Does it seem to you that no matter where we look nowadays, there are news stories and advertisements, alike, promoting the stunning research on innumerable exotic supplements, not to mention the cutting-edge health claims of coffee and red wine that, in one way or another, promise to reduce or eliminate all causes of mortality? It would almost seem, in fact, that a quest for immortality has replaced our search for longevity!
To start with, let me make it super clear that I unwaveringly believe that certain~particular things that we put into our bodies can be beneficial to our health. Therefore, I'm absolutely not against taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but I listen to my own advice and take them as well. Secondly, if confession is good for the soul, and red wine is good for the heart, then I'd like to take this opportunity to help both by stating for the record that I appreciate drinking a glass of red wine. The suggestion that it might have heart-healthy properties, well, that's like icing on the cake, so to speak. And, lastly, as far as caffeine's ability to actually reverse or prevent Alzheimer's disease goes, I believe that if that were commonly the case, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.
Let's take a deep breath and reflect on a few of facts, however, prior to your deciding to add more caffeine to your morning grind, increase the red wine you may drink in the evening, or before you consider selling the family heirlooms in order to afford high-priced minerals and herbs that promise to extend your life indefinitely.
Let us think about the fact, for example, that we have not been locked up in a cage all of our life, and none of us has been altered, by unnatural means, to acquire the age-related diseases that lab animals do, enfeeblement that is then "reversed" by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic mineral or plant. We are dynamic, biological beings, free to fully engage with life.
In addition, our being dynamic and biological means that we are not "robots," and that we are more than the sum total of our parts. We are each biologically unique in certain ways, that is, we respond differently to internal stimulating factors and external instigating influences. For example, though generally, smoking cigarettes is harmful, there is a small minority of people who appear to be able to smoke and live to be ninety years old without any obvious ill effects.
The results upon which scientific research and testing are rely upon the isolation of a particular variable. It is this method that gives scientific inquiry its legitimacy. However, since tests related to human health issues occur through this very method, and are most often done on lab animals, when it comes to human beings, the effects are very likely to be quite different. In fact, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, what might benefit some of the people all of the time, most likely won't work for all of the people all of the time (and sometimes won't work at all!).
Everyday you make considerable choices that affect both your health and longevity. Decisions such as what you'll eat and how much exercise and rest you'll get will either be good for you, or not so good. Obviously, your unhealthy choices are not beneficial for your long-term health. And, even though you know, by the way your individual body responds to certain things, you may often ignore these important health messages.
Then, a study comes along that hails the discovery of THE THING that has the efficacy to reverse all of the immoderate and unhealthy things you may have been doing to your body through unhealthy choices, and you, like many others, may be ready to take double and triples doses of whatever it is! This kind of "hope" is, unfortunately, a subtle illusion.
Your human body is an elegantly complex, homeostatic system. In other words, every operation is interdependent and sensitively balanced. When you choose an unhealthy lifestyle, your fastidiously-responsive system gets "off balance." Sooner or later, the imbalances created by choosing unhealthily, result in diseases and a shortened lifespan.
As a chiropractor who supplements daily, I suggest that you supplement, too, if they help you to feel vigorously healthy. I agree, as well, that if it feels like the thing to do, an extra cup of coffee might actually be personally beneficial for you. And, if it truly feels healthy, have a little more red wine. Just keep in mind, however, that the only authentic way that you can prevent or reverse age-related health problems is by changing an unhealthy lifestyle. You won't become healthier or live longer by waiting for the discovery of a "magic potion.
To start with, let me make it super clear that I unwaveringly believe that certain~particular things that we put into our bodies can be beneficial to our health. Therefore, I'm absolutely not against taking supplements. Not only do I recommend them to my patients, but I listen to my own advice and take them as well. Secondly, if confession is good for the soul, and red wine is good for the heart, then I'd like to take this opportunity to help both by stating for the record that I appreciate drinking a glass of red wine. The suggestion that it might have heart-healthy properties, well, that's like icing on the cake, so to speak. And, lastly, as far as caffeine's ability to actually reverse or prevent Alzheimer's disease goes, I believe that if that were commonly the case, life would be far less frightening and far more enjoyable for many people and their families.
Let's take a deep breath and reflect on a few of facts, however, prior to your deciding to add more caffeine to your morning grind, increase the red wine you may drink in the evening, or before you consider selling the family heirlooms in order to afford high-priced minerals and herbs that promise to extend your life indefinitely.
Let us think about the fact, for example, that we have not been locked up in a cage all of our life, and none of us has been altered, by unnatural means, to acquire the age-related diseases that lab animals do, enfeeblement that is then "reversed" by resveratrol, caffeine, or some exotic mineral or plant. We are dynamic, biological beings, free to fully engage with life.
In addition, our being dynamic and biological means that we are not "robots," and that we are more than the sum total of our parts. We are each biologically unique in certain ways, that is, we respond differently to internal stimulating factors and external instigating influences. For example, though generally, smoking cigarettes is harmful, there is a small minority of people who appear to be able to smoke and live to be ninety years old without any obvious ill effects.
The results upon which scientific research and testing are rely upon the isolation of a particular variable. It is this method that gives scientific inquiry its legitimacy. However, since tests related to human health issues occur through this very method, and are most often done on lab animals, when it comes to human beings, the effects are very likely to be quite different. In fact, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, what might benefit some of the people all of the time, most likely won't work for all of the people all of the time (and sometimes won't work at all!).
Everyday you make considerable choices that affect both your health and longevity. Decisions such as what you'll eat and how much exercise and rest you'll get will either be good for you, or not so good. Obviously, your unhealthy choices are not beneficial for your long-term health. And, even though you know, by the way your individual body responds to certain things, you may often ignore these important health messages.
Then, a study comes along that hails the discovery of THE THING that has the efficacy to reverse all of the immoderate and unhealthy things you may have been doing to your body through unhealthy choices, and you, like many others, may be ready to take double and triples doses of whatever it is! This kind of "hope" is, unfortunately, a subtle illusion.
Your human body is an elegantly complex, homeostatic system. In other words, every operation is interdependent and sensitively balanced. When you choose an unhealthy lifestyle, your fastidiously-responsive system gets "off balance." Sooner or later, the imbalances created by choosing unhealthily, result in diseases and a shortened lifespan.
As a chiropractor who supplements daily, I suggest that you supplement, too, if they help you to feel vigorously healthy. I agree, as well, that if it feels like the thing to do, an extra cup of coffee might actually be personally beneficial for you. And, if it truly feels healthy, have a little more red wine. Just keep in mind, however, that the only authentic way that you can prevent or reverse age-related health problems is by changing an unhealthy lifestyle. You won't become healthier or live longer by waiting for the discovery of a "magic potion.
About the Author:
Dr. Jamie Phillips, is a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. Dr. Phillips also instructs chiropractors in Chicago and across the country how to market their chiropractic practices online. She can be reached at (805) 882-1956.
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