Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 3)

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 3)
 by: Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD

Aging
How did aging appeared?
If mechanism of Death was chosen by evolution, how was aging chosen?
Why for example at certain age animals do not die instantly and just give the room for the next generation. Nurturing is one explanation at least for human society.
But lets say new generation of young adults already reached puberty . Why would not old generation die in an instant. Why do they age?
Actually there is nothing impossible. Some butterflies grow couple years, mate, produce new generation and die in one day. Some plants live 1 year, some live 2 years and then invariably die. Some live 1000 years. Lemmings, having overgrowth of population, just go and massively commit suicide in the sea. No questioned asked.
Why aging in other animals take several years?
It might be selected by cut-throat evolution during another catastrophe.
A relatively mild Cataclysm happened in the same time when all adults died programmed to do so. Older animals would survive the disaster. But they died instantly from internal timer. Younger generation did not tolerate the mishap.
All species that did it - just disappeared. Younger animals were not adapted to new conditions. Only animals with mechanism of aging were selected. Maybe the aged animals are not so good as younger ones. They already slightly deteriorated. But it is better than nothing.
Anyway. It makes sense why Death and Aging were selected during the Evolution.
- continued in Part 4

About The Author

Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD
http://www.geocities.com/aging_rejuvenation/
http://www.geocities.com/usmle_test
aging_rejuvenation@yahoo.com

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

Low Salt Diet Tips for Kids and Adults

Low Salt Diet Tips for Kids and Adults
 by: Laura Bankston

Our bodies only require a small amount of salt for proper nutrition. But the fact is that we all, including our children, consume way more salt -or rather, the sodium - than we should.
Why should we care how much salt (sodium) our children consume? Too much salt (sodium) creates risk for high blood pressure and higher risk for heart attack. And, we women know salt's affect on bloating! The eating habits of our children will continue in their adulthood - and all too frequently less healthy than they were reared when they face busy schedules they haven't expereinced before.
What is the recommended daily intake of salt (sodium)?
The adult recommended daily intake of sodium in the U.S. is less than 2,400 mg. But, you may be interested to note the the daily recommendation in the UK is less than 1,600 mg! That's quite a difference.
So, who do you trust?
It doesn't take much shopping and looking at the nutrition information on foods to find that they hold a LOT of sodium.
I personally think that the government's recommendation of sodium intake is influenced by prepared food production.
I think that they've taken into account how American's can reduce sodium intake without too much impact on the economy.
But, then again, depending on which association you check, you'll find different recommendations from them all.
There are no intake recommendations for children, but I think that they are important due to the formation of eating habits that I mentioned above.
So, what's a person to do?
Of course, a person should follow the advice of his/her doctor.
But, for me - a healthy adult with great blood pressure - I just use my common sense to guide me.
Tips for easy, common sense salt reduction: Use less salt than recommended in a recipe. I've never found it to affect the taste. Most of the time I totally leave it out - especially if it's accompanied by a product that already contains salt/sodium. Don't let your kids salt at the table. The only time salt is on my dinner table is when company is over. I think that my two younger kids don't even realize that people salt their food at the table. If you do decide to let your kids have additional salt - put it on for them. It comes out faster than they realize and it's hard to see! Check the nutrition label of every food that you buy. You will quickly become aware of how much sodium is in cereal, bread, canned goods, bacon, frozen foods, etc. Having an awareness of how much sodium you are consuming will make reduction much easier Buy low-salt or low-sodium versions of a product. Why eat the extra sodium when you'll adjust to the difference in taste (if any) in a few bites? Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Substitute salt with other spices that will give food flavor without adding sodium
Forming good "salting" habits now, will make things a lot easier for your children in the future. Do it for them, and you'll be doing it for you too!

About The Author

Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with Kids Curriculum: "Homeschool Cooking in a Box" and the "Homeschool Cookbook". Her articles are published online and in home schooling magazines such as The Homeschool Digest. She currently home schools her three children and maintains home school support websites. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
laura@homeschoolcookbook.com

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

Introducing Falun Dafa

Introducing Falun Dafa
 by: David Snape

I have been practicing an advanced form of qigong for almost 5 years now. The name of this practice is Falun Dafa.
Have you ever heard of or seen Tai Chi? Well, Falun Dafa is similar and yet very different. It is similar in the sense that is has slow and gentle movements. It is dissimilar in the sense that it is easy to learn. There are only 5 gentle exercises to that are so simple and easy to learn that a small child or an extremely elderly person could still learn and do them.
Another major advantage that Falun Dafa has is that it is free to learn and practice. There are no class fees or ongoing monthly dues to pay. You can download video instructions from a Falun Dafa web site or you can learn from an actual volunteer instructor.
The volunteer instructors can be found in almost every major city around the world. And they won't charge anything to teach you this wonderful, energizing, health promoting exercise practice. I know this for a fact because I also serve as a volunteer instructor in the Kansas City area.
So what have I obtained from the practice after 5 years? That's an easy and exciting question to answer. After just two months of this practice, a nagging and recurring back pain that I had for many years went away. I was able to stop getting back treatments from my chiropractor. That was 5 years ago and I haven't needed any further treatment since.
What is exciting about the above example is that previously I tried many things to alleviate my back problem. Nothing else worked!
I've always been relatively healthy with only minor health issues throughout my life. I have meant other people that had more severe health issues that also received total relief from practicing Falun Dafa.
What do the exercises entail? Let's talk about them here.
What I'm about to describe is from my own experiences, if you would like a more accurate description and explanation of the exercises, please reference a book by Li, Hongzhi, the man who brought Falun Dafa out to the public. The name of his book is Falun Gong. You can get a copy of his book for free from the main Falun Dafa web site, falundafa.org.
The first exercise is a gentle one that involves stretching from head to toe. To perform one cycle of the exercise takes about 3 or 4 minutes. It is done from a standing position with the knees and hips relaxed, until the gentle upward stretch that accompanies each of the exercise's movements.
When practiced, this 3 or 4 minute exercise is usually repeated three times. In normal circumstances, it takes about 12 minutes to repeat this exercise a total of three times.
The second exercise is a standing stance with 4 positions. Each position is held for a length of time that can vary depending on the ability of the practitioner. In the beginning it would be fine to just hold each position for maybe 1 minute each or even less, depending on the person's ability and comfort zone.
Advanced practitioners might work up to as long as 7 minutes or more for each position. However, you can gradual improve your time according to your own wishes and abilities.
The third exercise is a gentle exercise where you move your arms up and down in front of the body. In the first half of this exercise the hands go in opposite directions. In the second half, the arms go in the same direction. Each repetition of the exercise takes about 3 minutes. Generally, when practiced, people will repeat this exercise three times, for a total duration of about 9 minutes.
The fourth exercise is similar but different in that the hands trace a path around the entire body. The path travels along the front of the body and then up the back of the body. The hands reach about the level of the mid-back before being brought in front of the body again. The path is traced for a total of 9 times constituting one repetition of the exercise.
The fourth exercise is generally repeated three times when practiced. When done this way the total time to repeat this exercise three times is about twelve minutes.
The fifth exercise is done sitting down in the cross-legged position. The leg cross can be simple "Indian" style or slightly more advanced depending on the ability and comfort zone of the person practicing.
There is a sequence of hand gestures at the beginning and there are positions to hold. The duration of holding the hand positions can vary. Once again, how long is determined by the person practicing. Both how long you hold the hand positions and the overall duration of the exercise are entirely at the discretion of the person practicing.
In the beginning a person might only practice the fifth exercise for a few minutes. Advanced users may practice for an hour or longer. Again, it all depends on the ability and comfort level of the person practicing.
These are very simple explanations of the exercises. For more detailed and accurate accounts of the exercises read Falun Gong by Li, Hongzhi. Or alternatively, you can download his instruction videos from the main Falun Dafa web site mentioned previously.
Mr. Li also has another book called Zhuan Falun, which to my understanding expounds on the characteristics of the universe: Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. I wrote that with the hyphens to underscore that this is one characteristic and not three separate ones. Again, that is my understanding about them and much more profound understandings can be found in the book Zhuan Falun itself.
Because you can practice Falun Dafa with others in a group setting without being charged any initial or recurring fees, it seems like the perfect alternative to other exercises that charge money to participate in. Exercising with a group or alone is fine and each person may have his or her own preference on that. It's enjoyable either way.
I personally practice it both ways. On the weekends we do have a group practice here in the Kansas City area and you are welcome to come join us if you are in the area. Fortunately, many cities throughout the United States, Canada and around the world have similar group practices. You don't have to come to Kansas City to enjoy this wonderful practice.
I have one last item of note. It seems that some people can't stand to see others enjoy something good. And this is no different. The current person that runs China, Jiang Zemin, is terribly furious at people who practice Falun Gong for no logical reason that anyone can come up with. He brutally persecutes those who practice it in China.
If you want to learn more about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, there is a web site that you can visit, faluninfo.net. They even offer suggestions to help end the persecution if you are so inclined.
I do hope you get the chance to experience what I have from the practice. The health of my body and a deep sense of peace and well being are some of what I have obtained.
This article is for information purposes only. The information is not meant to give advice or attempt to prevent, treat or diagnose any health problems. If you have or think you might have any type of health condition, please consult your primary care physician immediately. Consult him or her before taking up any form of exercise.

