Natural Medicine Clinic Publications

Vitality in Aging-Can we be old and well?

By Nancy Aagenes, ND

Does illness and disability necessarily accompany aging? Do we have to assume that as we age we will have chronic illnesses and loss of our normal functions?

It is common to be given the advice that we should accept a symptom because we are getting older. With common sense and observation we conclude that prior to death loss of function occurs. But if we simply accept that something is irreversible because of our age, we have no chance to change it. Don't accept that premise too early.

A central tenant of naturopathic medicine is to compress the time of disability and illness to the shortest possible time before dieing. The point is not to avoid death, but to live and die well. I am retaking a detailed course in anatomy (how the body is put together) and physiology (how the thing functions) because my philosophy is that the best medicine works to restore normal anatomy and physiology. Sometimes it can't be done. If you are an amputee, an artificial limb is the best restoration. If your pancreas won't produce any insulin, you need to inject it and that is the best restoration possible.

To often we suppress a symptom with a drug rather than take the necessary, and sometimes simple, steps to regain normal function. We yank out the light bulb in the dashboard indicating we need to add oil. The symptom is gone, you can keep driving for a while, but if the engine doesn't get oil it will break down further. We take drugs to control stomach acid rather than ask why do we have excess acid in the first place. Too much decrease in acidity can cause lack of absorption creating nutrient deficiencies. We also risk letting bacteria normally killed by the acidity to live in our systems, creating other health problems.

We cannot achieve maximum vitality and function in aging if we are not willing to live in harmony with the natural laws of our physiology. Are you mature in your willingness to make the changes necessary for health? I include myself in the "immature" patient category. I have finally found a way to limit myself to one cup of coffee every day, knowing that two is marginal and three actually makes my stomach hurt. Maturity would be none.

The Fries Hypothesis challenges the notion that we have to be sick as we age. It states:

In the ideal case, the healthy citizens of a modern society will survive to an advanced age with their vigor and functional independence maintained, and morbidity and disability will be compressed into a relatively short period before death occurs.

How do we do that? Extensive data promotes the notion that the lifestyle factors show greater correlation with healthy aging than any other factor. Lifestyle factors are more important than genetics, drugs or surgeries in avoiding loss of function and chronic illness in our lifespan. The greatest correlation with risk is in smoking, body-mass index and patterns of exercise.

Supporting the Fries hypothesis , no studies have validated the assumption that sickness is a natural consequence of the aging process. The most common illnesses we experience are infectious diseases (colds, flu, intestinal infections, sexually transmitted diseases). Our ability to tolerate and heal from these things is more connected to immune status than to the infectious agent itself. Immune status depends on nutrition, stress, exercise and environment.

The next most common illnesses are chronic degenerative diseases accounting for 90% of death in the US. Is chronic disease genetic and inherit in aging? For the most part genes don't code for disease, but rather for various strengths and weaknesses. How those genes express is a blend of the gene with environmental factors. If the genes are not plunged into a harmful environment, they may never express chronic disease.

From an article in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, here's an example of how diet can directly affect genetic expression.

Cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, contain nutrients called glucosinolates. These substances break down in the digestive tract to produce chemicals . . . . [which] in turn activate specific genes that help detoxify cancer-producing substances. The mechanisms by which specific nutrients help protect individuals is just now being fully explored.

We cannot change our genes, but we can change the habits that modify how they help and hurt us as we age. Genetic studies will eventually give physicians that will personalize treatment to the individual. Too often treatment decisions are made on what happens to a population, or the majority in one study, rather than based on the individual sitting in front of us. We don't have to wait for more information to modify our lifestyle to maximize the probability of health aging.