anti-aging

Sometimes seemingly unconnected events are intertwined in wonderfully obscure fashion. I was having a chai latte the other day at my local coffee shop. It’s managed by a lady called Eleanor and she manages to create the kind of ambience where it’s easy to strike up a conversation with total strangers. So I found myself talking to a gentleman who hails from Germany, a lecturer in history and when I offered that my practice is centred around anti-aging medicine he enquired with a wry grin whether in his words ‘all this anti-aging stuff works.’

Later that night I was listening to the BBC world service and the interviewer had on his show a young man who was involved in a climbing accident at the age of 17. It turns out that at the tender young age of 17 he and a friend took it upon themselves to climb one of the most treacherous mountains in America with the temperature being –20 degrees. They managed to get to the top of the mountain but on the way down found themselves stuck in a snow storm. Amazingly for three days they battled the elements with precious little food, insufficient equipment and only the shear will to survive sustaining them. Finally they took refuge in a snow cave and huddled close to each other to provide some much needed body heat. The interviewee admitted that they were almost resigned to their fate and they didn’t think they would survive. Then a miracle happened. A fellow climber appeared at the entrance to the cave enquiring in a loud voice whether any one was in there. She was one of the search party that had been attempting to locate them for two days. They managed to respond and pretty soon a helicopter was whisking them away to a hospital for much needed treatment. The interviewer in question had such severe frostbite that below-knee amputation was mandatory for both his limbs. But this was not the seminal event that changed his life. He discovered that one of the search party had lost his life trying to find them. It is one of the unwritten laws of climbing that climbers see to it that they are self-sufficient so that they never need the help of others. That someone had actually died trying to find them was unbearable to this young man and consumed by anger and self-recrimination he went back to high school to finish his studies as he was essentially a drop-out having devoted his life to climbing. He obtained his high school certificate, went off to his regional college to study further and so driven was he that he achieved straight As which then allowed him to apply for admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the most prestigious tertiary establishments in the world. He is now a professor of amputee technology and has some marvellous and revolutionary projects in the pipeline. It is how he ended this interview that was the most telling part of the conversation. He views himself as being incredibly blessed to have been helped by so many strangers including those he encountered in the hospital in which he was treated. His mission is now to give back to society as a dedication to the climber who lost his life in his attempt to rescue his.

My mother is in Bali right now and when we spoke she indicated how overwhelmed she was by the kindness, humility and devotion to service that the locals appear to possess in abundance. At the same time I was reading an article about the hormonal function of naturally long-living small mammals. As it turns out they all share one thing in common and that is reduced hormone levels which is a sobering thought as one of the dogmas that permeates the anti-aging arena is the notion that hormone replacement can slow down aging. According to this research it turns out that the opposite might be closer to the truth.

Now you might be enquiring as to the connection between these disparate narratives. I have a sense that the unifying thread will be obvious if you just allow yourself to sit back for a minute and reflect.

Question & Answer Segment ------ your queries answered

Question: I have been on Pariet, a drug that suppresses acid production in the stomach, since having a burst stomach ulcer and Helicobacter one year ago. I would like to know if there is a natural alternative to Pariet because of the side affects I am having to Pariet?

Answer: This is a tough call. Pariet can lower your protein, zinc, iron, B vitamin and magnesium levels and you would need to have these assessed to see whether boosting these if they are low would help. You might also find that food allergy/intolerance is making your condition worse and you would need to have this evaluated by your doctor. There are natural remedies that can help to manage your health problems including slippery elm powder, aloe vera and the amino acid glutamine but these might not have the same efficacy as Pariet and you would have to run these options by your physician.

Question: I eat a grapefruit for breakfast every morning and my medications are: Estradot, Thyroxine and Crestor for blood pressure. I also take calcium, Beta A-C powder, a B vitamin complex and fish oil. Does grapefruit have any effect on any of these medications, etc.?

Answer: Grapefruit does slow down the elimination of these medications which would prolong their effect in your body. You might need to have your blood pressure and hormone functions measured by your doctor to see that these are in order.

Question: I have recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. The cardiologist wants me to start on warfarin and have my heart stopped and then started but he doesn't seem to think this will work on me as I am too young. Are you aware of any procedures that might be of better value to me? I am taking garlic tablets, cayeene pepper tablets, coenzyme Q10, zinc, B vitamins, DHEA, Hgh and melatonin. Any help you can offer will be very much appreciated than you.

Answer: While fish oil, vitamin C and magnesium might be helpful in terms of your irregular heartbeat and having your thyroid hormone function evaluated would also be indicated achieving a resolution with natural remedies would be difficult. There is a theory that a process called inflammation can trigger atrial fibrillation and you can bring this to the attention of your physician. High blood sugar levels can also be a precipitating event and this can also be ruled out by your doctor.