Healthy Aging!
I believe aging is a natural part of life, just like the transformation from childhood to adolescence . In my view unlike anti-aging, which is often unrealistic, healthy aging is achievable and actually essential . Therefore, I do believe healthy aging is a real thing that we do not need to fight against. Rather than battling aging, we should focus on strategies for healthy aging. So, what we need is building a plan for going through aging gracefully and healthy. The only question might be "when is the best time to start to get the optimum result? The answer is NOW! My naturopathic practice aims to help you achieve your health goals at any age, promoting longevity. So, you stay younger for a longer period of time. You keep healthy so that down the road you experience a healthy aging which means living happier- longer with less complications.
What Is Aging?
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Aging is a physiologic process which is accompanied by an array of changes in the human body. Despite being unstoppable, there are many ways that you can help yourself and reduce the impact of aging process, keep yourself healthier and feel happier. These changes part of normal wear and tear process, don't necessarily indicate favour of a disease or a health problem. They only shows that your body went through a life journey. Keeping healthy and staying in a top shape is an excellent way of living life. However, even in that superb living condition, wear and tear is inevitable. As I always say, knowledge is the key. Having some knowledge and expecting these bodily changes will keep you prepared mentally to be familiar with common symptoms and conditions to watch out for. In this case, you are alert enough to take the steps to prevent them or when they happen, treat them sooner.
What Changes to Expect In Your Body As You Age?
Skin: Your skin being exposed to all external agents, shows the signs of aging earlier, and in turn is one of the easiest parts of the aging process to help and prevent. Gradually your skin loses its elasticity and volume. As a result, wrinkles and fine lines will start to appear. By changing in collagen content, your skin becomes thinner and more fragile, which make it prone to easy bruise. Not to mention that sun damage and appearance of sunspots are very common during process of aging. Therefore, taking care of skin should be started years before aging process shows itself. There are many skin care treatments and products in the market which help reduce speed of aging process on the skin and postpone the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Musculoskeletal tissue: As you age, your bones lose their density due to the changes in calcium and vitamin D absorption, production and metabolism. These elements give bone it's strength. The absorption capacity of your gut declines. Therefore, you receive less calcium from foods you eat, and as a result bone and joints become weak. Your bones and spines may shrink in size making them more susceptible to injuries and fractures happens very easily due to minor trauma and falling. Your muscles begin to lose their mass and consistency that leads to becoming weaker while your joints suffer from age related wear and tear causing pain and inflammation.
Build of Body: Inevitable changes in bone density and supporting ligaments in addition to loss of consistency of muscles from one side and redistribution of fat from other side contribute to a change in the shape and build of your body. Body stature may become shorter because of reduction of height of spine and the curvature of the back may be altered as well. Continued muscle loss and a slower metabolism help in increased fat redistribution leading to fat accumulation in abdominal and buttocks area of your body. Maintaining an ideal body weight will also become even more difficult.
Immunity: Declining in the function of your bodily immune system and lower immunity level due to aging, makes you more susceptible to infections and other immunity related diseases. Efficacy and number of the white blood cells that are the first line of defense against diseases declines in the process of aging making you vulnerable against diseases.
Hearing: Structural changes in the ear -from external canal to internal small bones - in addition to changes in hearing nerves contribute to age-related hearing decline and even loss. Particularly, higher frequencies will become harder to hear.
Vision: As we age, The globe become smaller, the lenses inside of your eyes gradually lose their shape and elasticity in addition to becoming opaque, resulting in vision problems. The tear glands shrink and your eyes start feeling dryness as it lose the ability to produce adequate amount of tears. That is the reason you feel that your eyes have constant irritating symptoms of dry eye. Regular optometrist are essential as you get older to detect and manage conditions such as glaucoma and cataract at their early stages.
Memory: you may experience mild and minor memory problems with age which do not always lead to dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Minor gaps in memory such as forgetting where you left an object may happen which are a normal part of aging.
Regular visits to your naturopathic doctor, dentist, and eye doctor ensure early detection and management of health issues. It is an excellent idea to visit your naturopathic Doctor regularly to help ensure that certain health problems are not advancing on you.
