Why We Age

Introduction

We are all interested in aging-- why we age, some faster than others. Gerontology or the study of aging has helped us understand better why we age. Theories of aging may be grouped into two. One group  states that aging is natural and our body is programmed to age. The other group claims that aging is a result of damage to the body gradually accumulated over time. The bottom line is that groups are to some degree correct. In the study of aging, one mus consider the complex interaction of genetics, chemistry, physiology and behavior.

The "programmed" theory claims that aging is caused by certain genes switching on and off over time, that there is a certain biological timeline that our bodies follow. There are hormonal changes that control aging. Additionally, our immune system is programmed to decline over time, leaving people more susceptible to diseases. More later

About MRI: A Douglass Report

Here's the report verbatim...

The business of modern medicine You have to spend money to make money. That's an accepted fact in the business world. What a lot of people AREN'T ready to accept is that mainstream medicine is one of the biggest businesses out there -- which means that all of those same business rules apply. So when your doctor spends big bucks on diagnostic imagining equipment, you know good and well who's REALLY footing the bill. You are. That's why it came as no surprise to me when a recent study found that docs who buy or lease MRI machines have much higher rates of screenings -- and ultimately, surgeries. Researchers looked at Medicare claims for low back pain filed between 1998 and 2005 by primary care doctors and orthopedists, then isolated numbers on docs who bought or leased MRI machines in that time. They found a 32 percent increase among primary care docs in the months immediately afterwards. Orthopedists had a smaller increase -- just 13 percent. But that's because the machines helped keep them busy in other ways: That 13 percent boost in MRIs led to a 34 percent increase in surgery rates, according to the study in Health Services Research. If the surgeries were beneficial, I wouldn't have much of a problem with it. But for patients with back pain, neither the screening nor the surgeries that result from them are necessary. As I told you recently during a similar exposé on X-rays for back pain, nearly everyone ends up with disc "problems" like slips and bulges. (Read more here.) But most people never feel a thing -- proving that these disc issues are not the real cause of pain, just a convincing excuse to operate. And that's why most people who go through back surgery end up in as much pain as they were before, if not more -- because now they’re recovering from an invasive procedure to boot. So if your doc wants an MRI for something like back pain, find out if he owns the machine – and if he does, go get a second opinion.

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Here is an eye-opener, a video by Dr. Crandall discussing how to prevent and reverse heart disease.
Click this link
.http://w3.newsmax.com/newsletters/crandall/video.cfm?s=al&promo_code=C6BA-1..

Alert for Men

Of special interest for men (from WedMD):

BPH Drugs Linked to
Increased Prostate Cancer Risk
The FDA is requiring makers of drugs used to treat BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) --
a condition with symptoms that include urination trouble due to an enlarged prostate gland --
to change labeling due to increased risk of a serious form of prostate cancer. The drugs
are sold under the brand names Proscar, Propecia, Avodart, and Jalyn.