Anti Aging is not a fashion. It is a guide that will make us alive, vigorous, awake and healthy in every moment of our lives. Aging is the gradual decline of normal physical and mental functions of a person. Although it is not possible to prevent the aging process, which is affected by many different factors, it is possible to delay it. In addition, the concept of "quality aging" has already taken its place in the medical literature. The name of delaying, slowing down and sometimes even reversing the aging process is "'anti-aging" medicine.
WHAT IS ANTI AGING? WHAT SHOULD WE DO AND WHERE TO START FOR ANTI AGING?
For thousands of years, mankind has been researching how to prevent aging and whether eternal life is possible. The "Fountain of Youth" in Greek mythology and "Ab-ı Hayat" in Anatolian tales are indicators of these pursuits.
Lokman Hekim, known as the father of medicine in Anatolia, was also after eternal youth and eternal life, and Dr. Faust, created by Goethe, one of the greatest names in German literature...
Aging; It is the sum of all the changes that start with fertilization and occur naturally over time. This is a degradation process. What is measured is the reduced life expectancy and the increased risk of injury to the organism. Aging; As the chronological age increases, it is more and more likely to be closer to death.
The elderly population is the fastest growing group of the world population. According to demographic studies, people over the age of 65 are considered the older class. The elderly population is rapidly increasing, making up 10 percent of the world's population today. Studies show that this rate will reach 60 percent in 2030.
What advice should we give to our patients? What should one pay attention to, which drugs, vitamins to use or not, what to eat or not to eat, how to organize sports and exercises? Are they just enough? Do we also need some treatments? What are the side effects of vitamins and trace elements given to many patients?
And… as an alternative, can we use natural treatments?
Anti-Aging is a process that can be built on voluntariness and will for every person and promises a quality life that will keep us away from hospital doors and patient beds for years.
old age is not a disease
With aging, which is a general physiological process of which much is known, the normal bodily and mental functions of people gradually decrease. While life expectancy in the Federal Republic was approximately 46-48 years in 1890, this figure has increased to 75-82 years today. A significant part of this increase is due to the prevention of infections and other diseases that cause premature death, and the development of treatment methods. Most people now live into their 70s. It shows the possibility of increasing the average life expectancy to 90-100 years thanks to the latest developments and preventive medicine understanding. Aging affects the cells and the systems formed from these cells, as well as the building blocks of connective tissue such as collagen.
Excess energy, insufficient physical activity, excessive tension, and the multitude of risk factors cause an increase in free radicals. Aging, which should be considered as a whole, should be seen as a natural and inevitable event. At this point, the aim is to slow down the aging process and ensure a healthy aging of the body in a proportional manner, rather than attempting the impossible task of stopping aging.
Some scientific concepts about aging
Biological Aging: It is a life-long phenomenon that begins with the fertilization of the egg. It is the changes in the anatomy and physiology of the individual over time.
Chronological Aging: According to the elapsed time, it indicates the unit of time lived on the basis of one-year units. The equivalent of this in society is "age".
Pathological Aging: It covers all of the pathological events that occur with the effect of external factors and negatively affect the normal aging process.
Social Aging: It describes the social behavior acquired in the course of time and the change of social position and social roles.
Psychological Aging: It is the age-related changes in an individual's behavioral adaptability.
The aging process is studied in five stages:
1. Molecular aging
2. Cellular aging
3. Tissue and organ aging
4. Individual aging
5. Social aging
Why are we getting old?
There are five major theories that partially explain aging. These;
Telomerase theory-program theory
Hormone theory
free radicals
Obsolescence theory
Immune System theory
A) Telomerase theory-program theory
After each cell division, there is partial loss of DNA in the chromosomes. Accordingly, after the cells are constantly dividing, the telomere ends. Such a situation develops that the cell no longer divides and dies. An internal clock works in every living thing. When this clock stops, the living thing dies. Because each cell has a limited regeneration possibility. A cell can divide 50–150 times.
The body, which works continuously, starts to lose its strength when it gets old. E.g; If new cells were not created, our skin would suddenly disappear due to constant abrasions. With aging, cell regeneration does not stop completely, but it slows down. The person shrinks, weakens, organs lose their strength. The skin regenerates more slowly, the muscles become thinner, the bones break quickly, the mind becomes lazy, the immune system weakens. Aging can be compared to a constantly draining battery. The light of life illuminates weaker. Human life has been this way for millions of years. Today, scientists all over the world are fighting against it and trying to turn back the biological clock.
