Intro to Time & Aging
When people think of “aging,” sometimes, they get the wrong idea. Over the years, I have answered many questions about aging when the subject of time has comes up. Because of this, I have decided to put some work into studying how the human body ages, and discuss this in terms of time. I figure that the information I have gained and collected is too useful to not put up for others to see.
Let me just say at the outset that what I have learned has led me to the belief that most people do not understand what “free radicals” are, how free radicals damage the body. When I have met people that do understand this, I have found that they greatly underestimate the importance of free radical damage to the body. For example, if I told you that someone was poisoning you everyday by slipping arsenic into your food, then how would you feel? Sirens go off! Red lights go on! “Poisoning me? Really!? I am calling the police! That is horrible!” However, if I tell someone that everyday their body is being damaged by free radicals, then they say, “Yes, I have heard of free radicals, so what.” It might seem overly dramatic to equate free radical damage to arsenic poisoning. I would you say you are correct. It doesn’t compare at all. Hardly anyone ever dies directly of arsenic poisoning! However, if the Free Radical Theory of Aging is correct -- and I think it is -- then almost all of us will die indirectly from free radical damage.
Most people just do not understand the importance of modifying their diet to improve their health. Most people just do not keep up with the scientific studies on health, diet, and exercise. And the myths! Wow! Have I come across some big myths. Myths on things like dieting, exercise, antioxidants, and even tanning!
Almost everyone is concerned about their health. We worry about our own health. We worry about the health of our great grandparents, our grandparents, our parents, our wives, our husbands, our children, our other relatives, our in-laws, our friends, our neighbors, our bosses, our coworkers, police, fire fighters, our military personnel, our idols, our heroes, our leaders. This morning, I sat with my grandmother in a nursing home. I tried to have a conversation with her -- but, she is beyond that now. Her body is old, frail, and failing. Soon, she will die of old age -- by natural causes. But what does that really mean? Almost all of the outward signs of her aging is a direct result of free radical damage that has accumulated over her life. Much of the internal damage to her body has also been caused by free radical damage. A number of years ago, she had a stroke. It might be easy for some people that do not know about current research to say that the stroke was not caused by free radical damage, but there is scientific research that says it likely was. Over 200 medical conditions -- including strokes -- have been linked to free radical damage.
I know people dealing with skin cancer, hip replacement surgery, strokes, dementia & senility, hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, damage from smoking and a number of other issues. I saw someone have a massive heart attack. He survived, but later died of diabetes-related issues. All of these health issues -- and many more -- deal with free radical damage.
The aging of the human body is not due to the passage of time. Time is simply a ruler that we use to measure how long something takes place -- how quickly something moves. Aging is the cumulative damage to the body of a whole bunch of things happening to your body. Most you can not do anything about. However, there are many things you can do.