Anti-Aging

By Shannon Schoellig, MS, OTR/L

The Virginian

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Anti-Aging

If you are lucky enough never to get arthritis, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, cancer, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, cataracts, Parkinsons disease or Alzheimers, youll feel younger, longer. This may sound like “if you dont get sick, youll feel well.” Yet the point is an important one that must be considered when we think about what aging really means. People may be more prone to such ailments as they get older, but just because you get older doesnt mean you will experience all the symptoms associated with these and other diseases.

Although the disease process and the aging process may run concurrently, they are not the same thing. You can get sick and even die from many diseases common to old age, but you dont have to get old to have such diseases. If you maintain an optimal level of wellness, you should be able to get older without automatically and inescapably being condemned to the pain, discomfort and disabilities associated with many disease. Growing old and getting sick simply are not interchangeable or even inextricably linked processes.

It is true that older people are more likely than the young to get certain diseases, and older individuals may have several different health problems at the same time. But more and more people are living longer and staying healthier, and happier, as they get older. The key is to gain control over your health as early in your life as possible. Learning how to stay well will give you a better chance of feeling well, longer.

Most older individuals are more concerned about their diet and digestion than about what disease may ultimately strike them. They worry more about sleeping well, seeing and hearing adequately, looking good, having a reasonably active sex life, controlling their weight, experiencing as little pain as possible, maintaining their mental acuity, not being depressed, and remaining active and independent. These are all, to varying degrees, reliant on your musculoskeletal health.

It is imperative that you do all you can to protect yourself from degeneration, illness and accidents that can rob you of many additional years of healthy and happy living. If the joints, muscles and nerves that make up your musculoskeletal system arent kept functioning properly, you may be jeopardizing your overall health and wellbeing. Chiropractic is designed to maximize musculoskeletal health so that you can feel better over the entire course of a long life. In addition, acupuncture helps making body Qi channels balanced which delays the aging process.