Factors affecting the biological clock
-Cell
-Cell nucleus
-Cell membrane
-Chromosomes
-Free radicals
-proteins
-Mitochondria
-Energy
-Basic substance/ Matrix
-Telomer
-Shortening of telomeres
Immortality = telomerase enzyme
Researchers in the USA first encountered the Immortality-telomerase enzyme in 1984. This enzyme makes it possible to forget how often cells divide and constantly turns back the biological clock. Our life clock is hidden at the ends of the chromosomes, in the sections that carry genetic information. Here, there are protective cap-like structures on a strand of thread called telomeres. Each cell division shortens the telomere a little more. When the telomeres are completely gone, the cell dies. Telomerase can constantly repair telomeres and stop the aging process. Telomeres are rapidly shortened by factors such as toxic substances, stress, smoking and alcohol. Avoiding them slows the rate of shortening. In addition, some plants are very useful in slowing down the rate of telomere shortening by using various plants and living in a healthy way for a much longer time. Among them, plants such as astragalus, lemon balm officinalis, thyme can be counted.
B) Hormone theory
Hormones affect the entire body and control aging functions. Hormones, which are special chemical message messengers that ensure the functional integrity of tissues or organs, are secreted by the endocrine glands and act by reaching the target organ via blood. Thus, hormones have formed a chemical coordination system in the organism. With aging, there is a decrease in hormone production. Hormones, which have a balancing function throughout the human body, transmit many important warnings to the brain, immune system and glands. They are responsible for almost all functions of the body. This results in a reduction in the formation of some important proteins.
General characteristics of hormones
They are physiological regulators.
They have a very small effect.
They are secreted by living cells. These living cells are the cells of the endocrine glands, which release their secretions into the bloodstream.
They reach the target organ through blood.
They have specific effects on the target organ.
C) Free radicals
Free radicals are formed during the normal metabolic activities of our body. They can also occur with environmental influences. Industrial wastes, sun rays, cosmic rays and X-rays, ozone, gases especially from automobile exhausts, heavy metals, cigarettes, alcohol, various chemicals, the water we drink and the air we breathe are the first ones that come to mind.
Oxygen is the source of life, but it is also the source of free radicals. Free radicals have extra energy and they can cause damage to various structures in our body by discharging this energy. Aggressive oxygen compounds, also known as free oxygen radicals, cause breakage or mutation of valuable genetic material, DNA. They disrupt cell functions by breaking down membrane lipids and proteins. For example: They carry LDL cholesterol to the cell wall and cause it to degrade from there. Today, we know that free radicals play an active role in the formation of many chronic diseases.
D) Life energy and aging theory
Every living thing has a certain life credit with its birth. Because each cell has a limited number of regeneration possibilities. Each cell can divide 50–150 times. We have to burn energy to live, and we die because we burn energy. During the production of energy in the body, harmful waste products are formed that damage cells and genetic material over time. The real harmful substance is oxygen, although people never want to believe it.
We can think of it this way: In the mitochondria, the energy production factories of our cells, nutrients are converted into energy by burning. Therefore, cells need oxygen. As food is burned with the help of oxygen, some "brutal, aggressive" oxygen, or free radical, is formed. These radicals attach to the protective layer in our cells, attack the chromosomes and damage our genes.
Our cells have to withstand millions of attacks, and at least 10,000 free radicals attack every cell nucleus every day. Improper diet and unhealthy lifestyle, stress and sometimes excessive sports increase this rate 10 times. Each attack can cause gene damage and alter genetic material. Thus, many chronic diseases such as Cancer, Arthritis, Alzheimer's and Heart diseases occur.
Gene damage can be repaired
A group of researchers in the USA walked a student through a 1.6 kilometer long tunnel for 20 minutes during rush hour and took tissue samples from the subject before entering this tunnel filled with toxic gases and after the walk in this tunnel. Investigations showed that the student aged 15 months during this period. Afterwards, the student was given protein and vitamins, and after a long sleep, the next morning, as a result of re-examinations, it was seen that the damaged cells and genes were renewed. This study proves that the body has important mechanisms to fight free radicals and repair damage. However, since the repair mechanisms regress with age, the body needs more biological substances in food as it ages.
