"Middle age is when you still believe you'll feel better in the morning!" ~ Bob Hope
So, perhaps older age occurs when you really do know that you'll not feeling better in the morning!
Cutting-edge research, however, is starting to show how the biological consequences of aging can be mitigated by science, a new science known as biogerontology.
This is the subject of a bestselling book, Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old, by Andrew Steele., Doubleday, March, 2021. He believes: “Aging is not some rigid, immutable biological inevitability,”
Aging—not cancer, not heart disease—is the underlying cause of most human death and suffering. The goal of biogerontology is to prevent and control those conditions related to aging.
Steele advises that we should ”identify the root causes of dysfunction as we get older and, then, slow their progression or reverse them entirely.” The idea, he suggests, is to focus on aging itself rather than treating individual diseases associated with aging.”
Humour, for example, illustrates the point. While the science of humor is a relatively new discipline, research studies on the health benefits of laughter consistently demonstrate the connection between laughing and longevity.
Researchers know that laughing lowers blood pressure while increasing blood flow and oxygen intake, all positive physiological effects that have been linked to a decreased risk of heart attack and stroke. Because laughing triggers the release of the drug-like neurochemical endorphin, laughing simply makes people feel better all over. Laughing also can have an anesthetic-like effect on the body, suppressing physical pain and discomfort for up to two hours following a hearty chuckle.
Laughing triggers a number of positive physiological responses, thereby easing aging:
- Relaxation of the entire body, relieving muscle tension and stress
- Levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, drop and minimize pain and inflammation throughout the body
- The release of endorphins, natural feel-good substances that make you feel happy and content and have been proven to reduce the perception of physical pain
- Reduction in blood pressure combined with a moderate increase in the heart rate and improved blood circulation and oxygen intake
- The stimulation of the immune system thanks to the release of T-cells and salivary immunoglobulin A which is triggered by laughter
So.....let the laughter begin!
"You're over the hill when your back goes out more than you do." Pruneville.com
"The preacher came to call the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking of the hereafter. I told him, "Oh, I do it all the time. No matter where I am -upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement - I ask myself, "Now, what am I here after?" Everythingzoomer.com
For advice about seniors and care at home, please kindly contact Brian Porter, Director and Owner of Living Assistance Services (LAS), at 416.483.0070 (office), 905.758.2486 (cell) or [email protected] and visit: www.laservices.ca
