Five secrets to preventing aging and alleviating endocrine disorders and nutritional deficiencies.
Endocrine disorders (including hypoendocrine or hyperendocrine imbalances) are related to aging, but they are not the primary changes in aging; rather, they are part of systemic aging. However, the aging resulting from endocrine depletion cannot be denied, especially the decline of the ovaries, thyroid gland, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, and thymus, which often induces rapid aging. Currently, the theory that thymus atrophy due to lack of stimulation from gonadal decline accelerates aging is gaining attention.
Each system in the human body has its own biological clock rhythm. If the biological clocks of different parts of the body are not synchronized with the overall biological clock, it is one of the factors that induce aging. Therefore, chronomedicine is emphasized as a positive factor in anti-aging. Some scholars explain that human lifespan is a specific physiological cycle, the so-called lifespan clock, which refers to a certain lifespan coefficient. At a certain point, a specific genetic coefficient will periodically activate the aging program, the so-called "programmed aging theory." This is related to the existence of genes in the human body that control aging and lifespan. More than 2,000 years ago, the *Neijing* (Inner Canon of Medicine) in my country proposed that human lifespan is a finite number, which is quite consistent with the current molecular clock theory.
Long-term malnutrition, lacking essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and coenzymes for cell metabolism, can lead to impaired cell metabolism and accelerate aging. Currently, the concept of micronutrient deficiency has also been proposed. Humans require 26 micronutrients, among which 11 are the most fundamental: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. Fifteen others-iron, zinc, copper, manganese, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, selenium, chromium, iodine, fluorine, tin, silicon, vanadium, and arsenic-are indispensable. In particular, the deficiency of ten essential elements-iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, copper, iodine, molybdenum, cobalt, chromium, and fluorine-impairs normal cell metabolism and is also a factor contributing to accelerated aging.
The human body is a living organism that constantly undergoes metabolism. If metabolic waste products cannot be excreted normally and accumulate in the body, chronic poisoning can easily develop over time. The intestinal system, in particular, is a major site of autotoxin production; therefore, maintaining regular bowel movements is one measure to prevent autotoxin poisoning and combat aging. Furthermore, some have emphasized the importance of liver protection, as the liver is a vital detoxification organ. Once the liver's detoxification capacity weakens, aging begins; therefore, liver aging is an important aspect of the aging process.
**Preventing Aging with Precautions: Effective Methods**
You were born before I was born, and I was born after you had grown old.
You regret that I was born too late, and I regret that you were born too early.
You were born before I was born, and I was born after you had grown old.
I regret that we weren't born at the same time, so that I could be with you every day.
I was born before you were born, and you were born after I had grown old.
I am at the ends of the earth from you, and you are at the corners of the sea from me.
I was born before you were born, and you were born after I had grown old.
They transform into butterflies to seek out flowers, and rest on fragrant grasses every night.
This poem is from Cang Yue's work "Po Jun". Every word and line of the poem expresses the regret of not being able to have a fulfilling love in this life because of the great age gap between the lovers. No one can resist the changes of time, and no one can stop the march of birth, aging, sickness and death. Therefore, those unfortunate couples who are unable to have a happy love because of the age difference can only make a promise for the next life.
Aging is an inevitable natural law. Once life begins, the transition to death begins, and aging quietly begins from childhood. Although aging is unavoidable, there is hope in slowing it down, delaying premature aging, and especially halting the malignant progression of pathological aging. Since a person's natural lifespan is 5 to 7 times their growth period, they should at least live to be a hundred years old. So, what is the secret to enjoying a long and healthy life?
The key to anti-aging lies in breaking the vicious cycle of aging. Generally speaking, natural aging is a physiological, slow, and degenerative change, an inevitable biological law. Pathological aging, on the other hand, is a progressive and irreversible vicious cycle. However, it is still possible to break and halt the vicious progression of pathological aging. To slow down the development of pathological aging, the following measures are necessary.
1. Prevent psychological aging
Psychological aging has a vicious feedback loop on pathological aging. Psychological aging can induce and promote pathological aging, as described in the *Neijing* (Inner Canon of Medicine): "Anger injures the liver," "Fear injures the kidneys," "Thought injures the spleen," "Joy injures the heart," and "Grief injures the lungs." Pathological aging, in turn, can exacerbate psychological aging, forming a vicious cycle that accelerates the aging process. Therefore, interrupting psychological aging is a crucial step in preventing pathological aging. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "tranquility and emptiness" and "preserving the inner spirit," precisely to prevent psychological aging. Since psychological aging has such a significant impact on pathological aging, breaking the vicious causal chain between the two is of paramount importance.
The key to preventing psychological aging lies in "regulating the spirit," a crucial measure in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for health preservation and anti-aging. The *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot) states, "Those who lose their spirit die; those who gain their spirit live," emphasizing the positive role of mental and emotional well-being in aging. Regulating the spirit is an effective way to eliminate self-poisoning. Some scholars have proposed that the toxins produced by the body during jealousy are enough to kill a small mouse, illustrating the detrimental effects of uncontrolled emotions. The impact of negative emotional stimuli on the body is enormous; although it may appear as a slight ripple on the surface, the internal body is actually in turmoil. Excessive sadness, unresolved pain, and prolonged mental repression are even more harmful. Therefore, TCM strongly emphasizes the need for emotional restraint to maintain psychological balance, thereby preserving physiological balance and ensuring normal life activities-a vital measure for preventing aging.
2. Avoid overloading.
Excessive labor, including excessive mental, spiritual, physical, and sexual exertion, can lead to the body operating beyond its capacity. This overload causes excessive mental stress and a state of undue excitement, inevitably resulting in excessive energy expenditure and a negative balance, a significant factor in inducing premature aging. The harm of overloading lies in increasing the body's consumption, which contradicts the principles of health preservation. The *Neijing* (Inner Canon of Medicine) emphasizes the importance of maintaining health and minimizing unnecessary depletion to delay aging. For example, the *Suwen* (Plain Questions) chapter "On the Primordial Innocence of Antiquity" proposes "not engaging in reckless labor" to avoid "exhausting one's essence and depleting one's true energy through desire." The "lifespan clock" has a certain limit; if it turns too fast, the day of death will arrive prematurely. Ancient people believed that excessive brain depletion was a major factor in premature aging because brain cells do not undergo mitosis. A person has only 14 billion brain cells in their lifetime; each lost cell is irreplaceable and cannot regenerate. Excessive depletion accelerates brain aging. Brain failure leads to a loss of control over the brain, resulting in overall bodily dysfunction and thus inducing premature aging. Therefore, the "Inner Canon" emphasizes "controlling the spirit" and avoiding excessive mental and physical exertion, which is an important principle for health preservation and anti-aging, and one of the measures to avoid overworking the body.