Understanding what is happening to our bodies as we age is helpful to us by knowing the cause and effects of this process. At the cellular level, there are some major hallmarks of aging:
Genomic Instability
Ok, so what does that mean? Basically, I am saying that this is damage of our DNA. DNA in our bodies contains the instructions necessary for life. The code in our DNA gives directions on how to make proteins in our body that are necessary for growth, development and overall health. According to estimates, tens of thousands of DNA damage events occur every day in each of our cells. Our cells have special proteins that can find and repair many cases of DNA damage. If our DNA is not repaired, this helps to drive the process of aging. The unhealthier your lifestyle is, the more damage that can occur to your DNA. So, obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, or too much alcohol intake can all lead to damaging your DNA.
Shortening of Telomeres
Telomeres are part of our DNA that is attached to our chromosomes. Telomeres help protect DNA from damage, but as our DNA is repaired, telomeres begin to shorten. Other lifestyle factors such as psychological stress, smoking, overeating can also shorten them. Shortening of your telomeres is a major contributor to the aging process and development of diseases. Shorter telomeres are connected with cardiovascular disease or certain types of cancer. Below is what a telomere looks like:
Deregulated Nutrient Sensing
Cells in our body require a constant supply of nutrients (from our eating) to provide the energy they need to function. Cells also have to be able to store nutrients when they are abundant and release them when nutrients are scarce. Nutrient levels in our bloodstream need to stay within a safe range. The main nutrient sensing dysfunction that emerges during human aging is insulin resistance – leading to all major chronic disease, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), kidney failure Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, and fatty liver disease.
Next week, I will discuss more of the hallmarks of aging and after that, what can we do, if anything, to prevent these hallmarks?
This past week, my wife had one of her friends visiting. Seeing the impact that this friendship has on my wife made me think about how friendship impacts our physical and mental health. Well, in my research, friends have a significant role in promoting overall health.
Benefits of friendship
Friendship can help with the following:
Celebrating the good times and providing support during the bad times
Prevents feelings of isolation and loneliness
Increases your sense of belonging and finding your purpose
Reduces your stress and improves your happiness
Improves your self-confidence and value
Helps you cope with traumas, such as loss of a loved one, serious illness, job loss, etc.
Encourages you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits
Adults with strong social connections have reduced risks of significant health problems, such as depression, high blood pressure, and unhealthy body mass index (BMI). And, some studies have shown that adults with meaningful relationships and social support are more likely to live longer than peers without those friendships.
How many friends should you have?
It’s better to have a few good friends than to have many “friends”. It’s good to have a diverse group of friends, but fewer meaningful relationships may give you a greater sense of belonging and well-being.
How to meet new friends?
We can make new friends or nurture relationships we already have by:
Staying in touch with people with whom you have worked
Reconnecting with old friends
Introduce yourself to your neighbors
Reaching out to people you have enjoyed meeting at social gatherings.
Other ways of meeting new friends may include:
Attending community events
Volunteer your time at a hospital, museum, or other charitable groups
Join a church or bible study
Take up a new interest – join a gym or take a class
How to I keep and grow my friendships?
Be kind. That is probably the number one behavior to nurture relationships
Be a good listener. Ask questions about their life and interests.
Share about yourself.
Show that you can be trusted
Be available for conversations, quick phone calls, and getting together.
As we grow older, we continue to have social and supportive needs, including friendship. Hopefully, you already have friends and you are supporting them as they support you. Call a friend today!!
Wilkinson A, et al. Maintenance and development of social connection by people with long-term conditions: A qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; doi:10.3390/ijerph16111875.
Holt-Lunstad J. The major health implications of social connection. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2021; doi: 10.1177/0963721421999630.
