Acupuncture Can Stop You From Aging
Acupuncture Can Stop You From Aging In the world of scientific longevity research, we don’t calculate age by what’s on your driver’s license, and we pay no attention to the youth-obsessed culture that ascribes to the notion that ’50 is the new 30′. Scientists now calculate age on a cellular level, by the length of your telomeres. Telomeres are the “caps” at the ends of our chromosomes that naturally shorten as we age, they are similar to the plastic caps at the end of a shoelace. As the plastic ends shred, and the shoelace becomes frayed and damaged, so too the shortening of our telomeres can leave our cells and chromosomes vulnerable to damage. Telomere shortening means the cell’s lifespan is shortening. Telomeres become shorter with each cell division, at some point can no longer divide which leads to senescence (aging) and ultimately, cell death. Recent research shows that telomere shortening plays an important role in human disease and mortality. More than 20 studies, from top universities around the world, have shown associations between shorter telomere length and various types of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Shorter telomeres have also been associated with cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive function, dementia, and arthritis. On the flip-side, long telomeres are related to healthy aging and overall longevity. The longer and more stable the telomere, the longer we live. What causes telomere shortening Stress Poor diet Lack of exercise Too much exercise Unresolved emotions Toxins (industrial, environmental and food) Smoking and other recreational substances including alcohol Anything that creates free radicals It’s not surprising that this shortening or aging can be accelerated by an unhealthy lifestyle. However, there’s hope that we can actually turn back our cellular clocks. How to lengthen telomeres Researchers report that lengthening your telomeres isn’t directly related to healthy eating and exercise. Numerous studies, from Harvard University to UCSF, have shown the primary contributor to cellular aging isn’t fast food or a sedentary lifestyle, it’s actually stress. Accelerated cell aging has now been associated with many stress-related conditions, including trauma exposure, major depression and other psychiatric disorders. In Chinese medicine we believe that almost every symptom the body experiences primarily comes from stress. Stress wreaks havoc on the organ systems and creates stagnation and disharmony of Qi, blood and other important substances. So, logics will tell us that if acupuncture treats stress and balances the body overall, then it must lengthen telomeres. And we are happy to report that evidence based studies confirm that acupuncture, in fact, is effective in lengthening telomeres. Our Recommendation If you aren’t experiencing any symptomatology and are ‘healthy’, we recommend receiving acupuncture at least once a month. This will help de-stress the body overall, thereby creating the enzyme telomerase to protect and bring stability to the already present telomere. As a positive side effect, it will also do the following: Decrease inflammation Build immunity Strengthen the gastro-intestinal system Enhance circulation Regulate brain chemistry and hormones Relax the nervous system Clear trauma in the body memory Open the meridians and create a clear connection to the associated organ system hereby eradicating stress and free radicals. And lengthen telomeres. We are your support system for anti-aging and longevity.
Acupuncture and Anti-aging
Acupuncture and Anti-aging Sandra Bullock knows what’s up… she gets acupuncture three times and week! WHY? I can only speculate, but like everyone else I’m sure Sandra has some stress and utilizes it for that, but I bet she’s been tipped off to the secret of anti-aging as well. And I don’t mean those acupuncture facial rejevenation treatments, I’m talking about anti-aging from the inside out and telomeres. “Our understanding of how our cells age, and how we can protect our cells from aging, is expanding at an amazingly quick pace. Several decades ago, scientists discovered telomeres. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes that are similar to the plastic caps at the end of a shoelace. As the plastic ends shred, and the shoelace becomes frayed and damaged, so too the shortening of our telomeres can leave our cells vulnerable to damage. Telomeres are considered an index of cell age and are like a clock of the cell’s lifespan. Telomere shortening means the cell’s lifespan is shortening. Recent research shows that telomere shortening plays an important role in human disease and mortality. More than 20 studies have shown associations between shorter telomere length and various types of cardiovascular disease (e.g., stroke, heart attacks) and diabetes. Shorter telomeres have also been associated with cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive function, dementia, and arthritis. On the flip-side, long telomeres are related to healthy aging and overall longevity.” Scientists are hard at work finding out what sorts of things lengthen telomeres… they’ve done studies on yoga, antioxidants, meditation, exercise and acupuncture. All these have been proven, but acupuncture so far has been the shining star. Much love, Christina “Mei Wen” Martin, L.Ac., Dipl.AC, MTOM, FABORM. christina@berkeley-acupuncture.com Christina Martin is the founder of Tao to Wellness. She is an Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Teacher and has been in practice for fifteen years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine. Christina entered Acupuncture school without ever having an Acupuncture treatment. She simply felt it was her calling.
Meditation isn’t just for Monks… it’s for the LA Lakers too!
Meditation isn’t just for Monks… it’s for the LA Lakers too! Sometimes the road to success can be a mysterious one, who would think that meditation would assist you in being successful or winning the GAME, but it does. Just ask sports psychologist and meditation teacher George Mumford… Interview from Mindful magazine. But, wait a second here, many, many people have the hardest time meditating, so if meditation helps you WIN, then what helps you meditate? Ah grasshopper… Acupuncture… For five years, George Mumford worked with NBA Championship team the Chicago Bulls, during the Michael Jordan years. He’s also been involved with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s currently a sports psychologist and meditation teacher to many athletes and sports teams. Soren Gordhamer: When you teach mindfulness to the Chicago Bulls or the Los Angeles Lakers, what do you feel that you are offering? George Mumford: The opportunity to be in the moment. In sports, what gets people’s attention is this idea of being in the zone, or playing in the zone. When they are playing their best, they can do no wrong, and no matter what happens they are always a step quicker, a step ahead. That happens when we are in the moment, when we are mindful of what is going on. There’s a lack of self-consciousness, there’s a relaxed concentration, and there’s this sense of effortlessness, of being in the flow. We have that experience in other parts of our life, but we equate it with sports because there are rules and guidelines, and it is a situation where you get immediate feedback. When we are in the moment and absorbed with the activity, we play our best. That happens once and awhile, but it happens more often if we learn how to be more mindful. By mindful, I mean being aware, being engaged with the present moment. Mindfulness is useful because it is through this that we can see what is going on. It means knowing what needs to happen and doing it. Christina “Mei Wen” Martin, L.Ac., Dipl.AC, MTOM, FABORM. christina@berkeley-acupuncture.com
