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Aging

Although aging may be inevitable, the process once understood can be modified. Why is it that some people seem to age rapidly, while others appear to age much more slowly? What are the processes that lead to aging and how can we affect these?

Aging is a perfect example of a multifactorial process that we can have a tremendous amount of control over. This means that there are many different factors that contribute to aging. It could be considered to be caused by "the bits" - that is, a bit of this, and a bit of that. Most of you have noticed how much older smokers look than non-smokers; their skin becomes withered and wrinkled much more quickly. Why is the aging process accelerated in smokers?  

This accelerated aging is also evident in several other conditions, for example in diabetes. Diabetes is considered to mimic the aging process very closely - almost all organs and organ systems are affected. The eyes lose vision, the nerves lose their feeling, the bones become weakened, the kidneys begin to fail, the heart loses its ability to pump forcefully, etc. These changes are very similar to what occurs in many of us as we age. Eventually there is a loss of organ reserve and subsequent organ failure.  

Another example of accelerated aging gives us additional insight into the aging process. A medical disorder called homocysteinuria is a very rare condition that results in very premature cardiovascular disease. The unfortunate people who have inherited this condition rarely live beyond the age of 30, usually dying of heart attack or stroke at a very young age. This disease is characterized by the body being unable to eliminate homocysteine from the bloodstream. One of our amino acids (the building blocks of protein), homocysteine is a normal component in the bloodstream. When the levels of this particular amino acid are excessively high, however, there is a rapid acceleration of cardiovascular disease. This is identical to the cardiovascular disease that is "normally" seen in people as they age.  

The point to be understood by these examples is that there are many underlying imbalances that affect the aging process. These same imbalances are occurring in each of us, not just in among smokers, diabetics or people with homocysteinuria. In us, these imbalances are simply less severe. Likewise, it is not these diseases that are causing aging in us, but rather, the key imbalances that underlie these disorders.  We call these imbalances the Five Forces of Illness.

Smoking is associated with added oxidative stress, as well as impaired detoxification. Diabetes is mainly a severe disorder of glucose regulation. Homocysteinuria is a result of a problem with amino acid balance and homcysteine metabolism. However, even in the absence of smoking, diabetes, or homocysteinura, these underlying imbalances may be accelerating the aging process in each of us. 

There are other key imbalances that are also associated with aging. Another example is the changes a woman experiences as she goes through menopause. After menopause, there is a loss of skin tone and strength, the bones become weaker, the cardiovascular system is more prone to damage, the brain and central nervous system are affected, the bladder and reproductive systems age. These changes, which are similar to those that occur during the aging process itself, are accelerated as a woman goes through menopause. The hormonal changes that occur as one passes through menopause are the result of imbalances in cellular communication, i.e. hormonal imbalances. 

Similar examples could easily be made for other disorders that accelerate the aging process, such as disorders of lipid metabolism, and mindbody interactions such as depression, stress, sleep disorders, and anxiety, etc. 

These conditions and disorders have given us a tremendous insight into the aging process, not only in those people with a specific condition or disease, but even in the case of so-called "normal" aging. Identifying and correcting these key imbalances is the secret to preventing accelerated aging. 

Although we may not be able to completely avoid the aging process, we certainly can have a great impact on the process of aging, so that each of us can live younger longer, the goal of optimal aging.