Ever notice how some people seem to have found a personal fountain of youth? What if this isn’t due solely to “good genes” or plastic surgery and other expensive treatments? What if you can decelerate your aging process?
The science of epigenetics suggests we may be able to alter the course of the aging process. What is epigenetics? The word refers to any process altering gene activity without changing the DNA sequence.
Dr. Alaric Arenander, former neurological reseracher at UCLA speaks well on this topic. Check out what he has to say here: https://app.ruzuku.com/courses/18931/activities/487812.
And as science writer Cath Ennis explained in the Guardian “Any outside stimulus that can be detected by the body has the potential to cause epigenetic modifications.” (https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2014/apr/25/epigenetics-beginners-guide-to-everything) Ennis cites BPA in plastics and childhood abuse as two examples of possible harmful epigenetic modifications of an individual’s DNA code.
But epigenetics can work for us as well as against us. In her article, Ennis mentions the health benefits of exercise as an example of this. Epigenetics tells us genes can be affected, both positively and negatively, by our environment and experiences. Certain genes can, in effect, be switched on or off.
This means that many aspects of health, wellbeing and longevity formerly thought of as beyond our control can be enhanced. We’re now realizing that many of the boundaries previously considered as unalterable might be within our power to change. Epigenetics may give us the ability to change the course of some “incurable” diseases. Perhaps we can even extend the human lifespan through epigenetics.
Epigenetic research as well as anecdotal evidence and observation suggests there are some methods for overwriting cellular aging. We’ve already mentioned above the importance of exercise. Over the course of decades working with patients in the aging population, I have witnessed people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s make huge changes in their wellness through three additional methods.
1. Switching to a ‘anti-inflammatory’ diet favoring lean proteins plus fruits and vegetables can make a huge difference. Most of the people who seem to age most rapidly have spent decades consuming diets which over-emphasize simple carbohydrates and sugars.
2. Enhancing sleep patterns to get adequate sleep. Many people, raised in to follow a “work ethic” which disdains rest, don’t even realize they suffer from sleep deprivation. Adequate nightly sleep enables your body and brain to recover from severe stress.
3. Non-invasive gentle techniques of stimulating the central nervous system. This category includes my own area of specialization, CranioSacral Therapy (CST). I have witness amazing positive changes attained through CST, both in my own practice working with clients, and through the stories shared by my students as they apply these techniques to their own clients.
Bio
Michael Morgan LMT, CST-D has instructed thousands of health care professionals around the world in CranioSacral Therapy anti-aging methodologies. In 2016, he became a TEDx speaker. He is at the vanguard of the anti-aging wellness movement, encouraging senior citizens and their families to use epigenetic science to move past outdated notions of human longevity limitations.