About The Author

Dave Snape is a health, fitness and well-being enthusiast who maintains a web site on that theme: http://tobeinformed.com
david@tobeinformed.com

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 4)

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 4)
 by: Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD

Biological clock
Obviously you need biological clock to time and alarm the point when you need to die and when you need to age. Aging is the same death as in those one-day butterflies, but a little bit prolonged one. Not immediate kill but gradual shut down of protection mechanisms - immunological, genetical repair, and just other necessary functions of proliferation. As soon as those functions turned off - an organism starts to deteriorate and wear off.
Interesting that our organism is not a static thing. We probably replace all molecules in our body within relatively short period of time. Obviously water is replaced completely every couple months. Water is 60% of our body. Other molecules are replaced as well. Thus, human being is just some unstable chemical organisation around genetical information. Molecules swirl and disappear like crazy. DNA in cells maybe is not changed so fast, but the cells themselves change quickly in most of cases. There is no need to age just because of wearing.
Biological clocks are necessary and there is no doubt they exist.
The theories of aging that consider death as a sequence of events caused by external causes - like oxidations and accumulation of genetical errors should anyway include the idea of Internal Biological Clock as well. Simple example is menopause in women. Somewhere at 40-55 all women undergo menopause. Unavoidable. Though there were reports of childbirth at 60 yo but considering one chance in billions, it is just a joke. Males have their equivalents too. All people after certain age change their immunological, hormonal, metabolic levels and so on. Majority of organs decrease their function . Thymus involute. Fat cells overgrow others, muscle cells degenerate etc. The same happens to all other multicellular animals and plants.
Now the real question: Is it possible to break the biological clock or at least slow down and rejuvenate?
Possible methods of rejuvenation.
1. Telomeres lengthening and other genes regulation.
Several genes that might play role in aging described recently. Telomerase encoding genes are the most discussed. In theory, if we lengthen the telomeres (these are the ends of chromosomes that are shortened with each division by very interesting mechanism), we could overcome cell tendency to lose ability for proliferation. Hence, we have "immortal cells". Hence, immortality or at least longevity is reached - cells divide indefinitely and repair organism. Basically, to restore telomeres length we need to activate production of or to introduce into the cell an enzyme named telomerase. To reach each cell in the body we would use viral vectors or smallRNA. Working with virus production and then cell transduction I would say it is difficult, very difficult. There are too many obstacles to use them efficiently. SmallRNAs would be more promising. In any case, when you go from theory to practice problems rise exponentially. Biggest question: will it work? Immortal cell (cell which is able to divide indefinitely) does not mean immortal body. One of the outcomes would be uncontrollable cell growth and, hence, cancer. Actually scenists discuss telomeres mostly in connection with cancer. They are very cautious saying about the rejuvenation. Mass media extrapolates the findings to possibility of longevity and further rejuvenation.
My guess would be that telomeres are some of the "final cogwheels" in the Internal biological clock. It is useful to divide the clock on intracellular and whole body levels just for understanding. But in reality the levels are not separable, they continue one into another. It is easy to understand that intracellular production of any protein, any enzyme depends on transmembrane regulation. Hormones activate receptors that activate DNA transcription and protein production. Other genes that play role in cellular aging are described recently as well. I do not know how to use this method at present time
2. Hormone replacement.
When I studied in med school, several time I met mentions about hormonal side effects that cause a person to look much younger. Well known for example are: If a woman in menopause suddenly resumes menstrual cycles and looks younger than her age, we might suspect an ovarian Tumour producing excess of estrogen. If a person has thyrotoxicosis - excess of hormone thyroxine - he/she loses weight and looks much younger Persons with manic phases of bipolar disorder look younger, more energetic. Certain hormones - corticosteroids for example - might be increased or decreased in elderly. Couples that look younger were shown to have increased level of sexual relationships. Again, that supposedly should significantly change the hormonal levels.
If we give a person some of those synthetic hormones - estrogen, thyroxine - we can sometime reproduce the younger looks.
It is not the same as plastic surgery or skin creams and massages. It invigorates whole body. Skin as well. There is heavy price - recent debates are waxing and waning - if estrogen replacement increases or decreases risks of cancers (uterine, breast, ovarian etc.) Thyroxine excess takes heavy tall on cardiovascular system. Psychiatric disorders (mania for example) was linked to ceratin changes in neurotransmitter levels. Certain psycho tropic drugs change the ratios. Supposedly they can be employed for rejuvenation. Unfortunately, you would rather receive a psychosis than younger look.
On internet you can find massive information about hormones that rejuvenate you. I saw some websites that list practically any major hormone: estrogen androgens corticosteroids growth hormone thyroxine DHEA melatonin and some others as a drug that leads to rejuvenation.
The websites often have references to scientific literature. Most of the websites just sell you those hormones or offer courses of hormone therapy.
My personal opinion would be that blind replacement can cause more harm than lead to any desired rejuvenation.
Useful information that I would extract from the item is that A) Practically every hormone in the body is involved. B) Certain means of rejuvenation are actually documented. That gives hope.
I do not use hormones personally. If I would employ them, I would use them in very small quantities to mimic physiology and in special controlled conditions that I will describe below. The doses that are used in regular therapy are actually way to high compare to the natural levels of a healthy organism.
3. Antioxidant therapy.
As we discussed, in the best case antioxidants are the method for longevity, not rejuvenation. I use mega-doses of antioxidants available over the counter. I use only those that I consider safe. I have a lot of doubts they give measurable effect. Anyway I use them. Would not throw away.
4. Caloric restriction.
I use it as well. 60% of regular meal - is way to much - you would barely move your feet. I regulate it. My opinion: if you increase your activity, you can eat more. Just balance your food and motions. Though I might be wrong.
5. Hypothalamic regulation.
This is scary level. Hypothalamus is the area of your brain that sits on the base of your skull. Why do we discuss hormones above? Well, hypothalamus contains hundred of centres that regulate your metabolism and first of all, hormonal status. Studies of hypothalamus are complicated - mostly there are postmortem studies of brain sections. To perform functional study you need to use micro-neurosurgical techniques (still very rude) and try to register changes in a hundred or so cells out of several billions. Changes would include minuscule production (nano and Pico grams) of poorly defined neurotransmitters. The infinitely small quantities of those neurotransmitters are produced by only few out of hundreds cell connections and exist only several nanoseconds. In general to study this area is more difficult than to look for a needle in a haystack. If you consider that there are only few centres have appropriate expertise, you would understand why the progress is relatively slow. Even fewer labs study rejuvenation. Though there were reports that transplantation of hypothalamic tissue from younger animals to older could result in rejuvenation-like effect.
I mention this level because A) hypothalamus regulates production of bunch of intermediate messengers that in turn activate hypophysis, that activate adrenal glands, ovaries, thyroid gland etc (maybe many other areas in th body) that in turn produce the hormones discussed above. (Full description you could find in a textbook of Endocrinology) B) because of complexity of hypothalamus it is a good candidate were a "supreme cogwheel" of biological clock may reside. One hint would be proximity of epiphysis - small pea-like gland that produce melatonin and regulates circadian rhythms. It would not be surprise that all that is interconnected in the hypothalamus. One of objection - what is about worms? They do not have hypothalamus as it is. But they age and die as well as humans. Explanation would be that worms also have nervous system and some other part of it may play the central role in the biological clocks. Another explanation would be that there is no such centre at all, everything happens on the lower levels.