Healthy Aging! How to?!
We are generous to spend time and energy on everything, but when it comes to our health, we frequently seek a quick fix, minimum investment at no effort and commitment. However, the quick fix isn't always the greatest choice, no effort and commitment are aim to failure and investment in your health is priceless! So, if you are dedicated enough to spend time, effort and invest in your healthy aging and your happier future, natural health is for you.
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Recently I had a constructive discussion with my financial advisor. He happened to be ideally healthy for his age of 68. Being member of general public, his emphasis on natural health as the future of caring for health and his firm advocacy for addressing healthy aging instead of anti-aging was fascinating to me.
Honestly, I do 100% agree with him that anti-aging cannot be a real goal. I believe aging is a physiologic part of your life, just as the transformation from childhood to adolescence is. I do believe healthy aging is a real thing. What we need is going through aging gracefully to feel healthy.
My objectives in practicing naturopathy is helping you experience a healthy aging and live happier & longer.
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My Naturopathic Approach to Aging?
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The areas that we work together to address and improve include but not limitted to:
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Deccelarating age related changes
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Educating the natural solutions for bone density loss
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Managing hormonal balance for aging
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Maintaining cardiovascular health as you age
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immunity in older adultsHelping with declining
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age-related hearing lossDeccelerating
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Maintaining vision health as you age
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Improving muscle tone and preventing muscle loss
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My Strategy for Healthy Aging:
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Investing time and effort in your health is crucial for healthy aging. Quick fixes don't work; commitment and investment in your health are priceless. A holistic naturopathic approach helps you age gracefully and healthily.
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1- Identifying and Eliminating Predisposing Factors: Finding and addressing factors contributing to early aging.
2- Preventing Early Onset Age-Associated Conditions: Developing strategies to prevent age-related conditions.
3- Managing Health Concerns Related to Aging: Overturning health issues that arise with aging.
4- Achieving Healthy Aging Goals: Helping you live a happier, longer life.
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​Steps in Healthy Aging Strategy?
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This is a stepwise health plan.
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Hormone Testing: Identifying and addressing hormonal imbalances caused by stress and lifestyle.
Environmental Factor Assessment: Testing for toxins, molds, pollutants, and adjusting biomarkers to promote long-term health.
Genetics and Inflammation Testing: Personalized strategies based on genetic and inflammation markers.
The first step is a hormone test. Life on the go has a physiologic outcome, overproduction of stress hormones. The prolonged effect of the stress hormones has many adverse effects on your body. The earliest effect is an early imbalance in your sex hormones which are responsible for congruent function of every organ system in your body. As this maladaptation happens very gradually, the signs are subtle, and you only notice them later when the changes become irreversible. This explains why the functional and hormonal tests are invaluable to be done early in your journey for a healthy aging strategy making.
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In case of hormonal imbalance, we will work together to restore your hormonal balance and to bring them back to your physiologic age and keeping it at a healthier level for a longer period of time. Therefore, starting early in your life to plan for healthy aging gives you more ground to play and saves you from early signs of aging.
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Another step to take is exploring presence of environmental factors in your life. They are present in your home, your food, and whatever you take, or you have contact with and are affecting your health under your radar. They include but not limited to toxins, molds, microbes, pollutants, xenobiotics, and the list goes on and on. This calls for testing and evaluating your body’s biomarkers and your body's functional need for macro and micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other select nutrients to keep you healthier longer. Adjusting them has immediate and long-term positive effects.
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Success Stories:
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Recently I had a 44 years old male patient who came for health improvement, weight adjustment and if possible starting a strategy for healthy aging. During our initial intake he mentioned briefly long-time snoring from his early youth. So, we started adjusting the excesses in his biomarkers that I found in his test. In the next visit his wife accompanied him to thank me for the noticeable reduction in the patient's snoring during night which was bothering and worrying her! Obviously, it was a side benefit!
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There are many other tests such as genetics evaluation, inflammation tests, and many others to look in case of need. Regular functional and hormonal tests, personalized health strategies, and proactive measures can lead to a healthier, happier aging process.
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