topic. Some believe that aging should not be seen as a ‘disease’ but rather as a normal and irreversible part of life that you just need to accept. Although many people have claimed to benefit a lot from the nutrition and supplements recommmended (a popular spokes woman is Suzanne Somers), others believe that the supplements will only benefit the manufacturers of those supplements.
My take on all this
Although I do not believe that aging is a disease, I also don’t think that we should accept all parts of aging. For example, if our bodies benefit from additional supplements or optimal hormone balance, which allow you to feel healthier and fit for longer, I don’t see why we should not take that opportunity. I do think that it is very important to educate ourselves, which is a service I’m hoping to provide with this website. Knowledge, in combination with the help of a good doctor, could possibly provide you with more quality of life for longer.
While I’m educating myself and experiment with certain therapies, nutrition and skincare, I will share my experiences with you. Hopefully you will learn from them and achieve a higher quality of life through either looking or feeling better.
All the best,
Add a Review or Comment