I was interested in methods of rejuvenation since childhood. Maybe I read too many science fiction. When I was in medschool a saw some mentions of unusual phenomenon in magnetic radiation. To make story short, eventually I found a book - 400 pages of fine script. I found the book in Central Medical Library in Moscow. Even our relatively large library in Russian State Med U did not have this book. In addition I read the dissertation thesis, that were related to that book. Several Russian scientists developed relatively complicated theory, done many hundreds of experiments. Theory is a little bit complex, involves discussion of stress and adaptation syndrome. Obviously hypothalamic area also discussed. I am not big fan of that theory. But result the authors described were striking: they were able to restore menopause in rats, prolong rats life span almost twice and more important repeat it again and again. By the description from the book "rejuvenated rats" looked the same as young, but were just bigger in size. Well, you saw a lab rat, you know that older rats have rare hair, bleak eyes, are in menopause etc. Young rat, in opposite, would have bright red eyes, very sleek hair, menstruations, etc. This is no surprise - all growth of hair, production of oil by skin, production of moisture in lacrimal glands and so on are regulated by the hormones. The same is true for rats as well as for humans. Authors described the methods that they found mostly empirically. Moreover they tested some methods on humans and described treatment of variety of diseases - asthma, gastritis, peptic ulcers, low grade skin cancers (non-melanoma) just to name few. As I understand they did not describe rejuvenation in humans. Though later there were some mentions in literature. Authors describe zones of activation, training and stress. In general the methods are difficult to apply - they require permanent control of organism condition for many months, maybe years. Control of hormonal level and control of blood work. In addition parameter would vary from individual to individual. In modern medicine it is much faster and more reliable to cut out skin cancer with knife or give powerful proton pump inhibitors for a gastric ulcer.
I realized that I used some of the methods described, even before I read that book. Since then I added some more methods for my own use. Mostly I use the methods that I feel safe and efficient. For example transplanting of hypothalamus would be out of question. It is a wacking unsafe procedure. Recently there were reports that DHEA, melatonin or other hormones could make miracles: older people feel as young. I would wait confirmation of the effects. Some authors suggest rejuvenation may be reached by individually designed cocktails of hormones. I would think that any hormone given makes more mess than regulation. Practically every hormone described have loops and pathways that prevent overproduction. If you just replace the hormones by giving the substitute, you wack the production of your own hormones those that injected as well as many others. All hormones are complexly interrelated. Individual cocktails would be better, but the doses described in literature are wacking. Again I might be wrong. Maybe everything is so simple - just get cocktail and you will jump as a newborn bunny.
Considering different information from different sources, I would propose following theory:
To rejuvenate yourself you need to recreate the hormonal and metabolic level of young organism.
This is actually very difficult to reach: your organism have all the means to produce all the necessary hormones. Levels of hormones in elderly are not so far from the levels in youth actually. The difference is several percentages, not several folds. But biological clock switch to underproduction. The idea is to cheat the biological clock and to restore the youth levels. The most difficult part is to get into the window of optimal production. You can not go too low - just wouldn't have any effect on rejuvenation. You can not go above the optimal level - it will cause stress and even more deterioration. So approach is very individual. There is no quick effect - you can not rejuvenate from looking 50 to looking 30 overnight. You really need a lot of commitment and time. The methods which you choose are not of so great importance. Practically any action toward your body would cause changes in your metabolic and hormonal status. Physical exercise, herbs, yoga, hormones (low doses) etc - we could list thousands.
Personally I used available antioxidants, slight caloric restrictions, herbs (some of substances in herbs like ginseng, Echinacea, etc mimics hormones in their chemical structure), self-hypnosis, neurolinguistic programming (NLP), auto-training, different exercises, lactic bacteria, etc. Important is the ability to adjust the level of treatment - reduce the dose of herbs or increase dose of exercise etc.
Methods of control are of much great importance. The described methods include measurement of hormonal level and of certain fractions of cells in the blood work(that is also regulated by hormonal and metabolic reactions)
If I would have a clinic of rejuvenation therapy I would probably use many of those methods - they are objective and reproducible. But they require blood work.
For individual use there some subjective methods exist. They are described in literature as: If you are in the condition of rejuvenation you feel great energy, hunger, restlessness. Your sleep would be normalised, you are fighting regular infections much more efficiently - inflammatory reaction might be exaggerated, but they last shorter time. Your eyes would glisten as in youth. You will feel constant euphoria and need in doing something. There are some other subjective criteria. Personally, I would add: you will notice that your nails and hair grow like crazy in those conditions.
The biggest problem is how to hold in this condition of rejuvenation for a prolonged period of time. You really can not go overboard - super activation would just wack all your system. You can not go under activation - just no any useful effect. You need to get it is just right. Solution is tight, continuos control. Boy, it's really tough in the modern stressful environment (would not describe all the junk that I had in recent years), but it is possible. Dedication is your solution. Some formulas to calculate doses of stimuli are described in the literature, but I feel it is easier to go with individual subjective feelings. Below there is an animation that contains some simple elements of NLP and might help to tune a brain a little.
Now, what did I get by using those methods? Well not much, but I hope for more. At present time I am 35 yo I do not really have good control group in my personal experiment. Sometime people asked me if I am younger than my brother (He is younger than me for several years). Maybe it is some sort of control group. When I come into a bar (can not say often, maybe once in a year with friends) waiter often asks my ID. It is funny also because I do not use alcohol. So, to drink a Coke I need to show ID, being 35 yo. Sometime people ask me are you 18 or 19 When I played water polo at Yale, undergrads told me they thought I was freshman (as I guess also 18 or 19). That time I was 33. Teenagers often start to talk to me in the way if I am another teenager. And so on.
So, in general it is really hard to measure rejuvenation. All measurements are mostly subjective. Even in well designed scientific trial you find either some description of biochemical changes (which doesn't say you anything about rejuvenation as it is) or some subjective descriptions - "patients felt much better, felt rejuvenated and invigorate". How much rejuvenated? How many years were reversed? It is very difficult to estimate. If I say to a person that I have MD and PhD, he says "aha". Mentally they immediately adjust and now they say that I am probably 30. OK. Sometime they just say: you look so young.
Again 35 is not the age where you really can brag that the methods worked. I would wait couple more decades to say that there was measurable effect. Unfortunately. You do not have the right for a mistake. If a method did not work , you can not go back and change it. You already are behind for several years.
But my personal, subjective feeling is that the methods do work. I believe that it is possible by tight control maintain the level of younger organism. It just requires a lot of work.
Below there is animation that might help to tune in the desired "optimal rejuvenation condition". Animation requires Flash file player I use that animation for myself. I doubt that it will necessarily help you. Maybe 1 out of 10. If you are not sure, don't' touch it. The animation contains some simple NLP information.
Animation
Basically looking at the animation couple times a week for 5 min should start the tuning process (at least I feel so). You should target at the condition when you feel inexhaustible energy, euphoria, normalized sleep, and some feelings that is hard to describe - like a fine tingling in your fingertips, subjectively it feels like a pouring energy. It is difficult to explain, but when you feel you understand it. If you do not feel anything, it means it did not work, forget it.
So to finish I would say that Rejuvenation is difficult but probably possible to reach - at least in a certain degree. A.K.2004