E) Immune system theory
Our immune system is attacked by many micro-organisms (viruses, fungi, bacteria) throughout life. Our body is constantly fighting against these micro-organisms. It also makes an effort to remove the dead cell wastes that occur in our body from the body. In a healthy person, the immune system works perfectly. The main factors that weaken our immune system are: unbalanced diet, poor quality and insufficient sleep, chronic stress, substance abuse, working and living in big cities and noisy environments, working in heavy physical work, lack of physical activity and chronic diseases.
Biologists consider life in three distinct phases:
Embryological development: It covers the stage from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg until birth.
Growth and reaching maturity: Growth covers the stage from the birth of the organism to the end of puberty.
Aging: It is the last stage of life in which irreversible deteriorations in the structure and functions of the body are seen.
The physiological changes that occur in organ systems with aging are generally not of a nature to significantly affect body functions under normal conditions. Aging rather reduces the spare capacities of systems. Under various stress conditions, the elderly body may not be able to increase its function as a result of the decrease in these spare capacities. The aging process changes our productivity and our body and causes changes in our body. It is possible to slow down these changes in the organs.
Factors activating aging:
hormone deficiency
Increase in free radicals
lack of physical activity
Irregular life, unhealthy and unbalanced diet
Habits (Smoking, alcohol, obesity, overeating, eating late)
Sleep disorders
Stress
Aging and the environment
Although the elderly maintain their normal functions under resting conditions, there is a significant decrease in their ability to adapt to environmental stresses. The elderly people's resistance to infections decreases, the elderly, who can hardly tolerate extreme heat and cold stress and climate changes, are more vulnerable in terms of toxicity and side effects risks after drug administration. The elderly are at higher risk of being affected by environmental chemicals than the young.
Age load: weight
The World Health Organization says that obesity, which is defined as a chronic disease, has spread all over the world to affect the abdomen, legs and hips. Smoking, inactivity and being overweight are three important factors that accelerate the aging process.
Why do people always get fat?
A very old energy saving rule still impresses us. Move as little as you can, eat as much as you can. It has never been as easy as it is today. Because “fast food” foods come before us quickly and ready to be consumed and directly feed the fat cells.
Laziness hurts muscles
Muscles weaken as a result of inactivity. Fat tissues fill their place. Therefore, the calories are placed freely in the fat cells and the size of the fat cells increases 200 times.
Fat cells have no keys
If there were not enough vital substances in the nutrients, we would have higher fat conversion rates. Vitamin C triggers the burning of fat. Vitamin B6, magnesium, iodine, chromium and selenium have an important place in the diet kitchen. Very few of these valuable substances are found in our food. These substances may need to be taken through food. In the absence of these, millions of fat cells swell and close.
Every extra weight has a significant impact
Every U.S. manager spends an extra $1,000 off their annual income on extra nutrients they receive during the year. The belly button is not just related to the workplace. A survey of US students showed that students would rather marry a mentally disabled or blind woman than a fat woman. The fat people are cruelly despised and isolated from society, and worse, they suffer from many diseases caused by weight.
Exercise instead of miracle drugs
Today, people burn 600-800 calories, that is, one meal less than in the past, but this does not give up a meal. One of the main problems is that people want to lose weight quickly by lying on the sofa and eating chocolate and candy, while swallowing miracle pills. Despite all the advertising promises, there is no such thing as a miracle pill or diet. Those with a BMI over 25 should be treated.
What type of risk are you at?
How dangerous the fat layers (pillows) in the abdominal region are depends on where these pads are located. In addition to BMI (Body Mass Index), fat distribution also plays an important role. Fat retention is higher in the hip and upper calf area in women. This type of weight gain is called “pear-type” obesity. This is a repository created by nature to protect women and children. In contrast, “apple-type” weight gain is common in men. Obesity, which is dangerous for our health, is an apple type of obesity in which fats are collected around the waist. Poor adiposity is a risk factor for arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction and stroke.
Muscle is heavier than fat
Neither the weight displayed by the scale nor the modern BMI Formula can give full information about the actual body condition. Because a person who looks thin may be overweight, or someone who is considered obese may be optimally overweight.
