Pure Wellness Centers

By Tom Ballard, RN, ND

And the answer is?

We don’t know the secret of anti-aging. Like most issues in human health, it is probably the combination of several factors. Much more research will need to be done. Currently most of the research is on mice which are unlike us in many ways.

While we don’t know the secret, we do know several important ways to limit disease and increase wellness. These are concrete actions you can do to increase your likelihood of, if not staying young, living longer. They may not be as sexy as injecting hormones or as exotic as drinking antler tea, but you’ll be happy to know they don’t require expensive or unproven therapies.

• Fat and shape: Increased fat, especially abdominal fat (waist/hip ratio) is perhaps the biggest contributor to aging, disease, and early death. Statistics show increased rates of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. So, instead of shelling out for expensive supplements, shed the extra fat.
  Unfortunately, popular weight-loss programs have a 95% failure when it comes to losing fat and keeping it off.  New biometric scales as we use in Pure Wellness Centers provide accurate measurements of body fat. Knowing your percent of body fat is probably the most important marker of health you can know, more so than cholesterol. Learn about Pure Weight Loss on our site.
• Activity that increases heart rate. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete, but you do need to exercise your heart muscle and keep the blood moving. You can’t expect your glands to work right if the blood isn’t delivering nutrients and removing wastes. The best supplement in the world can’t do as much as a walk around the block.
• Hydration. Not as glamorous as injecting steroids, but will keep you younger and living longer. Dehydration can cause up to a 15% decrease in energy. 8-10 cups of pure water daily. No, sugared and caffeinated drinks are no substitute for H2O.
• Limit refined sugar. Complex carbohydrates – whole grains, vegetables, potatoes – reduce the damaging effects of refined sugar such as obesity, Browning Reactions, diabetes, nutritional deficiencies.
• Vegetables and fruit. As described above, natural forms of fruits and vegetables have been shown to reduce oxidation and Browning Reactions.
• Daily multivitamin. Multiple health studies have shown a simple multivitamin wards off illness and improves sense of wellbeing.
• Mental activity: Use it or lose it seems to be true.
• Antioxidants: They do retard oxidative damage (oxidation is what turns fats rancid). The best sources are organic fruits and vegetables – raw, steamed, juiced, or dehydrated concentrates (GreensFirst, Red Alert).
• Omega-3 oils: Very well established to reduce heart and vascular disease that in turn increases circulation to brain, muscles, organs, glands, etc. Improve mood, bone density, and joint function to make you think and walk younger.
• Avoid cooking with high heat and microwaves which destroy nutritional content.
• If you smoke, stop.
• If you drink alcohol heavily, stop.
• Vitamin D: Functions in dozens of metabolic processes in the body. Seen to protect from several cancers, act as an antioxidant, and mood elevator. Deficient in most people and easily assessed with a blood test.
• More whole, natural, organic foods to increase the nutritional content.
• Detoxification: We’re all challenged daily by environmental toxins. Failure to remove toxins results in increased oxidative stress and aging. By promoting detoxification we reduce cellular aging. The first step is to reduce exposure – pure water, air, and organic food. The second step is to promote removal – water, fiber, vitamin C, minerals, antioxidants, protein, beets, dandelion, and milk thistle.

Back to Basics

While we may not be able to stay young forever, many age-related diseases and symptoms can be reduced with simple daily activities – life style factors. Rather than chasing magic formulas and risking unproven therapies, stick with basic, proven activities for keeping healthy.