About The Author

Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD
http://www.geocities.com/aging_rejuvenation/
http://www.geocities.com/usmle_test
aging_rejuvenation@yahoo.com

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 2)

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 2)
 by: Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD

Death
Death. Why it happens? Why do we die? Why do animals die? Why do plants die? What is the need of this? In my opinion mechanism of death was selected during Evolution.
From the position of Darwin's theory of Natural Selection everything, that benefits survival of species and gives advantage in Natural Selection, is preserved in following generations.
Improvements were often left unchanged from the moment of life appearance. Though there could be other ways, certain mechanisms were accidentally selected. These improvements are reproduced in the genome of more complex species. Billions of years ago, according to the theory of evolution, chemicals randomly organized themselves into a self-replicating molecule.
Lightings and UV-radiation helped to create first organic molecules. This phenomenon is reproducible in a lab. The experiments were described in 1950-60.
First self-replicating molecules were probably RNA. First enzymes were probably RNA - enzymes. Then proteins, DNA and more complex lipid molecules and polysaccharide came to the scene.
Death as it is did not exist at the stage of Primeval Soup . Sure some organic molecules were destroyed , some new created. But in general it was still that swirling and bubbling primary broth - quasi alive in our understanding as a mixture of biochemical reactions.
Everything in the evolution was build from the previous blocks selected sometime by accident.
Appearance of lipid membranes allows to compartmentalize the primary broth and create first cells.
At the cellular stage we could already talk about the Death. Cell is destroyed, membrane is broken, everything leaked out. This is the Death.
Content of cell inside lipid membrane is irradiated. Process of crazy molecular swirling is messed up by free radicals irreversibly. This is also signs of Death.
Yet at the cellular stage we cannot talk about Aging. Death at this stage is accidental, not programed.
Organic molecules may age (oxidation, conjugation, etc.) and cell would die. But damaged molecule are repaired or synthesized fresh usually. Hence, no good reason for a single cell organism to age. Irreparable damage from external cause leads to Death, not Aging. This is accidental death. For multicellular organisms, there is a parental organism that ages and eventually dies after next generation is born. For mono-cellular organism, there is parental organism that divides and becomes the next generation. There is no Aging leading to death of parental organism.
Mono-cellular organisms are practically immortal in a right environment.
Mechanism of division was selected during evolution. Cell has volume (3-D). Surface membrane is measured in square units (2-D). Growing beyond limits cause inadequate supply of nutrition from environment. Division solves the problem.
Microbes, bacteria are immortal. Some divide every 20 minutes. In a an hour they multiply 8 times.
Tumour cells divide slower. They are eukaryote. Most aggressive divide once a day. There is no need for Aging.
They would die if you do not feed them. They die when you kill them with undiluted bleach in a flask. Otherwise they grow unstoppable. No aging.
Multicellular organism supposedly has several control mechanisms to prevent excessive growth and division, to kill an extra cell. Apoptosis, programmed death, is used.
Cancer cells often loose the control mechanisms.
A scientist from Yale once pointed out to me that we can not say these cells are immortal. Maybe they divide and parental cell dies. Indeed. We do not follow the fate of every individual cell during experiments. They should give more children cells than parental cells die. Otherwise there would not be the multiplication. It is a possible scenario. We do not follow the fate of individual bacteria as well. Maybe they actually undergo aging.
From the other hand some experiments suggest that new cells contain roughly half of the parent cell after division. So it is not Death or Aging. Next generations contain 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 and so on of the parent cell. Any mechanism that is more complex than simple division would cause disadvantage in evolution and would be quickly eliminated. On the level of mono-cellular organism neither Aging nor Apoptosis make a lot of sense. Though Nature often have hidden reasons.
Flick's phenomenon and telomeres shortening make sense for a multicellular organism. Cells of multicellular organism do age. They stop dividing after 70 divisions or so.
A multi-cell organism has clear cut advantage over a mono-cell.
Why would mechanism of Death selected for multicellular organisms? Scenario could be the following.
Big organism have more advantages compare to smaller one - stability, protection, etc. There are not so many natural enemies for whale or elephant because of their size. Large animals could be brought down by bacteria, viruses, small parasites, and lack of available food. Rare predator attack whale or elephant.
No wonder that evolution was going into the direction of bigger animals - just look at giant bones of dinosaurs and you will feel some appreciation.
Millions years ago not only Dinosaurs but also insects or crustacean were enormous. Cockroaches, spiders or dragon flies with size of one metre (3 feet). Going back in time we find shells of enormous molluscs. Many things imply that bigger animal with unstoppable growth have a lot of advantages compare to small ones. New species often evolve in their size. An example is growth acceleration in humans. Females prefer taller mates that lead to taller children. Shorter plants usually cannot compete with the taller forms in the wild. A short mutant in a patch of tall plants would be shaded out