As we age, we may become concerned about dementia or more specifically, Alzheimer’s Disease, one type of dementia. So what can we do to help our brain stay alert and prevents different types of dementia. Below are some suggestions:
Medical Issues
True prevention is maintaining a lifestyle that keeps medical issues from happening to us. It may be too late to change some of the risks we have, but here are the major medical issues that contribute to dementia:
Cardiovascular disease — Strokes can cause dementia; atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the blood vessels) can cause blockages in the brain; inflammation, caused by smoking, brain damage, or hypertension, can limit the supply of oxygen to the brain. These blockages can all lead to cognitive decline or dementia.
Diabetes – Having diabetes doubles your chances of getting Alzheimer’s Disease.
Lifestyle Factors
Diet – Your risk of getting Alzheimer’s is significantly higher if you eat:
Processed foods
Lots of sugar
Lots of grains, starches, and other high glycemic foods
Stress – Stress does damage the brain. Over time, it atrophies our hippocampus and our memories. Stress not only ages our brain but shortens our life.
Sleep – Sleep is the only way to restore our brain 100%. When we don’t sleep as much as our bodies require, it diminishes functions within the body and brain, such as:
Fatigue and difficulty concentrating
Decreased cognitive function which includes impairments to learning, memory, speed, and verbal tasks
Significant reductions in overall health including these symptoms:
Immune function decline
Cancer
Reduced mineral density
Hypertension
Weight gain
Smoking – Anything that decreases oxygen to the brain affects cognitive function. Smoking increases your risk of Alzheimer’s by 45% and 14% of all Alzheimer’s is directly attributed to smoking.
Exercise (Or lack of)—Lack of exercise is a major cause of all chronic diseases
So, give your brain a break and try to control those lifestyle factors that affect your cognition. I know I’m going to keep on controlling my lifestyle.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Mike
References:
Mitchell, W. (2015). The Unbreakable Brain (1st ed.). Primal Health, LP.
Do you wake up in the morning saying, “I’m so tired?” As we age, we wonder where our energy has gone. There are some steps we can take to keep our energy level high. Below there are some suggestions:
Healthy Diet
Limit the amount of junk food drastically.
Control the amount of sugar taken in daily.
Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.
Eat adequate amount of protein for yourself daily. Average sedentary male should eat about 56 grams of protein per day and average sedentary female should eat about 46 grams of protein per day.
Cut back or eliminate all ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, chips, chocolate, candy, ice-cream, sweetened breakfast cereals, packaged soups, chicken nuggets, hotdogs, fries and more.
Exercise
If you find yourself tired in the morning, did you exercise at least 150 minutes per week? If not, the lack of exercise can lead to exhaustion. Does that sound contradictory? It isn’t. Exercise improves cardiovascular health and increase oxygen to the cells in your body and can generate more energy. Exertion causes the body to produce more mitochondria in your cells. These mitochondria convert glucose and oxygen in your cell into energy. So… the more mitochondria you have, the more energy you have.
Water
Water intake can not only affect your energy but also your brain function. Remember to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Supplements
If you do not take in adequate vitamins and minerals, your energy level is also affected. The vitamins that affect your energy levels are primarily the B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A. If your food intake doesn’t provide enough of these vitamins, you will definitely experience fatigue and tiredness. Magnesium and iron both impact energy at the cellular level and impact your brain function. All of these minerals and vitamins will affect your energy. Ensure that you take in an adequate amount daily to keep your energy levels up.
I hope you find this list helpful. I take my own advice. If you are still experiencing fatigue, I suggest that you reach out to your medical provider and discuss with them. There may be other reasons for your fatigue…. Or being so tired.
Aging brings many changes into our lives – physical, emotional, and spiritual. One of the most emotional hurtful experiences is that of being disrespected only because we are older. Just because we are older, we are asked different questions than when we were younger. Questions such as after a procedure, not requiring some type of sedation, the office personnel ask if someone is with you? How can we deal with this and how do we educate others of the need to be respectful?
What is respect?
Have you noticed as you get older that you begin to be treated differently. Even though respect among human beings seems to be diminishing, all of us value being respected as a person with value. Respect is defined as “due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others” from the Oxford Dictionary. Respect for aging individuals can be viewing the person as a responsible adult who can make their own decisions.
