What is Anti-aging And How to Get It.

The phrase anti-aging has been seen more in the news and the media recently and will no doubt continue to be prominent in the years to come. So, what does it mean? Anti – aging is a multifaceted concept that combines the science of aesthetics, nutrition, hormones, genetics and regenerative medicine to retard aging.

The proverbial fountain of youth has been the holy grail of the human kind for thousands of years, but only recently did the science of anti-aging actually start to catch up with this quest. It now holds a promise of real and meaningful slowing of the aging process.

To better understand how anti-aging strategies help us stay younger, we need to better understand how we age.

The aging process occurs in our bodies on many levels that can be summarized as

Degenerative, Cellular, Hormonal, Immunological, Gastrointestinal, and Neurological. Degenerative processes involve our connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons as well as the joint cartilage and spinal discs

On the cellular level, our cells start to divide more slowly and our Mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy, become less efficient. This affects everything from the quality of our skin to the function our cells in the muscles and organs of the body.

As we age we tend to produce less hormones that perform thousands of vital functions in our bodies.

Our immune system likewise becomes less efficient allowing for more infections.

The aging gastrointestinal tract can lose ability to absorb nutrients and become permeable, allowing for entrance of inflammatory and toxic molecules.

Finally, with age our nerve connections in the body and the brain slow down, can become inefficient, and sometimes dysfunctional causing everything from loss of balance and coordination to loss of memory and dementia.

The good news is that we can fight aging on every one of these levels with these simple anti-aging strategies.

Regenerative Strategies:

Regenerative medicine is in its heyday. Our understanding of how we can influence healing of our tissues naturally has been increasing exponentially for the last ten years.

• Dextrose and Biocellular prolotherapy injections with platelet rich plasma and stem cells is becoming increasingly available and is successfully used for healing of degenerated ligaments, tendons, and cartilage.
• Exercise promotes circulation in the joints and builds muscles that protect them
• Daily intake of fish oil and primrose oil reduces joint inflammation and promotes healing.
• Eating an anti-inflammatory diet such a Mediterranean diet reduces joint and tissue inflammation and prevents age related degeneration.

Cellular:

• Vitamin and mineral rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, nuts and seeds provide essential nutrients for our cells to thrive. Special medical supplements can be added for an extra boost. Ayurvedic based adaptogenic herbs are used to prop up and protect the cells from excessive stress for individuals that work in high stress environments.
• Stress reduction techniques such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and resonant breathing have been shown to reduce stress on our mitochondria
• Regular body therapies such as cryotherapy and infrared sauna, have been shown to help cells detox and block accumulation of toxic byproducts.

Hormonal antiaging strategies:

• Toxins found in our foods, beauty products, weed killers and plastic bottles have been directly connected to lowering of key sex hormones testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. Elimination of exposure to these will go a long way in avoiding their decline.
• Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower contain nutrients that help balance our hormones
• Rigorous resistance-based exercise stimulates testosterone production and balances our estrogen and progesterone

Immune System and Gut Antiaging strategies:

These are linked, due to so much of our immune health being influenced by the health of our gut. As the gut is stressed it becomes hyperpermeable or leaky. Protective gut bacteria become deficient allowing for further damage to the gut lining. Leaky gut allows for toxic molecules to be absorbed into the circulation, stressing our immune system.

• Gluten has now been proven to be toxic to the lining of our gut and its intake should be either significantly limited or eliminated.
• Regular diet of fermented foods and foods high in resistant starch such as green bananas and cooled rice help feed the good gut bacteria
• Probiotics help maintain gut protective bacteria and stimulate the immune system

Brain and nerve strategies:

• Getting seven hours of sleep is critical for brain health as it allows for repair of injured nerve connections
• Protecting the gut from inflammation will reduce inflammation of the brain as the two are now understood to be directly linked
• Stress reducing breathing and meditation techniques reduce brain and nerve production of inflammatory chemicals that are damaging to the nerve tissues
• Regular mind exercises with puzzles and special computer games protect the brain from aging and can take as many as 20 years of the brain.

At OWM Buffalo we integrate regenerative medicine, nutrition, stress reduction techniques, exercise, hormonal optimization and medical aesthetic procedures to keep our clients young, agile, and vibrant.