Mechanism of reproduction was also selected during the evolution. Any new animal, be it a mouse or a human, starts life as a single cell. That cell differentiates and develops into the complete animal. It assures that a rare advantageous variant sequence of DNA will be rapidly propagated by natural selection. It is much easier to reproduce and maybe get some new genes or favourable mutations starting from a single cell than starting from a whole multicellular organism. Functions of most genes will have been optimized by random point mutation and selection in any given species. Signalling between cells during the development process ensure that everything ends up in the right place. Tiny changes in these Signalling processes can have very large effects on the resulting animal. Genome, with at most forty-sixty thousands genes, is able to specify the creation of a human body containing trillions of cells, billions of carefully wired neurons and hundreds of different cell types all amazingly sculpted into organs as diverse as the liver and the brain. This is why mechanism of proliferation of fertilized oocytes was selected.
Hence, having younger (smaller) and older (bigger) animals make sense.
But there is the problem: adult animals (or plants) consume all the nutrition around and there is not much left for next generation.
Then it is why mechanism of Death was selected as a mean for next generation to establish.
Imagine the following:
First, mechanism of proliferation was selected . If mono-cellular organism does not have mechanism of reproduction it does not produce offspring with possible favourable mutations. Let say there are primitive bacteria spontaneously created in primeval soup. Just few of them. They consume nutrition, they live happily, practically immortal but they do not divide. Then set of enzymes appeared during mutations. The set allows bacteria to split. Synthesis of the new set is disadvantageous. It requires additional energy and nutrition. But advantage of splitting allows new mutants immediately overgrow non-proliferating cells. Selection is really cutthroat.
Bacteria growing in a tube represent mini evolution. Any bacteria that fit for the environment are also selected on the ground of simplicity. In a toxic environment (antibiotics) mutant bacteria having a new mechanism of neutralisation would survive. But the more simple bacteria will eventually overgrow complicated ones. Unless complication gives big advantage that outweigh the benefits of simplicity. Another example: HIV virus is very complex compare to some other viruses. But because of the complexity it evades immune response. This is why it is so successful. For humans there was some discussion that hernias are direct problem of erect posture. So erect posture leads to disadvantage. From the other hand erect posture frees the hand, that allows to produce the tools and this gives huge advantage in the survival in natural world by creating possibility to adapt to virtually any condition.
All high animals have just 4 extremities. Obviously it is enough in cutthroat environment. Growing additional couple of extremities will consume much more resources and take much more time, not giving big advantage in speed or protection of an animal. Thus, danger of losing one of the limb is not so big as the danger to not proliferate fast enough.
Bilateral design of majority of animals was chosen at the level of primitive species. Though lower multicellular organisms may have 3-side symmetry or 5-side symmetry like sea stars. Often something chosen in the selection becomes building blocks for higher species. Maybe 5-side symmetrical tiger would be possible but it requires intermediate chain.
The same is true for the mechanism of Death. Once chosen, it is replicated in all higher organisms. It should give an advantage in ultimate species survival. Otherwise it loses sense and species would be wiped out.
So, what is advantage for Death?
Immortal and childless animals are growing and growing. Mutations lead to species producing offsprings. They have disadvantage of been more complex. But advantage of proliferating animals is occupation of vaster areas. They displace immortal and childless species. Now, if proliferating animals are immortal they do not give offsprings enough space or food. Next steps of mutation brought mechanism of programmed death at certain age.
Let consider situation when out of two species one is immortal and producing offsprings, other is mortal with offspring production as well. Mortality looks like an obvious disadvantage in stable environment. Adult organism are more powerful and more protected compare to juvenile.
However, next catastrophe will wipe out all the species altogether. Only some mutants can adopt to new environment. But "mutant" for a multicellular organism imply that the mutation happened when the organism had only one cell (the stage of fertilized oocyte for example). Otherwise it needs precisely the same mutations on the level of several cells - infinitely impossible event.
Thus, any species that had the mechanism to allow next generation to flourish (mechanism of programmed Death) will have advantage. They produce more offspring than immortal species. Death of parents spares the space and nutrition. Immortals can die form accidents only. It is too long for children to expect a vacancy.
Then, having more offspring automatically means having more mutations (by mere number of events). Having more mutations means more probability for adaptation to the new environment.
Immortal multicellular organisms, even if they existed in the past, were quickly wiped out by accidents and overgrown by mortal multicellular organisms.
Again all this is just a hypothesis.
- continued in Part 3

About The Author

Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD
http://www.geocities.com/aging_rejuvenation/
http://www.geocities.com/usmle_test
aging_rejuvenation@yahoo.com

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 1)

Death, Aging, Rejuvenation (Part 1)
 by: Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD

