Here is, by popular demand, the issue of my newsletter with the anti-aging article that so many people have been asking to see.
NATURAL HEALTH NEWS
Issue 146
IN THIS ISSUE
1. Lowdown on Anti-Aging – for Mature Audiences Only
2. News at HerbScientist.com
ARTICLES AND NEWS
Lowdown on Anti-Aging – for Mature Audiences Only
Okay, I have to admit that anti-aging is becoming a much more interesting topic to me as the years roll by. We baby boomers are driving the interest in this topic. Today I’m simply going to list a few things about anti-aging and give you some guidance on how you can benefit from recent research.
First off, the term “anti-aging” partly refers to regaining health that has declined with age. Aging is now being referred to as a disease by some researchers, and the FDA has approved certain kinds of treatments for what are called “age-related disorders.” Molecular biologists have discovered the causes of aging at the genetic level. Anthropologists have long noted that people in certain cultures around the world live much longer and healthier lives than we do in the U.S. Finally, all kinds of medical research now points to how we can live at least 30% longer and be disease-free and energetic almost right up to our last breath. No cardiovascular disease, no mental degeneration, no loss of eyesight or hearing, and no other typical problems that we have come to accept as signs of aging.
I’ll keep this short for now, because I will have much more to say about the topic of anti-aging as more research unfolds. For now I will just say that it is very real and that many, many people are already benefiting from anti-aging strategies. Two of the most prominent of these are:
Strategy #1: Calorie Restriction
This doesn’t mean just cutting back a little on what you eat. It means cutting out one-third or more of what you eat. Imagine the normal amount of food that you put on your dinner plate, then removing a third of it. Research on calorie restriction is compelling. It is also not as simple as just eating substantially fewer calories. The whole topic has become so significant for human health and longevity that organizations have popped up to spread the gospel of calorie restriction. These include:
- The Calorie Restriction Society – a great source of information on anti-aging
- Calorie Restriction Society International
- Calorie Restriction Society Japan
The main point about calorie restriction is that a low calorie diet must include high nutrition. This is the dietary key to health and longevity with the calorie restriction approach.
Strategy #2: Human Growth Hormone
HGH is truly the master hormone, the granddaddy or grandmommy of all hormones. Whatever happens to your HGH levels shows up in just about every other aspect of your physical being. If you have plenty of circulating HGH, your health is probably excellent. If your HGH levels are declining, then your health is degenerating. The rate of degeneration corresponds to the rate of HGH dropoff.
The challenge you have with HGH is that it is like so many other hormones – i.e., you make less of it when you age, starting at about age 25. Plenty of research now shows that injections of HGH, in the right amount and at the right frequency, reverse the so-called signs of aging by the equivalent of 20 years or more after a few months of treatment.
By the way, HGH is a protein, not a steroid. Many people confuse the two because they are mentioned in the same breath with the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs by professional athletes. Because HGH is a protein, with a very specific chain of 191 amino acids in just the right sequence, there are no synthetic equivalents like there are for natural steroids.
All commercial HGH is now made by bacteria that have been genetically engineered to include the human gene for HGH. Although it is identical with native HGH, the genetically engineered product is referred to as rHGH (for recombinant DNA). rHGH has emerged as a top anti-aging treatment, even though it is unavailable to most people due to its expense and to government regulations that restrict its use.
Fortunately, people can do a number of things to increase their own production and release of HGH naturally (i.e., without injections). A hard weightlifting session will cause a spike in HGH, as will a good night’s sleep. Furthermore, several common amino acids, in sufficient doses, will also help out considerably. This topic alone merits a number of articles, so I will be posting about it on my blog (HerbScientist.com) on a regular basis. For now I will just give you a heads up on what these amino acids are, in case you want to get a jump on your own research about them. The main amino acids that boost HGH levels are:
- L-arginine
- L-ornithine
- L-lysine
- L-glutamine
- L-glycine
- L-tryptophan
- OKG, L-ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (a modified amino acid)
One of the best resources on the whole topic of HGH is available in a book, Grow Young with HGH, by Dr. Ronald Klatz (link goes right to the book at Amazon). Dr. Klatz is also the founder of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, which offers a huge amount of information on this subject.
CAUTION: You probably will not be surprised to know that the business of anti-aging is replete with charlatans. One thing I want to caution you about is that HGH is not available as a supplement in nutrition stores. You will, however, discover many products that have “HGH” prominently on the label in an effort to have you believe that they contain HGH. They do not.
News at HerbScientist.com
Sometimes I just get a bur in my saddle and feel moved to right a wrong. Okay, I often feel this way. The latest topic that attracted my attention revolves around a acai (ah-sah-yee) berry juice as a supplement for weight loss. Claims about this benefit are rampant for many, many acai products right now. After I did a little research on the topic, I decided that this whole thing is a scam. The bottom line is that acai juice is a good source of antioxidants. It has nothing to do with weight loss except in a weak, indirect way as an anti-inflammatory supplement.You can get the full story on this from my blogpost on Acai Weight Loss Scams.
All the best in natural health,
Dr. Dennis Clark at HerbScientist.com
Doctors Nutrition Center
Tempe, AZ
480-730-6688
877-732-0095