Calories shorten lifespan
It has been scientifically proven that people who are sparing about calories extend their life span. People who want to achieve immortality in the USA have been following a 1500-calorie restricted diet for years.
Eating too much causes aging. Studies of 100-year-olds have shown that most of them are very thin, physically and mentally active, and eat few calories. The Chinese have known for 3,000 years that dinner is the enemy. For this reason, anti-aging experts try to remove dinner from their patients' diets. These people do not like it very much. Because dinner makes life more enjoyable, whether it is accompanied by candlelight and romantic music or children's voices. For this reason, people try to reduce this risk factor by halving the fat ratio. Avoid calories without distressing yourself and practice this all day.
Anti Aging with Complementary Medicine
Following the evaluation of the patient's general health profile, nutrition and lifestyle habits, skin, laboratory tests, body muscle and fat ratio, and physical ailments, an anti-aging program suitable for the age and complaints of the person is initiated (25 years and 65 years require different applications). It should be noted that anti-aging does not have a certain starting age, because active preventive medicine begins with birth.
The treatments to be applied step by step are:
1. Hormone therapy: The main purpose is to replace the deficiency. All hormones are interrelated. An uncontrolled hormone supplement can activate a passive disease. An uncontrolled estrogen supplement is known to increase the rate of Breast Ca. Before supplementing with hormones, it is absolutely necessary to try to regulate the body by using complementary medicine methods. Phytotherapy is one of the methods used in this context.
2. Inclusion of complementary medicine methods in treatment:
quality sleep,
Phytotherapy
healthy and balanced diet,
Detox-Removal of toxins can be done with diet and phytotherapy.
ozone therapy
Physical activity and coping with stress.
3. Stress management: The easiest and most effective stress management can be done by walking barefoot on the soil and dealing with the soil with bare hands.
4. Free radicals: The correct and programmatic use of antioxidants and plants to protect from free radicals and reduce the risk of free radicals
5. Regulation and change of lifestyle
6. Ozone therapy
7. Getting rid of harmful substances: quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, etc.
First of all, the medical approach to be applied should be based on active preventive medicine and should use natural treatment methods.
Treatment with natural methods, in other words, complementary medicine includes the effort to be completely healthy and well-being of the person beyond the diseased organ by evaluating the genetic, social, environmental and work factors that cause diseases, other organs affected by the disorder in that organ, functional changes, and psychological differentiations. . Complementary medicine is an effort to reintroduce medicine that was completely industrialized and commodified at the end of the last century.
Modern medicine, on the other hand, deals with diseases, constantly trying to develop new drugs and new treatments on the surgeon or medical treatment of emerging diseases. Although modern medicine intensifies its studies in the field of anti-aging, it cannot offer an adequate approach.
Because anti aging has to be a completely active preventive medicine application. It is necessary to reverse the damage that has started in cells and organs or the situations that may cause damage before diseases occur. In addition to the applications of modern medicine, complementary medicine applications including completely natural methods should be used in the treatment of diseases.
In the last quarter of the last century, the interest of physicians in this field has increased, with the conscious and highly cultured segments turning to more humane and natural methods, and Complementary Medicine chairs have begun to be established in Medical Faculties, especially in Europe. Unfortunately, there is no academic medical education in the field of complementary medicine in our country. Although there are physicians who practice some of the complementary medicine practices, a holistic approach is lacking, and inadequate and wrong practices can be made by some incompetent people.
Aging is a physiological phenomenon.
However, if premature aging occurs without coordination, it can be perceived as a disease.
Our aging tissues lose fluid. Toxic products begin to settle in place of the lost fluid. Accumulated toxic products begin to show themselves with calcification in the vessel walls and cells. With the increase in the amount of these toxic products, pathological events manifest themselves in our circulatory system and metabolism. In the continuation of these events, our immune system weakens and decreases are observed in all functions of our body. As a natural consequence of these, the occurrence of diseases is inevitable.
In animal experiments; It has been observed that substances given in sequential and toxic doses for certain periods slow down the nerve conduction, form calcifications on the vessel wall and cause deterioration in circulation.
It is known that the human body has a certain regulatory capacity. Expenditure of excessive energy to protect it causes our body to become exhausted.
Finally, it is very, very necessary to use absolute and absolute Medicinal Plants regularly and correctly in order to reduce the rate of aging and lead a healthy life.
