Steps To Anti-Ageing

1. Hormone-Replacement Therapy (HRT)

The most controversial anti-ageing therapy is called multi-hormone supplementation. It has now been widely accepted as a powerful part of anti-ageing medicine.

One of the main causes of skin ageing is the reduction of the body’s hormone production. Some hormones are only produced in great quantity until a person reaches 20 years of age. After the third or fourth decade of life the skin requires enhanced nutrients.

Blood tests can assist in understanding our biochemistry and if hormone supplementation is required. Hormones such as

are associated with a decline in the body’s ability to repair and regulate itself. Multiple hormonal changes result in fat gain, loss of muscle mass, fatigue, insulin, resistance, cardiovascular disease, mental decline, poor immune response and sense of poor health. These changes and shifts can be slowed or even reversed with strategic, monitored, medical hormone replacement.

Anti-ageing hormone modulation is not to be confused with the super-physiological abuses of anabolic hormones by some bodybuilders and other athletes. Unmonitored hormone supplementation and experimentation is clearly dangerous.

The following are some of the most important anti-ageing substances:

2. Aesthetic Enhancement

If we look great, we feel great. One's appearance is very personal. Think about how great you feel after “retail therapy” or having your hair done or even buying a new outfit.

3. Diet

Anti-ageing diet is actually a lifestyle of dietary habits that will improve your longevity. Proper diet and nutrition are fundamental to living a long and healthy life. Processed foods containing trans-fatty acids, refined sugars and saturated fat are to be avoided. Unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables and lean meat are important in providing essential nutriments and antioxidants.

As we age our metabolism slows down. We actually need fewer calories as we get older to minimise the accumulation of fat and disease. However we need sufficient nutrients for the body to function optimally and it is best to maintain a body weight close to the ideal.

Scientific studies have proven that by reducing calories by 10% or more one's human life span can be substantially increased. This concept is called CRAN (Calories Restriction with Adequate Nutrition). The exact mechanism is unknown. Malnutrition and starvation are extreme forms of calorie restriction and are age accelerating and very destructive.

4. Nutritional Supplements

Supplementing your diet with vitamins, minerals and herbs will significantly increase your life span. A medical examination and a full blood screen can help in working out whether you lack nutrients. Vitamins and minerals are needed only in very small doses; larger doses can be detrimental and damaging to our kidneys. Remember, moderation and balance is the key to living a happier, healthier life.

5. Exercise

Exercise is essential to living a high-quality life. Resistance training encourages muscle tone and keeps tendons and ligaments strong. Regular exercise through walking, running or visiting a gym are important factors in maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind. Loss of muscle mass with its associated disabilities is one of the most frequent contributing reasons for admissions to a nursing home. Resistance training helps to slow the rate of decline in strength and muscle mass.

6. Stress Reduction

Do not underestimate stress. Research shows that stress contributes to the majority of major illneses including cancer, heart disease, skin problems and infections. If you are stressed and unhappy, assess the cause and effect. We all encounter stress in one form or another in our life. Take back control of your life, change your occupation or change your partner. We all make mistakes in life, see them as learning experiences. Life is to enjoy and not to be miserable. See it as an opportunity to grow and learn from. Ways to combat stress include meditation, counselling and lifestyle modification.

In Summary

We cannot stop the ageing process, but we can certainly improve the quality and functioning of those remaining years. There have been many proposed scientific theories on ageing.  All play a part and vary from person to person depending on one's genetic makeup and environmental exposure.

Age is the enemy of strength. Hair loses its color and becomes thin, the skin sags and becomes drier. Research has shown that people’s impression of our age influences their judgment of our personal qualities and capabilities.

With advances in Anti-Ageing medicine we can promote health and wellbeing by adopting simple lifestyle measures with exercise, food-modification techniques, stress management and biomedical measures through hormone-replacement therapy.



© Copyright 2007 Ces Colagrande