By Steve Hammons
Whether your age is 7, 17, 37 or 77, one thing is certain:
your body is changing and aging.
Your bones, muscles, joints, organs, circulatory system,
brain and neurological systems, and other parts of your body are going through
changes of many kinds.
Maybe you are age 7 and would like to live to be a healthy 77
years old.
The ways in which we grow and age can be affected by factors
like disease, injuries, nutrition, exercise, stress, happiness, family and many
other elements we commonly associate with health and wellness. New research shows that our genetic make-up and the DNA
within every cell of our body also affect how we grow and age.
Google’s recent announcement that it is starting a company
called Calico that will focus on longevity and healthy aging seems to be an
important development. This is because of the key roles that information, education and communication play when it comes to healthy aging and aging-management science,
behavior, lifestyles, trends, innovations and discoveries of various kinds.
With many of the post-World War II “baby boomers” now in
their 60s, and millions of other middle-aged and younger people in the
pipeline, there is rapidly-growing interest in the emerging area of healthy
aging, anti-aging and reverse-aging.
IT’S NATURAL
Some of the work being done in the field of anti-aging or
aging-management, such as genetic studies and pharmaceutical research, is high-tech science. Other aspects of overall health and aging, such as smart
exercise and healthy eating, are more like common sense.
Preventing disease and avoiding accident injuries when possible are also steps that can be important for healthy aging. We might benefit by using “situation
awareness” about disease prevention, health and wellness, as well as accident-injury
prevention and safety.
Certain vitamins, minerals, forms of protein, various nutritional
supplements and herbs are often discussed in terms of healthy aging. There has
been significant research conducted on many of these nutritional support
supplements and some are clearly associated with healthy aging and anti-aging.
Most of us have heard about menopause, the change-of-life
phase for women that occurs around age 50. But how many of us are familiar with
“andropause,” the parallel phase for males?
Andropause reportedly occurs more gradually and does not
have some of the same dramatic markers as menopause in females, such as the end
of menstrual periods and ability to get pregnant, sudden hormone changes, hot
flashes and other challenging symptoms.
Andropause treatment for males is now growing significantly.
Not only is public awareness increasing, but medical approaches such as
testosterone replacement therapy (which often includes managing estrogen) for
middle-aged males are also expanding. Specialty medical practices and clinics
focusing on testosterone replacement therapy are now found in many major
cities. Testosterone replacement therapy dovetails with other anti-aging
research.
TRANSCENDENT WARFARE
Some years ago, a Navy SEAL officer doing graduate-level
studies at a defense university coined the term “transcendent warfare” in his
research paper to describe recognizing, learning about and using leading-edge
discoveries and perspectives that emerged from the program generally known as
Project STAR GATE.
He was referring to a research program related to human consciousness,
sponsored by various elements of the defense and intelligence communities in the
1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
When it comes to healthy aging, it seems helpful to look at
the concept of transcendent warfare as well as the research results from
Project STAR GATE. That program explored the abilities of human consciousness
and what we can accomplish with human consciousness.
That same path can be followed toward insights about healthy
aging, anti-aging, reverse-aging and “transcendent aging.” Human consciousness is undoubtedly a key factor.
Mental attitude, happiness, family and romantic
relationships, and stress management are also factors associated with aging. Other
psychological and emotional traits that each of us have may contribute to
healthy aging and anti-aging.
Our connections to the natural world could also play a
role. Stress reduction includes environmental stress. Spending significant time
in peaceful open country such as a forest, a lake or farmland just might be
very therapeutic in terms of aging.
The same might be true about canoeing down a river or fishing
at a lake or stream, enjoying the outdoors and wildlife, trees, sky, sun and clouds
drifting overhead, as well as the moon and stars on a pleasant evening.
Transcendent aging may involve many elements that we are just now beginning to understand.