I would like to raise a question: Is Rejuvenation possible and how to approach it? This is just my own opinion about possible procedures. I used certain techniques based on a theory. As strange as it sounds some of those techniques and procedures might actually worked.
There are several hundreds theories of aging. New and old ones. Different authors classify them differently.
I would divide all those theories into 2 groups :
1. Theories of Deterioration from external cause. "Wear and tear". Theory of free radicals damage is most fashionable at present time. Antioxidants are considered a cure. Benefits of caloric restriction are often explained by that theory. The theory has good objective support in scientific literature. Other theories of this group included changes of bacteria in the gut, radiation and accumulation of mutations during life of an individual, etc. - many more of those theories were discussed in the XX century. 2. Internal clock - theories.
I would divide the "internal clock" theories into 2 more subgroups: 1. Internal clock on the level of cell. Telomeres shortening is the most discussed in literature at present. 2. Internal clock on the level of organism. Growth hormone changes was a recent example of discussion.
Authors are usually very cautious and objective in scientific literature. Telomeres are usually discussed in connection with "immortal" cancer cells. Caloric restriction is discussed as a mean of longevity (not rejuvenation per se). Level of growth hormone (GH) or insulin-like growth factor drops in aged persons.
Mass media speculates wider: telomeres restoration - possible immortal life, growth hormone will rejuvenate you, etc.
Original scientific studies usually do not speculate about this. In no way for example drop of GH level in elderly means that just giving it back will make you young again.
Scientific literature rarely discuss "Rejuvenation" as it is. Authors mostly talk about "longevity". This is very different story. Longevity in a wheelchair is very distinct from a youth playing soccer. One proven method to reach longevity is caloric restriction. Often they say it is the only proven technique. Using antioxidants as a method to prolong life is in the same category. To put simple, the Theory says: nutrition produce products of oxidation - peroxides, etc. These products damage DNA, proteins, etc. Cell ages. Caloric restriction switches metabolic pathways. There are less free radicals. Hence longevity. Antioxidants work in similar way - they remove free radicals. Another speculation is that caloric restriction starting at young age delays reproductive age in animals and this slows down biological clocks and prolongs life until an environment with high nutrition supply is found. Animals look small and undeveloped.
Caloric restriction significantly (25%-100% and more) prolonged life in worms, flies, spiders, rats, mice, etc. Experiments on monkeys and humans are under way and will take decades.
Well, it is all good in experiments and theories. Some argue: why in this case prisoners of concentration camps do not live longer. Another example came from "Scientific American" - a person had caloric restriction of something 20 years or more - no effect - he just looks like very thin undernourished person of 50 years. Examples of opposite opinion also exist (tribes or groups with low food consumption or high antioxidants consumption have more centenarians than general population). Maybe you really need to start at 10 years of age, look malnourished and weak for the whole life and live to 100 years, getting to your puberty at 25. Antioxidants also bring many controversy. Vitamin E did not show many benefits though it was a big hope for prevention of many diseases of old age. And so on. Today there are big trials that disprove the theory. Tomorrow - great experiments that confirm the theory, at least partially. Many big trials and experiments are published in leading journals - Science, Nature, PNAS, New England JM, JAMA, etc.
One bias for caloric restriction experiment in my opinion is following. Rats live in cage 30cmX60cm for their whole life. There are at least five rats or 20 mice. They live couple years and die. During the experiments they are celebrities when they live 5 years - some lucky ones. The Food is a balanced mixture of nutrition. Caloric restriction is - 60% of their regular meal. They practically don't move - there is no space in cage. Mostly they sleep whole day. Sometime they fight and mate. They live in those conditions at Yale, at Med U of South Carolina, at Russian State Medical University and I think everywhere else. To compare our fellow humans we would place 10 people on area of 20 square metres (200 sq. feet) for 50 years in a row, feeding them with what they want but all the same - let say junk food from McDonalds.
I remember my cat (who was partially wild) stole meat and ate until it started to vomit. He repeated it many times when he was able to steal some steak or whatever. The same happens in wild - lions have maybe one successful hunt out of ten. When they catch a prey, they eat like crazy. Much more than they can digest at the moment. So it looks like there is an instinct. Eat as much as possible. This is not a joke - 60% of people in western countries are overweight. Abundant high calorie food and lack of activity. It does not seem that for these people any internal mechanism restricts food consumption. Applying this back to rats, we can see that what is considered normal consumption - "ad lib" - maybe actually big overfeeding of the animals in these cages. In this case 60% of caloric restriction would be just what rats need, just what the calories they spend in lazy, uneventful daily life. So called "control", "normal" rats - that fed as they usually fed might be compared for fat overweight humans. They consume junk food. They prone to the bunch of diseases of obesity and low activity. Heart diseases, strokes, variety of cancers, arthritis, etc. In this case all the hype about caloric restriction would just be brought to the business of mere balancing diet and activity in so called "calorie-restricted animals". I haven't seen any discussion of this problem. I might be wrong. This is why I use caloric restriction for myself. I did not work with worms and spiders. But my guess would be that they all are also in artificial standardized conditions. "Control" worms might be also overfed. To put rats into bigger cages (to increase activity in control group and balance calories and catabolism) would be incredibly expensive. Even at present conditions because of "animal lovers" and bunch of other regulations and considerations (e.g. sterile conditions), the price of animal housing is sky-high.
You would say animals in wild would live longer because they balance activity and consumption. Well, recently I read that life span of animals in wild is shorter than animals in captivity. Correct me if I am wrong: pandas live 15-20 years in nature and 20-30 in zoos, bears 20-25 in nature and 30-40 in captivity. Civilization has certain benefits - vaccinations, good medical care, more or less good hygiene. So just moving into wild conditions wouldn't make you younger or allow to live longer.
Now, to discuss rejuvenation procedures, I would need to talk about aging first. In this case Rejuvenation could be considered as reversal of aging (deterioration). Longevity is different story - it is prolonged life span. Rejuvenation supposedly should lead to longevity. But longevity is not equal to Rejuvenation. Aging leads to Death eventually. It is easier to discuss from that end.
All written here is just plain speculation, take it with a grain of salt.
- continued in Part 2

About The Author

Aleksandr Kavokin, MD,PhD
http://www.geocities.com/aging_rejuvenation/
http://www.geocities.com/usmle_test
aging_rejuvenation@yahoo.com

