It’s a harsh statement, and rarely discussed, but today I’ll try to break down some components of the aging process, and how they might be described as part of the disease process.

Aging and disease have been studied as far back as Aristotle and Plato. They both had different philosophies on the two “conditions”, but it’s interesting that philosophers were even contemplating the subject back then. People over 65 years old now represent 13.5% of the total population. Today, the WHO has added a code for “old age” as a condition in the diagnostic coding of ICD 10 and even updated in ICD11. This shows that the medical world is now recognizing the aging process as a condition.

Doesn’t genetics contribute to aging?

The easy way of treating aging is to blame many of the parts of the process on genetics. Yes, genetics does play an important role in aging. Genetics also plays an role in the disease process. Of course lifestyle, including diet, exercise, and nutrition also are even more important to the disease process as well as the recovery process. The person with the best genetics, but lives an unhealthy lifestyle, may not live as long as those with similar genetics who live healthier lifestyles.

Their ability to fight and or recover from disease is also altered by lifestyle. A majority of the causes of premature aging and in many cases, the disease process is related to lifestyle. We also know that Western medicine has missed this fact and generally treats disease with medications and surgery. Only recently, have they focused on a few lifestyle recommendations to increase the results of their treatments.

Does exercise really help with aging and disease?

With the aging process, many equate slowing the aging process with longevity. The issue lies when living longer may not mean living a healthy, happy life. It is important to realize that healthy longevity needs to be the goal.

One of the most important things people can do to stay healthy while aging or when trying to fight the onset of many diseases is just moving the body. A sedentary lifestyle has been shown to increase early mortality. It also contributes to diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The interesting point is also that a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to early mortality more than those diseases themselves.

Cognitive Decline

Aging directly affects cognition. The hippocampus, the part of the brain that is mainly responsible for long term memory, actually shrinks on its own in the aging process, by around the age of 50. It shrinks about 1-2% per year.

One major study was done on older adults over one year. It showed that when they were placed on simple non-vigorous aerobic exercise, the neurons in their brain actually grew, and increased the size of the hippocampus by 1-2%.

We all know that cognitive decline and dementia are two top diseases today. Dementia, a major disease today, affects us not only personally, but affects our families as well.

Many studies are being done on stem cell therapy for anti-aging and the processes and other diseases associated with it. They have the potential to regenerate some cells, tissues, or organs in our body. We already see how Mesenchymal Stem Cells from a donated umbilical cord from a live birth helps signal the regrowth of cartilage and more in the body. There is so much else, including disease reversing results, nerve regrowth and aesthetic procedures that we have done even in my own office for quite a while.

So if you agree that the aging process is a disease, you understand that the DNA changes, inflammatory processes, and the cellular changes associated with aging certainly qualify for it to be considered a disease. If you do not agree with this, please email me at my email address below. I’ll be curious to see what comes into my inbox. In part 2 of this article, I’ll share some simple changes that have been studied to reduce, and in some cases, have reversed parts of the aging process.

If you or anyone you know are interested in receiving supportive anti-aging treatments, including regenerative treatments such as stem cell therapy in my office, please call my office to schedule a complimentary consultation. We offer these scientifically based treatments that keep you in the game of life without stressful downtime.

Leisa-Marie Grgula. DC
Chiropractic Physician
Accurate Care Medical Wellness Center
18261 N. Pima Rd. Ste. #115
(480) 584-3955
DrLeisa@CaringPainRelief.com

Please visit CaringPainRelief.com to read all of my articles over the last 8 years.

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