There are no secrets to long life, and I can help you live longer – but there are some secrets to getting the Quality of Life.
Long life without having Quality is not worth it. Nobody wants to end up in a wheelchair, or even worse being alive but bed-ridden.
Live longer by knowing your own body. There are certain items in your make-up that you should know. These include your blood pressure, your blood sugar, your cholesterol, your liver enzymes and your hormone levels.
The key to good health comes in early warnings, but there are silent conditions which don’t give you a warning.
Blood sugar can go up by 10 percent a year and you will not know it.
Blood pressure can go up 10 percent a year and you will not know it.
In 10 years the levels have doubled and you will be in trouble.
Cholesterol will go up. Liver enzymes go up, but you won’t know about it.
However, hormone levels will fall and you will feel yourself slowing down, but you will put it down to getting older, when it does not need to be.
So how do you make sure you get the warning? To get the warning – go looking! Under the age of 40 have a medical every two years (unless you are a smoker). Over the age of 40 have a medical every year.
Let’s look at what happens as you get older:
Immune system aging
Intestinal aging
Decreased kidney function
Increased autoimmune diseases
Decreased Detoxification
Inflammation
Decrease of Cardiac function
Increase of CV risk
Increase of blood pressure
Loss of calcium from the bones
Loss of elasticity in the skin and ligaments
Changes in hormonal secretion
(Reading that lot could be depressing!)
Your hormones include
Thyroid hormone
Growth Hormone
Testosterone (males)
Progesterone (females)
Looking at Growth hormone Function
Administration of Growth Hormone in a British study claimed
72 percent Decrease of Body fat mass
81 percent Increase of Activity
71 percent Improved Skin elasticity
68 percent Increase of skin texture
71 percent Improved Fibroblast number
51 percent reduced wrinkle depth
38 percent increased hair growth
(Growth Hormone is looking good, other than the fact there are side effects like increasing cholesterol and a tendency towards diabetes, all of which decrease longevity!)
Now Testosterone Function
Deficiencies in the hormone can lead to
Muscle weakness
Sexual disorders
Loss of Libido
Increase in upper body and abdominal fat
However, Testosterone should only be used when a deficiency is shown on blood tests, not as a hoped-for willy stiffener.
Now for Progesterone
Progesterone is a hormone that stimulates and regulates important functions, playing a role in maintaining pregnancy, preparing the body for conception and regulating the monthly menstrual cycle.
However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now advises health care professionals to prescribe menopausal hormone therapies at the lowest possible dose and for the shortest possible length of time to achieve treatment goals. If you are taking hormones, you should re-evaluate your treatment with your health care professional every six months.
What about obesity? Being overweight puts a great strain on your joints – hips and knees, and a strain on your heart. Not good for longevity.
So what is “good” to eat?
Dieticians claim that Boron protects your prostate
Calcium to strengthen the bones
Chromium prevents Diabetes
Co-Enzyme Q10 boosts energy
Creatine boosts muscle and memory
Folic acid lowers the chance of Alzheimer’s Disease
Glucosamine helps the joints
Omega 3 oils protect the heart
Selenium fights cancer
Vitamin E slows the effects of aging
But all this is theory, rather than clinical, but in low dosages probably is good for you.
The best news is that there is a powerful antioxidant in grapes and red wine, called Resveratrol, that may help lower your odds of getting cancer, heart disease, and premature aging.
So what can you do to increase your life span?
Moderation in all things is a start.
Do not smoke
Exercise daily (swimming is best)
Eat a healthy diet
Maintain a ‘healthy’ weight
Look for ‘silent risks’ by having annual check-ups
Correct those risks
Change to a healthy lifestyle – starting today
Drink Red Wine! The Stonefish 2010 Merlot is my favorite.