How to manage disrespect?
There are some steps to managing disrespect with your family, colleagues, or friends. With strangers who are disrespectful to you, it is best to ignore them and move on. With strangers, their mental state is unknown and responses to them could be dangerous for your health.
With friends, family, and colleagues:
Explain the why you are talking to them about this situation. Set up the conversation for success with the why of this conversation.
Describe to them the situation that was hurtful or disrespectful.
Let them know how their behavior made you feel. What kind of impact upon you? Loss of confidence, feeling less of a person, thinking I’ve “lost my mind”. I’ve heard these comments from individuals who were hurt by family’s or friends’ behavior.
Ask for what you need from them in the future. How you wish to be treated.
Let them know how you value their friendship, working relationship, or love.
What about the rest of the world?
Some hospital systems across the United States are moving toward “Age Friendly Care” for older patients. This was developed by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and follows evidence-based standards, along with causing no harm and aligning what matters to the older adult and their family. The rest of the world has to catch up with those types of action. Most of the service industries should be focusing more on age friendly service.
In summary, planning on how to respond to individuals being disrespectful to you will make you feel more in control, if and when it happens.
Because there is a war going on inside your body when you are exposed to any virus, fungi, or bacteria in the environment. The immune system fights to protect your body from harm from outside invaders. Since flu season is upon us, we all need to take better care of ourselves, particularly as we age.
What is the immune system?
Our immune system is a group of organs and cells that keep us healthy. It can tell the difference between our own cells and those cells that make us sick. The immune system can sometimes recognize and destroy cancer cells.
The major organs of our immune system are:
Thymus – located in the upper chest where T cells mature.
Liver – it produces phagocytes which are white blood cells that eat bacteria as the blood passes through the liver.
Bone Marrow – All cells of the immune system begin their development from stem cells.
Tonsils – Has collection of lymphocytes in the throat.
Lymph nodes – A collection of B cells and T cells throughout the body. Lymph nodes can become swollen when they are fighting infection.
Spleen – Also, has B cells, T cells, and monocytes that interact with viruses or bacteria.
Most cells that are a part of our immune system are found in our bloodstream. The cells are known as white blood cells. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cells and they help keep us healthy. There are two types:
T cells protect us from infection. They can wipe out infected or cancer cells
B cells create antibodies. These B cells create a type of protein called an antibody. They can bind viruses or toxins and keep them from invading our cells. B cells can also “recruit” other cells to help destroy an infected cell
What happens to our immune system with aging?
As we age, changes develop in our immune system, such as:
Our immune system is slower to respond. The risk of illness increases. Vaccines may not last as long as when we were younger.
Our body may heal more slowly because there are fewer immune cells to help with the healing.
The immune system’s ability to detect and correct cellular defects.
What can we do to decrease the risks from our immune system aging?
Some of the obvious actions we can take to decrease our risks are:
Healthy diet
Daily exercise
Do not smoke
Limit alcohol intake
Get vaccines
Additional actions to consider should be discussed with your physician or health care provider:
NAD+ supports DNA repair and health. DNA sensors participate in response to bacteria and viruses and help clear them from the blood.
Vitamin C stimulates white blood cells to the site of the infection, helps with killing germs, and protects the healthy cells in the body.
Vitamin D deficiency increases susceptibility to infection. Vitamin D stabilizes the natural immune responses.
Zinc helps your immune system and metabolism function.
In summary, these actions above can help you during the cold and flu season. Protect yourself by helping keep your immune system healthy.
During my years in the mental health profession with additional training, I have worked with individuals using progressive relaxation, hypnosis, biofeedback and other treatments to effectively help them incorporate into their daily life managing their stress. So, I want to share some helpful suggestions to avoid the damage done by anxiety, and other stressful situations. You will be able to see benefits in those techniques to ease that stress.
Is there healthy and unhealthy stress?
