If you’ve ever played the lottery you know how it feels to lose. Better still maybe you’ve been one of the lucky people who have actually won. No matter what the outcome, you took the chance and bought the ticket. What if I told you that your odds for living a long, healthy life are better than winning the lottery? You might say “it sounds too good to be true” or “what’s the catch?”

The catch comes with your understanding of the aging process and what you can do to delay its affects. You can do nothing to slow down your chronological age…time just keeps on ticking. But there are ways to protect yourself from the signs of aging to make your elder years vibrant and fulfilling. Anti aging medicine is geared toward helping you do just that.

This week I will be delving into the physical and mental aspects of aging and offering suggestions that have been found to counteract age vulnerability.

Give Your Heart and Bones the Protection They Deserve

When it comes to your biological clock your heart and bones are most susceptible to showing signs of age. Here are just a few of the most common age related diseases and what you can do to protect your body before it’s too late.

Cardiovascular disease is still among the most common causes of death in the United States. Research supports the benefit of eating a diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains along with a program of daily exercise to help even the worst cases of heart disease.

• Nutrient supplements like coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine, and magnesium aid heart function along with vitamins like B6, folic acid, and B12 to reduce harmful homocysteiene levels. Herbal medicines like garlic and hawthorn berry can reduce risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Joint and bone issues are more common in older people. Osteoarthritis affects over 16 million Americans and is the second-leading cause of work-related disability in men over 50 years of age.

• A natural compound found in joint tissue known as glucosamine has been show to reduce symptoms of arthritis and help maintain joint health. It can be found combined with herbal supplements to produce anti-inflammatory properties and is excellent for joint health maintenance.

Osteoporosis or loss of bone mass is also a concern for people as they age, particularly in women due to hormone level changes.

• Calcium (minimum 1,000 mg/day), magnesium (minimum 500 mg/day), boron, and manganese in combination with vitamins D and K are the best way to guard against bone loss.

Forgetting Can Be Frightening!

One of the most frightening aspects of aging is threat of losing your memory. As more and more people live to be well over 75 the statistics related to brain functioning continue to rise. Alzheimer’s disease affects 5 % of the population and nearly 10 percent are impacted by mild to moderate dementia.

I’m sure there have been times when you wondered if you were losing your memory because you misplaced your phone or forgot someone’s name. This happens to most people when they reach a certain age. It is important to make sure you are getting the appropriate nutrients to give your brain the food it needs to function properly.

• DMAE, or dimethylaminoethanol, is a compound that helps improve concentration and memory, and has recently been in the spotlight for its ability to reduce wrinkles, age spots, and other signs of aging.

• Vitamin B12 is frequently used in combination with other B vitamins and helps to maintain healthy nerve and red blood cells.

• Herbal extracts such as ginkgo biloba and nutrients like phosphatidyl serine and DHA, a component of fish oil can greatly assist in mental health function.

• Alpha GPC – supports brain function by increasing the speed and accuracy of the information transmitted from the neurons to the brain.

There is really nothing more critical in preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s than maintaining a healthy lifestyle that keeps you within your recommended weight range. At a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology it was shown that people who were at a healthy weight in their 40’s were less likely to show signs of Alzheimer’s later in life. The opposite was true for those who were overweight in mid-life.

Are Your Muscles Too Old To Exercise?

I am always stressing the importance of staying active and exercising to all my patients regardless of age. When you are older exercise can be discouraging because the results are so slow moving. As you age your body and muscles don’t respond to exercise the way they did at a younger age. You tend to lose muscle mass, a process called Sarcopenia, that is helped only by regular physical exercise that includes weight training.

The good news is there is a special amino acid complex composed of Ornithine (an amino acid) and Ketoglutaric Acid (a natural energy-producing compound) that researchers claim to be a breakthrough when it comes to muscles health. This compound, OKG, shows tremendous promise as a stimulator of muscle health, energy, and vitality. Numerous studies have examined positive affects on protein synthesis in tissues and muscles on elderly patients. As an added benefit OKG helps in the healing process while recovering from an acute illness.

Don’t leave your health to chance. Healthy aging is more than just the luck of the draw. Increase your chances to age gracefully by keeping your weight down, exercising daily, and eating right! Whether you are over 60 or still in your prime you can look forward to living a long, happy, and healthy life.