Introduction

As baby boomers we not only want to look good, we also want to feel good. And "good' usually means "young". We see our elderly parents suffer, and we want to avoid getting old as much as we want to avoid owning the wrong stocks. To this end, we buy exercise equipment and gym memberships, health and organic foods - all in a desperate attempt to stay looking and feeling good. Our body is made up of trillions cells. Aging starts when cell death starts. An effective anti-aging program must therefore address the cell as the starting point. If we can defer cell death, we are in effect deferring aging. 

Only a century ago, the average life expectancy was 42 years. Today, it has almost doubled. This is largely due to advances in medicine and technology. The definition of aging as a natural course of events of which nothing can be done has passed. Today we see healthy and active seniors well into their 90s. There are over 70,000 centenarians in U.S.A. alone and this number is expected to double in the next 5-10 years. In fact, those over 85 years old represent the fastest growing segment of the population in the world. 

What is Aging?

Those familiar with anti-aging medicine and research now define aging as nothing more than a disease state characterized by 3 phases:

1. Sub-Clinical Phase, ages 25 to 35: 

Most hormone levels start to decrease. Growth hormone level, for example, has already fallen approximately 14% by age 35. Environmental pollution, poor diet, and stress cause free radical formation and cellular damage not visible to the naked eye. Outwardly, there are few clinical symptoms. While you may look and feel good, internal cellular damage is already happening. Like cancer in its early stages of development, there are no detectable signs and symptoms by conventional standards. You look and feel "normal," but in reality you are in the sub-clinical phase of this disease, whether you like it or not.

2. Transition Phase, ages 35 to 45: 

By age 45, production of many hormones have fallen by more than 25%, and biomarkers are beginning to show signs of aging. Clinical symptoms such as decreased visual acuity, graying of the hair, increased pigmenting of the skin, and decreased strength and energy are making their presence felt on the outside. On the inside, cellular damage by free radical continues, where the rate of damage depends on your lifestyle. If not controlled or slowed, mutational changes may lead to cancer. 

3. Clinical Phase, ages 45 and above:

Most hormone production continues to decline, including DHEA, Melatonin, growth hormone, and male and female sexual hormones. The rate of decline accelerates as we get older until age 70 or thereabouts. Outwardly, early signs and symptoms of aging seen during the transition phase worsen. The skin is further dehydrated and thinned as collagen fibers break down. We call these irreversible lines "wrinkles." Musculo-skeletal joint degeneration becomes painfully obvious as arthritis sets in. Fatigue and loss of energy follow us everywhere. Chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes became very apparent as organs begin to fail. Inwardly, as our cells succumb to assaults, mutation and cancer can arise. Cancer has now overtaken heart disease as the number one cause of death.