First, there is a natural rhythm to a healthy heart; when in rest, you can feel the pulse and hear the heart beat rhythmically and strong. Yet there are situations that stimulate the heart to go beyond what is a restful state; it can go to an alert awareness, to the flight or fight syndrome. There is a reality that causes this heightened alertness to occur, such as danger, or extreme excitement of a newborn baby in the family. That excitement of the new baby is not distressful, it is stressful, but it is a positive form of stress.
What happens to our body when stressed?
It is important to know that most people can arouse anxiety even by their thoughts alone, which is an unhealthy type of experience. This type of stress can cause the heart to beat faster, your breathing to be more exaggerated, the pressure of the blood flowing through your body to increase, and your muscles to be more tense. Those events, over a period of time, can damage our body. It is the thought process, primarily that has been constructed by the individual themselves. So many professionals have engaged themselves to help others understand the pathology that has evolved.
Causes of anxiety
Most people can attend to three or four bits of information at a time. When that information comes into the conscious mind and then other bits of information comes in, the original information is pushed down to the subconscious. When the conscious and subconscious are both full of information, the subconscious information can be brought back to our conscious mind when needed. The subconscious has those thoughts that have evolved over the years and may be the monsters of anxiety. One of the main ways to deal with those inappropriate and inaccurate thoughts (called automatic negative cognitions by Dr. Aaron Beck, a renowned psychiatrist) is to bring it to the conscious level and have it out in the open. That’s the therapist’s perspective.
How to help your anxiety?
One way to address anxiety without a therapist is building new thoughts and new ways of addressing your anxiety. What happens is a physiological response to a negative subconscious thought; we can be aware of our awareness. The first thing that you can control is your breathing. What happens before anxiety occurs is your breathing changes. What I’m trying to help you understand is that you can actually identify anxiety before you get into a worry mode or a panic attack. Just be aware that your breathing has changed. Is there tightness in your chest? Can you feel that? Do you notice any change in your breathing? Then start controlling your breathing, because if you can control your breathing, you can control that “anxious feeling”.
Consequences of Anxiety
What are the long term effect of anxiety on our bodies? Chronic stress can cause the following:
Sexual dysfunction and loss of desire in men and women
Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and heart disease
Mental health issues, such as depression and personality disorders
Skin and hair problems, such as acne, psoriasis, eczema and permanent hair loss
Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and irritable colon.
Obesity and other eating disorders.
Final Words
Breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, galvanic skin response – all of these neurophysiological functions in a relaxed state are low and steady. When danger occurs, all of these functions raise rapidly – the flight or fight syndrome. Individuals who have built up negative thoughts over the years, those are in the subconscious. We need to know that we can change our anxiety or stress levels simply by getting in touch with our body using feedback by being aware. You can control your breathing, blood pressure and heart rate just by being aware and in touch with your body. It takes a lot of practice, but I’ve learned to do this myself. When you learn to be aware and control those functions, you can function at a higher level and live a healthier life. Please contact me for any questions.
Last week, we discussed two supplements – Curcumin and Magnesium. This week, we are going to discuss four more of the top supplements used in the United States as collected by the ConsumerLab.com Survey of Vitamin and Supplement Users.
Vitamin D
During the beginning of the COVID pandemic, people everywhere were adding Vitamin D to their diet. Even, Dr. Fauci recommended Vitamin D. Studies show that Vitamin D improves several conditions such as:
Poor bone health
Type 1 diabetes
Hypertension
Tuberculosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,
And many more… However, simply getting more sunshine is more effective than taking oral supplements, because vitamin D supplements generally do not improve the serum levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that has a role in our immune system. Studies have shown mixed results in lowering the risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and the common cold.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is necessary for:
The formation of red blood cells
Neurological function
DNA synthesis
And, many other processes in the body
B12 deficiency is common in Americans and can be treated with B12 injections or high dose oral Vitamin B12.
