The Herbalists Guide

[I Harker]

Okay. So let's say you have a 37.5-year-old body locked inside a 45 year old. Great! But you're still aging. Why? There are many theories of aging, but among the most widely accepted are the following three:

The Genetic Theory.

We all have a "genetic timeclock" set to go off, though scientists aren't sure on the exact timing and what accounts for variations among us. We know, for instance, that the children of long-lived parents also tend to live long lives, and women worldwide outlive men.

On the other hand, genes can hasten our demise. Recently, National Institutes of Health researchers identified a gene on chromosome number 10 that may account for the late onset of Alzheimer's disease, a condition that robs 4 million elderly Americans of their memory and independence and is expected to affect 15 million by 2030.


The Free Radical Theory.

Free radicals, which are byproducts of everyday chemical reactions in the body, are usually disarmed by antioxidants (like Vitamins E and C) before they can do irreparable harm to our cells. But as we age, our body's ability to make the enzymes that produce antioxidants diminishes, explains Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University and chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

Our diet, also a key source of antioxidants, deteriorates with age. Seniors are notoriously poor eaters. The upshot is that free radicals begin to run amok. To date, they have been implicated in more than 20 age-related diseases, including cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and Parkinson's.

To add insult to injury, free radicals also attack collagen and elastin, the substances of connective tissue that keep our skin moist and elastic. Loss of elasticity and tone results in thinner, sagging skin and wrinkles.


The Hormonal Theory.

Menopause, andropause, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease. The onset of these conditions is partially triggered by the reduction of hormone production that begins in our '30s and accelerates, as we grow older.

Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and human growth hormone, to name a few, also help us maintain vitality, libido, and "a joy for life," says Richard LeConde, an emergency room physician who now practices anti-aging medicine in Houston. LeConde and his colleagues maintain that restoring hormone levels in 40- to 60-year-olds to the levels typically found in healthy 25- to 35-year-olds is key to preventing some of the most deleterious manifestations of aging.