What Causes the Aging Process?
Article by Andrea Hepner, The Period Pain Guru
www.periodpain.com.au
We all have to age. It’s a fact of life. No one gets out of it. Each year we get a older, chronologically speaking. But have you ever met a 50 year old person and thought they were really young? And have you met another person of the same age and thought they were really old? What is the secret to staying young?
Mr. Bill Anton says that it is not our cells that age us, but a decline in our hormones. It is only natural that our hormones decrease with age. For example, we don’t need the same amount of growth hormone (the hormone that makes us grow) when we are 80 years old as when we are a teenager. If we were still growing at 80, we would be a giant!
Hormones are chemicals in our body that lock onto cells and make reactions happen. For example, the hormone estrogen might come along and lock onto a cell and cause it to grow part of the uterus lining. When we don’t make the same quantities of these hormones, then these reactions start to decline.
What can we do, to keep the hormones that we have healthy?
We do need to look after our hormones. It is known amongst the natural healthcare industry that women who don’t have as much stress in their life, tend to cope with menopause a lot easier than women who are stressed.
Stress depletes our hormones at a much faster rate than our natural timeline.
Stress decreases a number of hormones. One is called progesterone, and when this is depleted, it can cause period pain, menstrual cramps and other nasty female hormone issues. Herbal and nutritional medicine can replete progesterone levels and have you feeling fantastic again!
The other hormone which is depleted is called DHEA. DHEA is our anti-aging hormone. Have you ever seen someone go through a very stressful situation and they have “Aged 10 years”. Unfortunately, unlike red wine, it isn’t a compliment. They age quickly because their DHEA levels lower. On the other side of the coin, spiritual leaders often look very young for their age. For example, I don’t know of a Buddhist Monk that looks old. This is because they meditate daily.
Meditation has been scientifically proven to increase DHEA levels. The study was partly conducted by Deepak Chopra where in older adults, daily practice of meditation, increased their DHEA levels. In clinical practice, I have found that people who see an acupuncturist for increasing calmness over a period of 3 months can improve DHEA levels significantly. So if the thought of meditation doesn’t seem practical in your life, try some acupuncture.
Other things that will help to keep your hormones healthy are eating enough good fat in your diet. Did you know that your hormones are made from cholesterol? If you are on cholesterol lowering medications long term, then you might want to get your healthcare professional to check that your hormones haven’t depleted. If you don’t get enough cholesterol in your diet, then your liver makes cholesterol.
Eating lots of fresh, organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds , legumes , fish and meat is really important to slow down the aging process. The nutrients that are in these foods help to make our body work better by providing anti-oxidants that help to reduce the aging process. Anti- oxidants stop the “wrinkles” on the inside of your body, thus making you healthier and help stop you from getting sick.
State of Mind
We are currently in an age of Gen Y and technology. For older generations, it sometimes seems overwhelming and all too hard to know where to start in keeping up with the latest gadgets. But keeping your mind young is the key to decreasing the aging process. Being excited to learn new things and being happy within ourselves is the real key to living life young.
“What we think about most, we create”
So will you age? Yes. However, there are things that you can do in your daily life that will help to slow down the aging process so that you life a long, healthy and happy life.
The Period Pain Guru & Naturopath Andrea Hepner has been helping women who experience period pain and related symptoms for many years. She is also a specialist in hormonal imbalance and fertility issues. To contact Andrea Hepner for treatment call 1300 21 44 25 or go to <a target=”_new” href=”http://www.PeriodPain.com.au/”>www.PeriodPain.com.au</a>
Tags: Andrea Hepner, Anti-Aging, Balance, DHEA, Hormones, Naturopath, Period Pain, women