This article was posted on July 28, 2004

How to shop for a Treadmill

How to shop for a Treadmill
 by: Paul Reeve

Treadmills have become the hottest home exercise choice. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, treadmill sales have exceeded those of all other home exercise equipment.
It's easy to understand why. Next to good shoes, a treadmill may be a runner's best friend. Practically anything your training demands--hills, intervals, tempo, long distance--you can do on a treadmill. And you can log those miles while watching Seinfeld or keeping an eye on your kids, without worrying about heat, cold, wind, ice, cars, darkness, potholes, mean dogs or scary people.
Excited? Good. Now let's take your treadmill education another step and go treadmill shopping. Before we set out, though, a word of caution: Treadmills are expensive, and they're complex. A bad buying decision could leave you with one more inactive exercise hulk languishing in that musty corner of your basement. So tread carefully as we steer through the maze of buying a 'mill.
First off, remember as with most things you get what you pay for. A $1,000 treadmill may serve you well, but a $3,000 machine is likely to perform better for a longer time.
The following are some more specifics to absorb before you buy.
How long should a home treadmill last? Retailers tell us the range is seven to 12 years, with 10 years about average. Of course, with proper care, some treadmills far exceed the average. With neglect, even the expensive ones die young. Dust is the primary early killer of treadmills, Once a week, take a dry cloth and wipe up any dust between the belt and deck. Also keep the floor around your treadmill clean and free of dust.
What about the warranty?
Generally, the longer the warranty, the higher the treadmill's quality--and price. Ideally you should look for a warranty of three years for parts and one year for labor, with dealer-provided in-home service for the first year. Most problems, if they occur at all, will crop up in the first 90 days. Mostly it will be relatively minor stuff, such as adjustment or replacement of a component.
What's the difference between a "home" treadmill and a "club" model?
Manufacturers often separate treadmills into two categories: "home" or "residential," and "club" or "commercial." Good home treadmills are essentially smaller versions of club treadmills. The high-end home treadmill can easily withstand regular daily use and features extensive programming options, often more than are found in the club treadmills. Club treadmills come with a superior warranty and a bigger motor that can take round-the-clock beatings. They also carry significantly higher price tags.
What do horsepower ratings mean?
Horsepower (h.p.) is a measure of motor power, and runners will want a 1.5 h.p. or higher "continuous duty" rating for their home treadmill, say most retailers. While higher ratings (2.0 h.p. or higher are common) do indicate a more powerful treadmill, your overall aim should be a machine that efficiently integrates the workings of the motor, belt and deck to give you a steady ride, which some 1.5 h.p. treadmills accomplish.
Continuous duty means that the treadmill will run at its listed h.p. rating with a significant workload over extended periods of time--an important consideration.Be wary of manufacturers who list "peak-performance" h.p. ratings. It sounds impressive, but all peak performance indicates is a motor's maximum power, not its sustained output.
What's the best belt size?
To handle the long stride and natural side-to-side movement of runners, treadmill belts are expanding in width and length. Twenty-inch-wide belts are becoming common, and no belt should be narrower than 17 or 18 inches. The length of the running area should be at least 50 inches, with 55 to 60 inches preferable for taller runners.
How important is the construction of the deck?
Often overlooked by consumers (perhaps because it's hidden beneath the belt) is the treadmill's deck, or bed. Better-quality decks are usually made of thin layers of laminated wood, coated with lubricants to minimize friction between the belt and deck, which in turn reduces strain on the motor. The smoother the deck coating, the less friction between the belt and deck.
Deck construction, more than the belt, influences how smooth or hard your treadmill feels to run on and how well it absorbs shock. You want a surface that gives a bit but doesn't bounce.
Better decks are reversible, meaning they can be turned over--thereby (in theory, at least) doubling the life of the deck. Some decks require owner maintenance without which they may succumb in a year. Proper care, however, can extend a deck's life for the lifetime of the treadmill.
AC or DC?
Direct-current-driven (DC) motors power most home treadmills. DC motors start slowly, provide a more consistent response to speed, incline and weight demands, and tend to run quieter than alternating-current (AC) motors. With DC, you're dealing with fewer internal parts, which may cut down on repairs.
AC motors, which tend to be found in club treadmills, start the belt at a faster speed. But you should be safe plugging either an AC or a DC motor into your wall outlet at home.
Pricing
A good home treadmill can cost up to $5,000 and will likely be the most expensive piece of exercise equipment you'll ever buy. Why so much money to run in place? To answer this, we contacted Cybex International, manufacturer of the high-end Trotter line.
Companies that make the best treadmills install the highest grade of parts and components available, including expensive motors, safety and comfort features and long-lasting decks. Your treadmill's components have to be able to withstand a terrific beating--more than 1,000 footstrikes per mile of running. With the price of a high-end treadmill, you should get a machine that is absolutely durable, with a longer, more complete warranty that reflects its superior quality.
If you're in the market to seriously educate yourself about treadmills, visit http://www.treadmilladviser.com where you can obtain more detailed information.

About The Author

Paul Reeve is a Personal Trainer responsible for training individuals one-on-one and assisting them in achieving their health and fitness goals and providing them with guidance, support and motivation. Presenter and lecturer for Fitness Professionals, Sports Organizations, Sport Coaches, Corporate and Community Organizations. Webmaster for www.treadmilladviser.com - providing informed advice on exercise treadmills.

This article was posted on July 25, 2004

Powerful Arthritis Pain Relief For All Of Us

Powerful Arthritis Pain Relief For All Of Us
 by: Jim Dowler

When you ask what arthritis is, professinals will tell you it's inflammation of one or more joints. But you know it better as pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, and/or a diminished range of motion of those joints! It's estimated that over 50 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other related conditions.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Osteo arthritis seems to come with the wear and tear of aging and affects nearly three-quarters of those over 50. The onset of arthritis is marked by morning stiffness, crackling joints, and perhaps some pain. As it progresses it causes discomfort, more pain, and some disability. It also causes an enormous consumption of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs that can have undesirable long-term effects.
If left untreated, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, along with other forms of rheumatoid disease, can become progressively worse... painful crippling can result. This is particularly true of rheumatoid arthritis, which can destroy joints, unless effective treatment is administered in time.
Modern medicine doesn't have much to offer for these chronic conditions... offering only symptomatic temporary relief. True, painkillers along with the so-called NSAIDs, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are effective in reducing symptoms quickly. However,these often cause serious side effects such as ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, and they don't stop the progression of the disease. In the long run they have actually proven to worsen the condition by accelerating joint destruction.
Coping with the chronic pain of arthritis can be frustrating. You get the feeling you're all alone facing the daily challenges caused by your arthritis symptoms. And, the traditional treatments leave a lot to be desired. It doesn't have to be this bad!
The last few years of research on arthritis have brought some hope to this dismal picture. Old herbal remedies such as ginger, nettle, and willow bark, as well as fish oils and the already well-known cartilage constituents glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, are about to revolutionize the treatment of arthritis. These substances not only give symptomatic relief, but, actually intervene at the root of the arthritis problem and help the body to rebuild functioning joints.
As they quickly sooth your pain, these powerful creams help repair, restore and regenerate cartilage, tendons, muscle and ligaments. Fast acting, these creams increase mobility and optimal repair of joint structures as they help reinforce the body's protective linings and lubricating fluids by recovering cell stability and function to stop further damage. Really powerful stuff. You can learn more about this non-traditional arthritis treatment at our website. To your good health, Jim Dowler

About The Author

Jim Dowler is the Webmaster of http://arthritis-pain-relief.gainstreet.com

This article was posted on July 25, 2004

Nothing Seems To Get Rid Of My Nagging Back Pain What Now?