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that plays many vital roles in our body, such as:
Being necessary for the activity of over 300 enzymes assisting in metabolism, digestion, nerve function, and more
Being critical for the development and function of immune cells
Fundamental for skin health
Needed for senses of taste and smell
Needed for body growth and development.
These supplements may be beneficial for you to take; please review and research them for yourself. Supplements, including vitamins, can be detected in your lab work so your physician or licensed provider can determine is you have a low level, normal level or too high. It’s very important that you let your provider know which supplements or vitamins you are taking. I personally take some of these for my physical well-being.
What about supplements? The global dietary supplement market was valued at $151.9 billion in 2021. One fact I need to make very clear is to review any supplements, that you think you may wish to take, with your medical provider. Do not start taking supplements without complete investigation of the supplement and making the decision with your medical provider’s input. Be cautious of videos on the web that claim “cure-alls” for multiple disorders.
I am going to share some information about some of the more commonly accepted supplements by the medical field. I will be sharing information about a few that I personally take on a daily basis.
Curcumin
Turmeric contains about 100 compounds and the one that is credited with most of turmeric’s health benefits is Curcumin. Curcumin contains anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. So participants in some studies have shown that there is improvement in joint tenderness and swelling. Other conditions, specifically the anti-inflammatory properties, that may have some benefits are reducing depression symptoms, helping in treating diabetes, support skin health, and many others.
Turmeric should be combined with healthy fats, like coconut oil, or olive oil so that the curcumin can be easily absorbed by the digestive tract. Turmeric cannot be utilized effectively because of its poor bioavailability, but adding piperine, an active ingredient in black pepper, makes curcumin more easily absorbed by the body.
Magnesium
Magnesium is found throughout your body. Every cell in your body contains this mineral and needs it to function. Some of the benefits are:
May boost exercise performance
May combat depression
May help support healthy blood sugar levels
May promote heart health
Offers anti-inflammatory benefits
May help prevent migraine headaches
May improve PMS symptoms
May promote bone health
May support better sleep
Some of the best food sources for magnesium are:
Dark chocolate
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Spinach
Nuts, such as almonds and cashews
Legumes, such as black beans, chickpeas, etc.
Avocados
Whole grains, including wheat, oats, barley, quinoa, etc.
Those are two supplements that may add to your health and well-being. I offer this as information. I recommend if you are interested in taking these supplements, discuss with your physician or medical provider. Next week, I will discuss some additional supplements that you may find useful.
The capacity to act objectively rather than under the influence of desires, or
Self-directing freedom and especially moral independence – personal autonomy.
So what is personal autonomy in health, these are the choices which you make as an individual to move toward health. Being healthy is a personal choice; the choice one makes to live better and longer. How do you make these choices. Only by learning what choices are available to you, can you make educated and objective choices.
Attitude
The first choice is your attitude. Ask yourself daily, “What kind of attitude do I have today?” Is this attitude one of positivity – that you will have a positive attitude daily about choosing to eat a healthy diet, or do you just say, “I don’t feel good today, I can start on my healthy diet tomorrow.” With that attitude, you will procrastinate your healthy diet to a far off future time that may be too late.
What about exercise? Is that a decision made early in the week, which days you will exercise and for how long and then stick to it? If not, revise your attitude to be positive about your decisions to take good care of yourself.
Education
Educate yourself more every day. Learn something new about eating a healthy diet or which supplements may help with lower energy. Educate yourself spiritually, by reading the word of God daily, even for 15 minutes and talk with God daily. Read more articles about how you can maintain your health, like this blog. Learn specific exercises that are the correct exercises for your age, your strength, and your goals.
Actions
Actions speak louder than words. Nothing happens until we take action. In other words, if you know that a healthy body, healthy mind, and healthy spirit will give more living to your life and more enjoyment of the time you have, and do not act upon all three. Your healthy life will not happen.
We must all act upon our self-directed freedom to take action and do those things which can lead to a healthier life with more happiness.