Nothing Seems To Get Rid Of My Nagging Back Pain What Now?
 by: Jesse Cannone CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT

I'm just guessing, but heres what your experience with back pain has probably been like:
You probably went to your family doctor first, or a chiropractor. Your visit likely only lasted 15 minutes or so they poked around and confirmed that you do have back pain and gave you a prescription for the pain. Now before we go any further, let me ask you this: how in the heck is a prescription drug going to fix a physical problem like back pain?
Doctor visits, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, new mattress, rub on creams, and the list goes on
Im sure youve tried several or maybe even many on that list yet youre back still hurts. Why arent any of the experts helping or treatments working?
The answer is simple
Its all in the approach most, if not all, of the treatments people receive for back pain are flawed from the start. Im not going to cover each of them in detail in this article, however, if you would like to learn more about traditional treatments for back pain and why they dont work, I suggest you read my article on the subject here: http://www.losethebackpain.com/backpaintreatments.html
You and I already know that those treatments just dont work, so I want to give you some information that you can use to take control of your own health and well being and find the treatment that will finally get rid of your back pain once and for all.
It has been my experience that trying to convince somebody of something they are unfamiliar with is just about impossible. so instead of me telling you what to do, I want to give you the tools for you to do it yourself.
Step one: First, you must understand that pain is your bodys way of telling you something is wrong dont ignore it! And in order to fix it or get rid of it, you must first know whats causing it.
Step two: Be open-minded in order to find a solution youll need to be willing to learn and please dont be afraid to look for and/or ask for help.
There are thousands of sources of information in the world on upper back pain, lower back pain and back pain in general, but if you dont know how to sort through all that information it will be useless to you.
Step three: Take action now youre going to do it, and with my help! You do not have to live with low back pain, upper back pain, sciatic pain, or any back pain for that matter and you can feel great again.
You have two options:
1. Leave it up to your doctor or chiropractor and hope it gets taken care of
or
2. You can take control of your back care yourself and ensure it gets taken care of
I dont know about you, but its a no brainer for me!
But, I know you may be feeling like theres NO solution and maybe youve even resigned yourself to the fact that youll have back pain for the rest of your life I hope thats not the case because you do have the power and ability to eliminate it.
If you choose option one, leaving your back health in the hands of someone other than yourself, at least educate yourself enough to know what questions you need to be asking.
The next time you go to the doctor or chiropractor, bring a pen and paper along with the list of questions below: What is the cause of the pain? (Not the symptom, but the actual cause) Is it muscular or structural? (involving the bones of the spine) If its muscular have the doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, etc name exactly which muscles and other muscles that may be involved. Do I need an X-ray, CT-scan or MRI? Did I have a predisposition for the injury based on my life style and daily postures? Do I have muscle imbalances that created this condition over time? Will I have muscle imbalances still after your treatment? Will it heel 100%? Are there specific exercises or stretches to do for my condition? Which muscles should I stretch and which muscles should I strengthen? Will I do more harm than good if I dont do the right activities? Will the physical therapist you are sending me to have the time to spend one on one with me to effectively work with me? Will Ultra Sound and Electrical Stimulation correct my muscle imbalances?
I could go on and on with questions like these that you should ask your doctor, but we both know that you wont because you dont want to piss off the doctor and then worry that youll get bad care next time.
So did I just waist my time and yours by listing them out. Heck no, these are great questions to use when trying to find a treatment approach that will work for you.
We already know what doesnt work and why, lets talk now about what does work. In order for any back care program or approach to be successful, it must include the following criteria: Identify the root cause of the problem Treat both the symptom and the cause Focus on the body as a whole and not zoom in on only the problem area Physical problems can only be treated and corrected with a physical approach Address muscle imbalances with targeted strength, flexibility, and muscle work Be easy to understand, implement, and progress Help you maintain a healthy back and prevent future occurrences
So how can you find a back care program that not only meets all these criteria, but is proven to work far better than traditional treatments?
Just do a little research you can use the internet to find all sorts of information and resources on back pain, but remember, it must meet the criteria we outlined above our its guaranteed to fail!
Dont give up, its out there, if you take the time to look youll find it maybe right under your nose!

About The Author

Article courtesy of Jesse Cannone and Steve Hefferon. Find out exactly whats causing your back pain and how to eliminate it with the Lose the Back Pain Video. Be sure to also take advantage of all the free resources and information on back pain at their website: http://www.losethebackpain.com
support@losethebackpain.com

This article was posted on July 25, 2004

Buying Home Whitening Kits like Whitestrips

Tired of stained, yellow teeth? Want to give yourself a beautiful, whiter smile? Then perhaps you have thought about at home teeth whitening kits. In January 2004, Consumer Reports wrote "Home kits do whiten teeth for far less than you'd pay for a professional treatment."
Along with the above quote, Consumer Reports rated Colgate Whitestrips as "good" while Crest Simply White Night was given a rating of "very good." Both were said to help in whitening the tester's teeth and both were recommended products.
But which of the two is most right for you? When deciding to buy an at home teeth whitening kit, keep in mind of what is most convenient for you. The main difference is that Crest Whitestrips are nearly invisible sticky strips that are worn twice a day, for 30 minutes at a time, (or you can do a single one hour session) while Colgate Simply White Night is a gel that is brushed onto your teeth before you sleep. Neither are flavored and after a few days, most people get accustomed to either method. However, the main reason consumers do not get the full benefits of their whitening kits is because they prematurely stop usage before the recommended time (usually 14 days).
One last note is that both Crest and Colgate recommend continued usage or their products to improve your teeth whiteness level. Therefore, if you are satisfied with your initial results, consider purchasing another teeth whitening kit to whiten your teeth even more. However, neither Crest Whitestrips nor Colgate Simply White Night can give you a "bombshell" white smile if you have had years of coffee, caffeine, or smoking. For those results, you will most likely have to have multiple visits to your dentist as well as spend hundreds of dollars. If however, you are looking for a cheap alternative to whiten your teeth several shades, then why not give at home teeth whitening products a try? After all, almost all of them offer a money back guarantee.

-